I went out running this morning, just me and the pollen whooping it up! Either I've gotten really fast, or my GPS messed up. I completed my first mile in 8 minutes 29 seconds, although I think it was really about 10 minutes 29 seconds by the time I made a mile. And I completed my second mile in record time: 6 minutes and 21 seconds. I've gone from turtle slow to Superwoman Fast! Or--my GPS stunk today and couldn't figure out where the heck I was going.
I'll go with Superwoman fast, because I'm always an optimist and rarely a realist. Today was my Challenge day to run 2 miles and according to Endomondo I ran 2.65 miles in 21 minutes and 21 seconds. I'm thinking I ran about 2 miles in that time, but who knows. I'm just glad I got out there and ran.
Running is such a challenge for me every time I do it. I have my breathing on track, which is half the battle. I don't feel like I'm huffing and puffing or dying, but most of the time one of my muscles in my legs or calves start to tweak, and I want to stop. Today, I felt the best I ever had running. I let my mind run through the list of items I had on tap for today. I worked on plotting out a story in my head, and at one point it didn't feel like I was running at all, it just felt like I was going somewhere.
I really do think the key to running is to get your mind out of it. Release yourself and your tension, the way you do with Yoga. You have to find a way to not realize what you're doing while you're doing it. Make it second nature, like the words flowing out of your mouth when you're speaking your naturally-born language.
I've been there before, and I'm going to get there again: this time without injuring myself!
Wow I can't believe I've done 17 of these little weight loss editions. Crazy! Okay: onto the good stuff.
Remember, way back in the beginning, like edition 2 of my weight loss tips. Okay, you have the visual picture now, good. I said that weight loss is a lifestyle change and not the D word! This is so true. If you're changing your lifestyle to become healthier, then exercise should be incorporated in your life. Exercise helps you burn off any extra calories you've eaten, it helps give you energy, and most importantly (to me at least) it lifts your mood.
One of the things I hate to hear the most is people who say, "But I have no time to exercise." It is simply not true. If I can fit it into my schedule with work, Number One's gymnastic schedule, three kids, and a husband, plus trying to write and publish a book on the side, then you can definitely fit it into yours. It may mean getting up a few minutes earlier, it may be doing short, simple exercises throughout the day, but any type of exercise is better than none.
Let's get started, shall we?
- Exercise FIVE times a week for a minimum of 30 minutes a day: FIVE TIMES. Are you trying to kill me, you might be saying. First of all, the 30 minutes is a total. You can do 3 10 minute exercises throughout the day. You don't have to do it all at once. And this is your goal, so you may need to build up to this, incorporating exercise into your day one or two days at a time, and then adding in a couple more days.
- Interval Exercises: Interval training is BEST for weight loss. Interval training is where you go hard for a few minutes, then easy, then hard again. I HATE interval training. Let me say that again: I HATE it, but it works and it is great for your body. This is also good news for those people who say they don't have time, because you can do interval training in 10 minute bursts!
- Find an Exercise that You Love: To me this is essential. When I found Taekwondo, I knew I would be able to stick with it. I love the atmosphere, the people, the built-in accountability, and I love the sport. If you find an exercise you love, then you are much more prone to stick with it.
- Track Your Exercise: There are 5,000 tracking tools out there, and I know I've done a list before. Endomondo is what I'm currently using, but there is Runkeeper, Nike+, Gyminee, MapMyRun. A lot of these have the word "run" in them, but they do track other exercises as well. Sometimes it helps to see the visual of how much you've exercised recently. I'll give you an example, here's a chart of my exercise over the last couple of weeks:
Unfortunately, the legend didn't populate, but the beigy pink is martial arts (what I do most). The green is running (was taking a break because of my leg), the purple is walking and the light pink is dancing. What a cool way to track your workouts! I love Endomondo.
Remember: the more you move the more calories you'll burn, the more you'll lose weight and incorporate a healthy lifestyle into your life.
I've been altering my workout schedule some this week, trying to get in some running to build up again. I decided after my shin hurt when I ran 1/2 mile that I needed to build back up (like I had to do when I first started running).
This week, I went for two runs, and I can tell that the lack of running for a week has thrown off my pace. I'm going too fast, and I know I won't be able to maintain the speeds when I do my 5K in April.
On Tuesday, I ran 1.10 miles in 8 minutes 58 seconds. Ok, I really don't think I did that. I think the GPS on the app I use (Endomondo) was messed up. But, I looked at the time when I began and when I ended and I'm pretty sure I ran an 8 minute mile or maybe 8 minute 30 second mile. I stopped, because I started feeling a twitching in my shin, and I was worried about overdoing it.
Yesterday was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, high in the 50's. Oh if only every day could be that glorious! I decided to go for a run in the park at lunch. I tracked 2.05 miles in 17 minutes 2 seconds. This time the GPS was pretty much spot-on, so now I know I am running too fast. The good news is, my shin did not hurt at all! I have been religious about icing it lately, and I know this is helping a lot. Now, on the other hand, the muscles around my Achilles tendon ached almost the entire run, but I think that was from doing Latin Funk the night before!
Running Goals for this Upcoming Week:
- Get in at least 3 Runs
- Build up to 3 miles or more
- Pace myself (try to do a 10 min./mile for longer distance)
- If the shin is feeling okay: do a long run -- 45 minutes
Hopefully I can achieve these goals. I'm feeling a little puny at the moment, and I'm hoping I'm not getting the gunk that seems to be floating around my office...and my house.
