The Only Way is Up!

Alrighty! Only a FIVE days to go until the start of the 12 Week Body Transformation!! I'm getting pretty pumped and have already made quite a few changes to my lifestyle.

With hubby's support, we are going alcohol free (eeek!) until Christmas. We just don't seem to be able to "just have one glass". Ever. And this is frequently nearly every night of the week. That's like a billion extra calories that this old bod just doesn't need. Plus we have a lot to do, and hangovers do not make work easy. So. Forget Oct-sober, we are just doin' it.

I've been running consistently and am up to Week 4, Day 2 of Ease into 10K. Now up to 4 x 8 minutes of running, with 1 minute walk breaks. Over the 5km mark for each workout too! Woot!

Been eating cleaner too - oats and berries for breakky, salads for lunch, protein/salad for dinner. Except for last night where we had the "Last Supper" of Cheaper Tuesday Dominoes. Confession: I really enjoyed it! But we do have the Thin and Crispy crust...does that make it a bit better?

OK. So this morning was the "Before" Fitness Test. I thought I could do under 8 minutes for a 1km run - I just had to follow my LuluLemon socks advice:

I was pretty sure my abs are crap, ditto push-ups, thought my legs may be OK for a squat test and I know my flexibility is pretty good in the stretch and reach. So here are my starting, benchmark figures:

I was very happy with the 7:13 for the 1km! Goal is now to get under 7 minutes and into the sixes! Anyway, that puts me into the "Intermediate" category for cardio-vascular fitness - woot!

24 lady push-ups. I did about 27, but the last couple were so pathetic I didn't count them. Surprisingly this also puts me in the "intermediate" category for upper-body strength and endurance. Who knew? My goal is to get to 30 in a minute.

No great surprise to know that my abdominal strength needs work. This is what I could barely do without lifting my feet off the ground:

I thought I'd do OK on the wall sit after all the running and I have good leg strength (compared to my arms or abs). But apparently 59 seconds or less is "Beginner" status and I managed a measly 42 seconds. I'm sure I can do better (and it sure felt like longer!).

I got 10cm past my toes in the sit and reach test - apparently this is +10cm (not -10cm, I've changed that now). I know from past (way past) fitness tests I can get to nearly 20cm! Anyway, this is more than +6cm past my toes, so I'm Advanced for flexibility, baby!

We get to revisit this every 4 weeks, so it will be interesting to see how things progress (well, for me, anyway).

The only way is up, baby!

For you and me now...

I Will Survive!

At first I was afraid, I was petrified...

What a week this has been. I'd love to be reporting in that I've done all my runs, ate cleanly etc. Sunday night I got all my running gear out ready for Monday morning - I had work on every day this week, so I was going to have to get up early and be organised!

But life has a way of bringing the best of intentions undone. I woke on Sunday night with stomach pains and by morning felt like a truck had run me over. It was when my head was in the toilet bowl that I thought to myself "perhaps no running today?"

It was a very unpleasant day, and I bailed out of work; I ditched the after-work tutoring. There was a moment there when I felt if not death, but perhaps a light coma would be nice! Every cell in my body ached and my head felt like it was going to explode. My guts re-arranged themselves with alarming regularity. It was awful.

On the "plus" side, I ate really nothing - except for a bit of vegemite on toast. 

I awoke on Tuesday to feel much better. Fairly washed out, but that horrid feeling had left the building. I was able to go to work. I ate lightly and went to buy some pro-biotic yogurt in those little bottles.

It wasn't until this morning that I was able to feel like running. Well, I never feel like running, especially in the morning, and I always play that little game in my head where I think of reasons why I shouldn't go, but in the end put on my clothes and shoes and then the dog gets excited and there's really no turning back! It's just gotta be done.

Turns out lots of people get up early to run. At 7am my little pathway was a veritable highway of runners. All faster than me (I swear slugs run faster than me) but one nice lady from the local running club uttered words of encouragement to me - at least I think she did, because I can't hear really well with my earphones in. Maybe she was telling me I should run without earphones? I thanked her anyway.

So I keep plodding along. Not long until the kickoff of Round 4 of 12 Week Body Transformation. I've cleaned out the cupboards, diarised my workouts, my work, and things like our anniversary and Christmas. Next up we have fitness tests and measurements...stay tuned for the not pretty!

"...and I grew strong and learned how to get along

Oh not I, I will survive!"

Ahh - Push It!

Ah, push it - push it good 
Ah, push it - push it real good 

So...our last "Warm Up" week! Monday starts "PreSeason" and some non-compulsory challenges - I wonder what on earth they could be?

This week, I've run 3 times and walked twice. I've cut back on alcohol - changing to gin and diet tonics, low-alcohol wine and trying (not always succeeding!) to have only 2 a night. Last night I drank only mineral water! It's baby steps.

This morning got out for my run. I thought I was doing Week 2, Day 1 of Ease into 10K. But I didn't check my phone properly and it defaulted to Week 3, Day 2 - the next day after where I finished up last year! I thought those 4 minutes seemed awfully long! They were! They were 5 minutes long! No wonder I was a bit hot and sweaty after that:

The app I use is the Ease Into 10K app from Bluefin software. If you've never run before, I wouldn't start with this one - go for the Couch to 5K one. But this suits me after a little break from running - the run/walk intervals are just right (provided I do the right week!). I also like the progress charts:

Got out yesterday for a walk with Maxie - don't let me tell you that I have nowhere to walk...

But to get there we have to trek down a bit of a dirt road, which is a bit of a puddle-fest after the recent rains:

Anyway, so excited to be doing something positive about this weight. I just needed a program or something to hang off - looking forward to next week - bring it on!

Oooh, baby, baby 
Baby, baby 

Wednesday Weigh-In!

Got up, checked Facebook (as you do) and there was a reminder:

My scales are not that pretty and neither is the number that is going to show up.  OK - let's get it over and done with:

79.3 kg - 174.8 lbs

Small loss. I'll take it.

Up early and I finished "Week 1" of the Ease Into 10K program this morning:

It felt hard, but I pushed on and my pace was a bit faster, so I'm happy with myself.

Further motivation - Michelle Bridges encouraging everyone who can to get out running:

I encourage all my team who can, to RUN! If you are time poor, running is great value for money when it comes to getting that heart rate up and burning truck loads of calories!! Xx

I'll be happy when I look like her! 

And it's the little choices - last night after a long day at work, my hubby suggested it was Tuesday and that maybe we should just call Dominos....but I was strong (and if I'm honest, cranky with him for leading me astray), and went to the shops, bought steak and salad and cooked it. I wouldn't have done that last week!

I ran past my daughter's piano teacher this morning, just as the voice in my earphones said "run". I sighed and she said "it's just got to be done, doesn't it?!" And she's right - just gotta do it (mmm, might be something in that).

I'm so ashamed...

Today I was rifling through my large assemblage of running magazines, Million Kilo Challenge recipes, physio exercises etc and came across my old Fit For the Job Challenge folder (mmm, now defunct - no link available). I did this a few years ago now when I was working at the local high school. A bunch of us teachers got together for a 12 week challenge to lose weight, reduce stress etc (sounding familiar?). We got a 12 week exercise program and DVD, healthy eating plan and weigh-in's at the local gym. I do remember that I managed to get down to 66kg and feeling very proud of myself.

But at the start, I remember feeling like I did yesterday - it's time to make a change before this weight gain gets out of hand, my clothes are fitting anymore etc etc.

I found the slip of paper for my first weigh-in.

Weight: 69.8kgs (153.6 lbs). OMG. That's 10kg lighter than my current starting point.

I'm so ashamed that I thought that I was heavy and I've let myself (after bootcamping, and two lots of C25K and a 9km fun run and multiple "programs") get to 79.8kg. No wonder my size 14 clothes are tight. It's not that the sizing is getting smaller. It really is because I've stacked on the kilos. I'm going to my 25 year school reunion in a couple of weeks the heaviest I've ever been. Hello! Reality check! 

So I went out for my run/walk this morning feeling very large, very ashamed of myself. I felt like saying "I can do this running thing, you know, I'm just starting again and these clothes used to fit me 12 months ago". 

And that's the thing, isn't it? You just have to pick yourself up, dust yourself off and start bloody again. And keep going. And going. It's not easy (well, I obviously don't find it easy).

On the bright side? There were a lot of overweight people out there this morning, walking the walk, putting one foot in front of the other. They were beetroot faced and sweaty too. They looked admiringly (or was that sympathetically?) at me running. I did get out of bed this morning and do it, unlike last week. I keep putting one foot in front of the other. 

Ease Into 10K - Week 3 Day 2

I did this run yesterday...

What I did:

5 minute walking warmup, 5 minutes running/1 minute walking x5, 5 minute walking cooldown.  It has been very windy here, so I skipped Tuesday and ran Wednesday instead - a nice lull in the wind and a very pleasant morning!

How I felt:

Sore! My right hip is sore. It wasn't too bad when I was running, but sure is sore now. Lots of stretching (and maybe some icing if I get a chance). But the run itself felt good - building up my endurance.

Playlist highlights:

Let's Get Loud - Jennifer Lopez

Never - Moving Pictures

How far I went:

4.77km - just a tiny bit less than last run, but I'll take it! Getting closer to the magical 5km mark.

Inspiration:

Dolphins and whales (yes - whales!!!) off the beach! Difficult to capture on the iPhone, but how lucky am I to have such a great place to run?

Ouch!

Running is a stressful thing for the body.

The first week of C25K was hard work on my lungs - I thought they would burst!

I had a knee reconstruction a few years back after I tore my anterior cruciate ligament skiing. So for the first few weeks, my weak knee gave me a bit of curry.

My quad muscles needed a few weeks to get used to the whole concept of running and being used.

A year or so back I got bad plantar fasciitis from wearing thongs (flip flops, not underwear!) and standing all day teaching. Lots of ice, stretching and massage and orthotics fixed that. I felt twinges of it when I started running, but stretching it out has meant I've kept it at bay.

After I graduated from C25K and was trying to get a bit faster (I'm sooooo slow!) my calves were sore. I focussed on shortening my stride and really stretching them well after running and they seem OK now.

Now I am suffering from sore hips. I experience "sciatica" after housework regularly, but this feels like a combination of that plus my hip joint. Lifting my right foot from the accelerator to the brake is excruciating. Interestingly, it's not that sore when I'm actually running. I've Googled it (as you do), and I think it really sounds like piriformis syndrome. It's possible that is what my sciatica has been that all along.

I've found some good stretches and I'm hoping that this makes a difference.



And I'm hoping I don't continually find new and exciting ways to inflict pain on myself!!!

Ease Into 10K - Week 3 Day 1

Not a bad place for a Saturday morning run!

What I did:

5 minute walking warmup, 5 minutes running/1 minute walking x5, 5 minute walking cooldown.

How I felt:

I tried to take it a bit slower than last workout where I really pushed the running pace. I think the GPS goes a bit haywire, because it says my running pace (8.12min/km) was slower than my walking pace (8.09min/km)! I kept running up the big hill, so I know that was pretty slow, but seriously my walking was NOT faster!

After watching Chi Running videos on YouTube, I focussed on landing midfoot and keeping my stride short. Definitely feels better.

Playlist highlights:

All Fired Up - Pat Benetar

Rock This Party - Bob Sinclar

How far I went:

A total of 4.79km today!

Inspiration: