It was so cold this morning, all I could think was 'thank God I have a remote starter!' (TGIHRS). I knew it was going to be cold, so I bundled up for my run. Or so I thought. Almost as soon as I set foot outside, I had to invoke the goddess of Colorado (Tea), and remember the runs she's talked about, facing brutal wind & cold. It worked. Kinda. I was so miserable, I felt like my face was gonna freeze off, not to mention my fingers. Everything else was ok. I thought I was running really slowly, but it turns out that my time was pretty much on target for my tempo run. That's pretty good. I made it, which is really the most important issue.
It's past my bedtime, but I just had to vent about my miserable run. I was hoping to hold off on moving my tempo run inside, to the treadmill, because I find running for an hour on the treadmill extremely boring. Particularly early in the morning, when TV is not very distracting. But after today... the treadmill is looking better & better!
Monday, October 29, 2007
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Kick Ass
The geniuses who came up with Fat Loss III in New Rules of Lifting... I don't like them today. For whatever reason, my workout really, really kicked my ass. I think it's the combo of 4 sets of 10 superset exercises (front squat, step-up, underhand lat pulldown and push-press), followed by 2 sets of 20 (regular squat, wide-grip pulldown, step-ups, and military press). Man, that last set of exercises is exhausting. Walking out of the gym I still felt like I just needed to siddown somewhere. After that workout, I tried to do an unassisted pull-up, and guess what? I did one! Woo hoo! I think if I had done it at the beginning rather than the end it would have been easier, but it was still fulfilling nonetheless. Thanks to my workout buddy for pushing me to do it!
This whole weight loss thing is interesting. Last week my weight didn't go down as fast as it normally does. I felt a little discouraged, and then one morning I got on the scale and was down 3 pounds. It just reminded me to keep doing the right thing (reminds me of many of Rob's blogs), because you never know when you're gonna get a breakthrough of sorts. I'd rather my weight not budge and I have to wonder why, than know why - cuz I ate a bunch of sh*t. However, I am going to start a new diet in a couple of weeks to try to get rid of this last 15 lbs by the end of the year. Then, between January 1 and March 29, it's gonna be all about taking it to the next level and focusing on getting the definition that I want. Although my weight is not behaving like I want it to, I still lost 1/2 inch from my thighs and 1/2" from my waist in a week. The same week that I gained weight. I'll take it!
This whole weight loss thing is interesting. Last week my weight didn't go down as fast as it normally does. I felt a little discouraged, and then one morning I got on the scale and was down 3 pounds. It just reminded me to keep doing the right thing (reminds me of many of Rob's blogs), because you never know when you're gonna get a breakthrough of sorts. I'd rather my weight not budge and I have to wonder why, than know why - cuz I ate a bunch of sh*t. However, I am going to start a new diet in a couple of weeks to try to get rid of this last 15 lbs by the end of the year. Then, between January 1 and March 29, it's gonna be all about taking it to the next level and focusing on getting the definition that I want. Although my weight is not behaving like I want it to, I still lost 1/2 inch from my thighs and 1/2" from my waist in a week. The same week that I gained weight. I'll take it!
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Self Care
It's a beautiful thing.
Tonight after work I went out for self-care with some of my co-workers. Working with a bunch of teenagers all week is draining. Combining that with a full load of classes, the gym, and a part-time job is exhausting. We needed some self-care. I indulged, not overly so, but still. It was nice to relax. I'm hoping that,now that midterms are over, I can have a little bit of down time this weekend. I actually skipped my workout this morning and tomorrow morning because I feel like I'm about to come down with a little somethin' somethin', and I don't have time for that. So I took some preventive measures, in the form of sleep, and I'm feeling a bit better. That pre-sore throat/headache feeling was a red flag, because I was just sick a month ago, and I don't usually get sick that often. It seems as though I'm learning to be more attuned to my body's needs, and less concerned about performance and more concerned about quality. Like, so what if I can say I got up at 5:00 am to work out when I have bags under my eyes? Who cares if I lost 2 lbs this week if I'm sick for a week? So hopefully this decision will pay off, and I can resume my regularly scheduled programming on Sunday. Looking forward to that, but also looking forward to the extra 1 1/2 hours of sleep that I will get tomorrow morning. Hopefully.
Tonight after work I went out for self-care with some of my co-workers. Working with a bunch of teenagers all week is draining. Combining that with a full load of classes, the gym, and a part-time job is exhausting. We needed some self-care. I indulged, not overly so, but still. It was nice to relax. I'm hoping that,now that midterms are over, I can have a little bit of down time this weekend. I actually skipped my workout this morning and tomorrow morning because I feel like I'm about to come down with a little somethin' somethin', and I don't have time for that. So I took some preventive measures, in the form of sleep, and I'm feeling a bit better. That pre-sore throat/headache feeling was a red flag, because I was just sick a month ago, and I don't usually get sick that often. It seems as though I'm learning to be more attuned to my body's needs, and less concerned about performance and more concerned about quality. Like, so what if I can say I got up at 5:00 am to work out when I have bags under my eyes? Who cares if I lost 2 lbs this week if I'm sick for a week? So hopefully this decision will pay off, and I can resume my regularly scheduled programming on Sunday. Looking forward to that, but also looking forward to the extra 1 1/2 hours of sleep that I will get tomorrow morning. Hopefully.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Quick - I Have 5 Minutes!
I am on a 5-minute break from the midterm grind, so I figured I'd go ahead and post. Today was one of those days when I did not feel like going to the gym. A friend of mine says that she never knew I didn't feel like doing stuff, like work out. Now, I do love working out, but the truth is that, particularly lately, the times that I feel like going are far outweighed by the times I don't. But I go, and I'm happy when I'm done. Actually, that's part of the fun. (3 minutes).
Today I did split squats (God love 'em) with 20-lb dumbbells. I was thinking to myself 'i remember when using 10-lb dumbbells wa excruciating.' Now look at me! It's cool to see definition in new places, and even more importantly, to just feel and be stronger, physically and mentally.
Truthfully, my eating is not going so well right now. I don't know why, but I've veered off of my 'no carbs during the week' rule. Nothing crazy, just some cheese & crackers, a couple of Mike's drinks. Maybe it's the midterm pressure, maybe it's PMS. I don't know. I can do better, I'm choosing not to for some reason. But whatever consequences come as a result, I will have to take them like a woman and get back in the saddle. (Time's up).
Today I did split squats (God love 'em) with 20-lb dumbbells. I was thinking to myself 'i remember when using 10-lb dumbbells wa excruciating.' Now look at me! It's cool to see definition in new places, and even more importantly, to just feel and be stronger, physically and mentally.
Truthfully, my eating is not going so well right now. I don't know why, but I've veered off of my 'no carbs during the week' rule. Nothing crazy, just some cheese & crackers, a couple of Mike's drinks. Maybe it's the midterm pressure, maybe it's PMS. I don't know. I can do better, I'm choosing not to for some reason. But whatever consequences come as a result, I will have to take them like a woman and get back in the saddle. (Time's up).
Saturday, October 20, 2007
A New Story
So, now that I have the time to really blog, I don't know what to say. But anybody who knows me knows I will find something to talk about.
I'm actually feeling pretty good about my fitness regimen these days. The first couple of days lifting weights based on my 1RP test were NO JOKE. The way my workout is set up, I do 4 sets of 10 reps for 4 exercises, with 60 seconds of rest after each complete circuit, and then 2 sets of 20 reps for 4 exercises. After doing 40 push presses with 25 lbs, trying to do 20 military presses with 25 lbs - forget it! But it's a good feeling to leave the gym completely spent. So I lift weights 3x/week, with cardio interval training on those days, and I do a long run on Mondays (7 miles this week - woo hoo!), and speedwork on Fridays. That was big fun this week - up at 5:30 am for an hour-long interval run. Hopefully in a month or so, you will see on my little run log that my speed has picked up, which is what I'm working my ass off for. Oh, and I mean that literally - jeans that I bought at the end of the summer and were a bit too tight are now sagging in the butt. Although I appreciate that it means I've lost weight, I can't say that I like to look in the mirror and see a saggy butt. Oh well...
Losing weight has taught me a lot about myself. It has definitely helped me to tell a different story about myself. Whereas a year ago I was afraid to start to try to lose weight because I thought I would fail, now I have lost 45 pounds. I can look at myself as a disciplined person who finishes what she starts and has the commitment required to take on big projects and succeed. It's too bad that many people never give themselves the opportunity to tell a new story because they never even challenge themselves to push beyond their comfort zone. To everybody reading this blog, whether you have lost 1 pound or 100 lbs, pat yourself on the back for rewriting your story. You deserve it!
(See, I told you I'd come up with something)
I'm actually feeling pretty good about my fitness regimen these days. The first couple of days lifting weights based on my 1RP test were NO JOKE. The way my workout is set up, I do 4 sets of 10 reps for 4 exercises, with 60 seconds of rest after each complete circuit, and then 2 sets of 20 reps for 4 exercises. After doing 40 push presses with 25 lbs, trying to do 20 military presses with 25 lbs - forget it! But it's a good feeling to leave the gym completely spent. So I lift weights 3x/week, with cardio interval training on those days, and I do a long run on Mondays (7 miles this week - woo hoo!), and speedwork on Fridays. That was big fun this week - up at 5:30 am for an hour-long interval run. Hopefully in a month or so, you will see on my little run log that my speed has picked up, which is what I'm working my ass off for. Oh, and I mean that literally - jeans that I bought at the end of the summer and were a bit too tight are now sagging in the butt. Although I appreciate that it means I've lost weight, I can't say that I like to look in the mirror and see a saggy butt. Oh well...
Losing weight has taught me a lot about myself. It has definitely helped me to tell a different story about myself. Whereas a year ago I was afraid to start to try to lose weight because I thought I would fail, now I have lost 45 pounds. I can look at myself as a disciplined person who finishes what she starts and has the commitment required to take on big projects and succeed. It's too bad that many people never give themselves the opportunity to tell a new story because they never even challenge themselves to push beyond their comfort zone. To everybody reading this blog, whether you have lost 1 pound or 100 lbs, pat yourself on the back for rewriting your story. You deserve it!
(See, I told you I'd come up with something)
Monday, October 15, 2007
Tempo
Today I did a tempo run. I walk/jogged 1 mile, ran 3 miles, and then jog/walked 1 mile. I had a goal pace for the middle 3 miles, so it forced me to work harder to try to make sure I hit the goal. I did. I actually ran faster than I was supposed to. It was a strange experience though, forcing myself to jog really slow. The whole pacing myself thing? No, not my strong suit. But I did it, and the point is to get faster. While I was jogging, I wondered what someone would think if they saw me. And then I thought - you never know where someone is in their journey. Looking from the outside is just such an insufficient way to judge someone, cuz you don't know where they've been or what they're working on. Me? I'm working on getting faster. Strangely, to get faster, I guess I have to train myself to go slower sometimes. Funny how that works.
I was thinking today that I work hard. Right now, I have a lot of work to do. My internship, where I spend 24 hours/week, is hectic and tiring. I am very focused on my school work, and it consumes the vast majority of my weekend. I'm tired. Sometimes I feel isolated & sad. There is a time when I wouldn't have admitted my fatigue to myself, out of fear that the admission would paralyze me. Now, I can say 'I'm tired, I don't feel like [fill in the blank - running, reading, writing this paper, getting out of bed]', and do it anyway. And you know what? I'm realizing that it's actually a better feeling to push myself to do what I don't feel like doing, than to be in denial about how I feel. Just trying to keep it real I guess.
I was thinking today that I work hard. Right now, I have a lot of work to do. My internship, where I spend 24 hours/week, is hectic and tiring. I am very focused on my school work, and it consumes the vast majority of my weekend. I'm tired. Sometimes I feel isolated & sad. There is a time when I wouldn't have admitted my fatigue to myself, out of fear that the admission would paralyze me. Now, I can say 'I'm tired, I don't feel like [fill in the blank - running, reading, writing this paper, getting out of bed]', and do it anyway. And you know what? I'm realizing that it's actually a better feeling to push myself to do what I don't feel like doing, than to be in denial about how I feel. Just trying to keep it real I guess.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Strong Enough for A Woman
Today was my long-awaited 1RM test. It was fun. OK, not really, but it was interesting. I found out that I'm stronger than I knew, and I've been underlifting. I found out that I can bench press 105 lbs once, squat 190 lbs once, deadlift 165 lbs once, and do an 80 lb military press once. I never would have dreamed of doing a 70-lb military press, but I actually did 10 reps today. My bench press weight is in the 90th percentile for my weight & age, which is pretty cool.
I actually went through a phase a couple of years ago where I deliberately underlifted because I didn't want to get bigger. No more. Now, it's go heavy or go home. The only downfall to this knowledge is that it will force me to challenge myself at a higher level. Who am I kidding - I live for the challenge!
Compliment time - someone that hasn't seen me in a month or so called me skinny and said I'm disappearing. That's a nice one, not only because, um, well, that's the goal, but because I really haven't lost much scale weight - about 1 lb/week, so for it to be noticeable like that is also exciting.
As always, thanks for the encouragement. It means a lot. It's really nice to have a forum that provides a little ego boost every now & then. We all need it, and you can't get it everywhere. I work really hard to lose weight, stay fit and excel in school, and it helps keep me going to get the positive reinforcement through the people that read my blog. Thanks!
I actually went through a phase a couple of years ago where I deliberately underlifted because I didn't want to get bigger. No more. Now, it's go heavy or go home. The only downfall to this knowledge is that it will force me to challenge myself at a higher level. Who am I kidding - I live for the challenge!
Compliment time - someone that hasn't seen me in a month or so called me skinny and said I'm disappearing. That's a nice one, not only because, um, well, that's the goal, but because I really haven't lost much scale weight - about 1 lb/week, so for it to be noticeable like that is also exciting.
As always, thanks for the encouragement. It means a lot. It's really nice to have a forum that provides a little ego boost every now & then. We all need it, and you can't get it everywhere. I work really hard to lose weight, stay fit and excel in school, and it helps keep me going to get the positive reinforcement through the people that read my blog. Thanks!
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Back in Business
Well, my home Internet is back up, thank God. Man, the Internet is a bootiful thing! :)
This week has been somewhat interesting. I hit the gym the morning after my race, with a nice weight training session. I did 4 sets of 10 reps - deadlift, bench press, split squat and explosive push ups. Little rest - 60 seconds after each set of 4, if that makes sense. Then 2 sets of 20 - cable row, walking lunge, deadlift off box, and something that I can't remember. Then hanging leg raises - 2 sets of 10. It was good - I felt good, although I underlifted. But this weekend I'm supposed to do a 1 rep max test, so that will end. No more underlifting for me!But, as my brother said, perhaps getting up the next morning and hitting the weights was not the brightest thing I could have done. I figured, hey, it's just 1 extra mile over what I've been doing - no big deal. But something went wrong, because I have been very tired this week. So I skipped the gym today, and will not go tomorrow, but Sunday I'll be back in the saddle. Sitting at the library on Tuesday, I did NOT feel like doing my reading cuz I was so tired. Of course, I did it anyway, but it was a bad feeling, and I know it's because I was overtired. I definitely believe that pushing through the stuff that you don't feel like doing is a key element of success, but I have to be careful to not set myself up for too much pushing. Maybe it was the extra mile on Monday, maybe it was a lack of real rest over the weekend. I dunno, but I'm trying to let it go so that I can start to build myself.
A young lady at my internship was sad that she is fat. I told her that I lost 43 lbs, and she said 'you used to be big?' with surprise. I don't know how far it can/will go, but perhaps my recent weight loss can help her make some moves so that she can be happier with her body. We'll see...
The weight hasn't been budging this week, but I swear clothes that I bought 2 or 3 weeks ago fit differently. More of a difference than I would expect for 3 lbs. I'm not sure exactly what to make of that. I know that, because of my schedule, and my comfort level with portions and such, I have not been tracking my calories or being as diligent with my measurement of food. so I plan to recalculate my calories for my new weight, and figure out what I can eat that will fit those guidelines so that I don't have to input them every day. We'll see how that works.
On another note - I got my first two assignments back - a B+ and an A-. Woo hoo!
This week has been somewhat interesting. I hit the gym the morning after my race, with a nice weight training session. I did 4 sets of 10 reps - deadlift, bench press, split squat and explosive push ups. Little rest - 60 seconds after each set of 4, if that makes sense. Then 2 sets of 20 - cable row, walking lunge, deadlift off box, and something that I can't remember. Then hanging leg raises - 2 sets of 10. It was good - I felt good, although I underlifted. But this weekend I'm supposed to do a 1 rep max test, so that will end. No more underlifting for me!But, as my brother said, perhaps getting up the next morning and hitting the weights was not the brightest thing I could have done. I figured, hey, it's just 1 extra mile over what I've been doing - no big deal. But something went wrong, because I have been very tired this week. So I skipped the gym today, and will not go tomorrow, but Sunday I'll be back in the saddle. Sitting at the library on Tuesday, I did NOT feel like doing my reading cuz I was so tired. Of course, I did it anyway, but it was a bad feeling, and I know it's because I was overtired. I definitely believe that pushing through the stuff that you don't feel like doing is a key element of success, but I have to be careful to not set myself up for too much pushing. Maybe it was the extra mile on Monday, maybe it was a lack of real rest over the weekend. I dunno, but I'm trying to let it go so that I can start to build myself.
A young lady at my internship was sad that she is fat. I told her that I lost 43 lbs, and she said 'you used to be big?' with surprise. I don't know how far it can/will go, but perhaps my recent weight loss can help her make some moves so that she can be happier with her body. We'll see...
The weight hasn't been budging this week, but I swear clothes that I bought 2 or 3 weeks ago fit differently. More of a difference than I would expect for 3 lbs. I'm not sure exactly what to make of that. I know that, because of my schedule, and my comfort level with portions and such, I have not been tracking my calories or being as diligent with my measurement of food. so I plan to recalculate my calories for my new weight, and figure out what I can eat that will fit those guidelines so that I don't have to input them every day. We'll see how that works.
On another note - I got my first two assignments back - a B+ and an A-. Woo hoo!
Monday, October 8, 2007
Under My Belt
Well, my first 10K is officially behind me. It was a totally new experience for me, and I loved it! My time wasn't bad - 6.2 miles in 1:06, which is a pace of 10:42. I felt really good, no cramps or anything. There was such a wide variety of women out there - all different shapes, sizes, athletic abilities, which made it really inspiring & humbling.
For me, running this 10K was kind of about being an individual, and recreating my life according to my own standards and desires. I have spent years doing what others wanted me to do, or thought I should do. Even though I did have someone out there cheering me on (you know who you are - thanks!), and other women out there running with me, I was on my own. I trained on my own, and I completed it on my own. And that's ok. I did this because I wanted to do it. I've talked about it for months, and today I moved past talking and did it. That makes me proud. I don't want to be one of those people who talks about hopes, dreams, aspirations, and doesn't do a damn thing to bring them to fruition. Nah, I wanna be one of those people who's always working on something, constantly challenging myself and my abilities.
So now, on the next phase. I want to get faster, but I also want to get stronger, so I am going to refocus on my strength training. Thankfully, I haven't lost any strength over the past 8 weeks, but I also haven't gotten much stronger. That's about to change though, because tomorrow morning it's up at 6 to hit the weights!
Last but not least, thanks to everyone who has encouraged & supported this endeavor of mine. It has come in many different forms, and I'm certainly grateful for every last bit of it. Yay you!
For me, running this 10K was kind of about being an individual, and recreating my life according to my own standards and desires. I have spent years doing what others wanted me to do, or thought I should do. Even though I did have someone out there cheering me on (you know who you are - thanks!), and other women out there running with me, I was on my own. I trained on my own, and I completed it on my own. And that's ok. I did this because I wanted to do it. I've talked about it for months, and today I moved past talking and did it. That makes me proud. I don't want to be one of those people who talks about hopes, dreams, aspirations, and doesn't do a damn thing to bring them to fruition. Nah, I wanna be one of those people who's always working on something, constantly challenging myself and my abilities.
So now, on the next phase. I want to get faster, but I also want to get stronger, so I am going to refocus on my strength training. Thankfully, I haven't lost any strength over the past 8 weeks, but I also haven't gotten much stronger. That's about to change though, because tomorrow morning it's up at 6 to hit the weights!
Last but not least, thanks to everyone who has encouraged & supported this endeavor of mine. It has come in many different forms, and I'm certainly grateful for every last bit of it. Yay you!
Friday, October 5, 2007
I Did It!
Today was the last official day of training for my 10K. The next two days are rest days, and the race is on Monday. I'm excited but a bit nervous too. Thanks to everyone for all your encouragement, I will let you know how it goes! Starting school, I was a bit concerned (as were others who know me well) that the training would be a bit much - too many early mornings, not enough sleep. But I did it! I was prepared to adjust my training schedule if it got to be too much, but I didn't feel the need to. And although there were some days that I didn't run the prescribed number of miles because of time constraints, and two days I skipped because I wasn't feeling well, I did what I was supposed to do every single day. So... I'm so proud of me. ;)
This 10K will be a totally new experience for me. I have been, for the most part, a solitary exerciser. That's cool, it works for me, although I have had a training partner, which has also been good. It will be interesting to find out how running in the company of about 7,000 women affects me. Who knows, I might have my fastest time ever!
This has been a busy week for me, I guess the real work (papers) is starting to kick in. Good times. I also have not had consistent Internet access at home, which is a definite boo. Thanks to those of you who came looking for me! It made me feel special. :)
Last, I almost busted my ass during my run on Monday (during which, unbeknownst to me, I was spotted by a classmate and a friend. Weird!). My favorite sweatpants are about 8 years old. And they look it - they have holes & runs in them, but I love them. Unfortunately, they also have a split in the bottom, due to the combination of being short and wearing them in all kinds of weather. Not a good combo for a run. My foot got caught in it, not once, but twice! I thought to myself 'I hope nobody saw that'. Lesson: never wear 8 year old sweatpants that have a big rip in the bottom when you are trying to run 5 miles.
This 10K will be a totally new experience for me. I have been, for the most part, a solitary exerciser. That's cool, it works for me, although I have had a training partner, which has also been good. It will be interesting to find out how running in the company of about 7,000 women affects me. Who knows, I might have my fastest time ever!
This has been a busy week for me, I guess the real work (papers) is starting to kick in. Good times. I also have not had consistent Internet access at home, which is a definite boo. Thanks to those of you who came looking for me! It made me feel special. :)
Last, I almost busted my ass during my run on Monday (during which, unbeknownst to me, I was spotted by a classmate and a friend. Weird!). My favorite sweatpants are about 8 years old. And they look it - they have holes & runs in them, but I love them. Unfortunately, they also have a split in the bottom, due to the combination of being short and wearing them in all kinds of weather. Not a good combo for a run. My foot got caught in it, not once, but twice! I thought to myself 'I hope nobody saw that'. Lesson: never wear 8 year old sweatpants that have a big rip in the bottom when you are trying to run 5 miles.
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