This month has been a running fiesta for a few reasons.
1. I found a running buddy at work! We go and do a 5k loop once or twice a week. She's fun to run with and very nice to chat with.
2. My boyfriend is back! Ragnar, in training for the Canadian Death Race, went out with me today. We did a nice 10k together.
3. I met people from Running Mania! A couple of people were in from Ottawa, so I went to a little meet-up and met up with four lovely women, Miss Smiles, Trixiee, Fishpants, and IronColl. It was a great night!
On the other hand, I've been missing so many long runs that I think my ambition to do a half marathon in June is shot. It doesn't help that Mother Nature has continued her weekly volley of snow days at us, usually right before the weekend. This week wasn't bad, because it melted by Saturday, but it would be really nice to plant my babies (plants) now.
In other news, I officially made it to 150lbs. For me, this is a big milestone, because while I knew theoretically it was possible, I never figured that I myself could get to that weight and stay there. I credit MyFitnessPal with helping me keep track of what I was eating, giving me a flexible infrastructure, and having a large database. It's not perfect, but as I try to continue to monitor my weight, it's a valuable tool. The other thing I love about this site is that it gives you the option of deciding if you want to lose weight, maintain weight, or gain it. The last, though not being my own concern, is a very important one to have as an option. Not everyone needs to lose it! And not everyone who needs to gain needs to do so because of an eating disorder (though the number of people is frighteningly too many, as in 'more than one').
Apropos of nothing, the national hockey season is winding down, and all the Canadian teams are out. I'm ready for the national football season to start!
I always start these blogs with something to say, and then it devolves into the basics, and I forget the neat, interesting commentaries I could make, like how I saw an Edmonton Public School Board sign advertising a music school... Oh well!
Edited to add: I really wish Canadian restaurants would post nutritional information online. There are a handful that do, but it's frustrating to go out with friends to some really nice place, try a 'signature dish' and not know the nutritional content. Before you say, "Yeah, but you look at the menu and take a guesstimation," remember that restaurants use lots of things that could vary the number of calories, like salt or fat. And no one wants to be the jerk who says, "I don't want to go there because I don't know what I'm eating, so let's go elsewhere."
Showing posts with label diet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label diet. Show all posts
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Update of the Week
This week was bad for running. I had planned to go to the gym on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and run Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday.
I made it to the gym, and ran today.
On the plus side, I was able to treadmill without worry, but on the minus side, that didn't make up for two days of not-running. My reasons are legit: on Tuesday, I was counseled to stay home and hopefully head off the cold that was threatening. And on Thursday, Edmonton weather was up to its old tricks, and gave us at least 7cm of snow.
Today, I waited until it didn't seem like the mercury was going to climb any higher before suiting up to head out. It wasn't the unpleasantness like two Tuesdays ago, which I'm certain was the commencement of last week's illness, but it was only 1C and there was a wind most of the way. However, I got the 10km in like a good little half-marathoner, and kept myself warm after getting back.
One thing I put a lot of thought into while I was running was mantras. Every so often, a running magazine will start talking about the mantras that successful runners use during their races to continue. And trust me, they do work. In my last half-marathon, my mantra was, "If I can't finish this race, how can I finish anything in life?" A little dismal and exaggerating, but it got me through some of the toughest parts of the race.
I thought about the different words I would likely use during a race, and the time or distances that I'd use them at. For example, I'd start the first five kilometers with "Ease into it," to keep myself from leaping into the race and exhausting myself prematurely. After that, I'd probably try, "Slow and steady," to keep myself on pace. Right around the 10km mark, I would probably switch to, "Just keep moving," because that's when I need to keep moving forward. Then my planning went sort of out the window, preparing for the end with 'Finish strong,' or some inspiring, upright-staying message.
Of course, I remember one other mantra from my races, which I used when my knees started hurting: "Concentrate on foot placement." When one knee or the other started kvetching, I would start to pay attention to exactly how my foot hit the pavement. Usually, I found that my form was suffering from the tiredness of, surprise, running a half-marathon, so I'd pay close attention to that, and either the pain gave up and went away, or I fixed the problem that was causing the pain in the first place.
All this to say, mantras do have their place in a race, the magazines aren't out to lunch, and getting to concentrate on a mantra can take your mind to other places and the kilometers will fly by!
Interestingly enough, Myfitnesspal says that, after expending the calories of a 10km run, I should be able to eat more than 2000 calories total today. Yeah, the only way I'd do that is if I went out for pizza, and I didn't really feel like that. Instead, dinner was a herb-rubbed pork tenderloin with apples and roast potatoes. Amazing how healthy some foods can be while tasting like slices of heaven on your tongue.
On the plus side, I was able to treadmill without worry, but on the minus side, that didn't make up for two days of not-running. My reasons are legit: on Tuesday, I was counseled to stay home and hopefully head off the cold that was threatening. And on Thursday, Edmonton weather was up to its old tricks, and gave us at least 7cm of snow.
Today, I waited until it didn't seem like the mercury was going to climb any higher before suiting up to head out. It wasn't the unpleasantness like two Tuesdays ago, which I'm certain was the commencement of last week's illness, but it was only 1C and there was a wind most of the way. However, I got the 10km in like a good little half-marathoner, and kept myself warm after getting back.
One thing I put a lot of thought into while I was running was mantras. Every so often, a running magazine will start talking about the mantras that successful runners use during their races to continue. And trust me, they do work. In my last half-marathon, my mantra was, "If I can't finish this race, how can I finish anything in life?" A little dismal and exaggerating, but it got me through some of the toughest parts of the race.
I thought about the different words I would likely use during a race, and the time or distances that I'd use them at. For example, I'd start the first five kilometers with "Ease into it," to keep myself from leaping into the race and exhausting myself prematurely. After that, I'd probably try, "Slow and steady," to keep myself on pace. Right around the 10km mark, I would probably switch to, "Just keep moving," because that's when I need to keep moving forward. Then my planning went sort of out the window, preparing for the end with 'Finish strong,' or some inspiring, upright-staying message.
Of course, I remember one other mantra from my races, which I used when my knees started hurting: "Concentrate on foot placement." When one knee or the other started kvetching, I would start to pay attention to exactly how my foot hit the pavement. Usually, I found that my form was suffering from the tiredness of, surprise, running a half-marathon, so I'd pay close attention to that, and either the pain gave up and went away, or I fixed the problem that was causing the pain in the first place.
All this to say, mantras do have their place in a race, the magazines aren't out to lunch, and getting to concentrate on a mantra can take your mind to other places and the kilometers will fly by!
Interestingly enough, Myfitnesspal says that, after expending the calories of a 10km run, I should be able to eat more than 2000 calories total today. Yeah, the only way I'd do that is if I went out for pizza, and I didn't really feel like that. Instead, dinner was a herb-rubbed pork tenderloin with apples and roast potatoes. Amazing how healthy some foods can be while tasting like slices of heaven on your tongue.
Friday, March 9, 2012
Spring Running
I love running as winter is melting away, and spring is warming the air.
I don't mean that I enjoy splashing myself through soggy mush, or slipping on the hidden ice beneath. But I do enjoy the feeling of anticipation of a warm run, where I don't come home feeling chilled, where there's sunlight past 6:30 p.m., and I don't need a face mask to avoid frozen skin. The renewal of life seems to renew my love of running.
Today's run was a bit of a challenge. I haven't been outside nearly all winter, but I decided to try to keep a 6.5min/km pace. That's probably about what I do on the treadmill, but doing it on uneven ground, in slush, is a different story! In the end, I had to take more walking breaks than I like, but I did 30 minutes of it, so for my first run, I was pretty happy.
My muscles were pretty complacent with the idea of out-door running. A bit stiff at the beginning, but they soon warmed up. I don't remember if they were entirely happy at the end, but there was a general sense of tiredness in them. I'm looking forward to pushing that wall of tiredness back, starting Sunday. One thing I'd forgotten is to move my neck while running. I am the type of runner who holds her head very stiffly. After about 20 minutes, I need to shake my head and neck a little, or it goes from nada to nagging to 'fix this now there is no option'. No wonder Paula Radcliffe (fastest female runner in the world, and a great role-model to boot!) has a head-bobbing motion; it must negate the stiff-neck issue I have!
It was also my first run with my iPhone. I had hoped to tuck it into the little pocket in my pants, but that was a non-starter when I realized it would drag my pants down. I ran with it in-hand, but I think I'll be looking for an arm band instead.
In other news, I downloaded the MyFitnessPal app for my phone, and so far, I'm quite impressed. They have a very comprehensive food database with easy repeatable options, and they can calculate how much more you can eat a certain day from how much you've exercised (don't get me wrong, they start with a reduced calorie intake idea, and then adjust). What I adore is the option to scan bar-codes of packaged foods, and it shows up in your day's food tally! Well done, MyFitnessPal, well done!
I don't mean that I enjoy splashing myself through soggy mush, or slipping on the hidden ice beneath. But I do enjoy the feeling of anticipation of a warm run, where I don't come home feeling chilled, where there's sunlight past 6:30 p.m., and I don't need a face mask to avoid frozen skin. The renewal of life seems to renew my love of running.
Today's run was a bit of a challenge. I haven't been outside nearly all winter, but I decided to try to keep a 6.5min/km pace. That's probably about what I do on the treadmill, but doing it on uneven ground, in slush, is a different story! In the end, I had to take more walking breaks than I like, but I did 30 minutes of it, so for my first run, I was pretty happy.
My muscles were pretty complacent with the idea of out-door running. A bit stiff at the beginning, but they soon warmed up. I don't remember if they were entirely happy at the end, but there was a general sense of tiredness in them. I'm looking forward to pushing that wall of tiredness back, starting Sunday. One thing I'd forgotten is to move my neck while running. I am the type of runner who holds her head very stiffly. After about 20 minutes, I need to shake my head and neck a little, or it goes from nada to nagging to 'fix this now there is no option'. No wonder Paula Radcliffe (fastest female runner in the world, and a great role-model to boot!) has a head-bobbing motion; it must negate the stiff-neck issue I have!
It was also my first run with my iPhone. I had hoped to tuck it into the little pocket in my pants, but that was a non-starter when I realized it would drag my pants down. I ran with it in-hand, but I think I'll be looking for an arm band instead.
In other news, I downloaded the MyFitnessPal app for my phone, and so far, I'm quite impressed. They have a very comprehensive food database with easy repeatable options, and they can calculate how much more you can eat a certain day from how much you've exercised (don't get me wrong, they start with a reduced calorie intake idea, and then adjust). What I adore is the option to scan bar-codes of packaged foods, and it shows up in your day's food tally! Well done, MyFitnessPal, well done!
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Running after a Snowfall
So with my glorious (?) return to the Running Room, I have also taken up Sunday morning runs.
The Running Room runs free running groups Wednesdays and Sundays. However, in order to make sure runners have enough time to do whatever else they must do during the day, the Sunday mornings are at 8:30 a.m. when no one wants to be awake, much less dressed up to go out into the bitter cold, brush their car off, let it warm up so the frost dissipates on the inside of the windshield, and then go running for whatever distance.
But we do it anyway.
It's cold, it's early, and not most people's definition of fun.
Especially not when it snowed all day, the day before.
I even passed up my cousin's engagement party because it was across the city, one hour on the main highway. That's how bad road conditions were.
However, that didn't excuse running this morning. The snowplows had been out, even on sidewalks. They did a reasonable job (read: I wasn't running in knee-deep snow), but I really wish I'd put on my Yaktrax before heading out.
It was a good run, and my Garmin said I used up 400 calories. However, the Garmin doesn't seem to realize it was -15 celcius outside, with windchill to -25 of same said temperature measurement. I'm pretty sure I used at least 100 calories staying warm in said windchill.
When I got home, I showered and then turned it into a bath. Muah to Sundays of relaxing! After that much relaxation, I needed a nap!
Something that I realized today is, with the added energy expenditure, I need to consume more calories too! I thought I was consuming enough today:
a bowl of Cheerios and a cup of coffee pre-run
two Eggo (tm) waffles and some syrup, and a cup of coffee post-run
a small bowl of left-over spaghetti with meat sauce for lunch
three absolutely awful rice wraps from Farm Boy (seriously, they must have been sitting there all day, if they were properly cooked to begin with)
a small bowl of chicken with chillies and basil, no rice
2 bottles of beer
(note, I won't be posting all of my daily meals here, but this was today)
I didn't feel anywhere close to full until the chicken with chillies and basil. Also, if you want to make this recipe, I'd suggest cutting the garlic back to two tablespoons.
That's all for now. Run safe!
The Running Room runs free running groups Wednesdays and Sundays. However, in order to make sure runners have enough time to do whatever else they must do during the day, the Sunday mornings are at 8:30 a.m. when no one wants to be awake, much less dressed up to go out into the bitter cold, brush their car off, let it warm up so the frost dissipates on the inside of the windshield, and then go running for whatever distance.
But we do it anyway.
It's cold, it's early, and not most people's definition of fun.
Especially not when it snowed all day, the day before.
I even passed up my cousin's engagement party because it was across the city, one hour on the main highway. That's how bad road conditions were.
However, that didn't excuse running this morning. The snowplows had been out, even on sidewalks. They did a reasonable job (read: I wasn't running in knee-deep snow), but I really wish I'd put on my Yaktrax before heading out.
It was a good run, and my Garmin said I used up 400 calories. However, the Garmin doesn't seem to realize it was -15 celcius outside, with windchill to -25 of same said temperature measurement. I'm pretty sure I used at least 100 calories staying warm in said windchill.
When I got home, I showered and then turned it into a bath. Muah to Sundays of relaxing! After that much relaxation, I needed a nap!
Something that I realized today is, with the added energy expenditure, I need to consume more calories too! I thought I was consuming enough today:
a bowl of Cheerios and a cup of coffee pre-run
two Eggo (tm) waffles and some syrup, and a cup of coffee post-run
a small bowl of left-over spaghetti with meat sauce for lunch
three absolutely awful rice wraps from Farm Boy (seriously, they must have been sitting there all day, if they were properly cooked to begin with)
a small bowl of chicken with chillies and basil, no rice
2 bottles of beer
(note, I won't be posting all of my daily meals here, but this was today)
I didn't feel anywhere close to full until the chicken with chillies and basil. Also, if you want to make this recipe, I'd suggest cutting the garlic back to two tablespoons.
That's all for now. Run safe!
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Yay for the Running Room!
I would like to thank the people of the Bank St. Running Room store for caring for my Garmin watch while it was missing. They hid it from prying eyes, asked who it might belong to, and cosseted it while it was alone.
Long story short, I thought I'd put my Garmin watch in my bag three weeks ago, when I apparently hadn't. The Running Room staff found it, and put out the word that a precious (and runners consider their running watches very precious) Garmin watch was missing its owner, and they couldn't understand why the owner hadn't claimed it in three weeks! However, most of my running had been indoors, and I figured it was somewhere around the house (as I usually do). Fortunately, my Garmin and I are gladly reunited, and I won't have to spend $200 in Alberta for a new one!
The run today was a long, slow 7k of wondering if I was going to finish the route. My legs were tight, and it was -14C, with a windchill to -20C, so I bundled up in four layers: a skin-tight layer, my long-sleeve half-marathon wicking shirt (for inspiration), my 'warm' layer, and the wind-breaking coat. It did the job of keeping me temperate, but I was concerned when the wind would pick up and I'd feel the chill through my entire body.
On bottom, I wore my usual outdoor running pants, but I have found that all of my regular running socks don't cover my ankles, leaving a gap where cold wind can blow and freeze my skin.
So in light of the deficiencies in my garb, I have gone and spent another sheaf of money at the Running Room, investing in a warmer winter mid-layer which can double as an early spring/late fall layer, a pair of socks that cover my ankles, and a cute pair of evaporating running gloves. All ready to hit the roads in Alberta when I go home next week!
I have discovered a slight issue with SparkPeople's nutrition and fitness plan: if I were to try and follow it while training for a half-marathon, I would fall over in exhaustion. The problem is that runners need to consume a lot more calories than SparkPeople is advising. I am thinking that I will consider the SP advice on days that I am not running, and use good sense on the days that I am.
However, tonight's meal regime is a bust: it's Superbowl night.
Long story short, I thought I'd put my Garmin watch in my bag three weeks ago, when I apparently hadn't. The Running Room staff found it, and put out the word that a precious (and runners consider their running watches very precious) Garmin watch was missing its owner, and they couldn't understand why the owner hadn't claimed it in three weeks! However, most of my running had been indoors, and I figured it was somewhere around the house (as I usually do). Fortunately, my Garmin and I are gladly reunited, and I won't have to spend $200 in Alberta for a new one!
The run today was a long, slow 7k of wondering if I was going to finish the route. My legs were tight, and it was -14C, with a windchill to -20C, so I bundled up in four layers: a skin-tight layer, my long-sleeve half-marathon wicking shirt (for inspiration), my 'warm' layer, and the wind-breaking coat. It did the job of keeping me temperate, but I was concerned when the wind would pick up and I'd feel the chill through my entire body.
On bottom, I wore my usual outdoor running pants, but I have found that all of my regular running socks don't cover my ankles, leaving a gap where cold wind can blow and freeze my skin.
So in light of the deficiencies in my garb, I have gone and spent another sheaf of money at the Running Room, investing in a warmer winter mid-layer which can double as an early spring/late fall layer, a pair of socks that cover my ankles, and a cute pair of evaporating running gloves. All ready to hit the roads in Alberta when I go home next week!
I have discovered a slight issue with SparkPeople's nutrition and fitness plan: if I were to try and follow it while training for a half-marathon, I would fall over in exhaustion. The problem is that runners need to consume a lot more calories than SparkPeople is advising. I am thinking that I will consider the SP advice on days that I am not running, and use good sense on the days that I am.
However, tonight's meal regime is a bust: it's Superbowl night.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
A New Year, a New Run
A new year has come, and after being lazy for three months, I have decided to take up the torch again. I did my first run yesterday, 3km.
I picked a great time to do it, of course: it's snowed almost successively for about 10 days, to the point where going out even in Yaktrax would be risking an ankle. I used the treadmill in my building's workout room, and tried to think of nothing for about 30 minutes.
Some of the things I noticed while taking my 'break' was that I started looking at myself like I used to, before I started running. I'm sure I put back on the previous weight stores: my cheeks filled out, and I got cellulite on my thighs again. I also saw that I was measuring myself more critically, almost as if I knew I didn't have to put this back on, I could be out running but oh no... Of course, this style of beating myself up actually didn't help get me back out there, until yesterday.
Something new that I am trying, if not in the new year, at least for a while, is a more pescetarian diet. Pescetarian means fish and vegetables, but no beef or chicken. While I don't plan to totally cut out land-based meat, I'm trying to reduce it from my diet. It sounds like a grand idea, but it means a lot more planning: eggplant and tofu cook and taste very differently from their meaty counterparts, and I need to find ways to replace the protein. Finding new recipes for this self-imposed diet is a bit of a hunt.
I have signed up for the Ottawa Race Weekend half-marathon, and the training clinic at the Running Room again, and in light of that, I figure I had better be able to go more than a few steps! Therefore, this blog is active again, and I'll be posting more often.
In other news, I would like to put forth the blog of an enterprising young man, Travis Weeks, who has gone and lost 124lbs in less than a year. I found a news story about him on CNN and followed the link to his own blog, 344 Pounds, a reference to the top weight he hit.
I find his blog to be upfront and honest: he makes no bones about where his weight was, and how he felt about it. He talks about a variety of topics in his search; I liked his entry about loose skin, personally, because I always wondered what would happen in a case like that, and he explores the different options available to him on how to get rid of that skin (though the term 'get rid of' seems to imply fast results like surgery, Mr. Weeks doesn't seem to consider plastic surgery to be a very safe way of going about it).
Mr Weeks also considers diet, personal incentives, timings of work-outs, and so on.
All in all, I'm interested in following Mr. Weeks' efforts through his blog, and I will definitely be cheering for him from afar on his first 10K run.
I picked a great time to do it, of course: it's snowed almost successively for about 10 days, to the point where going out even in Yaktrax would be risking an ankle. I used the treadmill in my building's workout room, and tried to think of nothing for about 30 minutes.
Some of the things I noticed while taking my 'break' was that I started looking at myself like I used to, before I started running. I'm sure I put back on the previous weight stores: my cheeks filled out, and I got cellulite on my thighs again. I also saw that I was measuring myself more critically, almost as if I knew I didn't have to put this back on, I could be out running but oh no... Of course, this style of beating myself up actually didn't help get me back out there, until yesterday.
Something new that I am trying, if not in the new year, at least for a while, is a more pescetarian diet. Pescetarian means fish and vegetables, but no beef or chicken. While I don't plan to totally cut out land-based meat, I'm trying to reduce it from my diet. It sounds like a grand idea, but it means a lot more planning: eggplant and tofu cook and taste very differently from their meaty counterparts, and I need to find ways to replace the protein. Finding new recipes for this self-imposed diet is a bit of a hunt.
I have signed up for the Ottawa Race Weekend half-marathon, and the training clinic at the Running Room again, and in light of that, I figure I had better be able to go more than a few steps! Therefore, this blog is active again, and I'll be posting more often.
In other news, I would like to put forth the blog of an enterprising young man, Travis Weeks, who has gone and lost 124lbs in less than a year. I found a news story about him on CNN and followed the link to his own blog, 344 Pounds, a reference to the top weight he hit.
I find his blog to be upfront and honest: he makes no bones about where his weight was, and how he felt about it. He talks about a variety of topics in his search; I liked his entry about loose skin, personally, because I always wondered what would happen in a case like that, and he explores the different options available to him on how to get rid of that skin (though the term 'get rid of' seems to imply fast results like surgery, Mr. Weeks doesn't seem to consider plastic surgery to be a very safe way of going about it).
Mr Weeks also considers diet, personal incentives, timings of work-outs, and so on.
All in all, I'm interested in following Mr. Weeks' efforts through his blog, and I will definitely be cheering for him from afar on his first 10K run.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
This Long Run Sucked
Today we were without our Fearless Leader, James. Something about that dude, long ago, rising from the dead and disappearing three days later... Oh yeah, happy Easter. Even if you don't celebrate it.
Anyway, I'm probably crankier than I was earlier about the run. It was supposed to be a long, slow run of 8km, but wound up being 7km. However, with the absolutely bitchy wind, it felt like forever.
As we set out, the middle pack had a leader who is usually placed in the fast group. Now I know why - she was at the fast group's pace, and rapidly out-distanced the four people who were not looking for a fast run. Since I was already low on energy, I was one of those four.
This incident also highlights the need to take a timer of any type with you - cellphone, watch, iPod, anything that counts minutes. Since we lost our leader so early on, it became a bit of guesswork to figure out exactly how long until the next walk minute was.
And I have learned another lesson: I don't care how lazy you are, how awesome the TV line-up is, etc. Have a square meal the evening before a running morning. In fact, if you're not in the habit of at least three meals plus snacks (healthy of course!), get into it right away. My shining example: Yesterday, I had:
1/2 bagel with peanut butter (pre-run)
2 eggs, 2 pieces of toast, and 2 strips of bacon (around 11 a.m.)
8 perogies (around 9 p.m.)
See that huge gap of 10 hours? The human body is not meant to go that long without food, and to have foolishly eaten such a one-sided meal meant that I lacked a lot of energy and could have hurt myself due to either physical exhaustion or mental carelessness due to exhaustion.
Don't do that.
Anyway, I'm probably crankier than I was earlier about the run. It was supposed to be a long, slow run of 8km, but wound up being 7km. However, with the absolutely bitchy wind, it felt like forever.
As we set out, the middle pack had a leader who is usually placed in the fast group. Now I know why - she was at the fast group's pace, and rapidly out-distanced the four people who were not looking for a fast run. Since I was already low on energy, I was one of those four.
This incident also highlights the need to take a timer of any type with you - cellphone, watch, iPod, anything that counts minutes. Since we lost our leader so early on, it became a bit of guesswork to figure out exactly how long until the next walk minute was.
And I have learned another lesson: I don't care how lazy you are, how awesome the TV line-up is, etc. Have a square meal the evening before a running morning. In fact, if you're not in the habit of at least three meals plus snacks (healthy of course!), get into it right away. My shining example: Yesterday, I had:
1/2 bagel with peanut butter (pre-run)
2 eggs, 2 pieces of toast, and 2 strips of bacon (around 11 a.m.)
8 perogies (around 9 p.m.)
See that huge gap of 10 hours? The human body is not meant to go that long without food, and to have foolishly eaten such a one-sided meal meant that I lacked a lot of energy and could have hurt myself due to either physical exhaustion or mental carelessness due to exhaustion.
Don't do that.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Sunday, bloody cold Sunday
Sorry, U2.
Looking back at my post last week, I have decided that Sundays are the days of piercing wind and uncomfortable cold.
On Wednesday, I partook in my first Wednesday running group run. It was nice to see a lot of familiar faces. I had thought to bring my iPod for the run, but I soon realized a good reason not to - chatting with other runners makes the time pass way more quickly than listening to music.
Yesterday was a 4.47k to the Pretoria bridge and back. Though my legs felt slightly lead-like, I still made reasonable time. It was a bright, shining day, an example of Days that are Good to Run On. We were supposed to have a Yoga For Runners class after, but the instructor was unable to make it. I hear that she's well-known in Ottawa, though, so perhaps I'll be able to find her via web-search.
Today, we did 5.5k (close enough to 6) around the Canal, in a slightly different route. I stayed with my new friend, Lorna, and we chatted to pass the time. Much better than having my iPod hooked up to my ear. The weather was pretty crummy though. A slight mist of rain, piercing, cold wind, and not a sunbeam in sight! Since I'd stripped down a lot from yesterday's run (four layers down to three - I should have kept the long-sleeve), I really wanted that sunbeam!
I had gone to catch the bus when I saw it zoom past me. Curses! I certainly wasn't going to wait 30 minutes outside for the next bus! I walked back inside to where a group of women were waiting for the Home and Garden show, and a very kind woman offered to drive me home. She even bought me a coffee!
Runners are really nice people!
In other news, I weighed myself for the first time since I started this crazy journey, and I discovered that, in 3 months, I have lost ten pounds, without even putting a lot of effort into diet. I mean, I'm trying to eat smarter, with more fish and less fried foods, but there's not a lot of change otherwise. Except the spinach. I crave the spinach.
Looking back at my post last week, I have decided that Sundays are the days of piercing wind and uncomfortable cold.
On Wednesday, I partook in my first Wednesday running group run. It was nice to see a lot of familiar faces. I had thought to bring my iPod for the run, but I soon realized a good reason not to - chatting with other runners makes the time pass way more quickly than listening to music.
Yesterday was a 4.47k to the Pretoria bridge and back. Though my legs felt slightly lead-like, I still made reasonable time. It was a bright, shining day, an example of Days that are Good to Run On. We were supposed to have a Yoga For Runners class after, but the instructor was unable to make it. I hear that she's well-known in Ottawa, though, so perhaps I'll be able to find her via web-search.
Today, we did 5.5k (close enough to 6) around the Canal, in a slightly different route. I stayed with my new friend, Lorna, and we chatted to pass the time. Much better than having my iPod hooked up to my ear. The weather was pretty crummy though. A slight mist of rain, piercing, cold wind, and not a sunbeam in sight! Since I'd stripped down a lot from yesterday's run (four layers down to three - I should have kept the long-sleeve), I really wanted that sunbeam!
I had gone to catch the bus when I saw it zoom past me. Curses! I certainly wasn't going to wait 30 minutes outside for the next bus! I walked back inside to where a group of women were waiting for the Home and Garden show, and a very kind woman offered to drive me home. She even bought me a coffee!
Runners are really nice people!
In other news, I weighed myself for the first time since I started this crazy journey, and I discovered that, in 3 months, I have lost ten pounds, without even putting a lot of effort into diet. I mean, I'm trying to eat smarter, with more fish and less fried foods, but there's not a lot of change otherwise. Except the spinach. I crave the spinach.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
First Running Room Clinic
I had my first Running Room clinic (RRC) today! And I survived! Even moreso, I enjoyed it.
There's a totally different feeling to running in a group, I found. We did three 10+1s, and I handled it with ease. Admittedly, we were likely going slower than we will be in the future, but we left the shop and ran up the canal to Pretoria Bridge. It's lovely outside today, and though the air was cool, the sky was perfect to run beneath. However, I think sunglasses are a must on days like this.
I just mapped this out on Google Maps, and it's saying that we ran a kilometer longer than the coaches said. Very disappointing, because now I don't know how far I've run. This leads to my next subject: heart-rate, distance, and time monitor watches. I saw a bunch at the Running Room store today, and asked see the Garmin 305. It's a lot larger than I thought it was, which just made its ugliness worse. At least with the 405, I could almost pass it off as a huge watch.
Anyways, I went and spoiled my work-out with an eggs florentine at the Arrow&Loon. I was craving eggs and spinach. I should have gone for the spinach and swiss omelette!
I can't wait for next week
There's a totally different feeling to running in a group, I found. We did three 10+1s, and I handled it with ease. Admittedly, we were likely going slower than we will be in the future, but we left the shop and ran up the canal to Pretoria Bridge. It's lovely outside today, and though the air was cool, the sky was perfect to run beneath. However, I think sunglasses are a must on days like this.
I just mapped this out on Google Maps, and it's saying that we ran a kilometer longer than the coaches said. Very disappointing, because now I don't know how far I've run. This leads to my next subject: heart-rate, distance, and time monitor watches. I saw a bunch at the Running Room store today, and asked see the Garmin 305. It's a lot larger than I thought it was, which just made its ugliness worse. At least with the 405, I could almost pass it off as a huge watch.
Anyways, I went and spoiled my work-out with an eggs florentine at the Arrow&Loon. I was craving eggs and spinach. I should have gone for the spinach and swiss omelette!
I can't wait for next week
Monday, January 26, 2009
Running, Week Two
So I've been doing this crazy 'running' thing for a week. A whole week. That's a long time... in ant years.
The weird thing is, I'm loving it. I was really enjoying the run today. I'm up to 3 minutes run, 1 minute walk, and I am eating this stuff up! My legs aren't tired or sore right now, and I find I end the night with a rousing 36 crunches and other stretches.
Today's run took me down a slightly different path. I was running along the river, a flattened path of snow. It was a good run, but I was glad to be wearing my red jacket; the path was pretty dark, and I felt a bit nervous seeing other people on the path - who are they? What if they're muggers, looking for a naïve jogger like myself to harm? What if I slip and fall and knock myself out? What if, what if, what if.
Anyways, apart from my fears, I'm doing fine. By the end of the week, this will be a breeze, and I'll be ready for the next challenge.
I'm slowly trying to modify my diet, too. Tonight was baked chicken, boiled baby potatoes with a sprinkle of salt, and veggies. No butter, no oils (though oils are healthy!), nothing naughty. Hopefully this will make up for my morning breakfast of a fried egg-and-cheese sandwich (on brown toast, no butter!) and coffee.
Gear-wise, I'm happy with everything but the heart-rate monitor. In the sad case of this one, simple means stupid. I can't switch from the monitor back to the timer, there's no discernible stopwatch, and I highly doubt there's any nightlight that I can operate without screwing something up. I challenge Polar to make it better!
The weather is supposed to be going up this week, which has me all a-squee. I won't have to wear long-johns under my pants! Which reminds me of my next topic - layering is everything, and you can run in -20C weather if you're dressed right.
If I can, anyone can!
The weird thing is, I'm loving it. I was really enjoying the run today. I'm up to 3 minutes run, 1 minute walk, and I am eating this stuff up! My legs aren't tired or sore right now, and I find I end the night with a rousing 36 crunches and other stretches.
Today's run took me down a slightly different path. I was running along the river, a flattened path of snow. It was a good run, but I was glad to be wearing my red jacket; the path was pretty dark, and I felt a bit nervous seeing other people on the path - who are they? What if they're muggers, looking for a naïve jogger like myself to harm? What if I slip and fall and knock myself out? What if, what if, what if.
Anyways, apart from my fears, I'm doing fine. By the end of the week, this will be a breeze, and I'll be ready for the next challenge.
I'm slowly trying to modify my diet, too. Tonight was baked chicken, boiled baby potatoes with a sprinkle of salt, and veggies. No butter, no oils (though oils are healthy!), nothing naughty. Hopefully this will make up for my morning breakfast of a fried egg-and-cheese sandwich (on brown toast, no butter!) and coffee.
Gear-wise, I'm happy with everything but the heart-rate monitor. In the sad case of this one, simple means stupid. I can't switch from the monitor back to the timer, there's no discernible stopwatch, and I highly doubt there's any nightlight that I can operate without screwing something up. I challenge Polar to make it better!
The weather is supposed to be going up this week, which has me all a-squee. I won't have to wear long-johns under my pants! Which reminds me of my next topic - layering is everything, and you can run in -20C weather if you're dressed right.
If I can, anyone can!
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Running with Yax
I promised myself I wasn't going to do this to my bank account for a few more weeks, but I have. And I don't regret it. I bought a new pair of running shoes.
The rule of thumb is that you should replace running shoes every 6 to 8 months, or every 1000 km.
My old shoes are about two years old now, and when I took them to the Running Room guy, he said that, while they'd be good for puttering or walking about in, they were not suitable for running. He then showed me the side of my shoe, down by the bottom, where some creases were showing. Apparently, there is foam, like an Aero bar, in there, and the creases indicate that the foam is no longer springing back as it should. How educational!
So I broke down and got a new pair of shoes. Lovely Brooks shoes, the first ones on that I tried, and they're so comfortable. I don't even need to put my Superfeet insoles in them!
I also got a pair of Yaktrax ice-grippers. My hesitation in buying them lay in whether they would grip the slush that coats the sidewalks as well as snow and ice, but the salesguy assured me it wouldn't be a problem.
I would like to take a moment to mention - the Running Room sales people, and so far all running-equipment salespeople, are priceless. I was asking all sorts of newbie questions: what's a clinic like? It's more than one lesson for $75? Do you have any coming up for the 10K? and the guy answered them all patiently and thoroughly. He also gave me times when he would be less busy, and thusly be more able to answer any more questions I had.
Then, equipped with these things (and a price around $200! yikes!), I got home and went out immediately for a run.
I layered up - old long-johns underneath my lined running pants on bottom, a skin layer, long-johns top, my hooded top, and my wind-breaker on top. I was toasty as a marshmallow, lemme tell ya, but not too toasty. For this weather, it was great! I was doing one minute walk, two minutes run, rinse and repeat, and I can really say I felt great doing it. A couple of times at the end of the runs, I felt like continuing, and a couple of times, I felt like a walk was necessary, but it felt great!
The Yaktrax were a good addition - while they didn't keep me from slipping on every surface, they did a good job with the slush. The one problem was when they got bogged up with snow. Stomping on my heel did the trick to loosen the snow.
Anyways, I have a guest coming over for dinner (a healthy baked salmon with wild rice and broccoli with a not-as-healthy cheese sauce), and I've got tons of cleaning to do.
Later, what motivates me, and others.
The rule of thumb is that you should replace running shoes every 6 to 8 months, or every 1000 km.
My old shoes are about two years old now, and when I took them to the Running Room guy, he said that, while they'd be good for puttering or walking about in, they were not suitable for running. He then showed me the side of my shoe, down by the bottom, where some creases were showing. Apparently, there is foam, like an Aero bar, in there, and the creases indicate that the foam is no longer springing back as it should. How educational!
So I broke down and got a new pair of shoes. Lovely Brooks shoes, the first ones on that I tried, and they're so comfortable. I don't even need to put my Superfeet insoles in them!
I also got a pair of Yaktrax ice-grippers. My hesitation in buying them lay in whether they would grip the slush that coats the sidewalks as well as snow and ice, but the salesguy assured me it wouldn't be a problem.
I would like to take a moment to mention - the Running Room sales people, and so far all running-equipment salespeople, are priceless. I was asking all sorts of newbie questions: what's a clinic like? It's more than one lesson for $75? Do you have any coming up for the 10K? and the guy answered them all patiently and thoroughly. He also gave me times when he would be less busy, and thusly be more able to answer any more questions I had.
Then, equipped with these things (and a price around $200! yikes!), I got home and went out immediately for a run.
I layered up - old long-johns underneath my lined running pants on bottom, a skin layer, long-johns top, my hooded top, and my wind-breaker on top. I was toasty as a marshmallow, lemme tell ya, but not too toasty. For this weather, it was great! I was doing one minute walk, two minutes run, rinse and repeat, and I can really say I felt great doing it. A couple of times at the end of the runs, I felt like continuing, and a couple of times, I felt like a walk was necessary, but it felt great!
The Yaktrax were a good addition - while they didn't keep me from slipping on every surface, they did a good job with the slush. The one problem was when they got bogged up with snow. Stomping on my heel did the trick to loosen the snow.
Anyways, I have a guest coming over for dinner (a healthy baked salmon with wild rice and broccoli with a not-as-healthy cheese sauce), and I've got tons of cleaning to do.
Later, what motivates me, and others.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Diet
When I think of diet, I usually slide into the 'lose weight fast! Call Jenny Craig' idea of diet - that I'm not going to be able to enjoy my usual foods. I have to get my mind out of that rut. Diet should mean eating smarter.
I eat a lot of pasta, red meat, potatoes, rice, and cheese. These are like the staples in my diet. I never really ate salad, growing up - leafy greens aren't prominent in my household's British cooking style.
But I'm trying to change that. Now, I am at least aware that cheese is pretty fattening, and to be enjoyed sparingly (a little treat after a long walk home), whole-wheat pasta is just as yummy as durum-wheat pasta, I can still eat red meat but trim the fat, and potatoes and rice... those are good.
What I've managed to accomplish since I moved here is to almost completely eliminate fast food from my diet, avoid most junk foods like chocolate bars and chips (though there's been a recent falling-off-that-wagon), and putting yohgurt on pancakes is a fun new way to eat my favourite breakfast food (which I haven't eaten much of in a long time anyways).
So I'll talk about diet pitfalls and so on too.
I eat a lot of pasta, red meat, potatoes, rice, and cheese. These are like the staples in my diet. I never really ate salad, growing up - leafy greens aren't prominent in my household's British cooking style.
But I'm trying to change that. Now, I am at least aware that cheese is pretty fattening, and to be enjoyed sparingly (a little treat after a long walk home), whole-wheat pasta is just as yummy as durum-wheat pasta, I can still eat red meat but trim the fat, and potatoes and rice... those are good.
What I've managed to accomplish since I moved here is to almost completely eliminate fast food from my diet, avoid most junk foods like chocolate bars and chips (though there's been a recent falling-off-that-wagon), and putting yohgurt on pancakes is a fun new way to eat my favourite breakfast food (which I haven't eaten much of in a long time anyways).
So I'll talk about diet pitfalls and so on too.
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