Tagged with " running"
May 22, 2011 - fitness    No Comments

W3D2, redo.

Another busy weekend, but I managed to get out first thing (well, after a bowl of oatmeal) this morning, between a day of working out of town and an afternoon of birthday partying.  Today, I even went on a different route. I live in the flattest neighborhood in Bangor, I think, and at this point I am not looking for hills and challenges like that, the biggest challenge for me is just learning to run. My neighborhood is like an outdoor treadmill, but I like it. I've been doing loops of my neighborhood, in my comfort zone, the same loop we use to walk with the whole family after dinner. I figure if I were to collapse, I could gasp out my street name and the people in my 'hood would know where it was (most people don't). Today I veered right instead of left, and  tried a whole new street, which was interesting, because in my usual route I have figured out what houses I usually run by, and what streets will likely be the end of a running segment, so while I'm not watching the clock, I kind of am. Going a new way took away those expectations, and I'm still not sure if it was good or bad, BUT, I did the whole day of W3D2 again, no stopping!

I've also added a link to my data that I've been recording using Google Docs, because I am a giant nerd. You can totally tell which days I took Ingrid with me.

Distance: 1.94 miles
Average: 15:40 /mile
Fastest Pace: 10:06

Walk Pace:15:31
Run Pace:12:35
May 21, 2011 - fitness    1 Comment

W3D1 (repeated)

It had been a week since I ran, a combination of absolutely miserable weather and work commitments for both me and Dave. Because I am still nursing but not pumping, my window of opportunity is to go between Dave getting home and dinner, which can be tough. It’s not feasible for me to go right after work and delay picking up the girls, because it would not be comfortable, so for now I try to find that 30 minutes when I can. The ungodly weather doesn’t help, and I’ve worked the last two Saturdays out of town. I kind of wish I were more of a morning person and able to get up at five and get it done, but not feasible in the current state of the household. 

Anyway, because it had been a week and because I hadn’t been able to get through the very last run (3 minutes) without needing to walk in the middle, I decided to redo week three. I’m not training for any one thing or race, I am just trying to learn how to run. While it was raining, the weeks rain had made the ground slimy when it met with the fallen leaves and tree buds, and it was SO humid, I felt gross in my fleece. I’ve been wearing long pants, a short sleeve shirt (both poly wicking stuff from target’s c9 line, cheap, but works) and a fitness fleece from LLBean, because this has been the spring that wasn’t. I have an armband for my iPhone as the weather warms, but for now I’m just sticking it in my pocket, and I already know I’ll miss being able to look at the screen and fiddle with the controls. Yesterdays run found my app not playing my music (and looking at my data, it didn’t record a run pace at all) so I was fiddling to get something to listen to, and it will be annoying when it’s on my arm, I think. 

But anyway! I did it. Every second of week three, day 1, even if it was a repeat week. 

Distance: 1.81 miles


Average: 16:22 /mile
Fastest Pace: 10:35 /mile

Walk pace: 15:31
Run pace: didn’t record!
May 13, 2011 - fitness    No Comments

W3D3

It took longer than I planned to get to day 3, work, weather, family, etc. (excuses!) But I did it, today. I still had to walk in that last 3 minute stretch, so I think I'm going to redo week 3 until I'm back on my W/F/Sun schedule. I want to get that whole workout done as planned!

Distance: 1.82 miles
Average: 16:19 /mile
Fastest Pace: 10:14 /mile

Walk pace 15:50
Run pace 12:34
May 8, 2011 - fitness    No Comments

W3d2

Mother's Day! So I took Ingrid with me and did the willy-nilly-park run, which was interrupted by needing to help ger get on the swing at one point, and off a climbing structure at another, so my paces are all off. Again, the first 3 runs were fine, but that last 3 minute stretch I needed to walk in the middle. I may end up doing this week twice, because I want to get that down before venturing farther. 

Walk Time: 40:05
Stopped Time: 0:00
Distance: 1.77 miles
Average: 22:40 /mile
Fastest Pace: 9:40 /mile

Walk pace 18:58
Run Pace 13:02
May 6, 2011 - fitness    No Comments

How I got here

There was an article a few weeks ago that got a lot of play in the national media, about how new mothers are less healthy than women without kids.

First thought: no kidding, having a family takes a lot of time away from focusing on yourself. FILM AT ELEVEN.

 

Second thought: wait, really? What about people like me?

 

I’m using all kinds of apps to do this C25k thing, and one of them is linked to DailyMile.com, so I thought I’d check it out. On that site, it gives you a title. Mine says “Gretchen S, Athlete,” so I logged right into the settings to change that, because HELL-O I am not an athlete. Oh, I have medals from high school, absolutely! But those medals are from (no lie) county spelling bees and the Academic Decathlon. I was active in sports — I was the manager who calculated free throw percentages and kept my own score book for the coach. I didn’t wear sneakers, except in mandatory phys ed classes. I did wear penny loafers with francs in the slots because I was worldly like that.  The only sweat I’d break into was from trying to avoid being caught smoking Camel Lights before and after school. 

As an adult, I kept up with my uncoordination and dreaded the thought of being seen working out, would sometimes do a video in my own house, or go for a walk, but was paralyzed by the idea of doing any sort of public, group fitness. I had gained weight after losing the Camel Lights, but still…

Not. An. Athlete.

So when I logged into the profile for the Daily Mile site and saw that I could only choose from “Athlete, Runner, Cyclist, Triathlete, or Walker” I knew I was screwed. Where was “other?” Or my usual titles — mama, teacher, geek? Crap. So, I left it at “athlete” and every time I log in, I cringe a little bit, like I’m lying. 

Here’s how I got here.

My daughter was born in 2006, and insert cliches here, it was all of those. Part of my mothering of her was that I chose to breastfeed, for all of the usual reasons one chooses to do that, and I was very lucky and successfully nursed her until she wrapped it up on her own terms at 15 months. As part of being a nursing mom, I wanted to be an advocate for nursing moms, and so I only pumped for bottles at daycare, and just nursed her everywhere else. In restaurants, at the goat farm, in airplanes, in my car on the side of the road, in stores, at a funeral, at a wedding shower, birthday parties, my backyard, her doctor’s office, my doctor’s office, on the coast, at a lake, at a zoo. And because I could never be bothered to haul a lot of stuff (I never had a diaper bag, for instance) I also never hauled a nursing cover (and to me, those might as well be giant neon signs saying “BOOB HERE! RIGHT HERE!”) so I just lifted up my shirt, dropped a cup, and fed the baby wherever I needed to.

When she weaned, I wanted to do something for ME. I’d devoted over two years to growing and nourishing her, so I figured it was my turn, and I signed up for classes at the Y, specifically, a Group Power class, which is an hour of group weightlifting, set to music to pace you, and I was terrified to go that first day, because no doubt, I would trip, or drop something, or be pointed at because the NON ATHLETE was daring enter the gym, where the REAL ATHLETES go. But, I figured, I’ve whipped my boob out all over this town, so if I can do that, I can attempt to move my body in a meaningful way in a roomful of people. I sucked it up, and went. And it was AWESOME. I looooved Group Power, and became a regular, twice a week, attendee. Then I started doing the elliptical before or after that class, and I started being recognized at the gym. RECOGNIZED! I was a regular. When spring came and we started thinking about another baby, I left the Y to save money, and then I got pregnant, and had my second baby last April. Like with the first, this one has been nursed all over the place, and is still nursing, but with the advent of spring, I wanted to get back into the game of some kind of fitness. I didn’t sign up at the Y because with two, I am finding that it is easier to have a flexible time for exercise (as opposed to a class meeting time) so I decided to do the C25K. It is my goal to get back to the Y and the Group Power class when it gets cold, but for now, it’s easier to just work 30 minutes into my day as I can.

But, in addition to all of THAT? Here are other ways that motherhood has made me a healthier woman:

My daughter has learned to ski, and loves to ski. I hadn’t skiied in 17 years, but when she looked at me with those big brown eyes and said “Mama, maybe sometime you could ski with me?” I jammed my legs into my mother’s ski boots that were a half-size too small and took a few (omg, painful) runs with my daughter.

I bought a bike. I bought a cool Mom Bike (go to Rose Bike in Orono if you are around here, they were so good to my Not. An. Athlete. self and were great in helping me pick out a sweet ride) because we want to do bike rides as a family. Of course, then I got pregnant about 20 minutes later and last summer the newborn meant that family bike rides were going to be more of a 2011 thing (still need to find the baby a helmet!) but I bought a bike. And rode it. IN PUBLIC.

 

And I run, outside. Not on a treadmill in my basement (like I could fit one there, anyway) or at a gym, but OUTSIDE. On a fairly busy thoroughfare, for our city, and I don’t care who sees me. I figure, I have never, ever, ever seen someone running and thought “ewww, gross” but always thought “I’m jealous.” And if it’s a heavy person running? I think “they are so much stronger than me.” So I run, outside, past people watching tv, with people driving by me eating french fries, and I don’t feel embarrassed when my app tells me it’s time to walk, and I slow to a walk, because I am still moving my body, outside, in public, and I am doing it for my daughters, as well as myself. Because I want my daughters to see their mama as strong and brave and capable, and I want to be strong and healthy for them.  And when the 5 year old says “Mama, please can I run with you?” I take her, and we run to the park where she plays and I run around like a crazy person, or we run a little loop and then I run her back home, but she loves it, and I love it, too. I want her to one day see “athlete” next to her name and own it, and not cringe, like I still do. 

I’ll get there, someday. But for now, I’m here, and learning to run.

 

May 6, 2011 - fitness    No Comments

W3D1

I got a late start to week 3 because of work and weather, but tonight, after dinner, the rain stopped and I decided to go for it. I can’t believe how much I ran! The first set (run 90, walk 90, run 3, walk 3) was not even really… hard. I mean it was challenging, but I didn’t need to stop, and I didn’t want to die. The second set, the 90 second intervals were also fine, but the last 3 minute run was a little tough, and I had to walk for maybe 45 seconds in the middle. Then it was walk 3, and I was stealing myself up for another run (previous weeks you run right before the cool down) so when it went “ding!” and I started to run, I could’ve, but I was shocked to hear “cool down.” I altered my route a bit because the rain rolled back in, and I ended up being about 2 minutes shy of the full 30, so I did some Ingrid-led yoga to finish that out. Mostly, I can’t believe I ran three minutes in a row! 

 

Distance: 1.71 miles (one app said 1.8?)
Average: 16:18 /mile
Fastest Pace: 10:57 /mile
Ahead of Best Walk: 1:01

Walk pace: 17:13

 Run Pace 12:39

May 1, 2011 - fitness    No Comments

W2D3

Survived! So, I didn't run the entire last 90 second stretch as I got a bit of a stitch in my side, but despite that I did better than last time, I think! (Just checked stats, and yes! Weird.) I had had a cup of coffee and some graham crackers, and water before I left, and wonder if a better breakfast would have helped. Maybe a banana? It's grocery day, so we are out of those. 

I also tried to follow the same route I did Wednesday, and beat that route by 33 seconds. I'll take it!

Distance: 1.85 miles
Average: 15:37 /mile
Fastest Pace: 10:21 /mile

Walk Pace:  15:12
Run Pace:  12:13
Ahead of Best Walk: 0:33
Apr 29, 2011 - fitness    No Comments

W2D2

… is in the bag. This was one I wasn't quite feeling, before I got out there, but I went anyway and managed to do allll of the running. I also mapped out a route that should work next time, so I can 'race' myself. I love my app(s) because I'm not watching the time count down, so I find myself saying "okay, if he doesn't say 'walk' by the time I get to that pole,  I will stop walking, anyway. " And then I totally don't, so I find myself going pole to pole to stop sign to whatever landmark and then the guy says walk and I am so proud of surviving!!

Walk Time: 29:28
Stopped Time: 0:00
Distance: 1.86 miles
Average: 15:51 /mile
Fastest Pace: 10:29 /mile
Walk Pace: 16:48
Run Pace: 12:28
Apr 28, 2011 - fitness    No Comments

Week 2!

It was misty and not exactly warm, but I just saddled up and did it anyway. When I was going to the Y regularly, one of my Group Power instructors said "the hardest part is showing up," and it's so true. Once I start changing my clothes, I am on my way, but if I linger and think of all the things I could do OTHER than exercise, it's easy to find reasons to not do it. So if I tell myself "well, just find your clothes and see how it is when you get dressed….." barring family emergency, I'm going to go out. And when I go out, I'm going to finish. I need to remember that.

This was the first day of week 2, alternating  2 minutes of walking with 90 seconds of running. I did all but the last 60 seconds of running, because I was starting to get sort of wheezy (it was cold). But I did it! I think it helps that I have people waiting to see my auto-update on Facebook. 

Walk Time: 32:11
Stopped Time: 0:00
Distance: 1.93 miles
Average: 16:38 /mile
Fastest Pace: 10:52 /mile

Walk Pace 16:41
Run Pace 13:17
Apr 24, 2011 - fitness    No Comments

W1D3

I finished week 1!

Ingrid wanted to go with me, so I ended up doing just a bit on the streets, and then going to the school park and basically running willy-nilly around the fields and sidewalks there while she played.  A former colleague (and mom of one of Ing's preschool classmates) showed up with her family, and even though I could have totally stopped to just hang out with her, I didn't. Even more huge, she is a tiny sliver of a thing, and I didn't feel any shame in being hot and gross and sweaty as I ran back and forth. This is kind of huge, but that's for another post.

I keep track of my data via two apps on my iPhone, Walkmeter and the C25K app, and today the C25k app went a little wonky and gave me credit for miles I totally didn't do, so I'm not sure how to trust that (or change it). I think that the GPS just got squirrelly with my back and forth running, the map overlay looks like someone tried to scriblle out the fields between the two schools. I also did pause a tiny bit to help Ing on the swings, and to talk to my friend, but not for very long.

Walk Time: 33:28
Stopped Time: 0:00
Distance: 1.74 miles
Average: 19:17 /mile
Fastest Pace: 9:47 /mile
(the Walk/Run pace data comes from C25K, and I'm not sure how accurate it is, since it credited me with double my actual mileage.)
Walk Pace: 17.4
Run Pace: 13:08
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