Category: Health

Categories
Family Health

I’ve got a cold so you get some babbling…

I think. A really really bad cold. It hurts to swallow (my neck is actually quite tender) and my sinuses are all plugged up. I am definitely not going to run a long run today so now I have to figure out what I’m going to do in Edmonton in a couple of weeks when I am supposed to run a 1/2 marathon. I’ve run every day – at least a mile – since February 13, 2016 but I haven’t had a run of more than 10-14 km in months. Seriously. I think it’ll be a game-day decision.

edmonton marathon medalsFrom the Edmonton marathon facebook page

I was so looking forward to that coffee on Friday and instead I’ve had nothing but tea and honey. Or whisky 😉

Tea from Victoria, BC:

And I stumbled across this on that “this day in history” thing on Facebook from two years ago. I still find it pretty funny.

Q: what’s that?
Me: blueberries
Q: no, that
Me: a plum
Q: no it’s not. Plums are purple.
Me: it’s a yellow plum
Q: plums are tricky

I’ll spend some time today planning out the week assuming that I’m better tomorrow…and maybe a version where I’m not better until Wednesday.

Categories
Health

One foot in front of the other

I found a website called Nerd Fitness. And tomorrow, Tuesday August 2, 2016 will be Day 1 (yes, it’s probably my 52nd day 1 but hey, at least it means I’m still trying right?)

I’ll get Toby to help take pictures and do measurements tonight AND I’ve made a doctor’s appointment for tomorrow so I have an official, unbiased, third party that I’m going to report in to in about 5-6 months. I need that accountability right now and I’m good with that.

My Big Why

Part of the groundwork for Nerd Fitness is coming up with your “big why” – the reason I’m doing this. Right now my “big why” is just that I’m tired of being overweight, of not fitting into my nice clothes, of feeling squished on the streetcar. I want to not be too tired to run around with Q. To be able to continue to run. That sort of thing.

Me in 5 months

Next is to think of who the new me will be a short time in the future – I’ve picked 5 months ’cause that will take me to the end of the year. I’ve decided that my new me will be  someone who is (physically) stronger, faster, and more flexible.  Personally, I’ll be someone who doesn’t procrastinate (as much) and who makes taking care of myself a priority.

Which leads to the creation of five smaller goals – things to do to get to where I am going to be by the end of the year (so 5 months really)

1.     I will continue to run every day. At least once every two weeks I will run faster (at 10k race pace (about a min or two faster than my current easy pace); at least once every two weeks my workout will incorporate running up one of our local hills.

2.    I will strength train 2 – 3 times a week and do yoga 1 – 2 times a week. I haven’t done strength training in ages and will start off small. Right now I have a lunch time yoga once a week and will incorporate the NF yoga too.

3.    I will cook one healthy meal a month with enough left over for a couple of lunches. I will help Toby plan meals. This should be fun. Y’all know I don’t like to cook – so I see a lot of casserole or slow cooker things in our future.

4.    I will get 7ish hours of sleep a night; cutting down on “screens” so that by the end of October (3 months) I won’t be on my phone/TV/Computer within 45 minutes of bedtime.

5.    And one I think of as most important – “I will make considered choices.” Meaning, if I want the beer I have the beer but it’ll be a damn good beer not just a beer ’cause it’s there. Same with other foods or spending time online or hunting Pokemon etc.

The first bit food-wise is just tracking food. Not necessarily changing anything really but tracking what it all is. So back to My Fitness Pal I go and because tomorrow is Day 1, I’m making plain slow-cooker oatmeal tonight to have for breakfasts this week 🙂

Categories
Health

10K runner – week five

Monday – Physio again BUT it’s looking like I’ll get cleared for yoga and strength training on Thursday!

shocking my shoulder....
shocking my shoulder….

Week 6 Day 2 – still doing 10 minute runs but with a 3 minute walk in between them instead of 5.

Total time:  33 minutes Total Distance:  3.9 km Pace: 8:30 min/km

Tuesday – I wasn’t feeling very well Tuesday so I took a rest day.

Wednesday – What ever started yesterday hit today. I stayed home from work ill and slept more than I can remember.

Thursday – Physio – And cleared for yoga!

Still feeling a little off so no running today BUT at this point I know I have to run Friday – Saturday – Sunday in order to hit my 4 runs a week minimum!

Friday – Week 6 Day 3. I’ve been nervous about this for days: 5 minute warm up walk; FIFTEEN minute run; 3 minute walk; 5 minute run; 5 minute cool down walk. But I went out and did it! Yippie!

Total time:  33 minutes Total Distance:  3.9 km Pace: 8:26 min/km

Saturday – Week 7 Day 1 – well if I could do a 15 minute run, I could do a 20 minute one right? Yep! 5 min warm up – 20 min run – 5 min cool down

Total time:  30 minutes Total Distance:  3.52 km Pace: 8:32 min/km

Toby went out and bought a flat of strawberries so there was jam to be made. I’m doing up another post for drunken strawberry jam but here’s my “before” picture:

drunk jam
drunk jam

Sunday – Week 7 Day 2 – Repeat yesterday’s 5 min warm up – 20 min run – 5 min cool down

Total time:  30 minutes Total Distance:  3.51 km Pace: 8:34 min/km

Saturday and Sunday were both pretty hot and humid so both runs were done at 8:30 and 9:30 at night respectively. I really gotta try and get to bed earlier so I can get up and run in the morning!

But I was super happy I still went out and ran on Sunday despite the late hour. I was rewarded with this view from my doorstep:

Sundays Run

Categories
Health

10K runner – week four

Monday – Rest day – and physio. Still not cleared for yoga or strength training but I have some exercises to do for my wrist with weights and if it goes well then I can go back to yoga!

Tuesday – Up and out early 🙂 6:15 am – so not as early as I had hoped but still got it done.

Week 5 Day 1 of the 10k Runner app.

Total time:  32 minutes Total Distance:  3.7 km Pace: 8:43 min/km

Wednesday – Toby has a night class on Wednesdays now so it was Q and I at home for the evening. Nice but no running.

Thursday – Physio – still no approval for anything other than running 🙁

Week 5 Day 2 of the 10k Runner app. Spent equal time running and walking today.

Total time:  36 minutes Total Distance:  4.1 km (yippie! cracked 4 km) Pace: 8:45 min/km

Friday – Week 5 Day 3 of the 10k Runner app. And ran more than walked fro the first time! 😀 (5 min warm up walk; 8 min run; 5 min walk; 8 min run; 5 min cool down walk)

Total time:  31 minutes Total Distance:  3.7 km Pace: 8:23 min/km

Saturday – Week 6 Day 1 and back up to 10 minute runs

Total time:  35 minutes Total Distance:  4.1 km Pace: 8:34 min/km

Saturday was also a “day off” from my usual very low carb way of eating. So I had beer.

Wag the Wolf from Beaus
Wag the Wolf from Beaus

 

Terrestrial India Brown Ale from Wellington Brewery
Terrestrial India Brown Ale from Wellington Brewery

Much very yummy beer which of course led to….

Sunday – I should have run. I really should have. Then I would have had 5 runs on the week. But I wimped out 🙁 and felt like poor Nim:

Nim-Sunday

Definitely have to jump back on the wagon on Monday!

Categories
Health

10K runner – week three

Monday – Ahhh PEI. Basically a rest day with some wandering around town and chasing the kids.

Tuesday – I forgot how different it is to run on a boardwalk! Most of my runs are on city sidewalks!

Week 3 Day 3 of the 10k Runner app.

Total time:  30 minutes Total Distance:  3.4 km Pace: 8:57 min/km

Wednesday – Canada Day! It was pretty windy – so much so the fireworks were rescheduled to Thursday.

Charlottetown lighthouse
Charlottetown lighthouse

Week 4 Day 1 of the 10k Runner app.

Total time:  34 minutes Total Distance:  3.8 km Pace: 8:53 min/km

Thursday – a far bit of walking around town but not much else.

Friday – Definitely SHOULD have run on Friday but I didn’t 😉 Another gorgeous beach day. Q and his cousins and a friend hunted for clams and eels and snails and crabs.

Rebel IPA in the birthplace of Confederation ;)
Rebel IPA in the birthplace of Confederation 😉

Saturday – Didn’t run Thursday or Friday so I had to run on Saturday. We did a little bit of running around Saturday morning, picking up some things my mom wanted from Charlottetown and going to the farmers’ market and stuff like that. Then lunch and some lovely local beer and the next thing I knew it was time to go to the airport. So a late run when we got back to the house in Toronto but I did it!

Week 4 Day 2 of the 10k Runner app.

Total time:  36 minutes Total Distance:  4.2 km Pace: 8:39 min/km – Hey I cracked 4k! 😉

Sunday – Yippie! Week 4 of the app is done in 3 calendar weeks. I’d really like to get up to 5 runs a week but even the 5 minutes running (which I did yesterday and today) was a bit challenging for me so maybe I will stick with 4 a week for a little bit longer.

Week 4 Day 3 of the 10k Runner app.

Total time:  34 minutes Total Distance:  3.9 km Pace: 8:49 min/km

Okay – I am glad I got the 4 runs in but too much food was eaten and WAY too much beer was drunk. Toby is cleaning out the fridge and stocking up keto-friendly foods. We’re a little beat still though so we’ll be keeping it a little easy for a couple of days. I still have my eyes on those cream-cheese pancakes to try!