Today, I ran naked.

Almost. Clothes, shoes, watch. That’s it. No iphone, no gps, no ‘man in my ear’, no music, no water. I just went. And I remembered how nice it was just to run for the sake of running – not because I have to do A TIME or A DISTANCE, just because. It was me and my rythym, and I missed it without realising it.

On Sunday, I think I’m going to leave the iPhone at home. I’ll take the pod just in case I get bored with my thoughts, but I don’t think I’ll need to use it. In this age of computers and smart phones and telephones and televisions and everything, it’s completely normal to stay ‘plugged in’ for days on end. In my case, months. Running sans gear enables my mind to daydream and wander – that little recharge that we used to get travelling on public transport, or on a smoke break, or just zoning out. If I felt myself getting stressed out (the old ‘But it’s so far’ ‘But I’m thirsty’ crap 15 minutes in!), then I can just count my paces to center myself, and before long, I’m off in la-la land again.

As it was, I ran slow. 7 mins a kilometre, when I know I can do faster. Meh. I don’t care right now… being the fastest isn’t my goal, and that’s not why I’m doing it. I’m doing it because I can, because I want to. And because I’m going to finish. Last year I ran a half marathon with much less training than what I’ve done now. Maybe one day I’ll take it seriously and train with the big kids. Right now, I’m doing it for fun. I get enough stress in my life without having my ‘fun’ activity stressing me out more.

and she’s O KAY!

My leg doesn’t hurt anywhere near what I was expecting it to after running into that piece of wood sticking out of the ground on last nights run. I hate that jarring feeling that goes through your whole body when you hit something front on… stupid XC. Mind you, I suppose it’s good to learn to watch your feet. I could learn to like it, but I think I need to not compare my times with tar times, more look at it as an enjoyable (??) ramble through the countryside.

(actually, I feel pretty good this morning for having done it. wonder if it’s related to the fact the scales didn’t go up today?)

6 Days to go!

Week one of my two week ‘no sugar no starch’ diet is underway… the sweetest thing I’ve had is an orange or two (including one squeezed into a glass of water – I’m REALLY fanging for orange cordial!), and to date, I’ve lost 3 kilos. Ran again on the dreadmill on Sunday (5K), and at work on Monday (8.5K), so I decided to have today off. We did iso something or another exercises for PT, which I think I’m going to feel tomorrow. It’s amazing how just using your own body weight can be so strenuous! Good thing I’m so lazy, or I’d have to look into doing them at home!

Yesterday

I went for a run. All by myself. On a Saturday. In the morning. I do have witnesses if you need confirmation!

The lush of my life left early to go on a fishing charter I got him for Christmas (no eating fish, but he says he had fun, and that’s the main thing), so I was awake early, lying in bed, listening to all the squalling brats in the neighbourhood taking turns at pissing me off, when I decided to go for a run.

Unfortunately, I had left both pairs of shoes at work (I wore the spares on Friday when I ran the PT sessioin – killer circuits. They hating now. They’ll hate me worse next time!), and as I had to go and pick them up, I decided I’d check out the rest of the fire break along the fence. I have no idea why I decided to do that – I hate running on dirt at the best of times, and uneven ground – BLEH! (I blame the lush of my life for not being there to point this out to my addled sleep deprived brain) But I went.

Started off feeling very enthusiastic, pumped, motivated etc etc, and got to 5k and decided ‘I don’t want to do this anymore’. So I kept going. And the going got harder and harder: mentally – physically it was just a pain in the ass. I think it was because I was slower due to the uneven ground (Note to self – Yeah? Then why did you want to give it the ass BEFORE the ground got really shitty?), which fucked me up mentally – although the primary objective (Start) had been reached, and the secondary objective (Quit your whining and do it) was well under way. Plus I drank a whole camelbak, so I may have actually been dehydrated. Memo to me – drink before starting. Other thing I’d like to try for longer runs, is eating beforehand (like half an hour), just to see if it makes any difference. I don’t feel hungry, but I’d like to check if there’s a performance effect before the halfa in two weeks…

I find I like (is ‘like’ too strong a word?) running (okay, waddling) over paths I’ve already done before. I have done them and know I can do them again. Probably a confidence thing – I don’t know my body running well enough yet, we’re just getting to know each other. The track yesterday was half known, so it’ll be  interesting to try it again (maybe I shall do that tomorrow morning for PT?), and I’m not concerned about the slow time. Honest.

So yesterday, I achieved: Start, Go, 30 mins, 5K, 1hr, 10K, Finish.

That’s really not so bad after all.

Ran on the machine again

Although my hip/back/knee took turns at being a bit dodgey, everything held up okay. Again I didn’t try and bust a gut, I did 11K in 80 odd minutes, and although I’d like to do it in 2.5 hours, I know I can’t keep that pace up for the whole time. Still, it went very well, just very, very, VERY boring on the machine. If I pull up alright tomorrow I might try again in the evening. I’d really like to get this 10 mile thing out of the way!

At the end of the week

I’m not real happy. After doing something weird to my back after the 12k last weekend, it’s been giving me crap all week. Wed night I only managed the 2k, and even that took me a fair while to warm into – my knees were crap, in line with the hips, and I’m guessing it’s all coming from my back. Anyway, I did it, and had the most god awful cramp again – I thought my guts were going to drop out. I even considered going to the doctors about it, but too busy on Thurs and Fri for that stuff.

As I had a duty on Thurs, no sport for that day, and Fri I had to race out to the airport and pick up a car, so none that day either. Sat was supposed to be the 16K hit out for the marathon, but the lush of my life took half a sleeping pill the night before, so there was no way he was getting up let alone running at that time of the morning! Bless him, he needed his sleep. So I used that as an excuse not to go either, with the intention of going for a run this afternoon. And my back was giving me crap all afternoon, so after dinner, I put on my gear and jumped on the running machine, just in case I did have a breakdown – then I’d be at home you see! Funnily enough, I ran slower to make sure I wasn’t going to bust a foofle valve or something, and I was really enjoying it. Until I needed a toilet break (a problem that I don’t normally suffer from). And then I needed another, so I gave it the ass. Sweating like a boss, but felt fine, which is what I need for the halfa, so I’m happy. I may even sneak in another little run tomorrow morning, and try hard to be fit enough for a longer run tomorrow night. I can’t afford to break myself!

I did it

I said I wouldn’t get my sunglasses I wanted until I’d done a bigger run… so yesterday afternoon we went out and did 12K along the C2S track. I wanted to stop at 4K… and 5 and 6, but by the time 7 rocked around, there was no way I was going to walk until I’d done 8 (started walking there in the city to surf), then 9, then at 10 I allowed myself a little walk. I really think I could’ve kept going, but it was what it was.

Then I had to run 3, walk 1 to the end. And I ran up that god awful hill (short but oh so sharp at the top!), and finished in 1:26:48, which was up on the 1:39 for the C2S (the track then was slightly longer though, but I’m counting it as a win!).

I had a Gu before the race, and carried one with me but had it afterwards. Don’t know if it really helped or not, but hell. I did it.

Next week I’m going to go for 10 miles. Mhmm. I got this.

 

I am stoked with this week

I really am.

Not because I’ve done anything special, but because something’s happening…

1. I went to the Doctor on Monday and asked to see a dietician to find out why I’m not loosing weight faster. I know I shouldn’t be greedy in wanting to loose weight, but I am. It’s disheartening, and I want to stay healthy. I already know that my body holds onto weight even if I eat nothing and exercise like a banshee, so it’s easy for me to not eat enough, as I try to eat small portions of healthy food, and don’t really get hungry anymore. On the plus side, that will stand me in good stead once I have lost the weight – maintenance and lifestyle, I got you covered! The appt is not for a few weeks though, and apparently he’s a, how you say, ‘portly’ type of gentleman… being in the job that I am where fitness is way up on the job description, people don’t like being told anything by someone who’s apparently not fit. I am going to *try* very hard to look past his size, because I have had friends who were very large, and also very fit, so I know size is not a measure of fitness. And as long as he knows what he’s talking about, then WGAF? I want him to tell me that I’m doing the right things I guess, and that I’m not going to make myself sick or wig out or anything like that.Because…

2. I started taking meal replacement shakes. Only one per day, just to see if I could kick the body into life. Verdict? They are very easy to eat, and the choc and coffee shakes are yummy, but the tomato soup tastes like crap. I don’t think I eat enough with them, but I really wanted to make what I ate count, so I think one replacement, one ‘normal’ meal, and  one larger meal (and or snacks) – that’s the hardest for me – per day is worth a try. And it is moving. Half a kilo a week is sustainable and safe, and I’m happy with it. I may try just eating normal on the weekend to shake my body up a bit (I actually read an online article this week about holding onto weight, so I’m NOT the only one in the world!!), we’ll see how that goes.

3. I have done some running this week. Unfortunately not the 10K I really wanted, but several 5K. And I have noticed that: 2.4K is nothing anymore. 5K is a normal/little run, and that’s REALLY funny. Sprints help my legs to remember what it feels like to go faster – I need to do more.

Most interesting… I took a workmate for a 20min jog; she’s recovering from an injury and this was her first time running in months. So we ran for 20 mins, and she was getting slower and slower (and I know I run slow at the best of times!), so I made her run an extra 2 mins to the end (for psych purposes mainly), and then I said I needed to go stretch my legs. WTF? Running by choice? Me? That’s a hoot! So I ran. And stretched my legs out. And then I ran a bit faster… and I didn’t die. I didn’t throw up, I didn’t run out of steam – I was flying! I thought I’d done okay by the end of the 5K, but when I looked at the phone, I’d actually managed to do a kilometre in 5:03!! I’m a 6:20/6:26 kinda gal, so I was pretty pumped to see that. And that I’d run the last k in the yellow/red zone. Hell, I’m still pumped nearly 24 hrs later!

So my body can do things it didn’t think it could. It can run faster – and survive. It can lose weight – and still be getting fed. I am happy with my body atm. It looks after me. And I look after it.

 

OMG!

How did it get to be nearly a week since my last post? Damn you tumblr – you make it too easy!

Now I have to recap in a nutshell…

Monday – was the Queens Birthday holiday that I last told you about.

Tuesday – can’t remember… Ah – there it is! Had to check the miCoach site to remind me I did a 20 min run after work while dinner was cooking.  Managed to score 90% on that one, and did my usual up and down like a yo-yo pace.

Wed – worked, which sucked balls. Also meant I missed yet another XC with the running club. I think I’m destined not to do them!

Thurs – went for a run at work for PT in the afternoon. As I told my loving tumblr fans, I thought it was a shit run. I ran on dirt (soft dirt. Like sand. I hate it!), and put it in… then when I hit the tar again I gave myself permission to take it down a notch or 8. I thought I was going to die and my legs hurt and I wanted to give up – and then I realised that I wasn’t even breathing particularly hard. And the *pain* I felt, was just stupid niggles. And I realised that my head was playing tricks on me… and I kept going. I didn’t get to go faster, but I kept going anyway, and I’m glad I did. 7.3k in just over 50mins at 2pm. Three days ago I was looking for reasons to say it wasn’t a shit run. Three days later, it’s not bad at all! ARGH!!!!

Friday – Nothing apparently. Oh, I remember. I had a hot date and we went to see X Men. I ate a strawberry icecream (a double too. Very decadent of me!), and some stupid chocolate pod things which were too sweet. And I don’t like almond m & ms. They’re icky.

Sat – was wanting to go for a run in the morning, but was a bit hoha. Was hanging for a run in the afternoon, but too busy to go. Had friends around for dinner, and it was very very nice. First time in 6 months at the new location… the house still isn’t unpacked, but too bad. It’s getting there slowly.

Sun – Am lying in bed writing this, waiting for the sun to come up enough to go for the little run that I should’ve done yesterday morning. Hopefully his hangover will have gone enough this evening for us to go and do a long run.

Best I get up then!

Happy Birthday QEII!

Today I had all good intentions of going for a run in the morning, but it was too cold. How people go running in the snow is beyond me – how do they stop their lungs from bleeding?

Yesterday I never went for my uber long run. I will try to do one in the morning, but we’ll see how that goes. Today I did 45 mins, and covered 6.5K, which was more than I thought I’d do, but I did worse statistically than I thought I did when I was running. Meh, who gives a shit. I went, and I did it, that’s all that really matters. And I didn’t walk, which was good.

Have to work on Wed, so I won’t get my run in with the club, or my training run in, so I’ll def have to try and get my ass into gear tomorrow.

We’ll see what this week brings, shall we?