Hard Core

I am working today, Saturday, and I knew I would miss Boot Camp. I usually go on Monday and Wednesday evenings and Saturday morning. So that I wouldn't miss out on 3 sessions this week, I went Wednesday night, and then got up and went to the 5:30 am Thursday session. And it hurt. Oh, how it hurt. I skipped Body Pump yesterday morning because I was still sore.

The good news is that there were only 2 of us Thursday morning and it was more like a personal training session than usual. The bad news is we did a lot-- threw the medicine ball back and forth, carried the medicine ball up and down the stairs (taken 2 at a time), ran, ran some more, ran tied together pulling the trainer (this was abandoned due to the rope squeezing us cruelly round the middle), ran backwards(!) up the steep little hill (I openly rebelled at this-- I was afraid I would fall, and yep, I did fall, but I also ran up the bleepity hill), walked backwards on the treadmill, and then topped it all off with some of the weight machines. Oh, and the jumping. Leo (the trainer) is a fan of the jumping-- I am emphatically not a fan of the jumping. My ankles have been sore for days. I did actually feel energized by starting the day with such a tough workout, but I think that was due to the fact that I am not a morning person and I think I was mostly asleep.

I will be back on schedule next week, with Boot Camp on the regular days, and maybe a few other workouts mixed in. The EP5K is next Sunday, and I am very excited about that. I am going to try to make sure I have enough energy to do well in the race. I am going to head down to the expo either Friday or Saturday-- running stuff to ogle and a goodie bag to pick up! Yay!

Why, hello...

...my cutey-baby running gadget! My Garmin is here! I can't wait to try it out. I think I am going to take a super-short run tomorrow, just to see my baby in action, even though Sunday is usually my rest day.

Boot Camp started today, and it went well. We ran to start, just like usual, and then did some more running to set PRs to beat at the end of the month. I did decent in the long run, but was slow in the sprint. I am apparently not a sprinter, even though it *felt* like I was running fast. Oh well....

We went inside afterwards, and did pushup and crunch tests-- 22 pushups, and 40 crunches in the time allotted. Considering I could hardly do 5 push-ups when I started Body Pump in July, it's quite an improvement. Then we were on to circuit training--cardio, free weights, and the weight machines. I actually liked it, even though I started to have that funny "My heart is beating way too fast!!!!!" feeling I've had before when we push through multiple exercises without a lot of rest. My funny feeling subsided, though, and I made it through upright. The cardio was tough-- we used the SciFit machines, and I was on the one that you pedal with your feet AND your hands. Jenna set the resistance high, and on a big hill program-- I did some groaning at the peak of the hills. I was supposed to switch with my partner, but I had some serious doh! with the machine and missed out.

We also were told that we better keep moving the whole time, or we would have to do 10 Burpees if they caught us standing still. I hate Burpees-- they should be called Barfees, for all that down, up, jump(!) jiggling-ness. So I was careful to keep running in place, or squatting, or *something*, for the love of all that is holy. The weight machine work felt good, except for the hamstring kick-back thing. I whimpered by the time I got to the end of my 15 reps. And the free weight stuff felt familiar, even though the bicep curls shredded me a little, on the heels of yesterday's Body Pump. I felt exhausted but exhilarated by the end of the session. It was much less scary this time around, although I might be speaking too quickly... We'll see how it goes Monday night.

There are also some new accountability/point-earning things for this Boot Camp session. We will earn points for everything we do-- the weekly challenge (drink 64oz of water everyday, for this week), workouts other than Boot Camp, keeping a food journal, the Amazing Race, and overall weight loss. Who ever has the most points at the end will win something good-- it was cash gift-cards last time. With the new rules, I think I have a chance! Ooh, and I got my T-shirt from the last session-- I am very proud.

Hello, 2009!

The first run of 2009? Not so great. I ran outside in a friend's neighborhood, and I just wasn't feeling it. It was cool, even though I didn't get started until 10am. My lungs complained through most of the "back" on my out-and-back. It was 2.25 miles, and I finished in about 30 minutes, I think. I walked more than I would have liked, but I did have some nice moments while I was running when it felt like it was all working and I could tell that I had picked up the pace.

My right knee is still hurty and my IT bands are achy, so I am going to see the doctor in a week, to get a referral for physical therapy/sports massage. Hopefully that will help. My deepest fear is that my knee will give out or become so painful that I am unable to run, so I am trying to be proactive. I realized that I have not been icing my knee regularly, like I was before, so I will have to do a better job of being consistent with the ice.

I ordered a Garmin 305! I am very excited to get it, and start seeing what it can do. I really want to run outside more in the coming months, and I love being able to see how far I have gone, and my pace, so I bit the bullet and ordered one. Squees of excitement!

The EP 5k is only 2 weeks away-- I am hoping to come in under 40 minutes this time. The chances seem good! Boot Camp starts tomorrow-- that should help!

Boot Camp-- Completed!

The Holiday Express Boot Camp is done! I missed 2 sessions due to a bout of food poisoning, but I made it to the final day, which was an Amazing Race-type thing. I was last--dead last-- but I still finished, and on a queasy stomach to boot. I heard people say that Boot Camp was "fun", which was not the word I would have used while I was doing it. "Challenging", "boundary-stretching", "an accomplishment"-- those are the words I used, but on the other side of it, it actually was *fun*! So I signed up for the January Resolution Boot Camp. January 3- January 31 I will be wheezing along 3 days a week.

My first run post-Boot Camp was a revelation. I did 45 minutes, some 3:1s followed by 3:2s when I got tired, for a total of 3.64 miles, including my cool-down mileage. For me, that is awesome! And I ran so much easier than before Boot Camp-- my breathing was much less laborered and I didn't check the time as often (the harder it is for me, the more often I check the time).

I ran outside on Christmas Day with Sarah, and it was such a good run! We did 2.75 miles in about 30 minutes, and I was able to run for a half mile at a time. My pace wasn't too shabby, either-- Sarah said it was 11:30, which is possibly the fastest I've managed so far. I can see why people run in groups or with buddies-- it really pushed me to run faster. It was much more interesting to run outside, and the time went by faster. My Saturday run on the treadmill felt tedious by comparison. But I did manage 5:2s on Saturday, and that was great.

My right knee is still bothering me, off and on. It mostly hurts *after* I run and not during. My IT bands are bothering me, too, mostly on the left side. My left hip flexor is twanging as well. Waaaah. I have to find a physical therapist/massage person pronto-- I'd much rather not develop a major injury and be out for a long time to heal.

The EP 5K is coming up soon, and I am looking forward to it-- I think there's a good chance that my time will improve significantly!

Boot Camp

I am doing Boot Camp at the YMCA right now, Dec. 1-Dec.20. You pick from a few different times and go 3 times a week for an hour each time.

It is *hard*. I am well outside of my comfort zone, and it's definitely a struggle. I had my first asthma attack ever during the second session, brought on by pushups in the grass (breathing in all the mold/dust/grass goo) and all the exertion. My inhaler did its job, though, and I soldiered through the last bit of the session, which made me very proud. We run, we hop, we lunge, we squat, we carry weights around for extended periods of time, we jump up and down off of logs. Saturday we did the 300-- 20 pushups, 20 crunches, 20 squats, every 10 minutes. And during the other time, we were at 1 of 4 stations, hopping, lifting, lunging, and jumping our little hearts out. I have to say that I don't find it "fun" while I am doing it, but it is a really good workout, I appreciate being pushed, and I feel incredibly proud to get through each session. I will be wearing my T-shirt with pride when this is over.

Nice and easy

Just a nice, easy run this morning-- of course, "easy" being relative. 3:2 for 35 minutes at 4.5:3.5, with 5 minutes of warm-up and 5 minutes of cool down. My right shin is sore to the touch-- I noticed it last night in bed-- but it didn't really ache while I ran. My left thigh is sore, though-- it might be from Boot Camp. I tried to focus on taking short strides and turning over my steps faster, something I was reaidng about last night in the Jeff Galloway 's 5K and 10K Running. It seemed to work-- I felt less impact and jolting as I ran. I will keep trying it.

I didn't use my inhaler today-- I forgot it in my bag in the locker room. And the run seemed to go well. I didn't wheeze, I didn't feel too out of breathe as I ran, but I did feel a little achy in the lungs and I coughed a little afterwards. But, still-- I would count that as a victory!

Going well!

Things in the running sphere are going well! I haven't posted in awhile, but there have been improvements and continued struggles in the meantime. I started having some trouble breathing when I run a few weeks ago, right after a bad bout of sinus funk/allergy flare-up. It culminated in having what I considered pretty gosh-darn-close to an asthma attack on a Saturday morning run. My doctor put me on Singulair and gave me a rescue inhaler to use before running. I have been on that regimen for 2-3 weeks now, and it goes back and forth.-- sometime it's okay, sometimes not. I had another bad breathing bout the Sunday before last, and went back to the doctor, who advised using a peak flow meter to determine how I am doing. I know that my anxiety definitely colors my feelings about the breathing issues, so I will be staying with the same regimen and using the peak flow meter. I do have a prescription for a daily inhaler if I continue to have problems, though.

I have been able to go up to a 4:2 ratio for some runs, but it's still a little hard. I tried 4:1 on one of the days I had a lot of trouble breathing, and I think it was just too much. I added in a day on the elliptical 2 weeks ago, and having been shooting for an hour session. I figure it lets me build my endurance and work a little harder without so much stress on my joints-- and the sports medicine guy suggested it for the same reasons, so it *must* be true! :) Also, I get a nice boost in mileage-- I am slowing inching up to doing 5 miles in an hour (4.82 on Saturday), and my ego certainly likes that.

I started Boot Camp at the Y this morning, and I am interested to see how that goes-- it runs from Dec. 1st to Dec. 20th. I am going 5:30am on Monday, 6pm on Wednesday, and 8:30am on Saturday. It was a shorter session today, because of body fat measuring and a treadmill test, but I think it's going to be a good kick in the pants. There was a lot of jumping, which is harder than I expected. My adult mind says, "Danger! Unstable! Fall Imminent!" I am hoping I will be able to run on the off days, if I am not too sore.