oh food - why are you so delicious?

I walked to work 4 out of 5 days this week (go me!). Although instead of picking up the pace, I think I've been slowing down a tad. Regardless, I'm still walking in the morning. My mettle hasn't quite been tested yet because it's been relatively mild this past week and I haven't had to walk in the bitter cold yet. But I will persevere! I just have to remember what hats and mittens are and learn to use them! However, I refuse to ever wear longjohns. Never have I ever (unless my mom made me in my youth, but if I don't remember it, it doesn't count!) worn them and never will I ever! I don't know why I have such an aversion to them, but I do.

Interestingly, I feel that despite my walking to work this week, I feel that I have in fact gained weight! How is this possible, I wondered. Then I thought back to my meals this past week. Not good, guys. It's not the food itself, but the vast quantities of it that were available and consumed by me. Apparently, at the hospital, all they do is feel the need to feed us. Breakfast meetings, lunch meetings, snack meetings, cheese meetings, cookie meetings, etc. And randomly once a month or so it's Cake Day! I'm still not sure what Cake Day's purpose is, but I do know that it means free cake. Delicious.

I have to learn to turn down free food. But it's really really hard! There is just such an abundance and it's all so delicious and, did I mention, free?! le sigh

So in addition to walking to work and maybe trying out a boxing class next week, I need to learn to say no.

On a side note, all this free food that is around has made us all dirty scavengers! We just lurk around and wait for the food. Actually, worse than that, we expect free food and get cranky when nothing appears! How dare they eat all the food at their meeting?! It's a sickness.

I used to think that it was just us, but I see it all around the hospital. For instance, on the 18th floor we have an auditorium and it also happens to be the ICU floor. I ran a conference there a few weeks ago and all the ICU staff were milling around trying to sneak food and kept constantly asking if it was over yet so they could pillage the remains. We at least have the decency not to sink to such a level! (Except that one time, but I honestly thought the meeting was over!)

And I've seen it in many other areas of the hospital. It makes me laugh -- except when they're trying to touch my food >:(

Also, working in a hospital, I see sick people all the time. I think it's slowly starting to sink in that if I want to avoid getting sick I need to do all I can to maintain a healthy lifestyle. I know that it's not everything and that my genes play a part and there are countless other factors, but at least this one I can control and do my best to ensure that I stay healthy. Rationally, I'm aware of this and, like I said, it's slowly starting to sink in.

Anyways, on a happier note I accidentally fell asleep at 8pm last night and slept for 10 hours. It was glorious. The less glorious part is that I had to go to work this morning and again tomorrow, but at least I'm well rested!

Don't forget, boys and girls, Christmas will be here in 19 days! *confetti*

i am stronger than yesterday!

Haha. So anyways. :)

I walked to work again this morning. I took the 7.1km route from Keele/Bloor down Dundas St. W., across to College (although I almost missed the turnoff to College in the process of almost getting hit by a streetcar!). Then straight down College.

At the brilliant (no sarcasm, it seemed like a great idea at the time!) suggestion of Michael I had downloaded some Learn Korean podcasts to listen to. Boring! So I listened to some CBC Comedy instead. I had downloaded a couple podcasts before and they weren't so good (bad comedy is so painful to listen to btw), but these were SO FUNNY! I must have looked positively ridiculous walking down the sidewalk laughing to myself. I kept pretending I was coughing.

I love funny!

I still felt it in my legs about a third of the way into the trip, but I felt good! I wore warmer pants and less layers on top so my overall temperature was good. My legs were a wee bit sore from the 14+km I walked yesterday plus the double header of dodgeball, but it wasn't terrible.

On the way to work I passed a YMCA. From what I can recall, memberships are not cheap (although I hear that if I lie about my income, they might be able to give me a reduced rate?), but I figure if it's reasonable, I can walk to the Y, go for a swim in the mornings, then either walk or take the streetcar the rest of the way to work! I have decided that after work activities that are optional are not for me. It's very hard to find the motivation to go after work. It's slightly easier to find motivation to get up earlier. Slightly.

So even though it's been a whopping two days I actually feel a bit stronger. I'm sure it's all in my head, but I don't care. Although, I have to say, my thighs aren't loving that I decided to wear heels at work today (not to work, I'm not crazy like Olessia <3 ).

I look forward to doing this regularly. We'll see what happens when the snow hits; however, I am determined to buy boots that are warm and waterproof! This will be the first time in many, many years. I can't actually remember the last pair of boots that I bought that were warm and waterproof. I look forward to warm and dry toes this winter!

Tomorrow morning is a spin class, which I hope to make it to. And I will try to round out the week by walking to work every day.

And I am probably jinxing myself by saying this, but now that the super crazy busy has almost passed, I should have more time to breathe and maybe post a bit more often. I'll work on being funnier!

I should also add that we played some kickass dodgeball last night!! We were seriously on fire! I don't know when we got so good, but that was the best we've ever played! It was very fun! Ok, that is all!

what a lovely day for a walk!

I decided to walk to work this morning. It was not as bad as I had expected it to be. It was actually quite invigorating.

The distance I walked was about 7.6km (I was walking on autopilot at one point and went down Spadina by accident and had to go across Cecil, but Cecil ends too early! So I had to go around a little bit, which I'm sure didn't make a huge difference.

My route: Keele to Bloor. Across Bloor to Bathurst. Bathurst to College. College to Spadina. Spadina to Cecil. A bit of manoevering to get onto McCaul then to behind Mount Sinai. This is 7.6km according to Google Maps (not including my slight detour). And according to Google Maps it should take me 1h32m, which it did! There is, however, a slightly shorter route of 7.1km which I will try next time. I started to feel it around Lansdowne and Bloor, which I know isn't that far! Then started to flag around College and Bathurst. I briefly considered the College streetcar, but figured since I'd come so far I might as well keep going!

Lessons Learned:

1. There are no Tim Horton's on the south side of bloor between Keele and Bathurst.
2. There are, however, 2 Gentlemen's Clubs along this stretch of Bloor.
3. Walking makes everything seem closer. Who knew it only took about 17mins to walk to Dundas St. W. and Bloor. And that it took under an hour to walk to Christie and Bloor.
4. Walking really gives the cold air time to seep into your bones. Three hours later I'm still freezing from the inside!
5. It is surprisingly less boring than running. Maybe because I actually have the energy to think and reflect and have conversations with myself that consist of more than: "Just suck it up and keep running!"
6. It is also surprisingly invigorating. I thought I would be tired and cranky by the time I got to work, but I felt a surge of energy. Although I'm not sure if most of my happy feelings were simply due to pride in my accomplishment versus the actual physical benefits of the exercise. Either way works, I suppose!

Addendum for #2: It's interesting and rather freeing that I now know I could walk to work if I ever needed to. For instance if the TTC were on strike or broken. It's really a good feeling to not feel so dependent on public transit. I was talking to Will about this and it would also be interesting to see how far I could go in any other direction. What places are within my 7.6km radius?

I don't think I'll be walking home as regularly as I plan to walk to work, but doing it a few times a week should increase my speed and provide me with some exercise - of which I've been sorely lacking lately! Although tonight after work I will be walking to Pape/Danforth (6.5ish km). Then playing a double header of dodgeball! Good times.

Unfortunately, I have yet to make it to the boxing class since I have to get there for 6pm and that would mean actually being able to leave work on time! Maybe next week.

As for tomorrow, you will find me walking to work again!

the day started with bacon.. how could it have gone so wrong?

Not just bacon, but bacon and eggs and toast. In bed! On a tray! Cooked by Michael!

You'd think that a day with a start like this would almost have to be wonderful.

FYI: This blog post is going to veer from the usual talk about working out, etc. Although I will say I made it to spin class Wednesday morning.

And it did start out innocuously enough. I made it to work on time, had my day somewhat planned out. I knew it was Fancy Drink Friday, whereby one of the doctors I work with buys us a fancy drink from Second Cup (I chose a Chai Tea Latte yesterday). I also discovered a free lunch was on the way because usually after the staff meeting there are leftover sandwiches and veggies.

Here is where my Friday the 13th (coincidence, since I don't believe in superstitions!) took a very minor turn for the worse. At the suggestion of my co-worker Ana, in the early afternoon I decided to purchase my bus ticket to London online so I wouldn't have to go extra early to wait in line at the ticket counter. The plan was to meet up with Mike at Rob's place for a bit then head over to the bus station for 8:30pm.

I do what I gotta do and purchase the ticket and they tell me that I should receive 2 emails shortly. Fair enough. I receive one that clearly states the second email is on the way and that's the one with the printable ticket. I wait a bit longer. I re-read the first email and it gives me the option of "retrieving" my ticket online if I haven't received it after about 30 minutes. I attempt this, but lo and behold my ticket does not seem to be available! I decide to call Greyhound. The lady proceeds to tell me that I must have made a mistake because the ticket is listed as "will call" so I am supposed to pick it up at the station. I explain to her what the email said and she says there's nothing I can do but go and pick it up at the station. Fine.

At some point shortly after this I decide that I need to go to the Apple store because I was given an iTouch a while ago and I bought a hard case and screen protector for it, but I bought the 2G stuff and didn't realize until I brought it home that I was given the first generation iTouch. This was in July. I had already uploaded a ton of podcasts and The Office onto my iTouch so I figured now would be a good time to finally exchange it.

I'm still at work and it's relatively quiet and I get things accomplished, but I still end up staying a bit late because that's what I do. No problem. So instead of going to Rob's to hang out with the boys, I decide to just go to Eaton Centre then to the bus terminal.

I arrive at the Apple store and do my darndest to find the first generation cases. No luck. I approach one of a thousand Apple workers (seriously, there had to be at least 50 of them in the store!) who is extremely helpful.

Problem #1: They do not sell any first generation accessories anymore. He suggests Walmart.

Problem #2: I couldn't just get my money returned and then go to Walmart because I purchased it on a gift card.

Problem #3: Oops. Return date was July 20. o.O He tells me I can't return it anyways.

Did I mention it's a million degrees in the Apple store? I think it's all those Apple employees! Not to mention all the hardware that's on. As well as the hordes of customers.

So. We discuss these problems for a few moments and I show him that the stuff I bought was clearly never used. One package was still sealed in fact! He says he may be able to talk to a manager about it for an exchange. I am cool with this. We look at the products and find a slider case for the iTouch that mine will fit into. It's not the hard case that I want, but it'll do. So he gets the manager's approval and away we go! There is even a balance in my favour! They can't do a mall certificate (which is what the original gift certificate was for), but they can do an Apple one. I will take what I can get. I am just trying to get out of there as fast as possible before they notice the rip in one of the boxes I returned. Phew.

Life is good, right? I trudge down to the bus terminal. I get in the line I had been trying to avoid by purchasing my ticket online and am a few people behind the smelliest man ever. Part of me is sad for him, but the other part is tired and getting cranky. I also am pretty sure the man in front of me just came from a hockey game or something. He didn't smell so fresh either!

I of course get the teller (are they called tellers?) that the smelly man just vacated and I'm trying not to touch anything. I explain my story to the man who then proceeds to tell me that this part of the GREYHOUND BUS TERMINAL does not, in fact, work for Greyhound and do Greyhound things. Like fix problems. Did I mention I was in the Greyhound Bus Terminal?

Now those of you familiar with the station knows there's a little Customer Service office, but that's not where I was headed. Nope, the man (teller?) directed me to this tiny cordoned off area in the far corner of the terminal. Now let me tell you about this "office". It was separated from the waiting area by a rope. It was a tiny maybe 5x5 space where 2 men in neon vests were doing Greyhound things apparently.

I explain what happened to man A. Let's call him George. George tells me this is impossible and that it clearly states on the ticket that I was supposed to print the ticket. We go back and forth. Man B, let's call him Bob, gets involved. He says, ah yes, this has been happening all day. We just need to write you a ticket. Perfect. He tells me to have a seat. I do so like the obedient patron that I am. Then turn in disbelief when I hear him ordering Chinese food! He goes around getting his crew's orders and calls up the delivery place. Did that just happen?! Luckily, I am here extra early so I have some time to kill. After Bob places his order, he writes up my ticket (which took 5 seconds by the way - would it have killed him to do it first?).

It is now about 7:50pm (bus leaves at 8:30pm) and I hunker down to wait for the bus. I held on to some hope that maybe the bus wouldn't be that full since I was the one and only person in this "line". By about 8:15pm that hope was shattered. I watched the line grow. And grow. And grow. There were probably a hundred people behind me! So much for not having to sit next to someone. Oh well.

We board the bus and luckily! the girl who sits next to me is quiet and sleeps for most of the trip. If only the rest of the bus were filled with such people. There were about 5 teens/early 20s on the bus, although they sounded like 10 since they were spread out on the bus and had to talk - sorry yell - at each other to try to have conversations. Loud, increasingly drunken conversations. One girl had the shrillest voice. Brutal. But it's ok. I can get through this, despite the fact that my iTouch's volume doesn't go very high.

I am not sure if I yet mentioned this, but I knew I was going to arrive around 10:40pm, but my mom wouldn't be able to pick me up until closer to 11:30pm. But I knew there was a Tim Horton's across the street that I could hang out in. No problem! I also thought my cousins might be able to meet up with me for a bit, but it didn't happen, but again, no problem! I can entertain myself.

I arrive at the bus terminal in London. It. is. freezing. But it's ok because hot coffee awaits me! Oh. Wait. There is no seating available at Tim's. Not to say that it is so busy, but that seating actually does not exist. It is a strictly to-go Tim's. Who does that?! Since I can't carry a beverage and walk at the same time, I decide against the hot coffee and go back to the bus terminal. Although in hindsight I think I should have gotten a coffee to warm me up since the bus terminal was locked up by this time. I mill around in an unknown city, but at least I'm downtown. On a Friday night.

In my immediate vicinity are a sketchy pizza place, a convenience store, and a pool hall. I considered the pool hall, but didn't feel like spending any money :P

What would I do without my trusty Blackberry? I use the Poynt application to search out another Tim's. Even though I have no reason to think this, I have this random feeling that it's probably in the ghetto (I really don't know what the basis for this belief was..). I did also worry that it might not be 24-hours and I'd be stuck again.

Next step: McDonald's. I do a search and I find one a little ways up.

Oh! I forgot to mention that during this time, my Blackberry was randomly freezing up and shutting itself off. So many times that it started to kill my battery. Or maybe it was because of my battery. Regardless, this was not improving my evening. Did I mention the cold?

Anyways - I finally find the McDonald's. Oops. It closes at 11pm. Which it happens to be right now. Across the street is a Starbucks. I knew it was farfetched, but I thought, hey why not! Yup, closes at 11! Pizza Pizza next door. (Sorry this is so long, but you all know how I like to drag out my stories :)

Such relief! Pizza Pizza is open until 3am. Good god. I grab the door handle and - locked! What the. I can see them inside and the sign clearly says 3am!

Oh. There's another entrance. Phew. Did I mention I have also had to pee this entire time?

Ah bliss. It is warm and quiet in Pizza Pizza and I have The Office to keep me company and I decide to take notes about my evening to share with you, dear readers.

It is now nearing on midnight by this point. My mother has said she is on her way and I'm trying not to use my BB for anything lest it die. There are no outlets at Pizza Pizza.

Then to improve my day (because at this point I'm relishing other peoples' suffering - I don't claim to be a good person!) a bunch of teens come running in. One girl is already so sick from the drink. And they choose the table right beside me! Ugh.

But it's ok - my mom calls shortly thereafter to come save me from my day. My day. It is finally over!

Hopefully she won't mind if I sleep in the car..

To make it better - Saturday morning started off with a glorious facial. It was glorious.

the correlation between motivation and blogwriting..

Hello dear friends,

I am writing tonight in the hope that I can become remotivated to do more again. I'm starting to feel intensely lazy and sluggish. It's so nice on the one hand to just be idle and lounge around, but it's not so nice feeling inactive and being mentally slow. I've been so swamped at work that it's all I can do to get through the day, but I want to believe that being more active outside of work will give me more energy through the day or at the very least let me destress.

Now that booty camp is over I need to get started on something new soon. I'm still playing dodgeball but that's only once a week and not nearly enough exercise. I am going to try running again in the mornings now that the time change has happened and it should be lighter in the mornings now, which should help! Also, I'm going to look into that boxing gym for reals. Try out a class next week in fact!

I also want to look into squash (*cough* Ryan) and badminton (*cough* Chow). Ryan did mention some courts up in the far north, but where can we play badminton, Chow?

But let's be real. My big big problem right now is food. I was trying to be good for a while, but I seem to have fallen off the wagon a little. Well, ok maybe I can't actually see the wagon anymore.. But I will have to run a little (literally) to find that wagon again!

So we're currently watching The Biggest Loser. I find my reaction to it very interesting. I think out of a need to be perverse/rebellious (I can't find the word I'm looking for!), I find myself inevitably eating junk food while I watch it. At the same time, I'm agreeing with a lot of the things they're saying and working myself up to be motivated to do more. It's kind of a weird duality. In any case, it's inspired me to write some more and go running in the morning. So we'll see how that goes! The chips I was eating during the show were delicious by the way.

Watching the show makes me reflect on my psychological barriers. I think it's hard for people who have always been fit/lean to know the psychological difficulty that exists for someone who has not been fit/lean for most of her life. It's not just about the willpower to eat less or exercise more - it's all about the hidden reasons I almost refuse to do the right things. This is me baring my soul a little! Since I've been this way for so long I find it hard to imagine a life or a body that is different. I have had glimpses here and there of what could be, but it's still really hard to picture. This is what holds me back - the fear of the unknown, I guess. And the even more secret fear that no matter what I do it won't make a difference or change my life in any significant way. And rationally I know this to be a ridiculous thought on so many levels so I'm working on it!

I do appreciate all your support, but I do also kind of feel like my milestones are things that any "normal" person can do with ease and that my achievements aren't that epic. But I can't compare myself to other people, right?

Anyways, enough soul-baring! I'm sure this is terribly boring and I'm not trying to inspire piteous or "poor baby" feelings. Just letting you know some of my thoughts. I'll try to inject more hilarity into my next post - which will hopefully be in the next few days and it will be all about the running I will have done in the morning. We'll see!

Ohya - I need to set up an *indoor* rock climbing event soon! And I have to remember to call the school nearby about their pool!

Love,

Connie

xo! :)

it's a new day!

And it's a beautiful one!

Look at me go! Two blog posts in two days! Oh. Well technically in 3 days. Whatever! Just be grateful :)

Since the run on Sunday I haven't really done much of anything. Except for dodgeball last night! That was super fun. I still throw like a sissy, but I'm getting better at throwing strategically vs. throwing well. So that's something! I'm also still a bit of a sissy when it comes to getting hit. I still close my eyes and yelp. I need to learn to try to catch those ones that hit me in the midsection rather than just getting hit and walking off. It was also a good workout since we only had 7 people and there are 6 people on at any given time. Fun times had by all! And to top it all off, we won! I think the score is wrong and we should have won by more, but what can you do. A win's a win! Although it's our third technical win - it's our first actual win! :)

Tonight is booty camp. I did miss last week's Thursday session so Breanna and I will also be going tomorrow night in addition to Thursday. I also missed one in the first 4-week session so I'm going to try to make that one up on Monday! It'll be a booty camp bonanza!

So I'm actually really looking forward to this boxing gym business! I think there are a couple people who may also be interested. I just wonder how realistic it is for me. This place is at Carlaw/Gerrard and is not terribly close to me. I'd be finished at 8pm on any given weeknight and then wouldn't get home until closer to 9pm. And ideally I'd like to go at least twice a week. Plus I play pool on Wednesdays until late and dodgeball is Monday nights and are typically late games, too. And what about during the winter when it gets cold and snowy and miserable and dark. Will I really still want to go? And what are the chances I will trek all the way out there on a weekend? So maybe I won't sign up for the full year just yet until I get through the winter and see how committed I am to it. But I am still really excited.

By the way, I am fighting the urge in almost every paragraph to write "irregardless" because I've been informed that if I continue to use it, people will think it's a real word and I will perpetuate the misuse of the word. Not that I think you're dumb. Well maybe I do a little ;) <3

It's interesting. Despite doing booty camp twice a week and dodgeball on Mondays I still feel like I am incredibly lazy and inactive. I need to do more on the weekends I think. Suggestions?

So in the previous post, Shyn suggested I look into more individual sports, in particular, racket sports. I am all for taking up badminton! Or maybe even tennis. As I mentioned, squash scares the bejeezus out of me. Remember, I'm the girl who is scared of a soft squishy dodgeball.

I'd like to hear if any of you have played/like squash. If anyone has a guest pass or something to a squash court I might be willing to try it. Despite the fear!

Also, I would like to try indoor rock climbing some weekend in the near future! Maybe November 7?? I'd be willing to take a day off work for it since I'm tired of working and have all sorts of vacation days. I am planning to take a day off just to go shopping!

Hope everyone is having a lovely day and a more productive day at work than I'm currently having. :)

i'm ba-a-a-a-ack!!

Yay!

So many things have happened since my last post and I will most likely not remember them all, but well you can't miss what you don't know!

Wow - I just realized it's been well over a month since my last post. I'm sorry to have left you without my pearls of wisdom and energizing humour for so long!

But ok where to start..

Booty Camp

I successfully completed the 4-week Booty Camp session! I lost a few pounds, lost a couple inches, and gained some muscles I never knew I had. I signed up for another 4 weeks and am now entering week 3 of it! I missed a day, but I think I'm going to make up for it this week by doing 3 sessions. I am not sure I will continue on past this next 4 weeks but it was good while it lasted! Kept me motivated and active when I was having trouble doing it on my own.

MarathonS!

On September 27 I successfully completed the Scotiabank Marathon - 5k :D It always seem so misleading to say I did a marathon. I did it in 42:26 minutes. Yes, I run really really slow, but I don't care! I ran the entire way and didn't stop at all! I thank Shyn entirely for this one! If it hadn't been for him I would have stopped at the 1km mark. He put up with my whining for 42 minutes and kept encouraging me. My favourite line he gave me was, "Just think - all that time you spent grinding on WoW has trained you for this! Just keep pushing through!" Ok, that was highly paraphrased, but it made me laugh. Though of course only the people who play WoW will appreciate that, but I think most of you do :D

IRREGARDLESS, I ran the 5k and it was glorious!

Riding this high, Mike calls me at work a few days later and says, "Hey, I have a GREAT idea, let's do another 5k!" I foolishly agree and this brings me to today.

On October 18, 2009 I ran my second 5k! In the Goodlife Fitness Toronto Marathon! Despite not having run since the last 5k, I ran it in 40:00. Dammit. I thought I ran it in under 40. At least I improved my time.. by 2.5 minutes. Boo. Oh well! I did walk a few times for a few seconds here and there, though. Mike stayed with me the whole way and played alphabet games with me to keep me distracted!

Now Sharon posted on my Facebook that she is running one in the spring! Should I or shouldn't I? I hate it up until the last km. Then I start to feel more enthusiastic about the whole thing. We'll see!

Boxing Gym

Since I need constant variety, my next new challenge may be joining a boxing gym. I had originally thought that I wanted to do Judo or Karate or something, but then I realized I don't like to touch people. Therefore, sparring activities are not for me. Then I had a brilliant idea that I could join a boxing gym! I just want to punch a bag. Build some muscle, work on my cardio. I found one in the southeast end of the city that I am going to look into once my Booty Camp is over. I can pay $500 for a year's membership and I can go to all the boxing classes I want. These classes are 2 hours in length and offered every day and involves cardio and work with the punching bags. Maybe I won't sign up for a whole year yet, but I will definitely check out a few classes!

I know some of you might be thinking that if I'm willing to spend all that money maybe I should join a gym instead. It would be about the same amount of money. $40ish/mo for a gym=$480/year. But the question is, Will I go to the gym? I do hate it quite a bit and can see myself quitting after a month or so. Stupid gyms. We'll see if I even like the boxing class and go from there I suppose.

Dodgeball

This is so fun! And way more work than I had originally anticipated! Unfortunately, the first two games we won by forfeit when the other teams didn't show up :/ Then in our third match when a team did show up, we lost! :( But tomorrow we will kick ass, I'm sure of it! I think they're the 7th place team and so we should be able to win win win! :) Either way, it's a lot of fun. We have 5 more games, I believe.

Then my new plan is to rent a school gym for January and play various sports. If that doesn't pan out, then maybe indoor volleyball. Or maybe a new sport?? I have recently had my eye on basketball and learning how to play that. This is partly why I want to rent the gym - so we can play bastketball and see how good or bad it is!

Food

All I have to say is that I love food and am finding it hard to cut back and bad foods are creeping back into my diet. I don't like it! I am hoping that writing this blog again will keep me motivated and in a better mindset about my health and wellbeing in general! I was falling off the wagon so often and for longer and longer that I was worrying that I wouldn't be able to find the wagon again! But I always do. Food is so delicious, though. Mm.

Lessons Learned:

1. I get bored of things after about 2 months and have to change it up. This is why I don't believe the saying that it takes 3 weeks or whatever to build a habit. Oh, maybe it's 3 months to build a habit? Hm. Well, whatever :P
2. My body is stronger than I think. It's the mind that's weak! This was another of Shyn's motivational speeches when I was complaining that I needed to stop.
3. October is very cold :(
4. So apparently I haven't learned much in my month-long hiatus. C'est la vie!

surprising results!

I have decided to write my post tonight because I can guarantee right now that I won't have any time tomorrow. Work is going to keep me tres busy all day.

So I attended Day 2 of the Booty Camp with surprising results!

Despite being broken and mucho sore (and therefore scared of what the evening would entail) I found it not too ridiculously hard! I had thought (mistakenly apparently) that physical exercise would make my muscles feel worse, but I guess warming them up actually made them feel ok. Not better necessarily, but not worse! I was pleasantly surprised.

Don't get me wrong, it was still ridiculously hard and I think I worked new muscles I've never used before, but it wasn't excruciatingly painful! *confetti*

I've also learned a lot of exercises that I can do myself. I just have to remember them and put them together in some kind of routine later. Although I will probably sign up for at least 4 more weeks following this. It's amazing what you can do with a little space and a mat, eh?

Tonight we did a bit more cardio and I have to say that running has really improved that. I'm not stellar, but definitely much improved from the beginning of the summer. I think back to when I signed up for that volleyball skills clinic. They made us run around the gym a few times and, man, I was wiped after maybe one lap around the gym. It was positively brutal. But now, we ran around a bunch of times, did grapevine-y type things, skipped, etc. I couldn't keep up for the entire hour, but I did a fair bit! So I'm proud of myself :D

Although, my secret shame is that I'm not actually doing as much running as I would like to these days. I am not going to be able to tomorrow morning because I'm aiming to be at work for 7-7:30, which leaves no room for running. However, I will try to get a good decent run in on Sunday morning. The marathon is coming up very soon!


Lessons Learned:

1. Holding a plank is actually better when someone is there watching you and encouraging you. And when there are other people there that you can't show weakness in front of :D
2. The above holds true for most of the exercises actually. I think I pushed myself harder because I didn't want to be the suckiest in the group.
   
3. I'm actually less hungry after I work out. I ate maybe 2/3 of what I would normally have eaten for dinner. Although, I foresee that tomorrow morning I will be famished. :P More cake perhaps?
   
4. Keeping your keys in your pocket while you workout is not smart. Especially when your session starts at 8pm and it starts getting dark at 7pm. *sigh* I had to get Mike to rescue me with a flashlight - luckily we found them pretty soon after that! What's extra funny is that on Tuesday another girl lost her keys. And I secretly thought she was retarded. Karma? It might be. If I believed in such nonsense. ;)

Ok, I'm sleepy now. Nini.

Then I have to get up and wear heels all day. My poor legs. What is that, class? That's right. Brutal.

Hope everyone has (or had) sweet and lovely dreams!

:)

i hurt. lots.

So ok. I did the Booty Camp Tuesday night and boy am I feeling it. Brutal.

I walk all gimpy and can barely manage stairs. Sitting down is very awkward, too. Brutal.

It's all good, though. I'd much rather be feeling the pain of my "tearing muscles" (as Tammy put it) than nothing at all following the workout. So I've been walking around like I have never walked before.

The best part is that I get to do it again tonight! It is day 2 of booty camp. Hopefully I will be able to go running Friday morning. If not, at least I'll have volleyball Friday evening!

We have finally signed up for dodgeball and I am looking forward to that! It doesn't start until September 21, though. However, this Sunday some dodgeball league is holding a free session that some of us will most likely be attending. If anyone else is interested let me know, it should be fun!

It's too bad being active costs so much money. I also want to go to Mont Tremblant, which Chow is trying to plan for December/January, but that will cost lots of money, too. Along with all these leagues. Pff. It's so much cheaper to be lazy! But less fun. Cost-benefit, right?

I don't know what else to say about that.

Confession:

All I had this morning until noon was a slice of cake for breakfast and a cookie and coffee for my morning snack. Brutal.

The rest of my day will be better. I swear.

i love short weeks!

I'm sorry. I've been so lazy this past week or so and have completely fallen out of my routine. This has also meant that I've been too lazy and ashamed to write much in this blog! It would have just been excuse after excuse and I thought I would spare you.

I've been having trouble forcing myself out of bed and I have been tired all the time. But! As you all know I signed up for Booty Camp. This is now kicking me back into being motivated!

So I came home after work yesterday and had a quick dinner and went out in search of the group. The problem was that I had originally signed up for a different location because of Breanna, but due to the fact that she had to go away for work for 2 weeks she rescheduled and I tried to get into the session near my house. I called them up last week and they told me they had no record of me having paid. Awesome. I sent them the Paypal confirmation and they were saying they'd look into it and in the meantime I should just go to the session.

I asked Tammy if she received an email upon registration about what to bring/do/expect, etc. Good thing I did because there were waivers to sign and instructions about what to bring. It also mentioned I should show up an hour early.

In the past as I've walked up Keele I've seen their sessions in the park and figured that's where they would be for my session.

Therefore, I show up at 7pm expecting to find people - and nothing! Only families and this couple who were randomly throwing balls. It was very peculiar. They'd stand and one would toss a ball. Then they'd each pick up 2 other balls and throw them towards that one. From what I can gather they were trying to throw it as close as possible to the original tossed ball? But I don't know why. What the hell? Anyways.

I didn't bring my phone with me (See what happens?? Never again!) So I kind of mill around and hang out. Then I think, hm, maybe I'll walk up this hill over here and see what's what at this half of the park. I'm also wondering if I can get home from this path at the top of this hill.

Lo and behold! There's the 6:45pm class doing their thing. I figure it's probably close to 7:30pm I'll just wait. But then the bugs start coming out. And I also start thinking that showing up an hour before is probably only necessary for the earlier class since it runs from 6:45-7:45pm and then the next one is 8-9pm. I go home and get bug spray and return closer to 8pm where the instructor does, in fact, inform us that we'd be staying afterwards to do the measurements and all that. Pff. What a waste of an hour!

It begins! Parts of it were really hard! It was also getting really dark and the bugs were out in full force. Gross. I was sweating and tired, but I felt good! I really think I needed this to break me out of my funk and get me active again.

I have grandiose plans to go to spin class Wednesday morning, which almost happens. But then doesn't :( I was already running late then I realized I forgot my wallet and had to go back, which made me more late, and ugh. So as punishment I went running - which I haven't done lately.

Taking a break from running is not such a great idea. I ran for about 11 minutes then took a 2 minute break and ran for another 9 minutes. It's bad that I'm really starting to dislike running. I keep telling myself I just have to hold on for a few more weeks until the marathon. So I'm going to start sucking it up and running more often so I can get back to what I used to be able to do just a few short weeks ago - as well as improve. Two and a half weeks to go!! I'm in trouble.

Anyways. Hopefully now that I'm back on track, my blog posts will be more frequent again. And joy and laughter will be brought back into all your lives!

:)

the rise and fall of the connie empire

Forgive me, dear readers. It has been 8 days since my last confe-.. er... blog post.

I can't do penance, though, since I don't know my Hail Marys or whatever - despite being Catholic. I can do the Lord's Prayer, though! :)

The last post I made was pre-rock climbing and I think I've already told most of you about it or you were there, but too bad. It was super fun! It was actually much harder than I expected it to be. Even once I got there and saw other people doing it, I was inwardly scoffing because it looked fairly easy. That cliff showed me who was boss, though. It showed that my overall muscle strength and flexibilty is sorely lacking. Brutal. Also, it showed me that I bruise like a peach. It was fun and challenging, though! Very different than anything I've done before. The second time up was also a bit easier since I knew what to expect and wasn't such a sissy about letting go. I wasn't really worried about death or dismemberment, which was good.

Well, let me clarify. On the way down the side of the cliff to get to the bottom was a harrowing experience! There was supposed to be a "scramble path" that led down to the bottom - that we completely missed and had to practically machete our way through the forest to get to the bottom. I was worried I was going to tumble down the mountain or break a leg. Luckily, no disasters. Then we found the path after climbing over and under trees and rocks galore. The path was glorious. I maintain that we wouldn't have fully appreciated the scramble path unless we had gone where we had :P So, I guess that's something!

So I would definitely go again! Well, I have to since I bought a harness :) I think I'd like to try indoor next time. Or if I do outdoor again I will wear better shoes. I brought shoes that were small and would fit into crevices instead of shoes with grip on the bottom. A big mistake considering there were not really any crevices, but rocks that were slightly jutting out that you had to leverage against. I blame my shoes for my poor showing. :) Also the arduous journey that preceded the climb itself. Oh, and the burning sun. :P

No, but really, I had a blast. Especially with the camping and the fire and the company! :) I could have stayed another night.

So after that I got lazy. So lazy.

I had Friday off and I feel like I slept and lazed around most of the day. Oh, we did bike to High Park for breakfast and back :) That's something, right?

And there was volleyball on Friday evening. Always a good time, despite the crazy ridiculous wind. It was impossible to play actually, but we did our best!

On Saturday I think I did more of nothing. Well I went out in the evening, but nothing much that day I think. The less I do, the less I want to do :(

More of the same on Sunday (although I can't actually remember what I did on Sunday so I could very well have done something fantastic - but I doubt it :P)

Monday morning I went for a run! But it was a piddly one. I was so tired and felt ridiculously out of shape after not having done much for a few days. :(

Tuesday more of the same. I went out for a run in the morning, but it was also piddly. And apparently I forgot to pee before I went out so that cut my run a wee bit short, too. Yes, I'm 10 and can't hold it. I don't know about you guys, but for me if I really have to pee and I'm rushing it makes it worse. I have to walk a fine line of hurrying, but not too much or else it increases the urgency of the pee!

Tuesday evening was ultimate frisbee! Our second to last game. It was also harder than it has been because of my few days of laziness. It's amazing how quickly my body forgets. But at least it got me out there and running around. Then we had Hakka food after. My first time! It was pretty good. :)

Wednesday morning I missed the spin class. I almost could have made it, but then didn't.

It's getting harder and harder to get up in the mornings, I tell ya. I think I've also realized I might dislike running. It's just so mind-numbingly boring! But I will persevere at least until the 5k and re-evaluate.

So, this morning I also didn't run, but I did lunges and squats. So I should feel those tomorrow. And I plan to run tomorrow morning. For reals.

The one good thing coming up despite my laziness is that booty camp starts next week! I'm still really looking forward to that - even though Breanna can no longer join me for September :(

So maybe that will kick my ass out of this lazy funk I'm in and re-motivate me. One can hope!

That is all. Not a great post, but a post nonetheless. :)

Happy Thursday!

Ps Please sponsor me for the 5k Scotiabank Marathon! Click Me!

Thanks <3
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a balanced life.

Yesterday morning I went for a bike ride through High Park. Instead of my usual loop through, I took a few extra side streets. Also, in light of the spin class I took last week, I tried to push myself to go faster and not just coast along whenever I could. So that was good! My thighs aren't thrilled with me today, but what can you do :)

Last night we played ultimate - and we won! /cheer!

We all played really well and there was lots of running. Lots of running.

The best part is that I SCORED A GOAL! YAY! And it was an epic score, too. So, it was the longest point ever and you can't sub out until someone scores. And I was getting tired! We were finally in our endzone and the frisbee came in low and I dove for it (aka crashed to the ground) and managed to catch it! GO ME! lol. The other team members made some more frequent epic catches and goals, but this was my first :)

I was soooo sore when I got home. Still from softball on Sunday and the bike ride Tuesday morning and then all the running from ultimate. But it's good. I feel good.

Tonight, as most of you know, a bunch of us are going camping then rock climbing tomorrow!

I'm so excited!

I think I've said this many times before but I just like to stop and marvel at the fact that I'm trying all these new things now. I feel like I'm chomping at the bit wanting to try everything. I really like it. I've spent a lot of my life reading and learning and it's nice that I am now balancing that out with being more active. I'm, like, perfect. ;D

Also, I can't actually see much difference, but according to my scale I'm at my lowest weight that I've been in a while. I still have a long way to go, but booty camp starts soon! /confetti

oh. my.

Where do I even begin??

I guess from the beginning :)

I don't think I wrote a blog for Friday so here's my delinquent post about that day.

Friday:

I ran Day 2 of Week 6 that morning. This involved:

5 minute warm-up
10 minute jog
3 minute walk
10 minute jog

I did:

5 minute warm-up
10 minute jog
3 minute walk
5 minute jog
2 minute walk
7 minute jog

Close enough, right? I hadn't run since Monday morning so I wasn't as prepared as I should have been. But I ran a little extra so that's something, I hope.

After work was, of course, beach volleyball. I was so late for that because of work so I really only played 3 games. So, all in all, not a super day for exercise. Ah well!

Saturday (aka my birthday YAY):

I slept in and got breakfast in bed a la Michael :)

I am trying to keep this about the exercise parts of my day so I won't bore you with the rest of my birthday minutiae. Except to say that I have never drank so much and therefore have never been so drunk as I was that night. I blame Chow and his dirty Jagr bombs. Before the badness happened though I had a great time! :) Thanks to everyone who made it out and I hope you all had fun, too! xo

Sunday:

I woke up way too early to play softball for work. It was such a rough morning. But I still went! Why, you ask? Because I'm a TROOPER :)

Michael and I got to the field at 8:30am only to find out we weren't playing right away after all and we wouldn't be playing until closer to 10-10:30am. -.- We were not very impressed, but what could we do! After some tea and forcing down a granola bar I felt a bit better.

Softball is actually kind of fun! Batting is the best part! I got the first run in in the first game! /cheer. I didn't make any fancy catches, but I had a lot of fun. I'd play again! So there was lots of running around and so I did get some exercise! Although I seem to have pulled a muscle in my hip/groin area :( It hurts like a bitch to walk.

Monday:

I went for a run this morning. I tried to do Day 3 of Week 6. From here on out they are all long runs - no more interval training. I was supposed to do 23 or 25 minutes, I think. With my injury I was only able to run for about 6 minutes and I had to stop :( Brutal. I walked for a bit and tried to run some more, but it was really painful! But I tried!

I will endeavour to run more frequently this week, but I am on the home stretch now! At this point I should be able to run for 25 minutes and will check in the next few days how far that actually means. And I am still at one month until the marathon! /confetti.

It is all going splendidly. Well, except for this gimp leg I acquired.

Oh! I also got 5lb weights for my birthday. I used them today!

I did 3 sets of 10 reps of bicep curls, tricep curls? (I'm not sure what they're called). Um, and shoulder thingies. Where my arms are to my side and I lift them straight up and out so I look like a T (or a cross, I suppose, if you count my head). Oh, I also did some more stair pushups.

PS. I am never drinking again.

the long fight continues..

Yesterday after work I went to a softball practice. It was hilarious.

What I Learned at Softball Practice:

1. I am afraid of the ball. Therefore, I close my eyes when the ball gets close enough for me to catch, which luckily so far has only resulted in me missing it, rather than getting beaned in the head. Though I do catch it on occasion!
2. I have pretty good hand-eye coordination otherwise. In terms of hitting it that is. Nine out of 10 times I can connect with the ball. I mean it helps that our own team is pitching it, I suppose. Details, details!
3. Sun in the eyes is the absolute worst when trying to catch balls. The worst. I just want to duck and hide because I panic when I can't see it.
4. Apparently, you're supposed to run towards the ball when it's rolling/bouncing towards you rather than back up to let the ball slow down before you pick it up. I suppose I can see the logic in that.
5. I cannot throw a ball. I understand the basic principle, I do. I also know I have the power. I just can't put it into practice! I release too early or too late and can't channel the power into the throw itself. I think I use the wrong part of my arm for power, which is why it always feels like I'm going to wrench my arm right out of my shoulder socket. Ok, maybe I don't understand the basic principle after all. Hrm.
6. Batting hurts. The whole bat reverberates and now my hand hurts! I didn't notice until this morning, but using doorknobs and even holding a pen hurts. Stupid bats.
7. In light of all of the above information, I am going to predict that my gameplay on Sunday (in conjunction with the fact that the night before is my birthday party) will not be stellar. But hopefully still fun! :)
8. I don't like people who don't think I'm funny. Not just because I think I'm hilarious and everyone should, too. But these people just don't get me and it's hard to connect with people who don't find the same things funny, you know? It's awkward.

So there wasn't much exercise during the practice, but I was still out and about! Then I zipped off to pool and then, um, Korean all-you-can-eat BBQ. Oops. Although! I didn't eat as much as I could have. I did stop myself. Relativity!!

To make matters worse, I also did nothing this morning. But tomorrow morning I will run for sure! And will try to run Saturday again, too.

I'm really excited for boot camp to start, fyi. :)

j00 can DO it!

Morning!

This morning was the dreaded spin class. I trudged over to the studio for 7am!

I got all set up on the bike and away we went! It was actually pretty good! Though my knees were hurting a little, I enjoyed it! Admittedly, I did not go as hard or as fast as everyone else in the class (though everyone else seemed like spin class veterans!), I think I still pushed myself. All I know is that I was ready to quit after the first 15-20 minutes, but how embarrassing would that have been!! So I stuck it out. I got my second wind in the last 20ish minutes of the class and actually got "out of the saddle" for some of it and pushed even harder.

I was positively dripping. Gross.

I think I probably could have done more, but I'm pretty proud of myself for having gone and done what I did! Did what I did.. done what I done? Hm.

Anyways.

The good thing about the class was that it made me tough it out for the full 45 minutes because I didn't want to look like a pansy. And that there is so much room for improvement. It makes me want to go back and do more and do better. Good times!

Today after work I am going to a softball practice. That should also be interesting.

So, Chow brought up the issue of my diet these days. First, I have to say, I am hungry all the time. I am usually good for about half the day. Then start to slip.

Take last night for example. Gary came over after ultimate frisbee and we had pizza. And a few wings. It was SO GOOD. I felt like I hadn't eaten in days. I almost couldn't stop eating! HOWEVER, I did not have any pop. That's something, right? The coke was looking mighty delicious, but I refrained. I am off the pop. :D So even though I had a thousand calories - I didn't have a thousand PLUS 200 :)

This morning I had a piece of toast with peanut butter and jam before the class. Then I picked up a yogurt parfait (yogurt, granola/oatmeal, raisins, strawberries) at the cafeteria downstairs and a coffee. Oh and I bought a banana. Now I'm starving again.

I am sure this play-by-play of my food intake is fascinating - too bad. :)

I will try to eat better the rest of the day, but it's hard when I'm so hungry and food is so delicious. And when I'm not at home. Le sigh. Life is hard. :)

PS. Don't forget to read yesterday's post. I posted it late last night, but I did post!

the problem with exercise..

Good evening, folks!

I am clearly a little delayed today. I actually had too much work to do today :(

Today I finally dragged myself out of bed around 7:30 and went for a little bike ride. I prayed that the gears would be ok and that no one would hit me because I hate helmets. (NB: I would wear one if I was city cycling :) Randomly my gears like to f*ck up and either fall off or just grind like something is dying.

Praise be!

Nothing calamitous happened! Well, except :( hmph. Except for the fact that as I was cycling along I passed a jogger. I didn't think much of it until! I heard him picking up the pace behind me and he passed me.

What the shit.

Is that supposed to happen?? So then _I_ picked up the pace and finally managed to pass him and I was triumphant! I can cycle faster than a jogger! -.-

Clearly I need to work on the cycling! I was talking to this girl who did the triathlon recently. It was 750m swim, then 30km run, then 7.5km run. So, maybe a triathlon won't be in my future for the next year. But I would really like to do one of those Ride for Heart or whatever cycling things. I'll show that jogger!!

So anyways. I was out for about 25 minutes and forced myself to do one last lap around the block before going home. Good times.

Although, I still don't like bikes and I still am not quite able to sort out the gear business. I just stay on 2 or 3 and go with it.

Tonight I went to play Ultimate Frisbee. We lost. Again. 16-6. Brutal. But seriously, those guys could run. They only had 2 girls who had to stay on the whole time and they were go! go! go! for the entire game! It was disgusting. :P

So, ya, they creamed us. But this one girl I was following kept making me sprint across the field to chase her down. Also disgusting! But I think I noticed a difference when I was doing it. If they had been one of the teams we played before I started running, I think I would have been dead on the field a lot sooner. Admittedly, we had more subs this time, but still, I think I ran a lot! Not faster than that damn girl, but still! Fun!

Tomorrow is *gulp* spin class day! dun dun dun. It keeps slipping in and out of my mind. I think part of my subconscious is trying to make me conveniently forget it. But now that I have written it out here, I have no excuse!

I am going to get up at 5:30am. Then get down to Spadina and Adelaide for 7am. SEVEN IN THE MORNING. It is going to be torture, especially since it has been getting increasingly harder to drag my ass out of bed in the morning. I am scared.

Also, after work, I promised a co-worker I would join a baseball practice. The hospital puts on an intramural softball tournament every summer and our department always puts a team together. They bullied me into joining even though I will suck. And they caught me at a weak moment when I was contemplating other sports/activities I could do. The big problem is that the tournament itself is the day after my birthday. I warned them I might still be drunk then. So I agreed to go to the practice tomorrow and if I absolutely hated it then I wouldn't play, but if it was bearable then I would come on Sunday. I do like to try to hit the ball...

This is the same co-worker I am going to spin class with. She is hardcore.

So then I have to go to pool afterwards, which means I will be bringing like 8 changes of clothes.

Oh! I almost forgot - the reason for my title.

Now, I don't know how many of you read my Facebook note about 25 things about me, but one of them is about showering. I know, it's gross, and it will probably make me out to be some kind of pariah, but I just don't like to shower. I do it. I just don't like it. It's so much work. I just want to be clean and smell lovely all the time with no work. So the problem with exercise is that it is making me shower twice a day most days! This is unacceptable. :P Clearly this means I have to do less exercise :D

Just kidding. I guess. ^^

/sigh. Wish me luck for tomorrow!

It's-a me! Wario! I'm-a gonna win!

Hahaha. First, I would like to share that there is a Mario Wiki! How fantastic is that.

http://www.mariowiki.com/Main_Page

Anyways, back to me :)

Busy, busy weekend. Filled with a bit of overeating, but also activity! And though it may not have seemed like it, I actually didn't binge as much as I could have. If that's any consolation. :) It's all about relativity, right?

So Friday I finally got to play volleyball again! Apparently taking a few weeks off means one forgets how to play and is dismal. I started getting it together a bit more near the end, but it was a rough start! But fun! I definitely missed volleyball. I'm sad about the end of summer, which spells the end of beach volleyball. But I am really interested in playing indoor court this fall/winter!

Saturday was d-

Urgh. I think I just swallowed a hair. Gross.

As I was saying. Saturday was do or die day. Mostly because, as I had previously mentioned, I needed to finish up week 4, which involved a 20-minute run. Also, it was an especially important day because not only was it the weekend, but since I stayed out a wee bit too late on Friday night, I could not get up for 7am. Therefore, when I finally did get up and was ready to go around 10:30am, I didn't want to! I have never run during the day before. Only in the early morning or in the evening once the sun had gone down. I was scared :( But I knew that if I didn't run then, it would only get hotter in the afternoon and then I was going to be out all afternoon/evening and wouldn't be able to run in the evening. And I'd most likely be out a little late and so would repeat this whole conversation again Sunday morning. And! The more I put something off, the less likely I am to want to do it.

Therefore, with all of this in mind, I finally forced myself out the door around 11am. I armed myself with sunscreen and a hat. It wasn't as horrific as I expected it to be. I think the hat really helped!

I was supposed to run 20 minutes. I tapped out at 15 minutes. Although I wanted to quit at, like, 8 minutes. So it was quite the achievement for me! I walked for a minute or two, then finished up the last 5 minutes. I'm quite proud of myself! /beam

Not only because I ran 15 minutes, but also because I actually went out running.

Let's recap:

1. One month ago I was thrilled to bits when I ran my first 6-minute stretch. Now I have successfully run 15 minutes. If that's not progress, I don't know what is!


2. Last year the idea of running a 5k marathon would have reduced me to tears from laughing so hard at the idea of it. Now it's almost a reality!


3. Three months ago the idea of taking a spin class would have left me horrified at the prospect. Who would subject themselves to such a thing!? Apparently I plan to! Although I'm still dubious about the enjoyment factor. We'll see.

There are probably more things, but I need to get back to work and still have more to write about!

On Sunday we went to High Park and we biked there and back. There was also a bit of frisbee playing. Not terribly active. But! Ara said that I was the most active person he knows! He was probably exaggerating slightly, but it still made me feel warm and fuzzy. ^^

Mondays are rough. I had to force myself out of bed and out the door this morning for my run.

Today's regime was:

5min walk

5min run

3min walk

5min run

3min walk

Much more manageable! Though my leg muscles did protest quite a bit. But even my thought processes have changed. I used to think, "Oh man, 5 minutes??". Now I think, "5 minutes should be easy peasy!". Amazing, isn't it? Granted, it was still harder than I expected it to be, but I did it! Despite the screaming leg muscles. Brutal. I need to stretch more. It just seems like such a time-waster. :)

In addition to all of the above, I discovered that my friend Mai is a personal trainer! She is going to help me come up with a program to do in addition to the running. I'm really looking forward to it!

Lessons Learned:

1. I do much better with following a program (ie. the Couch to 5k program). I think if I had continued on as I was originally doing, I would have quit by now.
2. I have to work further on my diet. I need to make better choices :( Why does food have to be so delicious!
3. I have to stop talking about the people I work for when I keep my doors open. It never fails that they walk by just at that moment. Ok, maybe I should stop talking about people, period. But I feel it's ok to bitch about the people you work for (not with) because it's expected. I just have to find a more private place to do it :P

Happy Monday, folks!

new pain, new gain..

When I was running this morning I developed a new pain. It didn't last the whole time, but it felt weird. I guess it was my Achilles' heel on my left leg. Like I said, it went away, but it was new so I thought I would mention it.

So let me first talk about last night. We had an ultimate frisbee practice at Trinity-Bellwoods Park. It is actually quite a nice park! And pretty big! Lots of trees, too. So we found a nice shaded patch of field to run around in. I practiced a few different throws and have decided that the hammer throw is where it's at. I'm getting pretty good at it! Also, I'm getting pretty good at throwing curving frisbees. I'm less good at throwing them backhanded or other variations, but I'm getting better. It's fun to do the hammer!! Also I need to work on catching the frisbee and being able to tell where the frisbee is going to end up. I am usually running all over chasing a curving frisbee and I have to stop that :P

We played a bit of 4v4 and it was fun. The more I play the more I get a sense of what to expect and what I am supposed to do (weird how that works out, eh?). Although during a real game I am still a bit like a chicken with its head cut off :( But I can only get better, right?

Also! Tammy said my calves looked more muscle-y. /beam

Therefore, even though I did not run yesterday morning, at least I ran around for a couple hours last night!

This morning I was determined to make it out for my run because I knew the longer I kept putting it off, the harder it would be to start again. So I did it. I am a little messed up on my Couch to 5k training sessions because of the various missed days. I should be on Day 3, Week 5, so I skipped a couple sessions over the past 2 weeks and today I did Day 2, Week 5. That's not too shabby, eh?

This morning's plan:

5 min warmup
8 min jog
5 min walk
8 min jog

Easy peasy! I did it with barely a hitch (except for the aforementioned new pain). I think I probably could have run a bit longer than 8 minutes, but it was getting rather hot outside!

I plan to run this weekend and finish off Week 5 so I can transition into Week 6 without being behind. However, day 5's plan is: 5 minute warmup followed by 20 minute run.

What the hell?

What kind of transition is that?? So I'm not going to lie, my friends. I am a little nervous. But the only thing I can do is try, right? :D I'm such an after-school special. You can do it, Duffy Moon! (That was for you, Denise).


Lessons Learned:

1. I think my cardio has improved slightly. The reason I want to stop running is not usually because I can't breathe, but because my legs are tired. Although when I do stop I am breathing pretty hard.
2. I need to strengthen my legs. Are there home exercises for that? Other than the lunges and squats for my upper legs. Any actual exercises to strengthen my lower legs or do I just have to keep running?
3. I need to stop buying cheap flip flops. Another pair just bit the dust. Sigh. Luckily it happened while I was already in the hospital and luckily I have a pair of shoes here. But I really didn't feel like wearing heels today :( And! I have to go to the beach after work and can't wear heels! Brutal. You know what this means, right? Yup, I will have to go find another cheap pair of flip flops before the beach!
4. Lunges and squats seriously work. Or at least they seem to since I'm still feeling it a million days later.

In addition to the boot camp and the rock climbing, I am also going to try spinning! I am going with a co-worker to a Wednesday morning spin class at 7am (eep) . I'm a little scared, but looking forward to it, too!

I just want to say that having started running has really expanded my life in a lot of unexpected ways. I am trying things that even a year ago I would have seriously scoffed at or been horrified by. Taking this spin class is just a further progression of that. I know this sounds smarmy, but I am really looking forward to the new direction my life is taking :)

Life's good! And my future looks even better. /dimple

ah shiz.

So last night was pool. Gary's birthday is today (Happy Birthday, Gary!) and so we had to buy him some shots, which meant we had to have one, too. Obviously. So I didn't get plastered, but I got a wee bit tipsier than I meant to get. Oops.

This meant I got home later than I meant to, which means I got to bed later than I meant to. And the point of this story is that I did not get up in time to run this morning. /sheepish.

I didn't even have any rational thought processes happening this morning, though. My alarm went off as usual at 6:30am and I just insta-snoozed until 7:30am. I didn't realize until around then that the loud noises every 10 minutes actually mean something!

So then I actually got out of bed closer to 8am and had to scurry off to work. The only plus side to this sad little story is that I have an ultimate frisbee practice tonight so I will be working up a sweat tonight at least!

And tomorrow morning I will go running. FURREALZ.

I have also decided to break my no-running-on-the-weekend rule because I've been such a dirty slacker all week.

AND! My thighs hurt from the lunges/squats I did yesterday! Brutal.

I am going rock climbing in a few weeks! On a real cliff face or whatever they are called. Shyn assures me I can trust him and he won't let me die.

That is all. Have a lovely day!

"vanity is my favourite sin" -al pacino

Morning!

Of all the times of the day I prefer to look at myself in the mirror, it has to be in the morning. From what I understand (and what I see to be true), the body is at its lowest weight of the day at that time. So even though I don't think I have lost a significant amount of weight pound-wise, I think the last few weeks have still made a difference. Or maybe my view of myself is skewed because of the morning mirror looks. Either way. It works for me! I think I might be ready to start measuring myself.

Last night I played ultimate frisbee finally. It was slightly easier to run around than it was the last time I played, which was 3-4 weeks ago? I was told that I did run a bit faster and didn't seem as winded as quickly. All good things! Although it was bloody hot last night! And we lost. By a lot. Really a lot.

Oh! I usually got shin splints playing ultimate frisbee, but not a twinge last night!

As I mentioned on Charles' blog, I am all about the small triumphs and victories. So I am a happy camper today all things considered.

This morning I did 3 sets of 10 lunges and squats. I should feel that tomorrow or even later today.

The one thing I have been slacking on is snacks for the day. I am constantly starving between meals, which can't be good for me. I really need to work on this!

Also, I am excited for September when booty camp starts! I haven't signed up yet, but I will soon! Oh, that reminds me, I should also sign up for the 5k marathon :P

I have been considering signing up at the UofT Athletic Centre to use their pool and track in the winter. As long as it is not too expensive. But that would be good. It's close to my work so I could go afterwards maybe. Or zip over early in the morning. So that's an option. Or maybe the Y.

Or maybe I will hibernate all winter and pack on the pounds. So I can struggle through this all over again next summer!

the importance of being earnest

So the last time I went running (other than this morning) was Friday morning. Then I went up to a cottage (a fancy one! :) and ate and drank way too much! But, hey, I was on vacation. And while on vacation - anything goes! :) There was bacon. Mmm bacon.

Tomato carbonara sauces are really quite tasty! So there was much food and alcohol with sweet juices. However, on the Sunday we finally made it out to the swimming pool. It was a humid day, which made it perfect for the pool! It was rather small, but luckily not terribly busy. We tried to swim laps when there were gaps in the crowds. I love swimming and being in the water! :) Have I said that enough?

Along with that and my issues with feeling self-conscious and all that, which I mentioned in my last post, I have decided to just suck it up (literally and figuratively ;p ) and get over it. If strangers are judging me - who cares? If my friends are judging me, well, then maybe we're not really friends and in which case - who cares? So there.

So anyways, I got home late on Sunday night and just wasn't feeling it Monday morning. I now regret not having gone for a run, but there's nothing to be done about it now. So this morning I did finally go out for my run.

During the running bits I was trying to focus on the song I was listening to. I have decided to try to take this time and learn the lyrics! I figure that will get my mind off the running. I had some success with it. I am seriously considering books on tape, though. I worry that it won't really give me energy as music might, but maybe it'll work for me. Now I just have to figure out how to do the audiobook thing. :P And soon because I will be doing 8-minute running

So. The reason for my title is that I had to give myself some serious pep talks during this run. Especially the last 5-minute run. I had almost convinced myself to walk the rest of the way home. I was too tired. I was too much of a sloth this weekend to recover so quickly. I couldn't do it. Etc.

But! I forced myself to again suck it up and man up! I told myself not to be such a sissy and just do it. I told myself if I wanted to make a lifestyle change I couldn't just keep quitting. Did I want to be 40 and still a lazy bum? Did I want to continue to feel self-conscious about myself (even though I'm supposed to be over this, too :D ). If I didn't do it, how was I going to run the 5k and continue to progress. Etc. I pretty much berated myself into submission.

I just realized I sound crazy :P But whatever works, right?

Lessons Learned:

1. Scolding works.
2. I need to figure out audiobooks. Free ones preferably. I have a blackberry, an ipod, and an itouch. One or more of these things must be amenable to audiobooks :P Oh, I suppose this isn't so much as a lesson I learned as it is something I need. :)
3. I need a part-time job. This isn't so much a lesson I learned during running, but well, I am quickly learning I need one. Anyone know of a place I can work a few hours a week and make hundreds of dollars? I'm pretty sure we can leave stripping/escorting out of the brainstorming process, though.
4. Running early in the morning is really the best way to go. I need to go and be back before the sun starts cresting the houses, which is usually around 7am.

I have also been rather remiss in going out on alternate mornings for a blade or bike ride. And doing my lunges/squats/dips. So I am going to start being more regular about my workouts/runs again. I was so good for a while! I will try to be again! :)

..and boredom hits..

I have to admit - now that I am running 5-minute stretches, it's getting rather boring. I listen to music, but my brain is so unstimulated! I'm going to have to start doing multiplication tables or something.

Ah well. I will keep putting along!

I did not go out for a bike ride last night because I'm a lazy mofo :( I got home late, had dinner, and then watched Hell's Kitchen for the rest of the night. :D In my defense, I was at work for almost 10 hours! I was sleepy.

But I did run this morning extra early! Since I'm leaving work early today I figured I would come in to work early to make up some time. Went out around 6:30am this morning. It was c-c-c-cold! I was shivering! Although the running definitely helped and I really appreciated the cooler temperatures! Running early in the morning really is the best (as for as running at any time goes). At that time there were very very few other runners about. A few dog walkers, but not many runners. Usually I see a bunch in the morning. I liked it this morning! Nice and quiet.

So my shin splints are not so bad anymore, which is wonderful. I try to remember to stretch them before I go running or I will stretch them during the run when they start to hurt and they have vastly improved! However, now I have a new problem. My lower calves are starting to hurt now when I run. I stretched them during and after the run so hopefully they will be ok, but that's a good sign, right? That my shin muscles aren't doing all the work now and it's starting to even out? Does that make sense?

So here's possibly too much information for my dear readers. But it is about bathing suits and swimming. Now, I love water as we all know, but I think the reason I am only starting to rediscover my love for it is because of the whole bathing suit issue. I haven't been comfortable enough in many many years to wear one. And I'm still not really, but I'm trying not to care because if I go somewhere with a pool or a body of water I really want to swim in it! And I realize the only way to truly get over this is to become comfortable enough with myself and the only way I can see my way to doing this is to keep doing what I'm doing. But it's such a slow process and I want to swim now. So I don't really know what the point of this over-sharing was except maybe I'm hoping that by saying it "out loud" it will help me to overcome my issues. I try not to be too insecure because no one likes to be around that, but like the fear of floating body parts, I get twinges. Otherwise, I know I'm fabulous :D You don't need to comment on this part, by the way - I'm just sharing. :)

Questions!

1. How do you occupy your mind while running? Or do you? I assume some people just go blank and just focus on the running?
2. Oh. I can't think of another question. Oh! Who wants to do a triathlon with me next year?? That involves swimming!! :)
3. Speaking of swimming. I'd like to go swimming more on a regular basis. What are my options? Get a stupid gym membership? Icky public pools? Someone needs to move downtown and get a condo with a pool :) Especially in the winter when I feel I will be lazier.

go big or go home!

Welcome back!

So instead of making one incredibly long blog, I think I will probably split up the news about my weekend into a couple of blogs so stay tuned!

Friday we got up at the crack of dawn to drive to Ottawa/Quebec so there was no running. In fact, it might have even been before the crack of dawn! It was damn early.

However, there was much swimming to be had!! I have discovered that I love love love the water. I think I was a fish in another life. Or maybe a mermaid. Yes, a mermaid.

The cottage is on a secluded bay with clear water. A wee bit cold, though!

So let me tell you what else I learned about myself. I'm kind of a sissy. My whole childhood was spent watching horror movies and I was very rarely affected (unlike Charles who got nightmares - haha). But this is how it chooses to manifest itself! I'm kind of afraid of bodies of water. Every time I think about going in I picture creepy zombie hands reaching up from the depths trying to grab my feet and pull me down. Or I picture happily swimming along and discovering a dead body. Or killer monster fish trying to eat me. Or random body parts floating up from the bottom. Really, I could go on. Needless to say, at first, it took me a little while to actually go in. And the first time I went swimming in the lake on my own was an ordeal. And no matter how often I went into that lake I would still get twinges of panic that I would have to quell so as not to flail about and drown myself. :P

Otherwise though - it was great! So for exercise I would swim across and tread water. Really felt it in my arms! Did I mention I love swimming?

Speaking of things I love - remember how I love boats? Well, there was a motor boat and I love just zipping around in it! I'm constantly marveling at my newfound love of boats, the beach, water, etc.

I think I need to move closer to an ocean or something. Or at least a swimmable lake (Lake Ontario is the ew).

There was also some kind of party on the Saturday going on and they lit fireworks that night, which we saw from a boat. Olessia - I now fully appreciate your love for fireworks and boats. Love it.

It makes me want to live on a boat. A big luxurious boat.

Ah, screw it. I will just write about all my adventures in this one big long post.

On Saturday we decided to go climb a mountain. I should attach pictures but they are at home. :(

We took the boat across the lake to the start of the "trail".

There was no trail.

We hiked and pushed our way through this muddy, steep, bug-infested wilderness until we finally reached the top. It was not easy, my friends!! Although I had a walking stick - that helped :)

It was worth it, though. Absolutely beautiful view from the top. The pictures will eventually be posted on Facebook when I get my computer back (in 3-4 weeks!!!!!). We rested a bit, took some pictures. It was no boat, but it was lovely. Then the hike back down. Just as bad - maybe slightly easier. But there was definitely more falling! Did I mention the mud? It was hot and I was sweaty and gross, but then when we got back - more swimming! It was glorious.

I think I could have spent the entire weekend in the water.

So Sunday evening we headed back to Ottawa. We went to a swimming pool on Monday and I got to swim some more! Pools are nice, too! That was, admittedly, the last of my exercise until I got back.

I was supposed to go to ultimate frisbee Tuesday evening, but after the ordeal with the car breaking down on the highway (!) and trying to get home, it just didn't happen. Then I realized the warranty on my laptop was up that night (not Wednesday night as I had thought) and I had to back everything up so I could get it to the Future Shop before it closed because my DVD-ROM has been broken for 2 years! So I finally get there at like 8:10pm and drop it off. Now I'm *twitch* without my laptop *twitch* for 3-4 weeks *twitch*. But at least I have my Blackberry!

So, back to the topic at hand.

First, I apologize for the lack of blog yesterday! It was my first day back after a 5 day weekend and I just didn't have a chance.

But I did go running! I entered week 4 of the training session. I had briefly debated doing week 3 again since I only did it twice at the beginning of last week, but I decided screw it! I will just keep moving forward. Go big or go home!

This set consisted of:

5-minute warmup
3-minute jog
90-second walk
5-minute jog
2.5-minute walk
3-minute jog
90-second walk
5-minute jog

and scene.

So I jogged for a total of 16 minutes. That's pretty good, eh? I seem to be progressing along quite nicely! This is a 9-week program so I will be done with 2 weeks left to practice and improve my speed. I'm very excited! I think this may actually be possible after all!

After the run I did some pushups. I was way too tired to do anything more than that, though. I actually thought I was going to throw up :P But I didn't :D

So ok - that is the long and short of the past week or so. Not terribly exciting, but there you have it.

Oh, I didn't do anything this morning :( But I think I'll go for a bike ride this evening into High Park! I'll keep you posted :D

today and tomorrow..

Good morning everyone!

It is a lovely Thursday, don't you think? I certainly do.

I think I do feel better when I run in the mornings. Clearly.

I got up and made myself go out for a run. Trying to complete a second day of the week 3 training. I am still slightly concerned that even though I am following the plan, it won't be enough and I won't be able to do the 5k. But I guess I will re-evaluate at the end of August and not worry about it now.

The run went rather well I think! If you look at the blog post from 2 days ago it outlines the session.

I have to tell you one sad story, though :( I ran past this guy who is a freakin' speed walker apparently in a suit! I was nearing the end of the 3 minute run and ran past him and thought I got quite a distance past him, but not enough! Shortly thereafter, while I'm panting and walking, this guy zooms past me. Who walks that fast just normally?! Honestly. I was kind of embarrassed that he had caughtup to me and passed me in such a short span of time.

Ah well.

Again this morning no cheese or ketchup with my eggs. It's so hard not to glob ketchup onto everything. It's so delicious!

Just thinking about ketchup makes me randomly think of KFC. Mm.

So again I have no lunch, but I still have some healthy snacks leftover from yesterday so I am good to go!

Oh, I also did more lunges and squats this morning. My knees don't love it, but it's not bad - yet!

And! You will all be happy to know that my shin splints are much improved! I am stretching my shins more and that is helping immensely. I do it during the run after it starts hurting a bit, though. That's ok, right? Then as I keep going it gets better. So yay :)

As I mentioned yesterday, I am going up to Ottawa to Mike's cottage for a few days and am going to try to run at some point tomorrow. But we will be hiking up a mountain also! Not quite mountain climbing, but I can ease into that.

I just want to thank you guys for all the support :) I love youz!

Shyn, Chow, & Charles - I look forward to going rock climbing!

Also! Chow - I looked up those Yak Trax things. They were only ~30$, I think. That's pretty reasonable! It should be good times.

In other news, this girl I know is running a triathlon in August! I am very fascinated!

I had been thinking lately of what I would do after this 5k. Well, first, I think a 10k is in order, but after that I wondered if a half-marathon was in my future.

But now I have another option! Rebecca (the girl doing the triathlon) told me the reason she chose to do one is because running longer than 10k gets really boring for her. I can see that. I still don't understand how people can run for hours on end.

So perhaps one day maybe next year or the year after? How fun!

let's get some perspective here, shall we?

Now. About this morning. Again, I didn't run. BUT, as the title says, let's get some perspective!

I will run tomorrow and Friday to make up for the lack of running today and Monday. Also, I will be going to Ottawa where there will be lots of hiking done!

Most importantly, last night we had fajitas for dinner. Though I bought cheese and grated it for Mike, I did not partake! That's right. I sat there and saw it looking all delicious, but did not have any! If that's not willpower, I don't know what is. I have to tell you - fajitas without cheese are just not as good! Though it was still pretty good.

I'm trying to get to the stage where I don't need it. There was a time I didn't eat cheese, whipped cream, sour cream or mayo. But then I had some and it snowballed! However, at the time, I didn't feel like my food was lacking in any way. I just have to get back to that point!

In addition to the cheese, I am trying to eliminate or limit ketchup, too. So, you will be happy to know, I did not have any ketchup with my egg this morning! Nor did I have any when I went out for breakfast with Denise last Sunday! When I had eggs florentine with only a wee bit of hollandaise sauce. I am trying to rediscover foods and flavour sans ketchup.

Furthermore, I brought snacks for the day! I have cottage cheese, blueberries, an apple, an orange, and an orange pepper! Admittedly, I don't have a lunch, but I can't do everything, people!

And now I have to go up the 18th floor (I'm on the 9th) and will take the stairs.

I don't know if you all know the story about me and the stairs here, but since this post is so short, I will tell you!

Back in March/April-ish, Mount Sinai put on a Stairs Challenge. This was to promote healthy lifestyles as well as decrease congestion in our elevators since half of them are always down for construction. This was a competition whereby you formed a team of 4 and counted the flights you took on a daily basis - at home and at work.

Apparently, our team was quite competitive - at the start, anyways. It lasted for 6 weeks and the first week we really went nuts. We were taking the stairs all the time. We even did extra team walks! We would start on the 9th, go up to the 18th, go down to the 1st floor, then back up to 9. We started doing these almost every day.

We did not win.

We did come in 4th or 5th though out of ~18-20 teams?

After suffering a bitter defeat (which raised a few questions such as - when did these other employees get any work done if they were always in the stairwell?!) and after having spent so much time in the dreary stairwell, I began to harbor an extreme dislike for them. Therefore, since then, I have pretty much avoided the stairs. I mean, if I am going up or down a couple flights I will take them, but since the end of the Challenge, I have not once taken the stairs up from the main floor.

One of our team members, recently came by suggesting we re-commence our team walks again. Not to quite the same extreme, but just up to the top and back down to the 9th.

He made me realize - I think I'm ready to get back in the water again. I mean, into the stairwell.

So, in addition to the running and other things I'm doing, I am going to try re-incorporating the stairs back into my life. Starting right now since I have to go up to 18 for a legitimate work reason. Though, I am stalling a bit by stopping to write this blog first :D

Okok, enough lollygagging!

That's kind of a gross word. Am I choking on a lollipop?

Anyways. I'm off to the stairwell. :)

that slippery, slippery slope..

Yesterday morning was a tad rough for me - for no good reason, though. Perhaps simply that it was Monday. For some reason, I just could not get out of bed in the morning and could only come up with rationalization after rationalization as to why I shouldn't go running.

My laziness won out, I'm sorry to admit. I think I was too ashamed to write about that yesterday so I also didn't post! Monday was dismal, indeed!

I finally dragged myself out of bed and told myself that I would run in the evening instead. I did not do that either. However, my one good excuse is that I had to study for my final that is this evening.

Soooo, this morning rolls around. I was this close to not getting out of bed again. I told myself that I stayed up late studying (11:30pm :P) and that I needed to get to work early so I could leave early and study more before the exam. I told myself that I already missed one day so it was ok and that for sure I would run tonight after the exam and that everything would be fine. Then I told myself it was already 7:30am so by the time I got out and running and back and showered I would be super late getting to work (knowing full well that I am late every other day for work).

Then I remembered the 5k. And thought about how embarrassed I would be if the day came and I couldn't do it. I thought about how I would be letting myself down and that I always give up on things and that for this I should finally stick to something. It's good for my heart, my health, etc.

So that finally got me out of bed. Phew. I have to tell you - convincing myself to get out of bed was a milestone at this stage was quite the feat. Usually when I want to quit something, I check out mentally right away, and then it's over. But not this time!

I started the third week of the Couch to 5K training session.

5-minute warmup walk
*90-second run
90-second walk
3-minute run
3-minute walk

repeat from *

I started the run thinking I wouldn't be able to do it (I was still sort of trying to give up, I think). But I persevered and I know it doesn't seem like much work, but I'm still proud of myself!

I take pleasure in the little things :)

I am trying to focus on the sense of pride and accomplishment I will feel once I am able to run 5k successfully. Again, I know this may seem like a piddly run for some people, but I don't care! I had to start somewhere.

Maybe next year I'll try a half-marathon. O.o Ok, ok, let's not get ahead of myself! I'll do this 5k and then see what's what.

Although, I think I mentioned in a previous comment that I want to try mountain climbing! Once I start something, I get really ambitious and want to try it all.

I think in the fall (after the 5k) someone (*cough* Shyn?) should take me rock climbing :)

Questions:

1. What will I do in the winter if I can't run in the morning outside? What are some other (cheap/free) options?
2. How hard is rock climbing exactly? How expensive?
3. What else can I try? There are so many things I haven't done! :)

Lessons Learned:

1. The later I go running in the morning, the hotter it gets! It is kind of ridiculous. Around 7am it is still cool-ish. By 7:45am it is starting to get really toasty! When I actually leave for work at *cough* 8:45am, it is positively roasting. It's weird how as the sun rises, it gets hotter, eh?
2. I like to dream big and revel in all tiny accomplishments.
3. I have more willpower than I previously thought I did.

Oh! I forgot to tell you all about my weekend! On Saturday, Mike and I biked into High Park (to the restaurant :D) and biked around a wee bit. This included a monstrously big hill (maybe just to mine own eyes) that almost killed me. Brutal. Then went home. It wasn't very long, but it was something!

On Sunday, I met up with Denise and we walked from Coxwell/Danforth to Queen and somewhere west of Leslie. We got rained on :( But luckily it stopped when we were done breakfast so we could walk back. That was nice! Ok, that is all. I just wanted to share that despite not going to the beach and playing volleyball, I still did something active this weekend. :)

on your mark, get set, go!

First, thank goodness it's Friday!

Second, I had a good run this morning!

So lately, I have been running into so many people who run! I went out for dinner last night with some friends I haven't seen in a while and I found out that a few of them have recently started running. So now everyone wants to go running - although the problem is that they can all run more than I can. I am not yet ready to run with other people! Maybe once I'm done or close to done my 5k training. However, it's nice to know that there are people to run with! I think I have always known people who ran, but I probably just chose to ignore that piece of information until now. Apparently I'm very egocentric!

This morning concludes week 2 of the Couch to 5K training.

I think I finally did the math right! Following the 5-minute warmup, I did 90 seconds of running and 2 minutes of walking 6.5 times. Ok, I know I was supposed to stop at 6, but I didn't map out the distance properly so I was still far enough from home that I could throw in another 90 seconds of running! Besides, I had to make up for my dismal showing this week!

It was good, though! At first I was pretty tired, but as I got to about the 5th set and beyond, I started to get a bit more energy. I'm looking forward to either going rollerblading or biking this weekend and starting in on Week 3's training next week! I'm really excited about this 5k! Even six months ago, hell, 2 months ago I would not have thought this is what I would be doing this summer!

By the way, I know I said I was giving up cheese so I have to confess that on Wenesday night I forgot (I know I made the vow on Wednesday morning!). But now I'm off the cheese again. For reals.

Oh, crap. There might have been cheese in the soup I had today. Ok, but not my fault! It wasn't obvious! Oops.

So anyways! After the run, more lunges and squats! I did 3 sets of 10 reps each. But this time I also stretched a lot more, so hopefully I won't be in as much pain as I have been in the days to come.

Lessons Learned:

1. Lots of people I know run! This should help keep me motivated.
2. Clearly, I need to stick to Asian food to get away from the cheese! Mm Korean food.
3. Fine. Stretching is important. >: It's just so boring!
4. I need more snack ideas for mid-morning and mid-afternoon. Suggestions?
5. I need to incorporate a greater variety of vegetables into my diet.

So, back to the 5k in September. I will be registering next week some time.

We will go on a practice 5k (or maybe 3 or 4k depending :) run when Charles comes to visit in late August/early September! Fun times!

Ok, happy Friday! I'm off to the beach B)