not letting life get in the way of my life

Since Tuesday, I've gone again to the Body Pump class at Goodlife.  It was just as enjoyable (and hard) as the first time I went.  It was already easier to follow the class and there was a different instructor who was awesome!  I almost didn't go because I knew I had to work late and the idea of working late and then going to the gym was horrid to me!  Fortunately!  Tammy was also saying she didn't want to go to the gym, so the two negatives turned into a positive!  Tammy offered to help me so I wouldn't have to stay as late and then we would go to the gym together!  If she hadn't done that, the chances would have been very very slim that I went at all.  Thanks, Tammy!

Since I vowed not to eat cheese, admittedly I have fallen off the wagon a couple times, but only because I tend to forget pizza has cheese on it.  Oops.  But overall, I think I've done pretty good.  I'm trying to eat more fruit and vegetables.  Well, more fruit anyways.  I'm still working on eating more vegetables.  Side note: Fuji apples are delicious!  They taste like they're made with honey! Yum.

So the reason for this post is that I was thinking about how the gym fits into my life.  I had to work this morning, then met up with Denise, went shopping with Michael, and came home.  Exhausted.  Tomorrow I have to go back in to work, then we have our pool end-of-session banquet in the early afternoon.  I was waffling on whether I had time to go to the gym before or after work and before the banquet.

I was looking at the classes available and some were too early (the subway doesn't start until 9am!), some were too late (the banquet is at 2pm).  The only ones that seemed to fit were the Body Pump classes and I wanted to try something new.  So I decided to check out the spin classes.  I haven't done these in a while!  I found one that looked like it would sort of fit into my time frame and was considering possibly maybe going.  Then I decided it was too much work and that I wouldn't have time and that I should just go to work and be done with it.

Then randomly I was just browsing the Goodlife website and came across this post by someone who was talking about life and not letting life get in your way.  She was basically saying that life is full of choices.  As cheesy as this sounds, we control our own destiny.  Only I can decide what I can and cannot do.  Within reason, obviously.

I really took this to heart because up until now, that's all I have been doing. All I think about how is how/if I can fit gym time into my life.  There are a ton of reasons why I can't go this day or that day.  But I have to re-prioritize and consider how everything else will fit into my life as I schedule the gym into it regularly.  I make excuses and use that to stop me from living and becoming the person I want to be. I know it's cheesy, but if I can't eat it, I might as well share it!

So.  I've decided to take the bull by the horns, so to speak, and will go to the 10am spin class tomorrow morning.  Hopefully it's not busy, but if it is, I always have options.  Maybe I'll give the elliptical a go tomorrow if the spin class is full.  Then I'll go to work and just show up late to the pool banquet.  Priorities, right?

Sorry if this post was boring!  But I had to share my revelation with you.  I feel like I'm on the right track.

Be happy!

ok, here's the deal.

NEW PLAN.

So.  I don't think I mentioned my secret shame this last 2 months or so, but it involves buffets.  Too many buffets.  Primarily delicious Mandarin with its delicious food, more specifically, its waffles.  Mm.  I'm not proud of this, but it is what it is! 

Over the duration of these past 2 months I haven't noticed that much change to my weight.  I definitely wasn't losing weight, but I didn't think I was putting on any either.  To be quite honest, I was quite impressed by my super metabolism.

Until now.

It's aaaall caught up to me.  I feel like over the past 3 days it all just appeared.  And it ain't pretty, my friends!

Luckily, I have a newfound feeling of motivation and, more importantly, a brand-spankin' new gym membership!

So, here's my...

NEW PLAN:

1. Start going to the gym.  Stat.  I plan to go Tuesdays after work, Thursdays after Ultimate (that's right, I'm hardcore), then on Saturday.  
2. I am now (again) officially DONE WITH CHEESE.  Maybe not forever, but at least through the rest of the year.  I did this once before with good results and I'm ready to do it again.  
3. I am going to try (again) walking to work on the mornings I don't go to the gym.  
4. No more buffets.  Until my birthday.  Or someone else's birthday.  It's not my fault they make it free on your birthday!  
5. Continue the battle with food.  Especially breakfast!  I have had a tendency to get a donut or a muffin in the morning.  Or both.  

So I would say that the breakfast thing is probably the most difficult because what can I have with coffee that's both delicious and relatively low in calories?  Thoughts?  Suggestions?  Some kind of low-fat cookie or granola?  I have a hard time enjoying my coffee without a snack - although maybe this is the habit I need to break?  Hm.  Food for thought.

Oh!  I should mention something else.  I have been given some funds from a generous benefactor (who shall remain unnamed) for personal training sessions.  Probably just one session a week.  I'm thinking Saturday is the best day for this.  My more detailed plan involves a PT session on Saturday, a BodyPump class on Tuesday, and the circuit or if my PT provides me with a plan then I'll do that on Thursday. 

Good plan, eh?

READYGO.

my pledge to you, my friends!

I seem to experience quite the ebb and flow in my activity levels, as evidenced by my recent and not-so-recent blogging efforts.  I still feel that this is the year that I make a significant difference to myself.

As I mentioned in my last post, ultimate frisbee is starting up again soon, and beach volleyball starts next week!

Also, I just joined Goodlife Fitness and plan to pick up my membership card on Thursday. And will start going to the classes soon!

And to kickstart my new pledge, I am planning to get up early tomorrow (like I used to) and go for a run.

I know, I know, this isn't the first time I've said this, but now that summer is coming, I have no excuses.  Um, unless it rains.  Who runs in the rain?!

So this new surge of wanting to do something may have something to do with the fact that it's Tuesday night and we are flipping between the hockey game and The Biggest Loser.  It's makeover night on TBL and it's very inspiring!  It's amazing to see the transformations and what difference a bit of weight loss can make.

If only Montreal would focus more on scoring a goal than knocking the hell out of Pittsburgh!

In any case, this is a short, but sweet blog just to say that I am giving running another go and am very vaguely contemplating running a 10k at the end of the summer.  Vaguely. 

So!  For the summer, in addition to ultimate and volleyball, I propose to:

• run at least twice a week
• take at least one class per week at the gym
• make better food choices

I mentioned in a previous blog that I want to also try some racket sports this summer and I am going to do it.  Dammit.  Soon.

Also, I'm really curious about Dragon Boating!  I recently met someone who coaches DB teams and has said if I can put together a team of 22ish people who are willing to pay ~$160 each for 2 months of training (once a week) with coaching and a race, we can do it!  Who's in?!

Alternatively, Mount Sinai has a DB team, although they seem really hardcore.  They practice twice a week and started in January!  I may consider trying it out, but I'm scared.  But!  As Chow so kindly (read: rudely **UPDATE** read: rudely, but supportively) pointed out - it's time for me to break out of my comfort zone!   So maybe I'll suck it up and go to one of their practices.

Life is good, people.  And I want to enjoy it!  :)

hopefully not another false start!

Ah my friends - how I've missed you all!

I hope everyone has had a wonderful 2010 thus far! Mine's been pretty good, but filled with too much laziness and inactivity until now.

The first hint of real activity I had was that first nice day back in March? We hit the beach and played volleyball and ran around with the frisbee like madmen. It was awesome! It felt so good to be out and running around.

But then I fell back into my old rut and started getting lazy again. Don't get me wrong, I was still playing dodgeball every week, but it just wasn't enough activity - although dodgeball is more exercise than you'd think! And can be really fun! Someone once told me (or thrice told me), you get as much exercise as you want to when playing dodgeball. You can hustle and run around and go nuts, or you can hide in the corner. Guess what I did most of the time.

Fortunately, we are now coming up to ultimate frisbee and, more importantly, BEACH VOLLEYBALL season! /cheer. Just thinking about it makes me want to get active again.

Also fortunately I have some new friends who are active and old friends who are newly active.

This has resulted in my having gone jogging on Wednesday night. Admittedly, I did try to cancel on Ylona. But she made me :( So I went over and we ran near the Lakeshore from about her place until close to Parkside, I think. I just checked on Google Maps, that's about 10k total there and back. We obviously did not run the entire way. I wimped out pretty early, but I kept trying to run when I could and so we were out for about an hour and a half total.

This is the first time I have ever gone running with someone else, other than in the 5k "marathons" I did last year. It was good! It was motivating to try to keep up with someone else and not let them down by having to walk - although I did it quite a bit, but not as much as I wanted to. Thankfully I didn't get shin splints, but I did get this pain in my hip that I've noticed I get when I run. It sucks. Otherwise, I could have run more that evening. I think.

So it was good! I felt good. Motivated.

I woke up feeling a bit sore in the legs, but I had to suck it up because!

Charles was back in town so we decided to celebrate by going out for a Mandarin dinner. Mm. Chow has recently been on a big Muay Thai kick so he invited us to join him for a class prior to dinner. We obliged. Then we regretted our decision. Then we thanked him.

We had this "warmup" for 30 minutes. Clearly, the instructors and I had a different idea of what a warmup is! Me: 5-minute walk/jog. Instructors: trying to kill us with running, skipping, jumping jacks, squats, burpees, pushups, situps, etc. This was the phase where I wasn't so happy with Chow.

Then finally the warmup ended and the fun began! We learned the Muay Thai stance and how to punch and kick. It was SOFUN. The hardest part was holding up the pads for someone else! I have talked before about how I wanted to do some kind of martial arts/boxing class. So I'm thanking Chow for finally getting me to try one.

Unfortunately, my job requires mostly sitting so I'm fine when I'm sitting, but every time I have to get up, I get more and more sore. But I like it. It means I did something useful for my body, right? This feeling (where I'm not so sore I'm practically disabled) is what motivates me to keep going.

I had vowed I wouldn't write again until I did a solid week of exercise. This never happened. But I'm getting close so I thought I would write anyways. My next step is to go to a Boot Camp class that Ylona's building is putting on for free for the month of May. This happens on Saturday morning. Then tossing the frisbee around in the afternoon with the ultimate frisbee team.

Then soon, very soon, the leagues start!

Oh! I've also joined a gym, which I now have mixed emotions about. But I'm determined to treat it as a good thing and make the most of it. I've discovered I work best in a classroom setting with other people vs. trying to work out on my own. Luckily, Goodlife has a lot of classes to choose from so I should be good to go. I would like to do more Muay Thai or something similar, but it is so much more expensive :( We'll see how this gym membership goes! I think it starts this weekend!

Anyways, I hope you've missed me as I've missed all of you! And I hope you're ready to follow my exploits over the summer! Not the really fun exploits - those might be more of an in-person conversation :)

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*

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 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 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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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.

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!

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.

Day One

Goal: 30 minutes

Achieved: ~15 minutes

Clearly I overestimated my ability and underestimated how difficult running is (for me, at least). After finally figuring out the logistics due to a lack of pockets - namely, stuffing my keys into my laces, decided to hold my BB in one hand (why, you ask? because what if i FELL DOWN! what then?!), and my ipod in the other - I'm off!

Happily, the morning is still fairly cool in the shade. Phew. This could have ended a *lot* sooner than anticipated!

I start easy by walking and then attempt to run (ps I use the term "run" loosely). This lasts for no longer than 2 minutes. TWO! All I could think about was how people run for hours and hours for marathons or just for fun! Needless to say, I am quite embarrassed and am hoping this will propel me to do more/better in the days to come. The rest of the jaunt is a mix of running and walking. As the morning progresses (ie 14 minutes later) it starts to warm up drastically and I think it's time to head home - which I do and I finish it off with a last sprint home!


Lessons learned:

1. A good music mix is key.
2. I need to make a good running mix.
3. Perhaps putting this mix on my BB would make things easier than having to hold 2 items.
4. I am ridiculously cardiovascularly-challenged.
5. I need more sports bras.
   

So, despite having achieved only 50% of my goal and realizing just how out of shape I am, I am also inspired! I am pretty pleased with myself that I went at all. I'm easily pleased, though. Clearly.

...Let's just hope my motivation lasts at least until tomorrow morning when I try this again!