QuarterLife Girl Gets Fit!

Monday, November 23

On Monday I had scheduled yoga to be my workout, but seeing that I had skipped my Sunday stretching I decided to do that first then follow it with a workout. However the stretching is one hour long, and by the time that was over the BF was on his way to hang out. No real workout on Monday.

Tuesday, November 24

I don’t exactly remember why anymore, but I decided not to run as scheduled as Tuesday. I think I ended up baking instead.

Wednesday, November 25

It was the day before the race, and naturally, as I’d been lazy all week I decided not to run or do anything either! In my defense I was at my aunt’s house helping with the cooking in preparation for the Thanksgiving dinner!

Thursday, November 26

Thursday was race day. I woke up to the wonderful sounds of rain falling…..really hard. Great. I had heard it might rain in the morning, but I had been hoping they had been wrong. On top of that, my dreams that night all revolved around me missing the event several times. I was relieved to find out I woke up on time!

By the time I left for the race the rain had let up and was only sprinkling, but when I got off on the exit I was greeted by a VERY long line of traffic. After nervously waiting in line I got to park my car with about 5 minutes left before the start, and I still had to walk all the way to the start (they had routed me around to a farther parking lot, since the main one had filled up). Luckily they were running behind (or they were waiting for us late-comers) and I arrived with plenty of time to spare.

As for my “strategy” I figured I would just follow the Week 2 routine….90 seconds jogging, 2 minutes walking. I’d tried that in the past for a 5k but ended up wimping out. This time I can say I followed it pretty closely! I only delayed my start twice, and for a short time, and I stopped the podcast during the water breaks. I was excited about that, and I was very excited when I checked my time after passing the 1^st mile marker…..13:25!!! I’m normally closer to the 14 minute mile range! Because of that I was pretty disappointed at my finish time, 44:05, or 14:13/mile. It was better than the past, and considering that I didn’t train as well as I could’ve, I honestly was expecting better. My time improved by less than a minute over previous 5k’s! Oh well, I guess it’s something more to work towards….a 14-minute mile just sounds like a pathetic goal to me.

Now that the 5k is over, I’m going to rest a bit on the running. While running a whole 5k is NOT close, it definitely seems like it’s possible. I saw how quickly I was able to progress in Week 5 of the C25k, so I want to keep pushing myself. 

As for workouts during the rest of the week….well….

Friday, November 27

I’m pleased to say I actually worked out the day after my 5k with Jillian Michaels! (30 Day Shred) She beat me up, of course, and I was disappointed when I couldn’t complete the cardio like I used to. I was REALLY struggling. But I did it anyway.

Saturday, November 28

Saturday was my mom’s birthday, and I spent the entire day with her….so no time for a workout!

Sunday, November 29

On Sunday I only got my dance class in. I guess the only comfort is that one run through of the dance leaves me breathless, and we ran through it quite a few times! At least I got some kind of workout in!

Monday November 30

It’s still Monday, so I obviously can’t guarantee what I’m projecting will happen today. In the evening I really want to get my stretching in (didn’t have time for that yesterday), and I’m 80% likely to call it a day after that. I’ll let you know how it went tomorrow!

Friday, November 13
Thursday night the BF lent me two new Core Secrets DVD’s! I was excited to try it out, so Friday night I pulled out the first DVD: Full Body Workout (or something like that, don’t quite remember the name). It was…..ok. I got a better workout than I did from the first DVD (Ab Assault), but a few things left me feeling “off”. First of all, I felt my knee starting to act up. They had a few squat/lunge type moves and every time my left knee started to mildly protest. So that part didn’t go so well. Also, I was annoyed at the lack of guidance at times. Maybe I was just cranky from the knee issue, but I felt myself scrambling quite a bit, then noticing halfway I was doing the workout wrong. I’m going to blame that on the fact that it was the first time though. I’m sure it’ll be easier to follow along next time. (I always struggle with knowing how far up or down to get on the yoga ball….I must work on that!)

After those 25 minutes were up, I didn’t feel as though it was “enough” (silly me). I decided to check out the other DVD that came in the same case: the Accelerated workout. It was very similar. Some of the moves were tweaked, but I think in the future I’ll follow this one and not the first one I did. It was slightly more challenging. By the end of it I was definitely feeling fatigued (I should’ve eaten before starting), but both workouts in one night isn’t something I’ll be repeating in the future.

(I think my issue with some of the new DVDs I try not being “enough” comes from the fact that I’ve tried the 30 Day Shred, and that leaves me exhausted and dripping with sweat every time. I guess I now expect that from every DVD! Oops.)

Actually, I have one more Core Secrets DVD to try out, so I may be trying that one before I have a chance to repeat the Accelerated workout once more.

Saturday, November 14
I didn’t go out for my scheduled “training run” (it was supposed to be a full 5k to practice). I was supposed to meet my mom at her house at 9am, and since I didn’t feel like waking up at the crack of dawn I ran out of time in the morning for my run.

Actually, I didn’t work out at all on Saturday. [gasp!] I’m not angry with myself though. After a day of gingerbread house making (at a workshop, so much fun!), Costco shopping, and a baby shower (and wearing heels all day) I was exhausted. By the end of the day my legs were a wreck, and it didn’t occur to me to try to get in a workout. I needed a rest, particular the left knee that was giving me problems the day before and once again was hurting Saturday night. 

Sunday, November 15
I know I said dance classes weren’t going to count towards my “workout-every-day” challenge, but on Sunday once again I didn’t work out, but I wasn’t exactly inactive either! I spent the day cleaning up the apartment, folding clothes, practicing my routine for dance class, then I actually went to class and sweat up a storm. At the end of all that I was actually going to go for a run, but my dad was delivering my “hand-me-down” coffee table, so I settled for the P90X stretching. It was great, and I welcomed the rest.

So I basically took a day off this week. Technically that means I “failed” at my challenge, but screw that! I’m going to ignore it and continue to work until the end of the month!

I have unofficially decided to follow a certain structure with my workouts. (I say “unofficially” because I’m willing to be a bit flexible and deviate should the need arise, or if anyone suggests something better.) Now that I have my 30 Day Shred DVD again, I have 3 different workouts I can alternate between: running outside, Biggest Loser Weight-loss Yoga, and the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred. I’m reserving the Core Secrets for morning workouts, or we’ll see how this changes when the BF gets me his more advanced CS DVD.

My biggest concern is beating up a particular area….such as my knees. When I started doing the 30 Day Shred every day my knees started to do funky things. This is what I want to avoid. If they start behaving funny I’ll take one of those out and put the Core Secrets back in or something.

Monday, November 9
Monday was odd. When I arrived home I was exhausted so I decided a nap was in order. I woke up around 7pm and really groggy, not wanting to do anything but sleep. Either way, I pulled myself together and did the Yoga video. I didn’t wimp out quite as much as last time, but I’m still not doing it 100%.

Tuesday, November 10
I was supposed to go for a run on Tuesday night, but I decided to switch things up (actually, it was just dark when I got home, so I preferred not to go running outside too late). Instead I did the yoga workout again. I did a bit better, but again, not 100%.

Wednesday, November 11
I had Wednesday off from work, so I woke up bright and early (although still much later than I would on a workday) and went for a run! Unfortunately I don’t think I woke up early enough. At 8:30 it was already pretty hot, and I wimped out on my run. I only made it to 8 minutes (instead of the 20 minutes I was supposed to work on with the Couch to 5k program). Either way, with my race coming up close, I think its time to switch to “speed” improvement on my next run. (I have all of December and January to work on endurance again!)

Thursday, November 12
I went for a run as originally scheduled last night. I debated for a bit which weekly podcast I should use to “train” on “speed”. I decided to go with Week 3 (90 seconds jog, 90 seconds walk, 3 minutes jog, 3 minutes walk, repeat). I started off great. Knowing I only had 90 seconds to run I decided to go “fast”….big strides, strong posture….and it felt great! Until the last 10 seconds when I started to feel like I did at the end of 8 minutes just a few days before. Uh-oh. I walked, and when the next 3 minute jog started I really struggled, as if it was the first day of my training. I thought maybe I had over done it during the first interval, but should I really be this tired? I did complete the workout, but I walked for about 30 seconds towards the end when I wasn’t supposed to. I was so disappointed! (I’m also calculating my mile was at around 15 minutes…..that’s slower than I walk!!!)

I later came to the conclusion that I’m just not eating right. Maybe it’s an excuse, but I really think that’s my problem. I was hungry on the drive home, and yet I only had a slice of cheddar cheese before heading out for my run. That can’t be good, right? It just so happened that before going on my run Wednesday morning I hadn’t had a good breakfast either.

After my run I prepared my dinner, but even after eating I still felt like crap. I can’t keep doing that to myself. Usually my issue is time. If I get home at 6:30 and start cooking it’ll be 7:30 before I eat, and then of course I have to wait for my food settles. I can’t be waiting until 9 to go out for a run though!!! I have to figure stuff out, but running a bit later is better than passing out because I haven’t had anything to eat. (Plus I won’t progress on my running.)

So that was my week. Although I feel like I’ve been slacking a bit (purposely choosing “lighter” workouts over more strenuous ones) I’m really proud that I’ve gone nearly 2 weeks working out every day! It hasn’t even felt like too much of a chore yet! However I’m positive that had I not had this goal I would’ve skipped working out many of those days. So, goals are good, and I’m determined to make it to day 30!

I’m still pretty upset that my thumb drive crapped out on me, taking all of my drafts and spreadsheets with it. [sigh] I suppose that’s my own fault though, for not backing things up. I hope to have learned my lesson.

Either way, I figured this shouldn’t be an excuse for me to give up on everything. So, here’s my recap of the working out I did last week.

Sunday, November 1
On Sunday I started off with my dance class, and when I returned I realized I was still full of energy….so I went for a run. Unfortunately I must’ve had too much for lunch, because after the first 5 minute running interval (couch to 5k, week 4) I felt as though I was going to throw up, so I quit.

I felt like a failure when I returned to the apartment, so I decided to throw in another “workout”. I went with the stretching DVD from the P90X program, and it was great! A full hour of stretching was exactly what I needed.

Monday, November 2
I didn’t actually work out on Monday (the BF came over and I ran out of time), but I told myself if I could wake up early to do the Ab Assault workout AND go for a run on Tuesday, then I’d count the core for Monday.

Tuesday, November 3
As planned, I woke up super early on Tuesday and did the workout! I had a few mishaps (the DVD froze in my computer and I had to restart it, then my lamp went out in the living room where I was working out), but I completed it.

Tuesday evening I got home, and not wanting to fail at my goal just 3 days in, I got on my gear and went out for a run! This time I did the COMPLETE Week 4 workout!!

Wednesday, November 4
Wednesday evening I tried out the Biggest Loser Weight loss Yoga DVD. The previous time I tried it I had quit after just a few moves. Supposedly because my foot was giving me problems. I knew I wanted to try it again. I did, and it was definitely an effort for me! I still wimped out A LOT, but at least now I’m encouraged to keep trying it until I can complete it without cheating! (Note to self: it’s better to do the “easier” variation than to do nothing at all!)

Thursday, November 5
I went for a run again on Thursday evening. After my previous success with completing the Week 4 workout, I decided it was time to move on to Week 5 which involves 3 repetitions of 5 minutes running and 3 minutes recovery on the first day. A bit of a stretch, but I thought I could do it. AND I DID! It felt great! Well, first I had to confirm that I ran the last 5 minutes properly because a truck passed by just as the podcast started talking and I wasn’t sure what I had heard. I ended up adding another minute or so of running because I didn’t want to stop running too soon. Go me!

I’ll stop there, as this is what I should’ve had to report on Friday (had my thumb drive not died on me). I’ll be back on Tuesday with how the weekend workouts went!