Gotta Start Somewhere

I figured I'd update you while my coffee is steeping in the French press. So I just did my first REAL workout. Wanna hear about it? Here it go...

I started with 6 minutes of yoga. Sun salutations to be exact. I love them. I somewhat followed the illustration below.

I took about 5 breaths while in each pose. It got me warmed up a bit and reminded me how much better I used to be at this kind of thing. Oh well, I gotta start somewhere. Anyway, here are the stats from this mini yoga session.

Wait. Let me back up. I started off with my B-12, iron supplement and some water. THEN I got into the workout.

Next I did some circuit training with weights. I had gotten the basic workout from Nerd Fitness.

I did 3 circuits, but of course I modified it a bit. Body weight squats turned into a squat press with 5 lb weights. Pushups were done on my knees. Always hated them but I'll get better. Walking lunges were done with 5 lb weights. Dumbbell rows were done with 10 lb weights. And planks were done for 15 breaths. I did start with a 5 minute warmup after yoga. I pretty much jogged back and forth across the livingroom rug. I finished up with a 5 minute cooldown consisting of slow walking and stretching. My hamstrings didn't used to be so tight. Oh well. Gotta start somewhere.

Anyway, I'm happy to report that the exercises that I can't stand, well I still can't stand them. But nothing was excruciating (that's probably because I still roller skate from time to time). There was a time when an ankle injury made lunges hella painful. But that time has come and gone. I thought about ending it at 2 circuits but honestly, nothing was wrong with my ass. So I did 3.

I may end up talking shit tomorrow if I wake up feeling broke down. Shit. At this age, things start to hurt when you didn't even do anything. So we'll see. But as of right now, I'm fine.

Also, you'll be happy to know that no cat was stepped on during my workout. For whatever reason, when you decide to bust out the yoga mat and get your workout in, here they come strolling through. But they let me have my me time this time around.

Anyway, I need to see about my coffee. Until next time...

Here we go again...

After many years, I'm back at it again. I decided to change the name of my blog to take the focus off running. Not sure if I'll run again. But I want to get back in shape. I came back to my blogging roots because it helped to keep me motivated. And maybe it will help someone else too.

In any case, yesterday was the beginning of me starting over. I made it a point to get up earlier so that I could walk to the train instead of taking the bus. It's about a half hour walk. Figured that would be a good place to start. Right now, I'm halfway motivated to do some strength training. We'll see how that goes.

Meanwhile, I'll see if I can figure out how to post my stats from yesterday.

Skipping Workouts & Skipping Ahead

So I took off a couple of weeks. One week for that special time and another week because I was just super tired. I have no idea why. I'm still tired. I haven't done much on my non-running days. I really need to step up my cross training. I guess it's taking longer for me to adjust to this time zone. I was away for 4mos. I need to take it one day at a time.

But I got back into my running plan and skipped ahead as per usual. The shorter running intervals don't agree with me at all. Then after going from longer intervals to no walk breaks in W5D3, I decided I was over walk breaks. I remember how I hated W6D1 the first time around. It felt so hard. So I skipped it. Went on to W6D3 with no problem at all. It was actually a good run. Oh, I ditched the warm up walk too. I'm starting to feel more like the old me. Warm up walks don't warm me up. Slow jogs do. That explains why I have a history of my 1st mile being the slowest. If I start out slow enough, the run will come to me. I need to remember that going forward. It's so easy to get caught up in the people on the track/path with you. You want to match their pace or race them when you really should be concerned with doing your own thing.

In other news, I know I've been slacking on my workouts but I've intentionally taken more time off in between runs. No, I didn't mean to take off as long as I did. But running every other day won't work right now. Remember, I'm still doing the minimalist "barefoot" running thing. It really taxes my calves. That's not a problem, I just need more rest time. Running in regular running shoes never challenged my calves. I wonder if that means I'm burning more calories too?

Anyway, on to next week. Hopefully, I'll have the energy to get more workouts in. Wish me luck.



8/3 - Bounce, Rock, Skate, Roll (1:15)

8/6 - Yoga Class (50min)
C25k - W5D1
Warm up/Cool down walk - (11min)
Run/Walk - (21min)

8/7 - Yoga (Grounding & Stability - 40min)

8/8 - Hi-Low (55min - water exercise)

8/10 - C25k - W5D2
Warm up/Cool down walk & some extra - (1.2mi - 21min)
Run/Walk - (1.8mi - 20:45 - 11:31pace)
I ran with Black Girls Run. I did an extra long cool down walk while waiting for the ladies to finish their runs.

8/13 - Yoga Class (50min)
C25k - W5D3
Warm up/Cool down walk - (11min)
Run - (20min)


8/17 - C25k - W6D3
Run - (22min)
Cool down walk - (7min)
Bounce, Rock, Skate, Roll (1:15 - still hanging in there practicing backwards skating)

What had happened was...

I decided that chisel class is the devil. I skipped both classes this week. I planned to replace the Tuesday beatdown with the water exercise class that was mentioned to me. It must be a super secret class because it wasn't on the website anywhere. I guess that's why hardly anyone comes. Anyway, I was going to either do the class, swim or hit the gym for the elliptical but I was so so tired. I can't even explain how tired I was. But my sleep ain't been right since I got home a couple of weeks ago. I go to bed really late and wake up early. I find myself needing to pass out at some point. Then I'm wide awake at night. Great. It was a darn shame that I wasted a day. My body felt great but was way too tired to be bothered.

Speaking of feeling great, my runs have been great. Okay, I'm lying. They were good but they started out so-so. The longer the interval, the better I feel. I spent a day or two before my 1st Week 4 run concerned about the 5min interval. Would I make it? Would I hate it? Would I be too tired? Man, look. It was the best part of the run. Whatever pain, muscle burning, irritation or whatever I felt worked it's way out the longer I ran. It was the 3min intervals that had me feeling everything. I swear, my hamstrings have so much to say. But if I run long enough, they're absolutely silent. So I'm kind of back to where I was mentally when I was at the height of my running. I have to talk myself into sticking with the run until it feels better. It will..eventually.

After having a taste of 5min intervals, I'm beginning to think that I should skip to Week 5. Day 1 has three 5min intervals. Day 2 has two 8min intervals. And Day 3 has one 20min interval. I should be good and warmed up by then. In the meantime, I need to search for my Garmin. Yeah, I know. Bad runner, bad runner *smacks hands*. I have no clue where I put the darn thing since I haven't used it in AGES. I plan to join Black Girls Run in the park once I'm done with intervals. I could use a phone app but Garmin is SO much better. And I paid enough for it. I better find it!




7/13 - Bounce, rock, skate, roll (1:52 - getting better at backwards skating. Yay! me.)


7/16 - Yoga (50min)
C25k - W3D2
Warm up/Cool down (10min)
Run/Walk (18min)


7/18 - C25k - W3D3
Warm up/Cool down (10min)
Run/Walk (18min)
(Oh and water exercise was canceled. Boo!)


7/19 - Elliptical (2.92mi - 35min)
Recumbent bike - (2.8mi - 20min)

7/20 - C25k - W4D1
Warm up/Cool down (10min)
Run/Walk (21:30)

To the pool!

I went to my very first water exercise class, Hi-Low, yesterday. Why is it called Hi-Low? I don't know and I don't care. But it was pure awesomeness!

Anyway, I showed up to the pool and felt out of place. I thought maybe I strolled into the Joint Effort or Arthritis Foundation class. There was a group of women already in the water whose median age was probably about 60. But no, I had the right class. The instructor introduced me to the group. Everyone was really friendly. Some of the classmates helped to explain some of the moves.

We did a series of kicks, jumps, side steps, jogging, treading and etc. Having had chisel class the day before, I felt every bit of it. But it was nice being in the water. Water makes everything better like my skin, my hair and exercise. Some things you're not willing to struggle through on land, you'll gladly do in the water..well IF you can swim. They had swim belts and such for those who couldn't swim. But I can't imagine taking that type of class and not being able to swim, especially since the instructor told me that it's best to work out in water that is chest level to avoid shin splints. I don't think the average non-swimmer would feel comfortable in that. But I digress...

I felt so good about the pool last night that I did some laps today. Lord, what was I thinking? I'm still really sore from this week's workouts. Flutter kick and frog kick drills had my quads on fire. On top of that, my swim fitness isn't where it needs to be. When I started swimming a couple years ago, I was at the height of my running. And even then it was hard. Maybe if I was less sore it would have been better. Maybe.

Since I swam today, chisel is definitely off the menu. It just may be permanently. It's just too much if I want to do other things that I actually enjoy throughout the week. Also, one of my classmates told me about another water exercise class that goes down on Tuesdays, the same day as chisel. I may do that instead.

In other news, I'm due for another run this week. I may save it for the weekend. My legs should feel better by then. But I'm skating tomorrow so..we'll just have to see. Until next time..

7/11 - Hi-Low (50min - water exercise)

7/12 - Swim (1000yd - 38min)

I'm Back & It's On!!

So I got home from Alaska last Wednesday. I've been really tired but I'm trying not to let that get to me. I find myself needing an afternoon nap. I'm fine today though. Yay!

Anyway, I got back to being active on Friday. I went skating. Yes, skating. While I was not blogging or running, I started skating on Dec 1, 2010. It's been an off and on thing so I'm not exactly a pro. I'm pretty decent but don't ask me to skate backwards. I'm still working on that. Come Saturday, my inner thighs were feeling it.

Starting this week, I made my way over to the Y for the classes I signed up for. I did yoga on Monday. The instructor figured that I did Dolphin pose pushups too easily. She thought I could handle more. I said, "Oh, you think?" She had me move my feet in. I thought she was trying to kill me. That's when the trembling and sweating started. My arms and shoulders were definitely sore after that. And after that, guess what I did? I ran. Yes, I RAN! I moseyed over to the indoor track, put on Robert Ullrey's Couch to 5k podcast for Week 1 and went to work. I found the 60sec running intervals too short. I ended up running before I was supposed to and not wanting to stop when it was time. I sped up some and started to feel like my old self. At the very end of the run I sprinted. That's something I did with most of my runs. If I have enough juice in the tank to sprint at the end, I know that my pacing is okay.

On Tuesday, I went to my first chisel class in ages. I hated the class way back when and still hate it now. I have a different instructor. She thought of new ways to torture us. Men were in this class too and even they were struggling, so I didn't feel bad. But yeah, I hate it. I was doing some arm exercises that burned my muscles so bad that my neck felt like it was on fire. It felt like someone slathered lye on my neck and let it burn. And at some point during the class, I felt nauseous. That was weird because I ate HOURS before. Anyway, we worked all the major muscle groups from top to bottom and I was hurting bad. But you know what? I ran after. Why? Because I knew it would hurt even worse today.

Okay, so I fast forwarded to Week 3 of Couch to 5k. I'm sure I would have been fine if I didn't set my muscles on fire just minutes before. But when I started running, I felt it in every step all in my glutes and hamstrings. Being that my butt is the biggest muscle on my body, my run wasn't too enjoyable. I started to feel it in my calves too. That didn't happen during the first run. Maybe because the intervals were shorter. Or maybe I was trying to land more lightly on the balls of my feet so that nothing else would hurt. That makes my calves work more since I'm still doing the minimalist/barefoot running thing. I don't plan to ever run in regular sneakers ever again. So I'm sure my running experience this time will be totally different from the first time. Maybe it means I'll burn more calories too.

So today is Wednesday and I have a water exercise class on the menu. I hope that doesn't kill my already dead muscles. I have chisel class tomorrow but I think I'll try to swap that out for some laps in the pool instead. I can't deal with that torture twice a week. No way.

7/6 - Bounce, Rock, Skate, Roll (2:15 - once I'm on skates, it's hard to get me off.)

7/9 - Yoga (35min - I got there late)
C25k - Week 1
Warm up/Cool down walk (10min)
Run/Walk (20min)

7/10 - Chisel Class (50min)
C25k - Week 3
Warm up/Cool down walk (12min)
Run/Walk (18min)

Making Plans

I've been taking Floradix for about a week now. I wanted to start running again on Monday but I was running low on energy. For one, I'm sure it takes more than a few days to feel the benefits. And two, it's that special time women love to hate. I always get extra tired. I'm not a big eater then either. Getting all aerobic with no energy and no food? Not a good look.

Anyway, I'm due back home next Wednesday morning (I'm SO EXCITED. Happy Independence Day to me!) so I may as well get back into the swing of things then. In the meantime, I've signed up for some classes at the Y. It's been a while since I've been up in there. I'm so glad I kept my membership. I think it's worth it for the heated pool and the indoor track alone.

So I signed up for yoga on Mondays, chisel on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and a water exercise class on Wednesdays. I didn't opt for Zumba this time. I don't want to overdue it. And I figured that if I'm running and swimming like I plan to, then that will be more than enough cardio. I haven't decided  which days I'll be running. I just know that as long as I make my way out to the gym, there's a good chance I'll do something. I'm a big fan of the elliptical. I think the machine calls me to it. I have to answer. And it's a good way to warm up the legs before a run.

Will I pick up where I left off? I doubt it. But I've got plans to get back there one step at a time. Besides, I need to be in tiptop shape to out-dance everyone at all the parties I plan to hit up when I get back :)

I'm Coming Back...S...L...O...W...L...Y...

So I haven't fallen off the wagon or got on the wagon or whatever piece of equipment is involved. How does that go? Oh, who cares. It's not important. What's important is that I plan to get back into running...again. I was all about it last September when Black Girls Run started a chapter near me. But no one would show up. Then the weather would be crappy. Then I got out of the habit.

Anyway, for the past 4 months I've been away from home in the nose bleed seats of the country, also known as Alaska. Since I've been here, BGR has been growing in my absence. I'm missing all the fun. But I really can't join in until I start running again. But it's not even about BGR. I just miss it. I miss that part of me that always had something on the calendar like running, swimming, yoga, Insanity, all that. It would help if I was consistent taking my iron though. You may recall that I'm extremely anemic and didn't start running or much of anything else until I began taking Floradix (it's expensive but I highly recommend it). I took the liquid version 2x/day. But then I found out about their tablets which are much cheaper but need to be taken 3x/day. I'm not disciplined when it comes to taking pills like vitamins and such daily. Three times a day is out of the question. So yeah, I skipped LOTS. Who knows where my hemoglobin is right now but I know I'm not feeling the way I should, especially if I want to be Active Christie again.

I did some research and found a local health food store sold Floradix. It's more expensive up here than in the lower 48 but I gotta do what I gotta do. So today I decided to walk up there (about 1.3mi away) and grab some. I figured I'd get my walk in for the day too. I've been walking off and on. The weather is nice again, so I'm trying to walk more often.

So how do I plan to start this thing up again? Couch to 5k. That's how I did it last time. But I have no Garmin with me. And I'm not willing to buy a C25k mobile app that may actually suck. Oh yeah! How could I forget? The first time around I used Robert Ullrey's Couch to 5k podcast. Unfortunately, they weren't posted on whatever page he had set up anymore. But someone else found them and posted them here. Hallelujah! I downloaded them to my mp3 player and now I'm set.

When will I start running? Probably not tomorrow. I just started taking the iron today so I want to give it some time to actually work it's way through my system. But I hope to start soon. I'll just have to play it by ear. Wish me luck. In the meantime, I hope all is well with those of you in the running world. I hope to join you again shortly.

I'm Back!!

Stay tuned...

Insanity Peer Pressure

Last time I blogged, I went on about how everyone on Dailymile was on the naked running kick. So I had to try it out for myself. Well, there's also an Insanity thing going on. Everyone is either doing P90X or Insanity. I looked into P90X months ago. I was turned off from the cost, along with additional contraptions needed that you have to buy separately. I hate strength training anyway. Not a good match.

But everywhere I looked, people were talking Insanity this, Insanity that. I've done triathlons and Insanity still kicked my ass but I love it, type thing. So let me check it out. Apparently, some part of me wants to get my ass kicked. Luckily, I found a website that sold legit ass kicking dvds for cheap. It was shipped from China, but who cares? I paid only $65 AND got the deluxe version that would cost close to $200. So I got it, put it off for a couple weeks, got a little visit from a year + old injury, then started the program.

Each dvd starts off with a disclaimer basically saying: If you're a couch potato, this is not for you. Please consult with your doctor because you may end up within an inch of your life. Don't be a fool. If you know your fitness sucks, we won't call you a punk for starting with something less intense. It's better to be a wuss than to be dead. For whatever reason, I decided to go through with it. So I began last Thursday with the Fit Test. He starts you off with a warm up that I quickly learned is not a warm up. It's a mini workout. Yeah, I had sweat dripping into my eyes and everything. Then into the actual test of various exercises that I expected to hate. Come to find out, the exercises I thought I'd be bad at, I was pretty good at. I did more than I thought I could. After doing some online research, I saw that my initial results were better than average. Go me! Really, I surprised myself (I've come so far, but that's a story for another blog post all together). But then I got worried wondering if I'll actually improve on the next Fit Test. Will I get any better?

As of yesterday, I finished up the first week of workouts. I've noticed improvement in my endurance so far. I'm able to go faster in some exercises. There are some exercises that still kick my butt, and will continue to do so. That's what they're designed to do. In between circuits, I find myself gasping for air like I just did sprints. And it's all good. Do what you can, take a break if you need to, and keep it moving. If you can do that, it's not scary at all. And believe me, I was scared to even begin. But now, it's Kool and the Gang. I'll actually start running again soon while doing Insanity. I don't think it will be too much for me to handle. I guess that says something about my fitness. I've come a long way, baby!

So I've put three videos up on Youtube about Insanity. But I'll just show the one I did yesterday. It's a wrap up of my first week. I think I'll keep the videos to once a week. I figure if I do videos, it will keep me motivated to continue with the program. Well, just the workout portion. There's a handy guide for meal planning and such, but food is not my issue. I have no weight loss goals. I'm at a healthy weight and my body fat percentage is in order. Actually, I wouldn't mind shaving a bit of fat. Just a bit. But mainly, I want to improve my fitness. You can always improve your fitness. I get stronger every year. I love knowing that I get better with age.

Naked..It's the New Black

So there has been this naked running trend going down on Dailymile. No. I'm not talking about exposing booty butt cheeks. I'm talking about running sans music and Garmin. Well, going without music may not be a big deal. I did a 10 mile race without it. But the whole no Garmin thing, well that's HUGE. Once you get into the world of running, you become obsessed with numbers. How fast did I go? How far did I go? What's my best pace? What are my splits? All this goes on and you start to forget why you started running in the first place. And it stops being fun. Yes, it's nice knowing that I can run fast if I want to. But do I really enjoy it? Not that much.

I hit the road yesterday without a damn thing. In all honesty, I've been running without the supposed necessities for a bit now. I don't do socks, unless it's cold. I got rid of the stability shoes 3 months ago (viva la minimalist running!). I've been without music for 2 months (because I'm waiting for an ear bud replacement from Hong Kong..Long story. And now I can't tell you where my mp3 player is.). So yeah, I was almost there. But I never ran without my Garmin until yesterday. I wasn't tempted to take my Timex Ironman watch. I didn't set the stopwatch on my phone. Heck, I didn't even look at the time when I started/stopped. And you know what? It was a wonderful feeling. And the best run I had in ages. I wasn't even a minute into it when I started smiling. Who does that? Apparently, I do. I haven't run with a smile probably since the very beginning. Running went from something I enjoyed to me saying, "Okay, let's just get this over with." What are the chances of having a good run when you think of it that way? It shouldn't be that way.

So I enjoyed naked running so much that I may do it for the rest of the week. If all goes well, I'll be knocking out a 6 miler by the weekend. I won't stress about it. I won't try to hold a certain pace or beat a certain time. I'll just do it because I like to do it. And I'll remember how overjoyed I was when I started. Because running was something I was never capable of (damn anemia!). I dreamed about it, but couldn't do it. And when I finally did it, my thought was, "Thank you, God." I need to get back to that. And yesterday was one of those moments. I had no distractions. It was me, the sun, the blue skies, and the Canadian geese (one hissed at me).

Speaking of dreams, a couple weeks ago I dreamed of running a half. I know I mentioned the possibility of running one. But you don't understand. When I dream something, I must make it happen. Or I'll keep dreaming about it until it happens. That's how I got into running in the first place. If I dream it, it shall be or I shall be nagged to death in my dreams. So if all goes well with my running, all the sudden, you'll check my blog to find a race report out of no where. Yeah, that would be funny considering how much I hate racing. Hmm, maybe I'll race naked. That's a thought. But first, let's hope my mojo continues and that nothing breaks down on me.

Happy running or whatever it is you do. Be free! Run naked!

My God, I Think I Found It!

Found what? My running mojo, that's what! I was reviewing my running log last night (well, early this morning). And I was wondering what the heck happened. I haven't run consistently since some time in 2009. Then I took 10 weeks off due to injury. I started back slowing going "barefoot." I went to Miami. Caught the flu on the way back. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the flu in my recap. Told you I'd forget something. Anyway, I caught the flu at the very end of March, like the 29th or 30th. I spent about a week or so laid up. So yeah, the beginning of April was not productive in the least bit. I ran once after, and it was horrible. Got lightheaded and everything.

Then not too long after that, like the following week, I had some type of stomach thing going on where I couldn't keep any food in me. I guess it was stomach flu gone wild. That lasted over a week, close to two. I was absolutely miserable. I love food and couldn't enjoy any of it. I was limited to yogurt, apple sauce, rice and other blandness. Then I would get hard headed and eat something normal like an orange. And then pay for it within minutes. That's another couple of weeks of no running.

Okay, so that's over with. I'd run and I'd hate it. My cardio was all jacked up. I got turned off. I felt like all my runs would be crap, so I didn't run. In the meantime, I've been dubbed Yoga Queen, so that's good. That reminds me, last week I DID A HEADSTAND! I was not against a wall or a door. I had no help. I was alone in the middle of my living room floor. Pretty soon, I'll be balancing all of my body weight on just my fingertips ;) Ha! Is that even possible?

Anyway, back to what I was saying...RUNNING. I haven't been doing it. But now I want to. I've had a couple good runs. I've got a new "barefoot" approach. I've got a new mindset. I've got some goals. I want to develop my own plan. And I don't want it to feel like a chore. When it feels like work, that's when I shut down. I don't like that. So no pressure. No races on the calender. No training runs that MUST get done. No running back to back days, unless the weather dictates otherwise. No running more than 4 days a week. Honestly, I just want to keep it at 3 days (a medium run, a fast short run, and a slower long run). I operate better with a rest day in between anyway. Then maybe, once I'm back to running like a well oiled machine, I'll consider a race. Most likely, it will be a half. I prefer longer distances. I ran a 5k once and hated every minute of it. However, 10ks are pretty decent.

As far as my own plan goes, I'm trying to get into the habit of taking my resting heart rate in the morning. I just started yesterday. It was 57. Today was 56. I will be monitoring my RHR so I know when to workout and when to rest. Elevated RHR could mean I'm over-training or I'm getting sick. Either way, it's a good indication of when I should sit my butt down. I think this will be a better approach instead of going by some program made up by someone who has no idea how I feel. I gotta do what's best for me. I've been injured one too many times. And I'm not going down that road again. If my body says no via elevated RHR, irritated head of fibula, hip or IT band, headache, or whatever else that causes me to run in pain, I'm going to listen to it. Damn what the plan says. It's not worth it.

So ladies and gentlemen, that's where I am right now. The I'm-Gonna-Run-When-And-How-The-Heck-I-Want-To Plan starts this week. Wish me luck.

Oops..Please forgive me.

I'm such a slacker when it comes to maintaining this blog. If I still have readers out there, I truly apologize. Now if you took a hint and followed me on DailyMile or Twitter, then I don't feel too bad. A lot has gone on since I last checked in. I'm not going to recap everything. For one, I don't have that kind of time. And two, I probably don't remember it all.

But here's what I will recap...I've gone up to 5mi "barefoot." My calves have gotten used to it. So I don't even think about foot strike and all that other foolishness. I just run the way my body says to. But the thing is, I haven't been running much. Yes, that's part of the update. For whatever reason, I'm just not in the mood. I'm still very much active. In fact, I've been really into yoga lately, more than usual. I've noticed great improvement in my strength. There were poses that I couldn't do that I now can do with NO issue. Yay me! In other previous news, I went to Miami and had a GREAT time. That's a trip I need to make every year. I got a nice tan :o) Then lost it with this crappy weather :o( Also, I've been spending a lot of time on various dance floors. I guess that makes up for the lack of running.

So what's new? I finally figured out what I want to do. It's kind of been sitting in my face for a while now. Months even. People were coming to me like I'm some kind of fitness expert. So why don't I become a fitness expert? I'm one of the laziest people I know. I think I could motivate someone else to not be lazy. So yeah, I'm studying to become a certified personal trainer (in-home). I completed a workshop a couple weekends ago. Last week, I took classes to become certified in CPR, AED and First Aid. And now what's left? I have to study for the CPT exam. It's some dry reading, so I've had trouble motivating myself to crack the book open. But I need to hop to it so I can get to the fun stuff. Maybe later on I'll also take some courses in nutrition and such. I know how to eat, but I need some type of certification to rightfully tell others how to. Please wish me luck. I don't want to step foot into an office again. Too many times have I wanted to leap across a desk/cubicle and choke a b!tch. And with my improved strength, I could really hurt somebody.

In other news, I learned that my fitness is damn near excellent. During the workshop, I completed a series of fit tests. I was surprised at how well I did. I scored excellent in the push up test and partial curl up test. My cardio is in between good and excellent, based upon my heart rate after cardio exercise. Flexibility is good. And my personal favorite is finding out that I have 19% body fat after being measured with calipers. That's better than I expected. By their standards, I'm considered an athlete. That's not too shabby for someone who never played a sport in school. I couldn't run. I couldn't do much of anything. And now, many years later, I'm healthier than I ever was. I grow healthier each year. That is truly a blessing.

In any case, I may be going in a completely different direction with this blog. Every move I make, as far as exercise goes, is recorded on DailyMile. And whatever else that just happens to cross my mind, if I choose to share, is on Twitter. What else is there to talk about after that? So we'll see.

Anyway, I hope all is well with all of you. And I'll try to hit up your blogs soon. I'm so out of the loop.

"Barefoot" Running

Here's how I feel about it so far. I'm noticing that my calves are less irritated after each "barefoot" running session. I've had 5 so far. I ended up running back to back days to avoid the treadmill. I knew we had rain coming, so I did a 4miler yesterday instead of today. My calves are a little sore, but nothing serious. Considering that they had no rest, they feel great. I'm still not hobbling downstairs or busting out the liniment. When I ran in my stability shoes last Saturday (to supposedly give my calves a break), my left foot got irritated. I've been cracking my left ankle ever since. It was harder to run properly on my forefoot. With that being said, I think I'll be switching to EVOs (Terra Plana Vivo Barefoot EVO) as my primary running shoe. They just feel better. I'm still easing into the EVOs and back into running in general. So I'll be increasing mileage slowly. Don't expect a 10miler from me any time soon :)

In case you care, here's what I did since my last post. And yes, I'm still going strong with yoga, 13 days straight. Namaste.

3/9 - Yoga Meltdown Level 1 (34min)
Swim (1700yd - 49:09)

3/10 - Yoga: General Practice w/Backbends (38min)
3mi Run (27:36 - 9:12 pace)

3/11 - 4mi Run (See below)
Weights (11min)
Yoga: Hip Mobility (30min)

3/12 - Shimmy (21min belly dance)
Yoga: General Practice (46min)

Activity Route: Track Elev. Avg: 36 ft Location: Willingboro, NJ Elev. Gain: +0 ft Date: 03/11/10 Up/Downhill: [+0/-0] Time: 04:42 PM Difficulty: 1.7 / 5.0 Weather: Overcast 59 F temp; 64% humidity 59 F heat index; winds N 5 Performance Distance: 4.00 miles Time: 0:37:21 Speed: 6.4 mph Pace: 9' 20 /mi Heart Rate: 172 bpm (Avg) Calories: 448 193 bpm (Peak) Notes Cool Down = .55mi Elevation (ft) Pace (min/mile) Heart Rate (bpm) Heart Rate Zones Zone Range (bpm) Time In Zone Distance In Zone Zone 5 180 - 200 0h 07m 19% 0.83 mi Zone 4 160 - 180 0h 28m 75% 2.99 mi Zone 3 140 - 160 0h 03m 8% 0.32 mi Zone 2 120 - 140 0h 00m 1% 0.04 mi Zone 1 100 - 120 0h 00m 0% 0.02 mi (none) out of range 0h 00m 0% 0.01 mi Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Heart Rate Elev Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 9' 45 +0' 25 6.1 -0.3 159 0 ft 2 9' 29 +0' 09 6.3 -0.1 173 0 ft 3 9' 16 -0' 04 6.5 +0.0 176 0 ft end 8' 49 -0' 31 6.8 +0.3 182 0 ft Versus average of 9' 20 min/mile

Posted from bimactive.com

So Far, So Good

I've run three times since my last post. I have to say, I really like the EVOs, despite the pain they cause. I've hobbled down the stairs for a couple of days due to sore calves. I had to put a liniment on them and everything. But it's all good. I ran in them again last night, and my calves feel fine today. Maybe they're quick learners. On Saturday, I gave my calves a break and ran 3mi in my old bricks. Talk about being aggravated. It was probably a bad run in general, but the bricks didn't help. I know I'm coming back from a long break, but I just felt so slow. It took so much effort to maintain a pace that was once easy. But it's to be expected. Unless you're Super Athlete, you're not gonna pick up right where you left off. I'm over it. I had a good run in my EVOs yesterday, where I felt almost normal. Sub 9:00 paced short runs were a distant memory. But after last night, I left the track feeling like I'd be back there sooner than I thought.

But I must confess, I've had hip irritation after my second run. It's only after a run, never during. Then a fellow runner, Dan, posted an article that may be helpful. The first injury mentioned describes what I've got going on. So I've been doing weighted side leg raises since Saturday (2x15, 5lb). I'm going to keep up with that and see how it works. I won't consider any serious mileage or races (not like I like racing) until I get that figured out.

So with the muscle soreness I had going on, I've been that much more on top of yoga. Yesterday made 9 days straight of yoga practice. And with every session, I see improvement. It's nice to be able to measure progress without having to depend on the scale. The scale hasn't been my friend lately anyway. I'm convinced it's mostly muscle. I am stronger. And I see that when I finally master a pose I couldn't do. Or improve my swim stroke. Or by doing something as simple as pushups, because Lord knows, I could only do them on my knees. I'm not busting out my jeans or running skirts, so it's all good.

Snapped a quick pic yesterday before hitting the track.

In case anyone cares, here's a recap of what I did since my last post. I'm so happy to share because I have NOT been slacking!

3/2 - Yoga: Hip Mobility (30min)

3/3 - Yoga: Power Yoga Total Body (1hr)
Swim (43:21 - 1500yd)

3/4 - 2.36mi Run (23:00 - 9:44 pace)
Yoga: Hips, Legs & Feet (43min)

3/5 - Yoga: Power Yoga Total Body (1hr)
Shimmy (21min of belly dancing)

3/6 - 3mi Run (27:44 - 9:14 pace)
Yoga: Hip Mobility (30min)

3/7 - Swim (30:45 - 1150yd)
Yoga: Wringing Out the Old (36min)

3/8 - Yoga: Power Yoga Total Body (1hr)
3mi Run - Awesome stats below :-)

Activity Route: Track Elev. Avg: 36 ft Location: Willingboro, NJ Elev. Gain: +0 ft Date: 03/08/10 Up/Downhill: [+0/-0] Time: 05:50 PM Difficulty: 1.5 / 5.0 Weather: Fair 57 F temp; 30% humidity 57 F heat index; winds W 6 Performance Distance: 3.00 miles Time: 0:27:27 Speed: 6.6 mph Pace: 9' 09 /mi Heart Rate: 181 bpm (Avg) Calories: 335 198 bpm (Peak) Notes Cool Down = .43 Elevation (ft) Pace (min/mile) Heart Rate (bpm) Heart Rate Zones Zone Range (bpm) Time In Zone Distance In Zone Zone 5 180 - 200 0h 19m 71% 2.17 mi Zone 4 160 - 180 0h 07m 25% 0.72 mi Zone 3 140 - 160 0h 01m 3% 0.09 mi Zone 2 120 - 140 0h 00m 0% 0.02 mi Zone 1 100 - 120 0h 00m 0% 0.02 mi (none) out of range 0h 00m 0% 0.00 mi Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Heart Rate Elev Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 9' 29 +0' 20 6.3 -0.2 169 0 ft 2 9' 11 +0' 02 6.5 -0.1 185 0 ft end 8' 47 -0' 22 6.8 +0.3 190 0 ft Versus average of 9' 09 min/mile

Posted from bimactive.com

Are You There, Running? It's Me, Christie.

It's been 10 weeks...10 LONG weeks since my last run. My hip/pelvic bone thingy needed some me time. Your body talks, you listen. In the meantime, I've been cross training. Thanks to Jillian Michaels, I've been introduced to plyometrics and other painful things. I figured if I could jump around my living room with no irritation, then I could go out for a spin. I just needed my new kicks first.

Speaking of kicks, instead of VFFs, I went with EVOs. I ordered them last week. They're shipped out of Jersey, so I got them the next day. Too bad they run small. My toes came to the top without socks. So I sent them back for a size up. I got them today. I was excited to try them out, BUT I had to get rid of my headache first. Damn headaches. Luckily, I didn't have swimming on the agenda. The slightest headache + swimming = DISASTER.

Now on to the actual running...I hit the track with Week 6 Day 1 of the Couch to 5k programmed into my Garmin. I wanted to start back slow. And I had to remind myself that I'm starting back with a somewhat barefoot running shoe. That should take some getting used to. I started the 1st running interval on my toes. I didn't want to come down too hard on my foot. About time the 2nd interval comes around, I'm landing more on the whole foot. I'm also noticing that my calves are getting a serious workout. Guess that means I'm running correctly. Now I'm on the last interval. I started out fast, not trying to be fast. I was completely warmed up at this point. Come the last 30sec, I speed up for a strong finish. I'm sort of running on my toes again, actually the ball of my feet really. It felt good. It made my other kicks feel like bricks.

Alright, so I blink and the run is over. I cool down. And all I'm thinking is that my calves could use some me time with yoga. Actually, they were chanting, "Yoga! Yoga! Yoga!" Again, my body talks, I listen. So yoga it was. Now that I'm running again, I bet no one cares that I swam 3 times last week. Or that I did a strengthening yoga routine yesterday that still has me sore today. So feel free to scroll down to my pretty graphs below. It's been months since I've posted them. Come on. You know you really wanna.

I'm truly excited to be running again. Even more excited about the new kicks I'm running in. And I'm doubly excited that I have my cardio of choice back. I have about 3 weeks to get it together before I hit Miami. Yes, I'll be in Miami for the Winter Music Conference + 3 more days just to chill. I'm UBER excited about warm weather and getting my tan back. Glad I don't have to wait for the weather here to act right. If I see one more snow flake, I'm gonna go postal.

And on that note, I'm out. Happy running, walking, biking, yogaing, chiseling, shredding, lifting, dancing, swimming or whatever it is that you do! Just do it!

Activity Route: Track Elev. Avg: 36 ft Location: Willingboro, NJ Elev. Gain: +0 ft Date: 03/01/10 Up/Downhill: [+0/-0] Time: 04:58 PM Difficulty: 1.4 / 5.0 Weather: Fair 47 F temp; 43% humidity 47 F heat index; winds NW 9 Performance Distance: 2.36 miles Time: 0:24:00 Speed: 5.9 mph Pace: 10' 10 /mi Heart Rate: 169 bpm (Avg) Calories: 247 194 bpm (Peak) Notes Cool Down = .45mi Elevation (ft) Pace (min/mile) Heart Rate (bpm) Heart Rate Zones Zone Range (bpm) Time In Zone Distance In Zone Zone 5 180 - 200 0h 09m 36% 0.95 mi Zone 4 160 - 180 0h 08m 36% 0.87 mi Zone 3 140 - 160 0h 06m 25% 0.50 mi Zone 2 120 - 140 0h 01m 4% 0.08 mi Zone 1 100 - 120 0h 00m 0% 0.01 mi (none) out of range 0h 00m 0% 0.00 mi Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Heart Rate Elev Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 10' 38 +0' 28 5.6 -0.3 159 0 ft 2 10' 18 +0' 08 5.8 -0.1 173 0 ft end 8' 44 -1' 26 6.9 +1.0 188 0 ft Versus average of 10' 10 min/mile

Posted from bimactive.com