Bwaaaaa...

My knees are sore. I was feeling pretty good yesterday afternoon, but as the evening wore on, I started noticing more pain. I'm not sure if I am going to take a little Tylenol and keep going, or if I am going to change things up and do something different. Whatever I'm doing, I had better hurry up and figure it out before I have to leave. *yawn*

I'm leaning toward sucking it up and jogging again, maybe just keeping it at the slowest lope that I can manage. If I can't do it, and I'm in too much discomfort, there is always the elliptical to get my heart pumping fast.

Run #1

I am SO slow. *laughs* It's a big frustrating for me that other people walk as fast as I jog. I guess the only option is just to get better, if I want to stop feeling sheepish about it.

I went to the manly gym this morning, because they have sturdier treadmills, and it is closer to my house. Ok, it's not like I'm afraid the treadmill is going to break, but there is something to be said for not feeling it shake under me. Nothing makes this big girl feel even bigger like the feeling that the treadmill under my feet might give up the good fight, and it would be all my fault. :o )

Let me get these numbers up here, before I chicken out.
1 mile- 13:27 minutes
20 minute mark- 1.56 miles
Average pace: 4.7 mph

I could have run the first mile a bit faster I think, probably around 11:30 to 12 minutes. However, I knew that I wanted to survive the whole 20 minutes, so I tried to keep a steady 5 mph jog. There became a point though, where I just had to walk for a few minutes. I haven't run in such a long time, way back when I hurt my foot. It feels like my body has just forgotten how to do it. At first, my breathing was alright, and I felt like I was going strong. Then, my tender lungs started to ache a bit, and that began to take my head right out of things. I started coughing a little bit, and then there was no choice but to walk a while.

When I felt like I had gotten a handle on my breathing again, I bumped up the speed. Even though I was tired and huffing and puffing, I put the speed up to 6.5 mph for the last minute. I had thought to try that for 2 minutes, and I'm glad that I didn't. As it is, I barely made it for that one minute before my lung function started to affect my head. As I hit the stop button, I thought it would be a very good idea to sit down for a minute. So, I had to grab some wall and crouch for a few seconds while I caught my breath. I put my numbers into my cell phone, and by the time I was done, I felt able to get the sterilization spray and paper towel to clean the machine down with.

It feels good to have done something. It feels good to know that I pushed myself. It just doesn't feel good to see how little it took to make me feel bad. I know that I will get better over time, particularly after I start truly feeling well again. That is what I'm trying to focus on.

Back To The Treadmill

Well, I think that I'm feeling well enough now that I can get my rear end back to the gym. I'm still coughing a bit, but it's not too bad. I want to start working on my running stamina, so I'll be spending more time on the treadmill for a while.

For this week, I'm going to focus mainly on running, with a side of weight training. My plan is to keep up a light weight training schedule that focuses on large muscles. I need to give my abs a break, but I don't want to turn into complete mush either. So, I'm going to just do enough so that I don't look like Jello. Running feels great, but it still isn't pretty to have more slender arms that still flop around like big arms. *laughs*

I'm not a great runner. Really, I've never been real great on the run. I move forward, but not with any real measure of grace- and that is probably why I'm not very fast. I read that being quick is a matter of efficiency, and that's where I suck. For as much as I stink at it, I do like running. It helps me to feel like I'm accomplishing *something*.

Blobs and Vanilla Wafers

Yesterday was a pretty good day. I wasn't feeling too 'food crazy', and I stayed active all day. My caloric intake for the day was 1,547 calories, thanks to some vanilla wafers that jumped me before bed. *chuckles* Ok, that was my fault. I stayed up past my bedtime, watching a movie. I just wanted a little something to nibble on, so I didn't feel like I had an empty pit for a stomach. Next time, I should grab a cheese stick or something. On the plus side though, I'm not going to eat a whole box of cookies in my sleep, so at least the treat stops with one serving.

It was nice to get on the erg and row for a little while. After my 20 minutes were up, I probably could have gone for longer, but my lungs were feeling very tender after all of that cold air. Yeah, I just LOVE influenza. Bleck. At least I was able to breathe reasonably well and still move. It felt real good.

My husband wanted something simple for dinner, so we had egg salad sandwiches with pretzels. What I liked best about dinner was that I didn't have to spend a lot of time in the kitchen, and paper plates. I used my cute little egg slicer for the first time, and I think it's groovy. It made everything much faster to throw together.

Oo! Ooo! We got to try out our new toaster last night! We've had the same beaten down toaster since we got married, but Mike talked me into getting a new one, because he said that some elements had melted together. Of course, he complained about the one that I picked, because it is black and silver. I called him while I was at the store, and specifically asked him if he had a preference on the color. *laughs* He only cares after I buy something, apparently. Anyway, it is quite wonderful in it's ability to toast nearly anything. Mike was actually laughing and carrying on about how beautifully even the toasting was. Hilarious. Absolutely hilarious.

Today is going to be a much more relaxed day. Frankly, I'm tired. Sometimes being a woman is just a wearying thing, and that time just happens to be now. *grins* So, I didn't hit the gym, or any such thing like that today. Instead, I've come back home to take care of my animals, and be kind to myself. I'm halfway through a cup of coffee, and I'll finish it while reading a book. Then, I am going to take myself a nap. Ha! Sorry, it makes me want to laugh, just thinking about the luxury of sleeping when I want to. Sometimes I think that this waking up at 5 a.m. and going to bed at midnight is going to turn me into an unrecognizable goo. Maybe even Bob. You know, it's because THAT is so attractive. lol