Running in the Rain

Yesterday, I got an unexpected workout via a dear friend coming into town to go on a hiking/caving/rafting expedition with a group of her friends.  Since they live so far away, she wanted to take them to a cascade that is only located a couple of miles from us, and we agreed to meet them there.  Seeing the cascade (aptly named The Blue Hole, for its coloring) involves a bit of a hike, although not too strenuous a one, and a descent down a wooden staircase that must have been made by giants.  Navigating those stairs...both up AND down....is the real challenge to the hike.  Totally worth it, though.

In all, we probably stayed an hour or so...with maybe 30 minutes of it actual hiking.  A nice surprise, and very much enjoyed.

Today was a run day, and I was really geared up to start the week off right.  Imagine my surprise when I was greeted by steel-gray skies.  Ugh. It was going to rain.


You know....I hate running in the rain. It makes my clothes stick to me and binds me up. I lose the freedom that I usually feel, not to mention that I get chilled. I mean, right down to the bone chilled.  And I have never been able to run cold....wet OR dry.

But for so long, that has been my fall-back excuse. One or the other...or some combination of both has caused me to get off track more times than I could EVER care to remember. That is why, when I decided to get serious (again), I determined that come rain, shine, sleet, snow, hell or high water...if it was a run day, I was going to run.

Last week, I wimped out. No more.

Today, I determined that there was NO excuse that was going to cause me not to run. I deserved this damn run, if it killed me....even if I didn't have a towel to keep my seat dry on the way home (another excuse)!

I hit the track, watching the black cloud that loomed. (I kept running) Watching it come closer. (I kept running) Watching the rain start to dump out of it.  (I kept running)  Watching the downpour get heavier and heavier as it moved my way.

Through it all, despite what looked to be the inevitable, I did not stop....determined to get as much of my workout in as I possibly could, grumbling the entire time that, wouldn't you know it....just when I got to my first long run (week 5, day 3)....

And I watched that freaking cloud skirt right on by, somehow completely bypassing me.

Determination pays off. Yes, by God, it does.  And if I have to run in the freaking rain every damn day....I will do it.  Because I can. Because I've earned it.

Because I must.

Reckoning

Well...I may not have accomplished all my goals this week, but at least I posted today, lol!  Pretty proud of that, actually. :)

Yesterday was a very weird day.  I was forced to take the day off due to car trouble (which has now been corrected), so in an odd way, my failure to run on Monday due to the rain actually turned out for the best. Had I run then, yesterday would have been a run day....as it was, it forced me to move back a day.

So....I spent the morning catching up on a bit of housecleaning and work, then after my hubby fixed my car, I got the laundry done.  And when I got home, I did day 2 of my resistance training.  Very, VERY proud about that!  Don't know why it takes so much to motivate me to do that...running is much easier, even in the broiling midday sun of summer, than it is to do these two little workouts each week.  And I KNOW how effective they are for toning!  Doesn't make sense...

Anyway, I successfully completed day 2, then today, after a late start, I went into town and completed day 2 of week 5 of the C25K plan....in the broiling midday sun of summer, I might add.  And even then, I still managed to keep a respectable 13:45 pace.  So....even though I didn't lose a single ounce this week (according to the scale Friday morning), I am still very pleased with my progress this week.  My food was on target, so I must listen to my hubby when he tells me that the muscle I'm building right now is evening out the fat that I'm losing.  And I'm ok with that....for now.

Rundown

Well, it's Thursday, and I haven't posted since Sunday.  Since my goal was to post every OTHER day this week, I've only missed one post.  I guess.

Yeah, that was lame.  In my own defense, though...this week has been brutal in terms of after-hours free-time, and what little I've had I've been hard-pressed to get my workouts in.  All things considered, they are more important right now, so if something has to get sacrificed, it will, by necessity, be my blogging.

That said, I've had a pretty good week so far, all craziness aside.  Monday, I was supposed to run, but it was raining really bad when I got off work, so I didn't.  I really hate running in the rain; everything sticks to you, and I wind up getting major chafing.  Besides that, when I get damp, I get chilled...right down to the bone.  And when that happens, my whole body aches.  I'd love to know how others handle this....anyone got any good tips for running in the rain?

Anyway, so I didn't run on Monday, but I did on Tuesday, logging in my best pace so far (13.39) as I wrapped up week 4 of the C25K plan.  Doesn't sound very fast,but believe me...that's rabbit racing for this ole' turtle!  I'm really looking forward to seeing where I will be pace-wise at the end of this course.

Wednesday, which, by the way, was National Running Day, I did NOT run, since I had to run on Tuesday.  This really bummed me out, because it would have been really cool to run on National Running Day, but that's what I get for being such a wimp on Monday, I guess.  Next year will be better.

Just because I didn't run yesterday, though, does not mean I slacked off.  Au contraire....I actually, FINALLY began my resistance training last night!  Very stoked about that, since I'm already starting to see saggy bits forming everywhere, even moreso than before.  And with only six pounds gone so far, I can only imagine what it will look like before it's all over.  The thing is...my skin is so much thinner than it was even five years ago, and the elasticity seems to be mostly gone, which means that anything that is too big will probably need tucking. *sigh*  I will deal with it when the time comes.  In the meantime, I will be content with firming and strengthening the muscle beneath it as well as I can, and concentrate on consistancy with my workouts.  I can be pleased that I took my first step this week, in line with the goal I set for myself this week...and will complete that workout tomorrow night.

Today is run day, so I will be hitting the track again this afternoon after work.  I've finally gotten to the point of looking forward to it again, so it will be nice to hit the rhythm and let the 'stuff' go.  Very therapeutic.

Now....food.

Overall, I will say that I'm continuing to be pleased with my progress.  My choices, while not always stellar, are still pretty good, for the most part.  That said, I have two concerns of note:

1.  The cake in the breakroom.  I really hate it when people bring stuff in:  cake, donuts, casseroles, breakfast biscuits...all bought or home made for the office to share.  I always feel like an outcast if I don't have any (because I stick out like a sore thumb if I'm the only one refusing a piece), and drawing attention to myself, and feel like a complete failure (or at least sickeningly guilty) if I DO indulge.   The worst is birthdays, when everyone gathers around a cake someone has made or bought. 

This week, we had two 'incidents', with a third being threatened tomorrow.  Tuesday was birthday cake, yesterday was a different homemade cake, and tomorrow, I'm told will be homemade brownies.  It's not like this every week; in fact, we go weeks at a time with nothing....but there are some incredible cooks in this department, and I am having a really hard time saying 'no'.  In fact, so far this week, I haven't.  Said no, I mean.

I am alleviating my guilt at these decisions by keeping track of my calories and not going over my allotted count....but I still know that cake in any form is not a smart choice....not for my head, and certainly not for my body.  I really need to work on my ability to say 'no' to these temptations, and will do my best to not cave when or if I am presented with a plate of chocolaty goodness tomorrow.

2.  Logging my food and exercise.  After a little more than a month of meticulous logging on myfitnesspal.com, I am starting to see myself slip a bit.  Instead of logging my food in as I eat ( or immediately after), sometimes it's not until that night, or even the next morning.  So far today, I've eaten two meals....neither of which I have logged yet.  This is really concerning to me because I don't want to let this fall by the wayside...this is too important a step in the process for me to throw it aside.  Even though I am careful to get the exercise in, and not go over my calorie count, not logging could be the difference between a good day or an extremely bad one. One little slip-up is all it takes, and that little lunch could turn into 800 calories...because of a single bad choice I didn't check out first.  That has happened twice now, but fortunately, because I logged it right after, I was able to correct the rest of the day to net below my goal.

Both of these concerns are important.  Both need immediate attention.  I am going to do my best in what is left of this week to stay on top of them, because I want this to work, and my health is important enough to make it a priority.

And in the meantime....I will do my best to post again on Saturday. :)

Reckoning, et.al.

It's been more than a week since I last posted....not acceptable if I really want to utilize this blog to it's fullest. My goal for daily posts has gone out the window, since apparently I don't have access from work any more. Bummer, as they say.

Ok, so here's a brief summary since my last post:

The day after (Saturday) was my birthday.  We spent the morning running errands with the kids and doing laundry, then Keith took me for a wonderful meal at a great little Greek restaurant we found.  Scrumptious, and a definite future option...my entire calorie count didn't go over 1000, and considering the fact that I had to skip lunch, I thought that was excellent.  My only regret was that I was forced to get off track with my C25K program, and skip running....which threw me off for the next couple of weeks completing one week during that same week.  Oh, well...

Sunday was a lazy day....and well earned.  Monday, which was a holiday, was spent gathering financial documents for the bank. (We're in the process of buying the house and property next door to us)

Tuesday, I finished week 3 of the C25K.  Thursday and Saturday, I ran the first two installments of week 4...very well, I might add.  Today being Sunday, I'll finish week 4 tomorrow.

All week long, I've been watching my calorie counts...and am very pleased with the results.  With the exception of a couple of homemade whole grain waffles, I haven't cheated at all.  And the only reason I call that "cheating" is because they weren't primal...not because I went over my count.

Friday was weigh-in, and although it was less than I'd hoped, I did manage a loss for the week, so I'll call it a success.  Baby steps are still steps, right?

This week:

• I will do my best to post at least once every other day.
• I will step up my physical activity to include SOMETHING every day, even if it's just walking during my lunch hour.
• I will start my resistance training...which I have been putting off for some unknown reason.

I'll keep it there, for now. ;-)