Update and checking in...

Ok, so this past couple of weeks has been crazy.  Like, seriously crazy.  But I am very proud to report that the craziness did not deter me from actually getting on the stick for a change!  No, I did not start going to the gym last week on Monday, as I had intended.  But I did go on Tuesday, and did 30 minutes on the treadmill.  Unfortunately, I didn't have the forethought to bring my phone with me so I could take a pic of my workout summary.  It didn't even occur to me until after I'd worked out.  On Wednesday, though, I made a mental note, and after several tries, came up with this pic:

6/19 

The summary doesn't actually give all the details I'd like....like what my speed was, for example (3.5, if you're interested), but it is enough to actually calculate my distance and time, and I'm hoping I'll be able to see enough change over time in those categories that I can figure out the rest.   On Thursday, I increased my time, but kept my speed the same:

6/20

I also increased my time from 45 minutes to 55, with a 5 minute cool down.  Friday, we had plans, so I did not work out.  Neither did I work out over the weekend, but I did do a lot of work around the house, which had to count for something.

On Monday, I decided that I needed to start a record of my weigh-ins, so I dusted off the scale and took this:

Weigh-in 6/24

That was after a week of being good, so I'm not sure what my starting weight actually was.  Either way, I'm gonna go with this figure, and reset all my calculators to reflect that.  This is my new starting point.  And every Monday, I'll post another pic. 

Unfortunately, although I did work out on Monday, I forgot my phone.  Monday was important for another reason, though:  I figured out how to use the heart rate monitor on the treadmill.  And it scared me.  According to the chart on the treadmill, which I think is pretty accurate, (and also what I learned from Michael Thurmond) I should be working at 65% of my resting heart rate for fat burning, and 85% for cardio.  For my age bracket, that computes out to 110 and 136, respectively. 

At a speed of 3.5, I was hitting and hovering around 136....and sweating like a pig.  That really, really scared me that I had let myself get so out of shape...again....but the sweating part was very encouraging.  Usually, it takes me several weeks to start sweating, and I know that my body's breathing properly, and cooling itself off when I can sweat.  But that heart thing....

On Tuesday, I backed my speed down to 3.3, which seemed to keep my heart rate around the 110 mark, until the last 15 minutes or so, when it would get up to about 126 or so.  I just kept an eye on it and let it ride.  On the flip side, I did 60 minutes both days, with an abbreviated cool-down:


6/25

On Wednesday, more of the same, but a lot less cool-down.  Still maintaining a 3.3 speed:


6/26

But YESTERDAY....after almost two weeks of workouts, I INCREASED my speed to 3.5 again, and my heart rate stayed at 107-108 for almost the entire hour!  I also increased my cool-down to the max of 10 minutes, and walked my speed down to about 2.5 to burn as much as possible.  The timers will only go 60 minutes at a time, and a max of 10 minutes on the cool down so the most you can chart on one workout is 70 minutes.  But I was so PROUD of my heart!!!

Today being Friday,  I will not be working out, as we are headed to Atlanta for the weekend after work.  But I will hit the gym on Monday with renewed vigor. 



6/27



Perks

Wow....can't believe this past month has flown by so fast!  I've been so caught up in changing jobs (from contract worker to permanently employed) that I didn't even realize how long it's been.

One of the perks of my new job is that I now have access to a very nice employee fitness center...all state of the art equipment, and a nice locker room, complete with shower facilities, so I can even workout before work, if I need to. And the nicest thing for me personally is the row of gleaming heavy-duty treadmills just waiting for me to jump on 'em.  As heavy as I am, I need one that can take a pounding...a very important feature if I plan on running on them, and running I plan to do.

Lots of it.

My excuses of too hot, too cold, too wet, too snowy, too windy, too sunny, too___________ just ran out.  This place is indoors and climate controlled, so there is zero reason for me not to partake.

Oh. Did I mention it was free?  Yeah.  Free.  So no excuse about not having membership dues, either.  And it's pretty much open 24/7. So....looks like I'm screwed.  Guess I gotta get busy, now, huh? ;-)

On a related note, I've been struggling lately with the concept of being a runner.  I've heard it said, many times, in fact, that if you run, then you are a runner....doesn't matter how fast or how in shape you are.  But what about backsliders like me?  People who used to know the feel of the runner's high...but no longer do....and desperately want to?  Are we still considered runners?

Guess that was pretty heavily on my mind today when I got my gym key, because the Universe answered in the form of a glorious blog post from Run Junkees...you can read it here if you're interested, I highly recommend it. The part that really stuck out was this:

The best piece of advice I can give you is to always remind yourself of who you’re doing this for. Why do you run? Do you run for that person driving past you? Are you running for the guy running faster than you in a race? Are you running to impress “experienced runners”? I think once you start to be honest with yourself about why you run, you will have a much easier time dealing with all of the other negative thoughts that my seem to discourage you. 

Amen.  I'm taking this piece to heart, and I'm proud to say that no matter what manner of turtle I resemble, I  am a runner, dammit.  And I plan to stay one for a very long time to come.