C25K Week 2 Day 1

Well...we are back from our two week visit with our in-laws and they sent us home with their treadmill.  It was an experience pulling a little trailer behind our car but we finally made it back!!  My son came over and helped us get the beast downstairs and I took a run on it the other day.  I can sure feel the difference in altitude being back home but I do have to say it was much cooler running here than in my in-laws garage!  I'm really happy to have the treadmill and I think it will help me be more consistent with my running.  I'm also really happy to have the little trailer they gave us.  That will make it much easier when we need to bring landscaping stuff home.  No more borrowing my son's truck!  

I'm still working on a schedule that works with running but at least I don't have to worry with outside issues.  I did this run at about 7:30pm and while that time worked with my schedule I'm not sure it's a good idea for me to exercise that late.  I had a very hard time getting to sleep because it hyped me up!  Maybe I need to get up earlier but I can't imagine getting up earlier than the 4:30am I already get up.  Oh, well, I'll do some more fanagling and see what will work the best.  This is important and I WILL make it work!!

Our trip was very relaxing but I came back with a 7# gain even though I think I ate pretty well while we were there.  I just hope it doesn't take me two weeks to get it back off again.  And...I'm off on another business trip next week.  My husband is staying home for this one so I think I will take this opportunity to eat lots of salads and spend extra time at the hotel gym.

Great Smoky Mountain Hike - Abrams Falls

Recently we were on vacation visiting my in-laws in Tennessee.  One day my husband and I went on a hike to Abrams Falls in Cades Cove.  Every time we hike at home he laments the lack of shade on the trails.  Now I understand why!  This trail was shaded nearly the entire length.  It was fairly challenging but the lower altitude (1,710 ft at it's highest versus the upwards of 10,000 ft we normally end up hiking) made up for the challenge.  The elevation gain was only about 350 ft but you did those feet in a couple fairly steep runs.

The falls themselves were wonderful and unfortunately the picture does not do them justice.  They are only about 20 ft in height but the volume of water is impressive.  At the base of the falls is a nice pool of water that my husband says gets very busy later in the day with swimmers.  As we were coming down the trail back to our car we saw quite a few folks going up with their swimming gear.

I'm really glad we did the hike early in the day like we did.  The combination of heat and humidity sapped me!  I did not plan well and ran out of water with about a mile still to go.  I was definitely glad another bottle of water was waiting when we got back to the car!  We saw lots of deer and even a couple bears.  Unfortunately my deer pictures did not turn out very well and the bear were way too far away for my iPhone to capture them.

It was a good workout and I definitely recommend this hike if you find yourself in the Smokies.  It took us about 3 hours and that included spending about 20 minutes at the falls.  I would also recommend some hiking poles if you have knee issues like I do.  It was very helpful to be able to take some pressure off those old knees on those elevation gain/loss areas.  I would also recommend you spend some time exploring the rest of this wonderful area.  The history here is amazing!  Check this out for further reading on Cades Cove:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cades_Cove

Here are some choice pics from the hike:

Beautiful drive into the cove

And this friends is why they are called the Smokies!

We did the 2.5 mile hike to the left - so sad that dogs aren't allowed :-(

Beautiful foot bridge at the beginning of the hike - I better not get used to this sort of luxury!

Stream under the footbridge - very serene

 

This is what most of the trail looked like - you did have to be careful though
because there were rocks and trees roots everywhere

Lovely trees!!

And here is where I wished there were more luxurious foot bridges
like the one in the beginning - I'm a serious scaredy cat on these things!!

Unfortunately the falls have proven deadly to swimmers who tried to
swim too close and were sucked under by the current

 

Unfortunately I forgot my Garmin so I had to rely
on my iPhone Health App for this information

C25K Week 1 Day 3

Thankfully today seemed a little easier to get through. It's not quite as hot today which really helped. I also mixed things up by using a video from YouTube along with music from the iTunes Radio app. The video is someone doing a trail and prompting you when it's time to walk or run. It's sort of fun to watch things go by even though you're on a treadmill. 

Here's a link to the video for week 1 in case you want to check it out:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nhuZPAVHGg&list=PLl7Hd30ASDAFnzS-18l7zjAhUsKE5hUN0

C25K Week 1 Day 2

I'm on track!  I just finished day 2 of week 1 in my restart of the program. It was just as hot in the garage but my FIL set up a fan for me and that helped loads. I used a new app this time and I think it will work great once I get a good playlist of music set up. It allows you to run your own playlist and then prompts you when it's time to run or walk. I've started a list of songs I think would be good to put on my playlist so the next step is easy.  I was using some great music from an independent band we discovered in New Orleans but their music isn't really running type music.  They are a great folksy bluegrass type of band that we absolutely love but I think I need some Lady Gaga and Katy Perry next time!

I looked back at the last time I did w1d2 and it was February. I'm so bummed that I didn't keep up with the program back then!!  I'd be so much closer to my goals right now - ugh!  But I am back at it and determined to do it this time. I've even found a 5K at the end of August that I'm going to sign up for. I know myself and if I don't have something to work towards that is fairly short term, it is so easy to procrastinate my workouts and then I'm right back here starting over yet again. I really don't want to repeat that history!!

Let's start at the very beginning....

Well...it has been so long since I've run that I figured it would be a good idea to begin on C25K week 1, day 1 and see how I do. I went in thinking I'd just pick it back up and it'd be a piece of cake. Wrong-o-rama!!!

It was a tough run but there were several differences between this time and the last time I ran. I was running on a treadmill in a hot & stuffy garage. I sort of liked running on the treadmill but the lack of moving air was harsh. I'm taking tomorrow off but will run again the following day with a fan.  We shall see if that makes it a little more enjoyable. I did like the fact that the treadmill kept me at a constant rate and I couldn't slack off like I have a tendency to do when I'm running outside.  I also liked not having to deal with the unknowns you get outside. I didn't have to outrun any dogs, bugs, or crazy school kids. I can also run anytime of the day. I'm really stoked about that. I'm also really glad I'm active again. I was dripping wet when I finished but it felt great to get moving!!

Home again, home again!

I'm just back from two weeks of business travel.  Traveling really is a big challenge for me.  I struggle with eating well and getting exercise.  I did fairly well on the eating this trip but did indulge a little more than I normally would.  Can I just say that gelato kept following me around?  It seriously was not my fault but it just kept jumping in my mouth!!  I was up 6# this morning when I weighed in but today I've been drinking lots of water and I'll see what it looks like tomorrow.  I tend to retain water when I fly so I don't think my gain should be too much - even with the evil gelato dogging my every step!

I did pretty good in the activity area as well.  Luckily I was in DC and walking everywhere is a necessity.  I easily got my 10,000 steps in almost everyday.  My hubby went with me on this trip and every evening after work we walked all over the place.  I made a rookie mistake early in the trip and thought we would only be walking a little bit and wore some flip-flops.  Holy blisters Batman!!  Luckily my knight in shining armor picked up some moleskin for me at the drugstore and I was able to get through a few days of owies without too much trouble.  Although...speaking of shoes...those women in DC are beasts!!  I have never seen so many stilettos walking at top speed on city sidewalks as I have there.  I'm no stranger to high heel shoes but I don't think I could navigate the subways, escalators, stairs, cobblestone/paver streets, and miscellaneous metal grates like those women.  They have my respect in spades!!

I didn't do any extra exercise though and I had really planned to use the treadmill in the hotel to get back on my C25K program.  Speaking of C25K...I am soooooo behind on this program!  I'm struggling with several things.  First and foremost was the weather before I went away on travel.  It seems as though it does nothing but rain anymore!  I am a seriously fair weather runner - I don't want to run when it's too cold, I don't want to run when it's too hot, snow?  absolutely not!!! and rain is a definite mood buster as well.  I've either got to push through this wimpyness I have developed or get a treadmill.  I'm just so afraid I will get one and somehow get it shoehorned into my tiny house and it will become an oversized coat rack.  I hate, hate, hate wasting money and I want to make extra sure that this is something I will use.  My second issue is that I am having a lot of toe pain in my running shoes.  I think that maybe my shoes are too small for me.  I've even started lacing them differently to see if that will help.  The new lacing does keep them tied tighter which is a great thing but my toes still end up shoved into the end of the shoe all the time.  I guess it's time to go over to the running store and get real shoes that are fit correctly.  Sounds like a lot of money getting ready to go out the door and that makes me crazy!!

The plan for this week is to get some exercise in and to rid my body of the gluten and sugar that I've been consuming for the last two weeks.  I also need to catch up on things around the house so I don't feel so disjointed.  Time to make a list!!

And...oh, yeah, I had a birthday while we were gone!  Even though I had to work and we weren't home my hubby made my day extra special.  He picked up a piece of cheesecake that he had decorated with some neat glittered icing gel - he's so awesomely creative - waiting for me when I got back to the hotel.  He had also scoured the town and picked up a nice button down shirt and a gorgeous tie so that we could go out for a nice dinner - that was a huge surprise!  Off we went to start our fun birthday evening - first we had drinks at The Willard Hotel and then dinner at the National Press Club.  Both places that have a lot of history and are places that I've really wanted to visit.  The drinks were awesome (I have learned that I don't like mint juleps and it's always good to learn new things) and the dinner was, well, just strange.  Not what I was expecting and not a place that I would visit again.  It wasn't bad, it was just, well, strange.  Unless you are a huge journalism geek I would skip it.  It was sort of hidden away and we were surrounded by people who all had "travel vouchers" so they didn't really have to pay for anything.  Not sure what that was all about and it just added to whole strangeness of the whole meal.  Even when we left our waiter shook our hands - never had that happen before.  Very memorable!!

When we got home I was exhausted and stressed out by the stormy drive we had back from the airport and I was surprised by a bouquet of beautiful flowers sitting on my kitchen table.  That son of mine is a keeper too!!  Next year is one of those scary ones that has a 0 at the end and I have some goals I want to meet by then.  I want to reach my goal weight, I want to run an entire 5K, and I want to finally finish reading Game of Thrones.  I swear that book series is like that pile of never-ending laundry.  I read and read and read and the darn percent read in the bottom corner of my iPad never changes!!  I should have never bought the bundled series for the iPad!!

Well...the hubby is starting dinner - steaks on the grill!  I'm in charge of the veggies so I need to get working on those.  I sure love that guy!!!

C25K Week 4 Day 2

Hi all! Sorry this post is so late. I actually completed this day's training on March 31st and then we immediately went out of town to visit family.  I was yet again shocked that I was able to run for such a long continuous time!  I am very nervous about week 5 to come but I'll cross that bridge when I get there.  I'm really starting to understand the truth in the theory that reaching physical goals has a huge mental aspect to them.  I've missed a couple weeks of training but hopefully week 4 day 3 will go smoothly.  I plan to run again on Thursday and then tackle day 1 of week 5 on Saturday.

We had a great time on our little getaway but unfortunately it rained buckets every day and it was not safe to be running around so I didn't get any training in while we were gone.  I was very careful with food while I was gone and I'm really proud of myself for only gaining a pound the whole time.  That was eating what was served but within reason.  As an example one night we had pizza and I chose just to eat the top since I knew that if I ate that crust no matter how wonderfully delicious it would be I would definitely pay for it later.

I did share with family that I had been running and unfortunately they weren't exactly supportive.  I know they love me and are just worried that I will ruin my body with running.  They know someone who was a runner that said that if they would have known the damage they were doing, they never would have started.  I've done quite a bit of research on the topic of safe running and I don't plan on becoming a world class marathoner and pushing my body beyond what it should be doing or is ready for.  I think I'm smart about my running and listen to my body very closely.  I don't have a huge stride nor do I hit my footpads very hard.  I joke with my husband that I'm more of a stumbler than a runner.  I'm really slow too - he keeps up with me just by picking up his walking pace a little bit.  I just took the comment in stride and changed the subject.  That's really all you can do I guess.

We've been back home for a little bit now and I'm struggling to get completely back into the swing of things.  I was able to get that pound off that I gained on vacation and send another of it's friends packing as well.  Yeah me!  While I haven't been working out as much as I should probably be, I haven't been completely sedentary either.  I'm still going to my weekly dance classes and we had a performance on Saturday.  The performance was great fun and we ended up dancing with other groups at the event as well.  I was probably dancing for a good two hours altogether.  I was tired and sore later that day but it felt so good.  I need to remind myself how good it feels to be active when I get home from work and just want to collapse on the couch with a glass of wine!!  Yep...it's that mental thing again!