Day 260 - Intervals on the treadmill

The hotel has a really nice gym, and I used it today.  I ran intervals on the treadmill for half an hour, and then walked for half an hour.  I was so tired and sweaty after I was done, it was just like being back at the resort.  My shirt was soaked through, but I was happy, and so proud of myself.  I have a long way to go before the 5K in July, but this is progress.  Did I mention being exhausted, and proud of myself?

Day 259 - Good Friday

Today is Good Friday and it's pretty much a family day.  After work, we took off for a local adventure, but I was still able to get to my Friday night yoga class.  It felt so good to stretch and work out.  When I think back to my first class, I know I have come a long, long way.

The joy of the day was just seeing how excited Michael was to leave on our adventure.  I am hoping that this weekend turns into a great family trip.  I probably won't be posting a huge amount, but it should be a great weekend. 

Day 257 - Just Yoga

I had planned to go to the gym early tonight and get on the treadmill and do another C25K workout.  But, my legs were still hurting me a lot from Monday night, so I decided to just stick with yoga tonight.

I think that it was the best decision Icould have made.  Coming out of yoga I actually felt relaxed and happy, rather than sore and exhausted.  It feels strange to kick things down a bit, but I think my body is responding really well. 

The joy of the day was probably the yoga class.  It felt so great to just be stretched and relaxed.  I definitely love that feeling!

                                                       

Day 256 - Rest Day and 5K Dreams

Today was a planned rest day, and wow, did I need it.  I know I’ve said that exact thing before, but it is so true.  Today, my legs hurt so badly that it feels like they are trying to fall off.  My arms hurt almost as bad.  But hey, my abs are fine.  (Cathie, please don’t read that as a challenge!) 

I had been planning on doing the next workout in Couch to 5K tomorrow, but I am thinking that I’ll just do yoga instead.  It’s still a great workout.  I just don’t think my legs are going to be up for running tomorrow.  If I’m wrong and I wake up feeling great, I’ll be back at it tomorrow.  That’s a promise.  For now, there is an infrared sauna in my future!

Oh yeah, the joy of the day.  I have been asking my friends and family if they would consider joining the 5K team.  And, so far, several have said yes.  I am so excited!  The more people doing this, the more I feel like I can handle it.  I’m not sure why, but it’s really important to me.  So, if you have free time on July 14^th, would you consider joining us?  Just let me know and I’ll tell you how to sign up for the team.

Day 255 - Monday Exhaustion

Today I realize that I am making the right decision by cutting back a little.  I know this because I am completely exhausted, and my muscles are hurting beyond belief.  I didn’t want to give up either my muscle challenge class, or my yoga class tonight, so I did both.  Just like every other Monday night.  But tonight, it seems to have drained every last drop of energy that I had.  So, I am more convinced than ever that I need to cut back for a bit and see what happens.

That said, the first class was really, really good.  I was doing rows with 20 pound weights, and bicep curls with fifteen.  Those are really good numbers for me.  But, by the time we got into yoga, I knew that it wasn’t going to be a great practice.  The moves have been getting more complicated, and so I have to modify a lot more.  And tonight, there were times when I just had to rest in child pose for a bit.  It wasn’t a bad session, just not the best.

The joy of the day came when I told Cathie that I signed up for the 5K this morning.  She said that she would run with me a few times and keep me company.  And, that she was proud of me for signing up.  That meant a lot to me.  I have set up a team for the 5K.  If you are interested in joining, it’s July 14^th in Washington, DC.  I am both excited and terrified!

Tonight, I am going to spend some extra time in the sauna, and hope that it helps my aching muscles and joints.  Then, it will be bedtime.  I am so looking forward to cuddling up with my pillow!

Day 254 - 36 Week Results, Picture Pending

I was supposed to have pictures today, but my computer died, and I’m not sure when I’ll be able to post this week’s result picture.  It’s on the camera, so I’ll post it eventually, but right now I am just praying that Steve gets the computer working again in time for work tomorrow.  But, the weight news is that I stayed the same this week.  So, I’m still stuck at 296 and 52 pounds down.

I’ve been really frustrated for a while now.  I’ve been doing everything I can think of to push my body to let go of this weight.  Nothing seems to be working.  So, I was talking with Steve (OK, whining, a lot) and he gave me a suggestion.  Every time I’ve tried to break this plateau, I’ve upped the exercise.  His suggestion was to actually cut back a little and see if my body responds better.

At first, I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to cut back on the exercise, but the more I thought about it, the more it makes sense to at least try.  I’ve been so tired lately. I just haven’t been able to recover from my workouts, and I’m still tired after coming back from the resort.  And, even the recommendation from the resort was 45-60 minutes 5 days a week.  So, what I am going to do is this – drop to five days a week and one hour a day.  If I feel like doing more, I certainly will.  But, I think my body just needs a break.  And, I need to respect what my body is trying to tell me.

I’m really struggling with this.  It feels like I’m copping out or getting lazy, but the bottom line is that what I’ve been doing just isn’t working.  I have to try something else, and see if it works better. If you have any suggestions, please leave a comment or send me a message?

For today, I did a little over thirty minutes on the treadmill, alternating jogging intervals with walking.  It felt really good to be able to jog a little bit.  Even though it was slow, I loved that I was able to make it for a full minute at a time.  This is definitely good preparation for the 5K coming up in July.  Oh, I forgot to mention, does anyone want to do the 5K with me?  I’d love to have company!  Already, a friend that I met at the resort said she will do it, so we have a mini team going.  Want to join the team?

The other thing I did today was an amazing workout with a personal trainer.  He had me using the TRX system, kettle bells, and ropes.  It was such a hard workout, but really, really good.  I even did pushups on a 30” cube.  It was so nice to do full pushups, not from the knees.  As I get stronger, I’ll be able to go to a smaller cube, and then the floor.  I can’t wait!

The best part of the day today was going to the library with Michael and my Mother-in-Law.  It was just a quick errand, but it made Michael so happy.  I know he just wanted to go and ride the elevator, but he’s getting used to the idea of one trip up and one down.  And, any trip out of the house without a meltdown is a great thing.  Plus, it was nice for him to spend some time with his Grandmother.  All in all, a good day!

Day 253 - Starting to train for the 5K

Today was a pretty good day.  I took Michael to his yoga class and really worked up a good sweat.  The nice thing was that she did the sun salutations at a really slow pace, so I was actually able to keep up with them.  That was nice.

Then, this afternoon, I officially started preparation for the 5K in July.  I went to a local track and did the first workout from the couch to 5K app.  I wasn’t able to run for the full minute each running interval, but I did OK.  I will probably have to repeat week 1 a few times until I can get there, but I will keep at it.

After the jogging, I was really wiped out and kinda depressed.  I talked with Steve and will probably be making some changes to my program.  I need to think about it and iron some things out.  As soon as I finalize it, I’ll let you know.