Running Like A Girl

Leaner, fitter, faster . . . leaner, fitter, faster.  That is what I’ve been working on ALL YEAR.  Who knew this could take so long??  

I don’t know my Insanity schedule yet.  Yesterday I thought – well I don’t know what I’m doing tonight on insanity; I just know it’s not Pure Cardio.  Whew.  No need to worry.

Of course it was Pure Cardio.  Man, that’s a tough one.  And I hear I’m going to think it’s easy once I get to month 2.  Scarey.  For now, I’m in week 2.  I get very happy every day when I can mark a workout off the insanity calendar.  One day closer, one day closer.  I’m thinking this has got to get me lean and mean – or nothing will.

I’m following the nutrition plan also (ok, sorta following).   Just this morning I realized I was screwing up my breakfast and eating 100 more calories than I knew.  Oopsie.  Fixed that problem.  Problem 2 – I’ve been adding a little reduced fat cheese to my egg/egg white omelet in the morning and thought I should delete that as it could be thwarting my progress.  Then I thought – get real.  It’s the jelly beans and chocolate that are thwarting your progress.  Oh yeah.  There’s that.  Then if this program doesn’t work – I’ll be thinking:  that damn Insanity!

I don’t know what’s on the schedule tonight – I just know it’s not Pure Cardio.  Whew.  No need to worry.

- Runner girl

OMG OMG OMG!!  I have now done Days 2 & 3 of Insanity.  Is it ok to cuss on my blog??  If so, then this is the hardest fucking stuff I have ever done in my life.

There I said it.

Day 2 was Plyo Cardio Circuit.  It made P90X Plyo look like a girly class.  Day 3 was Cardio Power & Resistance (I think).  It’s what brought the f-bomb to mind.  I fell on the floor when I was done.  I am going to ruin my basement carpet because I am sweating like a faucet.  It will most likely start to stink.  Ah well.

My son texted me that he is so impressed that I am able to do this stuff.  He said – you’re damn near 50!  It’s crazy!  Haha.  He gets his cussing from his mother, I guess.

I adore this stuff.  Bring on Day 4.  I think.

- Runner girl

Yeah,  it’s aptly named.

Day One is a Fit Test.  I’m thinking – piece of cake (mmm cake).  I won’t need a recovery drink or anything today; I mean, how hard can it be??  There are only 8 moves.

My son said – be sure to warm up first.  So I did.  Then I put in the dvd – and there’s a warm up.  So I warmed up again.  By now, I’m really warm.  Hot even.  Time for the test.  The first item is Switch Kicks.  Do as many as you can for one minute.  You would be surprised how long a minute is.  Really.  Then it’s on to Power Jacks; Power Knees; Power Jumps (Lord have mercy); Globe Jumps;  Suicide Jumps (Christ have mercy); a delicious little number called Push-Up Jacks; and Low Plank Obliques.

I was sweating bullets.  I loved it, but it was definitely insane.  Gotta say though I’m ridiculously excited to do Day Two today.  Really.

- Runner girl

I have a jelly bean problem.

It all started innocently enough.  Jelly beans were a convenient tasty snack when I couldn’t get through a workout because I was too hungry.  This usually happens after 60 minutes of cardio.  Jelly beans solved the problem.  Now jelly beans ARE the problem.

You can buy them by the bag at Walmart.  I throw away all the black ones and the white ones.  All the other colors are quite delicious.  They became a problem when I realized I could eat them at other times throughout the day.  Not such a good idea.  The other day I went through a whole bag.  Sigh.

So now I can’t buy jelly beans again until I can properly handle myself in their presence.

- Runner girl

I got the “trapez” part right; but I have been saying that I have a problem with my trapezoid muscle.  No one has corrected me.  They are either ignorant like me or are secretly thinking – wow, that girl’s an idiot.  Either way.  I hurt.

It was getting better.  I had a big big problem with it during Goomna; it has been slowly improving ever since.  I’ve been seeing Murph; doing stretches; dropped P90X for awhile.  I worked my way back in with reduced weights and have just finished month 1 and I’ll be damned if I don’t need to stop again.  I took a step backwards last week (more pain) and it has made me re-evaluate my workout plan.

So I’m stopping P90X again after this week  (my recovery week) and am hoping to heal this thing completely.  I’m staying off the bike (had started to work my way back on it). I can still run (there is a God) and hang out on my new bff, the elliptical.  And I think I’ll try Insanity next week.

I am hope-hope-hoping to do a bike race with my Goomna team in the near future.  And I’ve got the Birthday Hard challenge coming up.  So the focus is on: healing.

- Runner girl

Do you want to run this race?  Do you want to run that race?  Do you want to do L&C Half?  Clayton Half?  Do you want to do a full this fall?

All of these questions keep cropping up and they are always so tempting!  I had to take a little time and see where my head is right now; what my goals are now; and set a plan.

My conclusion.  Stick to the same game plan for the rest of the year.  Don’t get sidetracked by little races or by big races.  Training for a half could throw everything off; training for a full changes the world.  My goal for 2010 is the same now as it was in January:  fitter, leaner, faster = BQ.

My original plan is working; I’m just not done yet.  If I take the time to get leaner and fitter now, it will pay off later.  Patience, grasshopper, patience.

Decide.  Commit.  Succeed.  (Tony Horton P90X guru)

Got it.

- Runner girl

When Chad suggested that I eat egg whites for my last meal of the day, he didn’t mention how hard it was going to be to throw away the yummy yellows.  I have taken to calling them the beautiful yellows as I toss them in the garbage disposal.  And it’s not that I think the yellows are especially delicious; but they’re just part of the egg, the overall taste of the egg, the ying and the yang of the egg so to speak, and it is hard to throw them away.

Chad says it will be worth it.  I better get the body of a goddess.

- Runner girl

I am back to 2-a-days (like I’m a football player or something) and I’ve got to get my nutrition figured out!!  I’m starving half the time.  And it even continues on days that I only do 1 workout (Sunday).

After my most recent injuries, I cut back to one workout/day – typically 60 minutes of cardio and 20-30 minutes stretching.  I also cut back my calories and found a level that worked.  I was satisfied, able to do my workouts, and losing a little weight (although I was terrified that I was losing muscle since I wasn’t able to do weights).

I am healed enough to start doing P90X again – HOORAY!  But I haven’t found the right calorie/nutrient level yet.  I am famished by the end of my first workout, my stomach is growling during my 2nd workout, and even during the middle of the night.  I added back in my recovery drink (great stuff) after my 2nd workout.  It has 220 calories, but that is not cutting it.  I have been eating jelly beans mid-workout in the A.M. to get through.

So yesterday I talked to my physical therapist, Chad, who is also a body builder/trainer/nutrition nut.  He’s got lots of info.  He told me to: 1) Eat a meal 45 minutes after finishing recovery drink.  I wasn’t eating for maybe 90 minutes and he said that is WAY too long.  2) Add a complex carb to evening meal (like 1/4 c brown rice).  And 3) Add another meal in the evening of egg whites and an apple (he said 6 egg whites; I’m going for 3). 

He did not like my chocolate protein bar I was eating in the evening instead.  Drat the bad luck.

He wants me to try this for a couple of weeks and get back to him.

Here goes.

- Runner girl

Swimming laps is tougher than it looks!  I suck.

If I want to do a triathlon someday (and I do); I’ve got to conquer swimming.  Tried laps for the first time over the weekend.  Realized I swim like a dog with my head out of water.  Probably not the best way.

So I tried swimming like I used to – head in water, breathe out the side.    Yeah, I’m no good.  Breathed water in.  Lifted my head up and all this water rushes in my mouth and nose.  Hmm.  This is going to take some work.  I need to learn to turn my head.  Well, that or get a snorkel.  I wonder if they allow those at tris??

Best advice I got:  if you think you’re going to drown, stand up.  Tee hee. 

- Runner girl

Or atleast, that’s what I was telling myself on my run in the sun today.

Since April, I have been dealing with 2 issues:  my left ankle (which I sprained twice) and my left shoulder (pinched nerve twice).  So basically, I have been somewhat out of commission for the last couple of months.  Only “somewhat” because while I couldn’t always do what I wanted to do, I have been able to continue working out.  Which explains why I am still sane.

Today I ran 4 miles – the most distance since my 2nd sprain.  And that was far enough for my ankle.  Damn, it was hot.  I didn’t get out of bed early enough and started running at around 8ish.  I mean, that’s fine, because I’d like to improve my ability to run in sun and heat – but damn.  I was happy to be done for sure.

Progression plan:  slow, easy, smart.  I don’t wanna keep re-injuring myself.  There are WAY too many things I want to do:  P90X again, One-on-One w/Tony Horton, Insanity, biking, swimming, more running, P90X:MC2 (when it comes out).  Life is too short to sit on the sidelines.

- Runner girl