The road to bigger pants

Is paved with good intentions.

I have a confession - it's been, ahem, several days since I've made it to the gym.

Now, don't get me wrong. I haven't been sitting on my "blessed assurance" and eating bonbons. One day last week, I was running behind and did a session on my Gazelle. One day, I spent an hour cleaning two rooms in my house. Saturday, we took the dogs on a LOOOONG walk, culminating in a trip to the groomers, and I also spent three hours preparing entries for a newspaper contest. Sunday, we had a service called "Special Ops," which entailed the choir dressing up in camo and marching in. (And practicing that marching in several times - more on that later) And then, we spent four hours walking around town so we would still be in the area for that evening's business meeting.

Monday, I was so exhausted from Sunday (and still sore from all that marching/walking) that I slept in. Yesterday, Jason went to work at 2 a.m. so I couldn't leave the house. And then, we come to today.

Apparently, my little short legs don't like to march much. Apparently, my knees like it even less. Because, since Sunday, I have had a "comes and goes" pain in them, and this morning, wouldn't you know it, it came. I can't walk around my house without pain, so I was a little leery of putting the knee through its paces at the gym.

I know I could take some ibuprofen and go on, but I'm more concerned about treating the actual cause, and not just the symptoms.

So, this morning, no gym. Again. Some housework, but no cardio.

Good intentions. I have them. And hopefully they won't bring me a bigger pair of pants.

Confession is good for the soul

I have a shocking confession to make.

I've only been to the gym twice in two weeks.

I know.

See, last week, I took Monday off since it was a holiday. And I went Wednesday. And then on Friday, my key wouldn't work.

My gym is open 24/7, and the only way to get in is with a bar code on a key fob. And even if folks there know you're a member, if your key doesn't work, they aren't supposed to let you in. And there's no staff there at 6 a.m. to answer questions.

So, humiliated, I left. And went to Walmart.

(At least I got some walking in, right?)

I was so furious! I was going to call and give someone a piece of my mind!

And then, about an hour later, I remembered - our bank had issued us new debit cards at the beginning of the month because of a "possible security breach." They gave us a couple of weeks to activate the new ones, and they deactivated the old ones.

And my bank draft for my membership was on the old card.

So, since it was too early to change that (no staff until 9 a.m.) I changed all the other things that were hooked to it - Netflix, The Grocery Game, a couple other things.

Man, I spend a lot of money each month without even thinking about it.

When the staff was in, I called and changed the number. But, I was frightened. What if I went, and it still didn't work?

Monday Jason got up to walk the dogs, and saw me still in my PJs sipping coffee, and said, "You didn't go to the gym?"

Nope. I was waiting until the staff was in, and trying my card again, so that if it didn't work I could have someone to talk to, I said.

Except, I didn't do that. And yesterday, when Anna Marie was at my mom's so I could have gone (Jason was at work), I didn't go. I walked the dogs instead.

(It isn't like I haven't been getting exercise, y'all. I am now the owner of two large dogs, and let me tell you, walking them is a real workout!)

And then, just as I was about to return them to their pen and feed them breakfast, Delta broke the leash and chased a little boy across the street. She's never done that, so I don't know what her deal was. I don't think she would've bit him, but it broke my heart to see the look of terror on his face! She stopped at the sidewalk, and I guess he turned the corner and hid.

I guess when I was leashing her, I'd hooked the clip to the small keychain-like ring that held her tags, instead of the big ring on her collar. When she bolted, she went one way, the ring snapped, and her tags went the other way. I spent about 15 minutes looking for those things!

But, this morning, my key worked. And I walked on the treadmill - I'm increasing my incline, to get a better workout in the same amount of time - and I was glad I did. I was getting out of the "habit" of going, but it felt really, really good to accomplish that this morning and get it out of the way.

No more laying out for a week for me! The guilt alone is enough to kill a body!

Oh, the irony!

I am awake, on a Saturday, and it's not even 6 a.m.

That, in and of itself, should be a federal offense.

But, it proved to be the perfect time to write this post! Who knew?

In the past month that I've been going to the gym, I've had lots of people surprised and impressed that I get up at 5 a.m. to fit it in. Those who know me in real life know that I've always been more of a night owl than a morning person, and the others, well, I guess it's just the idea of rising that early that colors them impressed.

But, dear reader, I have discovered that if I don't get up that early and exercise, it won't get done at all. I've adopted the old Nike slogan about the whole situation: Just Do It!

I don't really enjoy getting up before dawn. I don't really enjoy leaving my house when it's still cold outside, so that I have to wear a coat over my gym clothes. I don't really enjoy the potential to lose another hour of sleep.

But - I do enjoy knowing that I'm doing something good for myself, and I do enjoy the feeling of accomplishment after I've completed another session of Couch to 5K training, and I do enjoy know that it's one less thing I have to get accomplished that day.

I get all Nike on the situation, then, and just do it.

And I've been thinking about addressing this for a while, and lo and behold, I get this email from Spark People about why it's beneficial to exercise in the morning!

So, go, peruse the article (and while you're there, see all the other neat stuff that Spark People has. Their food tracker has gotten me excited about journaling about).

In the interest of full disclosure, I'm not going to the gym today, though. It's Saturday, and I'm going to bask in the glow of my television for a bit before I take Anna Marie to Memphis to meet one of her favorite authors, Mary Pope Osbourne. She's the writer of all those Magic Treehouse books that kid has been devouring, and it seems there's a bit of a book signing today.

Now, then - where's my coffee?

You say "potato" I say "almost an athlete"

Remember a couple of years ago when I started the Couch to 5K program?

No, then you can click here. But hurry back!


Hahahaha. Ha ha.

That lasted about as long as Anna Marie's resolve to keep her room clean every day.

Now, though, I'm hoping it'll be a different story. Since I've joined a gym, I have access to a treadmill. That's indoors! When it's 25 degrees outside! And I said to myself, "Self, this would be a PERFECT time to start back up on your Couch to 5K aspirations!"

(Yes, I use big words like "aspirations" when talking to myself. Don't you?)

I have two podcasts that I've downloaded - the "official" C25K, and one called PodRunner Intervals. I like the second better, mainly because the first one features a guy talking over the music. That really messes up my groove, y'all! The PodRunner podcast just gives me an audio signal when it's time to change from running to walking and vice-versa.

Now, my gym is the super-high-tech kind, with motorized treadmills. How do I make this work? With the speed controls, of course! There are two sets on these machines, one of which is right by my hands, so I can change speeds pretty quickly - like, say, during the audio signal.

The only thing I knew I was going to miss was being able to zone out and watch TV while I ran, but then I hit upon another solution - I watch it anyway! I can't hear it, because my earbuds are in my iPod, so I pick something like QVC that I can just watch without sound. Brilliant!

I'll probably never run a 5K, of course, but I think that this will help step up my training on the three days a week I do it. Plus, it can't help but make me a better walker when the Five Star Races come around this June!

Now, if I could only convince Jason that I could use a new pair of shoes, all would be right with the world.

(Not quite) all the deets on the races

I had hoped to have a little more information about the Five Star Races before I posted again.

Like, for instance, my time.

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to track down the person who has that vital information. Suffice it to say, it wasn't the fastest in the pack, or even the fastest in my age group.

(I also had hoped to be home long enough to post again. That only happened just now.)

Anna Marie had her first half-mile run on Friday night. It was also the first time she was competing with older kids, some as old as nine.

It was not the first time she didn't win. Poor baby - she came in DEAD last. I mean, so far behind the rest of the pack that I was starting to get concerned that maybe she'd gotten hurt, and I was about to go searching the course for her.

Then, there she came - blazing in her bright green glory. And beside her, on the grass was my mother! She was running alongside, in her sandals and long skirt.

The crowd went wild! Shirley from work started yelling for her. And then the announcer guy started yelling for her in the microphone. And then the group of people from a home for folks with mental disabilities started yelling for her!

By the time she finally made it to the finish line, there were great gobs of people chanting, "Come on, Anna Marie!"

She told me that her legs were hurting, and she was tired, and she almost stopped, but she kept on going! I told her that was the important thing in life: that it didn't matter how pretty, or smart, or talented you were, that if you gave up and didn't finish, you weren't going to do anything in life.

Ah, the beauty of a teachable moment.

I knew then that, come Hell or high water, I had to get through my two-mile walk.

It was SO much cooler this year than last year. And I am about 10 - 15 pounds lighter than last year, but I don't think that was as big a factor as the temperature. I set my iPod to play one of my favorite praise and worship albums, and I set out on my way.

And I did it - I finished! I think it took me about half an hour, which would be okay. It took me about 33 minutes two years ago (the last time I actually finished.)

On top of the competition on the course, there was also a competition to see which group could have the most members signed up. My Weight Watchers group came in second, with 17 members! I was so proud of everyone - nearly every one of our ladies got a trophy of some sort!

After the walk we were all in line at the post-race buffet, and my WW leader was just ahead of me, pointing to the veggie tray and telling us that we DID NOT have to eat that. She gave us carte blanche to eat whatever we wanted to - and forbade us to look at her plate, or anyone elses', critically.

I don't care that I didn't win. I don't care that I didn't place. All I care about is that I finished, and so did all my WW ladies, and so did Anna Marie.

Was I sore on Saturday? You bet your sweet bippy I was. And Sunday too. But I knew I'd earned it, and mentally, I felt like a million bucks.

And Anna Marie and I have already gotten together our game plan for training for next year. We'll be ready!

Success!

Lordy Bagordy, I'm tired, so this will be short. I'll post the full story tomorrow.

Suffice it to say, I actually finished the two-mile walk this year! (Unlike last year, when I wussed out and got heat exhaustion and spent the next two days recuperating.)

Did I get a trophy? No. Did a whole bunch of my Weight Watchers buddies? Heck yeah!

But I finished, and tonight that is enough. More than enough.

And I feel about a bazillion times better than I did after last year's race.

Everything I've got hurts, so I bid you all goodnight.

Until tomorrow . . .

Official Thursday Weigh-In

Remember last week when I gulp gained two pounds?

Well, this week I lost a half of one of those. I'm at 148.5 this week.

I have, however been streaking.

Exercise streaking.

Mel at The Diet Naked Blog is challenging everyone to exercise every day during the month of June. And I read her post on Monday, and I just happened to have exercised Sunday, so I did some Monday and was all caught up! And now it's June 5, and that's five days in a row!

This morning, I didn't feel like exercising, but I thought, "I'm on a streak! I've got to keep going!"

So I did.

(I also ate a scoop of vanilla ice cream, with a bit of toppings, tonight at the school board meeting I attended. This was the superintendent's last meeting, since he's retiring, and I figured I might as well. And you know what - I'm going to be OK. Because I used to eat that way all the time, and never exercise, and now I eat like that occasionally and exercise regularly. And that's the way it should be.)

I did it!

I made myself exercise tonight! Outside! In the heat!

I just did it because I told you I needed to, you know. Accountability rocks!

I hate to post this and run, but I'm watching Ocean's Twelve and they're just in a commercial break.

Is it wrong to say movies like this make me want to be a master thief?

Your vanity moment for today.

We have a two-mile walk coming up in our town in about three weeks.

(Well, we also have a 5K run that night, but that really doesn't apply to me, because I don't even run when chased. I just collapse on the ground.)

I've entered the walk the past two years. The first year, I got a trophy! Third place in my age range!

Last year, I got big fat nothing, because I got heat exhaustion and had to quit.

(You wouldn't think that two miles would be a big deal, but it's HOT out there on that pavement, and it's on a very hilly college campus, and you're trying to walk fast so you can get a trophy. Ergo, it's a very big deal.)

My wonderful WW leader, who also participates, suggested that I walk outside when the weather got warmer (as opposed to inside, where it's nice and cool and I have a TV!) so my body could get used to the temperature gradually.

And it dawned on me this morning that I hadn't been training like that! And the event is less than three weeks away!

Panic ensued.

Since it's already climbing into the 90's here in the Deep South, early morning would be the ideal time. But I do nothing in an ideal way, so I didn't go walking before work. And I thought about doing it at lunch, but then I went to the restroom and saw my reflection.

And I thought: man, I am FINALLY having a good hair day.

No way am I messing that up to go walking and get all hot and sweaty, and then have to come right back to work!

Guess I'll just have to find time, at least today, to go out after supper.

Because good hair days aren't easy to come by, and I sure as heck am not wasting one!

(If you're here for Heather's carnival, this post is obviously not one about God meeting me. Because obviously I'm still struggling with the sin of vanity. You'll just have to scroll down to get to the good stuff!)

Me + running =

One really bad idea.

I am such a big wimp!

I've decided to do the Couch to 5K thing (at Cool Runnings.) The folks over at One Weigh Or Another are also starting up.

So, last night shortly after dinner (mistake #1) I laced up my kicks and headed out.

For those of you who aren't familiar with the CT5K concept, it's simple (if not a bit ridiculous in practice): start off by walking, then run 60-second intervals with 90 seconds in between to "recover."

("Recover." That's an interesting choice of words.)

At any rate, you do the routine three times per week, and then move on to longer periods of running.

Now, don't get me wrong. I have NO intention of running a 5K. At ANY time in the future. I do, however, want to enter our local two mile walk this summer. I did last year, and it took me somewhere around 33 minutes to complete the course. I won third place in my age group (!), but I hope to do better this year.

Basically, I'm trying to push myself physically (and mentally!) and get some new life into my exercise routine.

I found a podcast where the guy plays upbeat music and tells you when to run and when to walk. I thought I was all set.

Let me tell you - that 60 seconds of running turned into about the longest 60 seconds of my life! I walked down to a park (about five minutes) and then did my intervals around the track. The last five or so minutes (the cool down period) I walked back home.

It's chilly here, and I think that was mistake #2. As I was bringing in large quantities of air (OK, gasping for air) my lungs were burning. BURNING. I don't know if warmer air would do the same or not. It made the whole experience that much tougher.

Then, I remembered - I have semi-bad knees. I have no business out here, running this asphault track.

And yet, there I was. And I made it through. I survived.

And when I got home, I wanted to collapse. I guess I went out too soon after dinner, and my blood was wanting to be in my digestive system instead of my brain. I felt like I was going to pass out.

On the way home, I was so nauseated, I was actually plotting out which homes on the way were unoccupied, so I could hurl into their yards if I needed to.

After a winter of my Gazelle, getting out onto the pavement was a bit of a shock to my system.

But, I remain undeterred. I shall shun the couch, and return to the track. I didn't get that "runners high," but I guess since I didn't actually run all that much, maybe that's why.

Now, if I could just convince Jason that I need to invest in a new pair of running shoes…

Ta dah!

As promised, my Very Special Present.

(Sorry for the not-so-great picture. I took it this morning on my way out the door.)

I got it Tuesday. Jason brought it home, and I came in from work to find it smack dab in the middle of the kitchen where he'd assembled it. Thanks hon!

I really, really like it. It's got a counter that tells you how far, how fast, and how many minutes you've gone, along with how many calories you've burned. I really don't trust that last measure, but the others are all good.

And when the commercials say it's a total body workout, they aren't kidding! I've done a mile a day on it for the past three days, and I can really feel it all over. That's why I chose it over the recumbent bike I was considering, because I didn't think the bike would give me the upper-body workout I needed. I only have a short space of time to work out (I'm so important and pressed for time, you know) so I needed to maximize every minute.

Anna Marie loves it too. I'm not sure how safe it is for her to get on it, but she just kind of swings back and forth a little. I told her she could only get on if I was in the room to watch her.

I hate having it in the middle of the living room, but I don't really have any other place for it. I'd put it in my room, but the bed takes up most of the space. Also, I don't have to worry about disturbing Jason if he's got an early day and has already gone to bed.

Guess it's a good thing I got exercise equipment for Christmas, since I did gain that pound!

My mom is going to get the Ab Lounge. I told her we can switch up - she can come over and do the Gazelle (once her foot heals - she had another surgery yesterday) and I can go to her house to get on the Ab Lounge. Perfect!

I'm really hoping I can keep up my exercise streak. Wish me luck!

P.S. - I'm so (as Anna Marie would say) insighted - we get off at noon again today! Yippee!