Glorious SWEAT!!!

I remember when I made the realization that I'm not a non-sweating hard worker like I had always thought.  When I work hard I SWEAT.  I don't perspire.  I don't glisten.  I pour sweat out of what feels like every pour in my body!  When I finish a work out, I have to hang my clothes to dry before I can put them in the "funky clothes" pile (AKA the bathtub).


Ever since shoulder surgery I haven't been allowed to work out (other than PT and that hasn't made me produce wetness).   That constraint came to a halt at my last doctor appointment!!  (You know the one where he told me I could do "anything I want"!)  So yesterday I got to put on an actual SPORTS BRA and workout clothes (spin shorts) for a REASON and hit the gym.

I was teaching Spin and to say I was nervous would be an understatement.  I wasn't sure what kind of

shape I'd be in after two full months completely off.  Would my butt hurt like a new comer?  Would I be able to spin and talk at the same time?  Would my legs revolt and give out part way into class?  I didn't want to teach an easy class, but the beauty of Spin class is that you are in control of your own bike.  You determine RPMs and resistance.  But, I didn't want to make it easy...and besides a good bit of the class I was teaching was standing and you have to put enough resistance on the wheel to stand safely.  (I could have moved it up and down, but I didn't WANT to need to do that!)

And...I DIDN'T!!  I'm not going to lie...it was a mental challenge, but I DID IT!!  And, I poured SWEAT!!!  I was soaked when I got done.  And, I LOVED IT!!!

To make it even better, it was almost a two shower day!  After Spin I showered and ran errands before going to PT later in the afternoon.  I knew I was going to get to work harder so I wore a clean/dry sport bra and workout shirt (something I haven't had to do in the last eight weeks), but decided to wear blue jeans since I was just working my upper body.  Imagine my surprise when I realized I was actually sweating!!!  I wasn't dripping, but I was certainly showing the beginning of a glisten!!

Up for today--teaching another Spin class and at home PT.

I am laying down some bricks!!!

Until next time...
:D

Overdoing It??

I'm supposed to be coming back to running "slowly", without "overdoing it". 

Well, what exactly does that mean??  "Overdoing".  In true NORK* fashion, I looked it up.  (*Yes, I made that word up--part nerd, part dork..."derd" just isn't right!)  Mirriam-Webster says it's doing something in excess or to exhaust.

Well, I think I got very close to "overdoing" it today...if I didn't in fact cross over that imaginary line.  The thing is...for all you runners reading this...don't we all overdo it?  Isn't that kind of the point of training?  You find that line where you think you've given all you have and then go just a bit more.  You run as fast as you can, and then just a bit faster.  Or you run as long/far as you think you can and then just a little longer/farther.

Today I started my run with my Newton's...only about a half mile (I'll write more about them later).  Then I changed shoes and joined up with Turtle.  The run I planned for us was three minutes running a bit faster than "comfortable"/two minutes walking for a couple of miles....and that's almost exactly what we did.  (We did 3/2, 3/2, 2/2, 2/2, 2/cool down.  Man!  What a great run.  I can tell I've improved a great deal because I seriously didn't feel like I needed to stop after the first three minute interval.  Running with her is SERIOUSLY helping me.  She doesn't realize what good shape she's in.  She struggles, but not like I did when I started out.  She reminds me of Speedy-she wants to say she's "slow" or "can't" go further...but she certainly can.

Anyway, I digress....our average pace over all was somewhere around 12 (I forgot to stop the Garmin when we finished).  The best I can tell, our average running pace was about 10.  Our average "best" pace was about 9!!

But, really, that was a digression as well....because what I was really talking about was "overdoing" it.  After my great run, I went to a spinning class.  Today was the first time I stood up on the bike.  Talk about HARD.  I could sit in the saddle "all day", but standing up?  Jesh!  That really took it out of me.  Another neighbor went with me and she said her experience is just the opposite-she could stand "all day" but sitting is harder for her.

About half or two thirds through it, I felt what I can only describe as a bee sting in my right calf.  Ouch.  It didn't last long, but, at that point I had a decision to make, a decision I didn't even realize I was making.  I had to decide what "overdoing" means to me.  I quickly sat down and slowed down, but I kept going.  The sting pretty much went away....so after spinning I went to the Extreme Abs class!

My abs IMMEDIATELY started screaming at me, "YOU'RE OVERDOING IT!!!!"  I seriously couldn't do half of what I did Monday.  I tried, but I just simply couldn't.  Thankfully, my neighbor (who I conveniently rode with) had to leave before we started glutes.

When I came home I took an ice bath and then (after my real shower) I iced the "sting" (10 on, 10 off) for about an hour.  It isn't hurting so I think it's okay...  I think I found that fine line that runs between quitting too early and overdoing it...and I might have crossed just a few toes over it.  I think in order to be classified as "overdoing" the whole foot has to be over the line, so I'm good!

I think I'll wait until tomorrow to decide if I'll do Body Power or take a rest day.  After all, I don't want to ...well, you get it.


FOOD UPDATE

I don't think I've done a food update in a while.  I have given up the food on my list of allergies for about a month, with only a few little snafus here and there.  I feel much better when I'm not eating the stuff on the list.  My appetite is great-I don't feel hungry or have food cravings like I usually do.  Eating out is the hardest thing.  It used to be one of my favorite things....but now, it just completely stresses me out.  I hate it.  Just thinking about it makes me feel anxious.  We're going to Olive Garden tonight for my daughter's birthday dinner (her choice)...I'm NOT looking forward to it at all.  (At least not the eating part.)  It's hard to figure out what I can and can't eat, and garlic is in just about everything! 

But the good news is that I feel great.  I've maintained the weight loss, although I'm not losing any more.  And...amazingly enough, my thyroid (that's been swollen for about 5 years) feels completely back to normal!!  I've been on Synthroid for almost 8 months...I don't think that's what has caused the shrinkage that's happened just this month!

I am fast on my way to becoming a zealot about the dangers of food allergies!!

Thanks for stopping in; come again soon!
:D

Rules.....

I subscribe to Runner's World and get a daily email with all kinds of helpful information.  My favorite section is the forum.

The other day a fairly new runner had a question about the "10% rule".  For those of you who haven't heard of it, basically the "rule" says you shouldn't increase your mileage by more than 10% a week.  The poster asked if it was okay to increase a single run with 10% of the weekly mileage.  This question sparked a very lengthy argument debate.  One zealous writer pretty much blasted the "rule" saying it should be completely ignored.  One poster actually took it to mean you "should" increase your mileage by 10% every week.

Then there were people like me....who said, "I need rules".  If I had followed this rule when I started out, I don't "think" I would have gotten injured.  Maybe I'm wrong...who knows.  We can't turn back the clock to find out what would have happened, but I know one thing's for sure, I'm going to keep it in mind when I can finally get back out there again.

The whole conversation got me to thinking about rules in general and why it is that I like them (generally speaking).  I think for me, they provide clear boundaries.  When I was younger, those lines were seen more like state lines, begging to be crossed over in order to discover exciting new territory.  Now that I'm a little older, and hopefully wiser, I like to think of them as bowling alley bumpers.  If I can stay inside the lane I'll do much better in this game called life.

What's really important is learning the "rules", and especially what they really mean.  Not just in running...but in every aspect of life.


I know...you can't wait for me to get back to running either, right?

Thanks for stopping in, come again soon.


BTW--I did get some bike shorts-and LOVE THEM.   I actually finished a whole spinning class on Monday without feeling like my nether regions were on fire.  Those veteran spinners were right-one week in the saddle toughened up more than just my leg muscles!  Tomorrow's challenge--an hour spin class followed by "Extreme Abs" (about 15 minutes abs, 15 minutes glutes)....I really don't think I have glutes, but maybe this class will help me find them!!

Props to Spinners!

Wow.

I went to my first spinning class today.  Let me say--I have complete respect for spinners.  I'm sure that riding a real bike on a real road is much harder.  But we road "up" and "down" about 12 hills whereas if I were riding a real bike I would have picked a relatively flat route--especially for my first time.

I should have known it was going to be hard when I walked into the room and the temperature was about 60 degrees.  Even still, everyone there had a towel!!  One woman had her arms in her shirt it was so cold--but they all told me not to worry, I would be grateful for the air as soon as we got started.  They were so right!  It didn't take 5 minutes for us to want the 3rd and 4th fans on--and that was with all the lights off!!  (There's like a little spotlight on the instructor.)

From the moment I sat on that rock they want to call a bike seat, I realized what this thing is for in the all bike shorts I've seen.  Yes, I "knew" but there's a big difference in knowing something intellectually and knowing it personally.  My legs felt the work out...my heart rate certainly felt the work out....but the real test of my will happened where my body parts met the leather.  Thin running shorts do NOTHING in the way of padding.  My butt is wide, but trust me-there is NOT enough to pad a bike seat in the places that matter.  I will be investing in either a gel seat or a super expensive (meaning super thick and padded) chamois before my next class!  Without going into any more unnecessary detail--I'm sure my husband will appreciate the investment.    ((BTW, for you experienced spinners out there, my calf injury prevented me from standing up.))

As if an hour of bike hell wasn't bad enough, I went straight from there to Body Pump.  That class makes me feel strong.  When I'm "pumping iron" I feel like THIS, although I probably look a little more like THIS!  I don't want to get all buffed up or anything, but I would like to be stronger and have some muscle definition.  I want to believe this class will help me get closer to that goal.

While I was straining to lift those weights pumping all that iron, I noticed the instructor still had the timing tag on her shoe from Cotton Row.  After class I asked her what her time was--54 minutes.  Then she had to go and tell me she just started running in January!!  Now, I'm not going to go beating myself up because she's been a trainer for 8 years.  She had a considerable head start on me in the fitness department.  She had a solid base of strength and cardio that I'm going to say gave her a huge head start.  But...she also just ran the Country Music 1/2 Marathon a few weeks ago!  (From what I've heard this is a seriously difficult race---and she did it in just over 2:10.)  Impressive.  But, again, she's a professional physical fitness trainer.  I refuse to compare myself --an arthritic, slightly overweight, out of shape 40 year old-- to her (I'll skip the adjectives).  Kudos to her.  That's what I say (even if I did call her a bad name in my head at first).

After I finished wiping up my sweat, and picking up my jaw from talking to Miss Fasty-Pants, I felt GREAT.  I'm so glad I went.  I'm even more glad I did both classes.  There really is something to the endorphins that exercise provides.  I feel like a new person.  I still want to run and I can't wait until I can hit the trails again...but spinning and weight lifting are pretty darn good substitutes in the interim.

Thanks for stopping in.   Come again soon!
:D