<p>A beautiful morning to be outside here as well; a sunny 65 degrees already. I did a quick two miles–walking with a few spurts of running. Confession: I’ve never been able to run long distances. Even trying to build up my endurance with short intervals, I get too easily winded with the impact of running. This has been true my whole life. I’ve gone through stages of doing step aerobics, high impact aerobics, kick boxing, equestrian (dressage and hunt, western), tennis, downhill skiing, step machine, and even the elliptical machine without difficulty. But running always sets me back. There must be others that get no joy or endurance from their running? I do love to walk and thank goodness that’s almost always a pleasure!</p>
<p>PlantMom- my guess would be that you try to run too fast. It is very important to start VERY slowly, and stay slow for a long time. Even if it feels like walking, you should be at a conversational pace. I think you would find that you could build up endurance. People who hate running or can’t do it are almost always trying to go too fast. </p>
<p>My bronchitis won this morning. Must be something about Saturdays… I, fortunately, bailed on the long run plan because I wasn’t feeling it, event though it was a beautiful morning. Went with H to where he was starting his run and ran my 4 miles with hacking and coughing. HR, after being almost too low all week long during my runs, was way too high the whole time this morning. Something isn’t right. 4.2 done and I actually feel a little better.</p>
<p>MOWC, sorry to hear you’re still under the weather. I hope the bronchitis clears up soon.</p>
<p>PlantMom, not to say there’s any reason to run if it doesn’t appeal to you, but when you’ve tried running in the past did you use a particular program? C25K is nice because it’s gradual and it’s all laid out for you. You can take the 9 weeks to work up to 5K or stretch it out longer if you like. Here’s the link. </p>
<p>[The</a> Couch-to-5K ® Running Plan | C25K Mobile App](<a href=“http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml]The”>http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml) </p>
<p>(scroll down the page to see the weekly schedule)</p>
<p>TRX class today and then did Hop’s challenge afterwards. While I was in the weight area, I watched a guy pushing a sled-like machine and decided to try it. OMG (as my kids would say)! This sled machine was a killer. I had a 25 lb weight on it and made a circle around the gym. Did it twice–had to rest between circuits. My HR was at 88%. </p>
<p>This is the piece of equipment I used:</p>
<p>[Gym</a> Equipment/sled Sw-8010 - Buy Fitness Equipment,Gym Equipment,Fitness Machine Product on Alibaba.com](<a href=“This product is no longer available.”>This product is no longer available.)</p>
<p>Thanks MofWildChild and Deborah T. I’m looking at the C25K program right now. I think the last time I attempted to build endurance, I tried something like this. But I suspect I tried to cheat the system by running too fast. Perhaps I will make this a personal challenge and try the “running” at walking pace. I also find that running makes me overheat, and that’s yet another challenge with the climate I live in now (mostly hot, humid). I’m that person that gets the bright red face after almost all exercise (always have–very distressing in the good old high school gym class days). But, in the interest of pumping up an exercise routine, I’m willing to try again. Running is just so darned convenient.</p>
<p>Update: I just downloaded the free app for couch to 5K on my phone. I can run my pedometer app at the same time. I’ll give it a whirl tomorrow.</p>
<p>Bromfied:</p>
<p>That would be great. Sleds are VERY popular with the top athletic trainers. Widely used for football players to improve their 40 yard dash sprint times before the NFL draft. I guess that short distance sprinting is all about power and this is actually the main drill they use to prep for faster sprinting.</p>
<p>[Mike</a> Boyle: Pushing Sleds for the NFL Combine](<a href=“http://www.stack.com/video/13588228001/Mike-Boyle-Sled-Runs/]Mike”>http://www.stack.com/video/13588228001/Mike-Boyle-Sled-Runs/)</p>
<p>I’ve never had a chance to push a sled, but I pushed enough sofas and stuff on sliders around during our move that I know how quicky it gasses me. Talk about using all the big muscles…</p>
<p>PlantMom:</p>
<p>I’m in exactly the same boat. Running sends my heart rate soaring and I’m gassed in a quarter mile. I know that MOWC is right. If I wanted to do sustained running, I would need to slow down – literally to the point where I’m running slower than I can walk. I look at it as a blessing, though, because I’m not really sold on running as a good exercise option for me. It’s a very high injury risk. So I’m happy being able to use it for some walk/run intervals without a lot of mileage. Plus, the goal of effective running training is to teach the body to exert less and less energy per mile or per minute of running. That’s the opposite of what I want when I exercise. I want to exert the most energy in the least amount of time or distance.</p>
<p>Downside: I can’t run a mile. And, honestly, I doubt that I’ll ever run a mile non-stop. I end up running a total of about 1.5 miles on my 5K walk/jogs, but I do it in 12 bursts of running alternating with 12 bits of walking. It’s the same way I use the Airdyne. I could get on it and pedal at a leisurely 40 rpm for an hour. Or I can go as hard as I can for 10 seconds (100 rpm) or 80 seconds (70 rpm) or whatever and alternate that with easy rest. That is certainly more effective for fat loss (high intensity exercise improves insulin sensitivity) and I can get a crazy good workout in 20 minutes. It may be better for cardiac health and life-expectancy. One of the best correlations is with a fast heart rate recovery rate. It appears that repeated cycles of high heart rate and rest probably trains that response.</p>
<p>I have, however, put MOWC’s advice to good use hiking. A slower pace actually ends up being faster over the long haul. I’ve had to learn to really slow down to go longer distances without my heart rate climbing too high. No way I’m going to climb for a couple of hours with my heart rate above 90% of my max, so I’ve got to find a combination of pace and short rest breaks that allow me to keep my heart rate more in the 75% to 80% range. There’s a specific hiking technique that involves literally resting for a split second between every step for just that reason.</p>
<p>4.82 (new high since Wednesday’s 4.6). Avg. mile 9:35…did 20 quick push-ups then off to bike 6 miles w/ DH.</p>
<p>Took our boat out on the river this afternoon for the first time since Labor Day. Had fun watching the ducks dive for food.
Beautiful day …almost 60 degrees…what a gift.<br>
Plan to kayak on the river tomorrow…that’ll be my upper body work for the weekend:)</p>
<p>I can’t really say that I “like” running. MOWC and others have stated that “running is stupid” which I totally agree with! It’s also hard compared to (IMHO) swimming/cycling. If I couldn’t race, I don’t think it would be my fitness routine focus.</p>
<p>Went to the local sports store and got a medicine ball, a big stabilty ball,and a heavier kettle ball. They didn’t have any TRX or knock-offs so I guess I’ll have to order them. There really isn’t enough floor space in the basement currently anyway. Since the car was parked two blocks away at the library I got some exercise just hauling those suckers back to the car! Cleaned out a whole bunch of empty boxes out of the basement and took some stuff out to the garage and contemplated other stuff which should no doubt get given away or get tossed. </p>
<p>Did the challenge - to my surprise I actually managed to do 19 pushups without a break. I may squeeze in the day off exercises from Rachel Carsgrove later today.</p>
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<p>Now THAT is a productive shopping trip! All of those things will make you suffer… in a good way.</p>
<p>Amazon and Perform Better both have the Jungle Gym XT for $99.95… It does occasionally go on sale as cheap as $79.99</p>
<p>1 mile run today. I felt kind of blah all day so nice to get something in. I had one pair of shorts left (the running shorts that I bought from RoadRunner and Marshalls). These shorts all have one zippered pocket which is perfect for my iPod Nano which is what I’m using now for music. I’m using my old Sennheiser headset and they work well enough.</p>
<p>I’m waiting for my RMA approval email and then I guess that they’ll send me a new or refurbished one along with a mailer to return the dead one.</p>
<p>I’m going to have to redo the songs on the iPod Nano and relevel my music. The iPhone automatically levels the music. I don’t know whether or not the iPod Nano does that. So for now, I’m going to be going on wired.</p>
<p>Edit: Just looked at the specs of the current iPod Nano - pretty nice - it has BlueTooth built-in and it has gone back to playing video. On iPhones - basically I’m not going to go running with a $700 device that’s relatively fragile. At least not when it’s relatively new.</p>
<p>4.15 miles - longest on a treadmill. First 3.5 miles in 6.3 MPH, push the wrong button so the next 0.5 was between 4.5 to 5.5; last 0.15 was cool down walk. </p>
<p>It is all mental, I am pretty sure I could run at least 5 miles none stop at above 6 MPH speed. But decide that is long enough.</p>
<p>One thing I do notice is that I don’t sweat as much now as when I just start running. At the first mile mark, I was barely sweating at all. I think our body will get use to the routing and becomes more efficient. So I will have to run longer distance to spend the same amount of cal. This is why losing weight is so difficult.</p>
<p>PlantMom, until now, I have never run this much in my life. I was very active in college days but never did enjoy running. </p>
<p>When I started this weight loss journey last May, I could barely walk a mile w/o feeling totally spent. </p>
<p>Now, I could run for 5+ miles outside on the road but about 3.5 miles on a treadmill. I don’t still enjoy the run but it is the only way for me to burn 500 cal in that short period of time. </p>
<p>While everyone told me to start slow, I went from 0 to 3 miles per run pretty fast. From that, I got an injury that still bother me every now and then. </p>
<p>Now that I am trying to lose about 1% of body weight a week, I HAVE to raise the intensity of my work out, while cutting down intakes. But I am doing it slow this time. Adding .5 to 1 mile probably in week or so. </p>
<p>Again, I run because I have to, not because I want to. I don’t know how to swim and don’t have time to do exercise that burn less than 1000 cal per hour.</p>
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<p>I have since stopped doing pushups. Unless I could put a weight on my neck to increase the resistance. </p>
<p>Now that 44 lb kettlebell would kill me. My lower back is not as flexible I would like. I have found out that kettlebell swing hurts. </p>
<p>What I did was purchased a 35 lb dumbbell on craigslist and use it for swing. I could do quite a few with a that weight but the back hurts.</p>
<p>Pushups are pretty good for runners; especially if you don’t do regular abs workouts.</p>
<p>I stopped messing with the wireless router and networking my TV and Blu-Ray player to the internet and my computer long enough for a good solid workout. I’m at the end of the run with New Rules of Lifting for Life, so I’m getting pretty good at this batch of exercises. Chin ups were really good today. Still can’t do very many of them at a time – I did 4 & 2 to get to my 6-rep sets – but I’m qualtatively doing them a lot better/stronger.</p>
<p>Did the HOPS challenge in one set: 19 of everything. 19 of the kettle bell swings with 44 lbs gets my attention.</p>
<p>DadII: If pushups are too easy, try them with your feet on a stability ball.</p>
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<p>Still crankin’ along on my food tracking. Yesterday was a complete repeat of Thursday. Just under 2000 calories and low carb – huge salad for lunch, buffalo wings and blue cheese dip for dinner. No snacks. Today should be good, too. Poached haddock for dinner. I did have a little salami for a late afternoon snack before my workout, because I knew I would be late with dinner.</p>
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<p>Just google that. Apparently, you could do the push up with your hands on the ball or your feet on the ball. Which one is harder? I know I could do 35 pushup in one set with my feet up in a 1.5 foot stand.</p>
<p>Feet on the ball is harder for pushups. Big core challenge to stay on the ball.</p>
<p>For fun with hands on the ball, try stability ball mountain climbers. Hold each knee tuck for a second or two. Guaranteed to set your obliques on fire.</p>
<p>[Stability</a> Ball Mountain Climber - YouTube](<a href=“Stability Ball Mountain Climber - Reveal Your Abs For Good - Women's Health - YouTube”>Stability Ball Mountain Climber - Reveal Your Abs For Good - Women's Health - YouTube)</p>
<p>Thanks Idad, will give both a try tomorrow.</p>