<p>I am back from completing the 5K race with my daughter at Disneyworld this weekend. My daughter loved the whole race environment and is already planning to train to do the half-marathon next year.</p>
<p>I, on the other hand, made some mistakes that made the race more painful that it otherwise might have been. I do most of my exercising on my treadmill, which I like pretty well now. I had done a few practice 3-mile walk/jog intervals around my neighborhood just so the 5K wouldn’t be my first outdoor experience but I hadn’t really thought about how things would be different with thousands of other people around. At home, I always start out walking for a few minutes and then start the intervals–2 minutes jogging followed by 1 minute walking. At the race, everyone started out running (which, of course, I should have realized would happen!). Without even thinking, I was jogging, and then I had to think about whether to stop, but my routine was already distrupted so it took me too long to stop and walk. I did finish, and pretty much in the same time as I would have at home on the treadmill, but I felt like I struggled a lot more. </p>
<p>The other mistake was not to bring my ipod and headphones. The race instructions said not to, because there would be instructions given that we would have to pay attention to, but many people were wearing headphones, and if there were any instructions that we were given along the way, I missed them even without the headphones.</p>
I have joined a couple of other forums for support with some of my health issues and have to admit I’m guilty of having been judgmental of taking pharmaceuticals, although H works for one. I’m still dabbling a bit, but things are definitely more stable than they were in October and November.
I joined Snap Fitness - they just opened a brand new location near me and all the equipment is new. The owner actually owns a large construction business and did the build out on his own, so I suspect it’s one of the nicer Snap Fitness clubs. My trainer has a membership, there, too, but what’s best is that I have 24/7 access. Late yesterday afternoon when our local park district gym had closed for the day, I decided to go workout and I could tell H was a bit envious that I was no longer encumbered to gym hours.
I’ve been back with my trainer for about two months now; we initially started with two, one-hour sessions twice a week, but it was kicking my butt, so we have retreated to two, half-hour sessions twice a week, and I’m trying to get into the gym once or twice otherwise. It’s not a bad deal… $25 enrollment fee and $25/month. No long-term commitments required.
During one of my earlier one-hour sessions, I started having some palpitations which would not go away unless I stopped the exercise. At that point, I knew I was doing too much, and still have some medication tweaking to do.
Sorry to hear about changes to your life, too, but hope your routine brings the kind of consistency to your life that you’ll likely need. And hopefully spring is right around the corner, right?
<p>Personally, I had to quit soda and sugar juice completely. It’s just always been a “gating” item for me. When I’m drinking soda and sweet tea and juices, I gain weight. When I’m not drinking it, I don’t. There’s just no halfway for me. If I start buying 2-liter Pepsi, I’m in trouble. On the other hand, there have been plenty of other foods that’s I’ve ratcheted back in stages. For most of my fat loss, I was eating a pasta or pizza dinner once a week. Now, almost never. Italian ice has been replaced with Fuji apples. I’ve stopped adding oyster crackers to soup. Etc, etc, etc. So, Counting Down’s hubby probably has some more changes on the horizon.</p>
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<p>Teriwitt:</p>
<p>Back to the gym sounds great and there’s no need to grind yourself down trying to do too much. I suspect that 90% of the benefit of exercise comes from the first 10% of the workout time. Couple times a week is plenty for huge benefit.</p>
<p>Yay for completing the 5K. More party hats!</p>
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<p>That’s why I went and did the exact course several times. I had a plan programmed into my Garmin and, by god, I was going to stick to that plan on race day, no matter what! I did figure out after a couple of practice runs that I should plug in 200 meters of jogging at the start line, just to get going and not be tempted to break my plan. So I jogged 200 meters and then fell into my run 400 meters/walk 400 meters schedule.</p>
<p>Oooooof. Lots of lifting at the gym this morning, then almost 3 miles on the elliptical. Then almost 3 miles with the dogs in the woods. Ooooooof.</p>
I know those were tough steps for him, and I am VERY glad he’s taken them, but he has also been pretty clear that he has no plans to start exercising or making other dietary changes. I would like him to be around for a while, ya know? Also makes it hard for me to be diligent about my own health (and I have PCOS and metabolic syndrome, so I know if I don’t do something, I will be in the same boat). For example – he just left work to head home. (Yes, it is SUNDAY.) Won’t be here for another half-hour. Dinner tonight – 9:30 pm.
<p>CD: How would your H react if you ate dinner earlier, without him? If H or I is going to be late for dinner, we have always assumed that the other will eat whenever she/he wants.</p>
<p>Yeah. I would just eat. That’s why God made microwave ovens! Just nuke his plate when he gets home. I eat at 9:30 some nights, but it would be unreasonable to expect a spouse to wait that late.</p>
<p>It is kind of crazy that someone is diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and still drinking any soda or fruit juice, but the docs don’t always make a very clear connection between carbs and diabetes.</p>
<p>Just because he’s going to eat so late doesn’t mean you’re required to do so also.</p>
<p>You need to separate your behavior from what he chooses to do. If he’s going to have bad habits, you need to detach. You might even become a good example for him.</p>
<p>I am opposed to the use of headphones/music in races. I believe the runners need to be aware of others around them and any safety issues. I realize this is not the mindset of the majority of casual racers, but it should be.</p>
<p>I’m in the office right now - just went for a 1 mile run - felt great - I could have gone a lot farther but I have work to do. Running daily does make it easier to run the next day, and the next. 1 Mile + lots of strength training seems to be a good formula for me for the weekends. At least while the weather is not so hot.</p>
<p>I think that my son either ran into someone or someone ran into him this past summer. I don’t know the circumstances - could have been someone trying to pass or him passing someone with a sudden movement. He’s built like a brick wall but it did startle him. You need to be aware of people around you in a race if it’s densely packed.</p>
<p>Had one of our members telling me about a guy he knows who just ended a running streak…</p>
<p>Something like 7139 days straight running… ended because he had to have arthoscopic surgery on both knees apparently. Ran all the way up to the morning of surgery…</p>
<p>I don’t know what his average mileage was or anything like that. This guy is a big name here in St. Louis when it comes to running both as a competitor and as a running store owner…</p>
<p>Woke up sore this morning - glutes, quads, abductors. Probably the split squats and some weight exercises that I haven’t done in a long time or with higher loads. I’m going to skip running today and probably tomorrow. Running with sore leg muscles isn’t a good idea for me as it usually means adjusting my style which can lead to injury. The strange thing is that my run last night felt so good. I guess it can take some time for the soreness to set in.</p>
<p>Will shoot for a serious stretching session instead.</p>
<p>My Sunday routine has been, for several years, to lift heavy things over my head as well as to lie down on a bench and do some flies with 15-pound weights, so other things while lying down with 20-pound weights, and so on. I discovered that substituting the stability ball for the bench creates new challenges. (Head and upper back on the ball, legs bent, core hanging in mid-air.) My arms are sore and my core – which one must work very hard to stay stable on the ball – is also feeling it a bit.</p>
<p>Countingdown–your H sounds like mine. Works long hours, plenty of stress, dx of Type 2, and refuses to exercise. His blood sugar is actually ok b/c he’s also on Actos in addition to the Metformin, but Actos makes it HARDER for the body to lose weight, so that’s bad. </p>
<p>I do NOT wait for him to come home to eat dinner. The kids and I (when we had kids at home) would eat at a reasonable hour, and he was happy to have whatever I had saved him when he came home at 8 or even later.</p>
<p>teriwitt–welcome back! You are only knocked down when you don’t get up again, is my philosophy. :)</p>
<p>I just brushed & flossed my teeth so I wouldn’t be tempted by the THIN MINTS which are in the house. Dam those cute little girl scouts. I have to take the cookies to a meeting or something to get rid of them.</p>
I have to take the cookies to a meeting or something to get rid of them.</p>