back to my randomly sporadic updating.
In December, I went to NY from 15-25th. while there I *did* actually go running a few times and my last run was for 31 minutes! it felt great. it was fun, sorta kinda fun, to run outside in a new area (at my father's house in upstate NY) in temperatures that I was more used to - 5-8C or so, grey days. just like amsterdam. It was the holidays, so of course I ate and drank a lot, but I have to say that this time once I got to NYC I didn't pig out AS much as I usually do when visiting NYC. tried to keep things a bit more balanced, but still definitely consumed a lot of booze.
From Dec 26-Jan 6th, I was in Mazunte, Mexico and Oaxaca City. I drank a lot of mezcal and ate like I was on vacation. it's easier in Mexico though - at the beach there was so much seafood, fruit, healthier options. I didn't feel like I really overdid anything, but I hardly exercised at all. went hiking once for about 4 hours and did some other walking-around-in-the-woods type stuff, but that was about it.
but with vacation behind me and back to a regular routine of mainly preparing my own breakfast/lunch/dinner, my weight is at 61.5 kilos/135.5 lbs, which is where I left off in mid-December. I'm making an effort to eat well and not drink as much beer, absolutely. feeling very lazy about exercise and whatnot but I want sooo much to lose this 10 lbs. and I absolutely do not want to gain an ounce so... fingers crossed I can lose once I get to A'dam next week. :/
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Monday, December 10, 2012
run in the sun
I worked out this past Friday, doing that aerobic class at the gym that I love. It felt great - I can finally really feel and see some progress since I started that class. it's still super tough to get through, but compared to everyone else in the room I keep up pretty well. Friday's class was pretty intense with arm and stomach, so I skipped doing weights after the class was over. On Saturday I managed to get in 10 minutes of weights before the gym closed at 2pm, and then I went for a run. Dear god, that was a hard run. I know I've mentioned I hate running in the cold/winter, but I grew somewhat accustomed to it and have honestly <i> never</i> tried to run in warm, sunny conditions before. It was tough! The temp was about 23-25C (about 75F) and the sun was very strong and bright. I did 25 minutes of running and struggled a lot toward the end, especially with all these freakin' hills.
Sunday was a day of rest, if you consider schelping all over Mexico city with your boyfriend's family to be considered "rest."
Today I'll go the gym again for the class, and probably do about 30-40 minutes of weights after.
I bought a new scale for my house, which I haven't head in years. I know the numbers on a scale are not the whole story and it's a little dangerous because I get pretty obsessive about the numbers, but it also really helps to motivate me when I see the numbers go down (and of course depresses me if I see the numbers go up).
today I weighed in at 61.3 kilos or 135 lbs! and sure, that was with me weighing myself naked, a couple hours after a breakfast of cereal and a banana. I know it could very easily vary by 2-3 pounds throughout the day, or depending on the time of month, etc. but still, it's great to see that number going lower and makes the goal of 60 kilos (132.3 lbs) seem not so far off, with the ultimate goal being back at 56.6 kilos/125 lbs.
Today is my last week in Puebla for a while. I go to NY on Saturday, and I'm bringing my running stuff with me. I know I won't be able to exercise there the way I do here, but I really am going to try my best, especially because it will be an eating frenzy.
Sunday was a day of rest, if you consider schelping all over Mexico city with your boyfriend's family to be considered "rest."
Today I'll go the gym again for the class, and probably do about 30-40 minutes of weights after.
I bought a new scale for my house, which I haven't head in years. I know the numbers on a scale are not the whole story and it's a little dangerous because I get pretty obsessive about the numbers, but it also really helps to motivate me when I see the numbers go down (and of course depresses me if I see the numbers go up).
today I weighed in at 61.3 kilos or 135 lbs! and sure, that was with me weighing myself naked, a couple hours after a breakfast of cereal and a banana. I know it could very easily vary by 2-3 pounds throughout the day, or depending on the time of month, etc. but still, it's great to see that number going lower and makes the goal of 60 kilos (132.3 lbs) seem not so far off, with the ultimate goal being back at 56.6 kilos/125 lbs.
Today is my last week in Puebla for a while. I go to NY on Saturday, and I'm bringing my running stuff with me. I know I won't be able to exercise there the way I do here, but I really am going to try my best, especially because it will be an eating frenzy.
Friday, December 7, 2012
Almost one year later! And I can still run. :)
I just came back to this blog to get a bit of history. I'm still not very happy with my weight, and couldn't remember where I was last year. When I started couch-to-5k I was hovering around 63-64 kilos (140-144 lbs). These days I weigh just a little less, 62.3 kilos (137 lbs). That's... well, that's what that is.
I'm currently living in mexico, and yes, the nice weather makes a huge difference. However, I live in a very hilly neighborhood, the traffic is pretty intense, and the streets & sidewalks are beyond uneven (literally, there's holes everywhere). Definitely different from the 100% flat streets of Amsterdam. It's not wise for me to run after dark - not because it's unsafe, but because the traffic here really is different. I don't live near a park, so I run on the sidewalks and roads, and man those cars are not very concerned for my well-being. In Amsterdam, cars drive at the speed of bikes. Drivers are always watching out for pedestrians or cyclists. here, the car rules, and it's hard to get used to that.
The hills are also tough. When I run around my 'hood I try as much as possible to avoid the hills, but that's pretty hard. these days I try to go running between 5-6 pm, when it's a little cooler outside and the sun is setting. the view and sunset is always beautiful, it never rains, and the traffic isn't quite so bad as it gets after 6.30/7pm.
I haven't attempted a 30-minute run again, but my last run was ... 26 minutes, I think. maybe 27, but I think 26. I'm also going to the gym regularly, which I love. there's a great class that is now meeting 3 times a week, and it's really aerobic and really tough. the first few weeks were REALLY painful. but now I can take the class without getting sore, and when the class is over I typically do weight exercises for my arms for about 30 minutes.
I'm trying to keep up with running because again, I have a trip coming up (to NY) and I don't want to just simply stop exercising. so I'm trying to remember that yes, it is possible for me to run, and it is also possible for me to do arm and ab exercises at home (though I much prefer going to a gym).
The thing that really just bums me out is my weight. I'd love to lose 3 kilos (7-8 lbs). All my clothes would look better on me if I lost 3 kilos. I have a fantastic pair of jeans that I must have bought when I was more like 59 kilos (130lbs), and every so often I put them on but fuck man, they're really tight. really. really very uncomfortable. I have another pair of jeans from when I was probably more like 57 kilos (my ideal weight), which I used to be for a really long time. Those jeans - forget about it. and they're tight everywhere, including my legs. I just feel bigger and grosser than I used to, and ... ugh, I just hate dieting so much. I mean, if I want to lose this 3 kilos, I really just need to diet. which is so not fun. I live in mexico! the food is amaaaaaazing.
Sometime after I got back from Tanzania (in June, earlier this year), I also got pretty sick. luckily not from bacteria or anything like that, I just got a terrible summer flu that really knocked me out for a week or so. I think that sickness, combined with a very very basic diet in Tanzania, did make me lose a bit of weight. some people i worked with remarked I looked thinner and it sounded great to hear. it was complimentary, like "wow, you look great! I think you lost weight..."
I want to hear that again.
off to the gym in an hour. I'll work hard. I'll try to keep the eating light this week, and the drinking as minimal as possible. and then off to NYC in a week....
I'm currently living in mexico, and yes, the nice weather makes a huge difference. However, I live in a very hilly neighborhood, the traffic is pretty intense, and the streets & sidewalks are beyond uneven (literally, there's holes everywhere). Definitely different from the 100% flat streets of Amsterdam. It's not wise for me to run after dark - not because it's unsafe, but because the traffic here really is different. I don't live near a park, so I run on the sidewalks and roads, and man those cars are not very concerned for my well-being. In Amsterdam, cars drive at the speed of bikes. Drivers are always watching out for pedestrians or cyclists. here, the car rules, and it's hard to get used to that.
The hills are also tough. When I run around my 'hood I try as much as possible to avoid the hills, but that's pretty hard. these days I try to go running between 5-6 pm, when it's a little cooler outside and the sun is setting. the view and sunset is always beautiful, it never rains, and the traffic isn't quite so bad as it gets after 6.30/7pm.
I haven't attempted a 30-minute run again, but my last run was ... 26 minutes, I think. maybe 27, but I think 26. I'm also going to the gym regularly, which I love. there's a great class that is now meeting 3 times a week, and it's really aerobic and really tough. the first few weeks were REALLY painful. but now I can take the class without getting sore, and when the class is over I typically do weight exercises for my arms for about 30 minutes.
I'm trying to keep up with running because again, I have a trip coming up (to NY) and I don't want to just simply stop exercising. so I'm trying to remember that yes, it is possible for me to run, and it is also possible for me to do arm and ab exercises at home (though I much prefer going to a gym).
The thing that really just bums me out is my weight. I'd love to lose 3 kilos (7-8 lbs). All my clothes would look better on me if I lost 3 kilos. I have a fantastic pair of jeans that I must have bought when I was more like 59 kilos (130lbs), and every so often I put them on but fuck man, they're really tight. really. really very uncomfortable. I have another pair of jeans from when I was probably more like 57 kilos (my ideal weight), which I used to be for a really long time. Those jeans - forget about it. and they're tight everywhere, including my legs. I just feel bigger and grosser than I used to, and ... ugh, I just hate dieting so much. I mean, if I want to lose this 3 kilos, I really just need to diet. which is so not fun. I live in mexico! the food is amaaaaaazing.
Sometime after I got back from Tanzania (in June, earlier this year), I also got pretty sick. luckily not from bacteria or anything like that, I just got a terrible summer flu that really knocked me out for a week or so. I think that sickness, combined with a very very basic diet in Tanzania, did make me lose a bit of weight. some people i worked with remarked I looked thinner and it sounded great to hear. it was complimentary, like "wow, you look great! I think you lost weight..."
I want to hear that again.
off to the gym in an hour. I'll work hard. I'll try to keep the eating light this week, and the drinking as minimal as possible. and then off to NYC in a week....
Friday, May 4, 2012
quick 2012 update
Since I last wrote I have sadly not kept up with running - even though the point of starting a 5k program was so that I would have a workout I could "take anywhere," it turns out that when I'm traveling around mexico, running is not in my mind at all.
So it's May now, and it would probably be a huge painful effort to attempt to run for 30 minutes in a row. I'm not going to try anytime soon - I've got a trip to Tanzania coming up, so that's another 3 weeks away. There's no way on earth that I'm going to re-start my running program there, but let's see what happens when I come back.
in somewhat good news, my weight is down a little from when I last wrote - today I weighed in at 62.7 kilos/138.2 lbs. no idea how accurate the scale is or whatever, but I feel my weight around that number - meaning I don't feel like I've gained any additional weight in the past few months. over the past several weeks I've cut way way way back on my beer consumption, and I think that will remain in effect while I'm in Tanzania.
more updates to come in June. :)
So it's May now, and it would probably be a huge painful effort to attempt to run for 30 minutes in a row. I'm not going to try anytime soon - I've got a trip to Tanzania coming up, so that's another 3 weeks away. There's no way on earth that I'm going to re-start my running program there, but let's see what happens when I come back.
in somewhat good news, my weight is down a little from when I last wrote - today I weighed in at 62.7 kilos/138.2 lbs. no idea how accurate the scale is or whatever, but I feel my weight around that number - meaning I don't feel like I've gained any additional weight in the past few months. over the past several weeks I've cut way way way back on my beer consumption, and I think that will remain in effect while I'm in Tanzania.
more updates to come in June. :)
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Week Nine, day one - THIRTY MINUTES! goal achieved!
Ok, I'm 15 days past my goal but I can finally say: I DID IT. Today I ran 30 minutes in a row without stopping. so that's
5 minutes walking
30 minutes running
5-10 minutes walking
It was a beautiful day today - around 8C, tons of sun, perfect blue skies. I couldn't fathom the concept of running inside on a treadmill, so I stuck with running outside (me and every other runner in Amsterdam had the same idea) through westerpark. I know I was slow, but without having a GPS on my ipod I don't know my pace, which is fine with me. Running outside means I'm not distracted by drinking water, checking my time/pace, or starting at myself in the mirror, and all of that is great.
It's worth mentioning that last night I had a big sushi dinner, drank a total of 5 beers, and smoked quite a lot of weed. I didn't sleep that well (gee, I wonder why?), and there was not one tiny part of me that actually wanted to go out running today. But I wanted so badly to achieve my goal, and I finally did it.
I wonder what happens next?
5 minutes walking
30 minutes running
5-10 minutes walking
It was a beautiful day today - around 8C, tons of sun, perfect blue skies. I couldn't fathom the concept of running inside on a treadmill, so I stuck with running outside (me and every other runner in Amsterdam had the same idea) through westerpark. I know I was slow, but without having a GPS on my ipod I don't know my pace, which is fine with me. Running outside means I'm not distracted by drinking water, checking my time/pace, or starting at myself in the mirror, and all of that is great.
It's worth mentioning that last night I had a big sushi dinner, drank a total of 5 beers, and smoked quite a lot of weed. I didn't sleep that well (gee, I wonder why?), and there was not one tiny part of me that actually wanted to go out running today. But I wanted so badly to achieve my goal, and I finally did it.
I wonder what happens next?
Friday, January 13, 2012
Week Eight, day three - treadmill
5 min - walk
28 min - run (whooo!)
2:30 - walk
3 min - run
2 min - walk
And because I was on a treadmill, I have some more stats, that I'm sure anyone reading would be fascinated by (regarding speed).
First 14 minutes - ran at 8.8 kph
Next 9 minutes - ran at 8.2 kph
Final 5 minutes - ran at 7.8 kph
Extra 3 minutes at end - ran at 8.0
So that's an average pace of 8.2 kph (sorry americans, this is all going to remain mostly in metrics).
I completed 5 kilometers within 40 minutes, but at least seven of those minutes were walking (the five minute warmup plus the 2 1/2 min at the end.
My final stats were:
total distance - 5.3 km
total time - 43 min 47 seconds (including final "cool down" walk)
calories burned - 370
weight - 64.15 (141.4 lbs)
I did try, at first, to run 9.5 kph - there's no way I would have completed 28 minutes, or 14 minutes, at that speed. I could do it, but it was wearing me out too much. I was happy to see that I could run at 8.8 kph for the first half, but I think that the key to me actually finishing the 28 minutes without stopping was decreasing my speed halfway through. It really did make a difference. While I am running on a treadmill (it's still not super cold in Amsterdam yet, but winter is winter) I suppose I should make it a goal to eventually do the full thirty minutes at 9.0 kph. the metric/mile thing is messing me up whenever I google stuff about "typical 5k speeds," but I think I can aim safely for an 11-minute mile, which is uh... hmm, probably still too quick for my slow speed. because that would be about 35 minutes. well, eventually I'll try to get there.
The next time I run the goal is simple: FULL THIRTY MINUTES, non-stop. and dear god people, those last five minutes are hard. really hard. like I want to stop every second hard. I've changed the settings on my app to announce when I have 10 minutes left, 5 minutes, 2 minutes, and 1 minutes, because really, once I have five minutes left the only thing I can think about is how many more seconds I have to keep running. remarkably, I have still not learned to enjoy running. being on a treadmill sucks, it takes what little fun I had when I ran (seeing a pretty city, enjoying being outside) and puts me about 5 inches away from looking at myself in a mirror while I run. I'm not very pretty while I'm running, but the only thing I have to look at is myself, and how progressively sweaty I get as I go on.
Ok, this was super long. and I know that the goal was a 5k/30 minutes by the end of 2011 but... well, if I can do it by the end of this weekend, that's enough for me. I still have enough to work with on my time!
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Week Eight, day two - first treadmill run
Even though the weather was ok today (clear, not too cold, dry), I decided to head to the gym and try a treadmill run. I was really curious about what kind of pace I run at, and exactly how far I actually go when I run for 28-ish minutes.
Here's what I did today:
lots of warmup walk - walked 10-ish mins to the gym, then walked another 5 mins or so on the treadmill
Ran about 25 minutes
slowed down to walk about 90 seconds
Ran again for another five minutes
Walked about 3 minutes
Ran 2 more minutes
Walked 1 minute
= 42 minutes total
It was weird. Being on a treadmill is as boring as I remember it to be, and I was really right in front of a mirror. Hello red face and sweaty chest and too-fat thighs! I will stare at you for 42 minutes. sounds great.
But I learned about my pace. I was right man, I am SLOW. I averaged 8.0 kph (5 mph). That means in 30 minutes of running, I only go four kilometers, not even close to five. That's why I stayed on the treadmill for 42 minutes, because I wanted to finish the 5k, dammit. and I did! I didn't quite get my goal of running 30 minutes without stopping, but I did actually run more than 30 minutes. I burned something like 350 calories, maybe a little more. can't quite remember.
I weighed myself, and I'm weighing in at an all-time high of 64.15 kilos (141.4 lbs). it makes sense, and it goes to prove that I don't exaggerate - when I say I've gained weight and clothes don't fit me anymore, that's because my body is used to being around 58-59 kilos (127-130 lbs).
It was good to be at the gym just to get used to being at the gym again, because I clearly need to do more than jog 3 times a week at 8.0 kph for 30 minutes if I want to actually shed weight. Today I didn't do anything else, but I did feel ok after the run was over, and I did like knowing my pace. I think it's probably about what I run in the "real world," it didn't feel too fast or too slow.
I also changed the settings on my app so that the voice will tell me when I have 5 minutes left - it kills me, I always want to check my time, and being on a treadmill made that SO easy today. it was also distracting to have my water so close by - when I go outside I don't bring water (and don't usually miss it), but having the water bottle right there made me want to drink all the time. maybe just because it's warmer in a gym?
I took the updated class schedule from my gym and I am going to try to do more spinning, pilates, and keep up with this running thing until I do actually run for 30 minutes without stopping. once I get that down, I'll work on actually being able to accomplish a REAL 5k, even if it means my version of a 5k takes 40 minutes. jeez I'm slow.
Here's what I did today:
lots of warmup walk - walked 10-ish mins to the gym, then walked another 5 mins or so on the treadmill
Ran about 25 minutes
slowed down to walk about 90 seconds
Ran again for another five minutes
Walked about 3 minutes
Ran 2 more minutes
Walked 1 minute
= 42 minutes total
It was weird. Being on a treadmill is as boring as I remember it to be, and I was really right in front of a mirror. Hello red face and sweaty chest and too-fat thighs! I will stare at you for 42 minutes. sounds great.
But I learned about my pace. I was right man, I am SLOW. I averaged 8.0 kph (5 mph). That means in 30 minutes of running, I only go four kilometers, not even close to five. That's why I stayed on the treadmill for 42 minutes, because I wanted to finish the 5k, dammit. and I did! I didn't quite get my goal of running 30 minutes without stopping, but I did actually run more than 30 minutes. I burned something like 350 calories, maybe a little more. can't quite remember.
I weighed myself, and I'm weighing in at an all-time high of 64.15 kilos (141.4 lbs). it makes sense, and it goes to prove that I don't exaggerate - when I say I've gained weight and clothes don't fit me anymore, that's because my body is used to being around 58-59 kilos (127-130 lbs).
It was good to be at the gym just to get used to being at the gym again, because I clearly need to do more than jog 3 times a week at 8.0 kph for 30 minutes if I want to actually shed weight. Today I didn't do anything else, but I did feel ok after the run was over, and I did like knowing my pace. I think it's probably about what I run in the "real world," it didn't feel too fast or too slow.
I also changed the settings on my app so that the voice will tell me when I have 5 minutes left - it kills me, I always want to check my time, and being on a treadmill made that SO easy today. it was also distracting to have my water so close by - when I go outside I don't bring water (and don't usually miss it), but having the water bottle right there made me want to drink all the time. maybe just because it's warmer in a gym?
I took the updated class schedule from my gym and I am going to try to do more spinning, pilates, and keep up with this running thing until I do actually run for 30 minutes without stopping. once I get that down, I'll work on actually being able to accomplish a REAL 5k, even if it means my version of a 5k takes 40 minutes. jeez I'm slow.
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