LSD 6.27miles

After a long time did a long distance.

Almost didnt go because had spent the night at GBs apt with the kids and ended up playing the Brain Wii till 2 AM!!

Woke up by some weird alarm sound at 4 AM, then couldnt sleep because it was so hot , then simply started getting ready. GB tried to get out of r/w today but finally, very reluctantly agreed to accompany me, Thanks!!

Tried to run after walking for a mile but whole body felt stiff and tired, so ended up walking most of the distance. Then got into a discussion about life, work, changes in life and work etc and in the end were talking faster than walking. But overall a nice walk and a nice way to get back into the mindset of training for the marathon. Have to r/w 14 miles next weekend!!

On a side note have been keeping an informal log of the pedometer steps, I did 6900 yest, this after walking to and from the Subway around the corner. I tried to take it upto atleast 8000 but was done with the jumping around required by 8 pm. Anyway todays walk must make the difference, not that I wore tha pedometer during the walk. Lets see how much I gather during the day- not more than 2000, if that, 'cos now I am going to introduce myself to the couch.

The pedometer is not fool proof- it does not measure the effort done by the upper body for e.g. if you do the dishes or stand up and iron or move side to side or lift weights - nope , not measured. And sometimes its hypersensitive, for eg getting in and out of a car or off a couch , logs as 10-12 steps- shold do that the whole day!

A pat on the back

because I did end up doing the workout after all.

Went from GBs house to Baja Fresh for the kids dinner, GB kept warning me not to take anything, and I like the good girl I am, didnt. Came home and after dilly-dallying for an hour, got on the tmill and did my usual workout.

Sweating, not being able to push myself, but got 12000 steps on the pedometer.
So in the final tally, this is much better than sitting on the couch, hogging, feeling low and guilty because didnt move. Even tho I am at the same level distance and speed wise as 3 months ago! Oh, well, atleast I moved.

Back to work

Done with vacation.
My husband made the apt observation that as we grow older, coming back into the regular workout or even daily life routine gets harder. I was OK while on vacation but for the first 2 days back , i could barely move. Yesterday it seemed as if a big fog had lifted from my brain and I was able to do the elliptical. Today again I am feeling so tired.

The elliptical is not such a good idea after all, because now i wimp out from the running and just get on that.

Got a pedometer finally and guess what!!In one whole day, where I was so tired , where I thought I had moved so much, I logged in ONLY 3000 steps. That fired me up to do the elliptical yest, but even after doing 45 min of the elliptical , I got only 7000 steps. I think 10,000 steps a day is too much for an average person. Even if I walk for 60 min a day( not in my dreams) I wont acheive 10,000 steps.
Anyway thats the goal now- 10, 000 steps a day for good health.

No workout today , am at GBs apartment hogging like crazy. What happened to the marathon preparation?? went over the log- only 35 miles so far and mostly on the elliptical. Pull up my socks, soon. Need a boost.Soon.

Weight issues and the consequences

This morning we were all measuring our blood pressures with the home kits. And my b.p came to be 126/86. Which is high for me. I had had it done at the doctors a few weeks ago and it was 120/80. So this high could be just transitional. Still it bothers me.

I have central obesity- apple shaped, now probably borderline high b.p, I have still to get my blood test done to check for the cholesterol, fasting blood sugar etc. I turned 40 in Feb this year and I should be getting all these tests done, but I know that I will have some borderline values, I have got my head in the sand, am in denial, just dont want to face any chronic conditions. I look a perfect candidate for Metabolic X syndrome. Which is a combination of central obesity, high triglycerides, high b.p and some other factors.

What I have to understand , what I have to face very soon is that good health is only 20% or so due to activity and the rest 70-80% is a good DIET. I know this and write it every 2-3 days on the blog. Am I taking any steps- baby or grown-up ones to change my diet?? Wrong thing to ask of myself when I am on vacation. But yes, my diet needs some tweaking. I can do a marathon and all the regular training it needs, but if I dont change my diet, no use. I wish I could remember this when I am faced with do-nuts, pastries, pizza leftover by the kids, etc etc etc. What should I do- get a tatoo with -think before u inhale it??

Yesterday we had dinner with some cousins and he is short- less that 5'5'. But he hasnt gained an ounce in the 20 odd years I've known him. And he loves to eat and talk about food. I observed him at dinner- one serving of red wine, one serving of everything on the dinner table, small portions, no second helpings, no dessert because he had had the red wine. Me , I loaded on the plate the first time, but yes, did take a smaller second helping- old habits!

I do have some genetic factors too, my grandparents had borderline high b.p. etc but I know that those factors are not to blame in my case, its just me! No blaming my job, husband , kids, parents, enviorment for my bad eating habits.

So , as soon as we return home tomorrow- back to yoga for stress relief for the mind, clean the pantry- the kids dont need the junk either, get my baseline tests done and pick up the marathon training.

Walking Manhattan

Thats what I have been doing these 2 days.
Yesterday was a longer distance, covering Times Square from 34th /7th to 53rd/3rd ave a few times. I walked slowly as there was so much to see but we practically walked the whole day.

Today we took the tour bus covering the downtown loop and so didnt walk much. Just on and off the bus. In the evening went to see the Yankees vs Padres game and that too inovolved minimal walking, just on and off the subway.
Each time I travel I strongly feel that when I go back I will be more firm with my weight loss efforts. Once I reach home I forget and lose interest.

Home soon and back to marathon training again.

Vacation time

R/W 2.5miles yest in 42 min . Beautiful weather, enjoyed the new surroundings, greenery everywhere. 

Went again this morning, just walked fast, dont anticipate running this week, or the elliptical, even tho theres a nice one here. Total change of speed and scenery. No talking about speed-or the lack of it!, distance etc. 

Keep browsing the blogs, completerunning has some new blogs each week . Theres a nice blog I read recently by Lance Breger and his latest post was on the fact that to lose weight you have to concentrate on the eating part- the running is not going to help u lose any weight. 

I am still waiting for this simple fact to sink in. I do start off each week with the plan to keep a food journal and be mindful of what I put in my mouth each time, but by dinner that day I forget the plan.

My kids used to keep making fun of  constantly being on the web or talking about running etc. Now they have given up!

Keep on running on!

Vacation time

Did a fast speed session today, min running 5.2mph,max 5.7mph , so a bit difficult, had t take more breaks but finished it and can go for vacation 10 days with a clear mind.

Actually not so clear, reviewed blog and realised in the last 11 days have only done LSD, speed sessions and elliptical- no regular run!. Which I am supposed to do twice a week. I think the elliptical took over, it seems so new and fresh. Well, the marathon is not on the elliptical, its a run/walk marathon, so come back to R/W. Maybe for next few days will do some easy runs outside. 'Easy runs'!!!
Am taking my running clothes and shoes, I love my workout clothes the best:), the regular clothes are so difficult to fit right.

Might not blog for a few days, tho should be able too, computers are everywhere, but I am never comfortable on someone elses computer.

Walk 2m with 13yo!

Yup, she went with me! At 5 AM.
Woke her up at 5 and not a murmur of 'let me sleep some more'
Did 2 miles in 38 min. Which was a nice regular pace for me to recover from yesterdays 9miles and her from yesterdays soccer practice where they did plyometric drills.
Wht do u talk with a 13yo- undivided attention for 38 min, no phones, t.v, computer chatting, i-pod or plain sulkiness. We talked about her friends, ssome tentative plans for a surprise party for a couple who are moving away, and I gave my lecture on diet and exercise-- Do as I say, not as I do.
Again, beautiful morning, and I again wonder how I can get out of the habit of exercising in the mornings. But felt very sleepy the whole day today because havent slept well for the past 2 nights- unknown reasons.
Amazing tho, how this 2m route, which is a recovery walk for me now, used to be my regular workout and I would as if I had done something so big by completing it. The theory of relativity comes into play.
Yesterday I was reading a blog by someone who is running with the TNT-Team in training. So I was wondering why GB and I never thought of joining a team for our LSD and general runs.
I feel I just am not ready for the commitment it calls for. Here I can start at any time of the day, either day of the weekend, and dont have to drive someplace for the LSD.
OTOH, the extra motivation and inspiration from a team must help.
Maybe for my second marathon!! I will attend some running clinics.
This time its GB and NB only, tho again GB seems to be a bit lost, maybe she'll be back by the time I am back from my vacation.
I will get our hosts address today and plan some run/walks on mapmyrun. Maybe my DH will join me. Maybe I'll have access to a computer to blog sometimes.
Will try to do my 30 min speed session before I leave tomorrow.

LSD 9.06miles

Woke up at 4.30 AM and started off at 5.04AM. For exactly 2 min thought of not going, and then- if not now , then, when?

Beautiful weather, breeze, birds chirping, trees swaying in the wind, cool.

New route, going thru the more expensive suburb, huge mansions, designer manicured golf course, hilly course. Had looked up the 10 mile route on mapmyrun.com , and it meant coming to a certain point and going back the same way. That would have been good, but unfortunately I had to use the restroom , so had to go to the nearby grocery store, which meant I just carried on to make a whole loop. Which would be about 6.8 miles so I carried on for another 2 miles and completed to 9.06 miles.

Its actually pretty boring doing it on ones own, but the route was new for me, and beautiful, so I didnt mind it. I actually saw a deer trying to cross the road, but it turned away when it saw me hunkering down the hill. Poor wildlife, we have just taken over. While coming down the hill, I could see the houses in the sub-division below- humungous houses with handkerchief sized lawns, no privacy. Make no mistake, I myself live in a house like that, but I often wonder if we really need all that space- 4 people, maybe 2 more for 3-5 months of the year, there can be occasions when I dont see my dtrs faces for hours. And all that extra expense, and the wastage of earth's resources.

Came back, I was done before the family even woke up. Iced my knees and went off to work. Knees didnt give much problem today.

Now my 13yo wants to go with me tomorrow at 5 AM, I guess she wants to see for herself if walking in the morning is all that great as I say it is!! Very tired in the evening, need to sleep now!!.

XT-elliptical and weights, time factor.

Did the endurance session on the elliptical- 42 min, 1.9miles, burnt 411 cal!! dont believe it,didnt sweat as much either, I think this machine needs to be reset.

Have to do weights in the evening and abwork too. No change in weight so far, but can feel the increased tone in the muscles.

Easy day today. Regular 45 min run tomorrow.

Was going over my log and I have worked out about 4-5 days for the last few weeks. Even tho I have the tmill and the elliptical at home and dont have to go out to a gym to workout, I have realised that working out is a major time commitment.

Even if I were not preparing for a marathon, apart from the Saturday LSD, the rest of the days I would try and workout 30-40 min as part of basic health maintainance. And it takes atleast an hour to complete a 30-40 min workout- change into workout clothes before, workout, stretch afterwards, shower, post exercise snack etc etc. So I am really glad that I have been able to keep up with it so far. And hope to continue once the marathon is over.

The LSD might create some problems as it gets longer than 10 miles ,which will take me more than 2 hours every other Saturday. But if I can do it for my daughters- soccer practices and torunaments, I should try and take out the time for me too. I understand that, but making my family see my point of view is a tad bit difficult.

LSD part 2

did not happen. but that was a given, wasnt it?

Was very tired the whole day, dropped off the I-Ls at the airport,went to see Kung-fu Panda which was hilarious, then just lazed around. the kids kept interrupting my afternoon nap and that made me very cranky. Wanted to go for the 3mile after dinner but then my DH said- Oh take a break, you did do some in the morning, and the part of me which did not actually want to go, listened to him.

So I sat back and planned on the next step. This coming wednesday, my husband is off work, and I have to reach the office at 8.45 AM. so I am planning to do the 10 mile LSD, which I will be missing the coming weekend, on wednesday! Brilliant idea, isnt it. This way, I wont miss the long run for the vacation week. Will start at 5 AM and end by 7.30 AM. Take tuesday off, Sunday and Monday do the regular runs.

Now I just have to prepare for it mentally. Because if anyone even hints- why do you have to do this?, I just sit back.

Off-topic: google puts ads on this page according to the topic written on.
So I mentioned 'runs' a couple of times and notice the upper left hand corner? they have put in ads for 'runners diarrhea' aka 'the runs':)

LSD-- in pieces

So today I was in a rush. My DH was on call, and my I-L were leaving for Arizona. I woke up at 4.30 and if I really tried I could have started by 5AM and finished by 7.15 AM but that was cutting it a bit too narrow. So I decided to break up the run into two.

This was a question on Runners world website- can you do the long run in two sessions instead of one?
The ans was - its Ok once in a while and you still get the endurance benefits but while preparing for the marathon its better to do all the long runs in one session to get your body used to being on the road for so long. Today the aim was to just get the endurance benefits so I finished 5.7miles in the AM and plan to do 3.3 in the PM. Plan to do.

GB subscribes to Runners world and in the june 2008 issue there is this nice little box telling you when to to start preparing for which marathon e.g to prepare for the Oct 19 Nike marathon, which is my goal, the start date should be 06/30/2008. That made me very very happy, I am ahead, but then I realised that date is for regular runners, not newbies like me- I should get in as many run/walk sessions before hand.

Today I had a nice time. First the route was a gentle sloping mile which I walked with 1-2 sessions of 1min running. Then came a downhill slope- the scene was beautiful- 5.40AM, the sun was just rising, houses, trees, greenery, beautiful. So I just walked down the slope for another 1/2 a mile. Then started running and felt the same breathlessness which I usually do in the beggining of every run. After 1/2 a mile came to an uphill. I was going to slow down but heard some voices- 2 elderly ladies talking and coming behind me. No way was I going to let them pass me so I slogged up the hill. Came to the top, and there I was huffing and puffing, and those ladies were still behind me but talking and laughting effortlessly!! so much for being 20 years younger!!

Did another 2-2.5 miles to finish the session. Passed another lady running in spurts like me- its so easy to spot a newbie runner- they are usually dressed head to toe in matching clothes and they always wave and smile. Not that the experienced runners dont, but they have an expressin of such concentration and focus, whereas the newbies will look interested in everything except the running. Hey, thats just my opinion and I am sure viceversa also happens.

Lets see if I am able to do the 3.3 in the evening. Going to see Kung-fu Panda now!

AM run, great.

Speed session today- short and sweet. In the morning at 5.30 AM, which is late by some peoples standards. Today the whole session was so smooth, I am all set to go upto 5.2mph next week . Then it will be difficult for maybe 3 sessions and again get easier.

I am more concerened about the fact that I cannot run continuously- even at 4.2mph the most I can manage is 2 min at a time, maybe I will do a morning workout and it will seem easier. Maybe I am not pushing myself too much, maybe this is how I run?

This weeks LSD might get missed- DH is on call so leaves the house at 7.20 AM, I-Ls are leaving on Sat at 9AM, so have to help them get ready. Sunday is a possibility if I start at 4.45 AM and finish the 9 miles by 7 aM. For that GB will have to come with me as its really dark at that time.
I dont know about GB, shes too much into that Wii-fit, I will have to start working on her today to accompany me on Sunday.

Last day of school today, summer vacation, popscicles, swimming, soccer practice, hot lazy afternoons, lemonade, shady trees, slothy behaviour all over again.

XT- elliptical

Missed the speed session yesterday, I like those so maybe will do it tomorrow. Had to take 13yo to promotional dance - actually dropped her at afriends house where the 5-6 girls got ready and then went on . Cant believe shes going to high school already!

Got a call at 4.45 pm from the dental office- I had an appointment for a root canal at 4.30. He agreed to wait for me till 5, so I rushed there after dropping the dtr. The root canal wasnt so bad- didnt have any pain while he was doing it-maybe due to the double dose of anaesthetic I requested. Even later on it was OK, just a bit sore.

So in all the going and coming, I missed the workout session- keep telling myself this is the main reason I should be finishing it off in the AM, but no, I just dont listen to myself!

Today did the elliptical again, 40 min, 1.7miles, random, with some hills, again burnt some 300 cal- thats the best part . I like the machine so far, tho I know the calorie count is exaggerated, but its a nice complement to the pounding motion of the running.

Speed R/W tomorrow.

Regular run cut short, real athlete

R/W session, had to cut short, looked at log and realised all my monday workouts are more difficult to do- maybe I am still tired from the LSD on Sat. But for the last 3-4 weeks I have been missing the second session of 45 min R/W I am s'posed to do on Thursdays so have nothing to compare with. I should get more regular with this.

You know you are a real runner/walker/athlete when you dont want to take a vacation if it means missing the runs.
I dont think I have written that correctly. What I mean is this-- we are going to New jersey-New york for a week , the 2nd week of june, and I dont want to go!! because it means I will miss the 10mile and 12 mile LSD. And I might find some time to run during the week but where??
I havent voiced this out to my family yet because this would be a family joke forever. Imagine NB 'missing ' her workouts!!

I didnt want to run today but forced myself because I know I will be missing a whole week and a half worth of sessions then.

XT- elliptical

Did the elliptical for 32 min.

I have to learn more about this machine- I did 32 min, endurance program, my max speed was 3.2mph, distance was 1.5m, max heart rate was 120bpm, but the calories burnt were 302!! How can this be? I did sweat some but that is normal nowadays in the summer, no huffing or puffing, and 302 calories?? I could get addicted to this:) IN 30 min of R/W I manage to burn only 200 cal.

Finished off with some weights and abwork. I was really hurting today, in my quads mainly. I think it was due to the downhill session in the LSD yesterday- never hurt so much before. I didnt hurt so bad even after the half-M. Had to take an Advil.

R/W session tomorrow.