Running karma

So I'm suppose to run in the mornings, right?  That didn't happen this morning (while it was still dry).  By the early afternoon, it had started to rain.  But, I promised myself that I would run.  So when I got back from school this evening, I put on my runners and jacket.  Knocked off a pretty good run, actually!  I'm seeing minute improvements on my times!  I improved on my total run time by another full minute!!

This is a graph with my heartrate overlaid with my pace.  I'm working hard!  ...maybe too hard.  Anyone good with heartrate zone stuff?

Total distance:  1.75mi
Best lap:  2:44 (again, my first lap!)
Avg pace:  12:30/mi
Avg heartrate:  173 bpm

Saturday Morning Walk

Did a quick stroll for 3/4 of a mile.  Just wanted to get out there and move a bit.  Thought I wanted to run, but definitely didn't feel like it when I got to the track, so I just did a few turns and then walked home through the neighbourhood.

Surprise!

It's Friday and I've done my run already!  Wahooooo!

The ground was definitely wet and covered with mounds of melting snow.  So how does running in that stuff go?  Something like this:

Splish, splash, splish, SWOOSH.  Woah.  Splish, splash, splish....

Today, I changed things up a bit.  I skipped my warm up lap (my walk to the track is about the same warm up time) and started running on the first lap.  My stats definitely reflect that change.  Oh, I also calibrated the watch to auto-lap every 1/4 mile.  This time, it counted all my laps properly.  ;)  But the total distance thing becomes different.  Oh well.

Total distance:  1.75mi

Best lap:  2:53 (my first lap!)

Avg pace:  13:09/mi

Avg heartrate:  171 bpm

Brrrrr

Vancouver is sitting in a blanket of white.  My apartment is sitting in a blanket of cold.

Tomorrow is my run day and I have to figure out a way to get out onto the track (which will surely be covered in snow).

Any ideas??

Wahoo!

Temp:  -5C (actually, -11C with wind chill)

Had a great run today.  In fact, I did two of my laps so quickly that the Garmin watch missed one of my laps!  I'm not kidding -- look!

So that means that I had two laps that were under 3 mins!  That's the first time... and my silly watch missed it! *haha*  The stats also show that I shaved a whole minute off of my run from Monday (same distance).  So today is a WAHOO day!  :)

Total distance:  1.8mi

Best lap:  around 2:55

Avg pace:  12:46/mi

Avg heartrate:  159 bpm

Wednesday morning

Looks like it's going to snow later today (5-10 cm).  I better get my run in before it starts to fall!

To take drugs, or not to take drugs....

As I start to run more, the possibility of injury or aches and pains looms.  No matter how careful you are, sometimes these thing can't be helped.  So what do you do when that happens?

Take an ibuprofen and ice the area?

That seems like fairly common knowledge.  Well yesterday, I read a great article that cast doubt on that.  In it, it mentions some preliminary studies that show that inflammation is a part of the process for the body to heal itself.  When we reduce the swelling through anti-inflammatory drugs or ice, according to this study, we risk proper recovery in the long term.

Crazy, isn't it?

Read up on it yourself: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health/alex-hutchinson/take-a-pass-on-the-advil-swelling-may-help-you-heal/article1808598/

Now, I've never been a fan of taking any pills for pains, headaches or whatnots.  I've always thought that if it hurts, my body is probably trying to tell me something.  But that's just one way to deal with it.  What do you do when it really hurts and you need to get back to functioning?

Brrrrrr-run

Temp:  -4C with 24 km/h winds

Such a chilly day today!  Holy cow!  My finger tips were getting icy while I ran.  Any skin that came in contact with the air had a ruddy red hue to it.  *hahah*

On the plus side, the school oval was dry (or frozen over) so that meant I didn't have wet socks or muddied pants when I got home.  Who knew that running in the cold could bring such bonuses?!  :)  And because of that, I forced myself to do an extra lap.... even though I really wanted to get back home and warm up.

In pouring over the data, I've been trying to find meager signs of improvement.  Looks like my lap times are a few seconds shorter and that my heart rate is lowering (trust me, not from lack of effort!).  But when I'm out on the track, I can't seem to run further or longer and it doesn't seem any easier.  I'm glad I have the watch to give me an accurate idea of where I'm at.  That's one of the reasons why I've stuck with using the oval... so that it's easier to track the differences in lap times.  Don't worry.  Eventually I'll move off of the track and onto the street for longer distances.  Promise.

Total distance:  1.79mi
Best lap:  3:00
Avg pace:  13:21/mi

Avg heartrate:  157 bpm

Monday morning

... ya know what that means, right?

Today's temp shows as being -4C.. with wind chill making it feel like -11C.

I can't wait!  See you in an hour!

Sweet tooth

For some reason, fighting the sugar cravings bad tonight.

This is what I'm craving.  One of the best gelato places in town.  My two favourite flavours are cherimoya and marzipan.  By the way, now that Christmas is around the corner, the little Italian grocery stores in my area are finally stocking marzipan bars again.  Yay for that!!

For now, I'm brewing some Mint Chocolate Truffle tea and sweetening it with agave syrup.

Oh!  There's the tea kettle whistling!  :)

Sleep!

I love how timely this photo article is!  Yes, indeed.  Sleep does help the brain be more alert!

Neglectful me

Now that I have Daily Mile that reports my "huffing" attempts, I've noticed that I'm less inclined to write a post about them as well.

Now is not a good time to do it (while trying to finish an essay), but I did want to note that I went out on Monday AND Wednesday.  Tomorrow will be my last running obligation for the week.  I'm pleased to have gone to the track 4 out of the last 5 days.  I think that's great!

I also think it's great that I'm finally sleeping in my own bed again (long story) and that I'm sleeping WELL in it.  It pleases me to no end to say it because I bought a beautiful new bed and mattress at the beginning of this year only to find that I couldn't sleep well in it!  But that doesn't seem to be the case of late.  Yay!

Anyway, maybe my next 'real' post will be about sleep and its importance to our health.

Bye for now!

The waiting is killing me!

I'm soooooooo eager for my bananas to ripen!  I've been smoothie-less for the last few days and the suspense is killing me.  Reminds me of an old 80's commercial.....



Do you remember this?

Weigh-in Day

So today was a weigh-in day.  It's already been 14 days since the last one.  Highlights from the past two weeks include car accident, insurance company wranglings, attempted car break-in, more insurance stuff, three computer infections and two hard drive reformats.  It also includes two insightful conversations with my life coach, a new training plan, two less papers to worry about and a nifty watch to keep track of it all.  I also finally had the courage to pick up the urn with the remains of my Snoopy and Bijou from the vets.  That was a big deal.  They're home with me now.  May they rest peacefully.

Okay, I've delayed this enough.  The results are....

180.6lbs

That makes me +0.2lbs, which I suppose really isn't good/bad.  But it's also not weight loss.  Must do better next weigh-in.  However, I am glad it wasn't as high as it was earlier last week.  The running/walking these past few days have helped, I'm sure.

That's it for now.  Life, love and light to you.  Namaste.

Quote of the Day

"The groundwork of all happiness is health."-Leigh Hunt

Threw in a quick run!

I have now scheduled my runs to happen on M-W-F in the mornings.  But today, after getting off the phone with someone, I thought a run might clear my head.  It didn't really help, but at least I knocked off a run.  And from the looks of it, I improved slightly from yesterday's times, too!  Yay!

Distance:  1.55mi / 2.49km
Time:  21:23
Avg Pace:  13:50/mi
Max BPM:  186
Avg BPM:  160

Tomorrow is my weigh-in.  It's not going to be pretty.

EDIT:  By the way, I signed up for DailyMile and added their widget onto this page so that you can see my last run at a glance.  Neat!

PS: No pics

Sorry for the lack of photos.  Ever since I discovered my camera's SD card has a virus, I'm afraid to plug it into my computer.  I've got papers to finish this weekend and I've already lost a week and a half to this fiasco, so please excuse the text-only posts.  I'll try to find interesting photos/video from others to include instead.

Get yo' run on!

After reading sooo many good reviews on the Garmin Forerunner 305, I decided to pick one up at our local Costco for $149.99CAD.  Sounds like the price had come down a fair bit and that it would be a good investment for my running training.  It also makes it easier for me to report how long/far/fast I did my exercise for the day.  Keeps me honest!  ;)  After a few laps, I lose count and can't report back the distance completed.

So how did I do today?


Distance:  3.0mi / 4.82kms
Time:  45:10
Avg Pace:  15:05/mi
Max BPM:  187
Avg BPM:  152

I'm slow as a snail, but going to work hard at getting quicker and going further.  The times and distance also include the leisurely walk to the oval and back.  I originally had it loaded onto Garmin to show, but figured that for the sake of privacy, I probably shouldn't show my start and end location.  ;)

UPDATED: Bananatastic Smoothie recipe

Okay, I posted this recipe of mine earlier, but I've since tweaked the formula and made it even more irresistable.  So here are the deets:

Ingredients:

• bananas
• young coconut flesh
• can of coconut milk
• (almond) mik

Prep:

• Buy a bunch of bananas (organic or otherwise) ahead of time and let them ripen to a full speckle (but before the ends get dark/bruised).  This is the stage where you get the most bananatastic flavour.  Peel them, put them in a ziploc and then place in freezer.

• Buy a young (green) coconut at your local asian grocers (not the regular hard brown coconuts).  Open carefully or you'll spill the juice like I did.  You may need to experiment with a technique a few times, but it's OH-SO-WORTH-IT!  Drink/Save the coconut juice (you can use it in this recipe if you like).  Pull out all the fresh coconut meat.  I use my small hands, but for sausage-fingered guys, a spoon is just as good.  Put the flesh into the same ziploc bag and freeze.  

Make:

Place 1-1/2 frozen bananas into blender.  Add a small chunk of coconut (don't need a lot.).  Pour a little coconut milk for added creamy-ness.  Maybe 1/2 of a cup.  I eyeball it.  Then fill the rest with unsweetened (almond/soy/regular) milk (10oz).  Blend till smooth.  

[I use a magic bullet, so the serving size is perfect for one person, one glass... which truthfully, is all I should be making for myself.  I would guess that the serving size is about 355ml (a can of pop).]

This comes out smelling like a tropical beach.  I'm always so excited with anticipation during the time it takes me to make it.  And because I have my fruit ready and frozen, it takes me less than a minute to whip this up when I feel like a treat.  It's unbelievably simple and quick, and yummy-nummy!!!  The hardest part for me is waiting for the bananas to speckle!  *ahahaa*  

Try this recipe and let me know what you think!  

Quote of the Day

"If you don't do what's best for your body, you're the one who comes up on the short end."-Julius Erving

Sit-ups (kinda)

So when the heck did sit-ups become so difficult??  Must have happened sometime in the last 8 years.  That's how long it's been since the last time I remember doing sit-ups.

Embarrassing, yeah..... I know.

But hey, this isn't about being "perfect", right?  So this morning worked on upper abs and last night, worked on lower.  I'll get better at this.  Promise.  :)

Quote of the Day

"The first wealth is health."-Ralph Waldo Emerson

  

>>What can I say?  That pretty much sums it up.

My dearly missed companion

I'm not sure why, but I suddenly burst into tears at the thought of my Snoopy.  He was my constant companion for almost 15 years.  Aside from when I wasn't in town, I almost always slept with him in my arms and/or at the foot of the bed.  He passed away at the end of July.

Now, I know this blog is largely about my journey back to physical health.  But Snoopy was such a huge part of my life and my happiness.  I adored everything about that cat and made sure to let him know every day how much I loved him.

These are just a few of the things that I loved about him:

• he would usually come when called.  And if my voice was panicked when calling, he would call out to me as if to reassure me that he was okay and was on his way.
• he loved to follow me around the house.  I loved having him follow me.
• on the weekends, I would hold him and take lovely cat naps on lazy, sunny afternoons.
• he would give me cat kisses on my face if I asked for them.
• he would let me hold his paws, even though he didn't really like it.  He knew how much I adored his white paws.
• he stayed next to me if I was crying.  He would sit with me now, if he could, and try to comfort me.

I miss him.  I guess I wanted to share that.

I'm sick...

.... of my computers getting sick.  Blah.

In the span of a week, both of my computers manage to get heavily infected with viruses.  [No, I don't surf porn... though at this rate, it wouldn't make any difference to my computer's security!]  It's been a very frustrating experience as I haven't had computer access or internet access.  I've just reformatted my laptop.  I'll have to do something for my desktop (which won't be easy given it doesn't have a partition with Rescue and Recovery options built in).

I've also been managing this week very poorly.  I'm a little mentally run down from having back-to-back challenges.  Haven't been running (though I've been walking a bit).  My diet has been erratic.  Last time I stepped on the scale (a few days ago), it registered 184.  But I'm not down about it.  This week, I will make sure to get to the track at least 3 times, but I'll strive for 5.  Wish me "hard work"!

Mom's soup!

I don't know what she put into this soup, but I guarantee you that LOVE was the major ingredient.  [Gawd, does that sound as cheesy as it looks?!?]  :D  *hahaa*

But I love my mom.  And she adores cheeeeese!  *BIGgrin*

So I thought I'd share a picture of my brekkie/lunch.  I dare you to tell me that her soup doesn't look like it was made with love!  Actually, why don't you share with me your favourite soup recipe?

All Saints Day

Today is a weigh-in day.  Stepped on the scale and revealed a 180.4lbs.  Not an earth shattering moment, but that's okay.  Glad it didn't go up.  Down about a pound.

Saw my mother yesterday.  We went out for dinner.. had Shanghainese food.  Ever try it?  Super tasty.  Little bit on the greasy side, but Mom rinsed all her food in warm water.  Sounds kind of silly to do that, but I support whatever she needs to do to lose weight and gain back her health.  All the medication that she has to take is tough on her.  Both of us rarely, rarely take medication... unless absolutely necessary.  Now she has all kinds of pills to take.  It's a difficult reminder about our health and mortality.  I'm hoping that my continued progress spurs her on as well.

Tonight, I had some lovely borscht that she made for me.  Good, delicious soup for cold autumn days.  I gobbled it up so quickly that I didn't take a picture.  I have some leftovers, so I'll be sure to show you tomorrow.  For now, hope you all had a ghoulish Hallow's Eve.

Much love and blessings...