Running, Day 1

So.

Anthony calls today the learning run, and I think he is right in that regard. I learned lots of thing in my run this morning.

1) Hills suck.

I live in Georgia, and if there is one thing that is true about the landscape here, there are hills. Lots and lots of hills.

Running up hill, and even running down hill is a pain in the ass, especially when your knee is hurting.

To solve this, Anthony and I are gonna explore different paths. I think that East College, the road we live on, is more or less straight, so we might do just up and down there.

2) I need to run in pants or gouchos

One of the things I most look forward two when I shirk my weight is having a pair of thighs that DO NOT RUB TOGETHER. When they get sweaty, they chafe, and that shit burns so bad.

To solve this, I might end up doing running in my gray yoga pants, at least until I get rid of some more weight. On the plus side of the clothing issue, though, the Blue Spirits have worked out very well.

3) Congo Fury is an excellent pacing song.

I made a playlist for running last night, and on it I put Conga Fury by Juno Reactor on it. When I played my moosac, I noticed that I was keeping time with the music. The faster the song, the faster I would go — and get worn out more quickly. Slower songs would be areas where I did my running a lot better. I found a good balance, though, with the Conga Fury song.

I even counted it out to myself. It’s a slow pace, but one that got my heart rate going without wearing me out.

I’m going to look into sorting my playlist by BPM to see if that helps me pace myself a little better. I know that pacing is something that I have issues with, and something that I want to work on. There is a link here that I’m gonna see if I can do.

4) I did the wrong goddamn program.

I mentioned last night that my friend Sam had suggested a program to me, run a 10K in 13 weeks. Well, it turns out that I was wrong.

It’s run a 5K in 9 weeks.

Duh.

So Anthony and I ran for 1m 30s and walked for 2m, eight times…which is actually week 2 of the program that I wanted to do.

Here’s the 5K in 9 week program.

Needless to say that I feel better about the run not going as well as I had hoped or wanted. Considering I was doing the second week’s workout, and that I did a lot of it uphill, I actually feel pretty good about the run today.

I feel pretty freaking good, just generally. I thought I would be dog tired after the run, but I am feeling a lot more energized, and just have that sorta glowy feeling of happiness. I’m definitely looking forward to doing this more often.

Now… onto some less-happy-making things: homework.

Gina

P.S. Here’s Anthony and me on our way home from the run this morning

Trust me, we look much happier than we are.

F.A.T.

This is going to be one of those good things/bad things post, because I want to get out what I am feeling, but I don’t want to harp on it and not remember the good stuff. So, with that in mind, here we go.

The bad stuff

I have a generally pretty good body image. I, like most people, have good days and bad days and the net result is positive.

Since starting paleo, unlike my fear before I started it, I haven’t any body issues at all. As I have explained, usually when I start dieting, I become super self-conscious about my weight, stress out, then stress eat. It’s a vicious cycle. But this time, as I’ve said, I haven’t had all that at all, and generally I have felt better about my body than I have in a long time. I have noticed that I don’t feel bloated quite as much, and even though I don’t really see the weight that has come off, I definitely do feel a lot lighter.

This weekend, however, seems to be an exception to that rule. I feel really fat.

The story begins… with an indiscretion.

It really was unwise on my part to go to a movie showing, where I knew there would be snacks, before I had eaten anything. I had had a REALLY heavy breakfast of bacon and eggs that day, and then went and trained with Nicki for about an hour and a half.

By the way, I do not recommend that particular course of action.

So when I got home I wasn’t feeling in a very eat-y mood. I went and putzed a little bit with the nerd prom music, and then before I knew it it was time to go to the Firefly marathon.  I went there without really being conscious of the fact that I was hungry, and in the end, I really don’t know if I got hungry.

The point of the matter is, chips are my weakness.

Even now, I salivate.

They weren’t even particularly good chips. They were crappy store brand wavy kind, that weren’t even that salty. Yet I ate plate after plate. I think at least four small plates full of potato chips.

To my credit, that’s the only spot of weakness I had. But either way… my stomach was not happy with  me afterwards.

I blame my feelings today on this indiscretion.

There’s no real way to put it — I just felt fat. I looked fat, every time I looked in a mirror all I could see was a belly and big breasts.

It got worse after we ate dinner, cause I ate a bit too much and the wings seemed to be a bad fair (Darcy got a little sick and I got a bit more sick).

Maybe it’s just shopping that makes me feel that way. I got fitted for a bra (went down a size, kinda), and it just felt all downhill from there. I didn’t try on any clothes or anything, else I feel like the feeling would have been exacerbated.

Anyway, I’m feeling bloated and useless and bad for the food I’ve eaten, and the fact that I over extended my knee the other day (?) doesn’t really contribute to my mood.

BUT! There are good things about today, too, and we’re gonna talk about them too.

The good things

First and foremost, the TKD ladies and Anthony went over and KICKED ASS at the belt test today. It was an honor and a privilege to watch them, and they all did amazingly.

Secondly, I got to go shopping today with Anthony and Darcy. We stalked Atlantic Station and searched for shoes and jeans for Anthony, fabric so I can start a shirt for Beefsickle to wear when we go to Medieval Times. It was a fun trip, and aside from my knee being a jerk, I had a good time. We walked for a long time, and I am not tired at all (a noted improvement).

I also got:

I shall name them the Blue Spirits.

They are for running!

I have decided, after a good bit of deliberation, that I want to try and pick up running a bit. Part of the reason I want to do this is because people who run are the coolest and the most fit people I know, and I have runner envy. Also, I want to pick up something else other than TKD that will help me stay healthy and in shape, because I am not sure what the future is for me and TKD after May. I definitely want to keep doing it, but there may be a pretty extensive hiatus between May and when I can afford to go again.

But running doesn’t cost anything.

I  have in previous years really avoided running because of breast issues. But I think I have gotten to a place where it’s not as big of an issue anymore. I’ve got good support when I’m  not running, and thanks to Nicki I have learned the art of doubling up on bras when I am. So we are gonna do this.

My friend Sam is training and getting ready to do a triathlon (woot for her!), and she suggested that I look into this program that helps you learn how to run  a 10K in 13 weeks (this isn’t the link she gave me –I’m gonna have to bug her for it again). I’m  not really sure how well this will work, but I’m gonna give it a try. I figure that Anthony and I will go running on the mornings that he’s here (So, Sunday/Monday, Tuesday, Thursday), and that will have the advantage of getting me up earlier in the morning, and getting a jump start to my day.

I guess I’ve just gotten to the point where I like physical activity (I know, right?). It makes me feel good now that I’ve gotten over that point where my fitness and my weight are a huge, frustrating barrier. They are now just mild annoyances that pop up every once in a while. Though I still hate sweating, I dunno, things are just better and easier and I want to have more activity in my life.

So tomorrow I put on my running shorts (yes, I  have them), the Blue Spirits, double up on my bras and head out into the morning with  my beau to start running. I’m actually kinda excited about it. I need to make a playlist.

Another good thing is that I went down in a bra size. This means I also went down in bra price. I moved from a 34 G to a 32 G/34 DDD. If you don’t think that’s smaller, that’s okay. I don’t understand bra sizes either. It’s smaller.

I am also starting to see some very gratifying definition in my legs. Though my calves have always had a pretty lean curve to them, they are beefing up some, and my thigh muscles are starting to peak out through the fat. It’s honestly just more noticeable when I’m lying down, with my feet flat on the floor, but I’m getting there. It’s pretty fulfilling.

I am beginning to doubt, especially with Chip Fest 2011, if I will lose my 2.5lbs this week. But I really am feeling okay about that, cause other things are happening.

Moving right along,

Gina