I did it!

I survived!

Can’t help remembering when I started running, how many times I started Couch to 5k and gave up on week 4, running the Bunny Hop 5k in Barrie for Deaf Access Simcoe-Muskoka and collapse at the end from exhaustion, even last year when I almost gave up at the 8k mark in the Sporting Life 10k. 

This year felt so much better. Even biked there and back. I will never be a fitness nut (nor do I want to be) but feeling strong feels good. And it also feels good to know that making plans to support my best possible run actually does make a big difference. 

This time I focused on feeling good and finishing strong. I gave myself small goals along the way (don’t be the first to stop and walk, run at least 5k before taking a walk break, make it to the turning point before taking a walk break, make it to the bottom of the big hill before taking a walk break) and made decisions to support my needs beforehand as well as along the way (good sleep before, remembered to take vitamins, drank a V8, yogurt and a banana for breakfast, juice break at the turning point, dumping water on my head as needed to stay cool and fresh, a handful of dates in my pocket for energy, walk break up the hill), so I’d be in a good position to finish strong (one of the tenets of Slow Jogging being that you remember the run based on how you finish so if you finish strong you’ll feel good about the whole thing). Also helped knowing that the kid was up early and had a plan to get to the finish line.

And I exceeded my fundraising goal for the Cancer Society! Best way to remember and honour my mum this Sunday before Mother’s Day.

Before 

After—still smiling!

A difficult winter

I have had a fairly difficult winter so far, and as a result am completely off track as far as diet and exercise go. I can feel my jeans getting tight, so I know it’s time to get moving!

In my defence, we have had some record-breaking cold temperatures. Also, I was horribly sick in December—whooping cough and shingles at the same time! Followed by noro! It’s frankly amazing that I left the house at all.

That said, the slow recovery from whooping cough has made me very aware of the sad state of my lungs, and the fact that I need to get moving to get them strong and healthy again. I’m back on an inhaler—the Symbicort Turbuhaler—and hoping that will help. I have crazy killer coughing fits that leave my body aching, and I want them to stop! Interestingly, they don’t seem to be brought on by exercise at all—mainly scents and smells. I am seeing an allergist next week who will be able to give me some answers, I hope.

Also, I learned recently that low blood pressure can make exercising difficult. And I have low blood pressure! Mostly when people hear that, they say, “Great, lucky you,” but it can cause problems, and apparently can especially cause problems with regards to exercise. So I’ve been reading up on that, and how to manage it. Some key factors include pre-hydrating (dehydration can cause a pressure drop) and an active cool down (taking it too easy after exercise can lead to blood pooling in the legs). Compression tights are also recommended, maybe that’s my next step?

This morning I went for a run for the first time in months. My lungs were fine. My big toe is a little achy—not hurting per se, but just kind of sending me a signal, saying, “Hi, remember me, your broken bone? Please be gentle!” I do love the fact that, even though I’m no athlete, I can do all right despite not having run in months. Only ran about 3km this morning, but when I think back to my first attempts at C25K, and how I struggled to get through the 60-second runs and barely recovered during the walks, I am astounded at how my body says, “I remember how to do this!” and just keeps going.

Hope the weather holds so I can keep going!

Achievable goals

My goals for fitness are not inspirational, but they are achievable!

I am well aware of my strengths and limitations, and try to be very conscious of what I actually want out of exercise etc.: to be able to keep up with my kid, to be able to be self-sufficient in day-to-day life (which can involve running to catch up with the kid or the bus, heavy lifting of the kid or furniture, etc.), and to be able to sustain health and flexibility for as long as possible. I don't need to run a marathon, but I do want to be able to climb stairs and tie my own shoes when I'm 90.

But once goals are met, you need new goals.

My previous race goals were very humble:

• Don't be the first to give up and walk
• Don't be the last to cross the finish line
• Don't sustain any injuries

I managed those goals in three separate 5k runs, so my goal for the most recent run was to run the whole way.

It's kind of funny, because when I alternate between running and walking, I see it as a failure in myself. Other people call it "doing intervals" and see it as a deliberate strategy. Maybe I need to think about how I see myself and judge myself?

Because I did meet this goal for my most recent run - no walking - but it added a minute to my time! I was being conscious of pacing myself so that I'd be able to make it, and as a result, ran slower overall - 35 minutes as opposed to 34. (Both of these are pretty slow anyway!)

But, a big plus was feeling great at the end of the race. Instead of throwing myself on the ground at the end and begging my kid to bring me water and juice and feeling like my chest was going to explode, I was able to walk away feeling amazing, like the champion of champions (actually 22nd in the middle-aged-lady class, but who's counting).

Now, we are hitting the too-hot-to-run season of the year, so unless I find a race that starts at dawn, I'll just be running solo till the weather is cooler.

I am thinking though, maybe my goal for the fall will be to sign up for a 10k?

What a month!

Where to begin...

One month ago, I went on strike. Some of those days, I was out on the picket line - basically 4 hours of walking at a slow pace. Which was fine, except for the weather, and the ensuing bronchitis.

Most of the time though, I was in an office, on the communications committee, trying to manage social media without any wifi. Not easy! In fact not doable, so I was also working on it at home, from 6:30 in the morning before I went to the office, and as late as 11 at night.

Recipe for burnout! Actually, I bet that contributed more to the bronchitis than the picket line. Anyway, I will be back on the picket line starting this week, and could not be happier!

Anyway, I have not been doing a lot of running. And then last week, I remembered that I had a 5k coming up (here's the link, should anyone care to sponsor me - it's for a good cause!), so I needed to get moving. I still have a bad cough, but my lungs don't have that rattle-and-wheeze they did when the bronchitis was raging.

On Tuesday, I ran 1.5 miles to the picket line, then walked for 4 hours, then walked 1.5 miles home. On Wednesday, I walked 2 miles to strike HQ, and 2 miles home. In boots with 3" heels. Not sure what I was thinking, but my calves were absolutely killing me for days.

I took a couple of days off after that, but this morning I went for a run and I feel great! When I was getting back to the beginning of my circuit, I wanted to keep going, so I threw in an extra leg with a steep climb to wear myself out. 2.5 miles, or 4km.

Can't wait for Sunday!

I'm Back! Again!

Well, another break from blogging, but I thought I'd check in!

I have only gone for two runs in 2017, due to the perils of the Canadian winter. Even though this winter has been relatively mild, it's still been difficult due to ice. Snow melts during the day, sidewalks are wet, temperatures drop below freezing overnight, and in the morning it is treacherous to walk, let alone run. I was pleased though that the last time I made it out, about a week ago, I ran a solid 2.5 km without thinking about stopping, and could have run longer if I had more time. Doesn't sound like a big deal, but considering how much effort the C25K took last summer, I feel pretty good about it!

I have made up for it a bit by swimming! I am a pretty terrible swimmer - can't put my face underwater without holding my nose - but I like it anyway, and it is a real workout as it uses muscles I never use otherwise. Farthest I've managed is 12 lengths (300 m), but again, considering how out of shape I am, I consider that pretty good, too!

Right now I am recovering from a bout of Norovirus I picked up on the weekend at a big community event. Ugh. Taking baby steps with eating - most of the week, it's been ginger ale, apple juice, graham crackers, chicken noodle soup, and saltines. Not what you would call a balanced diet. Hoping to be back to normal very soon though.

Updates!

Whoops, I thought I had posted after my 5k but I guess not!

For some reason the weather decided to be unseasonably warm and sunny on race day - and because we were running in the city down a major thoroughfare, we had sun directly in our faces, and also beating down on our backs as it reflected off glass towers. Ugh. The race was extremely crowded (a popular fundraiser, lots of people were there for the cause and just walked the whole way), so I ended up walking for the first bit simply because there was no room to move. Eventually the crowd thinned out and I was actually able to run, although it felt like an obstacle course due to the number of people. Between the crowds and the heat, I did not make good time at all (a friend of mine warned me that would happen), but the run up to the finish line still felt pretty great.

I have been seeing my physiotherapist every week or two as well, and am doing better though not perfect by any means. Part of this is due to the moving of boxes and furniture (my husband and I separated a year ago, and there were many things left behind that I finally got moved out), which my back does not like. I still have a cabinet downstairs that needs to go upstairs, but I will need a couple of people to help with that. Seeing my physio on Friday, we'll see what he thinks.

Between the back pain and the onset of fall and the passing of race day, I have gotten very lazy. I find it hard to get up in the morning when the skies are dark. And without the impetus of race day and the regular schedule of the C25K program, it was easy to do nothing. I have made a resolution for November though to get back at it, and yesterday morning I got up before 6 o'clock and went for a run. It was cool and crisp - about 8 degrees I think? - perfect weather for running for me! I was chilly to start, but fine once I got going.

It's interesting how a body that has had at least a bit of training will remember what it needs to do. Even though it is a solid month since race day and I have done nothing in that time other than the usual walk to work and furniture moving, I had no trouble running for 20 minutes straight, and no trouble doing 30 situps this morning. I remember years ago when I decided to make morning situps part of my routine, it was near impossible! But now I guess the muscles are still there and even if I go a month (or more!) without doing them, it is not hard to get back into the routine.

My current plan is to run three mornings a week: Tuesday, Friday, Sunday. I hope the weather holds for a while.

Oh, my neck.

I went for a run this morning and felt pretty great! Re-did C25K Week 6 Day 1, ran all I was meant to run, went farther (4.5 km) and felt faster!

I did have a bit of a twinge in my shoulder/neck near the end, but thought, I can do this!

Now my neck hurts, and all I want is to go lie down.

Cannot wait for my next physio appointment - a week tomorrow!

Back to the ol' drawing board

Got back from my trip on Friday. 13 days/12 nights on the road, and I didn’t miss a run! I kept up with the C25K every second morning, and Thursday ran week 6 day 1.

But then.

It started about halfway through the trip actually, with vertigo at night in my sleeping bag. But it went away.

And then it came back.

On Friday morning—in a wilderness park about 4 hours’ drive from home—I was dizzy and nauseated and running a low fever (exacerbated by trying to pack up sleeping bags in a tent that was equivalent to a sauna). I spent a fair amount of time lying around thinking, how will we get home? Who could I call who would be able and willing to come all the way out here and drive us back? I'm not sure how one would even get near where we were without a car.

Eventually I felt stable enough to try driving (driving is great! You are basically sitting motionless!) and after building up my confidence on the backroads I headed to the highway and got us home. And lay down.

On Saturday after dropping the kid off at his dad’s house, I saw the doctor. First I saw a resident who seemed to be ruling out a stroke based on the various tests she did (“Tell me what side I'm touching” “Frown” “Raise your eyebrows”) and then my regular doc came in and said, “Boy, when you get sick, you really get sick.” Yep.

And then, “It’s probably a virus,” which is right up there with “It’s probably stress,” in the doctor's thesaurus of synonyms for “I don’t know.”

I went home and lay down some more.

In the morning I thought, I wonder where my shoulders are at?

Sure enough, my left shoulder is 2” higher than the right. So I googled “Thoracic Outlet System + Vertigo” and yes, they can be connected. Then I looked up my saviour, Angus the physiotherapist, to see how early I could call Monday morning for an appointment.

Earliest I can get to see him is Thursday morning at 8:30 (he was booked till mid-September, but they had a cancellation), but I will bet a million dollars that he fixes me up perfectly, and this “virus” theory was utter bunk!

C25K: Week 2 completed

Finished week 2! A friend mentioned that she is doing this too. She is on week 6, where apparently there is a point where you run for fully twice as long as any of the previous runs up to that point. I like to think I have been doing fairly well so far, but I am now a little bit afraid of week 6. So far I have not looked ahead to see what any of the future weeks entail, I wonder if that is a good thing or a bad thing? Part of me is tempted to get through the "easy" weeks by doing the runs only 2 times instead of 3 times before moving on to the next level, so I will have more time to work on week 6 (for example) if needed. That may be a completely idiotic idea though.

C25K: Week 1 completed

Done week 1! I did runs 2 & 3 at my cousin's cottage in the Gatineau hills. Part of me thought, "I could skip run 1/3 and go straight to week 2, since I already did a run before I got the app/earbuds sorted." But I decided against it, due to the nature of the run - on uneven gravel roads rather than paved, and also quite hilly:

Not far, but oh those hills! Ah well, I will tell myself that training at elevation is good for the heart.

Amateur hour

Well I got my phone/earbuds sorted and ran with the app this morning.

Now, you might say, "Aren't you only supposed to train every second day, and work other parts of your body on the off-days?"

And, you would be right.

Yesterday was comparatively easy, and I woke up feeling fine today - not sore the way you usually do if you've really worked your muscles - so I thought, "Why not?" Especially since I wanted to "catch up" as I hadn't used the app for day one, so I wanted to "re-do" it. And yesterday I did more jogging than was actually necessary - it's meant to be 8 x 60-second runs on the first day, and I think I did that plus 4 x 90-second runs - so I thought it would be a piece of cake.

And it was fine!

Except now my legs are really sore.

I’m back!

I signed up for a 5k!

The last time I ran a 5k was in 2010, a fundraiser for the Brain Tumour Foundation after my mother died of cancer. This time, it’s a fundraiser for the Breast Cancer Foundation, because a friend had “triple negative” (a very aggressive type) but thankfully survived! Here’s her story:

So, I bought some new running shoes, and this morning started the “Couch to 5k” regime. Or, actually, a version thereof, because I don’t know where the earbuds for my phone are, so I just alternated running 60 seconds/walking 90 seconds eight times, then running 120 seconds/walking 90 seconds 4 times. Good enough for day one. Need to get my phone sorted though so I can do it properly!

The best part for me was that I did not cough once on my run! My lungs have been terrible this year - my darling son brought home all kinds of germs in the winter, and I couldn’t take sick days when I needed to because there was too much work to do and I was the only one able to do it. Two rounds of antibiotics when they thought I had pneumonia; then the diagnosis changed to pleurisy (what is that you ask? If you remember The Glass Menagerie, it’s the illness that Laura had in high school which caused her to miss months of classes—then called “pleurosis” which led to the nickname “blue roses”).

Ha, I coughed just now because I am writing about not coughing I guess!

I was fine for a while after I eventually recovered, but the first week of summer vacation, my darling son again brought home a nasty bug, and I can’t seem to shake the cough that came with it. Partly, I think, due to the terrible humidity that has cloaked the city in a veil of smog and pollen.

So I am thrilled that I was able to run and breathe this morning! The sun was just starting to beat down upon the city in my final stretch home; next time I will try to get an earlier start.

c25k week 1: aka I did it!!

I did it!

Instead of just procrastinating, I did it.

I had trouble sleeping last night and was lying in bed, tossing and turning, and finally I looked at the clock—5:42. so I got up, put on my jogging pants and runners, and went out there.

Didn’t follow the official c25k plan for a first run, as I’ve run before, and I also knew that if I took the time to look it up, I’d be done. I’d be sitting at the computer, and then it would suddenly be 7 o’clock and I’d have to make breakfast for my son. I just looked at the official plan now, and you’re supposed to have a warm-up walk that lasts a full 5 minutes, which I didn’t do. I walked to the end of our street, then ran 2 blocks, then walked crossing the street, then ran a couple more blocks, etc. All in all, 6 chunks of running, a small amount of walking, 2km over 20 minutes.

Amazingly my left foot feels fine, while my right foot felt a little funny. Hope I wasn’t favouring the left. I didn’t even think of it till I was almost home. We’ll see how they feel tomorrow.

Next time I will wear my bright yellow shell instead of a dark grey one though. I must have been invisible in the dark!

ETA: I just checked the c25k plan and what I did was more like week 4. Can I skip ahead?

And now I must stretch!