August 2007: roundup and assessment

Two notes to self

1. Schedule in flex time so that the unscheduled stuff has its own place in the timetable, rather than taking up workout time.

2. Bring enough to eat at work during the day. Crashing on the couch with a bag of chips at 7 PM does not contribute to healthy living!

The rest of August

The last two weeks of August were, alas, a bust. I started a new job on Monday the 20th, and got overwhelmed by all of the stuff you normally get overwhelmed by in the first week of a new job, and the second week was just as intense.

We did manage a trip to Tofino on the weekend of the 25th, and I took in my first surfing lesson. I still don't have enough core strength to pull myself upright on the board. I managed to get to my knees easily enough after the first few tries, but that's as far as it went. It was a fun way to spend a couple of hours in the afternoon, but I think I'll stick with running for now.

Overall impressions of August

I'm not going to make excuses. A little bit of willpower and I could have stuck it through, but I wimped out and fell back into easy, lazy habits. I lost sight of my motto, BUSY IS GOOD, and fell into BUSY IS REASON TO EAT JUNK FOOD AND COMPLAIN ABOUT THE ALLEGEDLY CRAPPY STATE OF MY ACTUALLY EXCELLENT LIFE.

It's frustrating to think that I let myself miss out on the cumulative benefits of 10 workouts this month. Brooding, however, is wasted energy. I think I'll give myself a C grade for this month, and look to significant improvement in September

August 2007: D11/23

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WORKOUT
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8:00 PM
2 mile run

Finally got to the run that I was supposed to do on Saturday. Ugh. The good news is that I've sped up a significant amount, even in just the last three runs. The bad news, well, there isn't any, really, except that this is not something I can bag on. I've got another 2 mile run tomorrow and Thursday, and then 5K on Saturday for the first time in ages.

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NUTRITION
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7:15 AM - 1 cup Kashi cereal, 1 cup soy milk
11:00 AM - 1/4 chicken quesadilla, 2 cups coffee
3:00 PM - pork and eggplant over brown rice
7:00 PM - whole wheat penne w spaghetti sauce and fat free cottage cheese
9:30 PM - 1/2 cup carrot-orange-ginger soup

Still no greens. ARGH. I even have bagged baby spinach in the fridge! Maybe I should shove a double handful into a veggie frittata tomorrow night.

August 2007: rest day 4

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WORKOUT
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Oops, run got bumped again. There was a whole big thing with my mom's computer needing to be tweaked (stupid Vista, you know) and then returning CM's trailer rental and just a whole bunch of life stuff that pretty much derailed everything that I had planned for the day.

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NUTRITION
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9:00 AM - whole wheat toast, 2 eggs, bacon, coffee mmmmm
1:30 PM - pork and eggplant over brown rice
3:30 PM - chicken quesadilla and onion rings
7:30 PM - Japanese veggie and beef curry over white rice

August 2007: D10/23

Today is supposed to be a run day, but I had my second weights session with the trainer today, so I've bumped the run to tomorrow.

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WORKOUT
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10:00 AM
weights session with trainer

I did my second hour-long session with the Y trainer today, and I'm glad that's done. These two sessions came with the gym package, and while I'm sure trainer boy is a perfectly nice guy, I've been thoroughly spoiled by my two years of personal training at the fancy downtown studio. I've come to peace with the idea that it's worth the bags of cash they smilingly take from me to be properly monitored and professionally assessed on a semi-annual basis. I think I'm good for the next few months to the half-marathon, but after that, I'm going to check in again.

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NUTRITION
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9:30 AM - 1 cup Kashi cereal, 1 cup strawberries, 2/3 cup soy milk
12:00 PM - 1 cup steamed baby carrots, baba ganoush for dipping
1:30 PM - 1 slice pizza
7:00 PM - eggplant and pork over brown rice

Okay, so the pizza wasn't exactly half-marathon-training-approved (HMTA!), but it was the third day and the very last slice and CM isn't here and you can't eat pizza after the third day, that's gross. So in the dual interests of economy and hygiene, yes, I ate it.

I also made an enormous pot of carrot-ginger soup. The recipe called for 4 cups of chicken broth, and I only had one, so I used some (a LOT of) chardonnay to top things up. The important thing is, go veggies! It's cooling right now, and I'm told it freezes well. Taste test tomorrow!

August 2007: D9/23

I have a bug bite on the arch of my left foot, courtesy of the tragic combination of Crescent Beach and slip-on sandals. I keep putting itch relief lotion on, but it lasts for like 15 minutes and then the itch returns. ARGH.

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WORKOUT
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10:00 PM
bodyweight core workout

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NUTRITION
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7:45 AM - bacon and egg McMuffin, hashbrown, coffee
12:00 PM - brown rice
2:00 PM - popcorn
6:00 PM - turkey club sandwich
11:30 PM - perogies

Honestly, even when I keep track, if I'm on vacation, I can't help but eat crap food. At this point, it's not so big a deal, but I can't be doing this when I'm running more than 10K in a session!

August 2007: D8/23

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WORKOUT
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8:30 PM
2 mile run

The run felt several times better than Tuesday's run, thank goodness. The trick, as always, is to pretty much crawl for the first few minutes, nearly for the entire first mile, and then I'm warmed up and trucking by about a mile and a half. Obviously at this point that only gives me about 800 metres at my actual pace, but this is good prep for race day. I'll know to either warm up with a jog before the race starts, or to just take it super easy for the first mile.

I've got three more sessions at this distance, and then I start bumping up the distance and/or speed for the Thursday and Saturday runs. I'll start wearing a watch again too, once I get past 5K.

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NUTRITION
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4:30 AM - 2 slices pizza
8:30 AM - 1/2 cup oatmeal, 1/2 cup blueberries, 1 cup coffee
11:30 AM - 2 slices pizza
2:00 PM - 2 cups popcorn
5:30 PM - beef noodles
9:30 PM - veggie stirfry over brown rice

Whoa. Way heavy on the carbs, very little protein, and negligible veggies. This is what happens when I spend the day at home reading and tormenting the cat.

August 2007: rest day 3

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WORKOUT
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Rest day!

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NUTRITION
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7:00 AM - ham, spinach and cheese omelette, 2 slices bacon, 2 cups coffee
11:00 AM - smoked salmon roll, spicy tuna roll, edamame
3:30 PM - 2 cups white cheddar popcorn
7:00 PM - 3 slices pizza
9:00 PM - white chocolate strawberry gelato

Not a good day, meal-wise. Note to self: indulge on an 80/20 basis, not 20/80!

August 2007: D7/23

I'm booking our hotel reservation for the half-marathon tonight so that I don't chicken out midway through training! Eek!

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WORKOUT
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7:30 PM
2 mile slooooow run

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NUTRITION
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7:00 AM - 1 cup Kashi cereal, 1 cup soy milk
9:30 AM - 1/2 cup canned corn, 1 cup baked beans
12:00 PM - edamame, spicy tuna roll, smoked salmon roll
2:30 PM - 1/2 cup canned corn, 1 cup baked beans
6:00 PM - 1 cup spinach salad, 1 cup Smartfoods white cheddar popcorn
9:00 PM - perogies mmmmm

August 2007: D6/23

So, a few months ago I bought two pairs of running shoes on sale. Saucony Grid, my favourite stability shoe, one pair with light pink stripes, the other pair with dark pink stripes. I keep one pair in my gym bag at work, and one pair on the shoe rack at home.

I think we all know where I'm going with this.

This afternoon I happened to be doing one-arm dumbbell rows, and happened to look down at my feet. I'm a runner; do I never look at my own feet? Apparently not. Yes, on my left foot I had light pink stripes, and on my right, dark pink. Good lord. You know I've been running around for the past four months with mismatched shoes like a fashion-challenged three-year-old. I am an idiot.

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WORKOUT
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1:00 PM
5-min dynamic warmup
dumbbell press, 3x12, 20 lbs
one-arm dumbbell row, 3x12, 20 lbs
lat pulldown, 3x12, 45 lbs (wuss!)
upright row, 3x12, 40 lbs
stability ball leg curl, 3x10
side plank 2x20 seconds

Felt a little sluggish and weak at the gym, although that might just be due to increased reps.

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NUTRITION
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7:00 AM - 1 cup Kashi cereal, 1 cup soy milk
9:30 AM - 1 cup strawberries
11:00 AM - chicken and veggie peanut stirfry w brown rice
2:00 PM - 2 oz salmon w 1/2 cup canned corn
6:00 PM - 1 cup Smartfoods white cheddar popcorn (95 cal)
6:30 PM - beef noodles
7:30 PM - 6" seafood sub (oops)

Well, I started out okay! Stupid lack of dinner planning...

August 2007: rest day 2

Not a bad first week back. I hit the gym 5 out of 7 days, firmed up some running goals, and made some decent steps toward cleaning up my diet. I've been a productive girl this evening and already have my lunchbag packed for tomorrow!

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WORKOUT
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Rest day!

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NUTRITION
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10:00 AM - sourdough toast, fried eggs, 2 cups coffee
3:00 PM - peanut stirfry w brown rice
6:00 PM - baked salmon, spinach salad w strawberries, feta and avocado, 3/4 cup soy milk

I might have had some sour cream and onion chips in there. Might.

August 2007: D5/23

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WORKOUT
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A very productive session with the trainer today. We discussed my plans for the half-marathon, and how I needed to tweak my weights program. My revised weekly program looks like this:

MON - weights - core and light lower body
TUE - run
WED - weights - core and upper body
THU - run
FRI - rest
SAT - long run
SUN - rest

I'm cutting out a lower body/back weights session and all interval sessions, since the running will take care of leg conditioning and my overall goal is now distance, not speed, Reps will increase to 12, and weights will decrease to a maintenance level. In late October I move up to 4 runs a week (eek!) which will reduce my weights workout to one weekly core and upper body session.

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NUTRITION
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8:30 AM - ham and cheese sandwich, 1 cup coffee
1:00 PM - egg, sourdough toast, hashbrowns, 2 sausages
5:00 PM - 1 cup Kashi cereal w 1/2 cup soy milk
7:30 PM - chicken, prawn and green veggie stirfry w brown basmati rice

August 2007: rest day 1

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WORKOUT
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Unplanned rest day! I moved my personal training session up to Saturday morning, and I had an assignment due for my information systems course, so I took a break today. Alas, this had, um, unintended effects on my meals for the day...

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NUTRITION
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7:15 AM - 1/2 cup eggplant and pork, 1/2 cup white rice
8:30 AM - 2 cups coffee
10:00 AM - 1 pkg Oreo thin crisps (100 cal)
12:00 PM - 1/2 cup fried rice, 1/2 cup garlic pork, 1/4 cup sesame chicken
3:00 PM - 1/4 cup calamari
7:00 PM - Big Mac and fries mmmmmmmmmmm

August 2007: D4/23

SLIGHT change of plans. My intrepid workout partner, KV, who has been mostly sidelined this past year due to a knee injury, is back in action and wants to do the Seattle Half-Marathon on November 25. !!! I can do it, but it requires a tweak or two to the program. Serendipitously, I'm seeing a personal trainer next week as part of the intro package at my new gym, and this is exactly the kind of thing on which I can get some useful feedback.

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WORKOUT
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6:30 PM
TT Weights Workout
A1) DB squat 3x8 @ 25 lbs/30 lbs/30 lbs
A2) Stability ball ab crunch 3x15
B1) DB reverse lunge 3x8 @ 30 lbs/30 lbs/ 25 lbs
B2) DB row 3x8 @ 15 lbs/20 lbs/20 lbs
C1) Back extension on stability ball 3x10
C2) Side plank 3x20 seconds

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NUTRITION
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8:45 AM - WW bagel w light cream cheese, 2 cups coffee
1:00 PM - 1/2 cup minestrone soup, 1 cup salad greens w chicken and avocado
4:30 PM - 2/3 cup eggplant and pork over 2/3 cup white rice
8:00 PM - ham and cheese sandwich, 1 cup soy milk

August 2007: D3/23

It was a close one today; we got home within 10 minutes of each other, and we forced ourselves out the door before apathy set in. My interval session went reasonably well. I could have pushed it quite a bit more, I think, but experience says it's better to ease into things for the first few days.

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WORKOUT
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6:45 PM
Treadmill intervals
2-min warmup @ 3.5
3-min warmup @ 5.0
30 s hard @ 7.0/90 s easy @ 4.5
30 s hard @ 7.0/90 s easy @ 4.5
30 s hard @ 7.0/90 s easy @ 4.5
30 s hard @ 7.5/90 s easy @ 4.5
30 s hard @ 8.0/90 s easy @ 4.5
30 s hard @ 8.5
5-min walk @ 3.5

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NUTRITION
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7:15 AM - 1/2 cup white rice
11:00 AM - tuna with Ritz crackers
12:30 PM - Lean Cuisine chicken teriyaki bowl, 1/2 cup baked beans
3:30 PM - 1 obscenely large peach
4:30 PM - 1 cup strawberries
8:30 PM - 3/4 cup eggplant and ground pork, 3/4 cup white rice

August 2007: D2/23

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WORKOUT
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2:00 PM
TT Weights Workout
A1) DB split squat 3x8 @ 20 lbs
A2) DB incline press 3x8 @ 20 lbs
B1) Stability ball leg curl 3x15
B2) Pushup 3x15
C1) Stability ball jacknife 3x10
C2) DB rear delt raise 3x10 @ 8 lbs/8 lbs/5 lbs

So, when I said I wasn't going to obsess over meal plans, you knew I couldn't actually stick to that, right? I just can't help it; I find that it's extremely positive feedback to review what I've been eating over the past few days so that I stay motivated to avoid the sour cream and onion chips in favour of a brown rice cake topped with soy cheese melted over salsa (ok, that sounds kind of gross, but is actually pretty good).

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NUTRITION
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7:00 AM - 1/2 cup blueberries, 1/2 cup FF plain yogurt, 2 cups coffee
9:45 AM - 1/2 cup oatmeal, 1 oz raisins
12:00 PM - 1/2 cup canned corn, 1/2 cup white rice, 2 oz steak
3:15 PM - 3/4 cup blueberries
4:00 PM - 1/2 cup canned corn, 1/4 cup white rice, 2 oz steak
7:30 PM - 4 chicken wings, 4 mini Swedish meatballs, the last of the wedding cake!

August 2007: D1/23

There are 23 workout days left in August, so that's how I'm going to keep track. (Don't mind my anal-retentiveness; it's not catching.) If I manage to hit every one of them, I'll...buy myself an iPod? (no, wait, got one) Heart rate monitor? (no, cheaper to get the battery replaced in my old one) Cute workout shorts! Oh, let's not kid ourselves; I buy cute workout shorts at any opportunity. Um, so I guess I'll just have to settle for the satisfaction of having a green bar on every workout day in my Google Calendar, and this is actually a very satisfying reward, because I am a GIANT NERD.

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WORKOUT
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4:00 pm
30 min run

CM and I just joined a YMCA near our house, and I already have a membership with a YWCA near work, so now I REALLY have no excuse ever to miss a workout. I did a 10 min warmup jog on the rooftop track (tiny, but useful) and CM mentioned that my warmup is now faster than what my regular run pace used to be. Woohoo! Apparently I've been doing something right. The other 20 min was a pretty gentle 2 run/2 walk on the treadmill. Nothing too taxing for my first time out in three weeks, since tomorrow is a more intense weights/intervals session.

August Goals: 45 min run, 5 lb loss, increase in speed

I think I've put my finger on it: when I have a concrete short-term goal, I find it a lot easier to keep it top of mind than when I make some six- or nine-month commitment where halfway through I've lost all of my enthusiasm for it and there's still a zillion months to go before it's met. So from now on, I'm not committing to any fitness-related goals beyond a three-month window. Which means I won't be talking about that February half-marathon (you know, this one) until at least November.

But I will be talking about this run! 9.5 km around the Seawall (which should have reopened by then) on October 28, and my personal challenge is to complete it in under 60 minutes. It would be nice to graduate in speed from Slowest Human Ever to possibly Slightly Faster Than Turtle. To accomplish this, of course, requires two things: lose some of the padding around my waist, and a strong emphasis on speed intervals. For August, I'll be following the Turbulence Training for Fat Loss program, combined with 3 run sessions per week. A typical week will look like this:

MON - TT weights session with treadmill interval workout
TUE - 30 min run
WED - TT weight session
THU - 30 min run
FRI - TT weight session with treadmill interval workout
SAT - 35-45 min run
SUN - rest day

Instead of obsessing over meal plan choices, which is my usual MO, I'm going to focus instead on getting the workouts done, no matter what, and keeping the fridge full of veggies, fruit and whole grains. The protein part of a meal generally takes care of itself, and good nutrition choices come much more easily to me when I'm working out regularly.

Because today is a holiday, I can't get to the gym. I'll just switch around my weight and run sessions for this first week. First run is later this afternoon!