C25K - Re-establishing an Exercise Program

I got a bit out of the habit of regular exercise with the excessive cold and bad weather we had this winter.  Since my running club wants to enter some races this year (and one member is training for the marathon!) I had better get it together.

It's not easy being the oldest, slowest, and only menopausal member of the club!

For fun I downloaded the "Couch to 5K" program (known as C25K) onto my iPhone as a way to getting everything revved up again. 

I just started today - are you getting your exercise either back on track or shaken up for "Spring Training"?

New Year: Slow Start But Good Attitude

It's been so cold that I haven't been able to run for several weeks. The big surprise? I miss it!

I have been able to get some several-mile walks in, but not with any real consistency. Currently sidelined with a cold, but anxious to get back into an exercise routine.

Menopause coping-strategies still in place, and except for getting enough exercise things are on an even keel. I guess the thing is that we all have to find the balance that works specifically for us.

For me, that was finding a way to get enough sleep. Everything else falls behind that, because without enough quality sleep everything falls apart. Also important: find a way to laugh at this stage with all the weird things going on with your body THAT NO ONE EVER TOLD YOU WOULD HAPPEN.

I wonder if *this* is the year that I finally lose some of the weight as well as stay fit. What about you?

Love,
Owlette

Another Short Update

The time just flies, huh? So another update is due.

1. Menopause. Sucks worse than ever. Back to getting a monthly migraine and bloating for which there are no descriptive words. It would seem impossible for any one human body to retain so much water without exploding. Recently I started getting hot flashes of intense intensity (yep. that's how they feel. don't question me.) Drenching, must-mop-my-face-like-a-day-laborer-because-otherwise-I-would-be-blinded hot flashes. Followed by what I can only call cold flashes where I am suddenly freezing and need a blanket. It's like I have no internal temperature regulator.

2. Sleep. Needs its own line now. It's been months since I had a full night's sleep. It's so bad that even hot flashes take a back seat. No problem falling asleep, but staying asleep? Impossible. Some nights I just wake for a few minutes every hour or so, but other nights I may be awake for hours. I have tried almost every single trick in the book:

a. I go to bed and get up about the same time every day.
b. I ease into sleep time with a calming routine.
c. I drink only one caffeine drink a day, in the morning.
d. I exercise 5-6 days per week.
e. No work in the evenings.
f. No tv in bed.
g. If I'm awake for more than an hour, I get up and read in another room.
h. Sleeping room is dark and well ventilated.
i. I use a C-PAP machine for sleep apnea, without fail.
j. OTC herbal sleep remedy made no difference.
k. Remifemin made no difference.
l. Custom Chinese herbs do not seem to make a difference, even tweaking the formula.

The only thing I haven't done is give up my single glass of wine or beer with dinner. *sigh* If that does the trick I will want to jump off a building. I'm stubbornly resisting it.

3. Fitness. Foot injuries have not really healed, but I'm running when I can and walking otherwise. Most days. When I'm not incredibly lazy.

Follow up to plan:

1. Went to the doctor for a full check up (good health, keep exercising, lose some damn weight.) I asked about my crap immune system and was told that I was fine and to wash my hands more. Damn if that didn't make a huge difference. I now consciously try to remember not to touch my nose or mouth after touching lots of public things (like being on the subway) until I can wash my hands.

2. If I'm not running, I try to at least walk for a couple of miles every day. It still seems to aggravate the foot injury so I'm trying to find the right mix.

3. Ran in another 5K with my Skull n Bones team in July. I didn't want to, didn't feel trained for it, but I did it. And because I am stubborn, I ran every step. I was the dead last finisher. (And the world didn't end, and I didn't die of embarrassment, contrary to my expectations.)

4. Eating Plan. So NOT up to speed on this. I have no idea what my blockage on this topic is.

So NEW plan:

1. Owlette must SERIOUSLY lose weight. Perhaps a full time food-nanny?

2. Keep up exercise program. The latest is that for the relay marathon next year, the team has decided that we will all shift one position. That means I start with a 10k (6 miles) run. Last year my cousin did it with a sprained ankle (obtained in mile one.) So there isn't a lot of room for excuses.

3. Exhaust (ha ha) all avenues re: sleep - so important! - before resorting to prescribed western pharmaceuticals.

Does anyone have any tricks to share for sleep issues? I'm all ears.

Love,
Owlette

A Short Update

How has so much time gone by? So brief updates are in order:

1. Menopause. It still sucks, but is slightly more manageable post D&C. I had a period, and while it lasted longer than usual there were no cramps to speak of. Still getting the occasional vicious headache, usually around the time I would get my period. I started taking some herbal supplements and using some over-the-counter estrogen/progesterone cream but stopped both. More on that in a dedicated post.

2. Fitness. Good and bad. Ran in that relay marathon, had a blast and finished with my best time ever. See what fear can do? I got to be the one to cross the finish line and everyone was applauding and my team and family were all there and it was AMAZING. But... I ended up with shin splints and plantar fasciitis so have been sidelined. And bizarrely, I miss running. I've had a crap immune system for the past couple of months, so between the injuries and being sick I have not been able to keep up with running or bicycling.

The plan:

1. Full general checkup to see why my immune system is so weak.

2. Back to running/cycling in such a way as to not aggravate injuries.

3. Run in a 5K in July with my relay team.

4. Figure out how to STAY on an eating program that will result in healthy, consistent weight loss. (It might be easier to run a MARATHON than do this.) I don't aspire to look like I did at 25, but I *would* like to be at a healthier weight. I mean, I know HOW to do it, but the actual DOING is hard.

What do YOU do to stay on track?

Love,
Owlette

I'm Running in a Relay Marathon!

Here's my big secret - I committed to running in the Jersey Shore Relay Marathon. We have a team of five and each of us runs one leg of the 26-mile-385-yard course.

I'm running the shortest leg - 3.41 miles - and I'm terrified that I won't be able to do it and will humiliate myself. In fact, just writing this brought on a hot flash.

Our team has only two rules:

1. No walking
2. No one over 75 can pass you

That shouldn't be too hard, right? But I have seen some fast 75+ year olds, so I'm a little worried. Seriously - I don't want to have to trip a senior citizen.

I'm less nervous when I know what to expect. So here is my plan:

1. Add .25 mile every week so that I'm running 4 miles at the beginning of April.
2. Walk or bicycle whenever possible to increase endurance.
3. In early April, go down and run my part of the course.

It feels like a HUGE deal to me to be doing this. I suspect I'm being just a wee bit dramatic, but...

Every journey of 1,000 miles starts with a single step, right? (Repeat ad nauseum)

Post Surgery + Fitness Update

Wow - it's taken longer to recover from surgery that I thought. Still bleeding eight days later, but feel more like myself. I can't tell what was surgery after-effects and what's plain old hormones though!

On the fitness front, it's just too icy in NYC now for me to run. I just made an attempt, but Beloved and I had a major blowout on the corner. She thinks it's just fine; I was slipping and sliding. When I attempted walking in the street (a garbage truck was blocking ALL traffic from the street) she had a huge hissy fit.

And I just don't have the patience I used to for dealing with drama. I don't understand why SHE can't understand that if I run a couple of miles and then have to walk home for another mile over ice, that makes me uncomfortable. I am tired after running and it's also only 23 degrees, so picking my way home over the icy patches will be COLD as well as slippery. We just have to do our running separately, I guess.

And now I'm mad at her for wrecking my workout. When did I give her all that power? I think this temper thing (which is not normal for me) is one of the worst aspects of the change.

I'm Back, Baby!

It's been a long, hot summer and not too much progress on the weight-loss front. Lots of mean surprises on the menopause front.

But I'm back with a new attitude and renewed commitment. Not sure why - maybe it's the "first day of school" syndrome.

I'm ignoring the lady-bits today in favor of fitness - went to the track and FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER ran all the way around (400 meters) without walking. Beloved was there for support, and although all the way around I told her that I couldn't do it, and then I did, I got some ornery bee in my bonnet and somehow PUNISHED her by running another 400 meters. I know. It's f***ed up.

So...if this old thing can run, so can you. I'm just sayin'.

PS - I should define "run". It means not walking, but has no relation to the concept of "speed" at all. A two-year old could easily keep up with me.

The Real Week 4 - Crabby Is As Crabby Does

We have company this week - a dear friend of Beloved's from Germany and her 8 year old daughter. They are wonderful guests, helpful and non-obtrusive (a real feat in an NYC apartment.)

Two important things are in play now: Beloved is caught up in being with her friend, and she somehow injured both her ankles running (showing off?)at the track. They hurt and are swollen, like a sprain. I told her last week that too much was as bad as nothing at all when she was exhorting me to run (to no avail.) I reminded her that we are over 40. I cried when she was clearly disappointed. Can't she see that I am working hard at this? That keeping on keeping on is more important than speed or "winning"?

As I continue my workout (stepping smartly) until finished, she is sprinting ahead and stopping to stretch or rest in between. It's a fundamental difference between us, I realize. She can beat anyone in the on-the-spot competition: faster, more capable of the push needed to win. So not where I am coming from.

This week I ride to the warehouse in Jersey City for the first time alone. My seat decides to slowly descend until the rack on the back is acting like a brake. I call Beloved in a slight panic since just moving the seat up spins the rack at a crazy angle. I really want her to come and rescue me since I knew this bicycle crap was total bullshit. And here is the proof.

She gives me some instructions, but I am not an engineer. It doesn't seem to work like she said. She is laughing at me (she has a very well developed sense of schadenfreude) and I am getting pissed. I give a curt "good-bye" and hang up in a huff. I consider abandoning the bike but the walk home is too far. I fool around with the seat and rack and finally understand how the "quick release" mechanism works. I adjust the seat and go on.

I am so incredibly proud of myself. It's a tiny little thing - but I fixed it. By myself.

The buoyancy crashes later in the day on the way home when I have to walk up the two hills from the warehouse to the PATH station again. I try telling myself that it's OK, that I really achieved something today with riding alone and fixing a problem -- but I don't listen. Why should I listen to an old, tired, fat, unable-to-do-slight-hills, out of shape mess?

We take a few days off to go up to the property we just bought in Sullivan County. So there is a break from the forced march since Beloved is distracted and slightly injured. Whoo-hoo!

And then I find out that I feel terrible. I feel huge and unable to move. Everything is an effort. I am so crabby that even I don't want to be around me. Even my in-denial brain can figure out that this is because I have gotten used to an hour of exercise every day, and now my body is in shock.

Oh, crap.

As of 5/18/08:

Current				Total Lost
Weight	225.5			.5 lbs.
Bust	45"			0 in.
Waist	39"			0 in.
Hip	52"			0 in.
BMI	39.94%

The Real Week Two - Exhaustion and Tears (Part 2)

I know I am playing catch up on this - I really wish I had written it as it was happening because it was (is) so hard! And when I read other people's stories about achieving a difficult goal I find it much more inspiring if I can really feel the way it was -- the despair and elation, ya know? I'm trying to convey that...


If I didn't mention it before, fitness is the goal here. And not just any old fitness - Fitness as Job 1. That means that there is nothing more important than improving my health and nothing can stand in the way of that commitment.

And believe me, I have looked for something (anything!) to get in the way.

So at the track... still walking at least a mile. Most days I do a mile and a quarter. My calves hurt and I am convinced I am getting shin splints. I don't dare complain.

Beloved is running for parts of our workout. She is trying to make me run (not working) and is also trying to make me do weird exercises. I look like the ballet-dancing hippos from Fantasia and refuse to hop around like that.

I know that she has my best interests at heart, but it's all too much. Every day I dread the Exercise Hour. I feel huge and clumsy and like I will never get anywhere. Maybe I'm too old to start this program.

Since we usually bike the mile over to the track, by the time we get home I am FINISHED. Why do people say that exercise gives them energy? I can hardly move and am so stiff every hour of every day. At night when I get up from my desk or couch to go to bed I move like I'm 110.

What have I gotten myself into?

As of 5/4/08:

Current				Total Lost
Weight	226.5			.5 lbs.
Bust	45"			1 in.
Waist	40"			1 in.
Hip	52.5"			.5 in.
BMI	40.02%

The Real Week One - The Track

There is a great quarter-mile track in the East River Park. It's got a soccer field in the middle, and bleachers on one side and the river on the other. So the Beloved and I bicycle over (walking up the ramp, of course) and she thinks I am actually going to do some RUNNING.

I fall on the floor laughing. She is not amused. I tell her I will WALK for a mile and see how I feel. She says through clenched teeth that I had better Step Smartly.

By the second quarter mile I am stepping a little smarter, and enjoying it much more than any treadmill in any gym. And like the only thing I like about the treadmill, I like that I can measure how far I am going.

I know it doesn't seem like a lot to walk a mile (stepping smartly) but I recognize it's a start. And while I secretly vow to increase it as time goes on, the Official Position is that This. Is. It.

See, Beloved is very naturally sporty. She was an Olympic caliber athlete in her youth. And she was always the winner. So she has this weird concept of pushing me beyond my capabilities as if some brilliant light will go off in my head and I will run in the marathon in November. The only thing that goes off is my bloody temper and I start to scheme about a divorce. Except I love her madly.

She isn't happy unless she is exhausted after a workout. I am conscious that I have to bicycle home after this. And that I want to live to tell about it.

So there you have it. The first week we settled into two forms of exercise -what I thought of as gentle biking and gentle walking. I either walked 1-1.5 miles on the track or biked for 4-6 miles.

And it was good.

As you may have predicted, Beloved has other plans.

As of 4/27/08:

Current
Weight	227
Bust	46"
Waist	41"
Hip	53"			.5 in.
BMI	40.20%