More Progress

I went back to the gym on Saturday morning, and completed two laps without stopping on the indoor track! This felt like a big accomplishment! Truth is, the indoor track is smaller than your average track. Two laps around this track is a quarter of a mile. Not very far, really. But, still, it's progress for me.

Another Walk + Milestone

I stopped by the new gym again last evening after work, despite a poor night's sleep the night before. I walked around the indoor track just once, but I made it all the way around without stopping. It wasn't much, but it was something. And there's something to be said for showing up (I hope!).

Nest goal: to make two laps without stopping! 

Walked Last Night

Last evening, I walked at my new gym! I used the indoor track and did two laps. It wasn't pretty. I had to stop twice. Grand total was 0.22 miles in 5:21 (not including stops). My next goals are to make it one lap around without stopping, then two laps around without stopping. Beyond that, I'll work on 4 laps without stopping.

Joined an Old Gym

Credit:Getty Images/iStockphoto

Joined an old gym?! By old, I mean it's a gym I used to belong to, so it's not new, or new to me. It's been quite a few years, though!


I stopped by to pick up my new badge last evening after work, and chatted with a woman behind the desk. It wasn't long before we realized we remembered each other from my last membership. Plus, she remembered my parents from their memberships there too (years ago)! It was a little bittersweet talking about that, but good too.


Meanwhile, my activity there is limited to low key activities until after my doctor sees the results from next week's cardiac stress test. Safety first.

Morning Workout and DietBet

I made it back to the gym this morning, and one of the front desk people came around to the front of the desk and gave me a big hug! If I had that kind of welcome every time, I'd be at the gym a lot more often! :-)

I did 30 minutes on the recumbent bike and then did a few weight machines and dumbbells. It's not much, but I'm sore this afternoon! Help!

I do hope to keep going back to the gym a couple of mornings during the workweek. I went to the saltwater pool in Raleigh on Tuesday night, straight for work, and didn't get home until 9:00! Too long a day, especially since I ignored homework, housework, AND my significant other to get that pool workout in.  I'm looking for some balance here.

Meanwhile, I've recently discovered the website DietBet, and have signed up for not one, but two weight loss "games!" I started one, and named it Mission Slimpossible. Then I joined another one, which runs concurrently, called From Fat to Fit Challenge. Both start next Monday, February 11, and run for four weeks, ending Sunday, March 10. The challenge is to lose 4% of your starting weight in 4 weeks! Everyone who hits the 4% goal will split the pot of money evenly with the others who reached the 4% loss mark. (I put $10 into the pot for Mission Slimpossible, and $20 into the pot for From Fat to Fit Challenge, via PayPal.) I'm a little nervous (4% is a lot to shoot for in 4 weeks), but I'm pretty excited about it too. Money sure can be a motivating factor! In a way, I feel like I've paid the registration fee for a road race, and now I have to train. I hope that this will help me get ready to return to the running scene. I do miss the road races.



Clipart from Clipartheaven.com

Water Aerobics Class

I went to water aerobics class at the gym yesterday morning, and the 60-minute class was wonderful exercise that wore me out! My right IT band is being fussy now too. <sigh> I'll continue my physical therapy stretches and see what I can do about that. It was great to get some good exercise for a change, and nice to be part of a class too. I've missed running with the Raleigh Galloway group.


Clipart from Clipartheaven.com

Back on the Bike

Cooks during the '12 Galloway Pancake Breakfast

I hopped on the recumbent bike at the gym for 4 miles (including several 1 minute intervals) this morning, followed by some light yoga/stretching, then a short workout with the dumbbells. Felt good to get the week off to a good start with some exercise! I missed working out this weekend but I had an okay excuse. Saturday morning, I volunteered to help with the annual Raleigh Galloway Pancake Breakfast. Since I'm not running with the group this season (yet), I figured it would be a great way to see everyone, and it was! Standing out in the sun for several hours took its toll on me though, and I didn't get around to exercising the rest of the weekend.

This is a new week though, and even though I have a final exam and a paper due on Wednesday, that's no excuse not to take care of myself, right?!

Back in the Gym

I made it back to the gym yesterday morning, and am not sore today, which is a pretty good thing, I guess. I'm still on the injured list with my ankle, but am going to the podiatrist today for another issue, and hope he can take another look at the ankle too. Meanwhile, the stationary bike and strength training seem to be good for staying active. Also, I received a new-to-me book in the mail yesterday, Yoga for Wimps: Poses for the Flexibly Impaired. I've been thinking about going to a yoga class at the gym, but I've been a big chicken. This book seems to be the way to go for now.

Good Bike Ride Yesterday

I had a vacation day yesterday, and meant to get an early workout in to start the day off right! I ended up puttering around, though, just enjoying a morning where I didn't have to be somewhere by a certain time. So, I ended up at the gym around 1:30 PM, since it had gotten so hot! I hopped on the recumbent bike, and went 7.2 miles in 40:05 minutes. I enjoyed working up a sweat!

This morning, I've been cleaning up my blogroll just a little, deleting a handful of blogs where the blogging runners have decided to stop blogging and move on to other things. One or two decided to stop running for now, as their lives have gotten busy with other things. It's made me a little nostalgic about running buddies (in person and through the  blogosphere) that I've met over the years. Some I keep up with, but others I've lost touch with. That's life, though, isn't it?

Back on the Elliptical

I returned to the gym this morning, but got on the elliptical instead of the treadmill, and it was such a refreshing break! Wow! No plantar fasciitis or tendonitis pain! I'm looking forward to running again soon, but this morning's break was so refreshing! Wow! Meanwhile, I'm starting to look at 10K training plans. They look doable after that C25K! :-)

C25K W9D3 Complete

I finished the Couch-to-5K program yesterday on the treadmill, not at the New River 5K as I'd hoped. While my sore throat was a lot better, the plantar fasciitis and tendonitis, on top of being bone tired, had me wanting to stay close to home. George wasn't feeling on top of his game for the half marathon, either, so we decided not to make the 3-hour (each way) trip yesterday morning. So, I slept in and hit the treadmill at the gym in the early afternoon. 2 miles in 40:24 min, a decent pace for me these days. What's next? I plan to keep training, but may do some other cardio to give my foot and ankle a bit of a break. I've found a 10K training plan that looks good, so we'll see!

C25K W2D2 Finished

I did C25K W2D2 this morning, after a false start back on W1D1! Without my reading glasses on, I missed that the app had reset itself back to the beginning at first! So, I got a little extra walking on, no harm done. :-) I went a little faster today, and it felt pretty good. I'm a little more tired now, the good kind of tired that comes after a decent workout. It feels like I pushed myself just enough. I can make it through the workday just fine, but I already know I'll sleep well tonight! :-)

Long Elliptical Workout

I hit the gym this morning, and ended up doing 60 minutes on the elliptical machine, for 4.54 miles. I hadn't planned on staying on it for that long, but I got into the zone, I guess. I needed an endurance workout like that, so I'm glad I stuck it out. I can feel it tonight, though, as I'm more tired than usual. (It's also been a busy week, though.)

I've been working on making better food choices, dumping meat and dairy best I can. I think I need to work on portion control now, as my weight has plateaued. Meanwhile, I've been giving a lot of thought to the differences between vegan and paleo diets, and how each camp has such strong supporters and advocates. Can they both be right?

A New Week

I'm turning over a new leaf today! I'm starting on a new "way of eating" today, and I've already been to the gym this morning. Okay, I might be feeling a little smug!

There are a couple of things at work here. The Whole Foods Market near work has started an Engine 2 23-Day Challenge, which starts today. Also, the 10-week "Get Moving Challenge" starts at work TODAY, and I'm the team captain of the Bookworms again!

So, last night I shopped at two different grocery stores, trying to find all the ingredients for a couple of vegan recipes. (The "Engine 2 Diet" is a "plant-strong" diet.) I still didn't find everything, so I'm going to have to hit Whole Foods after work. I bet they have everything on my initial list, but I was hoping to go a little more cheaply. Grocery shopping is one of my least favorite things to do, so I'm hoping it gets easier with practice to buy healthier foods. Convenience has gotten the best of me, and I need to reverse the effects, despite being busy with work and graduate school!!

Stay tuned!

Third Workout in a Row

It's back to work for me tomorrow, so I hit the gym again today, my third workout in a row. To be honest, I wasn't really into it today. I stuck it out for 25 minutes on the recumbent bike, coaxing myself through 5-minute segments. Then I did some hammer curls, bicep curls, and shoulder presses with 5-lb dumbbells. Still bleh. Now that I'm home, I'm glad I did it. But I'm not used to three days of exercise in a row, and I felt it in the workout. Maybe I just need to shake things up a little bit. And maybe I need some rest.

Saturday Gym Workout

I had a well-rounded workout at the gym yesterday, which included some time on the stationary bike, the elliptical, some upper body strength training with dumbbells, and a little bit of core work. I don't feel as sore this morning as I expected to. Either I've gotten stronger or I need to push myself a little bit harder. Maybe a bit of both.

I tried a new elliptical machine there at the gym, one with a TV screen, but the mileage was quite off from another elliptical machine I normally use there. After 7 minutes, it said I'd only gone 2/10 of a mile! I'm slow, but usually go more than twice that speed on the elliptical. I got off that one (the TV screen turned out to be a nuisance anyway!),  went to do something else, and hopped on my normal brand of elliptical machine (sans TV), and had a good workout there.

I still have my eye on the half marathons in March and April (and hopefully May), but am enjoying my time in the gym for now, especially during this cold weekend here in central North Carolina.

I'm Gonna be a Flying Pirate!

I've signed up for another half marathon, the Flying Pirate next April 22, on the North Carolina coast! That's two half marathons (Tobacco Road and Flying Pirate) in two months (March and April). I may have bitten off more than I can chew, but I want to shoot for it! Truth be known, I WANT to sign up for a third half marathon in the North Carolina mountains scheduled for May, but I can't bring myself to fork over the money just yet!

More truth be known, this coming "spring semester" is the perfect time for me to shoot for membership in the Half Fanatics. I'm not in the best shape or weight for trying this at the moment, but thank goodness I don't have to do a half marathon right now, today. (Whew!) But since I'm only taking one grad school course next semester (and it's not a Saturday class), I'll have more time to train, so I NEED to make the time to train!

I've hit the gym more frequently in the past week, and am working on building endurance and burning calories without putting too much impact on my feet yet. (Earlier this year, the podiatrist told me that longer-than-normal metatarsal bones are causing my toe pain after 3-4 miles, and custom orthotics have been little help. Earlier this fall, I had plantar fasciitis.) One thing I've learned this past training week is that the elliptical machine gives me a great workout! I can tell because I'm kinda tired the rest of the day after a morning elliptical workout, and often the day after as well. This tells me I need to keep working on my cardio and endurance, but that, at least for now, I need to honor the Rest Day.

Good Gym Workout

I had another solid gym workout before work this morning, between the stationary bike and the elliptical machine. I love early morning workouts, since there's such a feeling of accomplishment at getting a workout done first thing. I tell ya, though, I'm tired! I can tell I need to work on my endurance. For that, I'm thankful for a gym with plenty of cardio equipment. Since I've had such an issue with my feet the past few years, I'm glad to be able to give them a break early in this half marathon training cycle.

Water Aerobics

I returned to water aerobics class at the gym on Monday night, and I'm still feeling the effects! In fact, my left hamstrings are a new soreness this morning! I won't go back to water arobics class this evening because my first final exam is looming on Saturday, but I hope to return soon. Good workout!


Clipart from Clipartheaven.com

Finally Back to the Gym!

I'm on staycation this week, so I finally made it back to the gym this morning, and it felt wonderful! My exercise regimen has fallen by the wayside, between work+school and an upset stomach, diagnosed as gastritis) this past week. I'm finally feeling better, with a new medication and a change in diet, so I'm on the mend and had the time this morning for a long workout! I ended up staying on the stationary bike the whole time, so not the most intense workout ever, but I stayed on for 65 minutes and completed 11.51 miles. Yay!