Activity 2/17 - 2/23

I had another good activity week. I notice that since I've given myself permission to work just any activity into my day, since I've said it's ok if it's just 10 minutes, I've been able to be active nearly every day.  And most days I'm not getting interrupted at 10 minutes.  It's sort of magical. 

Monday - 3.8 miles in 1:04.  I walked to the store and back to get stuff to make dinner.  I love doing that!
Tuesday - Treadmill walk of 1.75 miles in 35 minutes before making dinner for the kids and I.  Then spun while watching the Olympics - 40 minutes.  I did 15 rounds of 1 minute seated climb and 1 minute recovery. 
Wednesday - Busy day with kid well checks and wife chiropractic and working part of the day at home.  I hit the treadmill to get in 3.1 miles walking in an hour. 
Thursday - Awesome spin!  An hour with 3 rounds going 3 minutes standing hill, 3 minute recovery, 2 minutes standing hill, 2 minute recovery, 1 minute standing hill, 1 minute recovery.
Friday - Lunch time walk on an errand.  2.2 miles in 40 minutes.
Saturday - Neighborhood walk sandwiched into a busy day. 3.09 in 58 minutes.
Sunday - Early morning neighborhood walk.  It was lovely out and I waited for the sun to come out and then enjoyed the stillness.3.52 miles in 1:04.

Every week when I go to print that picture above, I notice that some of my workouts are listed on the wrong day and I have to change.  This week it occurred to me that maybe dailymile thinks I'm in another time zone.  Sure enough that was the issue.  Of course now, it shifted my workouts again...

Monday I made my 4th blood platelet donation of the year.  I went for a triple and unfortunately that was a bit too long.  I felt sick and they had to pull the needle quickly.  On the upside, it was a valid donation and my platelets helped numerous patients.  On the downside, I'm now deferred for 8 weeks. 

Steps:
Monday - 11,463
Tuesday - 10,438
Wednesday - 13,759
Thursday - 4,845
Friday - 10,470
Saturday - 12,720
Sunday - 15,148
Total - 78,843

Exercise 2/3/2014 - 2/10/2014

I haven't posted an Exercise log in a long time but I've been feeling like it's time to get back to it.  I'm trying to make sure that I get some activity every day or if not every day, 5-6 days a week.  Some days it's 30 minutes walking, some days spin biking.  I re-installed a walking counter on my phone last Monday.  I know that the counter is not accurate (under counting, not over) but it's still a good measure for me and motivates me to go just a little farther every day. 

Monday - I walked for 30 minutes (1.75 miles) at lunch time.  Then spun 45 minutes/9 miles (estimate) in the evening. I was super stressed and upset in the evening so the spin was a matter of mental and emotional health.
Tuesday - I spun an hour while watching Food, Inc. I haven't finished it but am close.  What a very good movie.  Warmed up. Then 15 x 1 standing hill, 1 recovery. Then 5 x 2 standing hill, 1 recovery. And warmed down.
Wednesday - My friend and I walked down to Chipotle for lunch.  30 minutes and 1.75 miles.  Then I got in another 1.5 miles/30 minutes on the treadmill between dinner and kid bedtime.
Thursday - No activity but my normal walking around and folding laundry because I donated platelets.  It was my third donation of 2014 and 2nd triple of the year.  I'm very happy with my donations so far this year.
Friday - Treadmill walk of 3.05 in an hour. 
Saturday - I went for an outside and sunny beautiful walk.  3.50 miles in 1:05. 
Sunday - I again went for a walk on an even more beautiful day.  Chocolate Daughter went with me to start but she has been sick and we didn't want to tire her out.  Total was about 3.25 miles in 1:05.

My step app shows:
Monday - 8,190 but I only installed it around noon so assuming I walked 2000 steps in the morning, I was over 10,000 for the day. Also I did a spin in the evening.
Tuesday - 7,385 steps plus spin.
Wednesday - 12,430
Thursday - 5,980 (platelet donation)
Friday - 13,766
Saturday - 13,648
Sunday - 12,876
Total: 74,275

Weekly Update

I don't have a lot of exercise to report.

Sunday - Cycling 12.73 in 1:05.  I went for a very easy ride and my HRM didn't pick up a signal.  After about 55, I stopped at the store to get a few items and then rode home.  Later I did some stretching and a plank.

I saw my doctor on Wednesday and she diagnosed Achilles Tendinitis.  I'm not surprised by the diagnosis.  She gave me a scrip for a stronger/safer NSAID that she said I can take for a month without even starting to have liver or kidney damage and is getting me a referral to a podiatrist.  When I asked about cycling her answer was that it would be better than walking/running but not as good as swimming.

This week I'd like to fit in more cycling and also do some core work.  My weight at the doctor was 173 but that included slacks, blouse, shoes, belt, etc. so I'd say 170-171.  At least it's down a few from my all time high last month.  Still, I'd like to get the needle moving back into the 160s and lower.

Oh. And I went to donate platelets on Friday afternoon but my Crit/Iron was only 37 so I couldn't donate.  I'll try again when I'm on vacation next week.

Weekly Wrap-up

Weekly Wrap-up:

Monday - 11.9 Cycling in 50 minutes (14.1 mph).  My rides are getting faster.  This one was in 98 degrees and I just went up and down the boulevard which makes it faster because I don't have to deal with dogs and trees.  I did the loops because I didn't want to get too hot too far from home. 

Tuesday - Fitness workout.  My first in a long time. I did legs (squats & lunges), chest, back, shoulders, arms. And about 15 minutes of core.  It felt good and left me sore for a few days.

Wednesday - 3.05 walking on the treadmill. I planned to do some running but 30 seconds on my heel told me that was badness.  Also the kids kept having "emergencies" so I actually did 30 minutes, 6 minutes, 2 minutes, 23 minutes between the emergencies. Also I made and cleaned up from dinner and ate dinner during the workout. 

That was it for my workouts.  Thursday I just wanted to spend with family.  Friday I donated platelets. Saturday it rained and my heel hurt. Sunday my heel hurt. 

I called and made an appointment for Tuesday morning about my heel.  Now I need to fill out a bunch of paperwork. 

Friday I donated platelets - a triple.  I think that is the last time I'll do that. On one hand I love donating whatever I can and I have the platelets to spare. But it takes over 2 hours and I feel significantly crappier after a triple than after a double. I think I'll go back to doubles and just try to get over there more regularly.

Saturday I went to a training and became deputized to register voters in Travis county. I have not done any yet or gone to any registration events but I'm quite excited about it.  My brother went as well and my SIL is already deputized. My nephew has been volunteering with Battleground Texas for weeks and is their phone bank pro!

I took the weekend off from working out due to my heel. 

Activity 05/06 - 05/12

I have a very medium week.  No big spectacular workouts but no crashes and burns either.  Not enough steps...

Monday - 1.6 mile walk at lunch time.
Tuesday - 4.0 mile walk at lunch time. I should have run but my stomach was not of the good from the moment I woke up and I didn't want to chance something ugly.  A very nice walk and good pace (17:00 miles).
Tuesday - 30 minute core work.  Very good work.  All the usual suspects.
Wednesday - Bike ride 13.37 in 59.  (13.7 mph). That's fast for me.  Now that I've got my mechanical issues resolved (for a few days) I am riding a bit faster. 
Thursday - 4.0 walk with running in 1:00.  Very slow.  Mostly walking with a bit of running.  I did not feel well before I set out.  Still, I'm amazed at how slowly I'm moving in these run/walks. 
Saturday - 5.05 in 1:20.  I intended to ride my bike but had a hole in my tire and tube so switched to a walk/run.  Felt run down and slow and I was slow.  Again, I find it shocking how slow I am.  Part of me doesn't care about speed because I'd prefer to walk but want the calories burned from running but another part wonders if I'm actually doing "damage" by doing it this way. 
Sunday - I went and volunteered at a race in the morning rather than working out in the morning. And then the family was going to hike but we decided to just not.  Instead we celebrated Mother's day by crafting while watching Downton Abbey and then visiting our friends. 

Weight:

4/8 - 170.0
4/14 - 169.5 (-.5)
4/21 - 166.7 (-2.8)
4/27 - 167.6 (+0.9)
5/4 - 166.2 (-1.4)
5/11 - 165.8 (-.4)

So it's moving and in the right direction.  I think I need to be more active and also eat less candy to lose more.  15.8 pounds to go!

Steps:
Monday - 10,614
Tuesday - 14,304
Wednesday - 7,095
Thursday - 12,613
Friday - 3,933
Saturday - 13,641
Sunday - 4,166

Total - 66,366

Exercise 04/29 - 05/05

Not too pressing but it was a nice week for me. 

Tuesday - 3.9 miles walking in 1:10.  Again I forgot my sports bra and had to walk instead of run.  I printed up a list and will attach it to my gear crate so hopefully this will be the last time.
Wednesday - 11.5 bike in 58.  Lovely ride in a lot of sunshine but having some mechanical issues. I called my brother and asked him about it. From my description he suggested either user error or bad bearings in the rear wheel.  Not to keep any (I don't know if there are any) readers in suspense - I took my bike to the shop Saturday and user error is the answer.  The brake thing was not pulled far enough so it was rubbing and causing issues in tightening down the wheel.  I'm looking forward to riding without dealing with that. 
Thursday - 3.6 miles in 47 (13:03) plus walking warm up/down.  I did 2:00/1:00 throughout and felt really good about it. I was able to keep my HR down throughout and keep it up.  Not fast but felt good.  Oh and it was 53 degrees out with a 14 mph wind.  In Texas! 
Saturday - 30 minute core work.  Then a 4 mile walk to the grocery store and back. 
Sunday - I was feeling somewhat lazy and didn't really want to go for a long bike ride or run so it was perfect when a friend texted to say did we want to hike.  ChocolateDaughter and I met the friend and her dog for an easy hike before gathering the rest of our families and going to a birthday party.  We probably only went about 2 miles but it was lovely. 

Weight:
4/8 - 170.0
4/14 - 169.5 (-.5)
4/21 - 166.7 (-2.8)
4/27 - 167.6 (+0.9)
5/4 - 166.2 (-1.4)

Steps:
Monday - 8,517
Tuesday - 12,189
Wednesday - 8,110
Thursday - 11,655
Friday - 9,712
Saturday - 16,017
Sunday - 9,734
Total - 75,934

I donated a small triple of platelets on Thursday.  Not coincidentally I learned that it is a bad idea to get very cold before donating platelets.  The run done in 53 degree weather immediately before and combined with the cold temperature in the center made my donation very difficult. I will not make that mistake again.

Exercise Summary 04/01 - 04/07

Last week was a better workout week with an unexpected hiccup at the end. 

Monday - I walked 1.2 miles at lunch time. Then rode 8+ miles when I got home from work.  It was all I could manage in the time I had and I don't feel like my bike is as smooth as before I changed the tire.  I need to see if the wheel needs better adjustment.
Tuesday - 3.4 miles walking at lunch time. It was very humid.
Wednesday - 3.15 in 46 minutes.  I did mostly walking but with a little bit of running. 
Thursday - 3.15 in 1:01. Lovely lunchtime walk.
Saturday - Trail hike/run.  4.5 miles in 1:25.  Mostly hiking with a bit of running thrown in.  Basically 1 minute run for every 2 minutes hiked when I was doing that.  Took some time with just walking in the middle when ChocolateWife called to say that ChocolateDaughter fell and hurt her arm. 

I planned the day off on Friday after donating a triple of platelets on Thursday. I'm happy to be able to donate triples the last two visits but it takes longer and I need to account for the extra time.  Technically I could workout on the day after but I was ready for a day off anyway. 

Sunday I missed after being up part of the night and then the entire family going to the ER with CD who has a broken radius.  She got it splinted and we're waiting for a follow up with an orthopedist to get a cast.

My weight is unchanged but I'm optimistic nonetheless.  Even without my weight dropping I actually feel slightly more comfortable in my pants so that's always a good thing.  I'm tracking my food in Noom and my calories burned and trying to do little things that burn calories.  I'm probably nearing the point that I need to change my work schedule and either run/walk in the morning before work or the evenings because it will be too hot and sweaty to go at lunch (even with a shower).  Right now I'm mostly doing my lunch time as walks so I don't have to shower but if I want to intersperse any running, I need to bring my pack and shower. 

Exercise 3/11 - 3/17

I had a much better workout week this past week.  Nothing was particularly intense but it was consistent.

Monday - I'm on a new program (I'll write an entire post about it this week) that includes 20 minutes of exercise followed immediately by a 20 minute walking meditation.  Most days I've done the 20 minutes as walking.  So this was 40 minutes, 2 miles approximately.
Tuesday - Ok, the picture is showing up weird.  Really it should only show the 3.3 miles for my lunch walk which includes 40 minutes and then the 20 minute walking meditation.  For some reason the entry I made originally for Monday is showing on Tuesday and I can't find it to delete it.
Wednesday - 2 miles.  The program of walking and walking meditation.
Thursday - 3.2 miles in 1 hour.  Walking and then the meditation. I also made my first blood platelet donation of the year and actually did a triple. I knew that there were triples but have never been asked/allowed to do one before. The time was 96 minutes for the donation but I figure once I'm there, I might as well do as much as I can. 
Friday - The day was going to be difficult so I took an hour off work to come home early and ride my bike.  I rode about 11.5 miles in under an hour. Then jumped off the bike to do the walking meditation ritual for 20 minutes.
Saturday - I did my 40 minutes walking 2 miles including the meditation ritual. Then later we met up with my sister's family at Monument Hill State Park. We had a picnic and a little hike and then threw around the football.
Sunday - I rode my bike but only about 7.5 miles.  During the ride, I noticed that the air was low in both tires. In the course of trying to air up the tire, I broke off the stem which destroys the tube and lets all the air out.  The family came and picked me up.  Later I did my walk and walking meditation.  Also later the entire family went to play tennis.  I literally had not touched a tennis racket in 10-11 years and was pleasantly surprised at my ability to hit the ball and get it over the net. 

No running but I think I'm ok with that for now.

Workouts 09/17 - 09/23

I had a good workout week but missed a few workouts for assorted reasons.

Monday - Should have been a special strength training session set up for running but I donated blood platelets instead (a double).  I hate missing a workout but definitely feel that donating platelets is more important. 

Tuesday - 3.2 in 40 minutes (12:30) plus walking warm up/down.  Zone 2. I started at 3:00/1:00 but dropped to 2:00/1:00 because I felt a little run down from the donation. 

Wednesday - Birthday, birthday, birthday! No working out: lunch out, dinner out, cookie for my birthday.  Lovely loveliness but skipped a strength session.

Thursday - Bike ride of 11 miles in 1:00.  Just lovely.  When I got back, I took the kids out to start their Marathon Kids sessions for the year with a 1/3 run around the block. 

Friday - Total Body Workout.  This was Wednesday's workout that I finally did on Friday.

Saturday - Bike ride of 15.5 miles in 1:15  Just lovely and wonderful. 

Sunday - 7.00 in 1:30 approximately. I had to guess at distance because I ran a trail run at Walnut Creek.  My GPS didn't pick up very well but it was so fun. 20 minutes in zone 2 followed by 3 in zone 3 throughout. 

Exercise 4/23 - 4/29

Last week I did only a bit of running but I did all 4 of my Yayog Workouts so I'm excited about that. Actually I guess I did the Yayog first workout on Sunday but I still did the set of 4 between Sunday and Saturday:

Monday - Yayog Week 1, Day 2 - Leg workout. This one is hard for me mostly due to balance doing the lunges and the romanian dead lifts (or something like that). I'm sure it helps though.

Monday - Lunch hour walk. 1.92 miles in 30 minutes. Lovely until the Oak pollen started me sneezing for the rest of the day.

Tuesday - 3.7 in 47 minutes (12:42 mm) plus the walking warm up/down. I ran at the track keeping it in zone 2-3.

Wednesday - Yayog Week 1, Day 3 - Arms workout. Very good workout.

Thursday - 3.7 in 47 minutes (12:42 mm) plus walking warm up/down. Body felt good but lungs felt tired. Perhaps suffering from allergies. I ran the hills near campus which is a good challenge. Did 2/1 and then even 1/1 ratio.

Thursday - I donated platelets (a double) at the blood bank. I wish I got over there to make a donation more freqently. My platelet count was lower than usual and it took me nearly 2 hours to make the donation. I don't know that I'll do a double again when my count is so low. I took Friday off from walking or running due to the donation.

Saturday - Yayog Week 1, Day 4 - Legs workout. It's hard but I like this one more than day 2 because the lunges are side lunges rather than back lunges.

Sunday - 10.75 miles in 2:25 (13:29 mm) including walking warm up/down. The temperature was 71 and humidity was 84 so it's getting to that time of year. I did a 1/1 and enjoyed the run. I was still sore from the Saturday Yayog but just let it loosen on its own. The first few miles were very tight and then again tight at the end. For the last few miles the running seemed easier. When I look at my splits the 9th mile was under 12:00 pace and the 10th was at 12:03 so those were my fastest miles.

We had semi-unexpected houseguests Saturday night. We knew they might be coming from Friday but didn't know what night or when. I planned on running and had discussed it with ChocolateWife. I got up, ate, got dressed, and left the house about 6:30 planning to get to the park when it was getting light and run a few hours. I texted ChocolateWife and said that I would be done about 9:05 and then that I would be done about 9:15. When I checked in with her on the way home she said the 2 adults and 1 of the two teenagers visiting were still asleep. I got home, iced, drank a recovery drink, took a shower, and helped with breakfast before all the guests got up. I felt like that old Marine commercial. "We get more done before sunrise than most people do all day..." or however it went.

Week 1 Half-Marathon Training

Training Plan Week:

Week	Monday Date	Tuesday	Thursday	Friday	Sunday
1	12/05/2011	45 min run	40 min run	easy walk	9 miles

Actual Week:

I had a pretty good running week although I missed one (walking) workout due to scheduling/sickness (more on that).

Tuesday - 4.61 miles 57 minutes (12:17) including walking warm-up/down. 3:1 ratio for about 1/2 time then 2:1 ratio. 37 degrees out. I have found a route near work/University that has some nice hills and a long stretch (.75 miles or so) with no streets to cross. I have to cross one major intersection to get there but that's the tradeoff.
Thursday - 3.98 miles 54 minutes (13:29). This included 20 minutes walking warm-up and five down. I was on a phone call and couldn't start running for a while. The running was at 2:1.
Friday should have included an easy walk but our weekend plans meant I would be doing my Long Slow Run (LSR) Saturday making Friday rest day.
Saturday - 9.5 miles 2:05 (13:09). A really enjoyable LSR at 1:1. It was 45 out so I wore a hat and gloves the entire time. My target by Galloway prediction should have been 14:00/mile but that's not a realistic target. I actually think that would be TOO slow unless I did 40 run/60 walk or something like that. 1:1 at this pace was quite comfortable.
Sunday - I had a sort of vague thought that I'd go for an easy walk sometime between going to volunteer at a race with ChocolateSon and going to shop for gifts with ChocolateWife in the afternoon. Instead the day consisted of the volunteering and both ChocolateKids getting quite stomach fluey and everything that entails.

After I posted my Saturday LSR on dailymile I posted a status update saying that I had run 9 miles and please donate $9 (one for every mile) for my Livestrong Half-marathon. Three friendsFour friends made $25 donations which I really appreciated so I'm not over 50% to my goal.

Signed-up

Last night I registered to run for Team Livestrong in the Austin Livestrong Half-Marathon next February. I'll again be fund raising to fight cancer and hope to raise $1000 this year. Last year I think I raised $940 so I would like to better that slightly. Any random reader who would like to donate can do so at this link. I'll do some e-mail, twitter, and Facebook publicity later in the year.

Now I'll tell the story of how I came to be registered and why I will be telling everyone that my race is sponsored by Jenny B.

I have an online friend named Jenny B. She is possibly the most selfless and altruistic person I've ever met (I haven't met her in person but we've texted, e-mailed, YiM'ed, and spoken on the phone so close enough). In the short time we've known each other she's donated blood or platelets repeatedly, gathered and then given away (including postage) 100 copies of a book to anyone who asked, shaved her head to support a friend who was going through chemotherapy, and fasted for 30 days so she could give the money she would have spent on food to feed the hungry. She also wanted the experience of true hunger. During her fast she would take food and walk the streets to meet people and ask about their experience of hunger and homelessness.

A few weeks ago she YiM'ed me and said that she has decided that she keeps giving and giving but never to her friends ("her peeps") so she wanted to ask me what she could do for me. I tried to blow her off saying that all she could do for me was to please donate to her local food bank. She said no go. She wanted to do something, give something genuinely to me. I said let me think about it. When I asked R, her idea was to ask her for maps for ChocolateSon. ChocolateSon loves transit maps and has a collection of them. When my brother was in Europe last year he started the tradition and brought ChocolateSon maps from Rome, Amsterdam, Paris, and more. I asked for people to send maps on my Facebook and people did. Well, Jenny B. travels so I asked her to send ChocolateSon transit maps from her travels. She agreed but said that it still wasn't enough. She wanted to do something for me. She kept suggesting paying one of my bills. I finally said that I felt really uncomfortable and felt like there are so many people who have greater needs than I do. That of course, got a very loving lecture from her on the need to be able to receive as well as to give graciously.

So obviously she would not be giving up on this. Well, I had seen a tweet from TeamLivestrong the other day that registration to join TeamLivestrong for the half or full marathon was only $20 for a few days (last year I paid $50 which was half the normal registration cost). I hadn't really decided that I wanted to run the half-marathon next year but it seemed like a great opportunity to take Jenny B. up on her generosity (and determination) so I asked if she would pay my registration for the race. She knows that I love running and she said yes. So last night I sent her all my registration info and she registered me for the race. I knew she had done it when I got an e-mail congratulating me for registering.

I love her generosity. I love her passion. And I love that I'm now registered with a chance to raise funds to fight Cancer.