Monday, November 25, 2013

Run for your life!

Generally, I hit the gym in the morning before my brain has time to figure out what I'm doing.  It's a good tactic, you should try it.  Also, when I start early, my workout burns fat rather than fuel.

Yesterday, 10 minutes after starting on the treadmill...I employed the same kind of strategy and broke into a run.  Yes, you read that correctly.  I started running...and nothing, absolutely nothing, was chasing me.  

There was a time when I could not run...and that was only about 10 months ago...so now, running feels like freedom and makes me feel really alive.  Wow, I never thought I'd say that.  Could it be that I actually like to run?  No, that can't be it.

This past Saturday, I ran for 20 minutes in a row, and so of course yesterday I had to go faster and further.  I cranked the speed to 10 KM / hour and I gave 'er for 30 minutes.  I ran 5K!  I ran 5K...for reals.  Did I mention that I ran 5 whole kilometres in half an hour?  Well, I did.  And, it felt great!  Until the ninja appeared from out of nowhere, surprised me, and I dropped my MP3 player on the moving tread which then shot it off the end and landed it at his feet.  I nearly did the same, until I grabbed a handrail and steadied myself.  Woops.  Classic Suzie.

Run 5K = Winning.

Drop iPod, make fool of self = Par for the course.

And yes, I do believe I like running.  But, don't tell anyone. 

Friday, November 01, 2013

Weigh-in Wednesday #39 & #40 - The agony & the ecstasy

Promptly following my knee injury, I had a rest week....which is pretty much exactly like an active rest week, only without the active.  Seriously?  

MIJO Sport ninjas, Mayor Dean Fortin, and lil' ol' me.
But, the City of Victoria is opening the adult playground in Central Park...I have to go to that!  And, my buddy the mayor is going to be there!  

The one good thing about being injured is that I get to get up, have a shower, wash my hair, do my hair, put on some make-up, and wear real people clothes that don't contain 7% spandex!  

Though I'd been using crutches since the night before, I decided to drag my bum leg behind me to the Crystal Pool & Fitness Centre.  Man, I thought I had big legs before but this was ridiculous.  Holy moley was my leg ever swollen; from hip to toes, my leg felt like it had been replaced by a log.  Still, I was able attend the grand opening of the 16-piece outdoor exercise circuit in Central Park, howbeit I was not able to participate in the orientation provided by MIJO Sport ninjas Michelle & Jonathan Carpenter.  I could, however, pose behind said equipment with them and Mayor Dean Fortin.

How am I going to deal with the pain, swelling, Frankenstein-like walking, constant icing, occasional use of crutches, and the mental anguish that comes from gaining a pound on the Weigh-in Wednesday immediately following the injury?  Well, I shoulda and coulda buckled down and realised that I may need to adjust my diet to account for the prescribed cessation of training.  Oh, coulda, woulda, shoulda!

Before wine.
Starting weight:  292.1
1st weigh-in:  286.8
2nd weigh-in:  280.1
3rd weigh-in:  276.4
4th weigh-in:  274.1
5th weigh-in:  270.6
6th weigh-in:  266.2
7th weigh-in:  262
8th weigh-in:  261.4
9th weigh-in:  257.7
10th weigh-in 251.4
11th weigh-in 247.3
12th weigh-in 243.6
13th weigh-in 241.7
14th weigh-in 235.4
15th weigh-in 235.4
16th weigh-in 227.7
17th weigh-in 223.5
18th weigh-in 223.5
19th weigh-in 221.6
Drinking wine and getting played.
 

20th weigh-in 221.6
21st weigh-in 215.6
22nd weigh-in 213.2
23rd weigh-in 207.9
24th weigh-in 206.6
25th weigh-in 200.1
26th weigh-in 199.7
27th weigh-in 197
28th weigh-in 191.3
29th weigh-in 189.9
30th weigh-in 180.7
31st weigh-in 183.4
32nd weigh-in 186.4
33rd weigh-in 186.3
34th weigh-in 174.8
35th weigh-in 174.8
36th weigh-in 170.1

37th weigh-in 169 
38th weigh-in 170.2
39th weigh-in 174.7...oh dear.

Obviously, I did not adjust my diet...nor did I make any concessions.  I didn't make good choices.  No wait, let me rephrase that...I chose to go hang out with awesome friends on Friday night, which was a great decision.  Rachel and my crafty plot to go see Mickey Avalon at a club after having polished off a significant amount of wine?  Possibly not the wisest idea in the world, but did we ever have fun.  Once we convinced the boys, we hopped in a cab and headed for town...of course, I totally forgot that I had no ID on me at all.  I had to cajole the bouncer into letting me into the club by cleverly pointing out my crow's-feet, "Look, there's no way that I am 18, right?"  Which, worked!  Really?  We came, we saw, we conquered the club and...1...2...3...4 got our booties on the dance floor.

Saturday was a reunion of sorts with my neighbour from Simon Fraser University residence Josée and Melody...one of Jo's friends turned our friend.  Why is it that when I hang out with people from uni, I turn into a university student?  Well, I don't actually...I wish...then I wouldn't be able to point out the wrinkles around my eyes and get into clubs without identification.  We decided to be all grown up and have some Prosecco to start the evening with some appies served in fancy dishes...ooohhh....awww...and of course no one moved into the living room to fully enjoy the experience.  No, we all hung out in the kitchen, as you do.  Lovely, leather couches in the living room, elegant lighting, coasters all the way from Paris and Spain and a Skyfallesque arrangement of sterling silver candlesticks, deer antlers, a smudging bundle of sage in an antique tray on the coffee table...and everyone stays put around the kitchen island.  Though there were pumpkins and tulips at that, and as we live in a loft you could see the livingroom.  It's strange how Prosecco turns into Syrah, Syrah to Malbec, Malbec to Cabernet...and before you know it, we all had purple teeth and tongues and were playing ridiculous videos on YouTube.  We narrowly avoided Glee karaoke, having settled on sharing ridiculous clips from YouTube.  Please enjoy this...we did:



After much dancing, laughing, and singing along to every novelty song known to humankind we called it a night, at 2 AM in the morning.  And this is what they don't tell you when you're 38...you cannot party like an 18 year old, or a university kid...because the next day I woke up like death warmed over.  And not because of the drinking, though that may have helped, but because of a lack of sleep.  Still, I was thrilled with the prospect of reinventing Thanksgiving dinner into a healthy gratitude filled feast!  Later Stéffi and I went to the grocery store and stocked up on golden and red beets, carrots, celeriac, sweet potatoes, shallots, chicken, and cranberry sauce...turns out if you put sage on chicken...POOF!  Thanksgiving.  The cranberry sauce helped too.

So partying, feasting, and no exercise all week meant that on Wednesday,  October 16th...I weighed in at 174.7 pounds.  That's another gain...and a 4.5 pound gain too, but for some crazy reason I was okay with it.  Awww...I'm growing up.  I guess I just realised that I had an injury, I ate what I would normally have eaten, but didn't exercise a lot of it away.  And in the grand scheme of things, what's a 4.5 pound gain?

The next week, I buckled down with my diet, I started exercising daily again, and on weigh-in Wednesday #40:

40th weigh-in 166.4

That would be an 8.5 pound loss.  See what happens when you eat healthily and exercise?  If only it were that easy all the time.  I secretly think that at least 8 pounds of that loss was due to a reduction in fluid retention in my sprained knee log leg.  Though, I have to say, as much as I enjoy my rest weeks, I sure was happy to hop back onto the cardio equipment.  Even if I had a little cry the first time I tried the recumbent bike...my log leg was not exactly bendy.  Luckily, the ninja swooped in and asked me why I was on the bench and not on the bike.  When I told him I couldn't do it, he told me I could.  And if he says I can do something, I can.  I trust him.  Of course there was pain, but I got used to it...and gradually it got easier throughout the week.  Also, he introduced me to the rowing machine.  It kicks my ass, but I love it.  And isn't that the point of cardio?  It's been a while since I've had to run to the bathroom for fear of throwing up all over myself...kinda want that feeling back.  Yes, I'm a weirdo.