Making Summer Meaningful

So i ran the freihofers last month, completely without training, because i was lazy, and still managed to finish in 38:38.  And i wasnt sore the next day. This tells me my baseline of fitness is pretty awesome.

I looked at the last post. 3 years ago i ran the 15k Boilermaker in 1:50:00. I was so proud of my success. I remember training,  but clearly the post laments me not training enough. Yet i did all right for not being a hardcore runner.

My body is starting to feel the affects of aging. My legs and lower back are very tight and lacking the flexibility they once had. My haor is more dry. I'm having way too much acid indigestion too.

So i hope to make the days of my vacation productive and to do something physical daily.

What will it take to make me train?

I am an ass.  I mean really, I have the keys to taking care of myself and being in top physical form and yet I waste it away.

Here I am around 71 kilos again and also feeling that the size of my body is just pure fat!  My tendons keep getting tighter and tighter and it's affecting my running.

And I can't afford that.

See in March I signed up for the Boilermaker and I got in to the 15 K.  Yep, the big one.  And I have been training, but the thing is, I have not done enough to strengthen my legs, especially, my thighs.  They are so tight.  I can't lift them high enough to get the proper running form.  So I just scuff around and that makes me slow and tired!  I just ran the Freihofer's and I needed 34:40 to complete it!  Terribly time and due to tried legs.

I have run 15 k twice, both at about 2hrs. 10 min.  This is adequate, but not at all the time I want.  So the other day I worked out on a machine that really worked my legs.  It was amazing.  Burned the crap out of them!  So I know that is the ticket to loose legs and faster times.

My turn...it's been a long time! I don't know what got into me, but this seems like the longest span without being on a "diet". And what I mean by diet, is being conscience of what I consume, because to me, that's really what a diet should be. Food is not like cocaine. You can't avoid people who "use" and avoid situations where it is, because it is vital for life. I also don't like the word diet all that much because I don't want to send a wrong message to children, especially females who don't understand that "diet" is something everyone has and not a "let's see if a I can subsist on a stick of gum and water" all day regimen.

The final push for this new eating mindset ended up coming at work. We are having what I enjoy calling a "fat contest". Of course that makes no sense because it is a weight loss contest sponsored by the school and our health insurance. I'm on a team with three others, which is a nice group pressure because it is a collective weight loss. It's for 12 weeks, pretty good stretch of time and takes us right towards summer (and the Freihofer's Run).

So the point of this post was just an update from this "Weight for me" member. BTW, scale says 74.4 kilos (just go convert, metric is way cooler: http://www.metric-conversions.org/weight/kilograms-to-pounds.htm) which is too bad because in August I was 68 kilos! Let's see what I can do!

So I did a look back through this page.  Wow, in September of 2012 I'd gotten up to 77

kilos!  Yuck! I don't want to do that again!

Summer Catch - Up Post

So what have I been doing for my health this summer?

On the very first day of summer I stopped drinking alcohol.  I had made a decision that I did not want to use my big wide open days to get drunk.  It's hard to stay focused and to get things done in the summer at times.  I do well with a schedule and in the summer there isn't one.  So the last thing I needed was to drink and waster even more time.  Plus, when you choose alcohol, you aren't choosing exercise.

I've been eating less as a result and moving more.  I've only roller bladed a few times, but I've done tons of 3-5 mile walks.  After watching my cousin run 15K I decided that I at least could work myself up to walking that distance.  Walking is really a bit underrated.  I have a neighbor whose 99th birthday is today.  If you ask him what he ever did for exercise, you won't hear "Jack LeLane".  Nope, my neighbor walked.  All the time.  Up until he was about 84 or 95 he mowed his own lawn!  Fact is, healthy people are people who are in motion.

So I don't think I want to run 15K, but I want to walk it.  I'll keep my running to 5K's.

Freihofer's Run

I should have posted this on the day I did it, but this will have to suffice.  I ran the Freihofer's with Christine, Dana, Traci and Miranda on June 1.  It was an extremely hot morning and that seemed to slow all of us down.  I think we all ran our personal worst.  however, we all completed the race.  And isn't that the point.

I think I got 37:27.

Squandering Time

I have an extra 40 minutes this morning for me.  I don't have to leave until 7:30.  In these extra minutes I could have done quite a few things, but yesterday, I squandered time and now I am limited.

It's not a long story.  I drank.  This in of itself should not be a big deal, but I have some onboard setting that makes me quite hard on myself when I choose to imbibe.  So I did and that's that.  But because I drank, I did not roller blade, nor did I run.  I was just reading Dana's post in the Boilermaker Blog and she reminded me that when healthy we have an obligation to be fit:  BECAUSE WE CAN.

It's that simple.

I'm sure my neighbors would love to be able to do the things I can, but they are in their 90's.   So, the moral is, don't waste time, it's precious.

So today, I am back!  I have a work day of scoring, then I have golf.  After that, instead of eating out, I really want to roller blade.  :)

Keep on moving!!!!

Still Going!

I'm still taking care of myself!  22 days of not drinking!!!  YAY!  I'm tracking food via My Fitness Pal, and I am moving almost every day.  I've gone from 74 kilos to 71.  I think I will feel really relieved once I get back to the 60's.  I know that at 68 there are over a dozen clothing articles that I will be able to wear comfortably.  It'll be like going on a shopping trip without spending the money.

I was looking at pictures the other day of me in California in 2006.  That was my skinny year, when I got to 130 (61 kilo) and could just walk into a store, pick up a pair of size 6 pants and know that they'd fit.  I wasn't bone thin, honestly, I think I'd need to be 110 to have my ribs show, but I was smooth.  There was no back fat, muffin top, side boob bulge, etc......

I don't know why I was making that face!  LOL!  I think it is so funny that I still look tall or huge next to this woman and I am only 5'4"!  Weird!  It's been that way for my whole adult life (sincce 14 actually) always looking large next to women who were short.  And I'm not even tall!!!!

Do I want to be this size again?  Yes, this was a common weight for me for much of my 20's.  I graduated college at this weight.  It's a healthy weight to be.  I think anything under 140 or 65 is going to be in the healthy range and then it is up to me to eat well and move daily.

So that's the goal!