Day 9 - 5K - Social Walk

A long long time ago, when I first started Yoga, I taught my husband Surya Namaskar. His routine every morning is to run/walk a mile and some Surya Namaskars. He is slim and fit. I just cannot bring myslf to do all that by myself. That's just not me. Exercise is fun for me only when it's a social event. I do great in classes or group activities.

You probably know my routine now. I run 2 times a week with a group and once during the weekend by myself. I don't do justice to the weekend run which is supposed to be a long one. You guessed it right, it's done all by myself. I am trying to look for a workout buddy, one who can either run (preferably at my pace) or cross-train in the gym with me. I found one this weekend and we went on a 2 hour walk. Guess walking buddies are the easiest to find.

Workout Log - Sunday 10/30
Run - 1 mile
Walk - 4.5 miles in 2 hours.

Things To Keep In Mind While Working Out With A Buddy

• Ensure your excuses and theirs' does not result in skipping too many workouts
• A similar workout level and interest is preferable, especially with the running or gym workouts.
• Walking is more accommodating when it comes to working out with buddies
• Have more than one buddy. One for cross-training in the gym, one with whom you can talk your heart away or another one who loves water aerobics just like you do.

Go easy on the candies tomorrow. Happy Halloween!!!

Day 8 - 5K - Running in the Rain

We all have our imaginations or notions of a defining moment. Mine was always me reaching for the finish line in a race; that I thought defines me as a runner. Instead, the moment was somewhere in the middle of a trail, me running with my eyes down avoiding the rain  in wet cotton socks freezing my feet. On the spur of a moment I looked up with a conscious effort to correct my posture. The tree line by the canal on a cloudy day with tiny droplets falling down;  I was proud of myself for not coming up with another excuse and the freezing feet did not bother me one bit.


I ran another 2 miles today. We ran early today as there was a guest speaker from Cooper Clinic to talk to us about restorative exercises.

Right after the run, I bought a three pack dri-stitch Brooks socks that keeps the feet dry from sweat/rain/water while running.

Points to Ponder

• Never run in rain when accompanied by lightning
• Always wear clothes including socks that effectively wicks moisture and keeps the skin dry
• Cotton clothes or socks can get heavy and makes you cold as it absorbs water.

Day 7 - 5K - Running Form

The best thing about running with a group is that your coach can assess your running form and provide the required feedback. The right form can make sure your energy is spent on moving forward and not wasted else where. Hips and arms are where my focus is going to be this week when I run.

I ran 2 miles today and I can tell you I am in wrong shoes.

Notes to Self

1. Get a good running shoes this week
2. Try to add workouts outside of the running schedule
3. Be good to knees. A pound lost is a pound off those knees. Remember portion size & healthier options.

Day 6 - 5K - Roller Coaster

Work hard, party harder was my motto this weekend. A few bites of desserts and 2 cups of wine got in the way of my Sunday work out. I spent most of the day lazing around that I am not quite proud of.

For some motivation, I called up my brother and was chatting with him. He is a huge fitness buff. He hiked Half dome in California this year and is planning to hike Machu Picchu next year. That did not help much on Sunday. Motivation needs to come from inside, isn't that right? I ran a mile Monday, which is still less than what is expected. Hopefully I catch up tomorrow.

Day 5 - 5K - Eating Right

The first few days I had second thoughts about the running group I was assigned to. The runners were faster than I am. My coach and I discussed this a bit. She did not seem too concerned (atleast she did not show it). But I gave myself a 2 more runs to see if I was able to catch up. Last class, I was leading the group in some places. There was no panting and I did not want to stop running. I could have gone for some more time. I finally found my running secret.

My secret may never work for you and yours might never work for me. I will spill it anyways. Eating a light lunch and little to no snack until my run at 7 happens to be secret. I found my secret when I was randomly pondering about a time in my life when I ate right, exercised and was well with in my desired weight range. I can't imagine it now, but this is how simple my life used to be.

Breakfast - Coconut water
Coffee at work
Light lunch
An hour long aerobics after work 3 times a week
Light(er) dinner. Weekends meant usually eating out(with dessert et al) with family or friends.

I am trying to follow the same routine at least food-wise. Please note the above schedule does not include 2 kids and a husband. This is the schedule I try to follow and keep it up most days.

Breakfast - Oatmeal at work
Coffee @ work
Soup for lunch
A few bites of snacks does get in the way that I am trying to avoid.
Run - 2 times a week for 20-30 minutes.
Dinner

Its the weekends that turn things upside down. I seem to have much less control over my weekends than what I have with the weekdays.

Day 4 - 5K - Breathe Easy

Talk about being over booked, actually triple booked. My son's soccer practice, my daughter's choir performance and my run, all at the same time this week. Did I miss the party I am coordinating this weekend? By the time I got together with my running group, it felt like an achievement, not to have used these as an excuse to skip running.

It was 65 degrees cool and windy. A perfect day for a run. We continued with the same workout as last Thursday's but the breeze or borderline winds helped my breathing immensely. I was hardly ever panting.

Moral of the story
#1 If you are new runner starting to run in Texas, Fall is a good time to do so.
#2 I can always workout early in the morning but too bad I would have to be awake to do so.

Day 3 - 5K - Long Run

My husband joined me on my run today and we left before anyone else in the house woke up. Run for 4; Walk for one; Repeat 5 times. I covered 1.64 miles in 25 minutes. If you have none of those expensive gadgets you can always use mapmyrun.com. and other sites to see how many miles you walked/ran. We continued the walk and covered a total of 3.11 miles including a stop at the local coffee shop.

How interesting, I did not have to perform any kind of soliloquy in my head to stay away from the pastries. All I wanted was a bottle of water.

What a cruise to victory for the  Rangers last night!!!! I hope they win the finals.