Between Christmas-related stuff and subbing, I have been pretty busy. Too busy to post about my exercising, but fortunately not too busy to do said exercising.
For the past few weeks, I have consistently managed to swim three times a week. Unfortunately, other than a run on the treadmill, which I will blog about next, I have done nothing other than swim, unless you count running around Christmas shopping, which, when you think about it, is really kind of a sport.
I don't know if it is my age or the repetition, but I have noticed some leg pain lately when I have been swimming. It is almost starting to feel like running!
Yesterday was my most productive swim of the past two weeks. I manged to swim 40 laps (20 + 20) and jog about 30 minutes (20 + 10). It was a bit of a struggle for the first 20 laps as my left hamstring was bothering me. But I refused to stop, not so much because I am being dumb (at least I hope not), but because my leg pain pretty much always goes away when I am done swimming, so I reason it can't be serious. When I did my second set of 20 laps, I did not notice the leg pain as much or maybe at all. But I was swimming fast as there was a guy in the pool, and I am all about looking as if I am athletic!
I still contend that swimming is great exercise, and I am going to try to keep with it. Maybe I just need to switch it up a bit. We'll see.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Friday, December 2, 2011
Yep, it's December!
Running won out over Zumba yesterday, surprisingly to me.
I "bribed" myself into running by telling myself that I could skip at least half of the first hill. I figured with 40-degree temps (though sunny skies), my lungs would appreciate staying right where they are and not exploding in the frigid (relatively speaking) temps.
I ran in my lined black pants that typically are used from December through March. I also ran with a thick hoodie over top of my Run Around the Square long-sleeved t-shirt. I opted against gloves and a hat, though the hoodie was up. I started off feeling pretty good, if not a tad cold. A little more than halfway into the first mile, however, I was actually warm and wishing I had worn a thinner hoodie. I did not seem to notice the pants. When I hit the top of the hill, I took off my hood, but after a minute or so decided it was probably smarter to keep it on with the cold temps and my sweaty head.
All in all, it was a pretty good run. I finished off the just-under-two mile jaunt with three or four laps around the outside of the gym, which also included a set of stairs. All told, I ran for about 25 minutes, so I probably ended up running about 2.5 miles.
Mile 0.8 (approximately): 9.36
Mile two: 8:30
As an aside, I ran with my mp3 player for the first time in ages. I keep the volume low so I could hear cars coming up behind me (I run on the road, close to the sidewalk, against traffic). The music was a nice change of pace, and I actually found myself speeding up when Depeche Mode's "Just Can't Get Enough" came on. At one point, I was actually doing the air drums!
And on that note, see you soon, 40.
I "bribed" myself into running by telling myself that I could skip at least half of the first hill. I figured with 40-degree temps (though sunny skies), my lungs would appreciate staying right where they are and not exploding in the frigid (relatively speaking) temps.
I ran in my lined black pants that typically are used from December through March. I also ran with a thick hoodie over top of my Run Around the Square long-sleeved t-shirt. I opted against gloves and a hat, though the hoodie was up. I started off feeling pretty good, if not a tad cold. A little more than halfway into the first mile, however, I was actually warm and wishing I had worn a thinner hoodie. I did not seem to notice the pants. When I hit the top of the hill, I took off my hood, but after a minute or so decided it was probably smarter to keep it on with the cold temps and my sweaty head.
All in all, it was a pretty good run. I finished off the just-under-two mile jaunt with three or four laps around the outside of the gym, which also included a set of stairs. All told, I ran for about 25 minutes, so I probably ended up running about 2.5 miles.
Mile 0.8 (approximately): 9.36
Mile two: 8:30
As an aside, I ran with my mp3 player for the first time in ages. I keep the volume low so I could hear cars coming up behind me (I run on the road, close to the sidewalk, against traffic). The music was a nice change of pace, and I actually found myself speeding up when Depeche Mode's "Just Can't Get Enough" came on. At one point, I was actually doing the air drums!
And on that note, see you soon, 40.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
The holidays and the weather break my stride.
After my short run on Friday, I did absolutely no exercise for the next couple of days. I was exhausted from lack of sleep and excess of children. On Monday, as much as I just wanted to stay in my PJs and do nothing, I thought better of it and hit the pool.
As I have been trying to do, I mixed it up a bit. This time around, I swam 10 laps, followed by 10 or 11 minutes of jogging in the water, followed by another 10 laps, proceeded by another 10 or 11 minutes of jogging, followed by a final 10 laps and 15 minutes of jogging. I managed to get in some leg and arm water work as well.
I was not feeling it very much; perhaps it was all the food I had consumed over the holidays. My guess is my sugary breakfast did not help. But I got my swimming in, and that is what counts.
Yesterday, I headed back to the pool with the kid, and only got in about 16 laps, though I was swimming around on a noodle with the kid for awhile. I also tread water for a few minutes. I still was not feeling it.
Today, I will either run or take a Zumba class. The cold weather may make the latter more palatable, but my lack of coordination and not wanting to look like an idiot in front of people may tip the scales in the run's favor. We'll see.
As I have been trying to do, I mixed it up a bit. This time around, I swam 10 laps, followed by 10 or 11 minutes of jogging in the water, followed by another 10 laps, proceeded by another 10 or 11 minutes of jogging, followed by a final 10 laps and 15 minutes of jogging. I managed to get in some leg and arm water work as well.
I was not feeling it very much; perhaps it was all the food I had consumed over the holidays. My guess is my sugary breakfast did not help. But I got my swimming in, and that is what counts.
Yesterday, I headed back to the pool with the kid, and only got in about 16 laps, though I was swimming around on a noodle with the kid for awhile. I also tread water for a few minutes. I still was not feeling it.
Today, I will either run or take a Zumba class. The cold weather may make the latter more palatable, but my lack of coordination and not wanting to look like an idiot in front of people may tip the scales in the run's favor. We'll see.
Friday, November 25, 2011
Running with my brothers
I cannot tell you the last time I ran with my brothers (one is older and the other is younger, the latter of whom I still refer to as my little brother even though he has about three inches on me). Probably has not even happened this century. In fact, I am not sure we have run together more than once or twice. But late this afternoon, while all of us are my mom's, we decided to take a short, medium-paced run around her neighborhood.
If I remember, I will drive around to see how far we actually ran; I am guessing it was around 1.5 miles, maybe 1.8. The hills were extra tough on me. So much so that for a couple of them I was not running with my brothers but rather running a hundred feet or so behind them. I actually felt as if I were in a 5k.
The temps were in low 50s according to the Indiana Gazette, but it felt more like the upper 40s. By the end of the run, my ears were burning. I'd like to blame my struggles on that, or just the massive amount of food I have consumed in the past couple of days. :-)
Still, I got out there. And I was able to enjoy (more or less) 15 or so minutes with just my brothers, something I so rarely do.
If I remember, I will drive around to see how far we actually ran; I am guessing it was around 1.5 miles, maybe 1.8. The hills were extra tough on me. So much so that for a couple of them I was not running with my brothers but rather running a hundred feet or so behind them. I actually felt as if I were in a 5k.
The temps were in low 50s according to the Indiana Gazette, but it felt more like the upper 40s. By the end of the run, my ears were burning. I'd like to blame my struggles on that, or just the massive amount of food I have consumed in the past couple of days. :-)
Still, I got out there. And I was able to enjoy (more or less) 15 or so minutes with just my brothers, something I so rarely do.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
My legs hurt
After a great stretch of exercising, I kind of slacked off. I had that really good swim last Thursday, and then I did nothing until yesterday (Tuesday), other than walking the streets of Indiana for their Light-Up Night last Friday.
It has rained the past few days, and because I prefer to run in no more than a light drizzle, running has been pretty much out for me. So yesterday, I headed back to the pool, determined to get a solid, strenuous workout in.
This time around, I swam 20 laps, which took me around 23 minutes. Then I jogged in the pool for about 30 minutes, a new record for me. I followed that up with another 20 laps, though for some reason that set took me about 30 minutes. I finished up with almost 30 more minutes of jogging in the pool, before I did some leg and arm exercises for about 10 minutes.
It was definitely a good workout, if not a slightly annoying one during my second set of laps. For some reason a woman at the pool does her laps around the perimeter, and she does not really pay attention to where she is going. I don't mind when I am swimming a front stroke; I can move out of my lane/her way. But it becomes rather bothersome when I am on a backstroke, and I have to stop and turn around to make sure I don't hit her. Not a big deal, though.
My legs are hurting a little today, so I am definitely going to take it easy. I would love to get up and run on Thanksgiving, taking my Indiana County route, but not sure if that will happen. We'll see.
One thing I am pretty sure that I will be running towards is the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and pies tomorrow!
It has rained the past few days, and because I prefer to run in no more than a light drizzle, running has been pretty much out for me. So yesterday, I headed back to the pool, determined to get a solid, strenuous workout in.
This time around, I swam 20 laps, which took me around 23 minutes. Then I jogged in the pool for about 30 minutes, a new record for me. I followed that up with another 20 laps, though for some reason that set took me about 30 minutes. I finished up with almost 30 more minutes of jogging in the pool, before I did some leg and arm exercises for about 10 minutes.
It was definitely a good workout, if not a slightly annoying one during my second set of laps. For some reason a woman at the pool does her laps around the perimeter, and she does not really pay attention to where she is going. I don't mind when I am swimming a front stroke; I can move out of my lane/her way. But it becomes rather bothersome when I am on a backstroke, and I have to stop and turn around to make sure I don't hit her. Not a big deal, though.
My legs are hurting a little today, so I am definitely going to take it easy. I would love to get up and run on Thanksgiving, taking my Indiana County route, but not sure if that will happen. We'll see.
One thing I am pretty sure that I will be running towards is the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and pies tomorrow!
Thursday, November 17, 2011
20 + 20 + 20 + 20 + 10 = exhaustion
When I swim laps, I have a hard time keeping track of which number I am on. I tend to swim four or five laps of the same stroke before switching to another, but my mind wanders so easily that I often lose count. Recently, I decided to swim only two laps per stroke before moving on to the next. That has helped immensely, though at least once today, I actually could not remember if I was on my first or second trip for that stroke. Crazy!
Anyway, this morning, to mix it up a bit, I decided to jog in the pool first. Since jogging for 15 minutes has been pretty easy for me, I decided to up my time to 20 minutes. In the interest of helping the balls of my feet and working some different muscles, I decided to jog backwards for the last five minutes. Then I swam about 20 laps (which takes me about 23 minutes). I next got in another 20 minutes of jogging, again including the backwards jogging for the final five minutes. I followed that up with 20 more laps (which may have been 19 or 21). Finally, I jogged backwards for about 10 more minutes before rounding out my workout with some push-ups and leg exercises in the water. And that is where my title comes from.
All told, it took me almost two hours to get everything in, and I was (and still am) pretty darn tired. But it is a fulfilling tired. Throughout my workout, I felt good. Admittedly, during some of the laps, I was not sure I could keep going. But always competing with myself and wanting to do what I set out to, I pressed on.
As I was, per usual, struggling with the butterfly stroke, I realized that it is a lot like that first killer hill when I run. In both cases, I keep doing it, yet the task almost never seems any easier.
The other thing I find interesting is that when I run, even though I typically complete only two miles, I think I have achieved this great workout. Yet when I swim, if I end up doing only 15 laps, which typically takes me about the same amount of time as it does to run two miles, then I feel as if I barely did anything. I guess a big part of it has to do with the intensity; I tend to run harder than I swim, which leaves me sweaty and out of breath; it just feels as if I have run for an hour, even though I never do.
Regardless, I am glad when I can get a really long swim in. I am quite certain, however, even if I jog super slow, I won't be running for an hour anytime soon. Or probably ever.
Anyway, this morning, to mix it up a bit, I decided to jog in the pool first. Since jogging for 15 minutes has been pretty easy for me, I decided to up my time to 20 minutes. In the interest of helping the balls of my feet and working some different muscles, I decided to jog backwards for the last five minutes. Then I swam about 20 laps (which takes me about 23 minutes). I next got in another 20 minutes of jogging, again including the backwards jogging for the final five minutes. I followed that up with 20 more laps (which may have been 19 or 21). Finally, I jogged backwards for about 10 more minutes before rounding out my workout with some push-ups and leg exercises in the water. And that is where my title comes from.
All told, it took me almost two hours to get everything in, and I was (and still am) pretty darn tired. But it is a fulfilling tired. Throughout my workout, I felt good. Admittedly, during some of the laps, I was not sure I could keep going. But always competing with myself and wanting to do what I set out to, I pressed on.
As I was, per usual, struggling with the butterfly stroke, I realized that it is a lot like that first killer hill when I run. In both cases, I keep doing it, yet the task almost never seems any easier.
The other thing I find interesting is that when I run, even though I typically complete only two miles, I think I have achieved this great workout. Yet when I swim, if I end up doing only 15 laps, which typically takes me about the same amount of time as it does to run two miles, then I feel as if I barely did anything. I guess a big part of it has to do with the intensity; I tend to run harder than I swim, which leaves me sweaty and out of breath; it just feels as if I have run for an hour, even though I never do.
Regardless, I am glad when I can get a really long swim in. I am quite certain, however, even if I jog super slow, I won't be running for an hour anytime soon. Or probably ever.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Running towards 40 at full force
Not wanting to waste an unexpectedly nice afternoon with warm temps (upper 60s!) and partly sunny skies, I decided to get another Monday run in. I tried to employ mind over matter by telling myself that the first hill is not so bad, and it actually kind of worked. My left foot hurt just a little before the pain soon went away (or else I did not notice it), and I felt as if I had a pretty good groove going.
As I was nearing the top of the hill, I checked my phone and saw that I had been running just over eight minutes, which meant there was a good chance I could complete that first mile in under 10 minutes. When I reached the top of the hill, pretty much gassed, I happily saw that my time was 9:44. The last time I ran that fast was last fall.
I felt pretty pleased with myself, so I tried to keep up a decent pace on the way back, without pushing myself as hard as I did on the way up. I ended up with a total time of 18:33.
Mile one: 9:44
Mile two: 8:49
Today's run marked my seventh out of eight days of exercise. Including in those days were running, walking, and swimming. And eating. But let's just focus on the exercise.
Three more weeks...
As I was nearing the top of the hill, I checked my phone and saw that I had been running just over eight minutes, which meant there was a good chance I could complete that first mile in under 10 minutes. When I reached the top of the hill, pretty much gassed, I happily saw that my time was 9:44. The last time I ran that fast was last fall.
I felt pretty pleased with myself, so I tried to keep up a decent pace on the way back, without pushing myself as hard as I did on the way up. I ended up with a total time of 18:33.
Mile one: 9:44
Mile two: 8:49
Today's run marked my seventh out of eight days of exercise. Including in those days were running, walking, and swimming. And eating. But let's just focus on the exercise.
Three more weeks...
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