fitness-y goal update & some feet pics {you’ve been warned}

I realized today that the last 30 days have revolved around my feet. After running the half marathon, {how long’s she gonna milk that – I know right?} I was hobbling on an injured foot for about a week and a half. Even once I was through limping, I was still not able to run on the poor thing and was frequently thawing out frozen veggies on my foot for 15 minutes at a time.

Luckily with the race no longer looming over my head, I was able to get back to yoga guilt-free {yoga was once guilt-inducing? Yes – because it’s fitness I enjoy and how dare I enjoy working out while I need to be training?? That’s how my brain works.} I am so very out of practice with yoga but the thing I love about it, and have loved for the 10 years or so I’ve practiced {with various levels of commitment} is there’s not need to be competitive. Even with yourself. You can have goals, but it’s truly not about the perfection of it. I love that.

Back to my feet.

I skipped the Dirty Dash {which my brother-in-law ran in my place} so I got to watch him, and my husband, and the rest of my would-be team play in the mud from the sidelines. It was a blast. What a ridiculous thing everyone should do. My husband is the filthiest one, second row, second from the left.

Then last week this happened:

I stubbed my toe on a yellow lab, jumping over a beagle. Fer rills. It still hurts and actually looks worse 5 days later – swollen and weird. Husband thinks it could be broken. Anyone have broken toe experience? I did plank jacks on the poor bastard this evening and it doesn’t seem any worse than before {the during was excruciating when I wasn’t successful at favoring it..}

It’s so frustrating to be injured just enough I can’t do my normal ‘thang, and there’s always something, but I feel  like I’m at 80% now and ready to get back to it! I’ve got 9lbs to go {but more importantly I have lots of squishiness to firm up} and some damage control to do from my carb and ice cream free-for-all from the last couple of weeks. Plus, I bought a bikini for motivation.

So, here’s what my schedule’s going to look like for the next 4-6 weeks, barring more injuries {for my own planning/accountability purposes}:

• Monday: Elliptical machine during lunch or run after work, 30 min// 6 Week 6 Pack {Jillian Michaels DVD} in the evening
• Tuesday: Yoga class
• Wednesday: Elliptical machine during lunch or run after work, 30 min// 6 Week 6 Pack {Jillian Michaels DVD} in the evening
• Thursday: Walk dogs in the AM, 30 min. // Yoga class
• Friday: 6 Week 6 Pack {Jillian Michaels DVD}// 6 Week 6 Pack {Jillian Michaels DVD}
• Saturday: Hike, walk, bike, dancing, etc – something fun and different.
• Sunday: Jog with the dogs in the AM, 30 min. // 6 Week 6 Pack {Jillian Michaels DVD}

I’ll try to review 6 Week 6 Pack at the end of the program. I started it tonight and I loved it and hated it, and I’m hopeful for some toning results. There’s more to it than abs, so it’s a good total-body workout that focuses mostly on core, which is my trouble spot hands-down. Friggin’ apple shape, anyway.

I’m also back to using MyFitnessPal again – username is kbuelo if anyone else is on and wants to add me. I share my food diary with the world so if you’re into my over-sharing, and you just read a post about my feet so clearly you are -haha – I’m your motivation buddy!

What’s everyone else up to fitness-wise?

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13.1

In November it seemed so far away, and the idea of it was just so fun. An excuse to buy a sport watch and make color-coded Excel training schedules. The Half Marathon I insanely committed to. Starting was easy, and working up to a few miles was fun-fun-fun! And then January happened. I injured myself the week before going to Vegas for Jonathan’s 30th birthday. A minor stress injury to my foot, but I further aggravated it by hobbling around in high heels up and down the Strip because I sometimes think I’m a bad ass (but really I’m just not that bright).

It threw off my training so much I felt back at square one. I decided to at least cross train and strength train if nothing else, until the weather cooperated and I could run outside. I had a new workout space to push me along, but I still thought I had all the time in the world to be ready to face it.

It was HERE before I even knew it. I was back to only logging 3 mile runs on a treadmill, stressing from school workload and job turmoil, trying to get my garden ready and feeling guilty that I wasn’t properly training. There was this moment when I almost bailed out. Then I calmed down and thought maybe I would be ok – I was cross-training after all- and should just lower my expectations.

And so I did. I gutted it out. I completed a 13.1 mile run, hobbling in the last 4 miles because I reinjured my foot.

It may not look like much, but when the top of your foot is bruised from the impact you put on the bottom, it hurts a lot, and it still hurts a week later.

Admittedly, everything hurt the next day. EVER-y-thing. And it was slow. I finished near the last in my gender/age category. An 80 year old man passed me during the last mile while I was limping along. It wasn’t pretty, but I did it. I ruined my yoga form temporarily, lost my favorite hoodie, and limped on an injured foot for several agonizing miles (I almost cried. A few times. Really), but I’m so glad I finished it.

Don’t let the smiley photo fool you. I am in in pain here at the finish. I was just so happy it was over.

And the first several miles were great fun! There really is nothing like that race day excitement, and now I get it. (Don’t mind the watermark. The event photog wants me to pay $20 for a digital copy of this. Umyeah, no thanks.)

^Mile 3ish? Before I wanted to die.

My second biggest concern, pre-race (first being, obviously, don’t die) was.. what if I run out of things to think about? It’s not that it’s generally a problem for me (the opposite, actually) but I’m talking.. what if I ran out of ways to distract myself from the pain? What if by mile 4 I’m already hating it and can’t think of anything beyond the utter suck?

I’m happy to report it’s nothing like the training. I made so many temporary friends during the race. Everyone was so encouraging. The scenery was so pretty I got lost in it a few times. The drink stations were surrounded by spectators cheering us on. My iPod playlist had me pumped up. It’s truly a memorable experience, worth doing to say I did and to understand why people do it in the first place.

Enough to make me try again, with the knowledge of what I’m getting myself into? Maybe. Probably. (No really.. I’m not that bright).

got muh’ shirt.

{oh yes, and we bought a treadmill over the weekend. Ogden Marathon, it.is.ON!}

harder.better.faster.stronger.

I signed up for my first ever half marathon yesterday!

Just ten days ago when I wrote this post I was mulling over the idea, not wanting to commit and sure I would talk myself out of it. But I decided to go for it – I need things to work toward. And for me, this is a big deal! I have always been the slow kid. I can kick some booty on the elliptical machine or yoga mat, but even looking at a treadmill gives me a sideache and shin splints, I’m serious. NOT a runner, so I thought.

But I’ve been working up to it in the last month and I kind of sort of don’t hate it. I kind of like breathing the chilly air all bundled up and hitting the pavement. And I especially like that there are no rules – that every day is completely different. That on a Monday I can be tired after 3 minutes and Tuesday I can break my own record – I’m so new that it’s unpredictable what kind of day I will have and I’m so new that I’m frequently still surprising myself that I CAN do it. Even though I’m not running great distance yet I feel like it’s ok to say “I’m a runner” and just that in itself motivates me to go go go (so far!).

I’ve got six months to train, and I’ll be using this guide to get me there starting in December. November plan stays the same as my last post with maybe a few more runs and less cross-training. This is just what I need to avoid total hermit mode all winter – here we go!!!!!!!!

“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” -Mark Twain

some fitness goals – here goes nothing!

You know me. Always making goals. I’ve been workin’ on my fitness these past couple months and finally to the point I feel I need real structure again as I’m in the exercise habit! (getting to the gym regularly was a general goal that worked for me – just get there. HA!).

So posting for the world to see, my weekly workout schedule. This is what I’ll be working with through November. I plan to change it up for each new month. This is roughly what I’ve been doing for the last 2 months with a little less cardio.

If anyone’s wondering about my fitness facility access, I am SUPER DUPER spoiled with options. I work in a building with a little gym right down the hall (good for lunchtime workouts), and work on an Air Force base with 3 different gyms, 2 outdoor and 2 indoor running tracks, and a pool. The gym use and *most* of the classes there are free (the ones that I do are) for my use. I’ve been doing the yoga class for 6 months or longer, twice a week, and I can’t imagine life without yoga now! As for my home workouts, I live in a safe, flat neighborhood but it’s unlit at night, so that’s a factor for winter running as is the iciness! (so I’ll be utilizing the indoor tracks on base). I have space at home for most floor workouts and free weights but no other gym equipment.

My fairly loose (as in, we’ll see as I go) plan for the next couple months (yay Holidays!) is as follows:

November: above. Still getting used to exercise so trying to keep it fun and diverse while upping my cardio.

December: step up the cardio. Fit in more running and less cross-training workouts. LIFT ACTUAL WEIGHTS. (:

January: Aim for running 5 miles/week

oh yaah and um – and I love this (new motto):

How’s everyone getting their fitness on?

warrior weekend

I was awesome at this weekend.

No seriously. I ran in the cold. Twice. And I hate running. And I hate cold. It’s all about the gear, maaaaan♥

And I played with fire. Thanks Amber for the soldering//pipe sweating lesson. I totally feel empowered. Workin’ on a trellis (more to do).

I hacked off my bangs.

I made a kick-ass Pumpkin Spice SOY latte at home.

There was also Stats homework, scary movie-watching,  and guacamole on everything. No Halloween bash, which was becomming a tradition, but I wasn’t feelin’ it this year. Halloween on a Monday means: Marilyn Manson playlist (headphones), pulling out a random costume fro years past (dragonfly?), and potluck. That’ll do, Halloween is still fun when it’s low-key.

What’d ya’ll do with your weekend?