Marvellous May

Today is the start of my Marvellous May Challenge.

After a great January, I have kind of allowed things to slip somewhat and have become quite lax with my exercising (except for the running) and what I eat. I haven't put on weight but I'm not toning up and losing weight either and I want to do something about it.

Everyday I am going to exercise. I shall keep up with the running but am now on Week 6 Day 2 on C25K and once I have reached the end of week 9 I am going to start at the beginning again. This time though, I'm going to give barefoot running a go. I've read about the good and bad points of barefoot and am intrigued so thought this way would be a good way to see if it suits me.

This is my main running 'track' so I think that it would work well while I'm in the beginner stages of my barefoot running and if it turns out to suit me then I can always find other places to run. I might ever get a pair of barefoot shoes (an oxymoron if ever there was one) when I start to run across more challenging terrain but for now I'll jog on to the field and just take off my shoes and see how it goes.

On the days when I am not running I am going to do a weights workout and focus on toning so crunches and core strengthening. I might even do the crunches on the running days too as they only take 15 minutes.

On top of all this I am also going to try and eat a diet free of dairy, processed sugar, grains, legumes and (sob) alcohol for the whole of May. I have a shopping list and am going out after work to fill up the fridge with lovely things to eat and will be pulling recipes from the Everyday Paleo book I have on my kindle as well as using some web based Paleo recipe sites. If it's not on those, it's not being eaten.

I hope at the end of the month to be a little more fit, a little more healthy and hopefully a little more tone.

Small change

Yesterday I was thinking about how much time I waste over the course of a day, a week, a month and who knows how much over the course of a year. Birthdays always make me feel reflective (it’s mine tomorrow) and perhaps this is what triggered my pondering.

I’m by nature a lazy person, the type that will lie in bed all day putting off going to the lavatory for as long as possible just so I don’t have to get up: laying there getting hungrier because I don’t want to move from my snug. I realise that this is quite a childish attitude and how (potentially) destructive it is but I have formed a habit and as we all know habits are hard to break. But how do you go about finding a different style of life that doesn’t feel like an imposition?

I’m a great fan of change one small things and keep doing that (well I am a fan of it now but my laziness could kick in and then I’m back to the beginning) so I did the first small change yesterday. I took up running again.

I don’t pretend to be a great athlete (I’m lazy remember) but I started C25K last summer and found it oddly enjoyable. Unfortunately I managed to seriously twist my ankle to the extent that I could feel the ligament ripping and gave up, well was forced to give up. Instead of finding another exercise regime that would allow me to retain the fitness I had painstakingly gained I just hobbled away. DOH!

Yesterday was the first small change that will lead to my very short term goal of doing again tomorrow (but maybe not as it is my birthday) and leading onto my short term goal of running/walking every other day for the next few weeks. I’m not planning anything beyond that as it is a point that I cannot imagine but I figure if I get a few short term goals behind me then I might just start planning a few mid-length goals and then who knows? World domination may be mine.

Still Running and knitting

C25K - Week 6 Day 1
2.54 miles nailed

Another day of running today and it well really well. Managed the first block of 5 minutes without stopping although I came close a couple of times. The 3 minutes of walking were fab (really enjoyed that) and my breathing had returned to near enough normal by the time it came to the 8 minute run. That one was a a bit harder as I had to stop and walk a few times, but I only walk for 50 paces then set off again so it’s not like I have a sit down and a cuppa while my breath returns. The second 5 minute run was okay but I hadn’t quite caught my breath during the walking section so I was much slower but hey! I did it.

I have decided that since my legs and arse are getting toned I need to do something about my upper body so am going to start doing a back and body workout on my non-running days. Just a bit of weights and toning things that I can do at home. I have a copy of Matt Robert’s Fit for Life and I like his style and stuff so will hunt through for a routine that suits and start that tomorrow.

One of the things that I am disappointed in is that I am not shrinking nor losing weight. I know that the (non)weight lose is because I am laying down muscle but I’m a bit narked about it. The same goes for my waist measurement - I have put on an inch round my waist (which is a bit annoying) but I think that again it’s due to the muscle under the fat rather than eating too many pies. I’m going to track my food for a week or so to see if I am eating far more than I think I am but I think that I have a pretty good idea of what I eat.

In other news, I have also cracked on with my sock knitting. I haven't been very attentive to my sock knitting and my plans to complete the A to Z KAL on Ravelry has not been looking good but in the past week I have finished one of the M Socks and got a fair way through one of the N Socks. I'll take some snaps and do a post tomorrow.

Starting Reasons

I am not a natural athlete. Running around when I was a kid was all well and good. I had fun, I climbed trees, I rode bikes, I did the things that kids growing up in the 70s did but as I got older and realised that motorbikes and cars could get you around so much faster and in a more fun way, I gave up on the running and riding.

Skip forward many years and at the age of 41 I decided to take up roller derby. It was fantastic, a real life changer, but with the joy of finding a sport that I actually liked came the realisation that I needed to get so much fitter. Roller derby is great for fitness and within a few weeks it was beginning to come together. Then . . . disaster. I fell over whilst skating and something went crack, well more CRACK!!! I sat with tears in my eyes daring myself to get up and see what part of my ankle would pop out of place and when I did nothing happened. It was a bit ouchy and my right ankle was a bit tender but nothing terrible had happened.

Throughout last summer it twinged and complained and sometimes swelled to impressive proportions but I kept on even though my skating was suffering as I couldn’t push out properly ‘cause it just hurt too much. Then in August I did the Goodwood Roller Marathon along with many of my fabulous team mates. After 5 and a half laps I was ok, slowing down but still keen and then it happened again. I fell.

My ankle complained and I along with it. I sat there on a boiling hot day on the side of the track watching skaters in all shapes, sizes and abilities go past. Some stopped to see if I was okay and I, in that brittle way of the British injured, said I was. After 30 minutes I got up and carried on: slowly, oh so slowly for the next 5 and a half laps finishing in a time of 4 hours 32 minutes.

And then I gave up roller derby – only for the short term – to give the 3, yes 3 ripped ligaments a chance to heal. After 2 months out, doing a bit of physio I went back and although it was better, I was nervous as in the intervening time I had put on loads of weight and was just not comfortable on skates. Then I got work away so was off from November until March then in April I finally left the amazing, supportive Sheffield Steel Roller Girls as I just couldn’t get myself fit and it was making me sad.

After wallowing for a few months I have decided that I want to be fit and I am still young enough to get fit so I have started to run. And be much more careful about what I eat. AND given up weekday (and mostly weekend) drinking. The running is horrible but I am doing it and I shall continue to do it until I am fit enough and my ankle is strong enough to start skating again.

So the moral of this?

Stop feeling sorry for yourself and get off your arse if you want to do something. If it is that important to you, you'll make the effort.