Saturday, October 25, 2008
Day 135 - Slowly but Surely
In the last week or so I was able to get some exercise in, including one class of kickboxing and one session of PT. I was short of breath a bit at kickboxing (lungs still not great). For the PT, I was a bit short on energy (appetite was low that day so minimal caloric intake). Got a great workout in for the PT though and my legs were sore as hell for days after. Still not 100% but getting there...
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Day 126 - Out of action
A nasty cold has me sidelined. If there is any truth to "catching a chill", then my run last Friday was been the death of me. By Saturday I had a sore throat. Sunday I went to kickboxing and shouldn't have. By Monday I was full-blown sick and sucking on Buckley's like it's sugar water. I've found an odd truth though - when my throat is horribly sore, Buckley's feels damn good. My sinuses are so damn plugged I can't really tell how bad it tastes so Buckley's really does taste like sugar water.
In other news though, even my personal trainer commented last week that it looks like I've lost weight. I'm starting to notice it myself now too. I'm also noticing some definition taking shape in my shoulders which is very cool. This is all happening despite my lack of a decent weight-loss diet. If I didn't feel all pukey when I eat "well", I'd probably look like GSP now, all six-pack and Quebec-like. What that last bit means I don't know.
In other news though, even my personal trainer commented last week that it looks like I've lost weight. I'm starting to notice it myself now too. I'm also noticing some definition taking shape in my shoulders which is very cool. This is all happening despite my lack of a decent weight-loss diet. If I didn't feel all pukey when I eat "well", I'd probably look like GSP now, all six-pack and Quebec-like. What that last bit means I don't know.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Day 117 - Running again
Finally got in another run today. Maybe I was just waiting for the rain to abate first...
Anyhoo, set out for Beaver Lake again. This time I got in 4 laps plus the trip there and part way back. All said and done, probably ~6k. The COTing (cycle of throbbing) was MUCH less today, in fact I don't think I experienced any throbbing at all, just a little soreness in the left foot. My shins were complaining when I first set out but they went silent after about 5 minutes. Probably the least pain-filled run in over 4 years. A fresh new blister and a lack of water did me in today, but I was happy with the result. It also happened to be a great day for running in Stanley Park...
Anyhoo, set out for Beaver Lake again. This time I got in 4 laps plus the trip there and part way back. All said and done, probably ~6k. The COTing (cycle of throbbing) was MUCH less today, in fact I don't think I experienced any throbbing at all, just a little soreness in the left foot. My shins were complaining when I first set out but they went silent after about 5 minutes. Probably the least pain-filled run in over 4 years. A fresh new blister and a lack of water did me in today, but I was happy with the result. It also happened to be a great day for running in Stanley Park...
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Day 109 - Kickin butt
Graduated to a high green belt tonight. This is really the first "serious" belt, where the expectations get harder, the workouts get harder, etc. Apparently I nailed by spinning back kick!
Also, in that last two days, I've had two more comments that it looks like I've lost weight. The scale still says the same thing but I know I'm much stronger. I guess the fat->muscle conversion is going well.
Also, in that last two days, I've had two more comments that it looks like I've lost weight. The scale still says the same thing but I know I'm much stronger. I guess the fat->muscle conversion is going well.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Day 106 - More on running
I went for a run on Friday and it was a pretty good one. This time, I ran errands on either side of the run but basically ran some of the trails in Stanley Park. I included 2 laps around Beaver Lake (1km per lap). Probably about 1km to the lake, gradual uphill, then 1km in reverse for a total of ~4km. I stopped after about 3km but I could have pushed it. All said, it was a decent run but with the usual "cycle of throbbing" in the feet. The weird thing about that throbbing is that immediately after the peak of throbbing pain, there is a moment of near-zero pain where I feel like my feet just want to take off like rockets. I remember that feeling slightly when I once (and only once) experienced runners euphoria. It's the same feeling of lightness, absolute understanding of my body's capabilities and focus. But with this throbbing cycle, it only lasts about 10 seconds and is not total-body.
Anyhoo, I'm glad to know that the 8km wasn't a fluke.
Tonight, I just did a 20 minute "intermediate" cycle on the treadmill, mostly to work out some aches in the shins and get some cardio for the day. I followed it up with 50 squats using a medicine ball a la "truck driver squats", then a superset of leg extensions and leg curls, 70 lbs each, 4 sets of 10. The weight was light so I'll up it next time and bring down the sets.
Tomorrow is my day with the personal trainer since Wednesday I have my kickboxing grad.
Anyhoo, I'm glad to know that the 8km wasn't a fluke.
Tonight, I just did a 20 minute "intermediate" cycle on the treadmill, mostly to work out some aches in the shins and get some cardio for the day. I followed it up with 50 squats using a medicine ball a la "truck driver squats", then a superset of leg extensions and leg curls, 70 lbs each, 4 sets of 10. The weight was light so I'll up it next time and bring down the sets.
Tomorrow is my day with the personal trainer since Wednesday I have my kickboxing grad.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Day 100 - 100 Freakin days!
Didn't actually work out today. Had a few appointments that sucked up my day but I wanted to jot down some notes from the last couple of days or so.
First up, I haven't written about diet for a long time. I gave up trying to adhere to the kind of diet needed for proper weight loss. I'm even running a bit shy on protein these days. All in all, I'm just avoiding crap and making sure I eat enough to not feel pukey all the time. As far as that goes, my energy and abilities for exercise are a lot better now that I'm back to "normal" eating. So I'm making better progress on the exercise, "proper" diet is still shelved for the time being.
Kickboxing has been going well. I got my fourth stripe on my green belt yesterday, which means I'm set to graduate this month to the high green belt. In our club, high green is more or less the first serious belt. It's also the target point for a 2-year stint. At class yesterday, I was pre-tested for the new belt and I gave it my all the whole time. I was able to keep up a good show of strength for the whole time, which is a testament to what my personal trainer has been able to do to me. The testing is a brief, but very intense fit of activity. My core strength is pretty decent and it shows.
After kickboxing, I tried to get in a quick run to keep up the orthotics acclimatization but I think my feet were already beat from kickboxing. I got in about 4k with a couple of stops for throbbing feet. No arch pain though, so I'm hoping this is just part of the adjustment period.
First up, I haven't written about diet for a long time. I gave up trying to adhere to the kind of diet needed for proper weight loss. I'm even running a bit shy on protein these days. All in all, I'm just avoiding crap and making sure I eat enough to not feel pukey all the time. As far as that goes, my energy and abilities for exercise are a lot better now that I'm back to "normal" eating. So I'm making better progress on the exercise, "proper" diet is still shelved for the time being.
Kickboxing has been going well. I got my fourth stripe on my green belt yesterday, which means I'm set to graduate this month to the high green belt. In our club, high green is more or less the first serious belt. It's also the target point for a 2-year stint. At class yesterday, I was pre-tested for the new belt and I gave it my all the whole time. I was able to keep up a good show of strength for the whole time, which is a testament to what my personal trainer has been able to do to me. The testing is a brief, but very intense fit of activity. My core strength is pretty decent and it shows.
After kickboxing, I tried to get in a quick run to keep up the orthotics acclimatization but I think my feet were already beat from kickboxing. I got in about 4k with a couple of stops for throbbing feet. No arch pain though, so I'm hoping this is just part of the adjustment period.
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