get in shape

I hate weighing myself because I don’t really want to care about marking any kind of milestones. I really just want to feel better and look better (at least to myself). But, there was this scale and I stood on it. It said 210 and that made me grumpy, but whatever.

I missed a whole week with the sickness, so I don’t feel so bad.

Back to 3 miles today.

I did three miles again yesterday and I have to admit that I’m surprised at how well my body has handled jumping right back into it after being off for a full week and being sick. My stamina is better than I expected. I did get a wicked stitch in my side yesterday – ouch! – but that was more about hydration and stretching than anything.

The sickness subsided, I’m back to running/walking. I’ve starting doing longer distances so that I don’t even have to drive my truck to the park. I just walk/jog there, run and then come back. Makes for a nice long outing.

I’m also back to eating somewhat better. It ain’t perfect, but at least Halloween is over. :)

This sinus infection seriously kicked my ass and I was in bed the last two day. Fortunately, I feel a lot better today and I’m hoping to at least get a good long walk in first thing in the morning. After that, I’d like to get back to running by Monday, Sunday if possible.

I’m having to take a couple days off from the exercise because I’m fighting off a cold. I don’t have a ton of energy, so I need to reserve it for battling this. Hopefully, it won’t hurt my efforts too much. I would like to be back at it by Thursday.

Fingers crossed.

I’m sure everyone has that sense in them about when they feel thin and when they don’t. Today is one of those days where I really do feel thinner than usual.

I had a long walk yesterday and then played a gig last night that lasted nearly 2 hours. Hoisting a nearly-30-pound bass around for 2 hours while trying to jump a round and have fun is a serious workout.

One of the great things about playing last night was the fact that no matter how much I jumped around, I didn’t really get tired. I was sore afterward and this morning, but that’s normal. I didn’t get winded at all last night and that’s a new one for me.

Plus, I felt great playing. I felt really in shape and comfortable. I know I still have a good ways to go to truly feel like I’m where I want to be, but that was encouraging.

I’m going to a big outdoor festival today to take pictures and I’m sure I’ll cover many miles walking. I’ll probably take tomorrow off and get back to the running on Monday.

I learned two things yesterday.

1. I should not keep sweets in my house, particularly pumpkin muffins which are, apparently, the devil.

2. Running in the cool, dry air SOUNDS like a good idea, but my allergies don’t really agree.

From here on out, it’s vegetables and a steady dose of the treadmill. I’ll get to the pumpkin stuff when Thanksgiving rolls around.

I took off on Sunday, but got back to it yesterday with a long run on the treadmill. It was rainy and cold outside, so the treadmill worked nicely. It looks like it is becoming treadmill season anyway as the temps begin to drop. It’s hard for me to run in the cold. Just kills my lungs.

The treadmill is much easier on my legs as well. I do feel the need to modify my basic workout when I’m on there, however. Using the iPod Nike interface is fine, but the treadmill has a really good interface and I find it easier to deal with than the iPod while running.

I think I’m going to point my treadmill toward the window or something today. Staring at the wall gets a little boring.

I went out for a LONG walk today – no idea on distance (I’m guessing 4-5 miles) – but the walk was well over an hour with a stop off at my aunt’s house in between for a visit.

I try to walk on the weekends in place of running just to give my legs a break from the pounding of running while still getting in some decent exercise.

I was REALLY not feeling like running today. Seriously, not even close. But, I knew if I did, I would be happy for it. Turns out (as usual – he he) I was right. Not only was it an exhausting (in a good way) run, BUT, I clocked my fastest time EVER at 11:07 per mile.

Now, that’s not terribly fast for the average runner, but for someone whose last fastest time was in the 11:20’s, I’m pretty damn happy. Woot!