Back? Again?

Ok, so yeah, the past few months have been a little insane and not much has been accomplished in terms of miles. Well, my mornings just opened back up so that means I don't have to wake up after sleeping for four hours ... can you say happy camper?

So, last night was a rough night at work - Murphy's Law and then some. So, I decided early on that I was going to go for a long walk when I was done to clear my head. I get home, change and then got sidetracked for a bit before finally getting my shoes on and heading out the door. It was 10:48pm when I left. It was after 1:30am when I got home.

So, I start heading out and I had a plan, but that plan quickly went to shit when I decided I was just going to keep on going and turn around when I started getting tired. Ok, so this took me 9 miles. I hadn't eaten at all during the day, and I was seriously dehydrated when I started (after not drinking any water all day) so by the time I drug my ass through the front door I was tired, sore and thirsty as heck. But, I felt great.

I forgot how good walking those distances made me feel. Granted, last night I had to do a lot of stretching and icy hot was my bed buddy, but still, when I got up this morning I felt great.

I think I'll go for another walk tonight, not the miles I did last night, but hopefully I'll get in my normal six (well, that was normal up until the summer started).

I hope this time I'll be able to keep it up ... making a lot of changes in my life, and hopefully this one will lead to the full 26 next year!!!

It's Been a While

So, it's been a while since I've posted on here, but after my trek yesterday I figured I should post an update. So yesterday around 1 in the afternoon I decided it was a good idea to get in 20 miles. Mind you it was 95 outside and I didn't really take that into consideration when I was leaving.

I left at 1:20 and after 20 minutes I was hurting. I had my camelbak fully stocked with 3L of water, and by the time I reached my destination it was all gone. The sun was raging and it was taking every bit of willpower I had to keep on going instead of turning around and going home or getting on a bus or light rail. I told myself that I would at least make it 10 and then see how I was feeling before calling it quits.

So, I continued to drink my water, had some GU along the way, and I made it 10 miles in 2.5 hours ... my best time ever. The heat was motivation to kick my ass into high gear so that I didn't get stuck out there.

And what did I do after I got there ... I found air conditioning and rested. I was tired, I was getting the early symptoms of heat stroke and I needed water. After waiting for a bit and resting for about an hour I made the decision that I wouldn't walk all the way back home ... I would take the light rail for part of it and save myself a little bit. I went and got some more water, filled my camelbak back up and walked 3 miles to the light rail station. I got on and the AC felt wonderful. I got off at my stop and had another 2 miles to go to get home. So, all-in-all I set out to get in 20 miles and ended with 15. Not bad for 95 degrees out. My camelbak has paid for itself time and time again ...

I will never do this again in this heat!!!

New Shoes, Part II

I decided I cannot run in those darn Nike things I bought. As much as a I love the Nike Plus system, I can't stay with Nikes if they don't have shoes that feel awesome on my feet. So, today I trotted off to a fantastic local sports store recommended to me by a co-worker called Finish Strong Sports. The staff and owner there watched me walk around, asked me questions, measured. We got my choices down to about 4 pairs of shoes..... and then the owner even put them on my feet! Talk about service. I settled on a pair of Asics Cumulus 12 that really do feel like walking on clouds. I took them out for a trial run today, along with a new little gizmo I picked up, the Amphipod Micro Pocket. The Micro Pocket lets you attach your Nike Plus to your shoe so you can use it with other brands instead of in the heel of your Nikes. I'm not sure whether it's because I haven't used my Nike Plus in a couple months, or whether the Micro Pocket was too loose, but I sweated it out in the humidass Houston evening air running circles around my neighborhood for 20 minutes and it only logged 0.68 miles. What the heck. I went home and mapped my route and it looks like there was a good hard-earned mile missing from there somewhere. I'll have to fiddle with this thing later. For now, I'm just glad to be on my feet again.

Urm, haven't dont Jillian since last Thursday. But have been doing a lot of kettlebell exercises. I only have a little 10-pounder. Wondering if I need to upgrade. Thoughts?

Week One in Review

Ok, so that sounds like some tacky news headline, but I've been very bad about posting so I have to do a week in review.

I started the 30DS last Sunday, and as expected, Jillian kicks my ass each and every time. I really don't know if I will ever be able to keep up with Jillian but it can be rather fun to try.

So, I'm still doing modifications, but I have been able to crank out a few push-ups without the modifications. Yay for me. On the other hand, I am still following Anita a LOT. By the time the 20 minutes is up I'm breathing like I've lost a lung but feel rather good about it.

I've also started up my walking again, and think that I'm going to start walking to work so that I can really increase my mileage ... perhaps that will make a difference in the way my body reacts to this punishment.

Today, I took the day off of Jillian and decided to go hiking instead. Three hours and seven miles later I made it back to my car, feet covered in red dust/turned to mud and I am SOOO glad I had my camelbak with me - that thing paid for itself. I drank about 3L worth of water and the miles didn't seem as bad when I stayed hydrated. That thing is definitely going with me on the 25th ... it will be much easier when I'm hydrated. That's one thing about Surfside, I wasn't hydrated ... and while I drank at every station, I was parched.

Ok, so back to Jillian - with the upper body changes, I'm noticing the shoulder workouts are getting easier, but Jillian v. walking v. hiking v. biking ... all different muscle groups. While Jillian does help with the walking and hiking, all those damn squats, it doesn't do a damn thing for biking. I think the only thing that is going to get my ass in bike shape is actually biking (or getting an indoor trainer ... why in the hell did I throw out the one I had in Cleveland???).

Tomorrow and Wednesday will finish up level one, and then we shall see about level two. Fun fun :)

JM - Days 3 and 4/Level 1

Did a workout yesterday before heading outta town for a couple days. Then did a workout today with my sister in law, who is really familiar with the JM30 also. Both workouts went well. My quads are feeling the burn, that's for sure.

JM - L1/D2

Day 2 went well. I did my workout a little later than preferred, but I got it in. Still breaking a sweat. I'm feeling a bit sore from yesterday. Will I ever be able to do full normal push-ups again?

Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred - Back in Action

After working several weeks with long hours and bad food, I decided it's time to get off my butt again before my muffin top completely spills over my pants. After some back and forth with myself about what to do for my daily workouts (bike? I can read and kill two birds with one stone... P90X? nah, too intense), I finally settled on doing the 30 Day Shred again.

Level 1/Day 1
This time, even after not having worked out regularly for a couple months, the workout was much more straightforward and easier. I found that I wasn't fiddling around with the moves anymore, trying to adjust my positioning and such. Each exercise just came more naturally. And while the workout overall was easier, I still broke a sweat halfway through and was dripping by the end! I think this workout DVD is great because you really can adjust the moves to your own level. I still can't do a single regular push-up, but doing them on my knees felt easier this time than last.

Random Goodies
To motivate myself out of my swivel office chair, I decided a bribe was in order. Off to Lululemon I went, and back I came with cute outfits. Indeed their prices are astronomical, but nothing beats their style and quality. If you get one workout top from Lulu this season, make it the Push Ur Limits top. The way it looks in the online pictures do not nearly do it justice. This top, as with most of their tops, do something magical in the back that just makes your shoulders and back look toned in all the right places. Who doesn't want to look like a Roman goddess from behind? One little note though: this top would not be good for high impact. For that, you should pick up Lulu's Tata Tamer... but that's for another post.