Another good night at the gym. 1.5 hours of squash. I actually managed to win a game too! I played regularly last winter, but always against the same person. Now I’m playing a variety of opponents, I’m losing very regularly but I’m getting better. Last night I was finally able to make drive shots that were (sort of) close to the walls.
Stiff again today, but feeling good about the week’s work. Hopefully I won’t go too far back on the weekend. I’m heading to T.O., but hopefully be back in time on Sunday for a little time on the treadmill. Still trying to eat better and drink less coffee/beer and more water (I don’t know why I’m so hung up on the water thing!!!)
Posted in
exercise
Last night I went to the gym and did 15 on the rowing machine, and 25 on the treadmill before playing squash for over an hour. I’m very stiff today. But that’s a good thing, right?
Back to the gym for more squash tonight. I should be playing for at least an hour. I was horrible last night because I was tired when I hit the court, hopefully today I’ll be a bit fresher and be able to win a few games.
Food was good yesterday, very little junk food and I drank a lot of water.
Posted in
exercise
Well, it’s pretty clear I’ve got some work to do. Your resting on the rowing machine is my peak!
Tonight I’ll be back at the gym, hopefully for a while. I’m playing squash for an hour, and I’m going to get in some time on the rowing machine too. I’m realizing how out of shape I am right now. Diet is a big part of it! Going to work hard this week at making better food choices…
I have lost a bit of weight in the last two weeks, hoping to lose a total of 10lbs by January 1st.
Posted in
exercise
Monday was interval-rowing. 5 min at 100 watts 29-30 strokes per minute, then 5 minutes at 150+ watts at 34-36 strokes per minute. I did 3 each for a total 30 minute workout. Near the end of my last rest I was feeling “worried” that I wouldn’t be able to do my final 5 minutes but somehow I just relaxed my body and suddenly had more energy than I needed. As I’m going harder/further I’m realising how important each extra little bit of energy and efficiency is. Small improvements add up; 2% due to better shoes, 2% due to more efficient shirt/shorts, 2% due to relaxing everything but my legs, 2% due to better posture, 2% due to better form. I know these are totally made up numbers but it’s neat to think of how just by doing these things better I may experience some much better results.
Posted in
exercise
Friday at the gym was OK. I did 1/2 hour hard on an eliptical machine. Had my heart rate at 170 the whole time.
Saturday and Sunday were a bit of a write off. I did spend an hour carrying, cutting and stacking firewood and on Sunday I went for a walk. Otherwise it was sitonthecoucheatdrinkandwatchsports all weekend. Entertaining, but not good for my fitness.
I’ll be back in the gym tonight. The plan is for 1/2 hour hard on the rowing machine and then some light running.
Posted in
exercise
Distance: 6.5m (10.46 km)
Time: 55:56
Huzzah! 10k and more and I even had some left in the tank. I did this on the treadmill set at 7mph. I think I’ll be inside for a while now given the cold and the fact that I only have one pair of shoes which will be remaining indoor-use only. Some $6 headphones were a good buy, too. They have terrible sound quality but now my BB is cranking the tunes and motivating.
Ultimate on Wednesday felt a lot easier. We had more subs but I think the runs last week helped too. I wore my new runners which were much better than my old crummy $20 cleats.
I don’t think I’ll be able to pull off a third run this week because I’ll be solo-parenting 2-3 kids for the next 48 hours. Monday is the next one and I’ll be doing interval training.
Posted in
exercise
OK, I’m up for it (once you run your four 10ks!). I figure we still have months before I need to get serious about training. At this point I’m just working on getting back in shape. I’ve gotten a little ’soft’ since July. I mostly blame ultimate… my mad skilz mean I only need to handle, and play mid-mid on ‘D. The two positions with the most laziness potential.
Starting last week I’ve been going to the gym. My plan for now is to just get in a few times a week and do a combination of rowing, eliptical and treadmill. I’m playing squash at least once a week too. Tonight I’m going for 1 hour of cardio.
Posted in
exercise
Tags:
training
Distance: 5.00m (8.04672 km)
Time: 39:20
I had an appoiment at 645pm last night (which I was still late for), but I knew when I got on the (imperial, ugh) treadmill at 6pm that I wouldn’t have the time to do the 10k. With that in mind I bumped up my pace to 8mph and ran a strong 5 miles (8 km).
The new shoes were nice, although I have no idea what I should be looking for in a nice pair of shoes. They definately kept my feet warm and safe from treadmill hazards. I didn’t have any music which I am sure I want to always remember in the future (staring at soundless TV screens isn’t very inspirational). At first I didn’t think the treadmill was any easier but given that I ran harder/further/faster than before (see below) I guess there might be something to it.
During my last half-mile I started feeling worse than I’ve felt in any of my other runs. My chest was getting tight and I was definately struggling. It was hard to finish but finish I did (w00t w00t). I only ran just over a third of the half-marathon so it’s obvious I have a lot of improvement and training to go.
The plus side is that my pace was much better over my other runs. My rough calculations:
Week 1 – Monday: 5.6 min/km
Week 1 – Friday: 5.8 min/km
Week 2 – Monday: 4.9 min/km
So I ran further and faster than my previous runs which I’m very happy with.
The 10k looms before me.
Posted in
exercise
I couldn’t go yesterday because it was slippery/raining/cold out and I lost my gym card and my shoes broke. Seriously, all of those things. It’s not an excuse.
Today I went to two different gyms to track down my gym card, and I went and bought some fancy and expensive “saucony” shoes that apparently will make me float like a butterfly. The other plus is that the soles on them aren’t falling off (like my former pair).
I’ll be having my 230pm spaghetti snack and then I’ll be running when I get home this evening. It’ll be on a treadmill for the first time which I’m getting the impression is easier than outdoors. I’m going to shoot for 10k at an easy pace and then take tomorrow off to recoup for ultimate on Wednesday.
My father in law says he’s done 10k in 38minutes. That sounds easy enough… I’ll let you know how it goes.
Posted in
exercise
Distance: 6.0 km
Time: 34:33
Wednesday (indoor) ultimate was killer. I was coming in feeling up on myself about playing a couple ironman games last season but I was huffing and puffing within a couple plays. I’ve been telling everyone (trying to convince myself, maybe) that the air in the dome is different than outdoor and that’s why it’s so hard, but really… yeah… I know what the real issue is. It’s good motivation, though! This morning’s run was a light pace and I tried to leave a bit of gas in the tank. My time still needs to improve but overall I’m happy with the increase in distance. I hope to do 8k either Saturday or Sunday.
Posted in
exercise
