Just call me the Cat Calmer

Today the weather was gorgeous!  I had a run planned.  I knew where I was running, when I was running and how (slow as a turtle through peanut butter).   I was going regardless of the weather so having temps in the 50's was a delightful plus to my day. (I think Christmas morning when I ran it was 20 degrees....lol).    However, my body had other ideas.

We got up and ran some errands in the morning.  Early morning...we went to breakfast and then picked up groceries.   I was doing great.   We got home and Todd had a repair job that he wanted to do on the house.  It required that the cats be locked up for a bit.   Now the cats typically go nuts when we lock them up.  So nuts that on three different occasions I've had them locked up and one or the other has scratched so hard and viciously to get freed that they have started to pull up the tile/linoleum from the edge of the door.  Seriously.   So I took over the very difficult job of going into lock down with the cats....trying to keep the calm.  I laid down on the bed with my kindle and pretty soon they were all curled up beside me.   I had a few tense minutes with the two youngest ones. (Winni and Mertz) At two different times they each got a bit panicky about being locked up...but my tender loving care helped them calm right back down).

Pardon the unmade bed...I was working hard keeping my kitty cats calm and couldn't be bothered with trivial things like bed making!  And I don't know what was happening with my sweatshirt...I was laying on my back, but somehow it got all twisted around on my body.  Oh well.

I honestly don't know if my morning activities (cat calming) set me up for a lazy day.  But I just couldn't function the rest of the day.  I have felt off kilter and just not right.  I ate lunch and then promptly fell asleep on the couch in the living room (a few of the cats followed me).

So my run went out the window.  I'm not going to beat myself up about it.  Why?   My general feeling of lethargy could very well have simply been a side affect of my lazy (but oh so important cat calming duties)....but I'm trying to learn to listen to my body in all ways.  That doesn't just include eating and exercise...it means that when my body is demanding rest I listen to it.  I listened to it today......and I'm feeling much better this evening.

But seriously.....what a waste of a GORGEOUS GORGEOUS day!!!   GRRRRR

Race report

I tried to go to bed early on Friday night.  I wanted to be fresh and ready to run, not tired and worn out.  I slept restlessly though.  I had dreams.  Weirdly enough I 'think' they were dreams about running.  I woke up before the alarm and laid in bed and relaxed a bit, doing my normal (and favorite) wake up routine.  When my alarm went off I rolled out of bed and got ready for my day.  I was excited.  I had vowed a lot of things through the last few weeks of this running training.  I had vowed to run the whole thing.  I had vowed to beat my turkey trot numbers.  I had vowed to do this and that.  Finally just this last week I changed my vow to "Do my best and have fun!"   

Sherry and I met up early and arrived at the race site.  We were ready!   Of course we stopped and had to have our pictures taken with the Sweet Frogs! (and yes, I will be using the 10% off coupon to get some frozen yogurt at one of the sweet frogs stores!)

We got out timer chips and we walked around for about 45 minutes, making sure that we visited the portapotties and kept moving.  We watched (from a distance) the kids run.  Some of those kids were like lightening!          Finally it was our turn to congregate at the start line.  We moved into place...and then we waited....and waited....and waited.  OK, so it was maybe only 5 or 10 minutes.  Finally after hearing the instructions for the race a few times (they were running two different courses of 5K and one course of a 10 k simultaneously so they  had to make sure everyone knew which routes to follow) we were off.  Sherry and I headed out onto the road.  It was a road that we run each week but it felt so odd to be running on the middle of the road and surrounded by tons of people!.  

 

About this time I realized that my research was wrong and we were running the FITNESS course and not the FUN 5k course!  OOPS!

 

Within the first few minutes of running my breathing was labored.  Really? I thought I had that under control????    Sherry even noticed it.  Before I said anything to her (I was trying to get it under control on my own without bringing it up) she started counting my breaths for me out loud.  She knows my breathing pattern that I am following (3-2-3-2-3-2).  I tried.  I really tried.  But it just wasn't happening.  We had to stop and walk relatively early.  GRRRRR.  We walked about a minute and then picked back up on the running.  My breathing was still messed up.  We ran and walked alternately for about the first mile.  Then something happened and my breathing somehow settled down.  At about the one mile mark I heard someone coming up behind us.  It was a lone girl...she was running at about the pace that we ran at.  We stayed relatively close to her.  We would walk and she would pass us.  She would walk and we would pass her.  

 

At about the 2 mile mark Sherry started to feel sick.  I didn't have any complaints about walking.  My breathing was somewhat under control, but seriously...once it's out of whack my whole body does not function correctly.   We walked and jogged intermittently the rest of the race.  Our bodies fought us but we persevered.  I was so happy that I was with her.  Her presence helped pull me through.  And yes....we crossed the finish line with smiles on our faces (or maybe they were grimaces!)           

We did it!   We did not run the whole thing...but we DID manage to beat my turkey trot time.  By a few minutes!   We also DID manage to have fun! This was a nice small race.  The turkey trot was huge in comparison.  This one  was small an intimate.  I liked it.  If I'm running next year....this one will definitely be on my list. (although I my chose the FUN course next year....but then again, I may be READY for the fitness course!)  

 

This morning I woke up and just felt sick and utterly exhausted.  So I went back to bed and slept for a few hours.  Exercise was put on the back burner.  I may do something tonight. But I'm not pushing it.  My body is telling me to slow down.  I WILL listen to my bodies needs!

Listening

I have been doing great with my eating and exercise this week.  Spot on.  I went to zumba all three nights.  I took a walk on the canal with Todd (until he whined that it was too cold) and I have done my two scheduled runs (Monday and Wednesday...next is scheduled for Friday).   Rockin' it!

The problem?  My exercise this week has been a real struggle.  HUGE struggle. I've done it.  Mondays run was OK...the front end was rough but it did even out and I felt much better toward the back end.  Zumba has been a study of perseverance....mind over matter.  But I've done it.   Last night as I was got to zumba I notice my right hip really bothering me.  I pushed through it.  Eased it down a bit, basically hoping that the movement and stretching afterward would ease it up...and honestly it did help.

I got home last night and I was WHIPPED.  I vowed to make it an easy workout day today...maybe just a walk or a light spin on my exercise bike.  However, I woke up this morning and feel like I was hit by a train.  I'm sore and achy and just plain tired.  GRRRR  So guess what?  This is a day of rest now.   Above all else this journey is about health. And that means that when my body is telling me to stop...that I stop.

The trick?   Knowing when it really is my body or if it's it my brain that is telling me to stop.  You see, my brain sends me these false signals to try to keep me from working out.  My brain doesn't like the fact that I'm so active.   I truly feel as if it is my body this time.  What indicators back it up?  I slept a lot longer than normal and struggled to get up (and only woke up because Todd was shuffling around the house making noise...and then wanted breakfast).  I ache...my body is aching...my hip HURTS...my back is achy...my legs are achy.  I could lay down right now and sleep.  Yeah, this is no brainer......it's a rest day.

Healthy lifestyle OVER foolhardy behavior!  I want to be healthy.  That means that sometimes I need to back off.   This is not a race to the finish line.  It is a shift in thinking.  A shift in how I approach life.  I know that I'm going to be sore (it's been my constant companion of late).  But it also means recognizing when that soreness goes beyond the realm of 'normal' and to then stop and let my body recover.   What does that mean today?  It means that I go easy on exercise.  MAYBE a light walk.  MAYBE a light ride on the exercise bike...but LIGHT being the operative word.   (however right now the thought of doing one of those things makes me literally want to cry)  What else does it mean???    Eating?  Nope, that remains spot on!  No excuse for overeating!

Weekend Warrier

I decided that Friday would be my day of rest.  At least from Exercise.  I went to work (don't I look bored?) and as soon as work was done I headed off for the day.  I started by returning the shoes (the ones for zumba)  that I purchased at JCPenney's .  I hit up the grocery store.  I filled up my car with gas and then I went home.  At home I unloaded the car, did laundry, cleaned the house and did all sorts of house work.  I was HUNGRY.   Ok, maybe my mind was telling me that I was hungry.  I wasn't taking any chances.  I decided that I wouldn't eat until certain 'chores' were done here at the house.  Worked like a charm.  I got so involved in my activities that I ended up not eating until even later than I planned.  I as on the go. 

Saturday dawned and I had actually planned on exercising, but life just got away from me.  I relaxed in the morning, waiting for our friends to pick up our poor somewhat dead car.  We are going to try to revive it enough to sucker a bit more time out of it before it totally dies. (basically it needs a few small things to hold it over....hopefully).   After our friends left, I made lunch and then Todd and I got ready to leave.  We decided to mosey down to Winchester, VA and just roam a bit, have dinner and then hit up a CD Release party for some of our clients.  I dressed...and I have to say, the newly rediscovered confidence was at play.  I dressed.  I dressed nice.  I didn't just simply wear the jeans and sweatshirt that I normally grab.  I felt good.  My husband, also known as Mr.  Sabotager wasn't very complimentary.   Seriously?  He said my shirt was a bit slutty.....uhhh I don't think so putz!  I was going to describe it..but figured I'd put  picture on here instead...  NOT at all slutty is it?   I wore it with jeans and black heeled boots.  And uhhhh it's WINTER...I wore a black sweater over it all.  Slutty??    I think not.   Oh well...I've said that there are problems in the marriage.....my reemerging self confidence must threaten and freak him out. TOUGH LUCK BUSTER!

I chose wisely at dinner...but was totally shocked!  I drank my normal, water with lemon at dinner.  My husband got an iced tea.  They charged him 2.99 for his ice tea.   Guess what I was charged for my tap water??????  Or actually maybe they charged me for the lemon!  79 cents??    Yup....I would have carted my big fat water jug in and saved the 79 cents...who cares....79 cents is 79 cents!  After diner we headed to the aforementioned CD release party.  It was OK..not my favorite genre of music.  This one was old style bluegrass music.  (Marv Ashby and High Octane in case you care....we have recorded their last two CD's)  The musicianship was good though, and they were entertaining...so all was good.  Regardless, it was an evening of PR for our business.    We left there at 11 or so.....got home at midnight.  Of course I couldn't go right to bed....so I laid in bed and read a bit......

Regardless.....Sunday morning my alarm went off bright and early.  I didn't ignore it. Even though it was cold and only 18 degrees.  There was never any thought to ignore it.  And by 7:30 I was at the battlefield (Antietam) and hopping out of my car to join up with Sherry.   Day one week three of the couch to 5k is history.   Did I mention that it was 18 degrees????   We even followed up the training run with a walk! (the walk is our extra time to chit chat).   I was actually surprised at how 'easy' this one was.   We actually ran a few 3 minute intervals.  Yeah, doesn't seem like a big thing to a runner...but to a non-runner that's HUGE.  And it really didn't bother me!  :-)  My breathing the first run/jog interval was choppy...but I focused and pulled it under control and all was fine.  Sherry and I talked about my 240.9 stickiness on the scales. (yes, Friday, Saturday and first thing this morning I was ...you guessed it 240.9 on the scales).   We came up with a few ideas and a few theories on my weight.  We got some talking done and I feel great!

I did re-weigh myself when I got home....and was down one pound to 239.9.   I'll take that number.   I haven't lost my focus.  Even when the scales popped up and even as they have remained the exact same all week, my focus and determination has not wavered.  But I think I needed to see that number change....even if just to prove that my scales are not broke.  :-)    I think that today is going to be  a stay at home relax and watch movie kinda day.  That works for me! 

Getting ready to enter in the food for the rest of my day.....add in my exercise...plan tomorrows eating.  I'm hot on the trail of thin, svelte and HEALTHY!