Monday Rest and Report #2

I must be really dedicated to this training. I am still in Iowa but I got my training in anyway. I had done my 3 miles at home on Tuesday. Once in Iowa I got a 3 day pass for the local rec center so I could use their treadmills and got the rest of my workouts in on F/Sat/Sun. I am so proud of myself for not letting being away from home deter me!

Week 2 Plan versus Actual was:
T - 3 miles done
Th - 3 miles done on Friday instead
F - 30 minutes cross (Curves) skipped
Sat - 4 miles done, split into two 2 mile walks
Sun - 3 miles done

Many of you assured me I would see improvements quickly. You were right! Week 1 was from hell and left me really questioning my abilities. In Week 2 I already saw improvements. Here's the list if things I noticed:

• Calf pain almost non-existent this week. More of a muscle fatigue than out and out pain.
• By Sunday I was able to do my entire 3 miles at a pace of 2.1mph (had been doing 2.0) A small increase, but the small increases will add up over time AND help shorten the time it takes me to complete my mileage which is a serious motivation for me!
• Spending MUCH less time holding on to handrails.
• Did not want to cry by the end of the week. Actually felt positive about what I am accomplishing.

I am heading home in the morning so I will be back in my normal routine. That is good because my mileage ups even more for Week 3. Also I need to do a better job of getting my cross-training in. I did start doing some core strengthening exercises by just focusing on tightening and releasing my ab muscles whenever I thought about it. Mostly while brushing my teeth in the morning! I also want to try to get some outdoor walking in this week even though it was pretty disastrous in Week 1. I can't do all my training on the treadmill and expect to be able to walk 60 miles outside. It's just not the same.

Week 3 training looks like this:
T - 3 miles
Th - 4 miles
Fri - cross train (30 min at Curves plannned)
Sat - 5 miles (will try to do at least 0.5 miles outside, preferably a full mile)
Sun - 3 miles

I'm feeling good and actually looking forward to seeing how my 5 mile day goes. What a difference a week makes!

Monday Rest and Report #1

Yesterday I finished my first of 24 weeks of training in preparation for the Breast Cancer 3-Day. Yes, I will be walking 60 miles over the course of three days in November.

The training program I am following is provided by the 3 Day organization and consists of 4 days of walking per week (with increasing mileage each week), 2 days of some form of cross-training, and 1 rest day which I am taking on Mondays since my "long mileage" days will be on Saturdays and Sundays.

Week One Training Plan was:
four 3 mile walks (T/Th/Sat/Sun)
one 30 minute cross-training session on Friday


Week One Training Actual was:
four 3 miles walks (T/F/Sat/Sun)
no cross-training


Details:
Most of my walking was done on my new treadmill. Getting 3 miles in is VERY difficult for me as I continue to struggle with lower back pain and calf pain. It's all a function on my weight. Cardiovascularly I feel completely fine and even feel I could up my pace if only my back and calves would cooperate. I was averaging a 2mph pace and a heart rate in the high 120's to low 130's. I spent lots of time leaning on the handrails in order to take pressure off my back. I am working on making a concerted effort to increase my non-leaning time because I doubt there will be 60 miles of handrails on this walk!

I cannot emphasize enough how completely unpleasant this exercise is for me right now. It is an act of sheer will that I able to do it. Tuesday was my best day because I was so happy I actually did a full 3 miles. Sunday was my worst day. I was unable to get my Thursday walk in and so had to do it on Friday instead. That put me at three 3 mile walks in a row. By Sunday my body was in full mutiny.

I woke up with pain in my calves but was determined to get my 3 miles in no matter what. I had been feeling bad for Buster not getting his walks as I did mine on the treadmill so I decided to do my first mile outdoors with him. I barely made it half a mile outside and that included lots of stops to lean on a fence or mailbox to relieve pressure from my back. It was really REALLY bad. I almost sat down on a curb and gave up. I wanted to cry. But I made it back home and could not imagine how I was going to finish the 2.5 miles I had left. So I decided to do it in 15 minute increments instead of all at once. I spent the rest of the day working on schoolwork for a while, hopping on the treadmill for 15 minutes, fold some laundry, 15 on the treadmill, and on and on until I had finished a full 3 miles. It was an absolute horrific day and I was completely beat by the end of it.

I took a hot bath to try to sooth my aching body (and my beaten spirit). I have never been more aware of the gravitational pull of the earth than I was Sunday evening. With every movement I could feel all those extra pounds weighing me down, pushing me into the earth, crushing me, making everything I do so much harder than it should be. It made me really sad. And scared.

Week One whipped me physically and emotionally and left me really questioning if I am going to be able to do this training, let alone do the actual walk. The mileage starts upping very quickly and I am scared my body won't adapt quickly enough to be able to handle it. But I am trying to just focus on one week, even one walk at a time and see what happens.

I don't mean for this Rest and Report to be a downer. I just want it to be honest. I am hopeful I can look back on it in Week 24 and really see just how far I have come.


Coming Up for Week Two:
T - 3 miles
Th - 3 miles
F - 30 minutes cross (Curves)
Sat - 4 miles (may have to split this into two 2 mile walks...we'll see)
Sun - 3 miles
I'd also like to start incorporating some lower back strengthening exercise on my cross-training days since that pain is really holding me back. I know Supermans are good for the lower back. I am open for suggestions of other exercises I can do at home to strengthen my back.

Exercise Log #12

5/24/09 12:30PM

Goal: 1 hour walk on treadmill

Achieved: 1 hour

Distance: 2.04 miles

Average Pace: 2.04mph

Avg heart rate: 126

Physical: During the first 30 minutes my pace ranged from 2.2 to 2.6 but that was causing the lactic acid again. Remembering that distance is more important that speed, I slowed it down to 1.8 to 2.2 in the 2nd 30 minutes. Next time I am going to start at the slower pace to give myself more time to warm up. Getting off the treadmill I am like an 80 year old woman.

Emotional: Still feeling scared I won't be able to achieve my goal of walking in the Breast Cancer 3 Day walk. But am trying to push that to the back of my mind and just do what I need to do each day. I know this will start getting easier, especially as my weight starts dropping.

Weigh in: 3.6 lost, 176.3 to go

That's more like it! I am back within striking distance of my 2nd 5 pound loss....which is good because I ordered 2 charms for my charm bracelet last week. (For those who don't remember, I plan to add a charm to a charm bracelet for every 5 pounds that I lose.)

Since my official 24 week training program for the Breast Cancer 3 Day Walk starts this coming Tuesday, I feel good that I have a set exercise plan in mind. I still need to work on the food part though. My goal for next week is to have some protein with every meal and snack and to avoid processing foods as snacks. Lowfat cottage cheese and a piece of fruit actually make a great snack and keeps me satisfied for several hours.

Plans for today include an hour on the treadmill, a pedicure, a trip to Whole Foods, and some time in my home office getting things organized. It's almost the end of another month and I'd like to report some progress on one of my SMART goals.

Exercise Log #11

5/23/09 2:00PM


Goal: 1 hour walk on treadmill


Achieved: 30 minutes


Distance: 1.2 miles


Average Pace: 2.4mph


Avg heart rate: 134


Physical: My pace ranged from 2.1 to 3.0. I actually maintained 3.0 mph for 3 minutes. I started out at a higher pace this time (2.4 as compared to 2.1 last time). That ended up being a mistake. Lactic acid in my calves forced me to have to stop at 30 minutes. I barely was able to make it to that point. I hobbled off the treadmill like an old lady and sat down to stretch my calves to try to release the lactic acid.


Emotional: Started out a little cocky, I guess, thinking this walking thing would be easy since I was able to do the full hour last time. Now I am feeling a bit discouraged. I just need to remember to walk at a pace I can maintain for an hour, even if it does seem excruciatingly slow. It is more important for my 3 Day training that I am able to get the miles in, not how fast I do them. I guess I was just looking ahead to Tuesday when my official 24-week training program begins. Week 1 is just four 3 mile walks so I have been wanting to be able to walk at a 3mph pace so I could complete those walks in an hour. That's why I should have been more consistent with my walking sooner. But, what is done is done, and I am where I am. For now my pace is less than 3 mph. I have to start where I am and trust that with consistency I will get where I want to be.

Weigh in: 1.6 lost, 178.1 to go

Well, I am inching my way there. Another small loss but it was enough to push me past my first 5 pound goal. Woohoo! I have decided to start a charm bracelet and reward myself with a new charm for every 5 pounds. By the time I am done, I will probably end up with TWO charm bracelets.

I am happy that my weight is going down. I'd like it to be going down a little bit faster than it is. To do that, I need to get back into the exercise habit. I have done basically no exercise for two weeks. That's not good for my weight loss and that's not good for my plan to walk in the Breast Cancer 3 Day in November.

So this week I need to make it my focus to get at least 4 days of exercise in. And in order to do that, I need to be getting enough sleep. Mornings before work are really the only time I consistenly have to do my exercise and I just can't drag myself out of bed at 5AM when I am staying up too late. So my plan for this week is to start winding down at 9PM each night and to be in bed by 9:30, 10 at the latest. This is the schedule I used to keep back when I exercised every single morning before work and back when I weighed 195. Coincidence? I don't think so.

OK, so it's a new 5 pound goal starting this week. Let's see how big a dent I can put in it!

The Answer is "Yes!"

Yes, I did my hour on the treadmill this morning. Tomorrow morning to Curves I go for the cross-training portion of my Pre-training Training.

On a Positive Note

My ass might be draggin' from working too much but I have already raised $1,400 towards my goal of $2,300 for the Breast Cancer 3-Day walk. Thanks to supportive and generous friends, especially to those who are readers of this blog! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I can't say it enough.

If you want to help me get to my goal, check my sidebar and click "donate". No contribution is too small toward this cause which affects us all.

Thanks!

You Can Do More Than You Think You Can

Note: I had a shitty-assed work week and a resulting a shitty-assed eating week. So I am not posting a weigh in today. I choose to post about something positive instead.

I recently agreed to do the 3-Day Breast Cancer walk in November with a friend of mine. This friend weighs about 110 pounds so really had no idea what it was she was asking me to accomplish in 10 months so she probably did not understand my hestitation. My hestitation had nothing to do with the wonderful cause of finding a cure for breast cancer. I have walked in many Race for the Cure 5K's and have loved doing every single one of them. There is nothing more moving than walking with a crowd of people, some of whom are wearing "I walk in celebration of..." banners (for those who have won their battle) and some of whom are wearing "I walk in memory of..." (for those who did not). So I knew that participating in the 3-Day event would be an even more wonderful experience.

But...

I am fat. And not just a little fat, alot fat. So I worried. Would I be able to do it? Would they look at me funny when I showed up at the first informational meeting because I so clearly do not belong in a 60 mile walk? And I considered telling her no. But then I decided I have to try. I would never know if I could if I didn't try. (Plus, walking in the 3-Day on my 160 Things list.) So I studied the 24-week training program they gave us and knew I wasn't even CLOSE to fit enough to start this training. But that is OK because I have 14 weeks before I needed to start this training. So I am calling the next 14 weeks my "Pre-training Training".

During my Pre-training Training my goal is to work up to the point that I can walk for an hour at a 3.0 - 3.5 mph pace. Once I am there I will feel comfortable that I can handle the official 24 week training. Yesterday was my first Pre-training Training walk and I headed out with my dog, my heart rate monitor, and my pedometer for my first attempt at walking for an hour. And to be honest, I didn't think I would be able to walk for an hour. But I did! Yes, I had some back pain. And yes, I was glad on the several occasions my poochie wanted to "stop and smell the roses." But in the end I walked for an hour and lived to tell about it. My pace was no where close to where it needs to be (1.8mph....doggie pit stops did slow me down some, but still, I am clearly no Flo-Jo at this point) but I was thrilled to find out that I COULD walk for an hour. And now all I have to do is keep doing it and tracking my pace. I know I will be able to build up to 3.0 - 3.5 in time for the real training, especially as more weight starts coming off me.

So as I was heading into the final 10 minutes of my walk and it was clear I was going to do it, I thought, "You can do more than you think you can." And I remembered the Biggest Loser episode from a few weeks ago where orange team contestant Daniel, who started out weighing 450 pounds, was doing his "last chance workout" where Jillian pushes people to the max. He was running on the treadmill and Jillian turned it up. His response wasn't "No, I can't." He said to her, "Give me more." And I thought, "Man, if this guy weighs 450 and is running on the treadmill wanting more, surely I can do more too." And yesterday I proved that to be true.

It was just Pre-training Training Day 1 and I have many miles to log before the final 60 mile event. But I can do more than I think I can. So give me more!!!!

Fat Girl Walking....For a Good Cause

The Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk.

I have taken on an incredible challenge. On November 6, 2009, I'll be walking 60 miles over the course of three days, camping out at night with thousands of other women and men taking this journey with me.

The Breast Cancer 3-Day benefits Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the National Philanthropic Trust Breast Cancer Fund. Every advancement in breast cancer research, treatment, education and prevention in the last 25 years has been touched by a Komen for the Cure grant. They are working hard to build a future without breast cancer, and I plan on raising $2,300 to help bring us closer to that goal.

I am by no means currently in shape to do this, but I have 10 months to get in shape. I respond well to clearly defined goals with DEADLINES and it is a great cause to boot. I doubt there is anyone reading my blog whose life hasn't been touched by breast cancer. It may be your mother, grandmother, aunt, sister, daughter, friend, or even yourself.

Without a cure, one in eight women in the U.S. will continue to be diagnosed with breast cancer. That's why I'm walking in the 3-Day. Because everyone deserves a lifetime.

Please consider making a donation. No contribution is too small. Check out my sidebar where you can click to donate online.

And stay tuned for updates regarding my training for the walk!