I knew it was going to happen.
December 13, 2009
I've stopped running. And blogging. Pretty much simultaneously. And now it's snowing outside which doesn't make putting my shoes on and going outside tomorrow very likely at all.
But I haven't ran in a month! It's so frustrating because I thought I had a plan. While other people were getting all bummed out about winter I was going to run right through it. Instead, I'm sitting inside with a mug of tea and my coziest pants on, slowly turning into a solid.
Not that I'm not busy... things to do, people to see, etc... but I really do require constant exercise to keep my mood up and mind healthy. Right now my "workouts" include catching the bus and climbing the stairs to class. Sigh.
I'm going to go meditate on how much I paid for my running shoes.
Labels: health, running, typical
There she is with another hour before her.
November 2, 2009
He never brought the poem to class. Should this be a direct hit on my self-esteem?
Class is going perfectly well, albeit slowly. We're reading "Der Vorleser" and it's slightly frustrating. We're not supposed to read ahead but we're finishing three chapters a week and I could have that whole stupid book finished in an hour. This is typical of any schooling I've ever done -- I may not be a genius but I do read super fast.
A Running Update: It's killing me. Not the running part, mind you, but November. I despise November for so many different reasons, one of them being the fact that from dawn to dusk for 30 days the outside world is a depressing gray-and-white wet fest. Absolutely nothing out there encourages me to put my shoes on, stretch, and go.
What's worse is I know if I don't run 3 or 4 times a week I'm going to be an unhappy mess come February and I really, really don't want that. More importantly: I can't afford it. I have other things I need to do and previous years have shown that being depressed puts a real damper on my plans.
I need a treadmill.
The cat spends her days recently going in and out of the door, bringing us leaves which have blown onto the balcony. By the time autumn is over, we'll have a little wooden tray filled with them on display in the living room. I think it's her version of storing away food for the winter.
I'm finding it hard to get back into the routine of updating regularly. I apologize.
Labels: health, running, typical
Beating the Winter Blues
October 9, 2009
November through March are rough months for me. As someone who has been struggling with depression and the crazies for years anyway (though I am much better now, thank you), I am very easily affected by the winter blues. So, to combat being down this season, I've done a little research on SAD (seasonal affective disorder) and winter depression.
My "To-Do" list of sorts for the coming months:
Exercise -- For me, this will mean running at least 3 times a week regardless of the weather. I keep saying I'm a "fair-weather runner" but that really just means that the cold and rain make me lazy. I complain but running does make me feel better mentally and physically... and about pretty much everything. Except my knees.
Omega-3 -- Every website I've been to writes that taking an omega-3 dietary supplement beginning in the fall can really help prevent SAD, so I bought some!
Vitamin C -- This goes without saying, especially as I don't want the SWINE FLU.
Green, white and peppermint tea -- I think I made this one up but it always helps brighten my day. A generous dollop of honey and mmmm.
Regular sleeping pattern -- I sleep too much when it starts getting chilly and the wind is blowing and YAAAWWWN STREEETCH... so I'm going to start setting my alarm clock for 8 hours after I go to bed. Sleeping more than that just makes me tired/listless the next day.
I am going to print this out and hang it in my room. I have a feeling if I stick with this, things won't look so glum come January. :)
October showers bring... obesity?
October 5, 2009
Sportsbra. Shirt. Shorts. Shoes. Found my keys. Get ouf of the way, cat. Down the steps. Out the door.
Raaaaaaiiin.
I love October but the on-and-off rain showers make setting a running schedule difficult. I don't mind getting wet when it's warm enough but dodging pneumonia in the freezing cold isn't really getting my blood moving. Or my legs.
It's really amazing how a quick run can make me feel so much better about the day. I'd totally gotten out of the habit over the summer (I'm a fair-weather runner) but I ran recently and wasn't as out of shape as I thought I might be after a couple months of when the closest thing I came to running was glaring at joggers from the car window. I'm going to start up again if only to have a chance every morning to clear my head a bit.
If you're interested in starting up a running plan I really recommend the Couch to 5k program from Cool Running. It claims that you will be running 5k (3 miles) in just 2 months and while it took me a bit longer than that, the program really does work. The program starts off slowly but I really started noticing improvement within just a couple of days. Suddenly, I was running farther than I ever had before.
For me, it was hard to figure out if I'd been running a full 2 minutes or 30 seconds, so I used the Podrunner: Intervals. They are beat tracks you can download and put on your ipod. The music is fast-paced plus you hear one chime when you should switch from walking to running and a different chime when you should go back to walking. They were very, very helpful.
I'm going to start the program again myself, maybe pick up somewhere in the middle. There is noooooo way I can run a straight 3 miles at the moment.
I know this probably didn't interest anyone but myself but it's what I'm thinking about at the moment! You have to start somewhere, right?
Labels: running