The Quest for a Mile

YAY! TWO MINUTES! I have officially doubled my time from when I first started jogging! Woo-hoo!!!

*would like to demonstrate a happy dance, but cannot, so will let Kirby do it for her:*

"(>^^)>" "<(^^)>" "<(^^<)" "<(^^)>" "(>^^)>"

Well, for my official stats, I jogged for 2 minutes, walked for 3:30. I went 2.005 miles, burned 256 calories, and it took me 45:30.

This was a hard jog. It was hard to breathe tonight for some reason! Darn asthma!! I tried to overcome it by adding on 30 seconds, but I'm afraid I'm gonna have to add on a full minute instead. But, as I keep telling myself, you gotta do what you gotta do, and it's not a race, right? :)

Also, after I was over, I did three sets of 30 crunches and three sets of 5 push-ups. I friggin HATE push-ups. I even start shaking when I get into the position. All I can do is what is known as "girl" push-ups, but I would love to be able to do full push-ups one day. My husband can do the whole one-handed push-ups and the push-up-and-clap-inbetween trick. Showoff. :P So I had him look at my form while I struggled through one of my sets so that I would know the few I was doing were right. He said they were good, which was kind of relieving to me. Maybe a new goal to do a few push-ups after I run, and get rid of the bat wings? :) We shall see!

Posted in: asthma, bat wings, jogging, push-ups, treadmill on Sunday, August 2, 2009 at at 10:38 PM 5 comments  

*hugs everyone back, even if she is a little sweaty since she just finished her jog* :)

Thank you guys for your sweet comments. I am so appreciative of your kind words! You know, when I started this blog, I was telling my mom about it. I told her that I wanted it to be a place to inspire others, but mostly to inspire me. Yes, me. *I* needed inspiration. When I sat down and read my own blog, I didn't want to wallow in the feelings that I try to hide in my head all day, I wanted to pump myself up and get excited about getting in shape, so that one day I can look back and truly be proud of what I have accomplished. I have kind of been a mess this summer, and this blog has been a bright spot. It is a goal that I can see, and it excites me. After I told Mom about how I sit down and try to write "positive," she said in agreement, "Sometimes you have to say things that you might not exactly feel to teach yourself to feel that way." That really struck me, because even though it is true that this is how I want to use this blog -- to rewrite my thinking -- it also hit me because this is how I have treated myself in the past, but negatively. I made myself feel things about myself that were not true. I need to teach myself that these thoughts AREN'T true. Odd, isn't it?

Anyway, these were the things I was thinking while I was back on the treadmill again (I couldn't help but also hear in my head Willie Nelson singing "On the Road Again," teehee!). I jogged for 1:55 and walked for 3 minutes. I burned 245 calories, went 1.900 miles, and it took me 42 minutes.

After I jogged, I sat down by my husband while he was at the computer. We talked about the infamous 6 pounds. Neither of us really believe it, but we said that even if it IS true, slacking up on the jogging won't make them go away. Plus, today my husband and I spent the day working on our farm (we raise commercial cattle), and he made a comment about something he noticed about me on the farm today. We had to walk around one of our fencelines because a calf had gotten out, and we had to find the hole in the fence. After walking around and fixing the fence, we walked straight up a steep hill (and it was not a tiny hill, let me assure you!) in order to get back to our truck in the fastest way possible. A month ago, I would not have been able to walk up that hill without seriously dragging, maybe even taking a break, and definitely wheezing. Today, I kept pace with him, and it wasn't until the very height of the hill that I started breathing heavy. He pointed that out to me tonight and told me how proud he was of me.

And you know what? I'm pretty proud of that, too. :)

Note to self: Don't let a teeny number stop you from your goals. The quest for the mile is in sight! :)

Posted in: farm, jogging, pride, self-motivation, treadmill on Saturday, August 1, 2009 at at 10:28 PM 3 comments  

Woo-hoo! 1:50! Two minutes is not far away! It sounded so crazy last week to jog two minutes. Now I know I can do it! Amazing how adaptable the human body is once it is kicked in the butt, isn't it? :)

Well, I jogged for 1:50, walked for 3 minutes. I went 2.005 miles, burned 256 calories, and it took me 45:00.

If you're wondering why I didn't post yesterday, it's because I didn't jog yesterday. Yeah, I felt bad about that, too -- but I've got a good reason! The reason I didn't is because I got a mild migraine in the midafternoon and it didn't go away for the rest of the night. (I get headaches and migraines when major weather systems are about to head through my area, and we are under a tornado watch as we speak. I think I'd trade an achy knee or something rather than a headache, you know?!?) I almost tried to jog anyway, just so that my streak wasn't broken. My husband said, however, that perhaps I shouldn't do it because if I strained myself in that state, I was only asking to see my supper again. He was right. Vomiting would not make me a healthier person. :)

So, the streak is broken, but I'm back on track now, and, you know, there's gonna be some days that I'm not gonna be able to jog, but I can't fall off the wagon and get into the habit of not jogging, even when those days come by.

Plus, my husband and I spent the whole afternoon doing some hardcore cleaning. I'm talking like moving the fridge and the stove and mopping under them. It felt good, and since we worked so hard and steady for so many hours, I bet I made up those calories I missed jogging the day before, anyway.

Well, tomorrow I am gonna weigh in. I'm not expecting much; food-wise, sometimes I've been good and sometimes I've been bad since I've been jogging. (I know I need to be good ALL the time, but ... well, one goal at a time, right??) Plus, I knew when I took this up that it was gonna be a long time before I could jog long enough to truly see some change and major calories burned. But, even a pound would be nice ... ? We shall see! I'll let you know, even if it's not good. I know you guys have got my back even when things aren't well.

Well, good night, all! Stay strong!! :)

Posted in: cleaning, food habits, jogging, migraines, treadmill on Thursday, July 30, 2009 at at 8:36 PM 2 comments  

Another session down! The math is getting harder to do in my head, which is hilarious in a sad kind of way. I'm having to write down my times so that I don't cheat myself out of a round. Whatever you gotta do, right??

I jogged for 1:40, walked for 3 minutes. I went 2.001 miles, burned 256 calories, and it took me 45:00.

On top of failing to exercise, I have also let my house get into a sad state of affairs over the past few months. (I'd get home and just want to sit, not exercise or cook or clean or anything -- not even think!) Tonight my husband and I are gonna try to attack the house again. That'll burn a few more calories, and make the house feel better, too! I'm just trying to develop a whole new set of better habits. Better habits and better thinking! Better go get to it!

Posted in: exercise, improved habits, jogging, mental math, tiredness, treadmill on Monday, July 27, 2009 at at 5:50 PM 3 comments  

Well, another session down! I have now officially been jogging for an entire week; this is a huge accomplishment for me! Yay!

As for my stats: I jogged for 1:35, walked for 3 minutes. I went 2.113 miles, burned 268 calories, and it took me 48:00.

Today I haven't felt the greatest, and I was considering not jogging tonight because of it. My husband finally said after I commented to him that I really didn't want to jog that I would be glad that I did tomorrow. He was right; I was feeling good enough to do it -- I was just letting another excuse get in the way. I remembered my ole tennis days that I would play no matter how crappy I felt unless I had a fever and/or was throwing up. What happened to that stronger person that used to be me? I've gotta dig her out under this layer of fat, I think!

Well, it's getting late. Guess I need to hit the hay for the evening. Until tomorrow! :) Stay strong, all!

Posted in: exercise, jogging, perseverence, treadmill on Sunday, July 26, 2009 at at 10:50 PM 2 comments  

Okay, so this post is a day late, but I haven't had internet access. I helped move my sister-in-law into her new apartment yesterday, so all day was a sweatin' kind of day. Around 9:45 when we were all done, I said, "Hey, let's go work out in the apartment complex's gym." She was all for that, so we went and exercised there.

Now let me stress to you that I was working out with my husband's sister. I have previously mentioned that my husband is the pinnacle of athletic perfection without even trying. His sister is no exception. (It occurred to me a couple of years ago that, when hanging out with my husband and his sister, I am suddenly the slow, fat kid with asthma, even though in a typical crowd I might not be stereotyped that way quite so fast!) She ran cross country in high school (even won state!) and she has kept up her slim-n-trim figure all through college. On a fat day, she is a size two (at a height of 5'7"), and this is no exaggeration. I even felt selfconscious walking next to her in her short shorts that looked perfect on her, and I was in my lightweight sweatpants that demurely hide the cottage cheese which lies beneath.

There were two treadmills in the gym; one was much more savvy than the other one. I let her pick, saying that she knows more about what she's doing than I do. She took the more technologically-advanced one. This was fine with me, even though after I started running it became painfully obvious that the belt needed tightening on my treadmill. I kept slipping on it! I couldn't really let myself go as I normally do at home (I suppose possibly for several reasons), and also my standard speed of 4 didn't feel nearly as fast as it did on my treadmill at home, so I went at a speed of 4.7 on this foreign treadmill. It was quite an adventure, let me tell you.

Anyway, it said that I burned 253 calories, but I don't know how well I trust the thing. How I missed my treadmill at home!!

At the end of the workout, she looked over at me and asked about my running pattern. I was telling her about it, and she seemed really impressed by how quickly I am picking it up. That made me feel pretty good, even if she burned more calories on the elliptical machine alone waiting for me to finish after she had already jogged her 3 miles at a 7.6 speed. Oh, well. You've gotta crawl before you can walk, right?

Well, I think I'm gonna go outside and horse around with Lola for a little bit, and then I'll come back inside and run my mile for today ... 1:30, here I come!!

Posted in: athletic perfection, belt slipping, fat kid with asthma, goals, sister-in-law, treadmill on Saturday, July 25, 2009 at at 7:05 PM 1 comments  

Okay, so I kind of weenied out today. (Is "weenied" a word? Well, you know what I mean.) After thinking about it all day today, I just thought that I couldn't jog for 1:20 without walking more inbetween. Maybe I psyched myself out; I dunno. I DO know that the extra minute of walking inbetween each round of jogging made a HUGE difference. I was prepared mentally and physically for the next jogging round, my breath was under control, and the "burnination" was better today ... though I did drink more water (thanks for the tip, Katie!).

Anywho, for my stats, I jogged for 1:20, then walked for three minutes. It took me 54 minutes totaly, and I walked 2.306 miles. I also burned 288 calories.

This is the first time since I've gotten my treadmill (back around New Year's, which was, incidentally, purely coincidental ... I don't believe in New Year's Resolutions) that I have exercised on it for 4 days in a row. I guess that in and of itself is a milestone, right? :)

Keep on going, guys, one step at a time. That's what I keep telling myself!! :D

Posted in: exercise, jogging, motivation, New Year's Resolutions, treadmill on Thursday, July 23, 2009 at at 4:51 PM 3 comments