Walk, Run, Shoot (photos, that is!)

Things have been going well since I got over my horrible pre-Spring cold. I've been tracking my food daily and monitoring my caloric deficit, so it's all good. The weather has been so freaking fabulous, I have been walking and walking and walking just to soak it in. There was one 11-mile trek almost to the George Washington Bridge up the paths along the Hudson River. I say "almost to" because we had gotten a late start and it was nearing 5:00 when we decided to turn back to avoid finding ourselves walking along the river after dark. Here's the view of the bridge in the distance.


With the weather being so nice, it's been a good week or 2 since I set foot in the gym. So I'm in dire need of some strength training, which I usually get in with a weekly conditioning class or doing a solo session of moves learned in that class. I guess I'm in a sort of seasonal transition. I need to revisit the Fitness Spreadsheet and reassess.

This is Grant's Tomb, from the 11-mile trek up Riverside

This is the Civil War Memorial, also from the 11-mile trek
(who knew there was so much history on view walking up Riverside Drive?)






Thermy of See Thermy Run is doing the One Hour Runner program, which a lot of people use as a follow-up to C25k. I went right from C25k into a mileage based program and have kind of been hitting the wall with it, so I'm thinking of backing up and adding the OHR, or at least incorporating it into a customized program of my own design. For calorie burn, I've been focusing more on intervals - running at a faster pace than I can really sustain for too long, interspersed with walk breaks. This also alleviates my ADD/boredom. But I do want to work on building up distance and sustaining a comfortable pace as well. So I think I might make one run per week the OHR run, probably the long run of the 3 weekly runs that program suggests. They start at 30 minutes of non-stop running and gradually build up to 60 minutes (hence the name) by adding a few minutes to each run over 10 weeks.


This week though, I ran 4 miles twice and then did the 11-mile walk, then did a 7-mile walk with a friend. And yesterday did an 8-mile walk with another friend. Good to have friends who want to catch up over a walk! Or if those friends are busy, it's good to have a 4-legged friend who likes to walk. (No, dear Reader, I am not sticking my tongue out at you...that's at the BF who took the photo. And took his time walking behind me as I tried to hustle us home before nightfall.)

Running on (away from) St Patrick's Day

No, I did not eat this cupcake!

I just thought it made a better image than snapshots of the happy (drunken) revelers outside my building all along Second Avenue. It's sunny and in the 60's here in NY today. And the celebrants have been belly up to the bar since the dog's first walk a little after 8:00 this morning. Happy St. Patrick's Day!

So of course I wanted to take my run outside on this fine day. And where better to run than Central Park? Except the parade route lies between me and the Park, so I had to head east instead and run along the East River. It's "a-ight"...the path is nice, but while the river flows calmly on one side, there is a highway on the other side of you. (Cough, cough) I was so dehydrated. Like, couldn't swallow level of dehydration. I may have to get one of those crazy velcro belts that hold the little water bottles.

I have been taking my run outside the last few days now that I'm feeling better and the weather is warming up. And now that the awful cold and the dreary rain are behind me, I've also just noticed how bright and sunny it is later in the day, which translates to even more time to wile away the day reading blogs and stuff before I realize it's time to hustle to get that run in before the freaks come out. (Just kidding, there are absolutely no freaks in New York.)

Other than that, I've been really focused on my food choices and tracking my eating and using the bodybugg to track my daily caloric deficit. I'm feeling pretty good about this because in the past I've typically treated each day in isolation as opposed to keeping tabs on the running total overall. Which is a better gauge since of course there are higher and lower calorie input/output days and how they average out is more important than any given day alone.

Raindrops keep fallin on my head

Just checking in to say I am back, baby! It's raining nonstop here in NY, but I'm feeling groovy. I've had a cold throughout most of this week, but yesterday managed a walk across Central Park and back. I also noticed my appetite coming back (I guess it's a good thing) and went cold turkey on the cold meds as of yesterday afternoon.

I was happy to have slept well last night (sans Nyquil) and really felt good this morning, despite the raaaaaaaain. I suited up and headed over to the gym. Ran 3 miles without feeling like I'd overdone it. Then walked at various incline levels for another 30 minutes before running home in the rain.

It's been a weird week without much exercise, lots of meds, strange eating or lack thereof, but through it all, I've been trying to focus on getting myself back to health and staying on track as best I could manage.

There's to be an outing tonight, I think. Somewhere here in the 'hood. In the rain. (Yes, I like to keep harping on that.) But I've decided I don't want to drink beer. It's too easy for me to drink too much, even though I make it a point not to keep up with, for example, BF. So maybe a wine bar tonight, though usually I find the by-the-glass programs so disappointing and overpriced. Anyway, that's today's challenge and I'll figure it out before I head out for the evening. Planning is everything...

P.S. I've been having some weird issues on the blog. Hope this isn't screwing up anyone's feed. Will try to look into today!

This may not be why I'm fat, but it can't be helping

I came across this great graphic on Consumerist. It originally appeared in an article, Health vs. Pork on Good Medicine.

I couldn't have summarized this graphic better than the President's Cancer Panel:  

"[C]urrent agricultural and public health policy is not coordinated—we heavily subsidize the growth of foods (e.g., corn, soy) that in their processed forms (e.g., high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated corn and soybean oils, grain-fed cattle) are known contributors to obesity and associated chronic diseases..."

I'm sure many of you have read, or are familiar with, the work of Michael Pollan and Marion Nestle and other advocates for change in our nation's food policy. I have nothing smart to add to the debate, but wanted to post something here...I don't know, to show I am aware of how messed up the situation is.

It's better (for me) to take a few steps back and adhere to Pollan's wise mantra to Eat [real] Food. Not too much. Mostly plants. I'm not a vegetarian, but I do try to find humanely raised animal products, like grass-fed, antibiotic-free meat and hormone-free, free-range poultry. Usually this means finding small farmers at the Greenmarkets here in NYC. 

When you factor in corporations ("Big Food"), I completely lose any ability to articulate my anger. Even as the bulk of farm subsidies goes to growers of corn and soy, the cost of those crops are skyrocketing due to the virtual monopoly of genetically-modified patented seed from Monsanto. In New Zealand, Weight Watchers has teamed up with McDonald's to offer a few menu items coming in at under 6 trademarked WW Points. Pepsi is funding a research chair at Yale's Medical School. How long until a Yale researcher publishes an article touting the health benefits of a daily Pepsi (perhaps infused with Vitamin D or the antioxidant du jour) and some Frito-Lay (another healthy Pepsi brand) snack "made with whole grains!"?

See, this is where I get crazy. I know Farm Subsidies and Big Food didn't make me fat, but they sure as hell didn't help! I try to eat clean, whole/real foods. But I'm human, too. I like the occasional Cheeto! (Just one, of course.) I just wish processed food didn't take up 90% of the average grocery store. And that it offered honest labeling - no flimsy health claims, honest nutritional information (make the label state the contents of the entire package, not "about 14 cheetos")...but that's a whole other topic.

I always know I'm sick when I lose my appetite

I

I hate that the little scratch in my throat has turned into full-fledged cold symptoms. It is 54 degrees here today and I would love to be running outside instead of drinking my lemon water. I was unsure if I should run or not yesterday, so I compromised by bringing lozenges and tissues, doing a much longer walking warm-up and interspersing running with walk recovery breaks to not overdo it. Today I'm definitely doing that whole "listen to your body" thing and will be holed up in my privy chamber with my historical fiction (Henry VIII, you royal cad, you) along with my DayQuil. Drat.

 

In yesterday's weigh-in (weigh weekly, post monthly), I was down a pound and a half and was very glad for it! I know taking a couple "sick days" from the fitness routine is not going to magically put the pounds back on, especially when combined with the (rare!) loss of appetite, but it is so frustrating to be fired up for fitness and be sidelined. Because, let's face it, getting the mojo working can be a feat as well. And I want to ride the momentum. 

 

Ah well. I know when I read others' posts about how frustrating an injury is or fears of weight relapse due to forced inactivity, I always comment (or at least think) soothing, don't-worry-this-is-a-blip-in-the-journey type thoughts. So I'm trying to force myself to be rational here.

 

There will be lots of sunny running days to come, I know.

5k in brief

Me, brief? I know, it hardly seems possible. Alas, I have a scratchy throat and am not feeling quite so chatty today, but I did want to share some news of the 5k I ran yesterday. 

I am so not a morning person. Had to set the alarm to get up early and get myself across Central Park and on a subway headed north to Washington Heights for a 9:00 (a.m.!!) start time. No you cannot spot me here at the starting line as I am bringing up the rear with the other slow pokes who signed up as 12-minute milers. 

 

The great thing about this race (aside from being only 3.1 miles in distance) is that there are musicians all along the course to inspire you. Everything from blues, jazz, rock, marching bands, and my personal favorite: mariachi - how cool are they?!

And there are lots of people from the neighborhood leaning out their windows or lining the streets to cheer you on, even New York's Finest offering a word of encouragement. (I personally abandoned an impromptu walk break halfway up a %*&#$! hill as I passed a crew of NY FIrefighters cheering the runners. Suddenly "this is a steep hill" didn't seem like a compelling reason to slow down.) 

After the official 5k, they had the cutest thing: kids races! Instead of pace times, they had the rugrats queue up by age, the youngest sign I saw was, "Age 2". I'm not sure how far they ran, but they were adorable. And they were presented with little medals at the finish line by the NYFD. Cute! 

I had a bit of a sore throat the night before, but nothing severe enough to consider bailing on the run. The weather wasn't too harsh. About 40 and sunny, no wind, thankfully. So I don't know if running in the elements exacerbated my throat or what, but I'm trying to take it fairly easy today. It's in the 50's now, so I'm excited to get some regular runs al fresco happening!

One more thing, results! I finished just a few seconds after 35 minutes, which of course makes me wish I had worn a stop watch because I'm sure I could have shaved off 6 seconds...coulda woulda shoulda... My pace per mile averaged 11:19, which is all ok with me. I strive to 1) finish and 2) beat a 12-minute mile. Done and done!

Now for my tea...

And the winner is...steel cut oats

The Yankees spring training opener was on Wednesday, which rolled right into Trivia Night at the pub at which BF and I were planted. So beers were had, though I tried to pace myself. And most of those beers wound up being free, because BF and I won the trivia challenge! Yay for otherwise useless Oscar knowledge and word puzzle abilities! 

Balanced that day of inactivity with a run in Central Park yesterday. The snow is gradually melting as the temps get into the mid-40s. Was good to be out there, though I was initially focused on not mucking up my new running shoes. On Cindy's recommendation, I went to Jackrabbit Sports to get myself properly fitted for a shoe. They give you a neutral shoe and set you up on a treadmill to film you running. There is a small camera focused on your legs so they can evaluate your stride, footfall, etc. Then they bring out a couple different models based on that information and let you repeat the treadmill video session. Based on what they see and your own feedback of what feels good on your foot, consensus is reached. I ended up in an Asics, which I've worn for the last couple years, though a different line. It cracked me up that it took someone coming to NYC from TX to point me towards a shop 2 blocks from my house. (Oh that store next to the Starbucks I always stop at on my way to the subway?? Who knew?)

Just finished my brekkie of steel cut oats. So good and good for you, too! Oatmeal is my default filling and nutritious breakfast, as well as my get-back-on-track reset meal. I'm running a 5k this weekend, which I'll post about next week. It's also Oscar night and there will be wine. Have to strive for some balance. Enjoy in moderation, as they say. 

That could sum up my whole FitQuest, what I'm really working on is incorporating everything in moderation.  I don't want to cut anything out that I don't plan on cutting out forever. I don't want to over-commit myself to unachievable 3-hour daily workouts. I don't want to get on a rollercoaster of deprivation followed by free-for-all, repeat. And I want to be aware of the indulgences I'm incorporating, to better compensate for them before and after. For example, in the coming week my focus will be on more runs and oats and less televised sports and drinks. 

I'm excited for Spring! More outdoor running, long walks. Greenery and blue skies versus murky, gray overcast.