Mr. Pukey and Tabata

No worries. I am not going to write about vomiting. Nor have I actually vomited to bring up this subject. 

On Sunday night I was craving a work out on the spin bike.  I NEEDED it. I hadn't gone to a spinning class since early November. I really NEEDED it!  I needed it because we haven't gotten my bike up on the trainer yet this year. (Yes, I do know that it is already January and the bike should have been put on the trainer in early November when the first snow flew.)  Thank goodness there was a spinning class at 5:30 on Monday morning because I had to be at work by 7:15.  I yanked my body from the bed at 4:30 to make sure I had ample time to get some food in me and get to the gym early enough to secure a bike under a fan. I was thinking class would be full but it was only about half full so I was able to get the bike I wanted.  I was nervous about this class for two reasons. One was that I had never taken a class with any other instructor except Erin.  I was used to her. This was led by someone new to me.  I had no idea how she structured her class.  The second reason for my nervousness was because I had always skipped the gym on the mornings I have to open at work so I wasn't exactly sure if I would be able to make it to the gym and make it to work on time.  Showering at the gym alleviated that problem. 

The first worry did creep up on me in class.  I wasn't sure how this instructor was going to do things but when she said we were going to do adjusted Tabata Intervals, I was lost. She explained what the intervals were.  She adjusted the intervals from 20secs/10secs to 1min/30 secs.  She also switched up the type of hard riding we were doing during that 1 minute on.  We did a warm up, did intervals for most of the hour and did a 8 minute cool down.  She said we should be close to "Mr. Pukey" when we were pushing ourselves hard.  Oh boy! What did I get myself into that morning?  I pushed myself on the work intervals.  I pushed myself harder than I had ever imagined I would push myself at 5:30 am on a Monday morning before work. I did NOT throw up! Maybe I should have pushed myself a little harder?

I felt amazing after that class.  I barely made it to midnight on New Years Eve.  I was exhausted that night. I was happy to have New Years Day off from work so I could watch the Badgers play in the Rose Bowl, even though they did not win.

The "Mr. Pukey" phrase has come back in my thoughts during my other workouts this week. I did get to the gym last night for an interval work out on the treadmill.  I ran 1 minute at a sprint and then slowed it to a jog for another minute and then a two minute walk.  Rinse, and repeat. The gym was packed with the "resolutioners".  NPR was saying yesterday morning that most people stop going to their gym by the end of March.  This is why I go in the morning when I can, it's quieter.  If I go at night, I want to be there before 4:30.

Tonight, I got out of work late and couldn't make my 4:30 cut off time.  I opted to go home. I was going to do the Biggest Loser on our Wii but that wasn't sounding all too interesting.  So I found some interval training via a friend's Facebook page.  Another person that lives in MN to follow.  Here is her Facebook page. She posts most of her workouts on YouTube.  I opted for the "24 Minute Tabata".  There is that weird word again!  It keeps creeping into my life.

I set up my living room, moved the tables, shut the blinds. I wouldn't want any one to see my haphazard moving around in my house trying these moves.  And thank God my husband wasn't home to see the spectacle that was about to happen.  I watched the whole video first, downloaded an app to my phone for interval timing.  I got that app set up for 20/10.  I watched the first set again, started my timer and started going.  Eh, this wasn't horrible. I was able to do the first couple of rounds.  Then it got hard! I mean really hard.  I couldn't finish the rounds. How come she can make them look so damn easy?! How come my belly is too large for me to get my knees up to my elbows like she can? How come I can't drop my legs far enough down for a jack knife? I hate feeling like this.  No wonder people quit when they can't do it.  I worked as hard as I could. I worked until Mr. Pukey was trying to get my attention. I stopped. I felt my heart pounding. I stopped.  I drank some water. And I just stopped, sat, and listening to my phone beep through the intervals....I failed to complete.  Ugh!

But...I'm not feeling defeated.  It should only get easier at some point. Or at least that's what I hear.  There will be a work out at the gym tomorrow and another one some time this weekend.  And then next week, maybe a week from today, I will try this again, without Mr. Pukey.

Btw, I'm running a Marathon

***Caution, there are some naughty words in this post.***

Did I tell you I'm running a marathon? I don't believe I did. This has been a post that has been coming I just haven't found the motivation to sit down and write it. But today is a good day so you're getting the news today. MY GOD I'M RUNNING A MARATHON! I am completely freaking out.

The date is October 7th, 2012. After my post about my 2012 events there was some questions as to why I just don't participate in a full marathon this year. Well, I had a whole list of excuses. There was the one about only running a 5k so far. There was the one about being too fat. There was the one about having other races planned for the year. I hadn't even ran a half marathon. How was I going to be able to run a full 26.2 miles in 9 months!? Thank you to Christian at The Maple Grove Barefoot Guy for being the first one to suggest I do something that scares the shit out of me. I didn't like a post he put on his Facebook page a couple of weeks ago. And quote "I'm enjoying seeing my friends attempt crazy awesome things they didn't think they could do. For the rest of you, your excuses and "I can't do it" attitude is annoying. Harden the fuck up. That is all..." I'm sure I'm not the only one this was directed to. Atleast I hope I'm not. (Christian and I went to high school together. He was two years older than me and a much better clarinet player. Please go check out his blog. It's witty and extremely informative, even if you are not a barefoot runner).

His comment really got me thinking, a lot, about what I'm doing here. Last fall's duathlon was a challenge but I knew, when I signed up for it, that I was a strong biker and the running was a doable distance. I knew I could do it.  A marathon on the other hand, I have no idea if I can do it. I'd like to think I can. I actually know I can do it. It's just getting over the self doubt that sit quietly in the back of my brain, ready to jump out at me when I have a bad day or when the running is just too hard. If I put my mind to it, I can do anything right?

The craving to be successful and cross the finish line is so strong it brings me to tears if I think about it too much. I know there are people that support me to that final moment. I need to rally these people around me. My family and my husband are behind me. My closest friends, my blogging friends especially Anne at Twelve-in-Twelve who will also be running this event, her first marathon as well. Read about her commitment here.  It's the people that doubt me that I need to let go of. I know people will judge me. I often think that they think I am too fat to run 26.2 miles and that I will never make it. I'm really not going to let this get to me because I don't see THEM getting up at 5am to run in the morning before work!

What are you doing this year that scares the shit out of you?

So here I am. Marathoner in training!

A Look Back

A Look Back

As I continue to look forward to my race on Sunday, I have also taken some time to look back on the
last year since committing to this event. In some ways, I never thought I would be where I am but in
other ways, I thought I would have been further in my journey.

A year ago, the thought of running made me sick. I knew I had never been a strong runner and was not looking forward to recommitting to shin splints, side aches, and numb feet. I remember when I had to run the mile in Jr. High in under 11minutes, I walked about half of that mile. I probably could run the mile when I was in high school, right at the end of ski season when I was taking my gym course in the spring. I was passing people and it felt great! I wanted to embrace that feeling again. It was one of those nonessential high school moments that I will never forget. I started out slow. My goal was to run a mile without having to stop to walk.

So I just started running. I was walking mostly and running a little bit here and there. I had no set
schedule and no watch. I would just run as long as I could without stopping to walk or rest. I would
watch the time on my iPod. I wouldn’t go all that long, maybe 20 seconds and then I would walk until I felt like I had my breath back, then I would jog again for a few seconds. I thought I was going to be able to run a 5k by Thanksgiving. I didn’t quite make it.

I started keeping track of my progress on Dailymile. It was great to have a place to see how much I was improving. It also helped with my motivation. I was working out after work, before I had the chance to go home and sit down on the couch. I did this in the late afternoon light and in the dark after daylight savings time. I did it until it got really cold, when I stopped for 2 months.

I wish I could say that it was the cold air that made me stop working towards running. In reality, it
was actually a compliment about how much more toned I was looking since I had started working out. Instead of keeping the hard work up, I just stopped. I wish I could explain what was going through my mind when I decided to just stop working out because I had one compliment. I would think it would work in reverse and actually push me to go harder to get even better results. But it didn’t. I thought that because I was looking thinner, I could just take a break from exercising so I did.

Into March, I decided enough was enough and I needed to get my butt out the door. I didn’t belong to
a gym so I made sure I bundled up before I headed out into the cold. I wasn’t exercising many times
a week but I was still doing it right after work before I went home for the day. I started out again not
doing any running plan. I was jogging a block or so and stopping to walk and then jogging another
block.

In early April, I joined a group of bloggers online. We committed to doing a 5k on Memorial Day in the Twin Cities. I was nervous and excited at the same time. I was never one to put myself into a situation where I didn’t know anyone. I’ve written about that before. When I started really getting a goal in front of me is when I started training using Couch to 5k. It is an excellent program and I would recommend it to anyone. I ran that 5k in 40 minutes. I was so happy! I had ran 7 minutes without stopping. That was the longest I had gone without walking and I was so happy! 

I had my second 5k race two weeks later. I ran that one a full minute faster at 39 minutes. I was happy about that one too. I still hadn't been able to run more than five minutes at a time. I knew I had a lot of training ahead of me for the rest of the summer. I was hopeful that it wouldn't get too hot. I didn't have another opportunity to run a 5k until Labor Day. I ran that one in 38 minutes. I'm getting faster but I feel like I should be progressing faster than what I am. But overall, i'm pretty happy about my progress.

I just read the athlete guide for my race. I was aware of a time limit on the bike portion of the race (2.5 hours) but I was not aware of a time limit on the run (26 mins for 2 miles). I guess I'm not really worried about the first 2 miles but I am really worried about the second set of 2 miles after I finish my ride. The last time I did a brick workout, my shins tightened up and I could barely walk. So, now im worried because I typically run just under a 13 minute mile when my legs are feeling good. I hope hope hope I dont get pushed off the race!

Tomorrow I will talk about the goals I thought I would have achieved by now.

Looking for a Gym

When I first moved to Madison in 2005, my husband (then boyfriend) already belonged to a large gym and I just added myself to his plan. I was added with a new 2 year contract. Once that contract was up for renewal, I renewed for another 2 years. At that point, husband and I were going to the gym maybe 1-2 times per week, often times less. As contracts came up for renewal a second time, we didn't renew them. We determined we weren't utilizing the facility enough to justify spending over $60/month.  We haven't had a gym membership for 3 years, which was generally fine because I wasn't very physically active. I mean, I knew it was the healthy thing to do but I hadn't really made it a a habit.

Now that it has become a habit, I start to look for alternatives to my running and cycling outside, especially when the weather becomes crappy in the winter, or on days when it rains or is just too damn hot outside.  I am also starting a new weight lifting program based off the book The New Rules of Lifting for Women. I am joining a challenge organized by Jen over at PriorFatGirl. (During her last challenge, between cycling, walking and jogging, I finished over 50 miles in two weeks) The lifting program does give me options for lifting at home but I do not have all of the equipment and I'm not about to go out and buy it all. So another reason to find a new gym would be to have full access to weights. My hubby would want to find a place that has a hot tub, steam room, and a pool.

Here are my options for gyms in the Madison area, that are within a short driving distance of home and work:

Gold's Gym
Anytime Fitness  (no pool)
Snap Fitness (no pool)
Pinnacle Fitness

My question is, does/has anyone used these gyms, what do you or don't you like about them and would you recommend it? I am trying to decide if it's worth the money to pick up a gym membership again or if I should just continue working out at home.

Thanks ahead of time.