Couch to 5k Week 4

So. I have the dreaded shin pain. Drat.

I started having shin pain on session 1 of Week 4 and on session 2 of Week 4 it was bad enough that I went to the physio that day. She told me that shin pain is common with people who have not recently (or previously) done high impact exercise, particularly around the week 3/4 mark. This is because the old bone is breaking down and becoming new, stronger bone. At this time there is an increased risk of fracture and so it is vital that it's taken seriously.

She told me that most of my pain seemed to be due to my extremely tight calf and shin muscles and prescribed some stretches to do twice a day. However, my bone is also quite tender so I also have to dial back my running regime and do 1 minute intervals (1 min run, 1 min walk, 1 min run, 3 min walk). It's a bit frustrating to have to do that (I was up to 5 minute intervals!!) but I really don't want a fracture. I've also been told to only run on soft surfaces, steer clear of coffee and alcohol (which I was doing already for other reasons). Along with all the rest she also did some seriously uncomfortable massage on my calves and I'm going back to see her in a week.

This means that I haven't finished Week 4 of the Couch to 5 K challenge today as I would've if I was on my regular routine. I will probably end up needing to take 12-15 weeks to do the challenge instead of the prescribed 9 according to the app, but if I don't have to stop running that is all that matters!

It's only since it's become painful to run that I have realised how much I am totally addicted to running at the moment. I got so grumpy today without my 5:30 am workout. I think the fact that it makes me happier is motivation enough to keep going.

So today, since it rained and I couldn't get out and run, and with my housemate's XBOX absent (no Dance Central 3!), I searched youtube for some great workout videos. This is the first video that came up, and it really works quite well! Not super cheesy, plenty of variety and it definitely gets your heart-rate up if you get into it. No excuses for me today!

Couch to 5k Weeks 2 & 3

Some pics I have taken on my early morning runs.

I've been going really well with the Couch to 5k challenge. Sometimes it's hard to get myself out of bed at 5:30, but then I get out there and it is totally worth it. I've been running bridge to bridge around the lake while my neighbour does bootcamp. I've also started playing ultimate frisbee and the netball season starts up again next week. So in the interest of keeping my motivation going and letting others know that you really can do it - here are some of the ways I've been able to achieve what I have so far.

Tip 1: Prepare yourself.

If I had started doing this amount of exercise at any point last year I would've crashed and burned. I just didn't have the energy! I think the only reason that I have been able to achieve this much is because I was able to rest up so much over the Christmas break, while at the same time easing myself into it by walking a lot more. I think it also helps that I have been able to remove a lot of stressors from my life recently and going off hormonal treatments has made a world of difference for me. But we're all different - try to work out if there is any stressors you can remove from your life and if there is anywhere that you can squeeze in incidental exercise.

Tip 2: Have a motivational buddy.

My neighbour has been a total saviour when it comes to motivation to actually get out of bed at 5:30. I know if I don't get out of bed and go running that he will probably come throw rocks at my window. If that failed I'm sure I wouldn't hear the end of it for quite a while. Definitely the easiest way to stay motivated.

Tip 3: Don't push yourself too hard.

Go at your own pace. Fitness is not a race, it's a way for you to have a healthier, happier life. If you find yourself struggling, repeat some of the workouts on the app (if you're using it) or just keep whatever pace you can manage. The quickest way to end up injured/fatigued is to push yourself too hard. (As a side note, for me at the moment I have struggled with wanting to push myself too hard with running because I feel like I can do it, but I try to keep to what the app says to avoid injury.)

Tip 4: Just do it!

You have to actively make time to do this - and for me that means getting up at 5:30 at the moment. I know if I waited until later in the day I would have a thousand excuses. That means that I haven't been blogging so much and I also haven't been able to read as much as I would like, but I know that exercising is better for my overall wellbeing and makes me happier than spending time on the internet or staying up reading.

Try to exercise as consistently as you can. Although I have had two visitors (sleeping on my floor no less!) in the last week, I still got up and went running at 5:30. I could've easily said "So-and-so is here, I shouldn't go." but I didn't. For me, if I let myself fall for one excuse, I will continue to be able to make up any and every excuse not to do it. I even dropped a pole on my toe on Monday night resulting in a very painful visit to the doctor where they drilled my nail. But I still got up on Wednesday and went to the lake. I figured that I would walk if I couldn't run, just to keep up the routine. Note: I'm not saying run if you have injuries - you should definitely follow your doctor's advice.

Note: Don't be too hard on yourself if you can't manage as much as other people can - we're all different, and those with chronic illness often cannot achieve as much as healthy people. I wrote a little about this here.

Musings {9-01-13}

It's hot around these parts. Apparently, the last time Canberra had this many days in a row over 35 was before I was born. I'm personally loving it, although we've had some pretty severe wind today which was similar to conditions that were around when we had some massive fires ten years ago. So far it looks like everything will be ok, hopefully it continues that way. I'm grateful for all the volunteer firefighters who risk their lives and for our excellent bushfire warning system in Canberra. Even though I have lived more than half my life in Australia, I have managed to avoid having to worry about bushfires until now. (Canberra's not called the "bush capital" for nothing.) So I'm glad that the ESA is around to keep me informed.

Current obsession: Salted Caramel Icecream             

I have fallen in love with Maggie Beer's Chocolate & Salted Caramel Ice Cream and Connoisseur's Murray River Salted Caramel Ice Cream.

I'm planning on trying out this recipe, which claims to be the best salted caramel ice cream recipe ever. If anyone has any good salted caramel recipes please send them my way!

In case you missed it (since I forgot to put it up here) - my guest post on The Secret Life of Samara.

Couch to 5K update: I've been getting up at 5:30 to go running around the lake while it's cool due to this scorching weather. For a night owl, it's actually been kinda nice having that extra time in the morning.

I wrote to Cosmopolitan, Cleo & Madison magazines about having an article about endometriosis in their March issues... haven't heard back yet, here's hoping!

I had my Mirena removed on Friday. I'm currently writing up a diary of my experiences with that which I'll put up on here later.

This vlog series and this website that goes with it has made me a bigger fan of Amy Poehler than I was already. I didn't think that was possible. (I've also recently discovered a love for Parks & Rec).

Couch to 5k Week #1

Tonight I started the Couch to 5k challenge, one of the goals on my bucket list. If you haven't heard of it, it is an app made for non-runners with the aim of turning you into a runner, but at a sustainable pace. A couple of my friends have tried it and had great results, so I've wanted to try it out for ages. I've been meaning to get round to it for ages and finally had the time, energy, and good weather to start today. (Also, exercise, if you can do it, is meant to be really good for endo, so I'm hoping this challenge helps.)

via

First off, I'd like to make it really clear that I am not a runner. My body was definitely not built for sprinting (I never won any ribbons in high school) and I don't find running very comfortable at all. However, I love walking, and I did fool myself into running for an hour a so a day for a couple of months in 2006 by using interval training. So I'd like to be able to see if I could do a fun run, or even a half marathon (let's not get too ahead of ourselves here by aiming for a full marathon).

My first session, despite a little bit of huffing and puffing on my part, went really quickly. They use an interval method of 1 min jog/1.5 mins walk when you first start, so you always have the hope that they will say you can walk again soon. It syncs up with your music so you can play music while you run, and you know when to walk or run by them saying "walk" or "run" which still works when the music is playing. I hope I can keep it up, because it seems like a really good way to do it, I just have to make it a priority and hope for energy and good weather. It's separated into three half an hour sessions a week, for nine weeks, so that'll bring me up to when it starts getting cooler in Canberra...

enjoying my pumped up pool in my backyard!

On a side note, tonight I also pumped up my new huge backyard paddling pool with a foot pump so I now have thighs of steel. It was nice to have the reward of sitting in it afterwards though (with my homemade tuna/tomato/cucumber salad dinner - simple but tasty)!

Tonight was markedly different from this morning. This morning I was thinking about leaving work because I felt so awful (pain/fatigue/anxiety/etc), I went for a walk and sat in the sun for the better part of an hour on my lunch break. That helped a little, and then I promised myself to stay for just one more hour and try and work out the solution to an error I was getting. It worked, I ended up having a really productive afternoon at work (which distracted me from how awful I felt), and came home to be super productive off of the high I got from working something out. It doesn't always work out that way when I set myself these mini-goals to get through the day, but I have to say, when it does work, it's awesome!