Although I haven’t gone to the class yet, I’m already giving myself a mental pat on the back. My goal was to do 5 consecutive days of yoga and I did it. Tomorrow I will probably take the day off from yoga – it’s a running and Power Hour day. I’m not certain if I’m ready to take on all three of those in one day.
Yesterday was probably the hardest day. I felt pretty worn out and I hadn’t slept well. I napped until around 2PM and dragged myself out of bed to go run. It just happened to be my longer mileage day as well. I was supposed to run 5 miles. I barely made it to 3. Part of the problem was the gym. I opted to run on the treadmill, which I hate to begin with, because I didn’t have enough time to run outside and still make it to the gym in SF for the 5PM yoga class. If only I’d slept the night before, run in the morning and gone to the 11AM yoga class. Oh well, it was no use beating myself up about something I had no control over. Done is done. It was the longest 3 miles of my life. I was so bored. I couldn’t get in the zone. I actually had to walk some of it! I can only shake my head now. Afterwards I found no respite in the yoga class. The instructor had a squeaky voice and she talked too much and too fast. It was the least Zen yoga class I’d ever taken. I know that some people need a faster pace to keep them focused, but we were doing 3-4 poses per breath at times. That’s totally not how yoga is meant to be practiced. Movement follows the breath. You don’t move in spite of the breath! Also, the floor of the studio was so dirty that I felt like I was covered with a gritty film by the end of class. Speaking of which, after tonight’s class I am throwing my mat in the washing machine.
Instead of running to the kickboxing class before yoga tonight (I’ve already had a half hour of circuit and an hour of Zumba today), I’m going to reserve that cardio for tomorrow morning and try to get those two additional miles that I missed yesterday. Perhaps I could do an extra one tomorrow and one Thursday. We’ll see how I feel in the morning.
So, Yoga day #5. I’ve been super sore, more than with any of the other training. Yoga works so many muscles and you get very intimate with your weaknesses. I’ve always loved that part of it. You get to know your physical self extremely well with a yoga practice. I am considering developing a home practice as well. Perhaps I can take those two days off from the studio classes and use them at home instead. I’d like to work on my head and handstands, backbends and arm balances. You know, all the stuff they can’t spend a lot of time on at the studio. I’m not very good at those things yet, so I there’s a lot of opportunity for progress.
I’ve also been thinking about attending classes for a martial art. I’ve said this numerous times before. It intimidates me. The whole idea of fighting and having physical contact with strangers disturbs me.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Adding Fuel to the Ire
This morning I drank some caffeine sports beverage on my way to the lake. I was doing well: on schedule, fairly warm and armed with gloves and an mp3 player. There was crazy traffic due to a fallen tree or some crap on the freeway, so I took the street to go around the mess. I was eager to get running. I found a great parking spot and took off for my beautiful lakeside jog under the light of the spectacular full moon. "Bleeding Love" played softly in my earbuds, and I was extremely content...for about a half mile. My stomach started gurgling and cramping so bad that I had to stop completely. I couldn't even walk it off. It was far too early to expect any restroom to be open so I tried my best to encourage movement before I left the house, but there was no activity. Yet there I was barely a half hour later clenching my cheeks and swearing under my breath, shuffling the half mile back to my car so I could Mario Andretti my ass to the nearest clean and available restroom. I was so angry that my blood pressure was elevated.
After driving to the office, using the restroom and putting my bags away, I headed out for a run around Aquatic Park. The sun was out but there were very few people around. It was actually quite nice except for the fumes wafting over from the freeway. That loop is a few hundred feet longer than my usual. I enjoyed the change of scenery. I thought, ' Welcome to the full moon - Queen of technical difficulties.'
For the second consecutive day I showed up for personal training at the company gym but instead ended up receiving bodywork. Today's session was intense. The pain was so great at times that I needed a break to stop my eye from watering or my toes from twitching. It was a good reminder of why I need to figure out some way to incorporate IT band loosening homework into my schedule. For example, I could be doing some right now of o could just figure out what I can use on the bed while watching TV. I think it's time to go buy a softball since the foam roller isn't doing shit. There's this thing called a rumble roller that I should also become intimately involved with. So far I hate it, but it beats the pants off intense bodywork. No more please!
After driving to the office, using the restroom and putting my bags away, I headed out for a run around Aquatic Park. The sun was out but there were very few people around. It was actually quite nice except for the fumes wafting over from the freeway. That loop is a few hundred feet longer than my usual. I enjoyed the change of scenery. I thought, ' Welcome to the full moon - Queen of technical difficulties.'
For the second consecutive day I showed up for personal training at the company gym but instead ended up receiving bodywork. Today's session was intense. The pain was so great at times that I needed a break to stop my eye from watering or my toes from twitching. It was a good reminder of why I need to figure out some way to incorporate IT band loosening homework into my schedule. For example, I could be doing some right now of o could just figure out what I can use on the bed while watching TV. I think it's time to go buy a softball since the foam roller isn't doing shit. There's this thing called a rumble roller that I should also become intimately involved with. So far I hate it, but it beats the pants off intense bodywork. No more please!
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Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Breaking Down
During any period of unusually intense training, one is inevitably bound to experience some disappointment. This is where I am right now. I have been in this god-awful plateau since Saturday afternoon. The 10+ mile training hike Saturday morning exhausted me. I’ve been scraping by on willpower since then. I didn’t feel like my pack was too heavy on the hike, but I was hurting really bad from the ridiculous pace these women were keeping and the humongous blisters on my heels. Afterwards the trainer asked me, “Wasn’t that fun?!” I wanted to punch her in the face. I figured that probably wasn’t a good idea, especially considering how I’m the only person of color in the group. It’s one thing to be the only person of color – this I have gotten used to over the years. It’s something completely different to FEEL like the only person of color. There is an elite-ness to the fittest women in the group. They’re not making me feel welcome, but that’s cool. I’m not doing it for them anyway. I suppose I need them for the training. In the end, who gives a fuck what they think? Most of the people on the hike were much like me: nice, positive folks who were happy to be able-bodied, outdoors and enjoying a good sweat in the sunshine. It’s too bad the nice ones weren’t the leaders, but I guess that isn’t how life works, is it?
Saturday just happened to be Twin Peaks’ 30th birthday as well, so I had a 3-hour power nap after the hike to prepare for the night’s festivities. I had two cocktails that evening, which I hadn’t done since NYE. I drank them out of desperation really. I was freezing and bitter, so I figured I should have something to warm me up on both fronts. That lasted ‘til around midnight. I ran out of steam and joined Lumpy on the balcony overlooking the dance floor. Since I was TP’s ride home, I knew I’d better just settle in and wait for the club to close at 2AM. It was definitely the party of the year for Oakland Househeads – Frankie Feliciano and Timmy Regisford tearing it up at the New Parish. The music was awesome. I wished I had more energy. I even closed my eyes and pictured myself dancing a few times. Disappointment #1.
I played a few rounds of DDR with Twin Peaks midday the next day. It was good to sweat and warm up the stiff legs. I tried using the roller, but they were really tender and the angle was awkward. Lumpy came over later in the evening to take me out to dinner at this great Italian place on Piedmont. I limped. He worked on some of my knots when we got back to my place. After that I slept soundly (with no regard for the time or entertaining my guest). He must have been really bored, lying there watching TV while I clung to him in my slumber. I had nothing left. I waited all week to spend the night with him and couldn’t do anything but sleep while he was there. His work schedule and my training schedule have been so incompatible that we haven’t had any other opportunities to spend time together - disappointment #2.
Yesterday I managed to drag myself out of bed at 4PM to go to the gym. Although I appeared to fit right in with everyone else in the classes, I was not happy with how heavy my legs felt and my inability to get air on my hops. I went in for Power Yoga, as it said on the class schedule, but there was Pilates instead. I was upset about that (disappointment #3A). I needed a good stretch like nobody’s business. I stuck around for Step Aerobics, but couldn’t talk myself into doing another Abs class to bridge the gap between the Step and Zumba classes. The line for treadmills was 10 people deep (goddamn New Year’s Resolution people – disappointment #3B), so I ended up having to use a recumbent bike for my cool down. Without my music I could only stand it for 10 minutes. I went over to what I like to refer to as “the Playpen”, where the trainers’ desks, mats and rollers are, and had my stretch. I tried to ignore the people in line for treadmills, elliptcals and the upcoming Zumba class. I’m pretty flexible, so I’m sure they gawked. For a while I didn’t care. Everything on my body needed to be pulled taut and maybe even twisted a little bit. I didn’t work out all of the tightness because the feeling of eyes on me was getting very uncomfortable – disappointment #3C.
This morning I got out of bed at around 6:15. I was very slow because I accidentally took a daytime vitamin the night before. I’ve split my vitamins so the ones that give me energy are taken during the day and the rest are taken at night with my new supplement, Melatonin. I mistakenly put a B/C Complex in with the night vitamins. Duh. I tossed all damn night. I think I woke up at 5:45, but I didn’t want to get out of bed yet. I put on my gear, packed my bag and went for my predawn run – today it was a dawn run because I was about a half hour behind schedule. I was exhausted. I tried drinking some Jack3d, but all that did was turn my stomach. I felt the rumbling of bubble guts about halfway through the loop. At around mile 2 I had to stop running because my colon felt like it was going to explode. Thankfully the park staff had just opened the restrooms, so they were clean and empty. I made it, and it was relatively uneventful other than the urgency of getting there. I decided to walk the remaining mile and change to take it easy on my body. It couldn’t have sent me a bigger signal that I needed to slow the hell down. I didn’t have enough rest to accomplish what I set out to do this morning. Disappointment #4.
On the walk back to the car I went through the regular scpheel in my head, shushing the negative self-talk and reaffirming the logic of taking it easy when the body shows signs of stress. Physical training is a series of building, disassembling and rebuilding periods. Ego has no place in it, at least not at my age. The goal here is to successfully complete the events I have planned without injury. If I end up feeling less challenged than I expected, I can consider adding more later. I doubt that will happen, but one never knows what the future will bring.
Saturday just happened to be Twin Peaks’ 30th birthday as well, so I had a 3-hour power nap after the hike to prepare for the night’s festivities. I had two cocktails that evening, which I hadn’t done since NYE. I drank them out of desperation really. I was freezing and bitter, so I figured I should have something to warm me up on both fronts. That lasted ‘til around midnight. I ran out of steam and joined Lumpy on the balcony overlooking the dance floor. Since I was TP’s ride home, I knew I’d better just settle in and wait for the club to close at 2AM. It was definitely the party of the year for Oakland Househeads – Frankie Feliciano and Timmy Regisford tearing it up at the New Parish. The music was awesome. I wished I had more energy. I even closed my eyes and pictured myself dancing a few times. Disappointment #1.
I played a few rounds of DDR with Twin Peaks midday the next day. It was good to sweat and warm up the stiff legs. I tried using the roller, but they were really tender and the angle was awkward. Lumpy came over later in the evening to take me out to dinner at this great Italian place on Piedmont. I limped. He worked on some of my knots when we got back to my place. After that I slept soundly (with no regard for the time or entertaining my guest). He must have been really bored, lying there watching TV while I clung to him in my slumber. I had nothing left. I waited all week to spend the night with him and couldn’t do anything but sleep while he was there. His work schedule and my training schedule have been so incompatible that we haven’t had any other opportunities to spend time together - disappointment #2.
Yesterday I managed to drag myself out of bed at 4PM to go to the gym. Although I appeared to fit right in with everyone else in the classes, I was not happy with how heavy my legs felt and my inability to get air on my hops. I went in for Power Yoga, as it said on the class schedule, but there was Pilates instead. I was upset about that (disappointment #3A). I needed a good stretch like nobody’s business. I stuck around for Step Aerobics, but couldn’t talk myself into doing another Abs class to bridge the gap between the Step and Zumba classes. The line for treadmills was 10 people deep (goddamn New Year’s Resolution people – disappointment #3B), so I ended up having to use a recumbent bike for my cool down. Without my music I could only stand it for 10 minutes. I went over to what I like to refer to as “the Playpen”, where the trainers’ desks, mats and rollers are, and had my stretch. I tried to ignore the people in line for treadmills, elliptcals and the upcoming Zumba class. I’m pretty flexible, so I’m sure they gawked. For a while I didn’t care. Everything on my body needed to be pulled taut and maybe even twisted a little bit. I didn’t work out all of the tightness because the feeling of eyes on me was getting very uncomfortable – disappointment #3C.
This morning I got out of bed at around 6:15. I was very slow because I accidentally took a daytime vitamin the night before. I’ve split my vitamins so the ones that give me energy are taken during the day and the rest are taken at night with my new supplement, Melatonin. I mistakenly put a B/C Complex in with the night vitamins. Duh. I tossed all damn night. I think I woke up at 5:45, but I didn’t want to get out of bed yet. I put on my gear, packed my bag and went for my predawn run – today it was a dawn run because I was about a half hour behind schedule. I was exhausted. I tried drinking some Jack3d, but all that did was turn my stomach. I felt the rumbling of bubble guts about halfway through the loop. At around mile 2 I had to stop running because my colon felt like it was going to explode. Thankfully the park staff had just opened the restrooms, so they were clean and empty. I made it, and it was relatively uneventful other than the urgency of getting there. I decided to walk the remaining mile and change to take it easy on my body. It couldn’t have sent me a bigger signal that I needed to slow the hell down. I didn’t have enough rest to accomplish what I set out to do this morning. Disappointment #4.
On the walk back to the car I went through the regular scpheel in my head, shushing the negative self-talk and reaffirming the logic of taking it easy when the body shows signs of stress. Physical training is a series of building, disassembling and rebuilding periods. Ego has no place in it, at least not at my age. The goal here is to successfully complete the events I have planned without injury. If I end up feeling less challenged than I expected, I can consider adding more later. I doubt that will happen, but one never knows what the future will bring.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
celebrating the small victories
I slept through most of the night, so I'm considering it a success. I woke up at 7am without an alarm. I initially woke up at 5, but that was far too early and it was still dark outside. I haven't done much since then. Right now I'm lying in bed waiting for my throat to stop feeling sore. Once that happens I'll put on my gear and go for an easy jog. I have to remember that word, EASY. Earlier in the week I made a running date with someone a lot faster than me. Last night, after a long debate between the voices in my head, I canceled. It's difficult to come to terms with how fragile I am. I'm not happy with slowing down, but its far better than being bedridden. My motivation is stronger than my body right now. It's a unique problem for me.
My biggest obstacle is the weather. Its cold and dry. I don't mind the sting of the cold air in my throat and lungs, although I probably should. Those endorphins just override everything else. I miss them. I'm obsessing again.
I've been trying to spread out my attention to a bunch of different pursuits. I've taken up journaling again and I've started a new writing project. I've also begun a colon cleanse program today. Fun fun fun. I'm taking Nature's Secret Super Cleanse tablets. I switched to the green kefir last week for my morning kefir and chia seed shake, and it's pretty gross. I can't stand the taste of wheatgrass or spirulina. It's going to be a long 30 days. May this virus be flushed out of my system in the process.
My biggest obstacle is the weather. Its cold and dry. I don't mind the sting of the cold air in my throat and lungs, although I probably should. Those endorphins just override everything else. I miss them. I'm obsessing again.
I've been trying to spread out my attention to a bunch of different pursuits. I've taken up journaling again and I've started a new writing project. I've also begun a colon cleanse program today. Fun fun fun. I'm taking Nature's Secret Super Cleanse tablets. I switched to the green kefir last week for my morning kefir and chia seed shake, and it's pretty gross. I can't stand the taste of wheatgrass or spirulina. It's going to be a long 30 days. May this virus be flushed out of my system in the process.
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Back to the drawing board
Tonight is the third night that I am using sleep aids. It's 2:23AM, and I am blogging. That's how well they're working. After discussing my physical stress symptoms (in particular the return of my sore throat and chills), the trainer and I agreed that I need to solve the sleep deprivation issue before I can continue training for my running and climbing events. It's very inconvenient. I'm starting to feel the pressure of time running out for me to properly train for Oakland. I'm sure this is not helping.
I have my first training hike next weekend. It's going to be brutal either way, but I sincerely hope I can get a few good runs in by then. I'm going to give it another go tomorrow. I am going to make sure I get enough sleep first. I'm not sure how long that will take. I would like it to happen before noon. Fingers crossed.
I have my first training hike next weekend. It's going to be brutal either way, but I sincerely hope I can get a few good runs in by then. I'm going to give it another go tomorrow. I am going to make sure I get enough sleep first. I'm not sure how long that will take. I would like it to happen before noon. Fingers crossed.
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Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Back in Stride
I visited a coworker who is undergoing chemotherapy treatments for Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia in early November. When I left the hospital I had a scratchy throat. Little did I know that it would lead to over a month and a half of battling flu and colds. My immune system has been delicate. I've come to a point where I'm getting paranoid about it.
It has been almost a week since I last woke up with a sore throat, so I went on my first run since coming down with the flu on Thanksgiving. Getting up at 5:45 was difficult after my inability to fall asleep at a reasonable time last night, but I somehow managed to do it. I wanted to take it easy and walk when I got winded. I didn't want to push myself too hard, but it was freezing! I walked for almost two minutes after running about 3/4 mile. I ran the rest of the 3+ miles because it was too cold to walk and I had sweated through my layers by the time I reached the halfway mark. I was afraid that the drying sweat combined with the cold would make me sick again. My time wasn't bad considering the situation, but my lungs hurt from the cold and effort.
I made it to my afternoon personal training session today too. That was also unpleasant, but I did it. I'm in bed early tonight because my throat is a little bit tender. If it's sore tomorrow I'll take it easy and just do a low key dance class at 24 our something. I'm going too be sore for sure. Hopefully I won't be sore enough for Advil. There will be enough of that in my life when I begin my training schedule next week. This week I'm just focused on getting back into the swing of things.
I'm aiming to do the Oakland Running Festival Half Marathon on March 27th so I need to get my mileage back up. It won't be as hard as Nike because there aren't any hills like the ones on that course. I'm also training to climb Mt Shasta in June and run my first full marathon at this year's Nike Women's. I had my measurements taken today so I can track the changes in my muscle mass during the training. It's going to be hardcore. I'm nervous and excited. It's going to be a good year.
It has been almost a week since I last woke up with a sore throat, so I went on my first run since coming down with the flu on Thanksgiving. Getting up at 5:45 was difficult after my inability to fall asleep at a reasonable time last night, but I somehow managed to do it. I wanted to take it easy and walk when I got winded. I didn't want to push myself too hard, but it was freezing! I walked for almost two minutes after running about 3/4 mile. I ran the rest of the 3+ miles because it was too cold to walk and I had sweated through my layers by the time I reached the halfway mark. I was afraid that the drying sweat combined with the cold would make me sick again. My time wasn't bad considering the situation, but my lungs hurt from the cold and effort.
I made it to my afternoon personal training session today too. That was also unpleasant, but I did it. I'm in bed early tonight because my throat is a little bit tender. If it's sore tomorrow I'll take it easy and just do a low key dance class at 24 our something. I'm going too be sore for sure. Hopefully I won't be sore enough for Advil. There will be enough of that in my life when I begin my training schedule next week. This week I'm just focused on getting back into the swing of things.
I'm aiming to do the Oakland Running Festival Half Marathon on March 27th so I need to get my mileage back up. It won't be as hard as Nike because there aren't any hills like the ones on that course. I'm also training to climb Mt Shasta in June and run my first full marathon at this year's Nike Women's. I had my measurements taken today so I can track the changes in my muscle mass during the training. It's going to be hardcore. I'm nervous and excited. It's going to be a good year.
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