Ct5k W1D1

Yes, i'm at it again, and this time i'm doing it in Vibrams! At least, that's what i did today.

Over the last two weeks i've had a cold.  It was the worst for the first 5-6 days, but it's still been hanging on a bit.  During most of that time i really felt like running, maybe because the heat of the past summer has finally broken. Even after a week of recuperation i was a bit wary because i figured that as soon as i got out of breath i would be coughing up a lung.

I didn't cough once on the run.  I barely got out of breath, actually.  This workout was not strenuous from a breathing standpoint, which is quite nice actually. This past summer i felt like everything on vacation was strenuous only because of breathing whether it was hiking or biking. I didn't get too sore or tired, i just couldn't breathe.  Well today i breathed fine.  I made sure i paced myself, i did reach thresholds where i wanted to stop but pushed through it without too much effort, and thankfully it was nowhere near as strenuous as the first time around.

I was in a hurry today and not aiming for the full workout. I had barely enough time before work and didn't want to push myself too hard when i had an 8 1/2 hour shift directly afterward. So i strapped on my Vibrams, felt great for the first four intervals, and walked through the last two. At the time i felt like i could have done them but i just had a feeling that i shouldn't. Which was a good call as it turned out because my feet, ankles, and calves were sore most of the day.  My feet eventually felt better after halfway through my shift but started complaining again during the drive home.  So at work i was trying to stretch my feet calves and not to groan whenever i had to walk. Standing wasn't too bad, moving just doesn't feel right at the moment because i'm so stiff.  So it was a good call to walk those last two intervals i think. I kind of need to be able to stand while i'm at work.

Tomorrow i go in to work earlier and get off earlier. I shouldn't run, and i doubt i'll be organized enough to get a run or swim in. Right now i'm going to focus on the running for a while and ease back into it. I don't want to dive headlong into a full training schedule when it's going into the off season and technically i'm easing in after an injury. The last thing i need to do is hurt my hamstring again. So right now the focus is diet and running and we'll see where it goes from here.

food diary day 1

I'm starting to count calories again (stupidest time of year to do it, but i really want to start trying to lose weight and start running again). I figure that at work I am probably burning 155-297 calories per hour. On a busy Saturday shift i burn up to 2700 calories! Today was a little slow but I also put bags out and rang up some big orders so I probably burned 1800 calories. I used Calories Burned Calculator to figure that out by putting in my weight. Standing quietly (standing in a line) for when its slow and Wash dishes, standing for when its fast. Today i was a little out of breath while putting the bags out, and i do lift a lot of weight over the course of a day with my arms.

Some people would consider this to be "cheating" and i do know that i need to actually work out. However, i am very aware that my work takes a toll on my body! I am frequently sore midway through a shift, on a good day about i'm sore 3/4 of the way through.  I stand for 8-10 hours per shift with an occasional 5-7 hour shift thrown in as my "light" day. And if i count calories and eat as if i am not on my feet all day then i end up starving and give up. I don't know if i should count all of these calories as exercise, but i clearly need to count some of them.

Last night i read an Instructable about How to Lose Weight (well, to be fair...i skimmed it). One of its tips was to blog about your progress so you have some accountability. I don't want to join a support group, but i do know it helped to read other people's blogs when i was starting to run and train for my first triathlon. I'm hoping that next summer i will be ready to compete in another Sprint...God willing.