gwennefarrell

Today was another training session down at the beach. Now I leave the house for training at about 6:00am and by time I am done and have finished the cool down walk it takes me about 1 1/2 hours. This morning it was surprisingly cold out and all I had on was my workout jacket which is extremely light. As I walked to the beach I thought oh well, you’ll be warm enough once you start running. Yeah, my legs got warm but really my face and hands were freezing even by time I was done. I really can’t wait for the weather to start cooperating with my training.

I don’t walk fast. When I had my 3rd surgery on my knee 27 years ago it was less than 3 months before my wedding and I was determined I would not have a limp as I walked down the aisle. I worked really hard with my physiotherapist to learn how to use different muscles in my leg to keep from limping (this included practicing in my low healed wedding shoes) and that became 2nd nature to me. I also learned that it takes work and concentration to make this happen. So, I always walk at a pace that ensures I am not limping and it can be a very slow gait. However, I have found ways to compensate for this. I walk with a longer stride than I normally would and I make sure I am swinging my arms to give me a better workout. Last summer I actually found that after having done this for a while I was really developing significant muscles in my arms and not just my legs. I also tried walking with nordic poles to up the ante a bit. The problem with this is it kept confusing my Fitbit and I have already admitted I am pretty obsessed with that tracker so now only do the poles occasionally.

When I run I am really not very fast. Still, I am running. I have to work hard to make sure that my steps are symmetric and that my step lengths are the same on both legs even when running. Fortunately I have an app on my phone that helps with this. Ok, yes it is a little embarrassing when I am passed by a fast walker especially when they are very obviously a senior. But that is ok, this training is about building strength and endurance not winning a race.

The point is I set my pace. I set a pace that gives me the training I need but keeps me safe. I know I am still getting a good cardio workout but other than that first attempt at running I have not had an injury. I make sure I focus on my personal goal rather than competing with the other runners/walkers that I see. Maybe speed will come later, maybe not but that is ok. Slow and steady is what is going to win my race and I am good with that.

Find the pace that works for you and don’t worry about others you see and what they are doing. This is about you and your training. Hold you head high and just keep going!

Today I dodged a bulletin. I’m at the trailer and the forecast has been for it to rain. I woke up at 4:30am hearing the sound of heavy rain on our aluminum awning and thought crap, I’m going to get soaked. If I was at home it wouldn’t be a problem as I could use the treadmill but here there is no other option than to head outside. I fell back to sleep really dreading being wet and cold but was determined to train. Luckily by time I hit the road there was a break in the rain and other than dodging puddles I was fine. I know at some point if I spend as much time here as I did last summer I am going to hit rain but it will at least hopefully be during a warmer temperature.

When I do my training I ALWAYS do a warm up and cool down. When I am doing my run interval training it is now a 5 block walk, the run, and finishing off with about a 10 block walk. Yesterday was a hill interval day so I found a great hill in Mission but parked several blocks away from the base of the hill so that I could do my warm up and cool down afterwards.

But why are these so important? Let’s start with the warm up. Basically your warm up allows for increased blood flow to your muscles. This helps get them get prepared for you making them work hard during your workout. It shouldn’t be strenuous, just get things moving.

What is really important is the cool down. One of the significant goals of the cool down is reducing your heart rate out of your training zone. The cool down also can allow your breathing to relax and to help your temperature to come down (this becomes more important in warmer weather). Perhaps the most important benefit is lowering the lactic acid build up. As you are working out your muscles will likely feel a burning sensation. This is because working them hard causes lactic acid to build up in the muscles making the ph levels in them increase. By doing some cool down work you actually help lactic acid leave your muscles and reduce the risk of soreness (note I said reduce the risk and not eliminate it because if you do a really intense workout even with a cool down you may feel it later). There have been several studies done on the impacts of a cool down on muscle soreness and the results have been mixed but I can tell you even doing my 5k I did a fair amount of walking afterwards and my muscles felt great.

So what about stretching? I do a little stretching on my training days but it is not something I spend a lot of time on. It was thought that stretching helps stave off exercise related injuries. However, there has been a number of studies that could not find evidence of this. What stretching does do is increase your flexibility which can be very beneficial to your long term mobility health.

Finally hydration. I read an article that said for every cup of fluid you lose during exercise you should replace it with 2 cups of fluid. My coach reminded me the other day to ensure I was hydrating well after my training. I assured her this was not an issue as I always drink my fibre supplement after all workouts. She also noted I should have a snack afterwards as well. I’ve posted before about how I avoid snacking but I’m pretty sure I can throw in a handful of almonds while I am hydrating.

I saw a tweet the other day from someone I don’t follow but I just had to comment. He noted since June 1, 2020 he had lost 103 lbs from changing his diet and from starting to exercise. He boasted that he had just done a 5 mile run. I had to comment and noted in that same time period I had lost 57 lbs and had just done a 5k run. His response ‘keep up the awesome work’. Supporting each other through this journey is so important.

I let my coach know about having run 5k on Tuesday and at first I was a bit disappointed in her response. I’m to bump up my interval to 4 minutes running and 1 minute walking for 10 intervals. As well I will add 1 interval to my hill training each week. Wait, what? I thought she was going to encourage me to do a 5k each week not just increase my intervals.

As I have said before I do exactly what my coach tells me so today did the new intervals and yes it felt great. I reread her instructions and realized how wrong I was to be disappointed. Her message was clear, she is proud of me and she noted that I am becoming a strong and confident runner. She also reminded me that I am now half way to my goal of being able to run 10k. I know she has a plan for me and it is take it slow, remain injury free and I will get to that goal without being discouraged. Even after everything I have achieved sometimes I need to be reminded that I was unhealthy for a long time and I need to have patience to get to that finish line. So, slow and steady is how I will keep doing this and as always listen to my amazing coach.

I wanted to note a new change I noticed in my body this week, the veins in my hands, arms and legs all of a sudden are very distinct. Of course I had to Google this and there are many causes which fit me; 1) fair skin 2) weight loss in that the veins are no longer covered with fat and 3) exercise. Apparently this is normal it was just I hadn’t seen this in myself before. Another new look for my ever changing body.

Yesterday I was listening to a radio talk show and the topic was men’s mental health. The guests started off with saying that mental health issues are more difficult for men. This just made my blood boil. Mental health issues are difficult, full stop. It doesn’t matter your gender, age, race or culture, it is not easy. This is not a competition so stop presenting it as one. I did agree with them when they talked about that getting moving can help. Do it on your own or even better with a friend and just check in with one another.

Today was training day so off to the beach I went. When I hit the bottom of the hill I hit start on the interval workout on my Fitbit and started running. After a while I realized I had been running for way more than my 3:30 minute interval but my Fitbit hadn’t buzzed. I decided to keep running and see if I could get to the pier which is a little over a mile. I kept running and when I got to the pier I decided to try to keep going and see if I could make it back to the bottom of the hill. I managed that I decided to keep going and run up the hill. I got there and realized I had just run 5k (for my US friends that’s a little over 3 miles). What the hell! I knew I was getting stronger and building endurance but I never thought I was at the point of 5k.

But here’s the thing, when I was doing my cool down walk I realized I wasn’t even breathing heavily and had barely broken a sweat. Does this mean I am actually now more fit than I have ever been? Well, I guess it does!

I have to say when I was done I called my husband to tell him what I had just accomplished. He told me how proud he was of me and I have to admit I am pretty proud of myself. I won’t ever be a fast runner, I only run as fast as my knee will allow me without having a limping gait but that is ok, I can now run 5k!

I have to confess I had a huge sandwich for lunch because I was starving. Pretty sure that it was because I burned a lot of energy on that run. Didn’t even feel bad about that sandwich because I know I earned it.

Yesterday I was walking the beach after lunch and ran into a long time friend. Last year during the beach walking season we would often run into each other and he would compliment me on how much weight I was down. Yesterday he saw me and I was down about 30 lbs since he last saw me. He said I couldn’t afford to lose anymore weight and I explained I’m not trying to lose weight at this point but instead I am training to run a 10k. He seemed concerned and asked if I was eating properly and not starving myself. I assured him I eat 3 meals a day, I just make really healthy choices. As we parted he congratulated me and told me I look great. Really makes you feel good when a friend says those type of things to you.

Yesterday I also had a training milestone. Friday is my new additional training day and it is the one where I do hill training in preparation to do the Grouse Grind. I do 4 intervals where I spend 3:30 minutes running up the hill then ‘gently’ walking back down. I already know that 3:30 minutes gets me to about 1 3/4 blocks and yesterday I decided to push it a bit and get to the 2 block mark. Then I thought, if you do another 2 block run you will be at the top of the hill so I kept going. When I got to the top of the hill I thought, hmm, if you keep going maybe you can do another 4 blocks and get to the 1 mile mark so I kept going. I RAN 1 MILE! When I reached the 1 mile marker I wasn’t even winded and my legs felt strong. However, I also realized I was likely really pushing it and the overall goal is to be injury free from my training so I slowed it down and just continued on a long walk.

Now any of you who are reading this that are runners probably think what, it’s only a mile. For me, it is a major accomplishment. I remember when I was in high school a couple times a month the PE teacher would decide we should go for a mile run. Not once did I make it through that run without stopping. Of course back then PE was a lot different than it is now and there was no ‘training’ or building endurance, doing a mile run was just part of the curriculum. Apparently my coach’s method of slowly building endurance and strength is the better method because really, 55 years old and decades of being a couch potato but I RAN 1 MILE!

I admit I am so excited by this accomplishment that I can’t wait to do more training next week. That 10k is still a ways off but all of a sudden I am full of anticipation. I am just waiting to hear from my coach to see what changes we will make in next week’s training but I know I’ll be able to do it. Oh and yes, I am really starting to enjoy this running thing.

The weather turned out better than expected today so I headed down to the beach to walk the promenade. The problem was I didn’t expect it to be quite as warm as it was. As I usually do I threw a long sleeved t-shirt over my tank top and about half way through my walk I regretted that decision. Unfortunately I had only put sunscreen on my face and neck so there was no option of taking off the t-shirt. Personally I take sunscreen seriously so exposure of that much bare skin was just not going to happen so I just sweated out the rest of the walk.

But let’s talk about stress. I’ve read many articles that make it clear stress has an impact on both your physical and mental health. As a matter of fact several of those articles talk about how stress can cause weight gain. Realistically it is not possible to eliminate all stress from your life but there are things that can be done to help alleviate your stress level and to cope with it better.

In my family we just always seem to be in crisis mode. The latest has been dealing with some very scary health issues involving my brother. He had to make a difficult choice recently as to whether to have his leg amputated or to have a very risky surgery. He chose the surgery and that took place today. You can just imagine how stressed I was waiting for the doctor to call and update me (he’s an awesome doctor who promised to call me right after the surgery was over which he did). However, that left many hours today just waiting. So, I walked, a lot. I did my running training first thing this morning then it was an hour long walk with the dog. Finally it was the 1 1/2 hour walk to the beach and back. In between I made sure I had some planned projects to take care of so that my mind could be focused on something else. I had just made it home from my last walk when the doctor called to advise my brother had survived the surgery and was starting the road to recovery (still not out of the woods but way closer than he was yesterday).

Exercise can be an amazing way to reduce stress. It doesn’t have to be vigorous exercise, it can be as simple as stretching, lifting some weights or in my case walking. When I walk I always make sure I have a distraction such as watching something on my iPad when I use the treadmill or listening to a book when I am walking outside. I use these distractions so that I don’t let my mind focus on the pressures in my life. My exercise time is about me and I try to keep it that way.

A simple thing I do when I think things are getting overwhelming is some breathing exercises. It is simple, I take a deep breath in, hold it for several seconds then slowly exhale. Each time I do this I focus on relaxing muscles down my body starting with my neck then my shoulders, down my back and abdomen and continuing on down until every muscle all the way to my feet is relaxed. By time I have gone all the way down my body I just feel better like weight has been lifted off me.

And finally is my pets. There is nothing better at helping me to relax and focus than playing with or cuddling with my dog or one of my cats. As a matter of fact as I type this one of my cats is sitting next to me chatting his resentment at me ignoring him. He always makes me smile when he does this as I know he will soon be on my desk rubbing his head against my arm demanding that I stop and give his chin a scratch. Studies have show that simply stroking a pet can help lower both your stress and blood pressure. I like to use that as an excuse to spend time with my animals.

Find what works for you to help reduce your stress. Remember, this journey as as much about your mental health as it is about your physical health.

Yesterday I achieved a major accomplishment in my training, I started doing interval training on a hill. As I previously mentioned it is not the steep hill I have been walking up but still a pretty good one. As directed I did 4 3:30 minute intervals running up the hill and then walking back down. I actually sprinted the last 1/2 block because I was so excited that I had done it. What surprised me the most was that not only could I do this but that it wasn’t that hard.

Today for the first time I did my training on the promenade, 10 intervals of 3:30 minutes running and 1:30 minutes walking. Those 10 intervals took me from the east end of the promenade to the west end and back for a total of 2.5 miles. I started thinking about how far I have come in this last year. A year ago if someone had told me I would lose another 57 lbs I would have told them it wasn’t possible. If someone said I would be successfully training to run a 10k I would have fallen to the floor with laughter. Hell, if someone suggested that I would regularly walk 30k steps in a day or hike up Oxford hill I would have thought they were doing some pretty good chemicals but I am doing it. As I hit interval 8 today, breathing easily with my legs holding strong, I thought I have become fit and healthy. Truly I never saw that coming.

I started thinking about how I got here today. Remember, the original goal was to just walk 10k steps a day to relieve some of the boredom of the pandemic. I’ve come to realize that the healthier I got the more healthy I wanted to be. I think that is why I am working on the new goal of doing the Grouse Grind. I realized that every time I get to a goal I want more, I want to have a new finish line to cross so that I can keep going. But this morning as I ran along our beautiful bay I also realized that it is important to look back and see the footprints bringing me to where I am now and to take a moment and feel a sense of pride.

I guess the bottom line is that today I feel proud. I am proud of the weight I have lost, I am proud of how fit I have become, I am proud of how I have stuck with this no matter what. Most of all I am proud of how strong I am both physically and mentally.

I recommend that if you are on a similar journey take a moment to reflect on what you have accomplished. It has sure helped me to be motivated to achieve more.

The weather has been pretty nice this week which has meant walks along our beautiful promenade. The challenge has been that due to a family crisis (it seems to be a regular event with my family) for a couple days I have only been able to do 1 long walk instead of 2. I’ve tried to make up for it on the other days and am still averaging over 20k steps each day.

My coach, helping me get ready for the Grouse Grind, suggested I add one more day a week of interval training. She told me to do 4 intervals jogging up Oxford St and then gently walking back down the hill (note that would be 3:30 minutes of jogging each time). Yesterday I did another walk up Oxford and thought there is no friggin way I can do 1 interval never mind 4. This is a really, really steep incline that I plod up trying to make it to the top. I just am not willing to set myself up for failure but I also so want to work on my strength and endurance. I decided I just needed to come up with another plan.

I was out doing my walk after lunch and was heading down to the beach when it hit me, Stayte Rd hill. Now this hill is nowhere near the grade of Oxford St but it is still a decent hill especially the first 2 blocks. I thought, why not try an interval on my way back. Oh but then that voice got in my head as I was walking the promenade, maybe the best thing to do would be start jogging after the first 1/2 block of the hill (the steepest part of the hill), yeah I know I could do that. So I finished a lovely walk on the promenade, got to the bottom of Stayte Rd and decided no, you are starting here at the steepest part. I set my timer and away I went. Yes that first part was really challenging but I did it. Tomorrow will be the big challenge as I try 4 intervals but I can’t wait for that feeling of accomplishment when I am done.

The important thing is I recognized my limitations. I don’t think my coach realizes how steep Oxford St is and while I am good shape, I am not quite ready for that yet. But I am ready to bump things up a notch and I start that tomorrow. Moreover, I overcame avoiding taking on the challenge which I think is the most important thing.

Yes, I have decided I need a new goal. This weekend I made the decision that I want to do the Grouse Grind. For those of you not from BC, the Grouse Grind is a 2.9km trek up a mountain. Apparently it is quarters 2 and 3 that are the biggest challenge. I know I am getting stronger every time a work out but I also am unsure if I can get to doing a 10k by this summer (remember my coach firmly believes we go slow so that I remain injury free). But I really think I can train for this hike over the next 2 or 3 months and give the Grind a try.

My first thought was I’ll start training on Oxford St which is a 1 mile long very steep hill in White Rock. Funny story about that hill that I was reminded of by an old friend. When we were in junior high our physical education teacher would several times a semester have us walk down to the beach and then run up Oxford St. It was brutal so one time my friend and I decided to hitch a ride in the back of the pickup to take us up the hill. I think I am a little more engaged in doing the actual climb now.

Yesterday I did an extremely long walk and Oxford St was part of it. When I arrived at the bottom of that hill I thought, there is no way you can do this. Just the grade on this hill was pretty intimidating to see and I started to panic thinking ok, maybe the Grind isn’t in the picture. But, I put that positive voice in my head and started walking, just one foot in front of the other. I had previously learned that in tackling hills you just have to keep going (but seriously, this is more than double the length of the one I normally do), if you stop you are going to lose you momentum and maybe even your resolve. So I kept walking. The 1st half of the hill is the steepest then the 3rd quarter the grade levels ever so slightly. The final quarter is still a good incline but more in line with the hill I normally do.

When I got to the top of that hill I immediately FaceTimed my husband to tell him I wasn’t dead. He was stunned and said ‘you don’t even look like you broke a sweat or have you cooled off already’. I explained I had literally just finished that climb and I wasn’t even mildly winded. Damn, I really am getting fit. And surprisingly, I got up this morning thinking my muscles would be screaming in complaint but no, I felt good and went on to do my interval training. Moreover, by time I made it back home yesterday I had walked for 5 miles and my total for yesterday was 13.2 miles.

Friday I start my serious training for this goal, running intervals up the hill. My coach has suggested doing 4 3:30 minute intervals (same time as my running training) and gently walk back down the hill after each interval. I confess, I am not convinced I can do this but I am willing to give it a try. I know if it is too much we can scale this back and I absolutely won’t be doing another 5 mile walk as part of this training (I’ll cut it back to 3 miles) and I am going to do one more full walk up the hill before that training session. I’ll be posting on Saturday about the whole experience with this training so stay tuned to see if I survive.

I have to say it was a beautiful morning to do my training, the sun was out and it was the perfect temperature. A year ago I never would thought I would wake up at the trailer and be excited that it was a running day. Every time I successfully complete my training I just feel I have done a major accomplishment. I hope that feeling lasts.

I confess when I am at the trailer I do eat things that are a bit outside of what I eat at home (yes I’ve had a few corn chips) but I try as best I can to keep things balanced. For example, yesterday I really wanted a grilled cheese sandwich, I hadn’t had one in months. So, an egg for breakfast and a salad with grilled chicken for dinner. I made sure to keep my carbs low for those 2 meals so that I could enjoy my sandwich without guilt and yes it was good.

Before I started on this journey my meals were pretty ad hoc. There was no thought of balance nor carb intake. And remember, more often than not those meals came from a restaurant. Today that has all changed and now restaurant meals are once a week and that is only because we are trying to help our local restaurants. If it wasn’t for this pandemic I probably would rarely have a restaurant meal.

Now I want to be clear, I do not count calories nor carbs. I do have a great digital kitchen scale but it is used for measuring food for recipes. The reason I stay away from ‘counting’ my food is I just believe if I make this lifestyle onerous I won’t be able to stick to it and trust me I want to stay this way for the rest of my life.

What I have found that works for me is planning what my meals for the day will look like. Now this is made somewhat simpler by the fact that my sister cooks most of our dinners and she plans them a week at a time. I think of my meals in terms of am I getting enough fruits and veggies, what types of carbs will I be having, what type of protein. I have become very cognizant of the food groups and the proportions that I will be having each day. It is easier in that I love fruit and veggies so I doubt I am deficient there (note asparagus was never one of my favourites but I attended so many events where it was the only veggie served that I came to like it). Much to my brother’s frustration we only eat red meat once a week trying to stick to leaner proteins. One area I’m trying to work on is adding more seafood into our meals but we are getting there.

The bottom line is I have just become far more cognizant of what I am eating. I do read labels on food packages but it is to check sodium, sugar and potassium levels so that I am making better choices. Planning ahead for what you will be eating can help ensure you have well balanced, healthy meals each day. That has sure worked for me and made this an easy path to stay on.