Saturday 31 January 2015

Big finish, jazz hands

Weight: 81.5kg
Distance: 11.32km
Time: 1h:17m:16s
Average speed: 8.79kph

Told you I'd make up for yesterday. Today I went out running on the streets, as I used to do, and I followed my old long route, which I haven't run in quite a while. 10km is no slouch. I'm not that happy with the speed, but the exercise watch had me on "hard" mode, which is its lowest setting. I've also discovered that running on the road is very different to running on a treadmill. I'm convinced that the treadmill does half the work for you. Treadmill momentum is nothing like the real thing. It was harder than I expected, is what I'm saying, but I made it.

Over the month, I ran a total of 170.7km. That's pretty darn long. It's the equivalent of just over 4 marathons, except for the fact that they make you run a marathon all at once. I'd like to try that some day. But not tomorrow. Tomorrow I rest my legs at last. As an experiment, running every day in January has taught me mostly that I need to rest regularly, that my knees need care, my achilles tendons are always tight and that I can do this. I look forward to challenging myself in other ways through the year.

Mokalus of Borg

PS - And I still look forward to a finished bathroom at home.
PPS - It's getting really close, but not there yet.

Friday 30 January 2015

For a change

Weight: 82.3kg
Distance: About 1.5km. Oh, plus 1km on the exercise bike.
Time: Maybe 10 minutes?
Average speed: A little bit meaningless today.

Let me explain.

Instead of a full 5km run today, I had a personal training session with Debbie and our regular trainer, Jodie. It went pretty well for me, but highlighted the exact narrow focus my January running schedule has had. Getting through cardio? Zero problems. I mean, she had us warm up with 60 seconds on an 11.5% incline and I jogged it easily, even after warming up for a few minutes at a fast pace. We did 1km on the exercise bikes. No problems. We finished on the elliptical, going 150 metres, though not as fast as usual. I kept going a little while afterwards.

But could I do a second set of 10 pushups? No sir, I could not. My noodly arms were definitely not up to the challenge of lifting me off the ground a couple of times in a row. And why should they be? They hardly ever have to do that. They'll be doing more of it in February, I'll tell you that. Plus some other, non-exercise stuff. So, basically, I felt good about the cardio, but kind of inadequate at the strength parts. And a little bit bad about not running a full 5km today, but I still consider myself exercised.

Mokalus of Borg

PS - I do plan to make up for it tomorrow, on the last day.
PPS - Looking forward to that very much.

Thursday 29 January 2015

It's all uphill from here

Weight: 81.8kg
Distance: 5.49km
Time: 37m:01s
Average speed: 8.90kph

There is no flat, only uphill on level 5, after the first 300 metres. I didn't make it all at the 10kph pace I set for myself, but I only slowed down to a fast walk for about half a kilometre. So I did struggle, but I made it. I wouldn't really have expected so much progress, fitness-wise, during the month. Today's accomplishment might have been aided by the evening timing, though.

I'm very much looking forward to finishing the month strong, but definitely finishing it.

Mokalus of Borg

PS - Two days to go now.
PPS - I'm also looking forward to adding up all my distances.

Wednesday 28 January 2015

Evening running is better for me

Weight: 81.8kg
Distance: 5.52km
Time: 33m:46s
Average speed: 9.81kph

Today was a change in routine - I went for my run in the evening rather than the morning. That felt really good. Crazy good. As if, in the morning, there was no more pressure and my work was finally done. So I think I might be getting over the "run every day" challenge, but now, at this time of writing, I have only 3 days to go, and I am not breaking the chain now. I just wanted to note that it felt good to be able to get the dishes done in the morning the way I normally do.

As for the run itself, I don't know what it is about the evening, but it always feels easier. I turned the speed up to 10.3kph and the changes down in incline surprised me. My breathing came easily and, by the time I was finished, I'd turned the speed all the way up to 11kph. If evening runs are that easy, maybe tomorrow I'll try level 5 on the treadmill program.

Mokalus of Borg

PS - I also had a pretty good day at work, so there's that, too.
PPS - I guess it's been a great day all around.

Tuesday 27 January 2015

Every day is leg day

Weight: 82.3kg
Distance: 5.52km
Time: 34m:21s
Average speed: 9.64kph

Well, there goes the air conditioning theory of weight variation. I don't know what to think about that any more. It was tough this morning to get out of bed and to the gym, and then I felt very out of breath for a long portion of my 5km. I focused on my breathing, though - two steps in, two steps out - and got back under control by the time I was finished with the inclines. It's looking like we might not quite get our bathroom completed before the end of the month, now, which actually means I might have to keep up my morning gym visits just for the showers. Starting in February, though, I'll definitely mix it up. It won't be all cardio the way I'm doing now.

The biggest physical effect I've noticed over the month so far is in my calves and achilles tendons. They're pretty much sore and tight all the time, regardless of how much stretching I do.

Mokalus of Borg

PS - I'd prefer to be able to say I've lost weight and gained some leg muscle.
PPS - All I'm sure of so far is that I've gained some cardio fitness.

Monday 26 January 2015

Running on Australia Day

Weight: 78.6kg
Distance: 5.52km
Time: 34m:24s
Average Speed: 9.63kph

I'm starting to wonder whether the bathroom scale measures me lighter on mornings when we've had the aircon running at night. It dehydrates me, you see, so I think I weigh a bit less on those mornings.

Today was Australia Day, and since we had plans all day, I got up at my usual 05:30 time to hit the gym. It's made for a big day. I put the treadmill up to 10.2kph for the 5km, then up a little bit higher for the last 0.5km. It's getting a bit easier, but not so much that I think level 5 is right yet. I'll stick with level 4 for a bit longer yet.

Mokalus of Borg

PS - I can see the end of the tunnel now.
PPS - Just this week and Saturday to go.

Sunday 25 January 2015

Motivation

Weight: 81.8kg
Distance: 5.52km
Time: 34m:53s
Average speed: 9.49kph

This doesn't usually work well when I'm tired. I mention it because that's how I woke up this morning. I didn't want to go, but I made myself anyway. This is why I don't agree with people who say they "just need to get motivated". No, what you need is to get out and do it. Motivation is nice, but dedication gets the work done. If your excuse is motivation, then you are the only thing in your way, and you can decide to get it done.

I didn't feel that fast this morning, but I was consistent, and I did turn up the speed a bit for the last kilometre. By the end of the month, I might be up another level on the treadmill.

Mokalus of Borg

PS - Building fitness does feel quite good.
PPS - I might be disappointed to slow down at the end of the month.

Saturday 24 January 2015

A walking adventure

Weight: 82.3kg
Distance: 6.4km
Time: 1h:04m:25s
Average speed: 5.96kph

So today was a walk. That should be obvious from the speed up there. What should also be obvious is that it is possible to run 5km per day for nearly a month and put on weight. I'll make some later challenges during the year focus on weight loss. For now, I'm actually not quite sure whether I've lost girth. My 82cm waist jeans are feeling pretty loose.

I was walking in unfamiliar territory today, which is why my distance is much further than it would have been at home. I wanted to explore, so I walked out 2.6km, then turned down a side street where it all started to go wrong. There was a park in the way, then a creek to go around, then the back way through school grounds, some real angry birds (not the fun kind from the game) and a quick excape under a fence before I was back on track. It was an adventure of sorts, but if I can avoid territorial avians from now on, I will.

Mokalus of Borg

PS - Fun fact about plovers: they call off their dive-bombing runs if you face them and look big.
PPS - This is more difficult when there's more than one of them.

Friday 23 January 2015

Standard update

Weight: Unknown
Distance: 5.50km
Time: 36m:26s
Average speed: 9.06kph

I'll be brief. I didn't run the whole distance at full speed this morning. I've been sleeping badly, so I didn't feel great when I got up. I did get through my 5km, though.

Mokalus of Borg

PS - I haven't been home since then.
PPS - The internet is a bit patchy here, so this entry is late.

Thursday 22 January 2015

Feeling better

Weight: 80.6kg
Distance: 5.50km
Time: 34m:48s
Average speed: 9.48kph

I feel better about my run this morning. Last night I was ranting a bit, and maybe I just needed to vent, because I felt really good on the treadmill today. At least for the first while, it was as if I could do this indefinitely, and I think the ability to run 3km or so at 10kph without even thinking about it is something to be proud of.

I had to run for the train this morning, too. That's something I haven't been bothering to do, partly because there are lots of trains and missing one isn't a big deal, but also because of the sweat situation. But this morning I decided a last-minute sprint wouldn't be so bad. I can put on a fair burst of speed when I want to, though I'm no Olympic sprinter. This felt good, too. I did make the train easily ... and then broke into an epic sweat for the next 20 minutes. Some things never change, I guess.

Mokalus of Borg

PS - I'm glad to be objectively fitter than when I started.
PPS - And that, really, has been the goal.

Wednesday 21 January 2015

Fed up with treadmills

Weight: 80.6kg
Distance: 5.50km
Time: 34m:56s
Average speed: 9.45kph

I think 10kph is the most manageable speed to run my 5km at level 4 at the gym right now. That's what this experiment has become: finding the optimal treadmill speed and the optimal incline pattern level to run 5km at (plus 5-minute cool-down). It's depressing, in a way. I'm not very happy with it, to be honest. I need to get back outside, running on the footpaths again. I need the variety. I need the fresh air.

So can I get back outside yet? Can I just do my running outside and come back to shower at the gym instead of using the treadmill? Yeah, maybe. Maybe I can run after work and shower there. I have the options, but the treadmill and shower in one place is just easiest and, now, most familiar. And, possibly, a failed Kickstarter campaign: The Showermill! (Pulled after electrocution and slipperiness concerns.) I'm starting to wonder how I used to do this. I never went every day - maybe 3 times a week - but I'd still get out to run very regularly, and it never seemed like it interfered in my life quite as much as this one January project has. During my university days, I guess I'd get up at 05:00 some mornings. I was basically Batman at the time, though - trained to perfection in the prime of my life by an entire dojo of karate black belts. Those days aren't coming back. I find that a hard pill to swallow.

Mokalus of Borg

PS - Other parts of my life are a lot better now than then, though.
PPS - I'm kind of curious how running on the streets will feel after this long on treadmills.

Tuesday 20 January 2015

I walked

Weight: 80.6kg
Distance: 5.02km
Time: 41m:36s
Average speed: 7.24kph

Tonight, to give my legs a bit of a rest and avoid injury, I walked. Well, mostly. I set a fast walking pace of 6.5kph, and I kept to that for the first 1.5km, but I got too bored. Inactivity is not something I do. Ask my wife if I can ever sit still and she'll laugh at the very idea. So for portions of the 5km I stepped it up all the way to 9kph, which is a moderate run for me. The risk was that, tonight, I wasn't wearing the elastic braces that keep my knees from gradually exploding. I was careful, though, and they're still intact. My knees, that is. Well, the braces are intact, too. They were just getting very funky and needed washing, so tonight was a good chance to get that done.

In one sense, this sort of means I've failed. My goal was "run every day in January", and today I walked instead. Then again, I did run for a little bit, so that's something, right? Does that count?

Mokalus of Borg

PS - Well, it's my goal, so I say it counts.
PPS - Justification is one thing we're really good at as humans.

Monday 19 January 2015

To do: slow down or die

Weight: 80.6kg
Distance: 5.22km
Time: 34m:14s
Average Speed:

Today is the first time all month that I've had to take an anti-inflammatory tablet after a run. Now, I'd like to be all Morgan Spurlock about this and carry on regardless of risk of injury, but I think it's best that I take it easy now. I went a bit slower this morning for the 5km - just 9.5kph - and it was still a struggle.

What I may be able to do tomorrow is walk my 5km, since I have the whole evening to myself. It will still be at the gym, though. I don't think I've ever done such a thing on the treadmill before. At 6kph, it would take 50 minutes. I'm not sure I can take that many pop music videos in one hit.

Mokalus of Borg

PS - Whether I like it or not, Taylor Swift in a tutu is my running companion.
PPS - I'm actually fine with that. It's a good running rhythm.

Sunday 18 January 2015

So hot all the time

Weight: 80.2kg
Distance: 5.49km
Time: 37m:06s
Average speed: 8.88kph

I chose to slow down a little bit this morning, because my calves have been bothering me and I wanted to give them a bit of a break. It wasn't much of a break, though. The stretching continues, as does the relentless heat and the continued absence of a home shower. The routine is getting to me again. I need to mix it up. Tomorrow perhaps I'll take the opportunity to run and shower in the city, as long as I can figure out how to handle my sweaty, smelly clothes afterwards. That plan might not survive contact with the enemy (Brisbane summer heat) though.

Mokalus of Borg

PS - At this point, I'm just keen to finish the challenge and move on.
PPS - If I can push past this, though, maybe I can build a new habit.

Saturday 17 January 2015

That's more like it

Weight: 78.4kg
Distance: 5.49km
Time: 35m:08s
Average speed: 9.38kph

It's so hot. I haven't stopped sweating all day. Level 4 on the treadmill is where I should be, I can tell. Today's stats look identical to yesterday's, except for weight, but I did bump it up to level 4, which includes about 500m at a 3.5% incline. I worked hard for it and I got through it. I'm pleased.

I think I might be injuring my legs, but in the slowest way possible. There's really not a lot more to tell. I came, I ran, I conquered.

Mokalus of Borg

PS - Still looking forward to getting back to showering at home.
PPS - I'm getting a little too familiar with the music videos at the gym.

Friday 16 January 2015

Forget level 3

Weight: 78.5kg
Distance: 5.49km
Time: 35m:08s
Average speed: 9.36kph

This morning was rough, like sandpaper over the eyeballs. I've never had that, but I don't think it would be pleasant. Is that a thing? If so, it seems like something we should stop. Organise a protest march.

I didn't sleep well. Normally I'm out like a light, but sometimes it's hot, or I've had too much caffeine during the day or too much sugar too close to bedtime. I think last night it was caffeine. I woke up tired, less than 12 hours since my last run. My knees hurt. My calves hurt. I'm hungry. Plenty of other complaining, too. I set the treadmill to level 3 which, apparently, only means "start the 1.6km uphill stretch earlier". So tomorrow it's on to level 4.

The other thing to mention is weight. Lately I've been weighing in at night, because I've consistently forgotten in the mornings. Today I remembered, and I was pleased to find I've gone down a whole kilogram. It also renders my other measurements unreliable.

Mokalus of Borg

PS - I wanted a punny name for all my challenges.
PPS - The only one I've got for this is "Runuary" and it looks even worse written down than it sounds.

Thursday 15 January 2015

Too easy

Weight: 80.5kg
Distance: 5.51km
Time: 34m:10s
Average speed: 9.68kph

It was too easy. I waited until this evening to do my run today, for reasons, and I was able to just breeze through it, no worries. It wasn't until 3.5km in that I thought anything but "this is easy", which might say something about my improving fitness and my zen state of mind. In any case, tomorrow I'll have to bump up the difficulty to level 3 and see how I go. Otherwise I'll just be cruising, not growing.

It might also have been because the aircon was on tonight, and I'm not completely sure it comes on early enough for my morning sessions to cool the whole place down. That could mean I've been running in a sweatbox in the mornings, but any evening runs are much easier. I guess I'll find out tomorrow.

Mokalus of Borg

PS - Because of the changing inclines, the average speed measurements aren't that meaningful now.
PPS - If I were doing the same route on the streets every day, they'd matter much more.

Wednesday 14 January 2015

I'd like to rest

Weight: 81.4kg
Distance: 5.10km
Time: 30m:30s
Average speed: 10.03kph

I hurried through my run this morning because I had to get the car home in time for Deb to drive to her prac shift. I only did a one minute cool-down, so my distance, time and speed are a bit different today. I was able to focus on my breathing throughout the run, though, and that went very well. When I have the time tomorrow and I'm not rushed, I'll do more of that.

I'm getting to the point where I recognise it would do me well to take a rest day, but that's not the deal here. My calves are starting to feel a bit sore in the mornings, so I've had to do some extra stretching. I still feel good, on the whole, but I'm glad I'm getting up to the halfway point.

Mokalus of Borg

PS - I'm trying to resist the temptation to add up my distances early.
PPS - Trying and failing.

Tuesday 13 January 2015

Breathing

Weight: 81.4kg
Distance: 5.50km
Time: 34m:49s
Average speed: 9.48kph

Breathing is more important than you think. You only really think about it when it's gone or other, rare occasions. This is a lesson in how much running on a treadmill can change things.

When I run on the streets and footpaths, I pace myself by my breath. I need to be breathing this hard right now, so I'll run this fast, two steps per breath in, two steps per breath out. If I need to slow down because I need to take deeper breaths, that's what I do, or if I can go faster and keep my breathing steady, I do that. So my pace changes with my breath and it works well. I could run almost indefinitely like that.

On the treadmill, I've gone almost two weeks before even noticing my breathing. This morning I noticed I wasn't breathing to pace. I'd been just letting my breath happen, and I think it contributed to how crappy I'd feel after a run. This morning, at about the 2km mark, I suddenly remembered that breathing was a thing and I paced my breathing to my steps, two in, two out. It helped a lot with the incline section and I felt much better afterwards. Still sweaty in the most horrible way, but better. I must remember this.

Mokalus of Borg

PS - If not for the bathroom renovation, I would not have been running on the treadmill this much.
PPS - And I would not have made these realisations. I guess that's a good thing.

Monday 12 January 2015

Fitter

Weight: 81.9kg
Distance: 5.49km
Time: 34m:55s
Average speed: 9.43kph

That weight up there is both strange and a worry. It's a worry because over a year ago we joined Weight Watchers and at that time I weighed 82kg. It was about the heaviest I've ever been as an adult. It's strange, though, because I feel really good today. Also my work trousers - a size 82 waist - fit quite well. If I'm bloating out, it's a real struggle fitting into an 82 waist and I need to bust out the size 87s. In short, I'm really not sure what's going on with my weight and I wish I'd been measuring girth instead.

My normal cardio workout at the gym right now consists of 5km at 10kph on level 2. It's taxing but possible, so that's where I'll be staying for a while. The uphill section is the real killer, of course. I'm making my peace with working out at the gym and showering there, in part because we definitely won't have a working shower at home now for at least another week. I just need to stay on top of the laundry, which I have not done today.

Mokalus of Borg

PS - Tomorrow might be an evening workout as a result.
PPS - I really feel like I'm getting fitter, in general.

Sunday 11 January 2015

Hungry

Weight: 80.5kg
Distance: 5.25km
Time: 32m:11s
Average speed: 9.79kph

I wasn't sure whether I should go running this morning or wait until after church. I'm not sure which would have been more convenient, but I went before. I set the treadmill to a 5km run at level 2 which, it turns out, includes about 1.5km uphill at 2%. I didn't drop my speed at all, but I did struggle. I cut my cool-down short, too, which might have been a mistake.

Right now I'm just feeling hungry. It's close to lunch, so that should be expected, but I've been feeling this way since after my run. I did eat a bowl of cereal beforehand, but I think eggs would have been better. It probably would help with the weight, too, if I don't eat carbs for breakfast every day. Maybe I'll make that one of the challenges for later in the year - just change out my cereal for eggs and see how it goes.

Mokalus of Borg

PS - I've still got a lot of slots to fill in the year.
PPS - I do have February picked out, though.

Saturday 10 January 2015

Novelty

Weight: 80.5kg
Distance: 5.11km
Time: 35m:00s
Average speed: 8.76kph

To deal with the incessant boredom of the treadmill at the gym, I tried something new with it this morning. I set it to "fat burn" mode, level 4, 10kph. I thought I'd turn down my speed from 10.5 to just 10 to "take it easy". Let me tell you something right now. Running up a 5% slope at 10kph is not "taking it easy" by any measure. Three times during the workout I had to slow down to keep my heart from exploding, and this almost meant I didn't finish my 5km. I got there in the cool-down phase, though.

The fat burn program on this particuar brand of treadmill shows a chart of incline percentages over time, making it look like a series of flat runs over curiously square hills. It's hard to remember at the time that those square hills represent how steep the incline is, not the altitude. I would have liked to know the average incline over the 30 minutes, but the only statistic offered was peak incline. Still, I might try it again tomorrow, on a lower setting.

Mokalus of Borg

PS - Or maybe for longer at a lower speed.
PPS - I'll let you know.

Friday 9 January 2015

Hurry

Weight: 80.2kg
Distance: 5.53km
Time: 33m:23s
Average speed: 9.94kph

I learned an interesting lessong today: I don't need to rush so much. I've been getting out of bed at 05:30 in the morning, hurrying to the gym, running 5km on the treadmill, showering, dressing and rushing to the train to make it to work by 08:00. This morning, though I still got up at 05:30, I didn't hurry, because I'd built up a little overtime at work and could afford to come in a bit later (it's nice to be a contractor with a flexible employer). So I washed some dishes and took my time at the gym. I even strolled casually on as a train stopped at my home station and left without me, though I could have hurried and caught it. I waited for the next one. Guess what time I got to work?

08:05.

That's it. Five minutes is the only price I paid for staying on top of the dishes and not hurrying. So I think I'll keep doing that.

I'm getting bored of running on the treadmill at the gym. It's not just that it's the same place, same workout, same music on the TV every morning. Actually, I guess it is mostly that, but it's also the treadmill itself. Running on a treadmill is different to running on footpaths. On the footpath I feel like I set my own pace and, now and then, I might need to slow down to keep my heart rate within bounds. On the treadmill it's kind of like being tied to the back of a truck going at a steady pace. You'd better keep up or you'll fall. Your legs play catch-up with the surface and not the other way around. I look forward to having my own bathroom again so that I can run on the streets, the way it should be.

Mokalus of Borg

PS - I hate feeling rushed in anything.
PPS - It's just no fun.

Thursday 8 January 2015

Pushing

Weight: 81.5kg
Distance: 5.52km
Time: 33m:05s
Average speed: 10.01kph

I lied to my watch today. It said yesterday was a rest day, to which I said "pish posh", put on my monocle and top hat and ran my 5km anyway, because I am a determined gentleman. Today it implored me to take a rest day again, which is to say for the first time, really, and so I let it believe that I had done so. What it doesn't know can't hurt it. It might hurt me, I suppose, but the watch's conscience is clear.

I compulsively push myself just a little bit harder each day. Surely, I say to myself, if I managed 10.5kph yesterday for 5km, I must be capable of 10.8 today. You may recognise this as a foolish trajectory up into the stratosphere, but I attempted it nevertheless. Rest assured, though, that I had slowed down again by the end of the treadmill's programmed interval. I may think I'm Superman, Batman and Spiderman rolled into one glorious SuperBatSpider hero, but my middle-aged knees are all over that hubris. They've got it covered. Ain't puttin' up with my nonsense for long, is what I'm saying.

I'm getting tired of the treadmill at the gym, but until we have a spout that can shoot water at my naked body from the wall in our house again, I must submit to the ones at the gym, and that means making the motions of exercise there. Otherwise, somehow, I feel like I'm "cheating", when I actually pay for all of this. I should be able to shower there any time if I want, but I feel I must work out first. For now, at least, I have the excuse of the challenge.

Mokalus of Borg

PS - I don't think I've done this perfectly even once.
PPS - Every morning I forget at least one thing.

Wednesday 7 January 2015

The after-work running schedule

Weight: 80.8kg
Distance run: 5.52km
Time: 33m:40s
Average speed: 9.84kph

I tried something new today. I slept in until 06:00 and went running after work instead. On the plus side was the extra 30 minutes of sleep and not sweating on the train to work. The disadvantages were that I didn't get home properly until about 19:20. Also I generally feel guilty spending time on something just for me if I could instead be spending that time with Debbie. It was a bit more comfortable, though, because it was in the cool of the evening instead of the morning.

I also started breaking in some new leather boots (Dr Martens, a Christmas present) today, so I've had my foot bones in a weird shape all day, some blisters on my heels, and the exercise watch told me today was a "rest day", but none of those things is the boss of me.

Mokalus of Borg

PS - Going at 10.5kph for 5km wasn't so bad.
PPS - It felt easy at the beginning, but I'm glad I didn't bump the speed up in response.

Tuesday 6 January 2015

Speed

6 January
Weight: 81.5
Distance run: 5.53km
Time: 32m:39s
Average speed: 10.16kph

It's getting tricky to write something new about running every day, but I consider that part of the challenge, too. I've started pushing my speed higher, which does come at a price. I remain very sweaty until I'm halfway to work. I struggle more with the run itself. I do risk injury. I know all this. The advantage, when I have to squeeze this workout in before a day at the office is that I can get it done up to ninety seconds faster! So, you know. Totally worth it.

Laundry is becoming a problem, actually. I only have a few sets of workout clothes and, obviously, I can't reuse them day to day. Mornings are also the time I get a lot of my chores done, so laundry is falling behind, along with the dishes and my various inboxes. Committing this much time to running is having more of an impact on my life than I expected, but I think I can cope. It's still only day 6 of 31, though, which means I'm not even 20% done with this challenge.

Mokalus of Borg

PS - I know I said it wasn't about weight loss, but that number climbing up is a worry.
PPS - I've been hungry.

Monday 5 January 2015

Forgetting

5 January
Weight: Quantum uncertainty
Distance run: 5.53km
Time: 32m:54s
Average speed: 10.08kph

I'm not completely confident of that average speed up there, mostly because I forgot to write it down when I got off the treadmill. And I forgot to weigh myself before going to the gym. Then I forgot to gel my hair before going to work. Turns out, if you mess up my morning routine enough, you could probably get me to forget to put on pants before I leave the house. The run was good, but I didn't finish, according to the exercise watch (all hail Watch and his tiny kingdom). It seems like something that should bother me, but I've rationalised that if I finished 5km today, I'm doing well. I'll need to do it the exact same way tomorrow, too.

Getting dressed for work at the gym, having just showered there, feels very strange, and not just because I'm the only one in long sleeves. It's not the right place for that, you know? It was also too hot, so there's that. I blasted the car A/C on the very short drive home, but I still had some sweat to dry on the train which, I'm desperately hoping, was not especially rank, as odours go. Someone did sit next to me, so it probably wasn't that bad.

Mokalus of Borg

PS - Tomorrow, do it again.
PPS - So far this month, I've run just over 28km.

Sunday 4 January 2015

Last day of holidays

4 January
Weight: 81.5
Distance run: 5.49km
Time: 35m:00s
Average speed: 9.41kph

It's been a bit of a busy day, so I'm just checking in now. I did run this morning and showered at the gym, which still makes me feel a little bit icky. At least today I remembered my thongs, so I have slightly lowered my chance of catching a horrible foot fungus. I did, however, forget my watch entirely, so that's fun. Also, just for kicks, we went swimming today and I technically swam 2 x 50m laps, but just barely.

It's tomorrow I'm kind of worried about. Tomorrow I go back to work, and to fit in my run and a shower I'll have to give up everything about my morning routine, including breakfast, which I'll be eating at work. My morning routine is my sanity for the day, so this might be big, or it might be just another blip on the radar when my bathroom looks like a construction zone. We'll see.

Mokalus of Borg

PS - I didn't anticipate how disruptive a bathroom renovation would be.
PPS - Then again, it's pushing me to the gym more, so there's that.

Saturday 3 January 2015

The worst possible time to renovate your bathroom

3 January
Weight: 79.5kg
Distance run: 5.6km
Time: 35m:00s
Average speed: 9.6kph

Told you the scales weren't accurate. Today, we have successfully destroyed our bathroom, right down to the wall studs and bare floor. Of course this is in order to build it back up again into something more awesome, but until the job is finished, the only place I have to shower is the gym. So that's also what we did today. I pushed my speed at times up to 11kph, but then had a 5-minute cool-down at 6kph, which is why the average speed is so relatively low.

Yesterday I pulled a hip flexor (I think - my anatomical knowledge is somewhere between my knowledge of biology in general and cooking) and I was worried that it might affect me for the rest of the month if I couldn't rest it, but it seems 24 hours is plenty of time for that. I try not to push myself extra-hard normally, and injuries are a great excuse to take a day off, or a week, or sometimes a month, if I forget that I'm being lazy. I'm glad it only affected me for a short time.

The other minor event of note is a flat battery in my heart monitor which normally suggests to me how fast and how long I should be running. Today I turned it on and it (mostly) happily reported my pulse, but wouldn't tell me whether I was going too fast or slow. I'm pretty sure it would have been satisfied with my progress, though. That's right, I'm running to please a machine. I don't need to, as such. Nobody else is monitoring it, just me. Still, sometimes I feel its judgemental stare from my bedside table. I'll do better tomorrow, watch. I will. I promise.

Mokalus of Borg

PS - Showering at the gym is not very pleasant, but it will work.
PPS - It reminds me of campground showers.

Friday 2 January 2015

Sweat

2 January
Weight: 78.8
Distance run: 5.86km
Time: 36m:43s
Average speed: 9.57kph

I should mention at this point that I don't think our bathroom scale is that accurate. It seems to change readings in part, I believe, due to atmospheric pressure changes. Anyway, today I don't want to talk about sweat, but I feel I have to. Even if I run early in the morning and, as happened today, I get rained on, come home and take a cool shower and even try to air-dry to shed even more excess heat, no matter what I do, I'll step out of the shower and immediately begin sweating bullets. It's a thing my body does. My body temperature is always a little above normal, so running doesn't help that. The only cure I know is sitting in front of a fan for half an hour or more, sweating away the heat, trying not to touch anything. This is the price I'll pay to go running every day.

Mokalus of Borg

PS - I'm trying not to rest my arms on my desk as I type this.
PPS - It's disgusting, I know.

Thursday 1 January 2015

It's not about weight loss

1 January
Weight: 79.5kg
Distance run: 5.66km
Time: 37m:39s
Average speed: 9.01kph

I'm measuring my weight during January, as I run every day because I expect it to have an effect, but the goal is overall cardio fitness. Today I had to wait until the afternoon to run because I slept in after some New Year's Eve revelry and today, like most days, was around 31C in Brisbane. Plus some stuff came up.

I'm not really sure what the cause and effect relationship is, but when I run lots, I feel like eating better, and both of those things together contribute to loss of weight and girth. I might not consider it to be about weight loss, but I'm hardly going to turn it away at the door. So these measurements will continue. Posts may be morning or night, depending on when I run and whether I have anything to say about it that day.

Mokalus of Borg

PS - I consider my ideal weight to be about 70kg.
PPS - During 2014, I was steadily putting on weight just about all year.

Running in January

I'm hoping to do something a bit different this year. Twelve months, twelve monthly challenges. Some will be fitness-related, others will be artistic or creative. Some I might not have thought of yet. I have 11 months to get around to deciding what December will be. For January, though, my challenge to myself is this: run every day. I enjoy running, but I slack off regularly, so I'm going to go every single day for all of January. I'll be running about 5km per day, since that's about the distance required by the heart monitor watch my Dad got me for Christmas a couple of years ago. It varies the intensity and time, but it always seems to work out to running about 5km. I have a standard route to follow and on most days I'll be doing this before breakfast. Some days it might be at the gym, if it rains, or in sprints on the treadmill, interspersed with weights. Whatever the form, it will be every day. Count on that.

Mokalus of Borg

PS - I'll be writing progress here, assuming it's interesting enough.
PPS - Happy New Year, everyone!