Tweaking the Program

Day 22 of 100 :)

The other day I mentioned something about my new exercise program to my Son-in-Law, Dany, who is a real fitness buff.

Dany listened patiently as I outlined my plan, and then he asked: "What is your goal, here?" And without thinking, I blurted out: "Next year I'd like to run a marathon, and I'd like to do it in under 5 hours. I don't want to be out there all day!" I was surprised at my own answer, but also pleased.

"Well," said Dany, "the program you've got is going to improve your fitness level, but if you want to improve your speed for a marathon, you need to do some speed training. The elliptical is great exercise for general fitness, but it's not going to help you run any faster. And the long runs you are doing are not going to increase your speed, either."

We discussed doing mid-week interval training on the treadmill, but I fell off of one of those once and now I'm pretty nervous about them. So we finally settled that I would get out my old heart rate monitor, get the battery replaced so it will actually work, and then starting with one day a week, instead of the 20 minute elliptical work-out I would go outdoors and do some running intervals. I would run as fast as I could about 50 yards, then slow to my regular pace until my heartrate went back to normal, then do it again, repeating the cycle 10 times in a row. Once I get into doing this, I'll check back with him to refine the exercise.

So today I gave it my first try. Wow, I haven't run that hard since I was a teenager! I felt like I was going to, ahem, lose my breakfast! (I think I'll have to do this exercise on an empty stomach in the future!!) It was interesting, though. My body really fought the effort, but I got through my 10 mini-sprints. I don't have the heart monitor working yet, so I just played the heartrate part by ear, but I'm proud of myself for making the effort, and for making it through 22 days of my 100. Consistency is always my biggest challenge, so each day that I go out and exercise is another day of victory!

Yours for a happier, healthier life,

The Jogging Grandma

Wow! I just realized...

You know what they say about the subconscious working towards your goals even while you aren't thinking about them?

I just realized that without realizing it, I have reached a goal I set for myself several years ago!

In 2006, when I was learning about the power of goal-setting, I wrote this physical fitness improvement goal:

"I CAN RUN FOR TWO HOURS, UP AND DOWN HILLS, WITHOUT STOPPING."

That's the way you're supposed to state your goal, in the present tense, phrasing it in a positive way, and making it clearly measurable.

At the time, it seemed almost unattainable. I could run a 5 K by then, and I was doing daily runs of about 2.5 miles, but I had never been able to run farther than that. I had tried longer runs a few times, but always had to stop and walk.

Nevertheless, I repeated that goal, along with some other major goals for different areas of my life, out loud, several times a day, every day, for months!

The year came and went. I gave up on chanting my goals out loud to myself every day. They seemed ridiculous and I became discouraged.

Now, suddenly, as I was writing another blog entry, I realized that when I do my weekly 8.5 mile runs--and as I say, my times are slow-- I AM ACTUALLY RUNNING FOR TWO HOURS, UP AND DOWN HILLS, WITHOUT STOPPING, and doing it every week. My goal, which I chanted over and over to myself, has become reality, without me even realizing it!

How did this happen? Well, here's what I think.

That subconscious goal must have influenced my decision to join the running club when I was invited. And it must have helped me push this old body of mine from a 6 mile walk to a 6 mile run. It could be what inspired me to go ahead and try the longer, 8.5 mile route, and kept me putting one foot in front of the other, no matter what. Even on days that my running partners slept in and left me to run alone. Even when I was very, very tired. Even when my running partners stopped to walk, or wanted to take a shorter route. Something kept pushing me on. I thought I was just running to improve my fitness, but it is too amazing to be a coincidence, for me to come so quickly up to exactly what that goal--which I reinforced over and over a few years back--had prepared me for: running for two hours, up and down hills, without stopping!!!!

Simply amazing. Think I'll pull out those old goals--still valid--and begin to chant them to myself again! And I'll begin saying to myself: "I can run a marathon in under five hours."

Yours for a happier, healthier life,

The Jogging Grandma

The Exercise Program

During my previous program, I was doing strength building exercises three days a week and 20 minutes of aerobic intervals on the eliptical machine the other two days a week. I joined a running club and began running on Saturdays, starting with a 6 mile "walk" and ending up doing an 8.5 mile weekly "jog". Slow times, true, but just being able to jog that far in itself was a great deal of progress.

So now we're upping the ante. I'm going to keep the strength training program, because it is good, thorough and balanced. Upper body one day, lower body and abs the next, MWF, very methodical and intense, following the program outlined by Bill Phillips in his classic masterpiece, "Body for Life." I'm feeling very strong, and can see progress, increasing my weights every few weeks and improving my form from session to session.

Now, for my new program, on these strength-training days I've added an aerobic component: a 20 minute interval stint on the elliptical and a 30-lap swim (aiming for 20 minutes).

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, while my weight-lifting muscles are recuperating, I'm going to be doing a 60 minute run (aiming for five miles) and a 60 lap swim (aiming for 40 minutes).

This new program more than doubles the total exercise that I was doing previously. SOMETHING different (and good) should happen, right?

Yours for a happier, healthier life,

The Jogging Grandma

100 Days

First, I wrote in my fitness journal "Day 1 of 500." Then I had to laugh at myself. Moderation has never been my strong point. So I amended it to say, "Day 1 of 100."

This was my first adjustment for my second try at a fitness program. Maybe 50 days is not enough; let's go for 100 days. Then, if I am getting results, I can always extend it, right?

Goals. Maybe I should concetrate on just one thing at a time. My main goal is to increase my fitness. Of course, my vanity would like for my body to trim down and look younger and sexier, but if I were to choose between fit and sexy, I would have to go for fit. Hopefully I can reach both goals, but let's do this one at a time.

So my goals for the next 100 days are:
1) Stick to my program for 100 days! (Current record is 50 days.)
2) Increase my strength by at least five pounds on each exercise. (Different muscle groups have different strengths, so it is a little hard to set a specific overall goal here, but I should increase strength in all muscle groups.)
3) Increase swimming speed by 20%. (Current speed is 60 laps in 50 min. I'll try to get that down to 40 min.)
4) Increase running speed by 20%. (Currently averaging 15 min. miles; will try to get down to 12 min. miles)
5) Increase running stamina to 15 miles. (Current weekly "long runs" are 8.5 miles, and leave me half-dead the rest of the day:)

I plan to eat moderate servings of a well-balanced diet, and continue to drink plenty of water (10 glasses per day). For now, I'm not going to make any specific weight-loss goals. After 100 days, if I can establish these fitness habits firmly, I can turn my attention to weight-loss goals.

Let's do it!

Yours for a happier, healthier life,

The Jogging Grandma

Taking Stock

I tried to take stock of what might have gone wrong.

1) The detox program. Maybe it was all bunk. Maybe all those terrible toxins we take in (and coffee and diet coke are full of them!) actually have little to do with our waistlines. I mean, it all sounds reasonable, but who knows? What science says today it changes tomorrow--that we have all experienced! But the detox program probably wasn't hurting any, either.

2) The nutrition program. We were supposed to be eating 6 small meals a day--high protein, low carbs. Well, I had tried the 6-meals-a-day before, and gained weight on it! But I thought I would try again. It makes sense to keep the blood sugar levels on a more even keel. And smaller meals would make for a smaller stomach, over time, which should make it easier to eat less, right? But I found the nutrition part the hardest to follow. First of all, because I was exercising a lot, and the more I exercise, the hungrier I feel.

In the past, the only way I have ever been able to lose weight has been by starving myself. I mean, really drastically reducing caloric intake. Now, all my reading indicated that this is not the best way of doing things; the body goes into starvation mode and lowers its metabolism, and muscle is torn down. So I tried to eat a moderate, well-balanced, evenly distributed diet. But it was hard. Often I would follow it all day, only to go on a ravenous eating binge in the evening. Hmmm. No, I had not found peace with this part of the program.

3) The exercise program. I was faithfully following a well-balanced exercise program. Strength training three days a week, aerobic two days a week. I joined a running club to get extra work in on the weekend. I think what I was doing was good; it was just not enough.

In the end, losing weight has to be about stimulating the metabolism and expending more calories than you take in, right? But somehow, I could see that I needed to make some adjustments to my program if I was going to see any results.

Yours for a happier, healthier life,

The Jogging Grandma

50 Days

Sometimes there is a fine line between persevering and being foolish. Sometimes there is no line at all; it just depends on how you want to look at it.

Beginning in February, I followed a fabulous new fitness program. An inspiring (and physically impressive) personal trainer had convinced my hubby and myself to sign up for this wonderful 12-month detox program which would "melt the pounds away", especially from those "stubbornly resistant spots" that we tend to develop as we get older. I got all fired up and dreamed of getting back into great shape.

I spent the first weekend reading through various exercise/fitness books, studying the meal charts, and planning out my program. I faithfully swore off my two favorite beverages, coffee and diet coke, made copies of daily exercise and nutrition log sheets, and was all set to go. I visualized myself about 30 pounds slimmer, dancing and leaping joyously, full of energy and grace. I was prepared to empty my closet of all those soon-to-be too-large clothes and reward myself with a few very nice things, which would show off my near-perfect body.

My enthusiasm lasted for exactly 50 days.

Now, I think that some things take longer than others, but 50 days should be enough to tell you something about whether you are on the right fitness path or not. I think that after 50 days, you just might want to take stock and see whether what you are doing is going to produce results or not. Or maybe it's just that my idea of perseverance is about 50 days long.

After 50 days of faithfully following my wonderful program, my results were: nil. I weighed exactly the same as when I started. I had reduced one jeans size--maybe. Maybe I was just pouring myself into smaller jeans, I can't be sure. But something wasn't right, I could tell you that.

Yours for a happier, healthier life,

The Jogging Grandma

My Favorite Moment

My absolute favorite moment at the Ragnar Relay Race?

On the way from one Exchange Post to another, I stopped by the park in Woodland Hills where my team was getting some R&R between turns on the road. It was a huge park, designated as a Major Exchange, with thousands of running enthusiasts present!

My team captain took me over to the buffet supper and made sure I got fed, and then we went over to the spot where the rest of the Van #1 riders were resting. I rolled out my sleeping bag, stretched out, and had a Memorable Moment....

How long had it been since I stretched out to take a nap under a tree with a bunch of my friends? Decades! Friendship, the cool of the evening, the spongy, grassy turf, the weariness of having worked hard all day long, the full belly after a day of not eating, the distant chatter of other groups of runners, the far-off sounds of the runner Exchange--clanging and clapping as each new participant arrived... It all just came together for a Perfect Moment.

The whole weekend would have been worth that single half-hour of rest and perfect happiness.

Life is full of adventure and pleasure, if you dare to grasp hold of it whenever you can!

Happy jogging!

Whew!

Sometimes I get so caught up in LIVING that I don't get a chance to REFLECT on life...

Lately I've had a lot of fun. We had out-of-state visitors, which meant trips to Disneyland, Hollywood, the mountains, the desert, the ocean... all the typical Southern California "Things to See."

Then from April 22-24, I participated in the much-awaited "Ragnar Relay Race." 200 miles along the coast, from Ventura to Dana Point. Twelve runners, running three legs of the race each. Two vans, transporting runners from one Exchange Point to another. We left for Ventura at noon Thursday; our team had dinner together there (carb-loading, you know) Thursday evening and stayed overnight. The first teams left Ventura at 6:00 a.m. Friday morning; our team left at 10:30 a.m., arriving at Dana Point about 5 p.m. Saturday afternoon.

Running is often a lonely sport, extremely individualized. But belonging to a little running club like ours makes it more sociable, and a great event like a Ragnar Relay makes it an absolute blast!

I actually didn't run this time, myself. Each team needs to provide three volunteers, and I was my team's three volunteers :) So I spent the first 24 hours of the race, from 5 am Friday to 5 am Saturday, helping to man the posts at three different Exchanges. It was a lot of fun, calling in the runner's team numbers as they approached the Exchange, so their relay partner could be ready for them to come in, cheering them on, seeing all the fun costumes and great runners. I had a wonderful time. I didn't know if I could stay awake, working hard for 24 hours, but I did it!!!!

When my last shift was over, I caught up with my team and spent the rest of the day hanging out with them. Some of the legs of the race went through city streets, but others were along the very edge of the Ocean, and it was an absolutely perfect day, weather-wise!

If you ever get a chance, don't miss out on an experience like this! I wouldn't have missed it for anything!

Happy jogging!