WinterWalker - Restart

[WinterWalker]

I used to have a different log, but it's been so long that I literally don't remember what I called it.  Since I'm restarting everything else, I might as well restart this too.

 

I'm in Alaska.   I'm 31 years old.  I'm about to graduate university with a degree in Elementary Education (because nothing gets steps in like chasing first-graders.)  I've got a pretty stocky build - being the type to put on both muscle and fat easily.  So.....that's the brief.

 

Motivation / Perseverance is a tricky thing for me.  I have some fitness goals, but nothing dire will happen if I don't achieve them - and without that sense of impending doom, I don't especially care about keeping to personal commitments.  Nobody is affected but myself.  I'm not loot-oriented (well, I am, but being in charge of my own loot...hasn't worked.)  I'm very mildly vanity-oriented.

 

Which is where the respawn comes in.  Since I graduate in 8 weeks, and photos are inevitable, I've set myself an 8-week goal of dropping 12 lbs.  That'll get me to 165 lbs.  

There's a midpoint goal (in 5 weeks) of participating in the Fairbanks Beat Beethoven Run - where people who run a 5k in 31 min or less get a free ticket to any one performance by the Fairbanks Symphony.  I don't do much running or cardio, other than as a warm-up, but I do love the symphony here.  So I'm researching how to best train for that.

 

That's where I'm at.  I've got the goals, I've got the little paper calendar with stickers to track days I work out and weekly weigh-ins to check progress.  If all goes well, my graduation photos will look like something I'll actually want to share.

[Sloth the Enduring]

Welcome back. I’m tagging@Xena in case you’re looking for running advice.

[Xena]

19 hours ago, WinterWalker said:

Motivation / Perseverance is a tricky thing for me.  I have some fitness goals, but nothing dire will happen if I don't achieve them - and without that sense of impending doom, I don't especially care about keeping to personal commitments.  Nobody is affected but myself. 

 

I think I understand this. For me, oddly it doesn't come out with exercise, but I saw that kind of behavior when I tried to make a house cleaning goal. I had 5 small chores to do every day before leaving for work. And the main problem would be that I would often try to avoid doing them, not exactly because I didn't want to do them, but because I thought it was more important to get to work (no one else cares what time I go to work, I don't have set hours) than to do this little thing of washing my breakfast dishes for myself. I would have to tell myself that it was important to spend 3 minutes cleaning up the house so I could enjoy it. I know it's not exactly the same thing, but I didn't even know I felt that way until I made a goal

 

19 hours ago, WinterWalker said:

There's a midpoint goal (in 5 weeks) of participating in the Fairbanks Beat Beethoven Run - where people who run a 5k in 31 min or less get a free ticket to any one performance by the Fairbanks Symphony.  I don't do much running or cardio, other than as a warm-up, but I do love the symphony here.  So I'm researching how to best train for that.

 

Here for any questions! Couch to 5K is a popular program....there are lots of good programs out there.

The main thing I try to tell new runners is not to be afraid of walking. Run-walk intervals (Jog-walk) are a great way to start.

[WinterWalker]

On 3/12/2019 at 4:35 PM, Xena said:

The main thing I try to tell new runners is not to be afraid of walking. Run-walk intervals (Jog-walk) are a great way to start.

 

I do love my intervals!  I just went for 1.6 miles today, and it took a little over 20 min.  That was with a combo of walking and running.  I figure on just gradually increasing over the next few weeks until the race.  I figure that as long as I'm moving, I'm making progress.

[Xena]

You've completely go this! Perfect strategy. Will this be your first 5K?

[WinterWalker]

22 hours ago, Xena said:

Will this be your first 5K?

Yep!  I've never gone farther than 2 miles at a time and I've never done a race before.  I'm in it mostly for the experience and the chance to support the local symphony.

[Xena]

That's awesome. You'll have a fun time for sure then. You have the perfect attitude for it :-)

[WinterWalker]

I have successfully tracked nutrition for 7 days, and gone to the gym for solid workouts 5 days in a row (two of the days were moderate cardio and stretches.  I like not hurting myself from overdoing things.)

 

And my weekly weigh-in showed a 1.5 lb INCREASE.  Kinda....the direct opposite of what I was going for.  I read somewhere that suddenly increasing exercise can result in water retention from the muscles being inflamed or something..... fingers crossed that's what happened.  Discouraging.

Let's hope Week 2 goes better.

 

On the plus side, I've verified that my Farmer's Carry is as good as ever - 25 lbs per hand for one lap around the track (660 ft).  I love how it feels across my shoulders and how it improves my posture.

[Xena]

Don't worry about the weight. Mine can fluctuate by that much from one day to the next. Keep doing what you are doing, and give it a little more time.

 

And yes, after hard exercise (like a race) my weight does go up.

Sounds like you had a super solid week. Great work!