My iRiver armband has finally arrived... and it came with a nice smattering of 34+ degrees celcius heat and humidity to boot.
That's hot for we weak Canadian folks in case you were wondering.
So hot, in fact, that OA (who promptly went out and purchased a mini-MP3 player of her own last night) and I decided to postpone today's morning jog (which would have been done in a minium of 25 degree heat... ew) to tomorrow morning. It is supposed to cool off dramatically overnight. Huzzah.
Tomorrow is also my last day EVER of my puny single mile course. Next week, with the new month, comes the new plan of adding an extra 1/2 mile to my route.
So the session will now look like this:
Run 0.25 mile
Walk 0.15 mile
Run 0.25 mile
Walk 0.15 mile
Run 0.25 mile
Walk 0.15 mile (new!)
Run 0.25 mile (new!)
That extra 0.4 mile of running... looks scary. I hope the music helps!
UPDATED Goal: Run 72 miles - 24 X 3 - by November 3, 2007 (My 24th Birthday!)
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Monday, June 25, 2007
Brush with fame...
We were back on the road again and used the same route as on Friday. I know I must start increasing my mileage, but I need to get back into a comfortable routine like that I was creating on the local track before I can start branching out again.
I = a major creature of habit.
One more week of my little tiny 1 mile run and then I will start adding to it beginning next Monday.
On my return trip, I passed by my first minor-celebrity fellow jogger in the form of my fellow graduate of McGill University and CBC Television Host Evan Solomon. Turns out he lives in my neighbourhood... and now he has the joy of seeing me huffing and puffing down his street every second morning. I'm pretty sure the real estate agent didn't notify him of that perk :)
OA and I both managed to make it up the seemingly monstrous hill on Benson Avenue without stopping - small bits of progress like this make me very happy.
DAY 12 REPORT
wake-up time 5:45
1 mile total (+walking to starting point)
Total Walked (approx): 1/4 mile
Total Ran (approx): 3/4 mile
Legs - very sore... the pavement does something to make my upper thighs feel very weak while running
Lungs - wheezy, but not as bad as Friday's
Stomach - fine
Sweat level - high. When I sat down on my front steps following the jog, I left a bum-sweat print on the concrete. How lovely.
Overall impression - I still miss my track, but am getting over the disappointment of having lost it.
The MP3 armband STILL has not arrived and now I am getting kinda pissed.
I = a major creature of habit.
One more week of my little tiny 1 mile run and then I will start adding to it beginning next Monday.
On my return trip, I passed by my first minor-celebrity fellow jogger in the form of my fellow graduate of McGill University and CBC Television Host Evan Solomon. Turns out he lives in my neighbourhood... and now he has the joy of seeing me huffing and puffing down his street every second morning. I'm pretty sure the real estate agent didn't notify him of that perk :)
OA and I both managed to make it up the seemingly monstrous hill on Benson Avenue without stopping - small bits of progress like this make me very happy.
DAY 12 REPORT
wake-up time 5:45
1 mile total (+walking to starting point)
Total Walked (approx): 1/4 mile
Total Ran (approx): 3/4 mile
Legs - very sore... the pavement does something to make my upper thighs feel very weak while running
Lungs - wheezy, but not as bad as Friday's
Stomach - fine
Sweat level - high. When I sat down on my front steps following the jog, I left a bum-sweat print on the concrete. How lovely.
Overall impression - I still miss my track, but am getting over the disappointment of having lost it.
The MP3 armband STILL has not arrived and now I am getting kinda pissed.
Friday, June 22, 2007
A Roadrunner I'm Not... But Progress!
Did the road thing with a plan this time (yea Google maps!) which made things a little easier and less "OH MY GOD WHERE AM I/I HATE NOT BEING ON A FUCKING TRACK/CAN I STOP NOW?/SURE I'LL STOP NOW!"
I think I managed to do the equivalent of 3 full quarter mile laps of running for the first time... I think. Unfortunately, exact distance measuring is a challenge without the benefits of the tried and true quarter mile track...
OA wanted to kill me first thing this morning when we got to the first running leg of our jog and stared up on fairly long, kinda-steep incline. Ooops. We were gasping and wheezing so much by the end of the first leg (sad really) that I thought for sure I wasn't going to be able to do the full three-quarters of a mile. Luckily, most of the rest of the running legs were on either flat terrain or declining hills.
My ankles hurt more today than they ever did running on my track... grrr. I hope they'll strengthen the more that we run on pavement.
DAY 11 REPORT
wake-up time 5:45
1 mile total (+walking to starting point)
Total Walked (approx): 1/4 mile
Total Ran (approx): 3/4 mile
Legs - owwwwwww
Lungs - very wheezy
Stomach - fine
Sweat level - low
Overall impression - I don't like other joggers passing me by on the street. They are totally saying "you'll quit in a few weeks" in their perfectly toned heads. I can tell. They look particularly fit, evil and judgemental at 6:30 am.
Still no MP3 armband either...
I think I managed to do the equivalent of 3 full quarter mile laps of running for the first time... I think. Unfortunately, exact distance measuring is a challenge without the benefits of the tried and true quarter mile track...
OA wanted to kill me first thing this morning when we got to the first running leg of our jog and stared up on fairly long, kinda-steep incline. Ooops. We were gasping and wheezing so much by the end of the first leg (sad really) that I thought for sure I wasn't going to be able to do the full three-quarters of a mile. Luckily, most of the rest of the running legs were on either flat terrain or declining hills.
My ankles hurt more today than they ever did running on my track... grrr. I hope they'll strengthen the more that we run on pavement.
DAY 11 REPORT
wake-up time 5:45
1 mile total (+walking to starting point)
Total Walked (approx): 1/4 mile
Total Ran (approx): 3/4 mile
Legs - owwwwwww
Lungs - very wheezy
Stomach - fine
Sweat level - low
Overall impression - I don't like other joggers passing me by on the street. They are totally saying "you'll quit in a few weeks" in their perfectly toned heads. I can tell. They look particularly fit, evil and judgemental at 6:30 am.
Still no MP3 armband either...
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Day 10 Disaster
They took our track away! My lovely little, very close by to my house, nicely shaded, not crowded track has been shut down!
Well technically it isn't shut down - more like "temporarily closed for repairs for the summer" - but still...
The "closed" sign and padlock staring OA and I in the face was very unsettling at 6am on the morning when I was *finally* going to do a 3/4 mile run... OA bucked up instantly because she was getting bored with the whole "running around in circles" thing, but it really disappointed me.
So instead of doing my perfectly measured and paced jog around my comfy, cozy track, we embarked on a bit of a journey of discovery up and down neighbourhood streets. According to Google P-Maps, the whole course was approximately 1 1/4 miles... and I walked a good chunk of it. In total, I would have to estimate that I ran 5/8 of a mile and walked the same distance...
OA was in 7th heaven... she disappeared into the distance early on after I stopped for my first walk break. It made me very unhappy to be all by myself, tired, sweaty and with sore knees and thinking of ways we could break the padlock on Friday.
Le sigh. It is going to be a long summer methinks.
DAY 10 REPORT (DAY 10! DAY 10! WHAT A HORRIBLE DAY FOR SUCH A MILESTONE!)
wake-up time 5:45
1.25 miles total (plus walking to track)
Total Walked (approx): 5/8 mile
Total Ran (approx): 5/8 mile
Legs - sore... pavement sucks the big one
Lungs - wheezy
Stomach - uneasy as a result of another night of acid reflux (not running related)
Sweat level - high despite the chill
Overall impression - *weeps* I want my track back!
Oh... and my stupid MP3 arm band didn't show up in yesterday's mail either. *double sob*
Well technically it isn't shut down - more like "temporarily closed for repairs for the summer" - but still...
The "closed" sign and padlock staring OA and I in the face was very unsettling at 6am on the morning when I was *finally* going to do a 3/4 mile run... OA bucked up instantly because she was getting bored with the whole "running around in circles" thing, but it really disappointed me.
So instead of doing my perfectly measured and paced jog around my comfy, cozy track, we embarked on a bit of a journey of discovery up and down neighbourhood streets. According to Google P-Maps, the whole course was approximately 1 1/4 miles... and I walked a good chunk of it. In total, I would have to estimate that I ran 5/8 of a mile and walked the same distance...
OA was in 7th heaven... she disappeared into the distance early on after I stopped for my first walk break. It made me very unhappy to be all by myself, tired, sweaty and with sore knees and thinking of ways we could break the padlock on Friday.
Le sigh. It is going to be a long summer methinks.
DAY 10 REPORT (DAY 10! DAY 10! WHAT A HORRIBLE DAY FOR SUCH A MILESTONE!)
wake-up time 5:45
1.25 miles total (plus walking to track)
Total Walked (approx): 5/8 mile
Total Ran (approx): 5/8 mile
Legs - sore... pavement sucks the big one
Lungs - wheezy
Stomach - uneasy as a result of another night of acid reflux (not running related)
Sweat level - high despite the chill
Overall impression - *weeps* I want my track back!
Oh... and my stupid MP3 arm band didn't show up in yesterday's mail either. *double sob*
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Tunes Tomorrow?
Tomorrow, when I will *finally* complete a run consisting of three full quarter mile laps of actual to goodness jogging, I hope to have some of my favorite showtunes blasting in my ear and pushing me along to achieve this mini-goal.
I bought an iRiver mp3 player last spring which has served me well except for the fact that finding accessories for it outside of South-East Asia is a challenge. Hence, while I would have loved to have had some music accompanying me each morning when OA and I jog (given that conversation is still out for me), it has been impossible to find a exercise clip for the player...
... impossible, that is, until I finally gave in and paid the $0.49 to buy a custom made holder for my iRiver on eBay and followed that up with $14 (!!!) of shipping to get the darn thing from Seoul to my possession. Yes you calculated that the shipping of the holder officially is more than 28 times the actual cost of the item.
Online tracking appears to be showing it in the actual confines of the City of Toronto. Tomorrow is a running day. Cross your fingers that I will be able to actually listen to Andrea McArdle singing "Tomorrow", tomorrow! :)
I bought an iRiver mp3 player last spring which has served me well except for the fact that finding accessories for it outside of South-East Asia is a challenge. Hence, while I would have loved to have had some music accompanying me each morning when OA and I jog (given that conversation is still out for me), it has been impossible to find a exercise clip for the player...
... impossible, that is, until I finally gave in and paid the $0.49 to buy a custom made holder for my iRiver on eBay and followed that up with $14 (!!!) of shipping to get the darn thing from Seoul to my possession. Yes you calculated that the shipping of the holder officially is more than 28 times the actual cost of the item.
Online tracking appears to be showing it in the actual confines of the City of Toronto. Tomorrow is a running day. Cross your fingers that I will be able to actually listen to Andrea McArdle singing "Tomorrow", tomorrow! :)
Monday, June 18, 2007
Family-Be-Gone
The clan was in Toronto for the weekend for my cousin's wedding. My sisters, brother-in-law and 7 month old niece stayed with me from Friday through to this morning.
Dealing with visiting family is more exhausting than jogging - that's for sure!
I also had my job's big annual luncheon on Friday... lunch for 450 cranky, hungry, humourless people is fun in an express train straight to hell kind of way.
So on Friday morning, knowing that I would be undergoing severe stress (and coupled with a nasty case of acid reflux from the burrito I HAD to eat the night before from Burrito Boys on Adelaide Street) running was definitely off the schedule. The gigantic amounts of food and alcohol consumed on Friday with my immediate family, Saturday with the full clan and bride's family and then yesterday with just my dad's folks left me almost dead this morning. I definitely should have worked harder to get more (non-adult) beverages into my system... I was guzzling water post-jog like a desert bedouin reaching an oasis.
I went four full days without jogging. And I missed it... to the point where it actually felt GOOD to wake up at an ungodly hour this morning and strap on my shoes.
Shock.
Regardless, four days are four days and I didn't think that attempting my first 3/4 mile run was the best plan. Instead, I reverted back to my comfortable 5/8 run, 3/8 walk routine which left me tired but happy.
My heart rate (checked with my brand-spaking new Speedo Heart Rate Monitor Watch) peaked at 183 (yikes). My first quarter-mile took me 2:12.
I think I need to slow down...
Oh well.
DAY 9 REPORT
wake-up time 5:45am
1 mile total (plus walking to and from track)
3 half circuits walking (3/8 mile), 1 half circuit running (1/8 mile), 2 full circuits running (1/2 mile)
Total Walked: 3/8 mile
Total Ran: 5/8 mile
Legs - first lap went really well legs-wise, very loose. Second, third and fourth laps had a bit of pain/tightness
Lungs - definitely not as wheezy as on other days, but not conversation-ready yet either
Stomach - stitchy after the second full running lap, but it improved with some stretching during the walking half-lap which following
Sweat level - medium
Overall Impression: I need to break this plateau I've created and start adding a third full running lap ASAP
Dealing with visiting family is more exhausting than jogging - that's for sure!
I also had my job's big annual luncheon on Friday... lunch for 450 cranky, hungry, humourless people is fun in an express train straight to hell kind of way.
So on Friday morning, knowing that I would be undergoing severe stress (and coupled with a nasty case of acid reflux from the burrito I HAD to eat the night before from Burrito Boys on Adelaide Street) running was definitely off the schedule. The gigantic amounts of food and alcohol consumed on Friday with my immediate family, Saturday with the full clan and bride's family and then yesterday with just my dad's folks left me almost dead this morning. I definitely should have worked harder to get more (non-adult) beverages into my system... I was guzzling water post-jog like a desert bedouin reaching an oasis.
I went four full days without jogging. And I missed it... to the point where it actually felt GOOD to wake up at an ungodly hour this morning and strap on my shoes.
Shock.
Regardless, four days are four days and I didn't think that attempting my first 3/4 mile run was the best plan. Instead, I reverted back to my comfortable 5/8 run, 3/8 walk routine which left me tired but happy.
My heart rate (checked with my brand-spaking new Speedo Heart Rate Monitor Watch) peaked at 183 (yikes). My first quarter-mile took me 2:12.
I think I need to slow down...
Oh well.
DAY 9 REPORT
wake-up time 5:45am
1 mile total (plus walking to and from track)
3 half circuits walking (3/8 mile), 1 half circuit running (1/8 mile), 2 full circuits running (1/2 mile)
Total Walked: 3/8 mile
Total Ran: 5/8 mile
Legs - first lap went really well legs-wise, very loose. Second, third and fourth laps had a bit of pain/tightness
Lungs - definitely not as wheezy as on other days, but not conversation-ready yet either
Stomach - stitchy after the second full running lap, but it improved with some stretching during the walking half-lap which following
Sweat level - medium
Overall Impression: I need to break this plateau I've created and start adding a third full running lap ASAP
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Thank you blogosphere!
So despite all my earlier whining about not being able to follow the "conversation" test while jogging, the blogosphere has come through and two readers of my lowly little blog have assuaged my fears.
Thanks Benjamin and Helen!
So I totally babied out yesterday post running and skipped work for the day because of "illness". I haven't had a sick day in at least three months and was feeling kind of under the weather. So instead of slaving away at the office, I enjoyed a wonderful day of lounging in front of the tv and debating the merits of cleaning (sloth won out in the end as I knew it would, of course!)
Another running day tomorrow which will be followed by a weekend of debauchery at my cousin's wedding... tomorrow is lap, half lap, lap, half lap, lap day. So far I have been able to do on lap, half lap, lap, half lap, three quarter lap, quarter lap.
Tomorrow is L-cubed day. I am shaking in my socks...
Thanks Benjamin and Helen!
So I totally babied out yesterday post running and skipped work for the day because of "illness". I haven't had a sick day in at least three months and was feeling kind of under the weather. So instead of slaving away at the office, I enjoyed a wonderful day of lounging in front of the tv and debating the merits of cleaning (sloth won out in the end as I knew it would, of course!)
Another running day tomorrow which will be followed by a weekend of debauchery at my cousin's wedding... tomorrow is lap, half lap, lap, half lap, lap day. So far I have been able to do on lap, half lap, lap, half lap, three quarter lap, quarter lap.
Tomorrow is L-cubed day. I am shaking in my socks...
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