Category: healthy

healthy

Learning to Run – DONE! – and a Big Time Happy Dance!

Angela Pea1 Comment

Happy Dance?  Why?  Because a) it’s Friday and I’m looking at a three day weekend; b) the temperature has dropped below 100 degrees again – in fact, it’s below ninety!; and c) I pulled out my jeans to wear to work today and they DIDN’T FIT! 

Usually, non-fitting pants would send me into a snit, complete with self-loathing and a day spent in a foul temper. This morning I just grinned, jumped up and down all over the bedroom and dragged my Husband out of the shower just to show him the FOUR INCH gap in the waistband!  Seriously! I haven’t worn jeans since summer began back at the end of March, and these were really, really tight last spring.  They were so tight that I couldn’t wear them all day long without being majorly uncomfortable. I tossed them in the floor, pulled out an old pair of size 12, non-stretch skinny jeans and oh-my-gosh they fit. They fit LOOSELY!!   I can do situps in these – sit cross legged on the floor – probably even do a back flip if I knew how to do a back flip!  I am grinning from ear to ear today!
I have officially completed the Learning to Run Program and can now run a 5K.  I did the final training segment yesterday and finished in 41:23 minutes!   Need to shave two more minutes off the time and I’m ready for the race in October. 

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healthy

Learning to Run – Week 8 – Speedwalk Session 1 & 2 – Life and Relief!

Angela Pea2 Comments
Hello Chickies!
Bet you thought I fell off the face of the earth, didn’t you?  No such luck – I’ve just been up to my eyeballs with life.  I’m still at it with the speedwalking – First training on Tuesday evening at the Y, and the second one yesterday at lunchtime.  Yeah, I KNOW there’s supposed to be a rest day inbetween, but I just couldn’t resist the temptation of cooler temperatures.  More details below…
We’ve successfully released our oldest child into the wild.  She’s off on her college adventure, and the rest of the family is feeling pretty sad this week, especially Mom and Teen Son#2.  He’s been slipping into her room and sleeping in her bed. I did really well on move-into-the-dorm day; didn’t shed a single tear.  I was afraid that if I did, it would collapse the entire family into a slobbering mess and nothing would get done that day.  I only lost it last night when I set five plates on the dinner table instead of six.  Her chair looks so empty!
Relief?  This blessing came in the form of a cold front, knocking us out of those relentless 100+ degree days!  27 days in a row of temperatures in the hundreds and heat indices in the hundred-teens.  Yesterday the high was 82.  What did I do to celebrate?  Hit the pavement at lunchtime and worked on my speed for the 5K. Made it in 47 minutes, including warmup and cooldown.  It was glorious to be outside!
I’m also down another pound.  Keep up the good work, friends!

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healthy

Learning to Walk – Week Seven, Second Run and STILL Blazing Hot

Angela Pea3 Comments
Hello, Chickies!
Okay – just how ridiculous is this?  I ran drove to WallyWorld late last night to pick up some more fruit and get milk for breakfast. At 10:38 pm, it was 96 degrees.  High today is going to be somewhere in the hundreds.  Somebody just pack me on ice until October, please.
I high-tailed my rear end over to the Y after work yesterday to a) get a parking spot in the shade; b) work through my learning to walk training session and then c) hang out with K, the crazed woman who directs the Body Pump class.  Learning to walk – fantastical.  This week’s schedule calls for 5 minutes warmup, 25 minutes at speed and a 4 minute cooldown.  I made 2.3 miles in the 34 minutes.  My pace is picking up! 
My YMCA. 
K?  She’s wild.  She’s electric, on fire.  Seriously.  She teaches a spinning class the hour before Body Pump, and she’s STILL be-bopping around and tossing free weights during our class!  The session was a lot easier this week, mostly because I knew what to expect, and I didn’t load quite so many pounds on my bar for the tricep interval.  It was a great workout, and I highly recommend it.
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Image Courtesy anthill24.  No, that isn’t me, nor is it K.  It’s just a random photo of a Bodypump class so you can get an idea of just how insane I am for doing this.