spacekadet

Seems I've been too busy posting on SmarterFitter to say much on this corner of the web. That said, I'm cross-posting this recent entry on No Year's Resolutions, which contain some scenes of a personal nature that seem appropriate here.

"Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual. Yesterday, everybody smoked his last cigar, took his last drink, and swore his last oath. Today, we are a pious and exemplary community. Thirty days from now, we shall have cast our reformation to the winds and gone to cutting our ancient shortcomings considerably shorter than ever."

The above passage by Mark Twain sums up what most of already know about New Year's Resolutions: they basically blow. Looking back at my blog circa January 2004, I found this somewhat depressing excerpt:

this year is going to be all about making productive choices in my life. i’m going to SERIOUSLY look for a job. i’m not going to smoke no matter how stressed out or drunk or lonely i am. i’m not going to binge drink. i’m going to excercise and eat good food and master thin crust pizza. and i’m also going to continue to try not to talk shit about (or tease or belittle) other people.

What's wrong with this picture? The paragraph is essentially a laundry list of all the things I procrastinated doing the year before. Furthermore, most of those resolutions are in response to something negative: smoking too much, drinking too much, loneliness?! The only item with an ounce of merit is the thing about thin crust pizza, which I still haven't mastered, almost 4 years later. Here's what history has taught me about resolutions, New Year's or otherwise:

• They enable procrastination
• They set me up for failure
• They make me feel worse, which is stupid, because I set them to feel better
• Resolutions in response to something negative - be it smoking, drinking, eating or working - never work
• Resolutions are always challenging, no matter what day of the year they start

Here is the last negative resolution I'm ever going to make: to abandon New Year's Resolutions forever. Instead, I will only engage in what I affectionately term the No Year's Resolution: Here's the idea: Make positive changes now instead of putting them off for some arbitrary date in the future. A couple rules:

• The moment I "set" a resolution, that resolution starts that very instant
• Set only positive goals
• Deprive myself of nothing

Here's the goal: to radically enjoy The Holiday Season rather than simply survive it. Then step into the completely arbitrary "new year" having done something I feel good about. Who's with me? The above is the last of my negative commentary on resolutions (you already know why they suck). Instead, stay tuned for some hopefully useful tips on taking action and setting positive goals for a season that has a lot to offer, like friends and pie. I also want to feature people who are taking a similar approach to the season, so if you know of anyone, please let me know! Tim has already blogged about resolving to go for a walk today. Here are some resolutions I've made

• Enjoy sparkling water with Ginger cordial at work - and accept that this small amount of unprocessed sugar is tastier and far better for my health than diet pop
• Prioritize my morning swim - Aim to go 3 times a week before work, planning my schedule every Sunday to accomodate evenings out (especially ones that tend to be rather late and merry)
• Be 100% vegan at home - this just feels good, dammit
• Be booze-free at home - and enjoy a drink or two when I go out with my friends (ok, maybe 3 drinks)

Posted by monica at 01:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This appropriately-timed article in the NYTimes explains how those beer-bellies managed the 59-mile London to Southend cycling trip.

Cycling is a lot more forgiving of body type and age than running. The best cyclists going up hills are those with the best weight-to-strength ratio, which generally means being thin and strong. But heavier cyclists go faster downhill. And being light does not help much on flat roads.

James Hagberg, a kinesiology professor at the University of Maryland, explains that the difference between running on a flat road and cycling on a flat road has to do with the movement of the athlete’s center of gravity.

“In running, when you see someone who is obviously overweight, they will be in trouble,” Dr. Hagberg said. “The more you weigh, the more the center of gravity moves and the more energy it costs. But in cycling, there are different aerodynamics — your center of gravity is not moving up and down.”

Read on

Posted by monica at 07:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tim and I cycled 59 miles yesterday as part of the British Heart Foundation's charity ride from London to Southend. We left Victoria Park at 08:00, made it to Southend by 14:30. We were on a train back to London by 15:30pm and by 17:45, we were at the Londsborough (our local pub), celebrating with cold beer.

Here are a few things I learned along the way:

• Contrary to my prior belief, the weather does not improve when one leaves London
• A bicycle ride through the suburbs of London isn't so bad when the route is signed and lined with an eternity of other cyclists to follow
• Anyone with legs and a bike can cycle 59 miles, even people with really heavy mountain bikes, big beer bellies, or painfully squeeky gears
• A beer belly won't stop an Englishman from brandishing flashy, skintight cycle gear
• Tandem bicycles are absurd
• Sunscreen should be worn at all times, even in cloudy England
• A flat tire always occurs at the most inopportune time, such as after the journey, back in London, on the bike ride home from the train station
• My bicycle seat (a Selle Italia XO Genuine Gel Saddle) rocks - 59 miles and no bum-pain. This may have more to do with my rock-hard ass than my bike seat
• 1 pack of pumpernickle bread, 1 handful of walnuts, 1 handful of almonds, 1 block of cheese, 2 apples, 2 bananas, 2 slabs of leftover tofu steak, 1 tomato, and 2 Whole Earth raw food bars are almost sufficient for 2 people's journey, but it doesn't quite cover the insatiable craving for salt on the train ride home
• Really long bike rides make fully-leaded Coca-Cola tie with extra-cold lager for most thirst-quenching beverage EVER (lager wins, I think)
• Southend is a dive
• Leaving London is good for the soul, and I should do it more often, but not to Southend

Oddly, neither Tim nor I are muscularly sore today. I think this has something to do with my pre- and post-ride stretch, 8 solid hours of very sound sleep, ample food for the journey, proper hydration, and post-ride carbo-loading with beer, wine and a generous pile of delicious pasta. Either that, or my rock-hard ass.

Go to the photos!

Posted by monica at 08:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

For some time now, Tim and I have been brainstorming a website that's full of easy-to-use nutrition and fitness tools. We finally put our brains into action and launched SmarterFitter.com.

Here's a list of tools we've created so far:

• Food/Calorie Database - just how scary is that Big Mac?
• RunLog - log your runs and walks by clicking around the nifty Google map
• Body Mass Index (BMI) Calculator - it really doesn't mean that much, but it was a quick and easy calculator to get the ball rolling

If you have any suggestions, ideas, whatever, leave a comment or can contact us at smarterfitter@gmail.com. The goal is to eventually start making money with this thing. Freedom!

Posted by monica at 03:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A little background: I discovered yoga last year in Austin at my gym's "hatha fusion" yoga class. For one hour, three mornings per week, I stretched, balanced, occasionally fell over, relaxed, lengthened my spine, twisted my body, breathed, and cleared my head of all the nasties.

My move to London put a stop to these regenerative mornings, so as soon as I got a job, I began beginner's Ashtanga at Yoga Home, taught by an insanely bendy person named Alex Thomas. This being London, yoga classes are way too expensive to attend more than once a week. But I have a great deal to learn, and a semi-regular dose of professional instruction is critical to my progress and motivation.

My strategy is to attend a yoga class once per week, and then practice the routine on my own in the flat before I go to work in the mornings.

Back to the present: Today was Day 1 of Level 2 "Ashtanga Style" yoga at the Bishopsgate Institute. The class meets for 50-minutes, once per week, for 12 weeks, and costs £69.

I arrived to class early and had a chance to talk to the instructor, Marina, who informed me that "Ashtanga Style" means we will use Ashtanga postures but will not follow the strict order of the Primary Series.

Of the twelve students, I am one of only two new students. I'm happy to hear people like the class enough to keep going back, but a bit intimidated by being the lone stranger in a group of friends. This feeling is silly, of course, because social pressure simply doesn't exist in a yoga class if the students are serious about their practice.

In my previous Ashtanga course, we jumped right into the sun salutes and the primary series. In Marina's class, we first warm up on the mat. This suits my creaky joins very well, and made the subsequent Surya Namaskura A a much more fluid and comfortable exercise. Also, the sound of other students' breathing helps me concentrate on my own breath.

We spent most of the class in introductions and paperwork, so the practice itself was short. But I felt invigorated afterwards. Marina assures me that we'll "kick it up" next class. I look forward to it.

Key take-aways for my home practice:

• Take some time on the mat before I start my practice to relax and prepare myself for the task at hand; there's no rush
• Pay more attention to my breathing; perhaps I can use that pre-practice mat time to really "connect with the breath", as they say
• Warm up on the yoga mat: lay on the mat, hug the knees and rock back and forth; practice the "cat pose".
• Take Savasana more seriously; again, there's no rush
• Remember: it's better to perform 5 minutes of quality, intentional yoga than 60 minutes of semi-distracted scattered yoga. There's no rush! Pay attention to the moment; focus on the task at hand.

The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, nor to worry about the future, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly. -- Buddha

Posted by monica at 03:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

But I still kick ass.

I've been a regular at the gym since August 2002. In the beginning, my goal was simple: work off all the Mexican food and beer I was consuming as a math grad student in Austin, Texas. But over the years, my objectives gradually changed. I wanted more than to negate my indulgent eating and drinking habits; I wanted to be strong and healthy. As my goals changed, so did my diet; I began to eat to support my exercise, rather than the other way around. I developed a particular liking for weightlifting. And then I started running.

Running changed everything. I revelled in its multifaceted pleasures: oxygen, the outdoors, running with people at a 5k race, running alone with an NPR podcast, a cold smoothie after a long run, the burning sun on an Austin summer day.

Early last year my ankle started giving me trouble and no amount of rest or physical therapy has succeeded in eliminating the dull pain I experience every time I run. In the absence of running, I rely on the gym's weights and cardio machines to maintain my level of fitness. But lately, the gym frustrates more than invigorates. I've lost sight of my goals. It's as if I use the gym to manage a phobia of reverting back to the soft and squishy math dork who couldn't run a mile without breaking for a Tecate halfway.

But these days, I don't want to simply burn beer calories; I want to enjoy the journey. That's why running is so glorious: the mind is invigorated along with the body. The feet connect with the grass (or asphalt, or gravel), the eyes absorb the passing scenery (rather than a TV screen), the nose takes in the fresh air (or not so fresh if you're running in London). Running feels like freedom. The gym feels like a scam.

So last week, when I discovered that my gym membership is 3-months delinquent, I took the opportunity to get out. So far, I miss my workout buddy, and I miss the action of lifting weights, an activity I found somewhat meditative in the amount of concentration it required. But I think I've found my goal: to maintain my fitness holistically. That is, to transition exercise from something I do at a gym to something that emerges naturally from my other life choices. In effect, the goal is to stop exercising altogether, but instead to be active in my day to day life.

I don't need the gym to achieve personal health and fitness. So what do I need? Stay tuned for strategy.

Posted by monica at 11:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Just returned from running the 24th Annual Schlotzsky's 5k Bun Run. I finished in 27:30.

My time was 57 seconds slower than last year, but given that I'm not running 5 days a week like I used to, and I've had an injury, I feel pretty good. And my ankle didn't hurt. Am I finally healed? Overall it was a good time. I love a races. Good energy, good exercise, and good shwag (bagels, powerade, bananas, cookies, and potato chips; how anyone could eat a bag of potato chips after running 5ks is beyond me, but people were doing it!).

Today was also the London Marathon. The BBC has an entertaining as-it-happened commentary, including this snippet about celebrity runner, Jade Goody:

0932: Distressingly Jade Goody, of Big Brother fame, has just revealed to Sue Barker the most she has run is half-an-hour on a treadmill in training. She revealed her training regime involved eating Chinese and Indian food as well as boozing. Her biggest concern is that her toenails will fall off!

Posted by monica at 11:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I went to Texas Sports & Family Medicine to have my ankle prodded and examined by Dr. Hutchens. For a doctor's visit, it was pretty damn pleasant. Mostly because I didn't have to wait. I mean, that's the worst part right? (The possible exception being the wait for a prostate exam... lucky for me I know nothing of that, alas, we women have our own doctoral demons to tend to.)

Sports Medicine practices are interesting places, in a good way: patients are treated like athletes. By that I don't mean we were fed gatorade and given VIP access to clubs and bimbos. But it's nice to be spoken to like a runner rather than a person who runs.

Dr. Hutchens was great, and very receptive to my need to get back on track as soon as possible. He recommended taking a few weeks off from running (depressing, but expected advice), and to instead focus on my biking and resistance training. After Thanksgiving, I'll start running again and see how that goes. Fingers are crossed. He reckons I have plenty of time to train for the half marathon, and I shouldn't lose much momentum if I keep up my cardiovascular fitness with other activities.

In other news, I am 122 lbs, 5'1, with a resting pulse of 64.
I had my first ever X-ray.
And was out of the office and back to work 45 minutes.

Insurance is sweet.

Posted by monica at 01:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I while back I blogged about some persistent ankle troubles that plagued my running. Last March I added some ankle support insoles to my gym shoes and the problem seemed to disappear.

Yesterday I hit the gym for some strength training. I typically do some cardio afterwards, and decided to jog on the treadmill. I don't normally run on Saturdays, but I was in the mood. Anyway, I'm really sad because my ankle started to hurt and it didn't go away when I stopped running. It's barely noticeable at the moment, but I can sense that there's something there. Sigh.

This morning, I had to really force myself to NOT go on my long slow distance run. I even put on my running clothes, and added some new podcasts to my Shuffle. Luckily, I came to my senses before causing any more damage to my tender ankle.

I did go for a bike ride, which was nice, but not what I had mentally prepared for. I found myself missing the oxygen fix and exertion of a good long run.

Oh the price of addiction!

So I read up on injuries in Galloway's Book on Running. Learned about RICE - rest, ice, compression, and elevation - for injury treatment. So, I'll be taking it easy the next couple of days. It's a bummer because tomorrow was to begin week one of my 12 week half marathon training. But I have some alternates in mind, including a bike ride and a camping trip next weekend. And I'm already ahead of the game. With any luck I'll only need a few days off.

Anyway, my roommate and her boyfriend are making out on the couch and I can hear their sloppy kisses. Can I close my door without spoiling their mood? Do they even know I'm here? Will it end after the commercial break? Is that ESPN they're watching??

Posted by monica at 09:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

5.25 miles | 61 minutes | Early AM
1.5 mi warm-up
30 minute tempo
1.5 mi cool down

I kicked the ass of today's run. It was hard. Those tempo runs are elusive buggers!

People sometimes asking me, "What's a Tempo Run?" Since he can say it better than I can, I'll quote Hal Higden:

This is a continuous run with a buildup in the middle to near 10-K race pace. A Tempo Run of 40 to 60 minutes would begin with 10-20 minutes easy running, build to 20-30 minutes near the middle, then 5-10 minutes easy toward the end. The pace buildup should be gradual, not sudden, with peak speed coming about two-thirds into the workout. Hold that peak only for a minute or two. I consider Tempo Runs to be the "Thinking Runner's Workout. A Tempo Run can be as hard or easy as you want to make it, and it has nothing to do with how long (in time) you run or how far. In fact, the times prescribed for Tempo Runs serve mainly as rough guidelines. Feel free to improvise. Improvisation is the heart of doing a Tempo Run correctly.

My peak speed was 7 mph.

Sounds: NPR's Most E-Mailed Stories and KCRW's Good Food, during which I learned about the history of candy corn, and more than I ever needed to know about palm sugar.

Post-Run Fuel: one big bowl of millet rice flakes with skim milk, topped with bananas, strawberries, and honey! Mmmmm, and coffffeeee.

Posted by monica at 10:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I registered for the 3M Half Marathon today. It's on January 29, 2006. I'm a little scared, but more than anything, really psyched that I'm actually doing it.

I use my Sundays for long, slow runs. A couple months back, I started with 60 minutes of running, and almost every week since, have added a little time to each of my runs. Two weeks ago I crossed the 100 minute mark. It was around that time that I started wondering, "How long will I keep this up for? When will I stop adding minutes? And what's my goal with all this?" (I mean, what else is there to think about?) Then naturally I started thinking of all the things I could do if I just kept it up as I've been doing.

For a long time I used to think it would be cool to be able to run a marathon, hike the Appalachian Trail, or ride a bike across America. I'm starting to realize that I can do all these things, it's just matter of actually doing them. These aren't dreams or fantasies; they are goals and ambitions.

So tomorrow I exit the phase in which I run for the sake of running and enter the phase in which I train for the Half Marathon (a feat whose name deserves to be a proper noun!). I haven't figured out a fixed training schedule, but I like what I saw on Hal Higdon's website. His half marathon training is similar to my current routine, and I like his attitude:

Be consistent with your training, and the overall details won't matter.

In other words, global structure, but local flexibility. Or something like that. It means I don't need to freak out if I have to work late and miss a run, or end up blowing my running wad on a long bike ride. Extra run, extra rest, it all evens out.

And speaking of biking, I predict a lot of cross training in these coming months. The weather is great and Texas is a HUGE place with lots of biking and camping potential.

Fun times ahead! Ahoy!

Posted by monica at 09:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)