Erica, there isn't anyone close to me that does this type of thing. I thought my 16 year old was going to get into it a bit, but she's busy being 16! :D

Inside, outside, road or treadmill, it's all the right direction. I was a little amazed to find just how different they were though. I did my first treadmill work this past winter doing two hour runs with repeating hills once a week. It was so hot running inside when contrasted to running in the winter wonderland outside! ehhe It all works, if you work it. < g >

The river wasn't nearly as demanding as last year. If I'd been smart last year I wouldn't have been on it in such dangerous flood levels. These shots were taken at our place (http://www.paddle.mb.ca/MRCA/Roseau/Roseau.html). Now you all know where to send the guided missiles.

The one thing that's played the biggest role in my learning about training has been the value of time NOT working out. I was always putting the emphasis on the workload and not nearly the same quality of attention to the recovery time. I'm still struggling to attend to the recovery end of it, but slowly I'm hearing the music a bit better. If I'm really on my game and out of gas for a run sometimes I can turn that focus and energy into meditation and that is really productive. It adds a wonderful balance to my busy brain approach to life.

If I'm exhausted or running close to the edge of my strength or stamina, now I'll often turn that into an early bed as training, or a light dinner and an early bed. Taking the whole emphasis off the workout and looking at the self care more generally will hopefully train the whole athlete in me instead of isolated parts.

I keep remembering back to my first 5km race last November and what a great experience it was and how I got there. I was trained yes, but I was as high as a kite because I was well rested, calm, well prepared and out to have fun. Having fun with this is so important to getting the results I'm after. I'm often so intense about things that I kind of miss the boat entirely. I am lucky enough to have the bio mechanics to run well and not everyone does. Smelling the roses baby! :D I'm a rambler from a way back, please forgive me.

There are a lot of different ways to introduce speed work so one doesn't get bored too quickly. Are you training with goals in mind? If so what are they? Have you read anything on the topic of training? This article below was basically where I started when I began to lay a deliberate foundation of cardio fitness. He makes a pretty good case for the method.

What you do depends a lot on what you want to get out of your efforts. I don't know how much detail you are after or how much you already know, so please excuse me if I've missed your needs entirely. I'd sure be into talking about working out some trials and some goals. How are you measuring your progress now?
Cheers! Ian

from Mark Allen
Website: http://www.markallenonline.com/Default.asp?partner=dua (http://www.markallenonline.com/Default.asp?partner=dua) on January 7, 2002

Working Your Heart
The secret of training smart

How hard do I have to workout? How far do I have to go? I workout 2 hours every other day of the week and I still can't lose those last 10 pounds. Why do I keep getting injured when I try to run? These are all questions and comments people make about their training that seems to have no simple solution.

I want to give you that solution. It's called a heart rate monitor. Whether your goal is to win a race or just live a long healthy life, using a heart rate monitor is the single most valuable tool you can have in your training ****nal of equipment. And using one in the way I am going to describe will not only help you shed those last few pounds, but will enable you to do it without either killing yourself in training or starving yourself at the dinner table.

I came from a swimming background, which in the 70's and 80's when I competed was a sport that lived by the No Pain, No Gain motto. My coach would give us workouts that were designed to push us to our limit every single day. I would go home dead, sleep as much as I could, then come back the next day for another round of punishing interval sets.

It was all I knew. So when I entered the sport of triathlons in the early 1980's, my mentality was to go as hard as I could at some point in every single workout. And to gauge how fast that might have to be, I looked at how fast the best triathletes were running at the end of the short distance races. Guys like Dave Scott, Scott Tinley and Scott Molina were able to hold close to 5 minute miles for their 10ks after swimming and biking!

So that's what I did. Every run, even the slow ones, for at least one mile, I would try to get close to 5 minute pace. And it worked...sort of. I had some good races the first year or two, but I also suffered from minor injuries and was always feeling one run away from being too burned out to want to continue with my training.

Then came the heart rate monitor. A man named Phil Maffetone, who had done a lot of research with the monitors, contacted me. Phil said that I was doing too much anaerobic training, too much speed work, too many high end/high heart rate sessions. I was forcing my body into a chemistry that only burns carbohydrates for fuel by elevating my heart rate so high each time I went out and ran.

So he told me to go to the track, strap on the heart rate monitor, and keep my heart rate below 155 beats per minute. Maffetone told me below this number that my body would be able to take in enough oxygen to burn fat as the main source of fuel for my muscle to move. I was going to develop my aerobic/fat burning system. What I discovered was a shock.

To keep my heart rate below 155 beats/minute, I had to slow my pace down to an 8:15 mile. That's three minutes/mile SLOWER than I had been trying to hit in every single workout I did! My body just couldn't utilize fat for fuel.

So for the next four months I did exclusively aerobic training keeping my heart rate at or below my maximum aerobic heart rate, using the monitor every single workout. And at the end of that period, my pace at the same heart rate of 155 beats/minute had improved by over a minute. And after nearly a year of doing mostly aerobic training, which by the way was much more comfortable and less taxing than the anaerobic style that I was used to, my pace at 155 beats/minute had improved to a blistering 5:20 mile.

That means that I was now able to burn fat for fuel efficiently enough to hold a pace that a year before was redlining my effort at a maximum heart rate of about 190. I had become an aerobic machine! On top of the speed benefit at lower heart rates, I was no longer feeling like I was ready for an injury the next run I went on, and I was feeling fresh after my workouts instead of being totally exhausted from them.

So let's figure out what heart rate will give you this kind of benefit and improvement. There is a formula that will determine your Maximum Aerobic Heart Rate, which is the maximum heart rate you can go and still burn fat as the main source of energy in your muscles. It is the heart rate that will enable you to recover day to day from your training. It's the maximum heart rate that will help you burn those last few pounds of fat. It is the heart that will build the size of your internal engine so that you have more power to give when you do want to maximize your heart rate in a race situation.

Here is the formula:

Take 180
Subtract your age
Now we need to adjust this number based on your current level of fitness. Make the following correction as it applies to you:
If you do no working out subtract another 10 beats
If you workout 1-2 times a week subtract 5 beats
If you workout 3-4 times a week leave the number as it is.
If you workout 5 or more times as week and have done so for a year or more, then add an additional 5 beats to that number.

If you are about 60 years old or older OR if you are about 20 years old or younger, add an additional 5 beats to the corrected number you now have.

You now have your maximum aerobic heart rate, which again is the maximum heart rate that you can workout at and still burn mostly fat for fuel. Now go out and do ALL of your cardiovascular training at or below this heart rate and see how your pace improves. After just a few weeks you should start to see a dramatic improvement in the speed you can go at these lower heart rates.

Over time, however, you will get the maximum benefit possible from doing just aerobic training. At that point, after several months of seeing you pace get faster at your maximum aerobic heart rate, you will begin to slow down. This is the sign that if you want to continue to improve on your speed, it is time to go back to the high end interval anaerobic training one or two days/week. So you will have to go back to the NO Pain, NO Gain credo once again. But this time, your body will be able to handle it. Keep at the intervals and you will see your pace improve once again for a period. But just like the aerobic training, there is a limit to the benefit you will receive from anaerobic/carbohydrate training. At that point, you will see your speed start to slow down again. And that is the signal that it is time to switch back to a strict diet of aerobic/fat burning training.

Keep your interval sessions to around15-30 minutes of hard high heart rate effort total. This means that if you are going to the track to do intervals do about 5k worth of speed during the entire workout. Less than that and the physiological effect is not as great. More than that and you just can't maintain a high enough effort during the workout to maximize our benefit. You want to push your interval making each one a higher level of intensity and effort than the previous one. If you reach a point where you cannot maintain your form any longer, back off the effort or even call it a day. That is all your body has to give.

This is what I did to keep improving for nearly 15 years as a triathlete. It is also the training the Lance Armstrong's coach put him on to recover from his cancer treatment when they saw that he could not handle the high end training anymore. And although it was contrary to what most cyclists do to prepare for the grueling Tour de France, it was what enabled him to capture the title there for the first time in 1999.

Best of luck!
Mark Allen
6 Time Ironman World Champion

Here I am snivelling over a measly 15 pounds? You put me to shame man. What motivated you to make such a huge dent in the problem. I watched my mother in law just about lose her life this month. Kidney, liver and respiratory failure was a sobering reminder of how short this ride can be.I was tired of all the sympathy weight I had put on.. My wife will be getting a gastric bypass, so since she'll lose weight fast and keep it off.. I have to get a jump start.. Besides, being fat is not something I want to be..

The only draw back is that I may have started too late.. I have found out that my liver is not working too well and I have high blood pressure.. Hopefully my continued weight loss will reverse some of this.. I have another 30 pounds to go before I'm at my target weight of 190..

Great work on the mileage. Are you tracking how far you've gone so far? I added up my miles last year and was pumped to find I'd gone quite a ways. How are you dealing with the food thing? Any help here would be apprecitated. I'm sure I could benefit from some company on this weight thang too.
Ian.The food thing.. I chew sugar free gum between meals so I have something in my mouth (since I am quitting smoking too) and won't get easily seduced into snacking..
I also do the shopping and do not buy crap food.. I try to buy things that are low in carbs, high in protein.. If I do feel like snacking I will buy Tiger Milk Bars or something equivilant.

Mileage. I haven't kept track, but I should.. I know that I do about 1.5 to 2.5 a day.. I take one day off, usually on Sunday especially if I am performing at church..

The thing I try to keep in mind is to only think of short term goals.. Best way I have found is go ahead and make a long term goal and then work backwards, making smaller short term goals that lead up to your long term goal.. The biggest thing about being healthy is not to get bored and not to become overwhelmed.. Both of these will destroy your abliity to keep going..

And DO NOT compare yourself to others.. Any and all accomplishments are just that.. So, celebrate every pound you lose, and everytime you chose something healthy over something not so healthy..

I am proud of anyone who tries to do this.. Its hard, in our world to be healthy, healthy things cost more, are harder to get than unheathy ones.. Go into a convience store and try to find a carrot or apple.. While searching, you walk by an immense stock pile of portable crap food.. So be extremely proud of yourself for losing any amount of weight and don't punish yourself for a slip up.. Its a lot like smoking, there is always a potential for a "relapse"..

Well put Jimi.
Coming from you it somehow feels like more potent encouragement as I know you must fight the good fight over this issue. I think your approach is so healthy sounding. Lifestyle changes are for life!

I'm sure your body will forgive you some of your misdeeds as mine has. I've much left to accomplish in this battle with self care, but hearing your "from the trenches" reports are very, very encouraging.

Thanks for being so frank and open, it's helping me see a realistic and sustainable future for you, and me too if I can join you.
Cheers! Ian

I believe that almost anyone (barring physical or medical issues) can join the good fight..

I am even teaching my wife to get healthy as a part of her preperation for her surgery. She needs to start and maintain an exercise program and lose a certain amount of weight prior to the surgery..

The biggest road block to the exercise program for her is, that she is trying to exercise like she used to when she was in high school. I have to continually tell her, "stop being so agressive"..
Your body has to be reconditioned to exercise, and with any physical reconditioning you have to start out almost painfully slow.. Otherwise you'll stop cause you are in too much pain and end up much like Pavlov's dog in that exercise (in your mind) will become a painful thought.. So, you'll avoid it at all cost and make excuses to not do it anymore..

I have been there too often and somewhat recently as well.. Sometimes I get a little down and want the "high" of the workout, so I'll go a little too far and hurt myself..
It takes as much disicipline to keep yourself in balance as it does to actually get up and do something about your health..

Not too many people take both into consideration, nor do doctors either.. Mine told me that its healthy to work out until you drop..

Psychologically speaking, hurting yourself while working is an act of classic conditioning and will have a negetive effect on your mental ability to get up and get healthy..

Anyway.. Ian, I like your attitude towards getting healthy.. I think you'll do very well.. Just be careful and stretch, stretch, and then stretch some more.. You'll avoid unneccessary pain and injury.. Also (I know, I tend to ramble) I am using a new multi-vitamin called "One A Day: Weight Smart". It has an extra amount of chromium in it that will help burn fat and raise your metabolism..

There are a lot of different ways to introduce speed work so one doesn't get bored too quickly. Are you training with goals in mind? If so what are they? Have you read anything on the topic of training? This article below was basically where I started when I began to lay a deliberate foundation of cardio fitness. He makes a pretty good case for the method.

What you do depends a lot on what you want to get out of your efforts. I don't know how much detail you are after or how much you already know, so please excuse me if I've missed your needs entirely. I'd sure be into talking about working out some trials and some goals. How are you measuring your progress now?
Cheers! Ian

Hi Ian,

That was an interesting article, thanks! I read a lot of fitness magazines and there's a lot of conflicting advice on what range one's heart rate should be in while working out - I guess it depends if the goal is to lose weight or to increase endurance or whatever else.

Part of my problem, I think, is that I don't really have any concrete goals right now. I initially wanted to lose about 15-20 lbs, but I've actually gained almost 10 lbs since I started yet my pants are much looser, so that original goal might not actually be realistic for me. I also wanted to get into an exercise routine so that I could go back to doing taekwondo, which I haven't done in almost three years now and knew I was totally out of shape for. But I think I've surpassed the fitness level I was at when I stopped doing taekwondo, so I think I need to find some new goals.

Right now my routine tends to be: 30 - 50 minutes of cardio 4-5 days a week, plus 30 minutes of strength training once a week. On days when I do 30 minutes of cardio, I'll work in 5-10 minutes of 15 second intervals where I go as fast as I can. On days when I do a longer workout, I try to stay at a fairly steady pace, so that my heart rate stays at about 80% of maximum. Since I generally use only two different machines at the gym, I keep track of my progress based on heart rate on the individual machine (I don't have a separate monitor, so I use the ones on the machine, though I don't know how acurate those are), the distance I can go in a certain amount of time, and the RPMs for the intervals.

Anyway, as you can see, I'm also a rambler! :D Like you said, I also have a tendency to get too intense and try to do too much at once... I have to remind myself that just because I'm not ready to collapse and dripping with sweat at the end of a workout doesn't mean it wasn't worth it! I'm definitely still trying to learn balance and to look at the long-term picture. I hit a mental block about three months after I started because I wasn't really seeing any results, and I think I'm about due for another one. So it's really nice to have somewhere to vent about it and hopefully this will help me get through it!

I haven't been around to post in the past few days, so here's my latest:
Friday - 45 minutes on the elliptical machine
Sat, Sun & Mon - long weekend so I couldn't get to the gym, but did a few long walks
Tuesday - 30 minutes w/intervals on elliptical machine
Today - 30 minutes strength training with trainer

-Erica

The research that I've cross referenced suggests that fat is best utilised with a heart rate of around 60% which makes it even easier to attain.

Goals are a good thing for me. Just now all I'm trying to do is get back in the groove without killing my strength and stamina. I ran back to back days yesterday and today for the first time in ages. I had the gumption and so far I've gotten away with it. I'm up a bit late and that's going to hurt though.

I used to study Karate five days a week for a couple of years. The wisdom there about contemporary training was lame at best and down right ignorant most of the time. Not that I didn't make progress, but I sure wasn't getting much of a bang for my efforts.

I'm not doing any strength work just now at all. I will begin again once I get back my stamina a bit more. I was really impressed with the core strength work I did earlier. I'll go back to that as it was most impressive to me. I am really turned off by weight lifting. I can't get over the vanity thing in association with it. It just really isn't appealing to me at all. The increased poise, balance and strength that the core work brings is infinitely more attractive to me, so that's where I landed. :D

Rambling is good! If you ramble, then I'm not alone! :D

I was feeling strong today while I was out running. I was a little heavy at the start, but after a half mile I was away. I'm noticing my weight. :( I'm up over ten pounds this winter as my running declined.
Carb junkie - Ian

I have started working out with a personal trainer. :)

I have started working out with a personal trainer. :) Right! Like that's anywhere close to enough detail to satisfy! :eek: heheh

Do tell! At least we might be able to learn something from your out of pocket expenses if you do. :eyebrow:

What's the plan? Did he/she do any testing to start? Heavens... What a tease! ;)
Ian

Another 5km run today. It was about 30C when I ran. I was warm! :D

If I can string another week like this out, I'll consider taking on another program and set some new goals.
Yeah Baby!

Right! Like that's anywhere close to enough detail to satisfy! :eek: heheh

Do tell! At least we might be able to learn something from your out of pocket expenses if you do. :eyebrow:

What's the plan? Did he/she do any testing to start? Heavens... What a tease! ;)
IanSorry.:o
The library was closing. I am getting about half way through my second training session. I had some money from financial aid and was celebrating the fact I gave up smoking.:D I work out everyday. Weights on Tuesday,Thursday and Sunday. Cardio the rest. I have kind of slacked recently due to health complications and having to maybe have an ultra sound or a biopsy.:eek:
After this training session I am good and paid for at the gym until August. I should get more financial aid and pay for the rest.

Bravo for the commitment to get healthy!! And double bravos for the quit smoking.. I'm going through the same thing.. I am getting healthy and come to find out my body is in the mist of staging a mutany.. Well, keep up the good fight..


Sorry.:o
The library was closing. I am getting about half way through my second training session. I had some money from financial aid and was celebrating the fact I gave up smoking.:D I work out everyday. Weights on Tuesday,Thursday and Sunday. Cardio the rest. I have kind of slacked recently due to health complications and having to maybe have an ultra sound or a biopsy.:eek:
After this training session I am good and paid for at the gym until August. I should get more financial aid and pay for the rest.

I found out today that it was my last training day. It looks like I am on my own now. Wish me luck on continuing to stay fit.:)

Keep us posted on your efforts Captain. It's always of some use to me to hear how others crack the nut of keeping going.

I put in another 5km today, but I'm tired. Instead of a long winded post, I'm just going to head to bed. :eek:

OK... not quite yet!

It was a good run. I took it really easily. I was a bit down in the dumps after finding out I'm losing two people I'm close to in the next couple of weeks. They'll be moving on and I'll miss them.

I went out slow and stayed slow, but my heart rate was down and my recovery rates were very good and much better than my last run.

This burst of improved fitness is what I experience about every ten days or so if I'm healthy and looking after myself like I should. The feelings of strength are as addictive as all get all. I haven't had one of these bursts since before the new year so I was happy to feel the surge come back.
Keep on keeping on you all. :D
Ian

I am just wondering, don't know if this is the right place to post this-how do you get started on running. I loved it-but that was years ago, now that I am no spring chicken (mid 40's) I could really hurt something, couldn't I? But doesn't it feel great? I think with ADD and this is my own opinion, no facts, that you just like can't live with your mind the way it is so we are constantly trying to alter it-at least I think I am-and running gives me a natural high, like yeah, this is right and good and healthy-no drugs or chemicals-just something I did and I had to work at it-you know? Anyway, good luck to you all as I read the posts it gives me encouragement to just keep on keepin' on. thanks. L.

It's really common to get injured at our stage of life when getting back to running. I had a 23 year lay off! :D I'm 47 now and after 18 months or so, I'm still injury free.

My highest mileage months have been around 80 miles, but my ability to get beyond that has escaped me so far. < g >

I started really really slowly. I did a lot of reading. I do not want to be injured and so far I'm grateful to be healthy.

There are so many variables, but here's what I suggest.

Get to at least two running stores and shop for shoes. Listen carefully to the clerks and learn, learn, learn. Don't buy, just learn. Then keep shopping and reading until you can tell bs from information when a sales person speaks to you.

Start walking for twenty minutes every second day and keep that up for a month. Take it as comes. If you feel fantastic, hoof it! If you're feeling blue and tired, take it easy. Just enjoy being out there! < g >

It's the habit that's toughest to get established and that will take three or four months, so it matters less what you do, but more that you make the time to do it at all.

After that, I took on a program that I completed in 14 weeks to go from walking a half hour to running a half hour. I know it sounds like a long time, but I"M NOT INJURED! ehheh

After that I was able to add about 10% distance every three weeks and then using the fourth week as a cut back week for recovery which had me stepping back a full week to a lighter mileage. Then on week five, I'd pick up again as if I hadn't take that step backward in mileage.

That's all I have time for now, but that should carry you for a while. There is a lot of other things to think about. Most of all how to track your progress and guard against over doing it. Whatever you do, you should always be able to carry on a conversation without gasping for breath. Proper aerobic work is much much easier than most people imagine. You should feel energized when you get back. Hard workouts are for much later and even then, comprise only about 10% of the weekly mileage.

So much has changed in the twenty years that have passed since I was last running regularly. I hope you find a home in this. It's been a huge boost to my life. I would hope it could do the same for you.
Cheers! Ian

I just started reading in this section of ADD Forums. I like reading and hearing about others running. Nothing else seems to make my mind quiet...that is what keeps me coming back...I know that after about 15 minutes my THINKING THINKING...NEVER STOP THINKING mind will take a well needed rest and then I notice the trees and the beautiful sky...it is great! I just wanted to let Fuzzybrain know I started this about a year and 1/2 ago...I'm now 41...I still haven't had any injuries. My advice is take it slow, slow. Have good sneakers (not the crappy, cobwebbed ones that I pulled out of the back of my closet my first time around) and remember (I don't know if this would even bother you) but no one cares how fast or slow you go....everyone on the track is just happy to be there doing their thing. I hope you take it up...for me there is no other relief (for my clogged brain) like it!

Welcome and thanks for the input Anne. I'm pretty much like you and very grateful to watch the trees go by in peace for a change.

I logged my longest run this year today. I'll be interested to see if I can recover before a scheduled run on Tuesday. It's been cooler and wetter hear lately and my allergies are knocking me down again.

Six whole miles! I ran it as ten minutes on and then a one minute walking break. I like that just now so I can watch how fast my heart recovers in the walking break. It's a good indicator of how prepared my body is to work. If I'm recovering twenty beats a minute I know I'm good to go. If it gets down to 17 I know I'm a bit stressed and would be better off not running, but resting.

I got one walk break into each mile. 12:32 12:38 25:49 12:43 12:32 I forgot to trip the chronograph at the end of the third mile. Can we all say "inattentive" please? :P

If I got to the position where I was recovering 23 beats a minute I'd know I would benefit from a hard workout. I love this game.

I sure wasn't fast today, but my heart rate was good. I averaged 138/bpm and with the heart rate reserve calculations (http://www.ginmiller.com/gmf04/artinfo/targetheart1.htm) that's about 70% of my max which is just peachy. Speed will come. I was out there for an hour and sixteen minutes. I'm all giddy at being able to do that again! It's been six months since I last logged that kind of distance and I'm really quite excited about it. If I can recover well from this long slow distance type of run, maybe there's a chance I can begin a schedule to work toward another race. I'd love to think a ten kilometer wasn't too ambitious. I'm still miffed I don't have a half marathon under my belt yet, but one thing at a time.

I had a big glass of chocolate milk and a long stretch when I got back.
Rave On.
Ian

thanks ian and anne
I do things in spurts pretty much. Last January I did just that, walking every other day-either at the park, we had a mild Jan, or at the mall, I was looking and feeling pretty good by February-then the summer hit and I have been just a couch potato-not tv, just reading and spacing out mostly-so like I want to get back into it, but I have asthma-allergy induced-which now is a bad time of year for that-blada dadada.....you have heard all of the excuses. so my biggest motivator right now is remembering how good I felt and yeah, how calm and how I could reason things out better-and I didn't overeat because I was working hard at exercise. I could out walk everyone in my family, The shoes are a problem I have nikes but it is time for new ones-any recommendations? Are there ones that are better for women? I just don't want to spend a whole lot on them. thanks so much for this thread.

It's not such a male female things although you'll want women's shoes. It's really important to have someone fit you that knows about "gait" and what type of feet you have.

I saw a podiatrist and then shopped in three different specialty stores and read a bunch on line before I felt I could make an informed decision.

The benefit has been profound. I have none of the chronic feet and leg problems I had years ago. I attribute this primarily to the shoes. I'm replacing my shoes about every 400 miles.

Every foot is different.
Cheers! Ian

5km again today and I'm so pumped that Sunday's 10km hasn't seemed to set me back much.
Cheers! Ian

Three posts in a row is my limit. :D
5km run today again. Recovery seems to be working. I'm short of sleep as usual though.
Off to bed I go.
Cheers!

Thought I would revive this thread. I've been away for awhile, and was away from exercising regularly for awhile also. I just started getting back into it about two months ago, after a five month break.

Unfortunately, I just had to stop doing the major part of my program a few weeks ago. I was doing taekwondo after work at night, but because of the lateness of the class, I stopped being able to sleep before about 4am.

So now I'm looking for other things to do to keep me on the roll I was on. I bought a jump rope and finally got myself up and motivated to jump in my apartment this morning. I've also started doing pilates once a week - such a killer work out! And I had been walking about 2-4 miles a week, but I'm going to try to increase that significantly. I really like walking after work, and for some reason walking later at night doesn't bother my sleeping.

That's my progress after about a year... anyone else out there still working out or just starting out? I love to hear other people's stories, they keep me inspired!

Sounds like you're coming alive again. I can't run after about 16:00 (4:00pm) or it affects my sleep. I'm not a morning person so that really creates some log jambs for time some times. Maybe if I get healthy enough and take on some longer distances I'll have to suck up some morning runs. Yikes. Walking would be definitely aerobic and maybe that's the key to late night workouts is to keep them strictly aerobic?

Jumping rope should keep you going! :D That can be pretty intense on the cardio systems. I couldn't use it for aerobics, I'd just work too hard to be anything, but anaerobic doing that! Any of that core work like what I think pilates is like would be great stuff.

Are you feeling like you've missed it or are seeing some benefits in your ADHD symptoms yet or is it all just "work" just now?

Take your time advancing even the walking part of the program. It takes time to adapt. The most important thing for me was establishing the habit in the beginning, but maybe you've got your head around that stuff already.

I'm just getting back in gear too. I've got something wonky in my left foot and it's taking some time so sort out. I was almost completely off running after the 30km (18 mile) run across the ice on March 11th until three weeks ago.

After a long go round with a podiatrist and now yesterday with a physiotherapist, I've been back to a four day schedule albeit with short 5km (3 mile) runs.

It's all getting pretty deeply ingrained in me now. I don't fear stopping the training.

I cheered on a friend this weekend that's begun to play with small duathlons and triathlons. I'm so tempted. :) Now where did I put that road bike? heh

Good luck settling in with the new schedule. Hope to hear news soon.
Ian

It's good to hear I'm not the only one who has this problem with working out at night. At home, I used to take taekwondo classes at night as well, but at 7:30, not 9pm. I guess that hour and a half makes a difference. I'm also struggling with my current work schedule - I work from 1:30pm to 8:30pm. I thought it would be great, since I'm so not a morning person either, but really it just means that I usually laze in bed for most of the morning, then get up and go to work, and though I sometimes go for a walk after work, I also usually spend a few hours on my computer or watching tv before going to sleep around 2am. And going to bed that late of course leads me to not wanting to get up early in the morning. Not the best schedule for getting motivated to work out.

The pilates has really been what's motivated me the most. I'm taking a private class from a fellow American English teacher here who has become a friend. So not only can I not slack off because I have to meet her, I want to meet her as it's my hour a week of being able to hang out with a friend who I can communicate with easily. She's been nagging me about how tight my muscles are as well, so that has inspired me to start stretching and doing other stuff at home.

I definitely see benefits, and have for awhile now. But I'm still lazy about it, which I can't figure out. I feel so much better after I work out, and I love that feeling of slight soreness that tells me I've put in a good effort, but actually getting myself into a routine seems to take so much work. At home I finally realized what a great set up I had, after about three years, and had been taking advantage of it. There was a nice gym that I got a discount for right across from where I worked, so I could just walk over after work instead of getting in my car right away. It even worked out better commute-wise as by the time I was done, the worst of the rush hour traffic would be gone. And I was working with a personal trainer, so knowing that she'd ask me every week if I'd been to the gym on my own motivated me to go every night.

I want to get to where it sounds like you are - where I don't fear stopping training for awhile because I know I can just get back into it. Have you encountered any hurdles while getting back to training after the problem with your foot (other than the actual problem with your foot)? That's great that you're able to pick it up again easily.

The duathlons and triathlons sound like fun... maybe you'll be posting that you're going to do the Ironman one day! A friend of mine from college has done two, which I think is slightly crazy. I have a huge amount of respect for her though - I don't think I could make the kind of commitment training for something like that would require, at least not while I have a full time job.

Anyway, that's my vent for now... did my usual 2 mile walk on Monday night, and a much shorter one last night. I'm planning on a longer one tonight, maybe up to 5 miles, if I can remember to eat something during work so I'm not starving after. Tomorrow I think it will have to be jumping rope and maybe some yoga in my apartment as I think it's going to rain at night. Then I have pilates on Friday morning.

Good luck getting back to your regular schedule of running and I hope your foot's ok!

-Erica

Thanks Erica, the foot is better. I've got some good orthotics now and have finally found a physiotherapist has helped put me on the mend.

Today was my second tempo run and it was a good one. I'll see how well I was prepared for it tomorrow I suppose. heh

I hope you're still on track for more successes. I'd love to hear how you're making out.

The swimming would be a problem to train for here. I don't have a pool close by and the season for outdoor swimming is woefully short. I am in a town weekly that does have a pool though... one more thing to schedule into my life! Ugh! Maybe not. The bike is an easier one to fit in so maybe I'll start there.

My youngest (14) has started to run with me. She thought cream on her fresh strawberries was a good idea before heading out today for this tempo run. Apparently it wasn't that good an idea. Live and let live...

The only hurdles that I experienced getting back into running was the loss of fitness. It took about three weeks to grab most of it back, but there is a silver lining to the lay off time. I bounced back better than when I left it behind in the middle of March. I'm middle aged and carrying about 10 or 13 kilos more than necessary and combined with my genetics I don't ever expect to make an Ironman athlete. I do love to see myself improving though and sitting talking with friends before my run last Sunday I was pleased to find my heart rate on the floor. At least it was for me. I'd had a bunch of sugar for breakfast, two cups of latte and my 10mg of dex and my heart rate was 57 b/min. I was so pleased to know I was back and ready for a longer or harder run.

Time off is a tough call, but I have certainly learnt that it's not all bad when viewed through a lens of longer perspective. My run today was very strong. I don't know if it was my toughest run, but it would be close. Now to see how fast the recovery is.

Getting back into it was a bit discouraging simply because I had lost so much ground. I ran until I could run three times a week, and recover strongly for two weeks running. I ran very slowly to ensure I was not getting close to an anaerobic level. Then I bumped it up to four times a week for one week, then began to add a longer run on Sunday. Because I was recovering strongly I then replaced one of my regular weekday runs with a speed run of one kind or another and that's where I'm at now. If I can pull out of this run today well, I'll begin to make a plan to build up for maybe a 10km run in September, or a 5km race in the third week in August or maybe both. Then I'll set my sights on making it to the provincial marathon in June 08 here I think. Although I would hate to train through the winter without a good treadmill close by.

I've introduced some core and leg strength work once a week. I hope to build that up to two days a week, but time is becoming a factor in how many other things around here need attention besides running!

It's easy to get back to this for the joy of it all. I really do love to be outside and running. I have a small bronze bell tied to my laces on right shoe that helps warn the bears that I'm coming. We saw a sow and tiny fluff ball cub last week. They were about 200 meters up the road when we turned into the drive. I hope my faith in the local black bears continuing to be wild and fearful of humans continues for a long while yet. The bears in parks terrify me, but the ones at home seem so much more predictable in all the right ways.

So? What's shakin'?

After being sick since July-middle, I am getting better and started my Nordic Walking again tonight!!!!! Just a short one because I need to build up slowly, but should be up to a mile in about 2 weeks.

I substitute teach and when a day of that leaves me wanting to go to bed at 6pm, I have the motivation to walk again. Last year I could walk 1-1.5 miles each way to and from school and still feel great.

What made me sick? Allergy to SSRI-rash on skin and all mucosal tissues-even my stomach was botherd, swelling of face and throat, severe itching. After 3 SSRI did the same thing-I had to go off cold turkey-tough to do, but better than your throat swelling shut. I had palpitations, fever, headaches, sweats, and who knows what else. But going off them has been wonderful, I feel good for the first time in 4 months! The only sign of the reaction is peeling similar to that after a light sunburn-not once but think it is up to the third peel-I use those body scrub gloves but still peel-no raw skin-I am lucky, probably because I was taking antihistimines at the same time.

Between my stretching routine and the Noridic walking, I hope to have more endurance, reduce my fibro pain, and build my muscle strength. When I keep up my exercise routine I am nearly pain-free from my spinal arthritis-stenosis and fibromyalgia. Better than a bucket 'o drugs!

My goal: get back to walking 8 miles -like I did before going to Australia-and start entering walk/races. I can't run due to a hip deformity. The poles take stress off my hip and knees and aid my balance that can sometimes be a bit wonky after my ear surgery.

I am not an "athlete" in the sense of the word jock, but do enjoy individual sports and challenging myself within reason. I would like to hike part of the Appalachian trail someday or do the River to River in Southern Illinois-160 miles. Just a dream, but I did get to go to OZ and that was a dream!. Don't want an injury to get me off track. With my carbide pole tips and the right shoes or crampons, and clothing I can walk through the winter too. They are fairly mild here-just occasionally icy.

So here is to good muscle tone, flexibility, and freedom from pain-and future challenges!

Yes, yes!


So here is to good muscle tone, flexibility, and freedom from pain-and future challenges!
Dreaming and goals make a good recipe for happiness in my life. I lose my way there often enough, but at least I know the recipe!

You sound like you've been thinking about getting back at the walking thing for a good long while. Your clarity of vision is showing! :) Good on you. I hope you can keep us updated as to your progress and experiences on the road back to health.

I don't have to begin my work for the half marathon in earnest until the third week in January. Today was a good taste of winter with the temperature not rising above -15C for the daytime high. Tomorrow will be -22C for a high I think. Maybe I should have run today? :)

Thanks for the support Ian! I actually want to do some rappelling next summer too-tried it once-was awesome-just trust the equipment! Can't remember how to convert C to F, but I do know that is freakin cold-do you do an iceman marathon? -15C and -22C. Makes 0C and -3C in the Australian outback sound delightfully warm.

Cold enough to freeze the balls on a brass monkey.... no not that, geez, the old ships with canons...the tray they stacked the cannon balls on were made of brass and called monkeys. The canon balls were made of iron. The different metals usually don't freeze so when they do----it is freaking cold. And to think you thought the saying meant a brass statue of a primate.....tsk tsk....

I like my feet on the ground. Too many years on the prairie will do that to a guy I suppose. You have some cool interests!

-15C = 5F
-22C = -7.6C

My youngest and I got the dogs all tucked into a cozy house again last night. Changed the oil in one of the cars and repaired a block heater plug before it gets any colder. Looks like it's going to be very cold for at least another week. I feel so lucky not to be a brass monkey either way. :)

The funny thing about temperature is that by the end of January these temperatures will feel very warm. It's -12C out there now and that will eventually come to feel like a spring day. When I spend a lot of time outside my body adapts wonderfully to the winter. Knowing how to dress helps too. I don't much care to be uncomfortable. The air quality is my favourite part of this season that's just begun.

Funny you should ask about winter running. I've never run a marathon, but I did run an interesting 30km (18 mile) race last winter. I'm happy to report that I don't have to do it ever again! It was pretty intense for me, but if you can tolerate the reading, here are the details.

This is the report by a friend (http://remontoire.livejournal.com/38***.html) of mine that got me hooked. Don't laugh!

My much less painful report (http://remontoire.livejournal.com/38***.html) of the experience

Hope I can run today. I'm really low.

I've changed my routines a little and had to get a longish run in yesterday. I think this image says it all.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2058/2255376034_e1407fa1fa_o.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/clocker/2255376034/)

May the force be with you.
;)

WOW, I saw this woman running in a rainstorm yesterday and I thought, "now she is extreme!"...

Little did I know :p

I have recently started to run again. I mainly workout by lifting weights but needed to add some cardio in my routine. I generally lift 6 days a week, one body part each day, and try and run for awhile afterwards. I haven't set up any specific goals as far as running goes, guess I should do that huh?.

I have recently started to run again. I mainly workout by lifting weights but needed to add some cardio in my routine. I generally lift 6 days a week, one body part each day, and try and run for awhile afterwards. I haven't set up any specific goals as far as running goes, guess I should do that huh?.

From what I understand, you want to do your strength work after your run and not before. My understanding is that you'll be undoing much of what you gained for strength work by following it with endurance work.

At what intensity are you running?

I read some stuff from Human Kenetics (http://www.humankinetics.com/) last year about weight work and have used some of it. Are you a body builder or a weight lifter? I can get lost in their selection of books.
Cheers!

My husband got me a new recumbant stationary bike and my goal is to ride it 30 minutes a day (sometimes twice a day). So far I'm doing pretty well with it -- I usually watch TV, listen to audio Bible tapes, or have my morning prayers on my bike -- it seems like a good way to kill two birds with one stone, so to speak (it also keeps it from being too dull!).

The bike has been good for me because I can do it without my knees hurting. I had a lot of problem with that last year and ended up unable to exercise at all for a while. I've been taking MSM and it has really helped with the joint pain. It's pretty much gone, but if I miss taking MSM for a few days, it seems to come back pretty quickly (or if I do any running unfortunately). My mom turned me on to it -- it took her from crippling arthritis to just inconvient arthritis.

How about an image of one of those bikes? I'm curious about it. Are there a lot of options for setup to tailor it to your body?

I don't know how to load an image from my camera (techno whiz kid here!). It's not a full recline, but the seat has a back and with a slight tilt backward. I find it very comfortable. So does my husband who recently tore his ACL in a skiing accident.

__/ the seat looks kind of like this and the pedals are more in front than underneath

Oh, now no beating up on your soft spots! This is for support!

There are some need looking recumbent bikes (http://images.google.ca/images?hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&hs=cWf&resnum=0&q=recumbent+bicycle&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi) out there. I've never been on one, but I wouldn't pass up the chance to play.

I've been toying with the idea of dialing in my old road bike. I really have it in my mind to put a new saddle on it and enjoy some speed instead of this ponderous running all the time.

Some new brake lever hoods, tires and a bit of attention in wheel tuning and I should be good to go.

Thirty minutes can be a little or a lot, depending on how hard you're working. Easy does it! In for the long haul? I hope so.

I'll be cross training as wood cutter tomorrow. Ugh.
Cheers! Ian.

Sounds like it might be a fun option to running, Ian! It's especially nice if tyou have some pretty terraine to ride through.

I hope to build up past 30 minutes -- there's no problem with the endurance and going a lot longer than that -- it's just the problematic knee! I'm hoping if I build up the muscles around them, they'll be able to do more without complaining!:)