It's been ridiculously cold the past few days! After running with Dean on Wednesday, it only continued to get colder. Wednesday was the day I was supposed to ride my bike, but this whole week has gotten kind of screwed up because of the half-marathon on Sunday, rest day on Monday, etc. Normally, I don't run on Wednesdays, but running with Dean was worth it ;) I decided to just do the biking on Thursday instead.
Except it was 28 degrees and snowing.
Since I made it a goal to bike once a week for all of November, I didn't want to skip it entirely. I wasn't sure if my membership was still active at the rec center, so I verified that it was, and then decided to go to there to use an indoor bike. The cardio room there is extremely boring (they have two TVs playing without sound--one of them is on Sports Center and the other is on the local access channel). I remembered this from the one or two other times I'd been in there, so I brought my phone and earbuds.
I was hoping to be the only one in there, so I wouldn't feel like an ass as I tried to figure out how to use the equipment. The fat girl in me still makes me feel so self-doubtful and out-of-place at the gym, if that makes any sense. Unfortunately, there were a couple of other women in there, so I just tried to pretend that I knew what I was doing.
There were a bunch of bikes, ellipticals, and treadmills. There was only one upright bike (most were recumbent); I knew I wanted the upright one, because it's better for cross-training for running. I hoped I wouldn't have to adjust the seat or anything, because I had no idea how to do that! As I was fiddling with my phone and earbuds, I was looking at the bike, trying to find the button to turn it on.
When I was ready to start, I just couldn't get it turned on. I was pushing all the buttons I could, pressing and holding the "Go" button, etc. Eventually, the woman behind me offered help--which, even though it was embarrassing, I was grateful for. She told me I had to pedal the bike for a few seconds and it would turn on automatically. Bingo--it worked.
The upright bike was nice, because I could just lean forward onto my elbows, which left my hands free to use my phone. I put on some music, and then browsed around Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter while I pedaled. I set the bike to a "rolling hills" workout, and it was pretty tough. I was really sweaty by the time I was done. I only did 30 minutes--much less than if I had biked outside, but there was no way that I wanted to do more than that in the cardio room!
My membership expires on December 3rd, but I think I will renew it so that I can continue to go through the winter. The rec center is only $100 for our whole family for a year, which is super cheap compared to gyms. It's nice when I want to use the indoor track or to take the kids swimming.
Yesterday was my long run day. My schedule was up to 7 miles already. It's kind of funny--when I started the new schedule, I was really looking forward to having "short" long runs (5 miles, 6 miles). That didn't last very long!
For yesterday's run, I knew I had to prepare for the cold. It was 28 degrees, but a "feels like" temp of 20. The wind wasn't too bad at 9 mph, but it felt SO much worse when it was that cold. I wore my Cold Gear tights, a long-sleeved top with a heavier long-sleeve top over it, a hat, and gloves. I also rubbed Aquaphor on my cheeks to hopefully block the wind a little.
I headed outside, and while I was expecting the cold, I was NOT expecting the ice! The shoulders of the roads I was running on had a thin layer of black ice on them, and it was hard to run on. The first mile wasn't bad (and since I did an out-and-back route, the last mile was the same). During the other miles, though, I spent a lot of the time focused on my footing, which was mentally exhausting. I was more worried about the cars hitting a patch of ice and sliding into me.
It wasn't a good run, overall. I didn't feel my best, and running on ice is never fun. Next time it's icy, I'll use the treadmill. But I got it done!
In the afternoon, I had plans to meet up with my friend Stacie, who I usually only see a couple of times a year (she was actually the one I walked the Indy Mini with in 2008). I saw her at the Monroe Half, and we made plans to get together for coffee. The last time I saw her was about a year ago, so we had a ton to catch up on. We met at Tim Hortons, and spent two and a half hours talking about the last year. I didn't have a whole lot to talk about except for Mark's story. She knew all about Mark, because we've been friends since high school, but I explained all that had happened with his illness.
I've been really excited for Stacie, because she's always wanted to write and publish a book--and now it's actually happening! She went on a solo hike in Sedona, Arizona, a few years ago, and it was life-changing for her. She wrote a book about her experience, called On The Edge: A Solo Hiker's Journey
(Amazon affiliate link), which is going to be released next month.
Today, my mom had a Thirty-One party at her house. I wasn't *planning* to buy anything, but you know how that goes. I spent way too much money, but when you see all the organizational bags, it makes you feel like you've been missing out all along! She had brunch there, but I had already eaten breakfast, so I just had some tea. Then when I got home, I was starving for lunch; but even after eating lunch, I started having binge thoughts. Logically, I knew I would regret it horribly if I did binge; but I was still really struggling. Finally, I started going through a picture folder on my phone called "Motivation"--it's a folder of a couple dozen photos of me at my goal weight, where I looked good and felt happy.
Thankfully, looking through that folder was exactly what I needed to stay on track! I managed not to binge, and instead, I went to the store to get some groceries for dinner. I need to remember to look through that folder whenever I'm feeling binge-y.
Anyone else have ideas for staying on track when you are having a tough time? Feel free to share! The most motivating for me is to look at pictures of me at my goal. It always makes me feel nostalgic.
Except it was 28 degrees and snowing.
Since I made it a goal to bike once a week for all of November, I didn't want to skip it entirely. I wasn't sure if my membership was still active at the rec center, so I verified that it was, and then decided to go to there to use an indoor bike. The cardio room there is extremely boring (they have two TVs playing without sound--one of them is on Sports Center and the other is on the local access channel). I remembered this from the one or two other times I'd been in there, so I brought my phone and earbuds.
I was hoping to be the only one in there, so I wouldn't feel like an ass as I tried to figure out how to use the equipment. The fat girl in me still makes me feel so self-doubtful and out-of-place at the gym, if that makes any sense. Unfortunately, there were a couple of other women in there, so I just tried to pretend that I knew what I was doing.
There were a bunch of bikes, ellipticals, and treadmills. There was only one upright bike (most were recumbent); I knew I wanted the upright one, because it's better for cross-training for running. I hoped I wouldn't have to adjust the seat or anything, because I had no idea how to do that! As I was fiddling with my phone and earbuds, I was looking at the bike, trying to find the button to turn it on.
When I was ready to start, I just couldn't get it turned on. I was pushing all the buttons I could, pressing and holding the "Go" button, etc. Eventually, the woman behind me offered help--which, even though it was embarrassing, I was grateful for. She told me I had to pedal the bike for a few seconds and it would turn on automatically. Bingo--it worked.
The upright bike was nice, because I could just lean forward onto my elbows, which left my hands free to use my phone. I put on some music, and then browsed around Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter while I pedaled. I set the bike to a "rolling hills" workout, and it was pretty tough. I was really sweaty by the time I was done. I only did 30 minutes--much less than if I had biked outside, but there was no way that I wanted to do more than that in the cardio room!
My membership expires on December 3rd, but I think I will renew it so that I can continue to go through the winter. The rec center is only $100 for our whole family for a year, which is super cheap compared to gyms. It's nice when I want to use the indoor track or to take the kids swimming.
Yesterday was my long run day. My schedule was up to 7 miles already. It's kind of funny--when I started the new schedule, I was really looking forward to having "short" long runs (5 miles, 6 miles). That didn't last very long!
For yesterday's run, I knew I had to prepare for the cold. It was 28 degrees, but a "feels like" temp of 20. The wind wasn't too bad at 9 mph, but it felt SO much worse when it was that cold. I wore my Cold Gear tights, a long-sleeved top with a heavier long-sleeve top over it, a hat, and gloves. I also rubbed Aquaphor on my cheeks to hopefully block the wind a little.
I headed outside, and while I was expecting the cold, I was NOT expecting the ice! The shoulders of the roads I was running on had a thin layer of black ice on them, and it was hard to run on. The first mile wasn't bad (and since I did an out-and-back route, the last mile was the same). During the other miles, though, I spent a lot of the time focused on my footing, which was mentally exhausting. I was more worried about the cars hitting a patch of ice and sliding into me.
It wasn't a good run, overall. I didn't feel my best, and running on ice is never fun. Next time it's icy, I'll use the treadmill. But I got it done!
In the afternoon, I had plans to meet up with my friend Stacie, who I usually only see a couple of times a year (she was actually the one I walked the Indy Mini with in 2008). I saw her at the Monroe Half, and we made plans to get together for coffee. The last time I saw her was about a year ago, so we had a ton to catch up on. We met at Tim Hortons, and spent two and a half hours talking about the last year. I didn't have a whole lot to talk about except for Mark's story. She knew all about Mark, because we've been friends since high school, but I explained all that had happened with his illness.
I've been really excited for Stacie, because she's always wanted to write and publish a book--and now it's actually happening! She went on a solo hike in Sedona, Arizona, a few years ago, and it was life-changing for her. She wrote a book about her experience, called On The Edge: A Solo Hiker's Journey
(Amazon affiliate link), which is going to be released next month.Today, my mom had a Thirty-One party at her house. I wasn't *planning* to buy anything, but you know how that goes. I spent way too much money, but when you see all the organizational bags, it makes you feel like you've been missing out all along! She had brunch there, but I had already eaten breakfast, so I just had some tea. Then when I got home, I was starving for lunch; but even after eating lunch, I started having binge thoughts. Logically, I knew I would regret it horribly if I did binge; but I was still really struggling. Finally, I started going through a picture folder on my phone called "Motivation"--it's a folder of a couple dozen photos of me at my goal weight, where I looked good and felt happy.
Thankfully, looking through that folder was exactly what I needed to stay on track! I managed not to binge, and instead, I went to the store to get some groceries for dinner. I need to remember to look through that folder whenever I'm feeling binge-y.
Anyone else have ideas for staying on track when you are having a tough time? Feel free to share! The most motivating for me is to look at pictures of me at my goal. It always makes me feel nostalgic.
