Achievable goals

My goals for fitness are not inspirational, but they are achievable!

I am well aware of my strengths and limitations, and try to be very conscious of what I actually want out of exercise etc.: to be able to keep up with my kid, to be able to be self-sufficient in day-to-day life (which can involve running to catch up with the kid or the bus, heavy lifting of the kid or furniture, etc.), and to be able to sustain health and flexibility for as long as possible. I don't need to run a marathon, but I do want to be able to climb stairs and tie my own shoes when I'm 90.

But once goals are met, you need new goals.

My previous race goals were very humble:

• Don't be the first to give up and walk
• Don't be the last to cross the finish line
• Don't sustain any injuries

I managed those goals in three separate 5k runs, so my goal for the most recent run was to run the whole way.

It's kind of funny, because when I alternate between running and walking, I see it as a failure in myself. Other people call it "doing intervals" and see it as a deliberate strategy. Maybe I need to think about how I see myself and judge myself?

Because I did meet this goal for my most recent run - no walking - but it added a minute to my time! I was being conscious of pacing myself so that I'd be able to make it, and as a result, ran slower overall - 35 minutes as opposed to 34. (Both of these are pretty slow anyway!)

But, a big plus was feeling great at the end of the race. Instead of throwing myself on the ground at the end and begging my kid to bring me water and juice and feeling like my chest was going to explode, I was able to walk away feeling amazing, like the champion of champions (actually 22nd in the middle-aged-lady class, but who's counting).

Now, we are hitting the too-hot-to-run season of the year, so unless I find a race that starts at dawn, I'll just be running solo till the weather is cooler.

I am thinking though, maybe my goal for the fall will be to sign up for a 10k?

Great run today!

Nice run this morning. I was still feeling a bit stiff from Tuesday’s run, so adjusted my route to avoid that climb, but when I was nearing my usual end point I wanted to keep going so I didn’t a different short-but-steep climb, and still wanted to keep going, so added an extra couple of blocks at the end. Total of 3 miles in 30 minutes.

Feeling good!

Also spontaneously signed up for a 5k for Sunday, but now they’re saying the weather will be hot and humid... Not my ideal. But, I like having an external goal to focus on.

Back at it

Wow.

Well, I survived my 5k back in April, although my time was pretty poor! Shortly after we started, my phone fell out of my armband, resulting in a tangled mess of cords... sigh. I had to stop and put it all back together because otherwise I would have been running with my hands unmanageably full. This never happened before, and hasn't happened since - why race day! Argh.

To be honest though, I haven't run much since. With four or five hours a day marching on the picket line (in all kinds of terrible weather), I found myself sufficiently worn out (especially my feet) that I could not bring myself to go running on the regular.

Then, back to work a few weeks ago, I got bronchitis again, and was again not up for much!

So, I am back to the inhaler. This time, it's the Symbicort Turbuhaler, a combination steroid/bronchodilator, in the form of an inhaled powder. I think it's working, but I'm also having side effects, like fast/irregular heartbeat, trouble sleeping, and my vision seems blurrier. I may have to go back to my doctor and see if I can take something else.

But I did manage to get out for a run today! Just a couple of miles, but it felt good to get moving. I had a bit of a steep hill in there, and was definitely feeling it in my legs after that! But more importantly, my lungs/heart felt up to the challenge. (n.b. I definitely waited till after the run for my inhaler - usually when I take it I feel like I need to rest for twenty minutes!)