Run, run, run…
23 Jan 2012 Leave a Comment
Yesterday, I finally went to the gym. Yes, I am a super slacker! I managed a 12 minute run with my students last Thursday (about 2km) in the gym, and realized that I am once again out of shape – even though I was making excellent progress in the fall. Amazing what 2 months under a kotatsu (that is a heated table for those not in Japan) can do to you!
I am such a self saboteur, it is ridiculous. First of all, on Saturday morning, i woke up with the thought in my head : TODAY I WILL RUN 5KM. Yes, it was THAT big in my brain. Then, we went for breakfast with a lady in our town… then we played games… and then… the CAPS lock in my brain turned off and a might slipped in there instead of will, and it italicized… so it became… today, i might run 5km. Amazing the difference text makes to the meaning of something.
*sigh*
So, I gave in to the suggestion of one more game, even though I knew that my window of gym opportunity was closing (the local one is only open from 1-7) and… no run on Saturday.
I woke up on Sunday with this in my head: I MUST RUN TODAY! and amazingly, even though we met up with a coworker at Starbucks (only tea, no coffee.. that is day 8!) AND played games, I managed to crawl out from under the kotatsu and get my butt into the gym.
Once I arrived, I was, as usual, the only one there. I think that is also one of my issues with the Neo gym. I like a nice full gym – so I have people to look at and judge, which takes my mind off of myself. I mean, um, encourage. Did I write judge?
I got on the treadmill, and did 5 minutes of warmup brisk walking. I pep talked myself into a 1 hour workout. No excuses. I was going to run or walk for 1 hour. I would try to be at my target pace (I have to do the kakamigahara run in 70mins, so need to shave 10 mins from my usual 10k slowpoke pace) for as long as I could, then would slow it down if necessary, and finally walk if I could no longer run. BUT, I was doing 1 hour NO MATTER WHAT.
So, why, body, did you decide to remind me that I had a minuscule glass of water one hour ago, at the 30 minute mark? huh? jerk!!! But, that is ok, I am on a treadmill, not in the middle of nowhere, so I can pause, pee, and be back in a flash. Only… Nike+ decided I was not pausing, I was done and shut off. First world problem, for sure. However, I could start again, do another 30 minutes, and voila! Plan completed.
I did 6 more minutes. Then I decided I was too tired, too hot, possibly hungry and well, the list of lame ass excuses went on and on. Yes, 30 minutes at a decent pace is better than I have done in ages, but WHY can I not complete any goal I give myself? what is my problem??! Do I aim too high? Maybe that is it? Maybe I should have aimed for 30, and then been pleased with myself for doing more? I don’t know. All I know is that my scumbag brain (yes, J, I know what I sound like) and I need to come to some sort of agreement on this, or I am destined to be fat and pokey forever!
I need to set more realistic goals, obviously. SO, here, in writing, are my goals for this week.
- 30 minutes of exercise every day this week.
- 2 visits to the gym – running at 6min/kim pace, on treadmill, for a minimum of 30 minutes
That’s it. I can doooooo it!
What did you say??