Well, I'm closing in on the Spring Training phase of my challenge. My goal was to be down 20 lbs by then. I don't think I'll quite make it, but I'm not going to be upset with my progress. Speaking of progress...well, you'll have to wait until the end.
Tonight, as I write this, I'm exhausted. AquaFit was a little more tiring today than usual, and I think I also need to put the blame on myself for having a very late, way too long conversation with a good friend last night. But, it was a long time since we've caught up, and his advice was very timely and wise. So, it was worth it to me, and your stuck with a rambling post.
More than likely, you'll find the occasional Minnesota Twins blog post here in the upcoming months. The aforementioned exhaustion is not unique to tonight. That's been the feeling lately. Because of that, I regretfully resigned from Puckett's Pond, at least for the time being. I will, of course, have opinions about the Hometown Heroes this season, so you can expect to find me venting here.
More than likely, no one else quite understands what a big deal it is that I ran for five minutes on a treadmill after work on Monday. (Before you think I'm really strange, I did spend more than five minutes on the treadmill. I just walked before and after my little run.)
It is not an exaggeration to say that I haven't run for five minutes together ever in my life before. Seriously. I've run the bases in softball, or down an elementary school gym for basketball or dodgeball, or even around for a volley during a racquetball game. I walked when we did the mile in elementary school. Seriously.
On Monday, my plan was to run for a minute, slow down, and maybe challenge myself to do it again. I was thinking baby steps. Then, as I ratched up the speed, for some reason, I changed my mind. I decided to give five minutes a go; I figured there was an emergency stop button for a reason.
Now I know how Gimli felt.
What I'm learning from this: 1) AquaFit (plus treadmill days in between) is slowly improving my cardiovascular endurance, and 2) I've only really challenged myself physically once in my life. That's when I climbed up a (mini) mountain in the UP with a few friends just over a year ago. It was fun with those friends. That experience was one of the most difficult things I have ever done. Probably, I should do things like that more often.
Pope Francis seems to have taken the world by storm...in pretty much the most humble way possible. Today at work, I was reviewing his Angelus message from Sunday (3/17/13) to share some nuggets with the Jr High kiddos tomorrow night. I pretty much wrote a great blog post response in my head. But that's just not happening tonight. Instead, you're getting just a brief note in commentary. (See "exhausted" above.)
My brief note in commentary: I was really, really struck by his conversation with the Nonna about God's mercy. (It's quite good. You should read it yourself.) I'm also pretty sure I'm better at receiving mercy than giving it.
Week 5 Weigh-In Results
Last week's cumulative total: -12.5 lbs
This week's total: -1.5 lbs
Total weight loss: -14.0 lbs
I have just under two weeks (Opening Day is April 1) to reach my goal of 20 lbs. I'm pretty sure that's out of reach, although I'm not ruling it out. However, if I keep moving forward, I'm going to be quite happy, even if I'm a little short of that goal. I definitely feel like I deserve the reward of going to (the ridiculously cold, possibly snowing, likely Twins loss that will be) the Opening Day 2013 game at Target Field. Also, if things project out as they're starting to seem, I may not need to lose quite as much to meet or beat the 2013 Minnesota Twins. I've been hearing for a few weeks that Vegas has the over/under on wins at 67. I was projecting a lofty 78 when I started this crazy deal. Thanks, Reusse.
I'm also toying with the idea of adding a massage to my Opening Day Game reward. (Probably not on the same day, although I might need some help relaxing after the shellacking the Twins are going to get from Verlander. I predict complete-game shut-out.) A massage sounds like such a fantastic idea. I think I'll ponder that for a week...
Nifty Weight Chart for the week:
Paula,
ReplyDeleteContrary to this being a rambling post, I actually found it quite succint and one of your best! Not sure what that means, ha ha, but I liked it.
Congratulations on your 'first' 5 minute run. How did you feel afterwards?
Just want to check and make sure you are giving yourself credit where credit is due. I think anytime I *move* I am challenging myself physically. So for me, racquetball, running the bases, and going to AquaFit would all count. Maybe going up the mountain in the UP was just challenging yourself in an above and beyond way. But I know it to be true that if we don't give ourselves credit for past successes, it can limit our motivation to achieve future ones.
Anyway, just wanted to say 'hi'! Keep up the good work.
Noah
Thanks for the reply, Mr. Beacom!
DeleteI think you're right about giving myself more credit, and I think I need to be somewhere in between. More effort, but not all-out climbing a moutain every day. I gave myself a chest cold climbing that blessed mountain.
I ran 9 minutes today. I think my Monday running pace was 4.3 mpg. Today, I ran (fast jogged) at 4.0 mph for the 9 minutes. I wanted to make it the full 15 min I had time for after work (i.e. at 9pm tonight), but I just couldn't go more than those 9 at that pace. I did the final 6 at a pace faster than my typical treadmill walk. It felt good both times, but not like a "runners high" - it's not long enough. Yet. (And I am certain my mph is slow, but I'm short, fat, and inexperienced. That's a slow run/fast jog for me right now.)
Also, I couldn't get to the book you recommended & had to return it before I could even start. I'm going to request it later this spring when I can read it. Thanks!
Uh, that's mph, not mpg. Sorry!
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