Day 46-50 Wed-Sun
Spoke too soon. After a day of rest, I again ventured out in the morning to do my run/walk training. I am not sure whether it was the tiredness from yesterday's work or the lingering haze, but I felt constrained, even after doing the regular warm-up. I felt heavy. I ran a few rounds but could only manage 1-2 min runs. My Achilles heels started to burn. I felt breathless and decided to stop.
Maybe it was my weight or knowledge that my weight has shot up almost 4 kilos since I first started that de-motivated me. Physical or psychological, the reality is that I could not complete the training session. I can't put the blame on The Plan or running for it has help strengthen my legs and knees. (read this forum for possible reasons -
http://www.runnersworld.com/community/forums/index.jsp?plckForumPage=ForumDiscus )
Could I have
gained muscle? (which is heavier than fat). A little, I guess, for my legs look & felt more solid.
On the other hand, my
calorie consumption has increased more than the expenditure from training and I read that this is common among beginners (
http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-242-304-310-7771-0,00.html ). First, the (my) body craves nutrition to replace that which was used up. Unfortunately, the
CHOICE of food does not satisfy the nutrition quota required but instead (psychologically) we (I) tend to consume 'feel good' food or 'give ourselves a treat' food that increases our calories considerably. To make matters worse, we (I) subconsciously think it's ok, since we (I) have been exercising!
Such is my folly.
Emotionally, I have been concerned about some personal matters and also anxious about the upcoming 5km run. My normal reaction each time is to 'drown my sorrows' in a few
favourite food and a familiar eating pattern - supper after work, This gives a sense of security.
It is a learned behaviour, usually inculcated since young.
Unbelievable? Consider this - what do you do each time a baby cries? You feed him milk or give him a pacifier for him to chew on (stimulating saliva, emulating eating). A child is in pain, just had a jab at the doctors, how do you calm her - Lollipop? Baskin Robbins? A team of teenagers wants to celebrate a futsal win - they head for McDonald's or KFC. The 'Golden Girls' (sitcom about single old ladies) always have cheesecake while someone is down or need to work out a problem. Fast food & snack manufacturers know this - that's why their adverts zoom in on 'happiness', 'togetherness', 'memories' when making their sales pitch, not concentrating much on the 'product' itself.
It's the same old story, we know the reasons, the facts, the theory (
behaviour modification ), but to practice it needs a definite, uncompromisable resolve (not those resolutions you make during the New Year's Eve hype). I need to find this resolve fast for the run date is nearing!
So, this morning (Sunday) I dragged myself out of bed to attend Hot Yoga class at Via Yoga Studio conducted by Serena. The difference between Hot Yoga and the rest is, obviously, the heater (today set at 39 degrees. According to Serena, its usually 42 degrees!) and involves a lot more stretching. If you like being a pretzel, this is the class for you! Pardon the cynicism :) But I guess the concept of hot yoga is to warm-up the body's muscles so that it can be stretched longer and if practiced frequently, become much more flexible. How true - I am a newbie, knowing more of the theory than the practical whereas my fellow classmates are regulars. Most of them could bend & twist their bodies.
Serena commented that I am very 'tight'. Can't even cross my legs in Lotus position or squat with feet flat on the ground. But some poses I can do with ease as I have been practicing these few poses (another justification for regular practice). I know my calves are tight due to standing & walking far on high heels for ages. This then puts a strain on my Archilles heels and this impedes my running. So, I believe
yoga has a place in my run training. Furthermore, after the class, I am refreshed - thus a psychological reprieve from the worries of the past week...
The countdown begins - 6 days to go...
Spoke too soon. After a day of rest, I again ventured out in the morning to do my run/walk training. I am not sure whether it was the tiredness from yesterday's work or the lingering haze, but I felt constrained, even after doing the regular warm-up. I felt heavy. I ran a few rounds but could only manage 1-2 min runs. My Achilles heels started to burn. I felt breathless and decided to stop.
Maybe it was my weight or knowledge that my weight has shot up almost 4 kilos since I first started that de-motivated me. Physical or psychological, the reality is that I could not complete the training session. I can't put the blame on The Plan or running for it has help strengthen my legs and knees. (read this forum for possible reasons - http://www.runnersworld.com/community/forums/index.jsp?plckForumPage=ForumDiscus )
Could I have gained muscle? (which is heavier than fat). A little, I guess, for my legs look & felt more solid.
On the other hand, my calorie consumption has increased more than the expenditure from training and I read that this is common among beginners ( http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-242-304-310-7771-0,00.html ). First, the (my) body craves nutrition to replace that which was used up. Unfortunately, the CHOICE of food does not satisfy the nutrition quota required but instead (psychologically) we (I) tend to consume 'feel good' food or 'give ourselves a treat' food that increases our calories considerably. To make matters worse, we (I) subconsciously think it's ok, since we (I) have been exercising! Such is my folly.
Emotionally, I have been concerned about some personal matters and also anxious about the upcoming 5km run. My normal reaction each time is to 'drown my sorrows' in a few favourite food and a familiar eating pattern - supper after work, This gives a sense of security.
It is a learned behaviour, usually inculcated since young. Unbelievable? Consider this - what do you do each time a baby cries? You feed him milk or give him a pacifier for him to chew on (stimulating saliva, emulating eating). A child is in pain, just had a jab at the doctors, how do you calm her - Lollipop? Baskin Robbins? A team of teenagers wants to celebrate a futsal win - they head for McDonald's or KFC. The 'Golden Girls' (sitcom about single old ladies) always have cheesecake while someone is down or need to work out a problem. Fast food & snack manufacturers know this - that's why their adverts zoom in on 'happiness', 'togetherness', 'memories' when making their sales pitch, not concentrating much on the 'product' itself.
It's the same old story, we know the reasons, the facts, the theory ( behaviour modification ), but to practice it needs a definite, uncompromisable resolve (not those resolutions you make during the New Year's Eve hype). I need to find this resolve fast for the run date is nearing!
So, this morning (Sunday) I dragged myself out of bed to attend Hot Yoga class at Via Yoga Studio conducted by Serena. The difference between Hot Yoga and the rest is, obviously, the heater (today set at 39 degrees. According to Serena, its usually 42 degrees!) and involves a lot more stretching. If you like being a pretzel, this is the class for you! Pardon the cynicism :) But I guess the concept of hot yoga is to warm-up the body's muscles so that it can be stretched longer and if practiced frequently, become much more flexible. How true - I am a newbie, knowing more of the theory than the practical whereas my fellow classmates are regulars. Most of them could bend & twist their bodies.
Serena commented that I am very 'tight'. Can't even cross my legs in Lotus position or squat with feet flat on the ground. But some poses I can do with ease as I have been practicing these few poses (another justification for regular practice). I know my calves are tight due to standing & walking far on high heels for ages. This then puts a strain on my Archilles heels and this impedes my running. So, I believe yoga has a place in my run training. Furthermore, after the class, I am refreshed - thus a psychological reprieve from the worries of the past week...
The countdown begins - 6 days to go...