Tinkerblue

Hills Kill Me

I don't remember the last time I did a hill workout on purpose. Never? In fact I chose my running route based on the lack of hills.

But right now I am living at the top of long and steep driveway. Well, long and steep by my standards. The first two runs I did here, I jogged down the driveway, went for my run and then crawled back up the driveway.  

 

 Looking down part of the driveway

After yesterdays 2km swim my legs were already shaky, so today I thought I'd go for a shorter run. 20 mins. Nothing too strenous. As I was standing at the top of the driveway getting ready to start, I had a moment of insanity. I decided that I would do my version of a hill workout for 20 mins.

 

 The top portion and steepest part of the driveway.

Walk down the driveway and then jog (not run) up. Repeat. For 20 mins. I guessed I might me able to run it once, then stagger twice more and the 20 mins would be done.  

 

 From the top looking down.

I suprised myself somewhat. I jogged all the way up the first time.  Although I'm not sure you would actually calling it jogging, walking may actually have been quicker. I jogged about 3/4s of the way up the 2nd and 3rd time, then walked the rest. And I jogged just over 1/2 way up the 4th and 5th time.  

 

(Normally at 5mins I'd be closer to .75kms and a current pace of 7:00 to 7:30 minutes/km. I'm much slower on a hill)

 

I think I'll try again in two weeks and see if there's any improvement. Right now my quads, my hamstrings and my glutes are screaming, crying, burning and shaking. They are definitely not happy with me.

 

See those green triangle?  That's the hill profile. It actually looks worse than it is. The driveway is approx 120m long, and the elevation gain is about 20 metres. It certainly feels like a lot more than that.

 

My 30min Walk Lasted 4 Hours

I had a lot of crap in my head yesterday. It's been there for a few days. I couldnt turn my brain off. I needed to clear my head before I said something stupid.

So after breakfast I headed out for a quick half hour walk. My plan was to walk to the airport and back.

It was wet and cold and windy. I was wearing jeans, my runners, a fleece and a raincoat. When I reached the airport my brain was still racing, I couldn't even make sense of my thoughts. So I kept walking along the dyke.

I kept walking. And walking. And walking. I walked all along the dyke, past the cranberry fields, past where the Fraser River meets the Pitt River, past the gun club, all the way to the Pitt River Bridge. Then I walked some more, along side Lougheed Highway and down Harris Road to home.

4 hours. About 20km. Did it clear my head? I think so. That or my brain was frozen and numb. But at least I could think straight.

I was so soaked that the dye in my jeans had turned my legs and my sneakers blue. Even after a soak in a warm tub last night and a shower this morning, my legs are still blue. But my mind is still quiet. Mission accomplished.

Next Race - St Patricks 5k

I just signed up for another 5km race. The St Patricks Day 5k in Stanley Park.

It comes with its own incentive to finish...The Granville Island Brewery After Party. Beer, Irish stew and cupcakes.

24 Hours in Whistler - Scandinave Spa

The Scandinave Spa was on Groupon for 50% off so I grabbed a pass for Barb and I. It's normally $58.00 per person.  Our Groupon was $30.00 each. We arrived just after 6, and left right before closing 3 hours later. It was so good. I'd go back.

Entry includes locker rental and 2 towels. Two big, fluffy, clean white towels each. The recommended process (yes there is a process) is:

20 minutes warming the body up in one of the two hot baths, Finnish Sauna or Eucalyptus Steam Bath. This increases circulation,  and sweats out any toxins.

5 minutes in what Spa terminology calls a "Refreshing Rinse Station". Translation, bloody cold. There are two plunge pools, nordic (read freezing) waterfalls and cold showers. This apparently closes your pores and strengthens your immune system

20 minutes relaxing in a hammock, solarium or by the outdoor fireplace. 

The repeat as many times as you would like.

 

 

Hot Bath - it's daisy shaped

 

Nordic Waterfall

 

Relax - Hammock

 

Hot - Sauna

 

Cold - Nordic Plunge Pool

 

Relax - Solarium

 

Hot - Eucalyptus Steam Room, Cold - Nordic Waterfall, Relax - Solarium with great view

 

All in peace and quiet.

Zico Chocolate Coconut Water

Have you jumped on the coconut water band wagon? I haven't. I tried it last summer. Andrea and I bought some to take to the beach with us. Neither of us were too impressed. I didn't like the texture or the taste.

I know it's supposed to be healthy for you. Especially after a run. It can rehydrate like nothing else. It's full of potassium and electrolytes , including sodium**. It's lower in sugar, acidity and cholestrol than most other sport drinks.  And the ingredient list is pronounceable and recognisable.

100% natural coconut water from concentrate, cane sugar, coconut cream, cocoa, vanilla, carrageenan

Well except carrageenan. I had to look that one up. It's a seaweed extract. It's used instead of cornstarch  or gelatin to thicken or emulsify liquids.

 

 

On my latest visit to Trader Joes, they had Zico chocolate coconut water. I thought I'd give it a try.  A way better idea than plain coconut water. I think next time I'll try blending it with a banana and a scoop of protein powder and have that after my run. I wont be drinking too much of it. Zico is expensive, so unless it shows up in bulk at Costco, it'll be a treat from time to time.

 

**I often get leg cramps at night after I've been for a workout earlier in the day. Cramps can be caused by dehydration and lack of sodium. I drink lots of water but my sodium intake is low.  A diet high in sodium has never been a problem.

Skincare is Black and Muddy and Scary!

I have/had all sorts of problems with my skin. As a teenager I had acne, as an adult I still get breakouts. But now the breakouts come complete with fine lines, wrinkles, enlarged pores, red patches, oily patches , dry patches... Not to mention sun damage.

Over the years I've had over the counter pills, creams, ointments and prescription drugs and creams, including birth control pills. Some work for a limited time, some don't work at all. I even had a sun lamp for a while on the recommendation of my doctor. Just for my face.

It has gotten better. The breakouts are less frequent. But the patchiness is increasing. My dermatologist recommended 3 products for me to try.

Cetaphil cleanser . I've been using this for years anyway. It's really gentle and doesn't aggravate my skin. It's cheap and I can buy it in bulk from Costco.

Bio-Oil. This is supposed to help the dehydrated parts of my skin. It may also diminish some of the acne scarring. I'm supposed to use it twice a day. It does seem to take along time to absorb so I'm not sure about using it in the am. I don't think I can use it before applying make-up or the make-up will slide off.

Boscia Luminizing Black Mask.
http://www.bosciaskincare.com/newsite/product_detail.php?cPath=0&products_id=116&category=new&dept_id=35

This I get to use twice a week. It's supposedly going to help with the redness and the dullness and the enlarged pores. We'll see. But it's fun to peel off.

I have a 3 month supply of the bio-oil and the mask. So I'll see how my skin looks and feels come the end of June. That's also when I go back to the dermatologist for a mole check up.

Mammogram!!!

I thought ~grams were fun and delivered to your door. You know, candygrams, stripograms.

Well mammograms are most certainly not delivered to your door. Although it wasn't far. There is a mobile screening unit in town this week. In city hall. Two minutes from my front door.

I was supposed to go last year. That whole turning 40 thing. Yeah happy welcome to your fabulous 40's. Let's go get your boobs squished flat.

For various reasons it didn't happen. Either I or they had to reschedule. So when I found out the mobile unit was here, I figured I'd better do something about it.

I don't what everyone is complaining about. Seriously it wasn't that bad. Not even uncomfortable. I kept waiting for it to get bad, for it to hurt. I asked the Technician when I should expect to feel pain. She said that I was already at full compression, so if it wasn't hurting now then it wouldn't. All I felt was cold.

That's if for another year. Yep, I've been told I need to have an annual mammogram. I think that's actually normal for my age group (40-49). Results should be here in 2-3 weeks.

Friday Weigh In

This week I not only lost weight, but I broke 180. Yeah me. Today I am 178.6 lbs - down 1.6 this week. We did much better at eating at home, eating veggies, drinking lots of water and eating less sugary snacks or soda. It definitely paid off. And yes 1.6 lbs for the week is good. A guide for a sustainable weight loss is 1-2 lbs a week. Losing more than two pounds a week is hard to maintain long term and can result in yoyo dieting. I'm in it for the long term, so I'll take the 1.6lbs.

Hubby has lost inches and inches. Off his belly and hips. And gained muscle in his arms and legs.

We've been going to boot camp 5 days a week for 4 weeks. If you have a prefect attendance you get 50% discount on the following month. We both made 20 sessions in a row our first month. Hubby is away next week (week 4) and was away for 3 days of the first week. So he was going to miss 8 classes. Nah huh.

He did 20 classes in 12 days by going twice a day (6am and 630pm) on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays as well as Tuesday and Friday mornings. He is now exhausted. But he looks good. He doesn't quite have a 6 pack. But close. Looking good honey.

I have another week to go.

(my laptop died so I'm posting from an iPhone/iPad app - it won't let me add links or place photos, so they're all at the end of the posts)

Friday Weigh In

180.2lbs. Exactly the same as last week. No loss. But on the upside, no gain either. It wasn't totally unexpected.

We ate out, ate a lot and made bad food choices all week.

We've now stocked the fridge and the pantry with healthy snacks, lots of veggies and fruit. And on Sunday I'll spend some time meal planning for the rest if the week.

That should cut down on the number of times we say there's nothing to eat, let's go out. It should also mean we eat more of the food we have, and throw less of it out at the end of the week.

This photo has nothing to do with this post. It's the jewelry I've worn this week. For some reason it's accumulated on the ledge outside the bathroom. This little pile caught my eye. My favourite pieces for this week.

If My Muscles Could Talk

They would be screaming. Very Loudly. Hubby and I have been going to boot camp 5 days a week.

Unfortunately for me, the workouts can be a little repetitive. Lots of jumping. Jumping Jacks, squat jumps, skipping ropes, burpees... my calf muscles are not recovering between sessions.

In the morning boot camp is held in a Sun Hang Do studio with foam mats on the floor. We aren't allowed to wear our shoes on the mats. The mats are too soft and it's putting extra stress on my calf muscles.

My calf muscles are tight. Too tight. I'm stretching them 2-3 times a day. I'm icing them many times a day.

Today I finally went to my massage therapist. I should have gone days ago. Not only are my calf muscles throwing a revolt but my IT bands are starting to join in.

An hour later, my legs are sore and a little bruised, but feeling better. If I had the $$, I'd get a massage every day. For now once a week will have to suffice.

Oh and I'm taking tonight off. Maybe tomorrow too.