Tag Archives: exercise

Jailbreak!

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One of my goals for the new year was to start running again. I’ve been following the Couch-to-5K running plan again and I am pleased to say I’ve gotten further on it than my last two tries, even though I’ve currently had to go backward after some anesthesia and a minor procedure set me back a little.

I feel good, much stronger and fitter than I was when I started this whole thing. Even on the week I couldn’t go to the gym because my car was back in the shop, I did my jogging on the crappy treadmill in our apartment’s  fitness center (it’s not that crappy, the suspension just isn’t as good as the ones at the gym). I’m determined to do it this time, so I’ve set myself a goal.

THIS.

It’s called the Jailbreak Run.

It’s running, yes, but there’s much more to it than just a normal 5K. There are obstacles. Things like a mud crawl, a cargo net, a water slide, that sort of thing. When I showed Mister E the interactive map he said it looked like a lot of fun. In fact, he said if we had enough money he would do it with me. Leave it to him to want to simulate breaking out of jail.

The money is where the whole thing started to fall apart on me, though.

You see, the Jailbreak is pretty huge in terms of setup and a portion of the fee goes toward charity. That means instead of the regular $25 or $30 that a 5K costs, this one is a whopping $60. For our budget, that’s the same as saying $1000. It’s just not something we can afford. I was bummed but took to Twitter and said I need 60 people to send me a dollar so I can run in this, not expecting a response.

Sometimes people surprise you. I was sent a total of $42 by my Twitter friends, which was enough for Mister E to say we could make up the difference and I could run! I can’t begin to tell you how excited I am to actually be able to do something as wild and crazy as the Jailbreak.

I am fully prepared to be the very last one running but somehow I don’t see people booing me. It’ll be like that episode of the Golden Girls where Sophia runs in a marathon. With her wicker purse. Even if no one cheers for me, I’m gonna keep at it because I refuse to let down my friends who are supporting me. On Friday when I felt a little tired (around minute 16 of 20), I kept pushing forward because I knew I couldn’t let them down. Even if I’m the very last one over the finish line, I’m going to be proud of myself and collect my medal of honor. And of course you know what this means.

I need to get me a wicker purse.

The More Things Change

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This is going to be the shortest blog post ever, but it was too long for Twitter.

Just now, for my birthday, I went to the gym and ran for 20 minutes straight. I went out and came home after dark, or should I say I drove to the gym and back in the dark. On the way home I took the highway and went to the grocery store where I bought a massive jar of minced garlic and a box of veggie buffalo wings.

Two months ago, I couldn’t have gotten behind the wheel of a car without having a panic attack, let alone drive in the dark.

Two months ago, I wouldn’t have been able to go to a gym, let alone run for 20 minutes.

Two months ago, I wouldn’t have been able to go to the store by myself. Probably would have still bought the buffalo wings, though. I’ve loved those since Chicago.

Even though I do these things now with no problem, it is today that I take a step back and look at where I came from and dammit, I’m proud of me.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go take a shower, listen to Spoon, and then heat up my wings, which are actually more like buffalo nubbins. But damn, they’re tasty.

Gym Peeves

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Today I was at the gym, just like I was yesterday and the day before. I signed up for a gym membership before everything went sideways and just never cancelled it. I’m kind of glad I didn’t because now that I’m going, I feel a little better. It doesn’t hurt that they have a dish of Tootsie Rolls and two big massage chairs right by the door, either, but you have to have a carrot on the end of that stick.

Gym bunnies don’t really bother me – I don’t care much for weight slammers, though – but there is a type of person that makes me want to go over and shake them until their teeth rattle. They’re the ones who use the weight machine as a bench while they talk to someone who is doing their reps on another machine. The ones who, out of 40 empty treadmills, choose the one that’s right beside you and talk on their cell phone. In short, people who come to the gym to say they went to the gym, not to work out. Gym trolls.

I hate strength training. I mean, I really hate strength training. Usually the only way I’ll do it is if someone is there with me and pushing me. So you can imagine what an amazing thing it is that I’m even using the circuit training area in the first place, even if I’m not exactly enjoying it. I even made a workout mix called “Akihiko’s Training Mix” (gotta work that Persona obsession in there somehow).

Yesterday I was beginning the circuit after my warm-up walk and there were two people in front of me, a guy and a girl. They were both drinking Sprites and standing around talking, which bothered me immediately because the fenced-in area is supposed to be for circuit training only. The girl sat down on one of the machines, at which point the guy put a ridiculous amount of weight on it and proceeded to “help” her move it while their two Sprites balanced ON TOP OF ONE ANOTHER in the cupholder and they laughed. The icing on the cake, though, was that they stayed on the machines for about five minutes just playing around when you’re supposed to switch after 90 seconds (there’s even a helpful red/green light that tells you when to move so you don’t have to time yourself), and they did so right in front of the sign that says “Do not linger on machines, area for circuit training ONLY.”

Finally they left, and I went back to my workout. I came around to the second to last station, only to find someone there who had decided to start at Station 19 instead of Station 1. I blinked at her and she got up hurriedly, saying something about how the regular ab machine wasn’t any good. I just nodded and sat down to do my reps. Once the light went off, I got up and moved to the step block and she stopped me to say I didn’t have to get off, she could wait. I pointed at the light and said “I just finished my set, I’m through with that machine,” hoping she’d get the picture. She did not. When I went back to the treadmill for my cooldown walk, she was back on the machine. With my luck she’ll be there tomorrow, getting on the treadmill next to mine. The worst part of the gym is truly other people.

Side note: I bought a tub of protein powder today. I spilled a tiny bit on the floor and the cats lost their minds. You would have thought I dropped tuna. I wonder if you can put strawberries or something into the mixer with it. That’ll keep them away from it.

Levelin’ Up

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When I lived in Chicago I was able to walk anywhere and everywhere. Two miles to work? Pfft, that’s nothing. Five mile round trip after getting lost near Wrigley Field? My only regret was not wearing better shoes. Part of this was because I was in shape before I moved there, having just trained my way up to the Danskin triathlon and completed a mini indoor triathlon. Walking in Chicago kept my system going, and the only reason I gained weight was because the medication I was on jacked up my metabolism.

Now, I’ve been on my butt for a while. Even going to the fitness center every now and then hasn’t done much for me so I’ve been using Fitocracy to try and get myself into more regular exercise.

If you don’t know what Fitocracy is, it’s even easier to explain than Spotify. Basically, it’s a fitness program that gives you points for activity. It takes your tracked exercise and converts it into points that are then added to your profile, and you level up when you gain a certain number. People can give you props or comment to motivate you, and you can join teams (I’m in Dumbledore’s Army) to meet other people and get more motivation.

A perfect example of why it is great is this: I hate crunches and tricep dips. God, do I ever hate them. But thanks to Fitocracy’s addictive points system, I’ve been doing them every day without fail. Even when I didn’t do any walking or running, I did my stupid crunches because I wanted just a little more toward my next level. It’s basically grinding for experience and while I wouldn’t call it fun (neither is fighting random encounters so I can get enough money to buy a mythril helmet), I know it’s good for me and I like leveling up. Basically, it’s the perfect program for an RPG geek because even though the carrot at the end of the stick is just a little badge that says I gained a level it’s still a great motivator.

I wonder what it is about these social tools that motivates me so much? In the real world I try and stay away from people but online I make friends like a mofo. Maybe it helps that the people I’m interacting with on the site are ones that want to give me encouragement instead of telling me I’m going to fail, that don’t think that taking a walk isn’t “real exercise,” and that just because I don’t spend three hours at the gym lifting weights I’m not worthy of their time. It’s a community of somewhat geeky people (at least MY feed is) who are all in it for one reason: getting and staying healthy. There’s only one thing they can’t do for me.

I still hate crunches.

If you’re on Fitocracy, be my friend! I’m “geekerella” on there. I am sure you are surprised by this.

The Great Outside

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Yesterday was an interesting day for your friendly neighborhood recluse. Yesterday morning I decided to go a little crazy (more than normal, y’know) and go for a walk in the neighborhood. And when I say that, I mean it a little loosely. You see, we live in an apartment complex that’s situated on the side of a highway access road. So to get to anything even related to a neighborhood, I have to walk up to the corner store and make a right. A little ways down and I’m in a pretty cute little area just in front of an elementary school.

According to the route I mapped, it was just short of 3 miles and it took me almost an hour to walk. It was a nice walk, though, and much to my relief I did not have a panic attack or get lost. I did bring along a bottle of Ativan and some water just in case there was a problem, and made sure there was a path I could cut down if I had to take it.

I’m pleased to report that I did not freak out. It also felt a lot shorter than I thought, and it was pretty nice outside so it was actually really enjoyable. I walked at a leisurely pace because I have a tendency to get shin splints when I walk too fast over uneven terrain, but I’m looking forward to strengthening my calves so I can walk a little faster.

While walking, I also came across a church that had one of those meditative labyrinths that said anyone was welcome at any time so if I ever have a tough decision to make I’ll know where to go to wander around for a while.

After I came back from walking, we watched a little bit of Deadly Premonition and then went to the pool. I’d been asking to go ever since school started back up so I wouldn’t have to deal with kids in my water and today was the day we’d agreed to go splash around. We went to the “back” pool and it was completely empty except for about a hundred bees, which Mister E carefully removed for me (no easy task without his glasses on) so I could swim comfortably. We also found a swimming ring, so it was pretty fun even though I almost whacked both of us in the head with the ring.

I also got a sunburn. You heard me. I was in the pool with Mister E for an hour and my shoulders and the back of my neck are sunburned. How the frak that happened (more accurately, how I missed them when I dumped a bottle of SPF 55 on my entire body) is beyond me but I’m like a lobster now.

This is why I do not go outside.