Couch to 5K, Version 2

I've decided to do Couch to 5K again. I can run 3 miles/5k, but not so fast. And part of the reason my training for long races goes to shit is that it takes so long to go anywhere. So this time I'm doing it with the aim of having a sub-30-min 5k at the end of it. Which means continually increasing the time I can run at a sub-10-min-mile pace. I know, not so fast, still, but a big improvement over when I first started this program, and this blog. I'm also adding the 100 pushups and 200 situps programs.

Vietnam, part 0.1

Even though Meg and I keep a pretty good travel journal when we travel, we haven't put any of it online from our Vietnam trip yet. And I always get shit from people about the low number of photographs I put out there - but honestly it's intentional as I fully subscribe to the belief that "the difference between professional photographers and amateurs is that the former show fewer photgraphs." (OK, I can't remember the exact quote or who said it, but you get the idea.)

Anyway, we'll put some stories up soon but we had an amazing active vacation, and a few photos, with more to come, are here.

Also signed up for: Mysore workshop

For a long time now, I've wanted to learn to do Mysore-style Ashtanga classes. That's the one where you do it at your own pace, and the instructor "gives" you additional parts to the sequence as s/he feels you're ready. It rewards consistency and removes some of the unspoken competition that can occur in "called" yoga classes, while still providing for instructor correction so you progress and don't hurt yourself. I'd love to be better at my home yoga practice, but I'm just not that regular about it and I don't think I progress because I spend too much time trying to figure out the instructions (whether on video or just called out) and not enough time getting into the flow.

But, Mysore is kind of intimidating-sounding for the first time. I mean, when do I come into class. What will happen when I get there? How do I know how far to go? Will someone help me if I can't remember the Sanskrit names for the poses?

So I've signed up for a Mysore workshop, which I'm very excited about. I'm really looking forward to figuring this out, because nearly all the morning yoga around me is Mysore style, and morning exercise is much better for me.

In the ballot

Completely on a whim (again) I entered the Virgin London Marathon ballot. JogBlog, I will blame you if I'm running in the snow this winter. But I also blame my coworker, who ran this year's on basically no training - he only got a charity place about 2 months before the race and didn't run much before that, and his training consisted of running to and from work a few times a week (<8 miles each way). I offered him my Reading Half-Marathon place when I elected not to go, and he turned it down because he wanted to go drinking Saturday night. All this, and he ran in under 3 1/2 hours. Ah, to be 22 again (not that that would have helped me).

So, um, cross your fingers for me. Meanwhile I'm also contemplating going to California in October to run with my dad in his first half. I think it's in Napa. Anyone want to come?

This is why I run

I'm back from an amazing holiday in Vietnam, with pictures to come as soon as I finish editing them. But it was an amazing reminder of why I run, because it was an awesomely active vacation. We rode 200k on our bikes in 4 days through the Mekong Delta (it was hotter than anything, and humidity to match, and though I was very careful with the sun my arms are still peeling a little 2 weeks later, but seriously beautiful and fascinating) then went to Nha Trang and got certified to SCUBA. I am completely in love with this new activity, and want to go all the time now! Who wants to go diving? UK divers? But it was also a good reminder that I enjoy the active life.

In other news, my dad completed his first 5k this weekend on his way to a half-marathon this fall. I'm so proud of him!

Skipping out...

The Fabulously Flexible Nancy, having loads of time on her hands after her surgery, has been checking up on me, reminding me that no matter how crap I feel or how stressed out by work I am or how little running I've done, I really ought not to neglect my blog. (Well, she didn't say that, exactly, but it's still true.) And while I'd love to run with her, unfortunately I think she's got to stop with the running due to her Fabulous Flexibilty. Which makes her rather sad. Which in turn makes me feel rather guilty to report that I will be pulling out of the Reading Half-Marathon this weekend. If I'd been well-trained, but as sick as I have been, I would go. If I were not sick, but as poorly trained as I am, I would go. If I weren't going on holiday next week that will include bike riding and scuba diving (!) I would go. But with all of those things, I can't really see myself doing well and having a good time. So I'm just being honest that I'm not going, and instead will party like a rock star at the Metallica concert on Saturday and sleep through the time change on Sunday and get prepared to go to Vietnam. Have I mentioned how excited I am lately?

Ashtanga for 25

25. That's how many people were in my class last night. 3 rows of 8, plus one guy going crossways right in front of me, in a room 20 by 40 feet. It was hot and crowded, that's for sure. I find this particular teacher a little hard to follow, and this was a level 1-2 class (I'm pretty solidly a level 1), so it was a tough workout. I was really happy to have gone, though.

Some of the earlier poses I really like. My favourite part is the fundamental series - opening my back and legs after a day in an office and stretching out the runners' tight hamstrings. I'm struggling with Prasarita Padottanasana C (intense spread leg stretch with shoulder opening) because my shoulders are so tight that my arms don't go anywhere near over and I feel like I'm pushing against myself the whole time. Then there's the difficult but lovely Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana and following poses, which are all good until we get to a whole series of seated asymetrical forward bends. In particular, the Triang Mukhaikapada Paschimottanasana, or one-leg-folded-back pose. My (bent) leg just does not go that way.

I also enjoy the shoulder stand, except that it constantly reminds me that yoga was developed by people with small (or, mostly, no!) breasts. Mine smother me. See also Double D reviews. What do you bigger-breasted people do in this situation?

A little bit of Mambo Number 5

I was in this CD swap with a bunch of other runners and somebody put Lou Bega's Mambo Number 5 on my ipod and now whenever I want to talk about a "little of this, a little of that" that's the song that's in my head.

• I get a lot of hits wondering about whether it's better to work out in the morning or the afternoon. I don't know. I have heard somewhere (one of you, maybe?) that people who work out in the morning miss fewer workouts but get injured more. My own experience is that, once I'm in the habit, mornings are better because I do miss fewer workouts. It's the getting-in-the-habit that's problematic. What do you do to make that happen?
• I do love me some yoga. I love it when I do it at home, I enjoy my classes, it's actually one of the times I'm happiest. But we've been using the room-I-formerly-occasionally-used-as-a-yoga-studio as a bike and assorted other crap storage room (aka garage), and the (real) dog is not that helpful when trying to do downward-facing-dog in the living room, so that's pretty much home yoga out right now. I've tried to go to class a couple of times lately and they've been overful. There aren't a lot of good ones near my office or near my home, and the ones there are are at awful times. One of my friends was raving about Bikram last night so I thought I'd try to find one of those, but no dice there either. Though I suspect that might have more to do with the office in Hammersmith than anything else. So I'll be departing promptly at 5:30 tonight to get to the 7pm class.
• I would really like to find a running partner. But I'm kind of picky - I would like someone to be near me (so somewhere between Highbury Fields and Finsbury Park), someone who is about my speed (slow!), and wanting to work out before work at around 6:30. Any takers? Or, more realistically, how can I find such a person?
• Some guy from Nike's interactive agency contacted me and wanted me to pimp their Girls vs Boys challenge. Look it up if you're interested.
• I also got a note from Addidas prior to the Reading Half Marathon that, if you run in their shoes, you automatically are a member of their "VIP club" and can get a pasta meal and some other stuff. I'm kind of irritated by this, because I choose my shoes based on what works for me and my feet, not by the promise of a free pasta dinner. And how can this kind of thing be effective for them? I'm confused
  

All the days of suck

I am a lazy slacker sometimes and kind of regretting signing up for the half-marathon. Ok, not really, because otherwise I'd have no reason to not sit on my couch and drink wine all the time, but a little because I have been sitting on the couch drinking wine all the time. Yesterday I skipped going to the museum with Meg and our friend Andrew because to go to the museum with those two is no fun at all for me - I like to read every single word in the place and learn all about everything whereas their method is to look at things for 2 seconds and go "love it, hate it, like it, that looks like cat puke, ok let's go." Anyway so I skipped out on that educational experience and planned to run instead. And then I went to get ready just as the tunder and lightning started. I don't mind rain but that's just a little much as I don't want to die next to Regent's Canal so instead I played Zelda. Which is 8 miles more of my training I didn't do. So lunchtime today I actually got up from my desk and ran in lovely Hammersmith and even did a few pushups (girly style) and situps before coming back to work and remembering that I do actually enjoy the post-run feeling. 20 days...

Hooray!

Last night I accidentally drank a bottle of wine and drunkenly Facebook-bragged to JogBlog that I would still run today. So around 4 I finally got myself back on the roads for 6 miles that felt pretty good. I can definitely feel the time off, though.

OK, must update this worst blog post ever. I was running to get out the door (saw Catie Curtis last night at the Borderline...awesome as always) so I just wanted to get something in there so it would be on the right day.

So, first, must respond to Xenia who thought I should have taken photos of the nast on my foot. This is going to be gross, so close your eyes if you want! Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) I have such runner's callouses on my feet that it didn't even look bad when it was at it's worst, and then the chiropodist used a blue towel to mop it up so I couldn't even tell how gross it was, but I will say that it felt immensely better as soon as she cut it open. But if I ever have that kind of painful hot spot again I'll get to the chiropodist ASAP.

Next, Irish Cream, my fellow wine drinker...man, am I glad not to be the only one who drinks and then goes running. If only I was as fast as her when doing it.

Anyway, my run was pretty good...it wasn't 6 miles nonstop - I took a break every mile and a half and had to do a little walking in my last bit, but even so I am really pleased to have done it. I wanted to go to yoga today but there's no good class anywhere close today, so I'll have to settle for running the kinks out of my legs tomorrow morning.