Wednesday 6 August 2014

Learning to Run again

Those of you who have been following this blog for a while will know that I used to run.  I used to run in 10km races.  I used to run 20km training runs - just to make sure that I could run a 10km race !!!  Mind you, I was never very quick but I got out and plodded along the streets.  It got to the point where I HAD to run - if we were going out in the evening, I would speed home from work, get changed, go for a run, go home, get showered and changed and then go out.

And then menopause hit.  My hormones were all out of whack and and I felt like cr*p.  My doctor (who is no longer my doctor) basically told me to suck it up and deal with it.  I spent many weeks wondering what was wrong with me and why I felt so awful.  Then someone recommended seeing a doctor who specialises in women's hormones.  I made an appointment with her and I have never looked back.

Sad to say, in the meantime, my running had come to a grinding halt - mainly because it was too much like hard work but also because I had put on so much weight.  After cutting out sugar, dairy and wheat - I put on weight - go figure !!!

While I am over due for a visit to Maura, I have changed my eating by doing the I Quit Sugar program. I feel so much healthier since I cut out sugar and have become so much more aware of just how many products on the shelves have sugar in them.  It's just shocking.  As well as changing my eating habits - I've also committed myself to exercising more.  I signed up for the Learn To Run program organised by Operation Move which started at the beginning of August and runs for 12 weeks.  When I was running previously, I pretty much started out walking and one day thought "I wonder if I can run to that lamp post ?" and my running 10kms evolved from there.  At the time we lived in Runaway Bay and there were lots of flat roads around us.  Now we have moved and we are surrounded by hills and I knew that if it was left up to me, I would rather sit at home in front of some sport, crocheting blankets for babies instead of getting out there and moving so I knew I had to commit to something to make it happen.

Monday night was my first interval session - and it was FANTASTIC !!!!  I walked my rest periods and plodded my runs, and it felt so good.  A said he would come with me and we would take the dogs for a walk.  I explained to him what I was doing and then he suggested I take the dogs in turn.  I then had to explain to him that I was doing this for me - not for him, not for the dogs, not for K, not for anyone else except ME and that if I wanted to do it properly, being pulled along by a dog was not going to cut it.  Nor would having to go off to mark every tree on the side of the road work.  So, if he wanted to come with he was welcome too but he had to keep Alfie as I was happy to run with Rosie only.

Last night we just went for a walk - no intervals or anything - just a walk with the dogs and chatting.

Tonight I have another interval session booked in my diary and tomorrow night I have my third interval session for the week booked in.  I will probably walk at least another once or twice during the week while waiting for next weeks plan.

I have a great motivating factor to getting healthy and fit - I want to surprise K with how I look when we go to visit her next year.  For too many years she has heard me say "I need to lose weight", "I have to get rid of these excess kilos", "Why can't I just say no to the tempting foods ?"  and I would love to surprise her with the healthiest version of me that I can be.  I have realised why I couldn't say no to the tempting foods - because sugar is addictive.  Once you have a taste of it, it leaves you wanting more.  Borne out by the fact that on Monday afternoon I had a piece of 70% chocolate at work in the afternoon - not because I needed it but because I thought it would be nice to have.  It certainly is a lot sweeter than the 85% chocolate I have in the fridge at home, but hey, it's only one piece.  What I didn't count on was where it would lead me when I got home.  Standing at the kitchen counter talking to A about the taps/basins/toilet etc for the bathroom and I opened the fridge and reached for the block of 85% chocolate and had a piece.  Then I went back and had another piece.  Then I found some anzac biscuits left over from the house warming / farewell and I had one of those.  Then I went back and had another one.  The worst part was that I didn't even really want any of that - I realised, too late, that I was just eating mindlessly while I worried about exactly what was happening to K on the other side of the world.  Half an hour later I felt so sick - it was just awful.  I have learned my lesson about sugar - no matter how nice something may taste now, it never compares to how cr*p I am going to feel in half an hours time !

If you are considering exercising and would like to run, why not think about joining the Operation Move program that begins in spring.  I know that, for me, it's providing the guidance, motivation and inspiration that I needed to get moving again.

Have the BEST day !

TFTD :  We should review our mistakes and learn from them, but never carry them forward into the future with us.

26 comments:

  1. I admire your determination to run again and avoid sugar. I had way too much sugar last night, mindlessly eating like so many of us do, then I felt sick for hours trying to get to sleep. Ikkk. It helps to have a goal, and yours is cool.

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    1. Thank you Chris !! I still have my moments - Monday night was one of them - but it's that sick feeling after I have eaten a lot of sugar that is stopping me most of the time from eating it - I just can't stand feeling so cr*p - more than I love the taste of sugary stuff.
      Have the best day you can !
      Me xox

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  2. Well done. How did you find a doctor that specialises in female hormones?

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    1. Hi Sarah - I googled it !!!! She is just an angel and I really hit the jackpot finding her.
      Have the best day !
      Me xox

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  3. Well done, love your determination, K will be "over the moon" in seeing a healthy and fit you :-)

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    1. Thanks Jen - I hope so !!!
      Have a good one.
      Me xox

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  4. Finally catching up with you, the running sounds like an awesome start :)

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    1. THanks Jackie - I know you have had such a rough time lately - I appreciate you stopping by.
      Lotsa hugs
      Me xox

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  5. Menopause is truly dreadful. I hate it and I've put on seemingly immovable weight too, all around my midriff! Walking uphill on the treadmill for the past two months is very slowly starting to work. It's true what you say about sugar. When my students left for the day sometimes I'd hit the classroom lolly jar for instant energy. Half an hour later I'd feel as if I'd been hit by a Mack truck so I don't do it anymore.

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    1. The instant energy is great hey, but the sugar drop half an hour later just sucks !!! YAY for the treadmill starting to work - getting old sucks is really all I have to say !
      Have the best day.
      Me xox

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  6. Good for you - great aim too, to surprise her. I hope you stay motivated by it, I'd love to see the smile!

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  7. You are so inspirational, lady! I used to run too many years ago. I thought I would never be a 'non-runner' and then all of a sudden I woke up one day and realised I was. I realised I would have trouble even running 100m. I'm definitely going to check out Operation Move and see if it's something that could work for me. I would love to feel the way I used to feel when I ran regularly again. I am also ridiculously addicted to sugar, I won't even give you an example of how much sugar I eat in a day because you'll be horrified!

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    1. It really is a great program - I love how I feel when I run. I love how motivated I am to get out there. I love how running helps to put things into perspective for me.
      I know how horrified I was when I realised how much sugar I was eating - and more so by just how many products we were eating contained really high levels of sugar - products that should not have sugar in to start with !!!!
      Have the best day !
      Me xox

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  8. I needed so badly to read this. I have never really been a runner..in fact, I hated it..but a few years ago I started running and I found I didn't hate nearly as much as I thought I did..then life happened and I stopped. I've been starting again at age 51 and I'm slow and I can't run far, but I am trying.

    This is so encouraging!

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    1. My heart sings when I read comments like this - THANK YOU !!!!!
      I found when I put aside what I thought, my running seemed to benefit !! I don't worry about distance, I don't worry about time - I worry about putting one foot in front of the other and completing a task I set myself. You can do this !!!!! We can do this !!!
      Have the best week !
      Me xox

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  9. Good on you for starting this new healthy step or steps. Operation Move is a really supportive fitness community.

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    1. You are not wrong with that comment Lisa !!! Thanks for stopping by.
      Have a wonderful week !
      Me xox

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  10. Popping over to check it out now! I do like running, mostly on a treadmill and like you I feel like I just plod along. I have been redoing the couch to 5km app again as I wanted to increase my time and crack it under 30 minute mark, but I can't quite get there as I keep getting lots or aches and pains and think I just need to go back to plodding along and not worrying about my time... my ultimate goal is a half marathon. Good luck and I look forward to seeing how you go..

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    1. Good for you Zita - and good luck on achieving your goal. I have resigned myself to being a plodder and I am totally OK with that. I would rather be a plodder than a couch potato !!!
      Have a wonderful day !
      Me xox

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  11. I commented on this before????? What gives? Anyway, I think it's great that you are running again and I like that you want to surprise K...but by next year she'll be busting into a broad grin at the sight of you, as you are or otherwise. :)

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    1. Sorrrrrrrry - that was just me being slack !!!!!!!! I'm hoping the same - she will be happy to see me whatever state I'm in - LOL !

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  12. I never could stick to the IQS program so I really admire that you stuck with it and are feeling better for it. Good to hear you're enjoying the op move program, looks like they're doing great stuff :)

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    1. Thanks Kyla - I do have my moments of having something with too much sugar in but they are getting further and further apart.
      For sure - Operation Move does great stuff !!!
      Have the best day !
      Me xox

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  13. I am so late to the party here...Sorry sister. :)

    I have been trying to run again as well...it's hard and I'm slow and it's hot out..but I'm just taking every step I can and trying to not obsess over it. Usually I fail at that..but I keep trying.

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    1. It's hard not to obsess about it sometimes - like I said above, I would love to run fast - but I am a plodder - and I'd rather be a plodder than a couch potato !!!
      Have an absolutely wonderful day !
      Me xox

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I love getting comments - please feel free to leave a comment to let me know you were here !
Have the best day.

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