Weekly Workouts - WC 12th May

Ok, so last week I made a commitment to myself to add strength work into my workout routine...Instead I got taken out by a nasty case of food poisoning!

I went to Pune extremely early on Monday morning, and after a 4 hour journey, spent close to 12 hours in the office and something I ate did not agree with me. Tuesday in the office was a living nightmare, as I battled with griping stomach cramps and drowsiness from the medicine I took, followed with a 4 hour journey home.

My balcony in Pune

The 'view' from my balcony

My room - spacious and clean

Wednesday and Thursday were no better. Long hours in the office and the stomach cramps were still with me. Not to mention the extreme temperatures and humidity in Mumbai in May... I was dehydrated in the 10 minutes it took to go from my apartment, out on to the street and catch a rickshaw. Running was out of the question.

Ice cream helps with the heat (strawberry - yum)

 The cramps finally disappeared during the long hours in the office on Friday, and by Saturday night I was feeling 100%, so on Sunday I went for my only run of the week. I didn't do any yoga or strength work at all - my good intentions wiped out by a bite of bad food...

Back to the workouts:
Monday - Saturday: Food poisoning = REST
Sunday: 3.12 miles non-stop for the first time, 43:59 minutes, 30 deg C, 78% humidity


On an entirely random note, this made me laugh on our morning walk on Thursday. The crow, as always, is squawking at my dog, Coco (who is off to the left), and this kitty is eying him up for breakfast!

"Come closer so I can eat you!"

Let's see what happens next week...

Happy running...

Claire 

Tell me...

• What are your tips for battling a bad tummy?
• What did you see that made you laugh this week?

 

So how on earth did I end up running?

I'd just started exercising and knew I needed help to keep on track. Whilst I was on a 3 day a week workout plan, I was also walking daily (with my dog, Coco) and trying to increase the distance and speed we were walking.
I remembered a website I'd come across earlier in the year, Lift.do.

 Lift is a website that helps you build positive daily habits to achieve your goals. (Read this article on the science behind Lift to understand how it works.)
I can start tracking any goal of my choice, daily meditation for example, and Lift sends me daily emails so I can see how I'm doing. There are daily quotes to strengthen your resolve and motivate you to achieve your goal:

"Never confuse a single defeat with a final defeat." ~ F. Scott Fitzgerald
"The only way of finding the limits of the possible is by going beyond them into the impossible." ~ Arthur C. Clarke
"Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions." ~ Dalai Lama

And the Lift community can give me 'props' and leave encouraging messages to spur me on.
In late December I chose my goal of daily exercise so for 21 days Lift  reminded me to exercise and away I went, logging my GWOD workouts and daily walks with Coco.

But how did this turn into running?
Besides the basic plans like daily exercise, Lift has more advanced plans for things like learning a language or how to begin a blog, where daily steps are defined for you to follow. I soon found a few plans that caught my fancy... First I spotted a fixed meditation plan by Calm.com (which I signed up for and thoroughly enjoyed). Then I noticed a 5k training plan for Beginners... Could I do it?

The plan, by Heidi Boynton of Team Mermaid, promises race readiness in 6 weeks following 40 simple steps. But then I looked more closely... In the intro it mentioned the plan is designed for people who can jog for at least five minutes in a row.

This plan was NOT for me. Running for even one minute was out of my reach! 

Luckily for me, I then found a true beginners running plan on Lift, 'Ease into Running', created by Brett Stewart of the "7 Weeks to Fitness" website. This fantastic plan takes you from easy walking to 10 minutes continuous jogging in 8 weeks.
As Brett explains:

"It's a great plan for first-time runners, individuals who've spent a long time away from exercise, and anyone who wants to experience the cardiovascular benefits of walk/jog intervals. If you aspire to lose weight and get into shape, this program is a crucial first step!  Most sessions take 20 minutes or less."

This plan was just what I needed. It boosted my confidence and made me feel good about what I was achieving. It built up slowly and didn't push me too hard, too fast, too soon, but instead challenged me just enough. And as I began running, the high I got from each run was fantastic... I was hooked!
At the end of the 8 weeks I nailed it by jogging for 10 minutes continuously and IT FELT GREAT! (even though my lungs hurt and my legs were wobbly☺)

So that's how I became a runner.

Happy running...
Claire

Tell me:

• How did you start running?
• Why?
• When?

Weekly Workouts - WC 5th May

I intended to add strength work to my program this week, and failed miserably. A work trip to Pune did me in with extremely long days and I just couldn't motivate myself. Although I did add my Yoga back in for a nice stretch... flexibility is important!

Whilst I was in Pune, I randomly saw this scene from my window at the guesthouse where I was staying...

Yes, that's a man taking his goat for a walk! I just want to add that this is not out in the sticks... Pune is a fairly big city, and this is currently a little bit of wasteland between a whole bunch of apartments, office blocks and a big shopping mall.

Monday: 3.02 miles, 35:59 minutes
Tuesday: Scheduled Rest day 
Wednesday: Rest day due to Pune trip
Thursday: Rest day due to Pune trip
Friday: 3.30 miles, 42:07 minutes
Saturday: Yoga 
Sunday: 3.12 miles, 41.49 minutes 

I commit to adding strength work next week, even though I'm in Pune for a few days again.

Happy running...

Claire 

Tell me...

• What are your tips for exercising when you're away from home?
• How do you motivate yourself to exercise when you're tired?

Beginning my Exercise Plan

After I made the decision on Christmas Day to get started, I didn't want to wait even another day!
Running had not crossed my mind at this point, only exercising was on my radar. I had come across a health and fitness website sometime before, and had been impressed with its scientific approach (I'm a former Maths and IT teacher with a BSc in Nerdiness, so these things matter).
A workout series on this website caught my eye and it seemed perfect for me. I easily get bored so a workout with plenty of variety is important to me, and this seemed to offer just that.
So what workout caught my eye? Greatist's Workout of the Day (GWOD) 

Greatist.com is an online health and fitness magazine. They publish daily articles with tips, news, recipes and much more. Their website claims:

Bet you've never met a health site like this

We don't tell you what healthy means. Instead, we celebrate choosing whatever healthy means to you.

• LEGIT

  Seriously, we cite every fact with a scientific study!
• REAL

  We give you a realistic view about health.
• FUN

  Once we put a Shake Weight to the test…

What's a Greatist?

We're so glad you asked! Our belief that is you don't have to be the greatest all the time, but instead, just be a greatist: Someone who chooses to fit small healthier choices into their everyday life. A greatist...

• likes making healthier choices because it makes them feel good.
• is up for trying tabata workouts, mud runs, or even naked yoga.
• enjoys cupcakes, but doesn't mind baking them with whole-wheat flour and shredded carrots.
• knows the importance of being healthy, but also knows health takes work.
• realizes that health is about feeling better, not looking better.
• is someone who doesn't take things too seriously and always knows that healthy is happy.

So what's so special about their workout of the day series?
The series changes every couple of weeks. Different fitness specialists bring different types of workout to you.

When I began there was a series of Tabata exercises, different for every workout and I could choose whether I wanted to workout 2, 3 or 4 times a week. I didn't need any complicated equipment, just my exercise mat and my hand weights made from water-filled soda bottles!
The plan was flexible and fun, filled with variety. There were links to videos to show me how to perform the exercises.
Since then there have been many different types of workouts, something for everyone! When the latest set of workouts isn't to my fancy, I just go back to one of the earlier sets that I enjoyed.
Greatist... It's the greatest!
(sorry, but I couldn't resist... The cheerleader in me escaped for a moment there)

Happy exercising...
Claire
(Please note: I'm not affiliated with Greatist in any way, shape or form, I just like their workouts)

Tell me...

• What's your favourite workout?
• Can you keep doing the same stuff day in, day out?
• How do you add variety to your workouts? 

 

Weekly Workouts - WC 28th April

A few weeks ago I was struck down with a nasty cold and at the same time things kicked into overdrive at work and I ended up (unexpectedly) back in the training room. For 10 whole days I didn't have the energy to run or workout. 

When my energy finally returned, I jumped in a little too quickly in my first run back and ended up with a nasty stitch that just wouldn't go. I hobbled my way through the first half of that run and still had to slow walk for a lot of the second half too. 

Monday: Rest day
Tuesday: 2.52 miles, 43:00 minutes! Stitch
Wednesday: Rest day
Thursday: 2.48 miles, 27:55 minutes, Intervals 13 x (1 minute fast, 1 minute slow)
Friday: Rest day
Saturday: 2.70 miles, 34:43 minutes
Sunday: 40 minutes brisk walk with my dog, Coco 

Next week I'll up my game a little, and get some strength work going.

Happy Running  

Claire

Tell me...
When you've been out for a few days due to illness or injury, how does it affect you?

Plagued by Fears

I've never been a runner, let alone a long distance runner. I used to be a sprinter in school, but the only distance I could run comfortably was 100m, but it was never fun, and that was 20 years ago! What if I can't even run 10 steps now?

I'm asthmatic, what if I can't breathe? What if I get cramp? Or stitch? Or jelly legs? What if I can't even walk, or if I trip and fall over? What if I'm so slow that there are other people walking faster than I'm running?

Oh... Other people will see me! What if there are loads of experienced runners? What if I run wrong? What if I run like Phoebe from Friends!?! Will they know I'm a newbie? They might be older than me but actually able to run... They will know I'm not a real runner, coz look at what I'm wearing... a dodgy old sweatpants and a baggy t-shirt, not proper running clothes... Will they scoff at my trainers because they're not proper running shoes?

In fact there will probably be loads of people around... Mumbai is crowded after all. What if they all stare at me? What if they whisper and point at me? What if they judge me?

It's meant to be hot today... What if I can't cope with the heat and I collapse? And even if I don't collapse, I'll go bright pink like I do whenever I work out! Then everyone will definitely laugh at me.

What if?... What if?... What if?...

• Well running might not be fun, but you'll never know if you don't try.
• If you can only run 10 steps, well that's 10 more than you did yesterday and you can try for 11 tomorrow.
• If you can't breathe, then walk. If you can't walk then sit and rest until you regain control over your jelly legs.
• If you trip and fall, then pick yourself up, dust yourself off and carry on!
• If you're slow, that's OK - you're new to this. Those guys are former speed walking champions! (and you'll soon be leaving them in your wake)
• If there are other runners around, they may briefly notice you. They may even say 'hi'. Some won't even notice you as they are too busy in their own little running world!
• You don't run like Phoebe! But if anyone notices your running form, it will just remind them to check their own.
• If they happen to realize that you are a newbie, their brain will transport them back to the time they were a newbie... Coz we humans tend to be a little self-absorbed.
• If you come across any older runners, then imagine yourself in the future... older, yet still prancing like a sprightly gazelle!
• If anyone even notices what you're wearing they'll probably just think 'nice colour', or 'oh.. I wonder what brand those shoes are', or 'hmmm... shall I buy a pair of track pants like those?' 

Anyway... Who said you're not a real runner? You're out running aren't you?

• If you think there will be loads of people around then pick a quieter place or time to run.
• And if anyone looks at you, if they point and whisper they're just telling their friend that they envy you... You're doing something that they couldn't do, that they are too scared to do.
• If they judge you, their judgement is that you are one kick-ass chick /dude!
• If it's going to be hot then try to run early in the morning or just after sunset, and carry plenty of water to drink.

 And if you go pink, then remember to wear a colour that compliments it! You don't want to clash... 

Pink Face

Whatever your fears... Get over them and get moving. You'll soon realise that it was all in your head!

Happy running...
Claire

Tell me...

• What fears went through your mind as a newbie?
• What held you back?
• How did you overcome your fears?

Welcome to The Mumbai Miler!

Nearly four months ago, on Christmas day 2013, I made a pact with myself to live a healthier life:

1. To be more mindful of what I eat

2. To exercise in order to create a strong and healthy body

Why not wait until 1st January?

I didn't want to fall into the New Year's Resolution trap. To wait and never begin, or start but give up before the end of January. I knew that these goals would mean a change to the way I lived and I didn't want to wait. I wanted to see results. So I began that very day with a Tabata workout I found online, and (even with three weeks of illness) I haven't looked back since.

What prompted the change?

Around three years ago I'd lost a lot of weight due to illness, but wasn't particularly fit. Since then the weight had crept back on, but in 2013 I'd gained quite a bit of weight to the point where my 'Fat Trousers' were getting too tight. I have no idea what I weighed at Christmas. Although I wasn't anywhere close to the heaviest I was seven years ago, I wanted to turn things around and get back on track.

This time I want to lose weight to be healthy. I want to gain an athletic body, not a skinny one, so exercise and healthy diet are the key. 

Heaviest and Skinniest

So what's happened since then?

I've been working out, building my strength. I've also done something I never thought would happen... I've become a runner!

I've stopped overeating and I've been eating more healthily, more salads and home-cooked food.

I've lost weight, I don't know how much, but I can fit back into clothes I haven't been able to wear in the last nine months.

I've been ill with a nasty chest infection and bronchitis, which aggravated my asthma, and learnt that rest is really important as it's super impossible to run when you can't breathe... And that after just two months of running I'm already addicted!
I've also learnt that I'm way out of my depth in this running world... I thought it was all about putting one foot in front of the other (preferably in a pair of trainers) and keeping in going... What I've realised is that from the right clothing, right footwear, right sports watch, right nutrition, right training plan... Well everything can be a bit complicated!

So why blog about it?

Mainly to share my thoughts and feelings. Also I've found a bunch of websites, blogs and apps that have helped me along my path so far, and I'm sure will continue to guide me on my journey, and I'd like to share what I've learnt!

Why is my blog called The Mumbai Miler?

Mumbai is now my home and where I'm racking up the miles! I've been here since the start of 2007 and have no plans of going back to England anytime soon.

Happy running....

Claire

Tell me...

What's your story?

What triggered you to jump on the fitness wagon?