Monday, October 24, 2011
Friday, October 7, 2011
How I "Became" A Runner
I had never been much of a runner. Growing up, I was an avid swimmer. I basically waddled on land. In fact, my running form probably still resembles the waddle... I have just come to accept that. I tried running on the track team in high school, but practices were right after school- let's just say August in Florida at 3:30 is not a time you want to be outdoors. Running. With an alcoholic resembling Santa Clause hoarsely yelling drills to keep pounding pavement.
I lasted two days. I kept in tip-top shape swimming on a club team two hours a day, made it to state all four years, was team captain, yada-yada-yada.
After high school, I went off to the university, where I was put in a box to come out just the same. (Weeds, anyone?) I stopped swimming and commenced the attempt to balance studying with drinking. While I managed to maintain a good GPA and become a champion of beer pong, I was not managing my fitness and weight very well. In high school, I had become accustomed to eating the equivalent of a small elephant every day and burning the calories at practice. College did not fare well on my ass, thighs, chin, etc. etc., enough with the visual. I got myself a degree, but I was none too happy about my fitness level, or lack thereof.
While studying to take my board exam, I moved back home to fall on my default job: ocean lifeguarding. I had done this as a summer job in years past, so it was an easy re-certification. I had one problem: I almost died trying to run two miles in under twenty minutes. I finished, but it was not pretty. I think there was even gagging and wheezing involved. How embarrassing. After taking a quick glance (or longer) at all of the chiseled bodies around me, I realized how energetic and motivated they all were, whereas I was fatigued, grumpy, and unhappy with my appearance. They were all Happy, Chiseled Dwarfs (if some a little Dopey), and I felt like the Grumpy Dwarf who was also drinking a PBR and yelling at children. I knew there was only one solution: start eating better and whip my ass back into shape- summed into two words I cringed at? Lifestyle Change.
I started off with minimal motivation, but this was the only cardio option I had. It was free, I didn't need to buy any equipment, and I didn't need to go anywhere except out my front door. When I first started running, I was angry a lot during the runs. I felt like I couldn't breathe, the sun was too hot, the air was too wet, my chest hurt, and Jesus-will-someone-please-get-me-a-beer ran through my head a lot. I pushed through these times with one goal- to finish. I once read that "perseverance is a synonym of victory." I did whatever it took: I strapped headphones to my head with a sweatband to blast angry music, counted sidewalk cracks, made 10 foot goals to achieve (..just need.. to make it... to the next... telephone pole), and so on. I rarely stopped unless the side stitches got so bad that I couldn't move. There were times when my "running" pace was probably slower than a fast walk (read: four miles in fifty-three minutes), but I kept the running motion going despite my body telling me that I couldn't. Or probably because my body was telling me that I couldn't. I never have been good with limits.
So, yes, it started out as hell. Some days, it still is- but pushing through the more difficult workouts is what makes me stronger, mentally and physically. Eighteen months ago, I would have laughed had someone told me I would be able to finish a 5K in under 30 minutes. Now, I love a good run- my best days have started with a 4-mile jog before breakfast. Plus, the more I run, the more beer I get to drink. Win-win?
After high school, I went off to the university, where I was put in a box to come out just the same. (Weeds, anyone?) I stopped swimming and commenced the attempt to balance studying with drinking. While I managed to maintain a good GPA and become a champion of beer pong, I was not managing my fitness and weight very well. In high school, I had become accustomed to eating the equivalent of a small elephant every day and burning the calories at practice. College did not fare well on my ass, thighs, chin, etc. etc., enough with the visual. I got myself a degree, but I was none too happy about my fitness level, or lack thereof.
While studying to take my board exam, I moved back home to fall on my default job: ocean lifeguarding. I had done this as a summer job in years past, so it was an easy re-certification. I had one problem: I almost died trying to run two miles in under twenty minutes. I finished, but it was not pretty. I think there was even gagging and wheezing involved. How embarrassing. After taking a quick glance (or longer) at all of the chiseled bodies around me, I realized how energetic and motivated they all were, whereas I was fatigued, grumpy, and unhappy with my appearance. They were all Happy, Chiseled Dwarfs (if some a little Dopey), and I felt like the Grumpy Dwarf who was also drinking a PBR and yelling at children. I knew there was only one solution: start eating better and whip my ass back into shape- summed into two words I cringed at? Lifestyle Change.
I started off with minimal motivation, but this was the only cardio option I had. It was free, I didn't need to buy any equipment, and I didn't need to go anywhere except out my front door. When I first started running, I was angry a lot during the runs. I felt like I couldn't breathe, the sun was too hot, the air was too wet, my chest hurt, and Jesus-will-someone-please-get-me-a-beer ran through my head a lot. I pushed through these times with one goal- to finish. I once read that "perseverance is a synonym of victory." I did whatever it took: I strapped headphones to my head with a sweatband to blast angry music, counted sidewalk cracks, made 10 foot goals to achieve (..just need.. to make it... to the next... telephone pole), and so on. I rarely stopped unless the side stitches got so bad that I couldn't move. There were times when my "running" pace was probably slower than a fast walk (read: four miles in fifty-three minutes), but I kept the running motion going despite my body telling me that I couldn't. Or probably because my body was telling me that I couldn't. I never have been good with limits.
So, yes, it started out as hell. Some days, it still is- but pushing through the more difficult workouts is what makes me stronger, mentally and physically. Eighteen months ago, I would have laughed had someone told me I would be able to finish a 5K in under 30 minutes. Now, I love a good run- my best days have started with a 4-mile jog before breakfast. Plus, the more I run, the more beer I get to drink. Win-win?
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Good day, sunshine.
Hello all! I’ve attempted this blog endeavor before, only to write 3-4 posts and give up after realizing no one was even glancing at my page, but I’ve realized that’s not what blogging is about. This blog will be for me, and if anyone wants to join me in this corner of the blog world, then they are more than welcome to! :)
For my first post, I want to talk about different genres of blogs, why I considered them,* and why I’ve decided not to have a specific type of blog.
*I refuse to let the Oxford Comma die!
Travel/ Photography
One of the reasons I moved to Germany was to travel as much as possible. Before moving out here, I had this “grand” idea of taking my hot pink Converse around the world with me and documenting where they’ve been. While I’ve mostly been able to bring them along, there have been several trips where I had to choose room in my suitcase between my hiking shoes or my chucks… and, well, let’s just say pink Converse don’t exactly have good arch support for mountain hikes (or purple or black ones, for that matter).
I’ve been fortunate enough to go many places, and I want to share these places with friends and family, but let’s face it: my day-to-day life as an au pair is boring. I do laundry. A lot of it. My weekend trips have been amazing but not long enough to warrant an entire blog to their existence.
Healthy Living/ Fitness
My mom and I at my first 5K in December 2010.
I’ve always tried living a healthy lifestyle: I eat fresh food, I love to exercise, I’ve been successful at losing 35 pounds (and gaining 10 back), etc, etc. However, beer. I’m a big fan of it. I’d take a beer or mojito over a banana soft serve any day (!), and I don’t want to feel limited to posting about my daily green smoothie or oatmeal combination. Also, despite most Germans being thin and fit, their diet is certainly not a reflection of their body type (how!?). They are not kidding around with their bread, sausages, and beer. I’d normally take a salad over a Wurst, but I don’t always have the option- and trust me, I’d never choose to just not eat. My life in Germany has been more about trying to balance out the Bier und Brezeln with salads and exercise than it has been about eating chia seeds or protein powder.
Food/ Cooking
One of the huge benefits of living with a host family is getting the chance to experiment with a lot of different (and unknown) German ingredients and having a big family to test out my recipes on. So far, they’ve been hit-or-miss depending on how much I try to “healthify” them. (I once walked in the kitchen to my host father sniffing a cookie I’d made. After giving him a quizzical look, he sheepishly asked me if they were health cookies. My response of “yes, but I chopped up Rittersport for the chocolate chips, so not really” was enough to satisfy him as he proceeded to cautiously test it.) When cooking for myself, however, there’s nothing more I appreciate than finding a sweet recipe I can just pop in the microwave for 2 minutes before having a meal in front of me. I’m pretty sure that might be considered cheating in the “good food” world.
Fashion
Just kidding. I think that picture speaks for itself. ;)
Anyway, I’m going to do my best to keep this blog as open to ideas as possible. Things that might come up include: travel posts, current reads, my progress with P90X (right now I’m halfway through Phase 2), health issues, anything related to living in Germany, weight loss/ weight gain, favorite music, healthy recipes, etc. I welcome any questions/comments anyone may have!
Question: What do you think about the Oxford comma? Were you taught to be for it or against it in school?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)