5k a day -- Day 23

I had a crazy schedule the past few days and a stressful day with work, so I was looking forward to my walk tonight -- after running for two days, I had planned on a nice, relaxing walk.

Super humid out, but I just walked with no music.  So I'm not quite sure why Pokémon Go! is such a huge addiction for people.  But I will say I had no music or audiobook or partner for my walk tonight, and it was nice to have running in my hand and just forget about it.  And then, every so often, a pokémon would appear, which added a little variety to keep me awake.  So I guess it was a nice tool to have?  But I'm still not getting it . . . maybe because I never played/watched it as a kid.

The 5k:

5k in 1:13:02

23:34 min/mile average pace

Splits: 22:13/23:23/24:37/29:39

I mean, I may have been pausing frequently for pokémon.

The Workout:

84 squats

90 seconds plank

32 modified push ups (these are feeling much better)

5k a day -- Day 21

Yes, yes, I know.  I purposefully switched my schedule to start running in the morning.  My ER shifts have been crazy -- they end anywhere from 4pm to 5am.  So the only way to do this is to run before work.

But on days like today when I got home from work super late last night and actually wanted a full night's sleep, it means I don't get to start running till it's way too hot for my taste.  And that's what I did today.

I ran 1.6 miles, then hit pause for a quick water break at a park drinking fountain I pass (our city water actually tastes decent!) and somehow actually "ended" my run on MapMyRun . . . which is hard to do, since you have to slide to end it.  Anyhow, I restarted my run, obviously.  But I can't really post averages or splits since it's all broken up.  I did intervals for the last 1.5 miles.  I hate hot weather.

I was complaining about it to Paul when I got back (because what else are fiancés for?) and he wondered if I'd acclimate to hot weather running if I did more of it, instead of avoiding it like the plague.  I wonder about this.  Would I?  Would my body adapt more?  Or would the fact I live in a very air conditioned world undo any acclimation?

Anyone have any thoughts?

But anyhoo, all I can tell you is my overall time for today and the pace for my first mile and my last mile.

The 5k:

5k in 43:00 . . . ish.

?:? min/mile average pace

Splits: 11:57/?/?/15:09

The Workout:

80 squats

90 seconds plank 

30 modified push ups

Apparently my butt is looking a lot different.  Too bad it's kinda hard for me to tell, what with it being behind me and all.

5k a day -- Day 20

I didn't run yesterday.  This wasn't an oops or a "this doesn't matter to me" or anything like that.  This was I had gotten home late from a shift in the ER and had two options -- spend an hour doing my 5k (even with running, there's changing, showering, etc., so more than 40 minutes) or go to sleep so I could be up for my next shift.  And at the end of the day, I looked at my options, and I *had* to sleep.
I was talking to Paul about this whole challenge and the difficulty I was having with it, and he basically said, "Well, you decided to do an 'active' challenge where you have to find/make time to do something every day during one of the busiest times of your life."  And it's true.  Boards, wedding planning, crazy shifts in the ER . . . probably poor planning on my part.

And that's not to be an excuse -- in the future, I just need to look ahead better at the 30 days the challenge will cover before I decide what it'll be.  For example, I'd probably have less problem doing Whole30 again this month, but that's cause it's more passive.

Anyhow.  Gotta make choices that are best for long term.  And when it came down to 5k vs. sleep so I can make it through the shift that might be helping me earn a residency, I picked option B.

So today, we went on a walk together to catch up, cause we actually haven't seen much of each other lately.  Unfortunately we had pizza for dinner, and my stomach wasn't having it, requiring our route to swing back by the house half-way through.  Also, the tummy upset pretty much prevented the workout part of the 5k.

The 5k:

3.16 miles in 1:08:32

21:39 min/mile average pace

Splits: 20:35/21:08/22:58/22:56

So, I'm not sure if I have any readers, and really, this is more for me, but I was thinking about whether the people reading this would be disappointed I took another day "off" from the challenge.  I mean, that's #3, right?

But for me, I have to balance intent, life priorities, and long-term consequences.  So maybe I can learn from it better -- plan out my days better, etc., but I've gotta be gentle with myself in the meantime.

5k a day -- Day 19

Sorry for the boring posts, but it's late, and my new rotation at the hospital has killer hours.  I just walked tonight.  Although I think my MapMyRun was acting up, cause I'm pretty sure my times were way faster than it showed.

The 5k:

5k in 1:10:38

22:47 min/mile average pace

Splits: 22:44/23:39/21:48/20:57

Although, the times may be off cause I got bored on last night's walk and downloaded Pokemon Go out of desperation.  And stopped to catch a few tonight.

The Workout:

76 squats

90 seconds plank

28 modified push ups

5k a day -- Day 18

The 5k:

5k in 1:06:07

21:21 min/mile average pace

Splits:  23:10/19:06/21:48/20:55

The Workout:

74 squats

90 seconds plank (I'm reverting to 90 because my form is starting to suffer in an attempt to go longer.)

27 modified push ups

5k a day -- Day 17

This evening sucked.  My life can be stressful, as I'm sure yours can be.  Somehow I made it out the door for a run, in a pissy mood, which is an understatement.  Sometimes life is just so stressful, overwhelming, frustrating, and disappointing that a run is awesome, cause you can cry while you run and people think it's just the sweat on your face.

I, however, was running in the dark, and my city is poorly lit with lots of trees.  Which means less than a mile in I tripped on uneven sidewalk and managed to eat asphalt.

Sunburned legs + Road rash = ow.

I walked some.  I ran some.  Maybe like half and half for the first two miles?  Or more running than walking?  I dunno.  By mile 3 my leg was throbbing.  I dunno, but I did it.  That's all I've got, folks.

The 5k:

5k in 47:33

15:21 min/mile average pace

Splits:  14:41/13:18/17:25/21:54

The Workout:

72 squats

105 seconds plank

26 modified push ups

5k a Day -- Day 15, Day 16

Note:  this is a "catch up" post, as I was without internet service from Saturday till last night.

Day 15

We got to the campsite after dark, set up camp, and walked around to check out the camp site.  We did the 5k just by walking around.  The site was in a hilly part of the norther Lower Penninsula, in the middle of nowhere.  Unfortunately, the site straddled a major country road with frequent speeding traffic, and was generally unsuitable for hikes/walks.  We made large loops around the camp, trying to avoid interloping on others' campsites.

There was no way I was going to be able to jog at this campground, so walk it I did.

Also, without cell service, I had to rely on my trusty steps via my Fitbit to track my distance, so I do have proof I did it.

Also, we made tacos over the campfire.  Don't tell me that's not impressive.

The Pot is the only real convenience we take for food prep.  Paul cut the beans open with a pocket knife.

I mean, delicious.

The 5k:

Yeah, I don't have any times, etc.  It was a 5k, plus a little.  But at least I did it.

And 6.something miles total for the day

The Workout:

68 squats

95 seconds plank

24 modified push ups

I did these on the tarp outside the tent, and I'll say working my abs to keep from sliding down the tarp added a lot to the workout.

Day 16:

I walked around the camp again to get the 5k, but my fitbit was almost dead at this point, and we had no electricity on site, so I have no proof of such a thing.  I did, in fact do it.  

The 5k: 

We headed over to a nearby village to try to find walking paths.  Maybe even running paths!  But we were thwarted.  They had about a quarter mile of good paths, but these were interrupted by a classic car show going on.  We explored the tiny riverwalk, walked through another campground, and wandered the city, trying to find an ATM and hit our 3.1 miles.  We eventually did, but it was a mess, y'all.

What a mess this was.  Lots of dead-ends, as you can tell from the map.

This isn't even worth tracking the times.

We did find ice cream though:

Mine was blue moon and watermelon sorbet.  Seriously, great combination.

The Workout:

Failure.

Guys, I didn't get the workout done.  After the 5k, we headed back to camp and sat down to make dinner at the campfire while we still had a few minutes of light, but those minutes and that light were quickly gone.  A massive rainstorm came through -- basically a deluge of Biblical proportions.  We quickly stuffed two hotdogs in the fire, and retreated (soaked) to the protection of our tent.  

It continued to pour until around 4 or 5am, and when I say pour, I mean pour.  And I simply wasn't up to getting on my hands and knees in the mud and rain to do the workout.  (There was no room in the tent.)  Not when we had no power, limited dry clothes, etc.  But, at least I got the 5k done.

5k a day -- Day 14

I took my boards today.  400 questions.  9 hours total.  I don't have much more to say, because just mentioning it has me exhausted.

We went to Presque Isle park to walk on the beach and catch the sunset.  It was beautiful, but not conducive to a 3 mile walk, though we did walk almost a mile.  The sand there is deep and rough, and it was painful to walk in.

See how rough the sand is?  And how much I need a pedicure?

I tried again at the hotel -- another lady walking on the treadmill (well, alternating that and yelling at her kids who were in the pool), and the other equipment still broken, so yet another biking 5k for me.

(Side note:  Really, Hilton Garden Inn?  2 broken exercise machines and a broken hot tub?  Sad panda, and since these amenities were some of the reasons I picked your hotel, unhappy-money-panda, too.)

Can't wait to get back to the "real thing", believe it or not.

The 5k:

Yeah.

Yay bike.

The Workout:

66 squats

90 seconds plank

23 modified push ups

My arms seem to alternate days.  Yesterday's 22 MPUs were miserable to do.  Today, the 23 weren't bad.  Who knows?

I'm spent, emotionally, physically, mentally.  So that's all.

5k a day -- Day 12

Guys, I'm about to lose it.  Boards are two days away, and on the surface I feel find about it, but then I realize I've had mild/weird nightmares the past few nights, am irritable, and generally feeling a little emotionally labile.  Guess that means the anxiety is getting to me after all, at least on a subconscious level.

The weather was nice so I was going to run tonight, but I pulled up board review questions on my phone and did a set while I walked instead.

In good/other news, Marshmallow came running down the street to meet me.  While I was rubbing his belly, a family pulled up in a mini-van, and parked.  Apparently, Marshmallow is "Cloud" (which I think we can all agree is a much inferior name) and is one of 6 cats (I guess 4 are kittens?) in their house.  They let the two grown up cats outside during the day.  They seemed oblivious to the danger of their cat running up and down a well-driven road.  Despite the fact they called him and he came running, almost getting hit by a car in the process.  They also don't seem to realize both his eyes are infected, and he likely needs eye drops and a FelV (sp?) workup.  I did mention that the city is pretty strict about collars and licensing of animals, so they had better do that before the cats get picked up as strays.  It makes me sad that they're not being properly cared for, but at least Marshmallow Watch Day 3 ends with some answers.

The 5k:

5k in . . . .um. . . 

So I updated to the iOS 10 public beta, and my MapMyrRun app keeps crashing.  I can log workouts on it but I can't review them, and it hasn't uploaded them to the website.

So.  To be updated?

The Workout:

(At least I only keep track of the numbers for this part)

62 squats

80 seconds plank

21 modified push ups

5k a day -- Day 11

Walked with Paul tonight. Sometimes it seems like a cop out to do my 5k as a walk, but then I remember:

A) it's 5k a day, and that's the only guideline

B) my boards are Thursday, so having a quiet time to talk is very relaxing for me 

C) it also gives me the excuse to have a "date" with Paul, since all I've been doing is studying lately. 

We made it a point to walk to the other side of the neighborhood tonight. We just moved here in June, so there's a lot we haven't explored yet. 

What did I learn about the other side of the area? There's pot everywhere. Seriously we must have smelled it 6 different times in a half mile. 

I made it a point to take our walking path by where I met marshmallow last night, and there he was! He literally galloped across a yard to come get petted, and ate up all the attention Paul willingly gave him. We were able to see the house he hung out at, and that they had water bowls out for him and his little scaredy cat of a buddy we're calling Oreo. 

So our splits were affected by crossing a major road twice, and stopping to play with a kitty. 

The 5k:

5k in 1:09:51

22:28 min/mile average pace

Splits: 22:20/22:41/22:27/21:21

The Workout:

60 squats

75 seconds plank

20 modified push ups

I'm posting this from mobile so I'll update the layout and tags tomorrow. 

5k a day -- Day 10

Sometimes you have a plan.  Sometimes a little interloper messes with it.

I waited until I couldn't stand to do a single additional board review question, laced up, and headed out.  I had been sitting at my computer all day, so my intention was to walk a mile for a nice long warm up and de-stress, then run a mile.  Then for the third mile, I simply hadn't decided yet.

I walked my first mile.  My right hip gets pretty tight, so I'm working on stretching it out during the day, and paying good attention to my stride when I'm out.  That's the knee that hasn't been the same since jumping in and out of ambulances for 10 years, which means I try to watch how I hit the ground with that foot.

Anyhow, I hit mile 2 and started running.  About 0.3 miles in, I noticed a car stopping to shoo a kitty cat out of the street.  Kitty came running towards me, and I paused (and paused my timers) to make sure everything was alright.  He began to rub against my leg and beg for attention.  I petted him, and started walking.  Kitty kept following.

I walked for about a half a mile with this little white and blonde kitty following at my feet.  He only paused for rubbing up against me or plopping at my feet, begging to be petted.  He was fat, and obviously domesticated and well fed.  But no collar, and no claws.  I was torn -- he was dumb enough to lay down in the middle of the street, but he obviously had a home.  Was it safe to leave him?  

I turned my tracker back on and started retracing my steps back to where he had joined me.  He even followed me when I walked across the street to ask a couple out by their car if they knew who Marshmallow (he looked just like a toasted marshmallow so obviously that was his name) belonged to.  They had no idea.  I petted him while we chatted, and then he seemed content to lay there on the sidewalk, so that's where I left him.  I certainly hope he'll be okay, but it *was* nice to have a walking buddy for a half mile or so.

I also hope I'm not hurting his pride by calling a she a him, but in all honesty, I didn't check.

Sorry for the potato pic, but doesn't he look just like a toasted marshmallow?

I suppose I could get deeply philosophical and metaphysical about this and say the moral of today's story is that when our plans our ruined, it's worth being open to the change because you never know what new companion will come along side you.  But really, we can all agree that's reading too much into all of this, no?

My plan for the night now ruined (and having abandoned my new companion to his plop on the sidewalk), I walked for the rest of that mile, and then ran that last mile home.  My perceived rate of exertion for that last mile was fairly high, and I'm not sure why.

The 5k:

5k in 51:42

16:41 min/mile average pace

Splits:  20:41/17:27/11:35/19:57

The Workout:

58 squats

70 seconds plank

19 modified push ups

5k a day -- Day 9

The past couple days the stress has been getting to me.  Boards are on Thursday.  Also planning a wedding.  Also rotations.  Also PMS.  My diet has been craving-filled, as it becomes when I'm stressful, so it's nice to have the knowledge that I'm meeting my 5k a day challenge to give me a little boost in sense of self.

Tonight, I waited until long after the sun went down before heading out for my 5k.  It's been super hot and humid, to the point that I've started scheduling my day around when the hourly forecast predicts driest, coolest, least humid temperatures.  I managed to catch a nice breeze tonight and it wasn't bad!

I decided to do 5:2 intervals.  I wish I could tell you there's some sort of rhyme or reason to how I decided to run/walk the 5k each day, but it's really just a gut decision that I don't think lots about.  I decided I should have some good jogging time today, but I knew I wouldn't be able to work on my speed too much -- it's too dark with not enough street lights to really run quickly.  I'd be flat on my face within the first half mile.  Anyhow, I looked down on the first 5 minute section and was doing a 9 minute pace!  I certainly didn't keep that up, but it's nice to know the walking has been keeping me loose.

Unfortunately, I didn't successfully manage to turn off my MapMyRun tracker, so my distance/time includes stopping to a slow walk and doing some stretching when I saw I had done the 5k distance.

The 5k

3.13 miles in 42:37

13:35 min/mile average pace

Splits:  13:13/13:42/13:40/14:55 (<-- See?)

I mean, just look at that max pace.  That I hit for about 5 seconds.

The Workout

56 squats

65 seconds plank

18 modified push ups

My upper body strength is really lacking.  I'm glad I'm making myself do the push ups, but boy, I'm not good at them.

Till tomorrow, good reader(s).

5k a day -- Day 8

Not gonna lie, I kinda phoned it in today.  I had the day off, and dedicated to board prep, so I slept in much later than normal.  By the time I woke up, it was well over 90 degrees and more muggy than two rats screwing in a wool sock.  I studied all day, then simply walked the 5k tonight.

And that's okay.  I don't have to want to do my challenge every day.  I just have to do it, especially on the days I don't feel like it.

So I did.  Wandered around the dark neighborhood in air so thick you could feel the weight of it pressing down on your shoulders.

The 5k:

5k in 1:11:53

23:11 min/mile average pace

Splits:  22:58/23:06/23:27/22:52

The Workout:

54 squats

60 seconds plank

17 modified push ups

A thought on squats:

I had always done wide-stance squats.  One day Paul volunteered to do my squats with me, and I noticed he was doing narrow based squats -- something it had never occurred to me to do.  After that, I wondered which was better, since they felt like they worked different muscles.  Instead of researching it like the scientist I am, I got lazy and decided just to split my squats half wide and half narrow.

Tonight I decided to do a little research on it.  And I found this link on bodybuilding.com basically saying that wide stance squats are more powerful, more versatile, safer, and all around better.  Other articles, like this one and this one say it depends on who you are, how you're built, and what your goals are.

So, for now, I guess I'll keep splitting them 50/50 as long as I can keep good form.

---

Part of 30 day challenges is calling it in if you have to.  As long as I do the minimum, I win.  So, I win. :)

5k a day -- Day 7

Tonight was a pseudo date night for Paul and me.  I've been studying for boards and work has been super crazy for him, so we decided my 5k would be a good excuse to go for a walk together tonight and catch up.  I'm so glad we did it -- I've been incredibly stressed (the life of a senior medical student applying for residencies could fill a whole other blog) and the walk really helped me recenter and unwind.

The 5k:

5k in 1:11:55

23:01 min/mile average pace

Splits:  22:45/22:45/22:38/29:08

The Workout:

52 squats

55 seconds plank

16 modified push ups

Note to self: don't wait until after dinner to do that many squats.  Oy vey.  

Dinner, just to brag, was delicious:  steaks with bleu cheese crumbles, broccoli, garlic bread . . . mmm

By the way, Paul says he can already see the difference the squats are making in my butt.  I have no idea if he's just saying that to be nice or what, but any excuse for my fiancé to look at my butt is fine with me. :)

5k a day -- Day 4

Last night's blissful and much needed sleep was broken by quite the storm.  Freakout out my cat, woke me up for an hour, and wreaked (wrought?) havoc on trees and power lines in the area.

Paul told me to skip my run this morning and he'd walk with me tonight, and after the crazy night, I was happy to agree.  Too bad one of his machines at work decided to malfunction and he (as of 9:30pm) was still at work.  So I took a walk this evening, alone.

I was the only one who wasn't walking their:
a)  freaking adorable baby
b)  freaking adorable dog
c)  newly acquired Pokémon via Pokémon go
d)  a combination of the above

In between bouts of cursing him in my head (I mean, come on, my uterus is pinging here watching all this and he left me to do it alone when I could have had a nice cool run in the dark this morning?!?) I was dodging cables, branches, twigs, and half-trees that were on the ground.

Okay, so maybe it's a good thing I didn't try to run in the wee hours and end up tripping over electrical obstacles.  As it was, I enjoyed the stroll and spent time alternating avoiding and inspecting the damage, and had a nice, relaxing walk.

Except for some family down the street that decided their pitbull doesn't need to be on a leash.

( . . . )

Anyhow.

The Walk:

5k in 1:06:56

21:33 min/mile average pace

Splits:  21:45/21:55/20:50/22:33 

And the Workout:

46 squats

40 seconds plank

13 modified push ups

Today also gave me a chance to compare the distance calculated by my fitbit to my GPS.  When my GPS hit 3.1, my fitbit was at 2.9something.  I guess I'll have to calibrate stride length.

5k a day -- Day 3

I know better than to eat before a run.  I really do.  Wait, let's do numbers first, and then I'll explain why they look a little funky.

The Run

5k in 53:20

17:12 min/mi average pace

Splits:  11:45/20:50/18:35/21:38

And the workout:

44 squats

35 seconds plank

12 modified push ups

Back to the story:

I generally don't eat anything before a run -- my body just doesn't like it.  But I slept in today, so I didn't run immediately upon waking.  Plus, the weather was perfect so there was a great reason to head to my favorite park for the run.  So given the later run, and the 35ish minute drive to get to that park, I figured I could/should eat something small and that by the time I got dressed and got started, the food would be pretty settled.

I was wrong.

The plan was to just jog a slow, easy 5k, so I was pleased when I looked down to see my first mile was 11:45 -- faster than my usual time.  But then.  *gurgle*  Huh?   *grumble*  Damn. 

I slowed down to a walk, hoping less jostling = less upset.  No dice.  The path at this beautiful park is a 5k loop, and by now, I was at the far end of it.  So that 20:50 second mile was mostly me looking around for a bathroom.

Also no dice.

I spent the rest of the 5k walking back to the entrance (where there are bathrooms) alternating "I should get there quickly as possible and speedwalk/run" with "no, no bouncy, no bouncy, nice and smooth."

I know, TMI.  

Here, as an apology for the TMI, and so you can see why I love running here so much, have a picture of the trail. 

At the end of the day, I did my 5k, and it ended up turning into an active rest.