c210k

atthequillsmercy

Today’s Workout: Gross?

Every time the Zombies Run! app updates, I have to adjust my stride length… Which I did not do before this run so my pace is completely off.  I was digging around in the app and adjusted it and also noticed that 2020 was still the year of my highest mileage. I mean, of course. I was in lockdown and doing c210k, running a minimum of 45 minutes 6 days a week. Probably not likely to top that anytime soon. But, this was another really long run with no breaks and while again, the intervals give me water breaks I enjoy, I was able to get through the whole thing. I even did peek at the timing for c210k for the Just Run app and the shortest runs are 50-ish minutes. Doable if I get up early on a day I’m working late or run on a day off. There’s just no time to do a run that long after work but still have time for dinner and get to bed at a decent hour. I’ll have to tweak my schedule and see but I’m not finished with the 5k trainer yet.

These are… Not the most appetizing food pictures I’ve taken. I had a craving for pancakes. I had them after my run mid-morning. For dinner was butter garlic ready rice, salmon with garlic confit and shallots with some corn thrown in there. It looks greasy as fuck because the garlic confit I made had a ton of olive oil. Ugly to look at? Yes. Fucking delicious? Also, yes. This isn’t a food blog. It’s a “whatever random crap I decide to include” blog. And when you’re satisfying a craving, it doesn’t matter if your plate looks pretty. 

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Today’s Workout: Dang it…

I’ve been talking around getting back into running and while I have c25k, I went to download c210k, feeling particularly ambitious. And I thought it was a glitch that after the first few runs, you have to pay for the pro version. I’m thinking I did something wrong and nope! I went to the reviews and it’s been changed. Back in 2020 during lockdown, I was doing it just fine for free. I don’t mind having to watch ads or whatever but nah, I’m not paying for that. I already pay for Zombies Run. I’ll just use their 5k and 10k trainer. 

I was out of the things I usually use for my Itaki and I worked late so I brought some low-sodium ramen for lunch and made salad for dinner. I wasn’t ambitious enough to get up and make anything for breakfast; I just slept in and I have no regrets about it.

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Today’s Workout: Nailed it!

Today I did my run while dinner was in the oven and it worked out sorta well? The salmon got a little overdone but the marinade saved it from getting dried out and the rice cooker kept the rice nice and hot. But this seems to be the most efficient way to use my time: set up the food, go run, check on it before I shower, food is done once my shower is also done. I end up eating later than I’d like (a bit too close to 8pm for my liking) but it’s better for my stomach not to eat right before or immediately after my workouts.

I’m working on using up this bag of broccoli and I think I like the fajita strip type cut for the electric lunch box. They cook fast and are easy to eat.

I didn’t eat the salmon for dinner; I packed it up for lunch tomorrow. I was determined to give making that lemon tuna another try and I fucking NAILED it! It was sooooo good. I used this recipe and tweaked it by adding some lime juice and slices of cherry tomatoes. I put some avocado on it, used homemade bread from the breadmaker, and used the foil to keep it from making a huge mess. It could have used a little more onion for my tastes and some lettuce (I was just done with cutting vegetables by the time it came to lettuce for the sandwich) but I’ll remember that for next time. I bet if I make bagels again, I can put the tuna on it and get the exact experience from the bagel shop. Or just eat it with a spoon on its own; which I was sorely tempted to do.

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30 Day Challenge Day 18

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This is week 12 of c210k and holy SHIT; do I ever feel this in my hips. Maybe it’s pairing these with the long bike rides but I ache in a way that makes me concerned but I don’t wanna skip a day. I did try adjusting my posture as I ran and it did seem to help.

I misplaced my posture belt in my cleaning bouts so I have to rely on self-checking to make sure I’m keeping my core engaged and I don’t hurt my back. It’s working so far but I’m still on the lookout for it. It really is the best way to keep my form.

With these runs being so long, I’m still impressed I can make it through them without any extra breaks. I did screw up this one by accidentally pausing the app and not noticing for 10 minutes but that’s my own fault for repeatedly checking the app to see my progress. I need to learn to leave it alone.

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30 Day Challenge Day 11

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Today’s run was a failed attempt to do the next c210k run as well as the Spring 2020 race in the same run. The c210k runs are longer than the distance it took for me to complete the race and I didn’t wanna mess up my leader board time so I just ended it. I’ll have to make up the day another time.

But as for this run, I felt pretty good about it. I wonder what my time would have been if I didn’t take the breaks in the c210k app but I’m not disappointed. I’m shocked that after a 5k, I felt like the run was short. That’s a long way from me being afraid to start the later weeks of the program because the runs were so long. I just may be able to run a 10k after all!

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30 Day Challenge Day 6

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Hooo boy! Did I ever make up for yesterday!

There is something about that third interval that always makes me wanna take an extra break but so far, I’ve resisted. I keep telling myself that if I’ve made it this far – week 11 into the program – that there’s no reason to wimp out now.

I am looking into some other sorts of training after this program is over but I’m torn between the 5k training in the Zombies Run! app or redoing c25k with the speed turned up. It’d be cool to be able to beat my best time for a 5k.

I also need to complete the 10k virtual race missions in the Zombies Run! app. It’s bugging me that my missions aren’t complete. I’m trying to unlock all the achievements in the app. We’ll see because I won’t be home forever. Eventually, I’ll be back to work and not able to use my lunch hour to go run then eat at the computer. I have no interest at all in running half marathons or full marathons. If a zombie is chasing me more than 10km, it deserves to get me or I should have bashed its brains in already.

But we’ll see. This program isn’t over yet.

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30 Day Challenge Day 4

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This run is the beginning of week 11 of c210k. It took me this long to FINALLY throw out a pair of running pants I had wish seams so bad, they ripped skin off. And I don’t mean they were so old that the seams wore out, I mean they came like that. I didn’t want to feel like I was wasting my money on them but I just couldn’t take it anymore. There’s no way I’m gonna do a 30 day challenge where some runs are over an hour long with shitty running gear. Fuck that…

As for my run today, it was touch and go there for the last interval. For those not in the know, these running programs deal in intervals, and week 11 is a 5 minute warmup then three intervals of 17 minutes running, 1 minute walk break. And that last interval was rough. I didn’t give up but man, it was tempting to take an extra break.

To be completely honest, I’ve gained weight this month. But I have a fancy-schmancy scale that also reads my body weight percentage. I may have gone back up to 220 but my body fat percentage went from around 42% to 39% and I am noticing some muscle definition in my thighs. And since I do my long runs earlier in the day, I do the Zombies Run! Home Front missions or my kettlebell in the evening. While my immediate reaction to the weight gain was an annoyance, I’m happy losing 3% body fat in a week. Not bad in my opinion.

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This week’s workouts

This week I completed week 2 of C210K.

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Day 1

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Day 2

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Day 3

Three days is starting to feel like not enough of a workout but I know the length of these runs is gonna go up. I’ll probably feel like it’s too much as the weeks go on but I still need to sneak in some weight training on my non-running days. I feel more fit but I’m still in the 200 club when it comes to my weight and I’d love to turn in my membership to that.

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Today’s Run: Got me a ticket!

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This is the first training mission for the 2019 Zombies Run Virtual Race and this heralds week 6 of C210K.

As the intervals get longer, I find myself trying to use my thighs and glutes instead of my calves to maintain form and speed. For the most part, it’s working but let me say I am completely immature and I give a little chuckle when I think to myself “Geez, my butt hurts” after a workout.

But I can tell things are changing because my weight is down to 217.8 and (despite being a little gross) I am noticing sagging skin on my inner thighs! Instead of thinking about skin surgery or anything, I’m just gonna redouble my bodyweight training and tighten things up that way.

And SO much cheaper than surgery. Maybe less painful.

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This week’s best run!

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I managed to finish day 1 of week 12 on the first try! Here’s the mile by mile breakdown:

  • Mile 1 – 14:40
  • Mile 2 – 29:26
  • Mile 3 – 44:28
  • Mile 4 – 58:49

I wanted to make sure to get this week started because I have some very minor surgery next week that will keep me from running for at least a week. I have my stationary bike to keep in shape but since this is to remove a lipoma from my shoulder and you need shoulders to run, my dermatologist said no running until it’s healed.

Not to mention the stupid, annoying, uncomfortable lipoma is right on my shoulder where my bra strap sits. There’s no way I’ll be able to bear the thick, heavy sports bra strap until it’s healed.

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