Diet & Fitness Support Thread
- Thread starter Witterquick
- Start date
Hey fitness chickens! I had a great workout today - deadlifts, Bulgarian split-squats, some killer ab stuff, and other obscure & difficult exercises. 
WillsBabe, how did your 5K go?
I stupidly tore up the toenail on my pinky toe the week before my half-marathon and could barely walk for 3 days (argh!) but it's pretty much fine now ... knock wood! I'm going to run a little tomorrow and Thursday, and then Saturday is the big day. Woo hoo!
Congrats on your certification, RAMA!
WillsBabe, how did your 5K go?
I stupidly tore up the toenail on my pinky toe the week before my half-marathon and could barely walk for 3 days (argh!) but it's pretty much fine now ... knock wood! I'm going to run a little tomorrow and Thursday, and then Saturday is the big day. Woo hoo!
Congrats on your certification, RAMA!
Hey fitness chickens! I had a great workout today - deadlifts, Bulgarian split-squats, some killer ab stuff, and other obscure & difficult exercises.
WillsBabe, how did your 5K go?
I stupidly tore up the toenail on my pinky toe the week before my half-marathon and could barely walk for 3 days (argh!) but it's pretty much fine now ... knock wood! I'm going to run a little tomorrow and Thursday, and then Saturday is the big day. Woo hoo!
Congrats on your certification, RAMA!
Thanks to everyone for the congratulations!
RAMA
TJinLOCA, thanks for asking, but it went horribly! I was unprepared for the terrain and the distance, to be honest, and it really showed. I knew that the distance would be a problem (insufficient time to train) but I hadn't bargained on the grassy terrain. We started on the arena track which was a piece of cake, but after that, were running around rugby pitches. But I will persevere and improve! That's what life's about, isn't it? Good luck for Saturday. Don't forget to let us know how you do. 
Well done, RAMA.
Well done, RAMA.
Last weekend I went to a middle school reunion. Didn't pay any attention to what I was eating at all. Had a bit of alcohol, even, and a large ice cream.
Came back and found I was a pound lighter on Monday morning.Not that I'm complaining......
I have to start using your scale....
Hiya, chickens! It's been a while but don't think I've been slacking. I'm on an 8-week program to get myself in shape to run a 10K. I've never done it before, so it's quite a challenge. The hardest thing with the training is taking rest days more often and cross-training.
Tonight I did 3.4 miles. I was supposed to do 3.5 but the gym was closing. I am a little tired this week, which stinks because last week I had tons of energy. But hey, I did it, right? My times lately have been consistently better than ever. I feel fully recovered from my surgery now in terms of my exercise, which took a lot longer than I thought it would. But in the end, it sure has been good for my workouts.
WillsBabe, I'm sorry to hear your run wasn't great. I've had that happen too, where the weather or the terrain make your 5K a wash. You just can't be prepared for everything, but you have the right attitude. I hope your next one is more fun!! I'm thinking I should sign up for some runs over the summer, which always makes me a little nervous. My motto is much like yours--just don't let me be last. Second to last is fine, just not quite last...it's too bad we don't live closer, I think we would be running buddies.
TJinLOCA, I'm jealous--I wish I could run like you! I aspire to those kinds of runs.
Tonight I did 3.4 miles. I was supposed to do 3.5 but the gym was closing.
I am a little tired this week, which stinks because last week I had tons of energy. But hey, I did it, right? My times lately have been consistently better than ever. I feel fully recovered from my surgery now in terms of my exercise, which took a lot longer than I thought it would. But in the end, it sure has been good for my workouts.WillsBabe, I'm sorry to hear your run wasn't great. I've had that happen too, where the weather or the terrain make your 5K a wash. You just can't be prepared for everything, but you have the right attitude. I hope your next one is more fun!! I'm thinking I should sign up for some runs over the summer, which always makes me a little nervous. My motto is much like yours--just don't let me be last. Second to last is fine, just not quite last...it's too bad we don't live closer, I think we would be running buddies.
TJinLOCA, I'm jealous--I wish I could run like you! I aspire to those kinds of runs.
Hey gw!! Great to see you're back in action. I know how hard it is to get back into shape after major surgery ... I went through that a few years ago and it seemed to take forever.
Thanks for the comments, but I'm sure you can eventually get to where I am. I'm really a glacially slow runner - the only thing I've got going for me is that I've worked my way up to these very long distances! I'll be happy if I finish my 13.1 miler in 2:45, which would be about 12:35 per mile. Anything under 13 minutes/mile feels speedy to me.
And now, back to work! I have to get my entire house clean for all our friends that are coming to town for the race ... AND serve a big pasta dinner Friday night for the pre-race carbo packing, for 11 people! ACK!
I'm also not having any wine until after the race. Oh, the pain!
Thanks for the comments, but I'm sure you can eventually get to where I am. I'm really a glacially slow runner - the only thing I've got going for me is that I've worked my way up to these very long distances! I'll be happy if I finish my 13.1 miler in 2:45, which would be about 12:35 per mile. Anything under 13 minutes/mile feels speedy to me.
And now, back to work! I have to get my entire house clean for all our friends that are coming to town for the race ... AND serve a big pasta dinner Friday night for the pre-race carbo packing, for 11 people! ACK!
I'm also not having any wine until after the race. Oh, the pain!
Oh dear.. armageddon is nigh.
I'm a half-marathoner!
I can't say that my performance was stellar, but I finished the whole thing without stopping to walk, and I didn't have any significant knee pain or anything. I was ridiculously slow ... BUT I finished in under 13 minutes/mile (BARELY!) which was my minimum goal. It was a bit disheartening to see that there were plenty of walkers (not race-walkers, just plain walkers) who finished faster than I did. And the 70-year-old guy that I chased through the last 5 miles finished before I did ... Ah, well.
What was really funny was that at the end of the race they had free winetasting for all the finishers ... and when I got to the table that had Daniel Gehrs Wines (where I work) they were woefully understaffed and the people that were pouring the wines didn't have a clue about them. So I asked if they needed help, as I knew everything about those wines, and they gratefully accepted! I jumped behind the table (in my running clothes, bib number & medal) and became TJ the Wine Tasting Attendant for the next hour. It was so much fun. Everyone did a double take when they saw me. "Wow, you ran the race AND you're pouring the wine too?!" I sent a lot of business over to Gehrs. Hopefully they sold a few cases!
I can't say that my performance was stellar, but I finished the whole thing without stopping to walk, and I didn't have any significant knee pain or anything. I was ridiculously slow ... BUT I finished in under 13 minutes/mile (BARELY!) which was my minimum goal. It was a bit disheartening to see that there were plenty of walkers (not race-walkers, just plain walkers) who finished faster than I did.
And the 70-year-old guy that I chased through the last 5 miles finished before I did ... Ah, well.What was really funny was that at the end of the race they had free winetasting for all the finishers ... and when I got to the table that had Daniel Gehrs Wines (where I work) they were woefully understaffed and the people that were pouring the wines didn't have a clue about them. So I asked if they needed help, as I knew everything about those wines, and they gratefully accepted! I jumped behind the table (in my running clothes, bib number & medal) and became TJ the Wine Tasting Attendant for the next hour. It was so much fun. Everyone did a double take when they saw me. "Wow, you ran the race AND you're pouring the wine too?!" I sent a lot of business over to Gehrs. Hopefully they sold a few cases!
Congrats, what's the goal??
I'm a half-marathoner!
Well done!
I know how you feel about old folk finishing ahead of you, though. A 76 year old guy finished ahead of me in my race! 
Other than at the very least beating 315, I'm really not sure. If I can keep increasing like this, then I'm not going to rule out 405.
I was out of the gym for a couple of years, and I went from being able to barely lift 225 once to lifting 300 in a little under two months. It completely surprised me how quickly I was able to get my strength back.
When you guys are doing aerobic exercise what typical max heart rate are you targeting? For me I usually try to maintain 180 or so. My resting heartrate is about 48. Also how much do you run per session. Usually I would do about 4 to 5 miles on the treadmill.
Thanks.Well done!
I learned a long time ago not to feel bad about being slow ... there are few runners out there as slow as I am! I felt proud during my last 5K when I finally passed an 80-year-old guy who'd obviously had a hip replacement. GO ME! Daedalus, I pretty much ignore heartrate. I gauge how hard I'm working by how hard it is to talk/breathe while I'm running ... if I can carry on a conversation without much trouble, it's easy; if I can only talk in short sentences, it's moderate; and if I'm pretty much incapable of talking, that's a hard workout.
On longer runs (5+ miles) I vary between easy and moderate, but on shorter runs (usually 2-3 miles) I'll do more intense intervals where I alternate between being out of breath during short, hard runs of 1 minute or so, and then recover at a moderate/easy level for about 2 minutes (repeated several times).
When I was training for my half-marathon I was running 3 days a week. One day I'd do a 2-3 mile interval workout, another day I'd do a 5-6 mile intermediate run, and one day a week I was doing a very long run (8+ miles, working up to a maximum of 11 miles 2 weeks before the race).
And this week's exercise plan involves sitting on my butt for the next 6 days.
That's pretty good. What's your average speed for the 4-5 miles?
A couple of weeks ago I was doing at least an eight minute mile every day, sometimes 1.5, sometimes two. Now I'm averaging two eight minute miles/day. I might do 4-5 on the weekends.
I don't keep track of my heart rate.
I should be aiming for 136-142 for my training zone. But I get up much higher than that if I'm running. I'm always pretty pleased by how quickly it reduces when I'm cooling down. Although it is starting to take longer as I get older.
I run about 3 miles at the moment per session, although I'm trying to build that up. There's another race I'm looking to enter in June of this year. The distance is further but the terrain is better for me.
Figured it was about time I came in here.
Been working out at the local Y for the last few weeks. Mostly upper body since I'm rather bottom heavy and don't need any more mass in my thighs. Started to gain a little mass, but mostly trying to lose weight (down 15 since beginning of April).
Eating much better too, no more Hot Pockets and Pizza for a while, but I still enjoy some beer and red meat on my 'off' days once a week. Lots of chicken breasts, smoothies, salad, protein bars, oatmeal, etc. for the most part though.
Been taking back up swimming too, which I used to do competitively before I got really overweight in high school. I used to swim 3 kilometers or so a night at practice and 5k in 2 hours (or less) twice a year, now I'm wiped out after 40-50 laps (about 1km). I'd love to be able to swim for an hour straight without having to take breaks every 5 minutes. I'm hopeful that a few nights a week, combined with my normal cardio and weights just might be able to put me back in that shape. Even if that doesn't work out, at the very least it is a very good workout.
My current goal is 185(I've been as low as 175 in the past when I was working out 5+ days a week), but depends a lot on how much mass I gain in the mean time. I'm definitely bigger than I was at that time.
Highest weight: 285 (in 2003)
Lowest weight: 175 (in 2005)
Current weight: 218 (according to my scale this morning, which is a bit higher than the gym's)
Goal weight: 185 and/or a flat stomach (by the end of summer)
Been working out at the local Y for the last few weeks. Mostly upper body since I'm rather bottom heavy and don't need any more mass in my thighs. Started to gain a little mass, but mostly trying to lose weight (down 15 since beginning of April).
Eating much better too, no more Hot Pockets and Pizza for a while, but I still enjoy some beer and red meat on my 'off' days once a week. Lots of chicken breasts, smoothies, salad, protein bars, oatmeal, etc. for the most part though.
Been taking back up swimming too, which I used to do competitively before I got really overweight in high school. I used to swim 3 kilometers or so a night at practice and 5k in 2 hours (or less) twice a year, now I'm wiped out after 40-50 laps (about 1km). I'd love to be able to swim for an hour straight without having to take breaks every 5 minutes. I'm hopeful that a few nights a week, combined with my normal cardio and weights just might be able to put me back in that shape. Even if that doesn't work out, at the very least it is a very good workout.
My current goal is 185(I've been as low as 175 in the past when I was working out 5+ days a week), but depends a lot on how much mass I gain in the mean time. I'm definitely bigger than I was at that time.
Highest weight: 285 (in 2003)
Lowest weight: 175 (in 2005)
Current weight: 218 (according to my scale this morning, which is a bit higher than the gym's)
Goal weight: 185 and/or a flat stomach (by the end of summer)
Similar threads
