A Real Runner Doesn't...

Today a Facebook friend posted the following question:

Which running shoes do you have and would you recommend it?

And as expected, someone commented to stay away from Nike, because although they are cute, they are not good running shoes.

So of course I had to comment... because I have been wearing Nike Vomeros for the last four years. (I also reiterated the other comments that she should get properly fitted at a running store.)

Anyway, the Nike comment just makes me roll my eyes. A friend once told me that the place I bought my running shoes from must not have been a "real" running store because "real" runners don't wear Nikes. I'll admit it - I was totally offended! Because hello, *I* chose the Nikes after trying on numerous brands. So am I not a "real" runner then?

According to some people, nope! Which makes me think of the other rules I break.

For example,

Real Runners Don't...

1. Wear Nike running shoes.
2. Wear running skirts.
3. Take more than 5 (4?) hours to finish a marathon.

What else am I missing?

And if you're one of those people that think any of the above, well then shame on you! ;)

(Yes, I am one of those peeps that are not really a fan of the Pearl Izumi "We are not joggers" ads. Hmmph!)

Listen, some of us are more light-hearted than the "hardcore". Don't judge me if I run a double-digit pace or wear tutus or take pics when I run.

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In other news, I am up to 4 miles now. Woo-hoo!!! :D

At the gym: Signs of an Awesome Class Instructor

Great feedback, everyone! Looks like everyone has their own reason for getting hot and sweaty ;)

• To be able to eat and drink guilt-free
• Maintain sanity / therapy
• Stay healthy
• Setting a good example for daughter (very admirable!)
• Just in general feel good and avoid the crappy feeling

I lied, I do have other reasons for working out again besides improving my ability to run...

• Get my $$$'s worth out of my gym membership (I will no longer be a sucker!)
• Justify new cute workout clothes
• Not feeling guilty for watching trashy TV on the cardio machines
• My gym is located next to Kara's Cupcakes and Starbucks... muah-ha-ha-ha!

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So I headed back to the gym today. I cheated and only did 2 miles again. It's OK - my heart rate was still pretty high so I felt like it was a good workout. This time I watched Independence Day. Great movie, right? I love Judd Hirsch's character. And dude, I also loved the size of their cell phones in that movie - they're like a brick! Who's walking around with that?

I got overzealous for a second and almost headed to a spinning class afterward. But when I glanced in the window and saw someone other than my favorite spinning teacher leading the class, I walked away.

I'll admit it, I'm picky when it comes to instructors! I definitely have my favorites. I need someone that can make the class enjoyable and challenging so that I don't even think about sneaking out.

I really recognized the value of a good instructor recently when I dropped into a kickboxing class at my cousin's gym. I used to take kickboxing all the time at my gym so I'm not completely clueless (but no expert either). Well I definitely felt clueless at this class! I was literally in "Huh?" mode the entire time. I just couldn't follow her.

So here is my wish list in a gym class instructor:

1. Must play Audrey-friendly music, i.e. anything that would make me want to shake my booty. I once had a sub for spinning class that kept playing this mellow country music - it was not motivating me to push it all! So I did something I almost never do - I walked out halfway through class. I just couldn't deal with it anymore so I headed to a cardio machine where I could do my own thing.
2. Must be able to cater to both newbie students and the regulars. My problem with my cousin's instructor was that she wasn't breaking down anything! Just calling out terms that I didn't recognize but everyone else did. Plus she kept disappearing into the equipment room for some reason so I couldn't even look at her to see what I was supposed to be doing.
3. Must keep routines fun and interesting - mix it up! I like how my spin teacher is always breaking up the class with different drills - whether it's endurance, sprint, etc. Don't just tell me to put it on a hard level and we're gonna stay there for 10 minutes. Boring! I also like my step teacher - she does fun choreography. And I love the strength training classes where we use different "props" each time - feels like gym class from elementary school days! But I never like seeing those purple slider discs. Ugh...
   
4. A little barking is OK. I like passionate teachers. I don't mind when we're in an intense part of the class and they start barking at us - it definitely pushes me more!
5. Set clear expectations. I like when they give clear instructions on how long we'll be doing something. For example, 2 reps of 12, 30 sec in a sprint drill, or a certain combo 4 times. I hate when you're doing bicep curls and you have no idea how many we have to do. Or I hate when they tell you 2 sets of 12 and you do them and then they say, I lied, one more! Grrr... that makes me cranky.
6. Get into it! I like when teachers give their 100% because it makes me want to follow their lead. If you look wishy washy, I probably will be, too.
   

That's all I can think of for now... what do you like about your gym class instructors?

Why do you exercise?

Yay!!! So excited to see people chiming in on my recent post :) Thanks for still reading :D

So last week I did some elliptical at the gym while watching Kourtney and Khloe take Miami. In this episode, Khloe stuck quarters down Kourtney's butt crack and then kissed one of her *ss cheeks. Seriously. I love my own sister dearly but I can assure, I would never do *that*.

Afterward, I indulged in a big order of sweet potato fries. Now some people might question eating such a fatty snack after exercise but it's all good with me. I'm not exercising to lose weight - honestly, the only reason I am trying to consistently exercise these days is to improve my running ability. And that's pretty much it.

As most of my friends know, I am completely unmotivated to work out if I don't have a race on a calendar. And with the Disneyland Half being 7 weeks away, guess who's working out again?

It's weird but after six months of not working out and not watching what I eat, you would think I would have gained some weight or my clothes would be more snug. But nope, everything's all the same. Good on one hand but bad as well.

So my long run of *3* miles (not a typo) did not happen this weekend. I had it scheduled for Sunday but I got hit with this random case of vertigo all day long. I don't know how it came about but I had this case of dizziness and nausea that would not go away.

Some friends suggested it was related to allergies, which I've never had before but maybe it's something new I've developed.

I feel much better today and hope to have a successful return to the gym tomorrow.

Starting from scratch

So... since the Goofy challenge, there hasn't been much running lately. At least not on any consistent basis.

But now I've got a half marathon coming up. In 7 weeks. And I have no running base. Oops.

Luckily for me (or unfortunately for me?), this is nothing new. I tend to be a procrastinator in life and this is definitely one of those examples.

And it's not just that I haven't been running, I haven't been doing much exercise in general lately - so my overall fitness level is definitely not in its prime. I didn't mention it here but I had an impromptu personal training session a few months ago and it was so intense that I nearly blacked out from it! (Instead, I just sat in the trainer's office while he waited for my face to return to its normal color and the clamminess to go away. Oh I may have dry heaved as well.) I will take some blame for that incident as well since I did have a Kara's Cupcake as pre-workout fuel. See? I have been out of it so long that I can't even remember proper workout nutrition!

Anyway, I digress. I finally realized that I had to stop dilly-dallying and get back out there.

And for those of you still out there still reading this, you need to hold me accountable! :P Just kidding. Well, maybe.

Did I mention I'm a picky runner? Ideal running temp for me is 55 degrees. Especially when I'm out of shape. Because if it's cold, I'll just force myself to keep running to at least stay warm.

Well, there is no 55 degrees to be found where I live. Well unless I go to SF which I definitely plan to do once I can comfortably run 6 miles. But 2 miles is definitely not worth 2 hours of driving.

So off to the gym I go! I can't stand the dreadmill but I can't stand running in sunny heat even more.

Since it's been months since I've tried running, I kept it simple - 2 miles was all I wanted. So I played with the speeds. Started at 12:00 min/miles, then 11:30, then 11:00, and finally ended with 10:30 with a little bit of 10:00 in the end.

Now back when I used to run regularly, 10-10:30 would be my easy pace. Yesterday? It felt like I was sprinting! Even my heart rate monitor reflected that - it hit around 180 during those paces.

According to my polar HRM, my aerobic cardio zone (or whatever it's called) is between 121 and 158. Obviously 180 is not a comfortable zone for me. From what I recall, 180 is where I would be during a 5K back in the day. 10-10:30 would be more like 160.

I love data - it's so fun to compare!

Anyway, the run was fine - I'll probably aim for 3 this weekend. Yep, 3 is now my long run, haha.

I'll be doing other things at the gym other than running to keep things interesting. Hopefully, I'll be able to get my little fit self out of hiding soon :D