what shall we sign up for

UK running ranis, this site lets you look at running events and races across the country. Fancy signing up for something?

i guess i;m making progress

If my husband asks “Where did your butt go?”

Week 3 of couch25k begins today! I”ve dropped 2kgs and my pants are starting to get really loose! woohoo!

And here’s what I look at every morning in the kitchen!

I’m running?!

Ok, technically, I’m elliptical-ing. Even so, I never thought I’d see the day, when I’d actually WANT to go to the gym. Many gigabytes have been used up extolling the virtues of the Couch to 5K program & I’m here to use up a few more kilobytes towards that cause.

See, I’d read all about this mythical ‘running high’ and ‘endorphin rush’ and all I could feel when I was exercising was running at a high speed out of the gym or rushing back to my couch. The only time I enjoyed working out was when I wasn’t working out – so while playing badminton, for example. When I lived in London I spent over 2000 pounds on gym memberships and I am pretty sure I didn’t use it for more than 15-20 times. That’s about £100 per visit. The shocking thing is that even for a very very frugal person like me, the thought of wasting all that money was easier to deal with than the thought of getting off my butt and exercising.
Today, I’m on Week 4 of the Couch to 5 K program and already I am dreaming of going on to the 15K program after I’m done with the 9 weeks of running. Yes, I, am having fantasies about RUNNING! Is it because I can finally wear medium sized T-shirts without them clinging to me? Or is it because my pants are now too lose to wear without a belt? Or is it the competition? Or wait… could it be… THE RUNNING HIGH?!

running to the beat of…

And I am very pleased to say that I have started week 2 of the Couch to 5k program. And boy do I feel good. I have synced the app to some songs which are on my Ipod most of which are Hindi and Tamizh film songs. Today I found myself running to this. I kept giggling the entire time. I can’t find a video anywhere and am desperate to see the way it has been shot.

I’m thinking it’s time to get some new songs. But I will keep Aval oru pachai kuzhanthai. GOD!

Howdy

So I got roped into this by my darling little sis, ms.menaka raman. Probably as retaliation for making her work out when she was on holiday with me. oh well.
So let me quickly introduce myself, since the rest of you seem to know each other rather well. Im a scientist plodding through a post-doc on the other side of the pond from you folks. I have an active almost 3 year old, which you would think should keep me ship-shape. Alas, that is not the case. So after a festive holiday season with sister and family where we ate, drank and made merry (and put on an alarming 5lbs in 2 weeks), I decided enough is enough…time to lose said pounds and look like a skinny bitch (can I say that here??).
Im no runner but dont disqualify me!! While I wait for all the snow to melt here in Boston, I work out every morning with the wonderful “Jillian mami” and “Tony mama”. If Im felling bored I even try silly hop-hop dances and carmen electra’s strip tease. Its more hilarious than sexy Im afraid -think 30+ indian mami trying to shake that booty. It was even funnier when my sister and I both did it together. Most of the time we just ended up in a giggling mess on the floor.
so thats it for now. Thought I should quit lurking…will post when I start running…hopefully.

update

So far things have been going pretty well. I have embarked on the c25k program, been doing Gillian Michaels 30 day shred program and Tony Horton’s 10 minute trainer. I feel fit and also tired. It’s hard to do ab crunches with a heavy 19 month old sitting on your stomach. What can I say. My son wakes up before I do and insists on joining in my work out sessions. He already has made his partiality to Gillian Mami very clear by watching her perfect abs and sports bra with slack jawed awe. When Tony Mama comes on the TV he goes up and hits the screen. Oh well.

I feel all round pretty darned good. Have also been eating sensibly, This means buying Gu mini puds and not Gu big puds. Hey, We gotta start somewhere.

S, where are you on c25k and ammani has the brain unmushed itself?

11.01.10

First run of the New Year. 11.01.10. Looked like y’day’s date was speaking to me in binary, only i don’t know the language.  Thanks to M, the C25k was a great way to start off.

Y’day was week 1, day 1 and the temperature was -1 C. I did 30 min. It was very refreshing to feel the sweat against the cold easterly wind.

Anyone up for a race?

PS: yes it was a struggle to jump puddles of snow, ice and slush. But I’m sticking to the main roads, as it’s well lit for the time of day (or night) I run.

Brain mush

I never thought I’d say this. I miss running. I miss the the buzz that comes with having run for about 45 minutes. I miss the groaning unwarmed ankles at the start of the run. I miss the racing pulse as I come around to a stop at our front door after the run. Heck, I even miss the fact that I sometimes embarrass myself by singing aloud along with whatever’s playing on the matchbox.

Clearly I have been incarcerated at home for too long due to the snow and my brain’s turning to mush. Why else would I be missing running?

couch potatoes… on your marks, get set, run

So, after Broom put up her C25k challenge on her blog I thought it would be a good way to start my running plans. Yesterday, I downloaded the app on to my Iphone and added songs to the playlist. Now I just have to wait for the roads to thaw a bit and hopefully I can start running. So I’m doing Tony Horton’s 10 minute trainer till then.

Ranjani, here are the stretches you asked about.

And as a committed gym-o-phobe, I am heartened by this article. So get outside and workout ranis. well, when the ice thaws anyway.

Also see – Gym Intervention

British Military Fitness

so 2010 is here and the excuses have run out

Since  my last (and only) post, I’m very pleased to say some progress has been made! A pair of Asics have been purchased, as have some basic tracks to run and work out in and some good quality sport bras. And lest you think that I’ve just been flexing my credit card and little else, you shall be happy to know that I have started working out.

i’m writing this post in Boston, where, since the 1st of January my sister has been kicking my butt in to working out with her every morning. Her cable provider has an entire channel called exercise tv with pre-recorded workout sessions that range from 10 minute butt and thigh blasters to hour long intense cardio sessions. We’ve tried quite a few of them in the last five days including a very amusing hip hop workout, where we laughed at eachother more than we ‘worked it’ as the annoyingly perky in every way instructor instructed us to.

It’s been a good start fitness wise to the year. And I hope to be able to return to London and continue with what I’ve started and add running to the routine too.

What have you ladies been up to?