dahanese.com

Weights and Measures

For the past couple years I've been on a pretty hardcore fitness kick. I'm not one for crazy diets or workout regimens - I've subscribed to the belief that if you eat a little less while paying attention to the content of that food and couple that with lifting weights and ramping up cardio, you'll be a healthier person. 

The brilliant addictiveness of combining activity trackers with radio dramas

Guys, I have a confession to make.

I am addicted to activity trackers.

I realized this back in 2010 when I first got Runkeeper. After tracking one measly activity, I knew I had a problem: I FUCKING LOVED making numbers bigger. I needed to. Like little exercise Pokémon, I had to collect them all. Leave it to me to make a competition against myself – but thank you Runkeeper for fueling my addiction and making running a lifelong habit.

Fast forward to February, 2012. Six to Start, a genius company, launches Zombies, Run! The company calls it a “smartphone fitness game” – and I guess that's a good and literal way to describe it – but it’s actually a brilliant interactive radio drama where you unlock the story by exercising.

quick tally.

first off: new blogs are coming. job's been busy - but luckily, boot camp is still kicking it.

today was a new session, so we did a mini assessment. didn't run 1.5 miles, but i did get the other stats.

37 pushups til failure
64 situps in a minute

could have pushed harder on the situps but holy shit i don't know where the pushup number came from. that's a metric asston of pushups.

Boot camp: making numbers bigger

Since October, 2012, Mike and I have been going to boot camp in Golden Gate Park at least twice a week (barring times we’re traveling out of state or are too ill to go). It’s been an amazing experience: the discipline of going, no matter the weather or mood or what’s going on at work, and the adventure of learning new things and actually getting better at the hard stuff. While this boot camp isn’t zomg hardcore military stuff, it’s no walk in the park. A typical day will include 3 sets of weight training, between which you’ll run on average of 300 stairs (150 up and down).

Yesterday was the first of a new session, and that means assessment time. I hadn’t been assessed since knee surgery, so I was anxious to see how I was doing. I’m pretty stoked with my results. But, to put it in perspective, I want to show you all three of my assessments over the past two years.

Run For Your Lives: A Tale of Escaping Zombies (and then becoming one)

If you were to ask me, “Elizabeth, do you like zombies?” my answer would be firmly and solidly “fuck, no.” I’m phobic of blood. I am prone to panic. I hate horror films. I still hide behind my hands during parts of 28 Days Later. Don’t even get me started with Dawn of the Dead: never finished it.

Knowing this, you might follow up by asking, “then why in hell do you spend so much time doing stuff that has to do with zombies?”

Know thy enemy, my friend. (Also, it’s helpful training. You see, my closest circle of friends apparently have a location where they will go if there ever is a zombie apocalypse. They also all have given each other helpful zombie killing weapons. I do not yet have a weapon nor do I know the location of said safehouse. I hope, with these efforts, I shall someday earn my place in their apocalypse plan.)



This brings me to today’s zombie topic: Run For Your Lives, a 5K obstacle course (complete with zombies.) About two years ago, I found out about RFYL online. It was a pretty obscure event back then with very few locations, but I was immediately excited about the challenge. I’d just gotten into running (I was going to write “hardcore running” but since I max out at 5 miles, I know I’m not hardcore. I mean “hardcore” as in “I was running 5ish times a week and that made me feel like a badass.”) I vowed to participate in RFYL as soon as it came to an area near me.

Note on my new Nike Free 5s.

First off: I got those shoes on November 28th. I'm writing that so when I want to know when the hell to replace them, I have this record.

Second: Don't get a dumbass like me and think "the more minimalistic the shoe, the more badass I am!" I have been running in Nike Free 3s for the last 300 or so miles and it has actively impeded my progress. Things got so bad my calves were seizing up and I could barely run so I bought some 5s and... well. I ran 4 miles yesterday without any real issue. That is more than I've ever been able to run without any break whatsoever in my life.

So, yeah. Cushioning. It helps sometimes.

Boot camp commences

Ever since switching jobs (and losing my amazing personal trainer up in Novato) I have been slacking on the "fully body workout" front, so as of yesterday, Mike and I are enrolled in boot camp in Golden Gate Park.

Race!

I am playing around with Runkeeper's Race page. I'm making a run for Cailin and myself because that's awesome (and hopefully this will make you laugh Cailin, or at least smirk a bit) and this is the official website of that race.

SUPER OFFICIAL.

[Obligatory logo that I made because I am clearly an awesome graphic artist]

thankfulness.

i have been told that i have been gloomy lately in my entries. and this is true. i have been pretty gloomy lately. some is irrational. some is not. some will mend. well, all will mend in time, right?

anyway. here's a list of things that are good, and that i am thankful for.

- cats that sleep on my feet
- miso who sits in my lap when i work on the computer
- pancake who has a cute face (we shall add to this later when she does not whine at 6 am, is potty trained, and i am over her chewing through my laptop cord which cost $86 to replace)
- an awesome fucking job
- an awesome fucking bunch of coworkers
- a car that i think is really awesome
- two sisters, a father, and a mother who are really supportive and fun and kind and wonderful
- a group of friends that now pull from real life means so that when i use internet forums, i can use them just to bullshit, and not feel the need to socialize with the people that annoy me there because i have no other friends and/or means to socialize, thusly i have to see them
- being debt free
- having lost some weight and enjoying thoroughly working out
- being an excellent cook and really enjoying it (and having a really awesome kitchen and easy access to barbecuing)
- lots of sunshine and good weather in california
- cheap, amazing wine
- accessible flowers so that i always have blooms on my kitchen table
- an apartment big enough to HAVE a kitchen table
- a farmer's market
- access to a city with all the food i like, and a town with all the takeout i could desire
- a beach within day's driving distance (albeit perhaps shark infested)
- knowledge that, no matter what the hurtles, i am successful, surrounded by loving and supportive people, and saving money, and that each passing day, these things grow stronger, and the goals that i am shaping for my future are becoming more and more real and incredible

poop.

so my ipod nano came today. WEE. i'm so excited, so i went out at lunch and got a case and the nike running kit. WEE.

then i go to charge my ipod for my running date with asked tonight.

no workie.

next computer.

no workie.

make a reservation at apple. go in and show it to them. they tell me it's dead. DOA. d-e-d. i cry.

then they tell me they have none to give me, nor does the store uptown. and because it was bought off amazon, i can't have a new one from the tons they have downstairs. i have to get one ordered in. it will take a day to a week.

so i will pray i get it tomorrow, and stare at the 60$ of nike equipment i just bought, and be annoyed.

yes. i know. i have a shuffle and a video. i KNOW. i am a spoiled brat. but i'm really, really excited about using this nike tracker thing to do a challenge against shackers. super excited. i think it's going to take my workout to a new level of aggression and competition i have yet to attain.

and you will probably see it all posted here.