Day 47 - Perfect is the enemy of Good

Sean had an interesting post to mark the halfway point of KFB, which got me to thinking.

Like Sean, I'm a bit on the fence about my feelings for KFB and my ability to provide any sort of meaningful feedback that isn't grossly colored by other life factors - such as being much more busy than I was earlier in the year. On the other hand, biased feedback is more helpful than no feedback so why not give it a try?

My first observation would be that I'm not as committed to KFB as I was to PCP. I think this is partly because my life is more busy and stressful right now than it was when I did PCP. But I think it is also because I'd just finished PCP and hadn't yet found my (presumed) post-PCP balance. So starting a new program while my

head was stuck between trying to figure out what my "regular" life was going to be like and trying to get into the new program, left me spinning a bit, mentally speaking.

Another problem with starting straight after PCP (again, all mental) was that my head, still in PCP-space, sees elements of PCP (strength exercises) and then makes the foolish leap to making KFB additive, instead of a new program, complete of itself. So while the KFB is manageable, KFB + extra strength training from PCP + training for a marathon is NOOOOT. And so sometimes I don't always finish the KFB (mostly because I've added other things) and feel I'm letting myself down, and get discouraged.

The perfect is the enemy of the good

- Voltaire

In more grounded moments, I realize that it's really DUMB to get discouraged after working out for more than 90 minutes because I didn't complete everything I'd hoped (a bad habit in most areas of my life).

Heather, Heather, Heather - You need more sensible boundaries!!!!

Because time is an issue, both because KFB is in development and because I'm a dingbat (see above), one thing that really helps me is to do the meditation and at least some of the flexibility exercises First. Because if I'm running short on time, those get skipped - and those are part of the attraction/difference of KFB, and because I'm more likely to remember that I still need to do some kicking, but somehow overlook the fact that I need to do a few more stretching exercises. It's a mental thing.

So perhaps, for me, the answer is to strategize my approach: meditation and stretching first, to get my mind in the right place and prevent delinquency; running to limber up second; non-strength KFB to kick some ass; and strength training last, to let time constraints rein in my desire to do too much ...

Hmm. Maybe it's a good thing I spent some time thinking about this.

Day 46 - Mindful consumption - the mental variety

A few weeks ago I experimented with cutting out the excess sound in my life. For the first few weeks, I was good and thought I could see its effects in the slowing of the spinning in my head and a greater sense of calm.

But then my attention wavered. I slowly began listening to more music, accepting more noise in my life, and before I knew it, I was back into my old habits. I'd like to get back to restricting the inputs into my brain. I'm feeling stressed and frazzled (largely a matter of perspective, but it's hard to change it) and want to slow down and quiet down.

I've had little success in controlling the maelstrom of thoughts whirring through my head (except, perhaps, in 5 or 10 minute intervals :), but I'm sure it will help to reduce, insofar as I can, adding to the distractions in my head. So this week I'm striving to:

• be mindful of my consumption of noise (music)
• be mindful of my consumption of media (TV and internet - the internet is going to be hard)
• be mindful of my consumption of ideas (what I read)

And I'll try (and fail more than I succeed, I warrant) to just do one thing at a time. Just think on one thing at a time.

Fingers crossed!

Day 45 Tired of HOT

So, we've been hammered with day after day of HOT HOT HOT! It's 95F as I type, and am happy to be in the air-conditioned atmosphere of work. Which has meant that my heart (and lungs and sweat glands) have not been behind my workouts and it's been a struggle to do what I've managed to do.

But I have to say that I'm enjoying the exercise of mindful consumption. Enjoying the experiment, not passing through the experience without tripping up all over the place, that is. Probably because I'm stressed, I'm more readily distracted and unfocused these days, so I catch myself more often than I'd like spinning my wheels or wasting time on activities I'm not really enjoying.

I'm also yearning for a proper vacation - my mental batteries need recharging - so I'll be taking a week and going up to Vermont for a week at the end of July. This will be an excellent opportunity of enforced mindful consumption: not only no TV, but no telephone, no internet (unless I go into town)! Quiet time. THAT's a big part of why I love going up to Vermont.

My mindful consumption this past weekend was mozzarella stuffed meatballs and roasted tomato sauce from Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc at Home. The meatballs aren't very KFB, but the sauce totally is, and it's fantastic! I just should have waited until fall to make it, as roasting for hours isn't such a good idea in 90 degree weather ...
But YUM! I'll definitely be returning to this recipe once the weather turns cooler.

Now I just need to be more mindful with sound, TV, and the internet ... and, perhaps, the buzz of my own brain ...

Day 42 - STILL HOT

Whimper. I'm a cold weather baby and these 90 degree days are killing me. And it's the humidity as much as the heat. Breathing just seems harder!


On the plus side, I am finally finding a rhythm with KFB, roll out of bed, meditate, start some stretching, do some strength-training, aerobic part of the work out, then some balance and more stretching. I've also streamlined my food prep some - with the sacrifice of variety, I can save time by having everything pre-prepared and pre-packaged. Just rolling off of PCP helps, but I think I'm more efficient than I was even then.

Anything to buy myself some more time.

Now there's a question: If I want to run another marathon, should I aim for October or November? October is more comfortable (less likely to be really cold and/or rainy) - but the overlap in training with KFB will be ... difficult.

thinking, thinking.

Day 40 ... HOT

OMG.

We've had a run of hotter-than-I-can-remember days, days when I get up in the morning and, even stepping out the door at 5am, suck in a breath at the heavy and humid air.

Not really (for me, at least) welcoming, come out and workout weather.

On the plus side ... pretty good stretching weather :)

It's 92 ... and it's supposed to be hotter AND more humid tomorrow. ...

Day 39

I'm back from a weekend up in Boston.

I was pretty good with the diet (not perfect), and ok with the workouts. I'm a little frustrated with my mindset, which is more unhappy with not completely nailing the workouts, instead of happy to have managed what I did.

I've started taking Shivani's suggestion, and doing my meditation and a little stretching before the workout - and am really glad I am. For me, with all that's going on in my life and the disproportionate stress that I am feeling over even small things, it really helps to quiet down FIRST, and then I can be more present and more focused in the rest of the workouts. I am also less anxious afterwards.

Thanks Shivani!

I'm getting better at not getting dizzy when doing the back kicks. Despite the dizziness, I think those are my favorite kick by far. They always have been. KaPow! Those use my biggest and strongest muscles.

Day 35 - KaPOW!

Wow! What a difference being well rested makes!

Yesterday evening I went home and took a nap - and then slept a solid 8 1/2 hours that night and today I feel amazing :)

Woot!

So I had a great workout this morning. I'm still a bit frustrated with my impatience with the stretching portion of the exercise, but I'm going to try Shivani's advice and do a little stretching pre-workout (so I don't feel the rush of trying to get DONE), and it occurred to me that it might help to slow down by doing the mediation before the stretching.

You know, put my mind in the right place first, instead of last.

We'll see how that goes.