Couch to 5k.....Check!

So guys, I have officially completed my first 5k!

Crossing that finish line was one of the most rewarding feelings... My unofficial official time was 42:30ish and you better believe I'm super proud of that! I know to some people that time would be a disappointment, but to me, it was a complete and total victory.

I think I've lost my mind, but I can't wait to do another one! My training has sort of derailed as of right now, but starting Monday I'm getting myself back on track. I think I may start C25k over and do it outside....outside is much harder than inside....I want to be able to jog the whole 3 miles someday. I think I can do it, it's just going to take a lot of training and a lot of diligence.

As far as weigh-ins are concerned....Not much has changed in the last 2 weeks. One day I was down 2 lbs, and the next I as back to where I was 2 weeks ago. I think my scale might be on the fritz. Or I haven't been as careful about what I eat lately. ugh. Probably the latter of the two.

I will do better though. I have to. I can hear the countdown to 30 clock ticking louder and louder every day....

Until then, enjoy some photos from my very first 5k! (I'm the pink one)

 

 

Before!

After!

 

After Party! 



12 DAYS. This does not look good....

So, 12 days until the race and I've officially quit couch to 5k. Over the last week and a half I've just felt so BLAH. Lots of lovely digestive issues and headaches. Yesterday was the first time I've jogged in about a week, and like I imagined, it was pretty horrible.

Running outside is way harder than running on a treadmill.

There's just no motivation to keep going. If you stop running on a treadmill you're probably going to hurt yourself, but if you stop running on the pavement, no harm done.

I tried the whole interval thing yesterday and the first few sets were killer. After I got warmed up though it wasn't so bad. Then I got my intervals all screwed up and ended up running while I was supposed to be walking so I ended up just walking the last bit. I was shooting for the whole 3.1 miles, but I ended up around 2.4, which is 75% of what I was shooting for....so close!

Apparently when I get outside, everything I'd taught myself about breathing goes out the window. I had a killer headache last night when I got done. Not sure if I was a little dehydrated or if it was the horrible breathing that got me. Probably a little of both. Either way, it was miserable and I ended up calling it a night around 9.

TMI alert: I quit early because apparently the aforementioned digestive issues are not resolved. And I really don't think I could have made one more lap. Could be because I had an ice cream cone with lunch yesterday and I'm lactose intolerant. Whoops.

BUT, from here until October 5 I do solemnly swear to eat healthy, good food, and nothing but good food, so help me if it's the last thing I do!! I've come too far to give in to temptation now. I'm going to try to cut out all processed foods this week and next and stick to whole, healthy foods. If I've learned anything throughout this process, I've learned that you really are what you eat. Good food is good fuel, junk food is junky fuel. Simple as that.

Well guys and girls, wish my luck! It's almost GO TIME! woo!

Weigh in Day....!

Alright y'all. I've fallen off the couch to 5k band wagon. I haven't done it in a week or so now.

I tried the interval thing this morning and I am positive that 6 mph is too fast. I don't know if I am still recovering from giving blood on Sunday or what, but after running intervals for 17 minutes today, I was done. Totally spent and I felt AWFUL. Banana and bagel almost came back up. I'm quitting the whole breakfast before I run thing btw. Being tired is better than puking any day of the week.

I'm going to keep doing intervals I think until I get up to 3 miles. I've GOT to get it together. 16 days til the race.

I think I'm going to pick back up with c25k after the race. I had such high hopes for being able to run this thing, but I know I won't be able to. I was hopeful, but it's time to be realistic about how I'm going to do this. Intervals it is.

Intervals are faster though. Did my first 13 minute mile today. 3 minutes of that on the beginning was a warm up too, so I think if I can work my way up to 6 mph running over the next 2 weeks I'll be ok. I guess we'll see!

So, the numbers. I was super bummed about this weeks weigh in because I really thought I was going to have nothing to report. I've been SO good over the last 2 weeks I only messed up once in two weeks with Mexican food on Sunday, but I didn't even eat all of it....so when I stepped on the scale this morning and was only down 1.6 lbs for the last 2 weeks I was a little bummed. The numbers on the tape measure weren't impressive either.

So, last time I was at 200.8, this week 199.2. 1.6 seems to be the magic number. 21 weeks til 30 gets here. Last time I reported my numbers I did some seriously bad math. I reported that I'd be on track to meeting my goal by my birthday if I was good, but I was so wrong. IF I continue at this 1.6 lbs every 2 weeks thing I've been doing, I'm looking at being down to around 183 then. Which is about 20 lbs more than goal. BUT, if I get down to 183, I'll be down to my pre marriage weight, which is awesome in and of itself.

So to reach my goal, I'm looking at 42.5 weeks. Which lands me right middle of the summer next year. Which will be fantastic for our trip to California next June/July.

It's really hard to think about it taking that long to lose 34 pounds. I wish I knew what was slowing me down. I suppose getting older has a lot to do with it, but it's still really hard to not get frustrated. I'm eating right, I'm exercising 5-6 days a week....I have no clue what's holding me back.

I've eliminated most processed foods/sugars from my diet, I'm eating whole grains and "good" fats, drinking only water (with the exception of my half a cup of watered down coffee in the morning)....I try to stay around 1600 calories a day, and I rarely, if ever, go over 2000 a day. Even with all the good foods and exercising I'm still tired all the time and this weight isn't going anywhere....

I have an appointment in November to get my thyroid rechecked, so I think I'm going to ask my doc then if there's any other reasons I'm feeling this way other than getting older. Because really, I'm just 29, so I'm not really THAT old in the grand scheme of oldness. There's got to be something going on inside this body of mine that's keeping me down. Who knows. Until then, I'm going to keep on trucking til I get where I want to be! Ain't nobody got time for too small clothes!

Week 8 day 1....failed again

I'm really not sure what's going on inside my body, but being healthy is not it this week. My body is telling me I'm getting sick, but I'm stuck on the outskirts of well not moving much either way. If I'm going to be sick I wish I could just go ahead and get it over with, the suspense is draining me.

I got up Saturday morning with great intentions and lots of motivation. It was a cool 65 degrees outside, humidity was tolerable, I just KNEW this was going to be my breakthrough, "I LOVE RUNNING!!" run....

It wasn't.

I had to quit jogging somewhere around half way through. I just had no energy. It really took everything in me to pick one foot up and put it in front of the other. I jogged in intervals for the rest of the time and actually felt ok until I got back to the house.

When I got back inside I was hit by a tidal wave of OW! and zzzzz. I mean, I was totally wiped out and I was sporting a killer headache. I haven't felt quite right since. Doesn't help that I decided to give blood yesterday. I could really go for a nap right now.

I'm supposed to do W8D2 tomorrow, but I really don't see that happening. I'm 99.99% positive I'm going to do intervals again because I still feel just completely zapped. I think I'll try running for 3, walking for 1 and see how that goes. Maybe bump my speed up to 5.5 or 6 and see how far that gets me. I realize that is regressing quite a lot, but I think I'm actually going to end up going farther that way...we'll see!

19 more days!!!

Week 7 day 3....I'm a quitter

W7D3 got me. It was the first time I've had to quit before time was up. I just couldn't do it.

All week this week I've been going to the gym in the morning. I am SO tired in the mornings, but I do enjoy having the evening free to get things done. I've been trying to get up earlier to wake up a little more and try to eat a little breakfast before I go, so maybe I'll have a little more energy...But so far that's not working out...

I have to take my thyroid meds first thing in the morning and I can't eat for 30 minutes (supposed to be an hour, but ain't nobody got time for that). So, I'm going to have to start getting up even earlier. (think out of bed by 4:15. eww.)

I thought I could get by with 4:45, but after my banana and bagel almost made a reappearance yesterday while I was running, twice, I decided I need a little more time to digest. I don't know exactly what these thyroid meds are doing, but if nothing else they are messing with my stomach. Ahh the joys of getting older.

I also determined this week that doing my c25k days back to back is a BAD idea. When the pros say you need a day in between to "rest" they really mean it. That might be another reason why yesterday was such a struggle.

I love love love the couch to 5 k program and would recommend it to anyone for building endurance, but the closer this race gets the more I'm thinking about how I'm actually going to run it. I'm thinking about doing intervals instead of just running it straight through. I have to keep my pace so slow I think it would actually take me longer to jog it than if I did something like run for 2 minutes, walk for a minute through the whole thing. If I jog the whole thing, I think I'm looking at a time of around 39 minutes. However, if I walk/run, I'm looking more at 35...because when I say run, I actually mean run. I think I may give that a try in the few days in between when c25k is over and 5k day. Who knows.

Oh! So far, I've logged 47.5 miles in the couch to 5k app! I'm not counting the days in between that I'm walking, but that's a long way! Yay! I've covered a lot of treadmill ground....if the weather does as it's predicted to I think I'm gonna run outside tomorrow. I'm not as good at running outside as I am at running inside, so it should be interesting. I'm a little nervous that it's going to be a train wreck....

In other news, our teams outfits are going to be fabulous. Think tutus and glow in the dark everything. I can't wait!!! 22 days!!!

Week 7 day 2...a lesson in guilt

So, our work sponsored wellness group is having a 5k training class for the next 4 weeks on Tuesdays after work. I decided it might be beneficial for me to sign up and see if I could get some pointers from the coach.

I went yesterday and our only "task" was to do one mile around the track behind the office. I had decided that since I'm doing fairly well in the program that I'd let that be my W7D2 and no one would be the wiser.

But I knew. Yesterday I went home and did chores and went to bed, but this morning I couldn't live with the guilt any longer so I got my hinny out of bed at 4:50 and went to the gym, did W7D2, and felt fairly decent afterwards.

This time I left my pace at 4.5 and around the 10 minute mark bumped up to 4.6. I had decided when I got to the 20 minute mark I would bump up my speed to 5.0 to see what might happen. That left me running for the last 5 minutes, and while it was completely awful, it wasn't fun either. So I'm thinking tomorrow I might bump up to 5.0 at the halfway point and see what happens.

So, laugh at Brandy opportunity of the week: while I was in the shower this morning at the gym after my workout, I realized I had forgotten to pack the shirt I had picked out to wear to work. It was either 10 minutes to Wal-mart or 25 back home for a shirt....So I had to put my smelly work out shirt back on and go in Wal-Mart to try to find something decent to wear to work. I was only 10 minutes or so late for work, which I guess, is better than 30, but I didn't have time to dry my hair so my head looks like a fluffy hot mess today.

Anyway....5k is in 24 days!!!!

I think I can, I think I can, I think I can....

Week 7 Day 1....this is what defeat feels like

W7D1 was absolutely horrible.

I just want to let you all know before hand, I will be sharing way too much info about myself and nature here, so if you don't want to know, you should probably go ahead and stop reading now.

Yesterday's run was the perfect storm of horrible. Let me lay it all out for you. Friday evening I ate at Macaroni Grill, Saturday I had Arby's and Logan's, and yesterday there was a potluck after church, and I didn't make it to the gym til around 5. Oh and the part where I share too much, Aunt Flo came to town Saturday.

There is only one word I can conjure to describe how I felt during/after yesterday's run: MISERABLE.

I really didn't think I was going to make it. It was a struggle to put one foot in front of the other. I did up my speed a little like I told myself I was going to do. I maintained 4.6 mph the whole time for a total of 2.49 miles. That does include my warm up and cool down distance, so really I'm only running about 2 miles. But still, that's better than no miles.

And here's the part where I expand on the TMI from earlier....So, the 5k is October 5. Aunt Flo flew in on Sept 7. Do the math y'all, that's 28 days. I don't think there are enough words in the English language to describe how sad that makes me. I get SO tired the first few days of my period. Tired, bloated, and whiney. Those are my 3 main symptoms. So last night when I got home from the gym, I did not pass Go, I did not collect $200, I went straight to couch jail. When I walked to the kitchen to fix myself a bowl of cereal for dinner, my legs felt like they weighed 1,000 lbs each. After I downed the cereal, I didn't move until I went to bed. It was awful.

I did get up crazy early and go to the gym again this morning though. Proud of me, even if I was 10 min late getting there. I did ok until I got to work. I'm pretty sure I could take a nap at my desk this morning and not even feel bad about it. I'm just hoping my energy level is back up tomorrow. I've got training to do. I can't let this stop me from kicking some 5k bootay.

So anyway, I'm going to speculate that the rest of this week is going to be miserable, so pray for me y'all. I'm going to NEED it something fierce.

I feel like my dog today:

Anyway. Until next time.....!

Week 6 day 3. DONE and DONE

Whew. I am WORN OUT. Pretty sure I'm coming down with a cold or something similar, so today was a beast. It wasn't really that hard, I was just tired going in so my energy level wasn't where it needed to be. But I am running on a schedule, so there's no time to be sick!

Today was a 5 min warm up, 25 minutes of jogging, 5 minute cool down.

I decided today to hit the netflix while I was running to see if it would prove to be a good distraction, and it was ok. I ended up on season 7 of How I Met Your Mother. Needless to say, I got a few funny looks while I was giggling and jogging. Not so sure that it helped the time pass any faster, but it was entertaining. I just wish it would cool down so I could run outside!

Today I went a total of 2.42 miles in the 35 total minutes, so I think I'll be ok eventually. Just gotta add .59 miles and I'll be good to go :)

I'm so tired I can't even think anymore.

Getting up super early and hitting the gym at 5:15 in the morning. I have a feeling I will be napping at my desk tomorrow after lunch.

Until then, it's bed time y'all. Nite!

The numbers!

Alrighty folks, today was weigh in day!

I'm a wee bit bummed about this week's numbers, but I'm going to say that I'm gaining so much awesome muscle from all this running it's offsetting my weight loss? Maybe?

Last week I weighted in at 202.4, and this week I'm at 200.8. Down 1.6 lbs!

I am losing inches though, so I know all my efforts aren't in vain. I've lost 2 inches off both my hips and my waist since I started! That's pretty exciting. Not really down a size yet though, probably because my "fat clothes" were starting to get a wee bit snug. I am noticing that they fit more comfortably now though. Which is pretty awesome. It will be even more awesome when I can pull those "not so fat clothes" out of storage and start rocking those.

I see all these people out there losing tons of weight with all these gimmick diets and supplements and I'm like, woah. Seeing such dramatic results compared to my itty bitty results is a little disheartening, but I really feel like I'm solving a long term problem by doing this "the hard way". Not to knock the efforts of those that do, it's just not for me.

I've done things the "easy way" before and I've always ended up back where I started or a little further on down the line. This time I really think I'm making a long term lifestyle change and not a short term, "get me where I want to be for now" change.

I turn 30 in 23 weeks. So far I've been losing 1.5-2 lbs every 2 weeks. If I keep this up, and behave through the holidays, I will still be on track to hitting my goal of 165. Really my "ideal weight" is somewhere around 155. But I haven't weighed less than 175 since high school, so if I can get there, I will be more than happy.

I just have to keep telling myself that it's not the short term that really matters here. I'm in this fitness thing for the long haul now so as long as the numbers on the scale keep dropping a little bit each week, I'm on my way to healthier me!

Week 6 Day 2....So close!

W6D2 really wasn't that bad yesterday. It looked like this:

5 minute warm up, 10 min jog, 3 min walk, 10 min jog, 5 min cool down

I really think that second 10 min jog was actually 30 minutes or so. I didn't think it was ever going to end.

But, the lungs behaved for the most part, and the legs did just fine. The whole problem for me is in my head.

Starting tomorrow (25 minutes! eek!) there are no more walking breaks at all. It's warm up, jog forever, cool down. In a way I'm actually kind of looking forward to it. I think I'm going to find a good half hour show on Netflix and immerse myself in mindless TV and see if that helps me make it through. I might give that a shot tomorrow to see how it goes.

Just as long as the show isn't funny or sad I should be ok. I can't even talk or swallow when I'm running, much less laugh or cry....

I really hope that during those final weeks I can work on my time a little. As luck would have it my job is offering 5k training as a part of our wellness program, so I'm going to check that out next week and see if they can give me some pointers.

I'm pretty excited about what the next month has in store. Week 7 is 25 minutes, 8 is 28 minutes and 9 is 30 minutes. Like I've mentioned before, 30 minutes is no where enough time for me, so I think I'm going to tack on a week 10 to the end there and see if I can't do 35 minutes....Because the last day of week 10 is THE BIG DAY. It's getting close and I can't wait!!

31 more days!!

EEEEK!

I can't wait to start working on my outfit. In honor of the theme of the 5k itself, The Neon Vibe, my team and I have named ourselves The Rainbow Brite Coalition. We're going to be fabulous, to say the least.

Anyway, 31 days!! :D :D :D

Week 6 day 1....More than half way there!

So yeah, I'm a little behind. I did w6d1 Sunday, today's Tuesday. Busy, busy weekend!!

Not a whole lot to say about week 6 day 1. I was tired going into it and tired coming out of it.

Yesterday's time looked like this:

5 minute warm up, jog 5, walk 3, jog 8, walk 3, jog 5.

I stuck to my super slow pace of 4.4/4.5 mph again and I didn't get too terribly exhausted. Starting at the end of this week the whole interval thing is over and it's straight woggling the whole time. (recap: Woggling= walking/jogging/wobbling)

Each week you add a few minutes until bam! you're jogging for 30 straight minutes. Now, unless I figure out some way to pick up my pace and not pass out, 30 minutes is no where near enough time. So really, I've got to get up to around 39 to be able to jog the whole thing.

I'm really hoping being outside and being around tons of other people that are way faster than me, will get me across the finish line a little faster.

I'm going to try and pick up the pace a little each week and hopefully fall will grace us with her beautiful presence soon so I can start doing this outside. This humidity is too much for me and my decrepit lungs and body right now.

I don't really understand why, but the second day of every week is always the hardest for me. I really think it's because we always eat out on Sunday and sometimes Saturday and it catches up with me. Not sure. But it's always hard. Doing day 2 today. Wish me luck folks! I know I'm going to need it!!

I'm all over the place today, pretty sure this Tuesday is a Monday in disguise. Anyway, time to get back to the daily grind!

Week 5 Day 3- I DID IT!!!!

I don't even know where to begin. I never, in a million years, would have imagined I'd be able to do this. I have never in my life jogged for 20 minutes straight. Not only did I do it, but I really think I could have kept going if I'd had to.

I seriously almost had a panic attack around 3:30 at work today. All I could think about was how miserably I was going to fail at this, and if I only could do 10 minutes I think I'd be proud of myself. My heart was racing, I was sweating, and I hadn't even gotten to the gym yet! I'd done everything possible to prepare myself though physically. I'd been eating well all week and a couple hours before I had a bagel, a banana, half a cup of watered down coffee, a sports drink and was feeling great. The only thing standing in my way was me. 

I slowed my pace down today to 4.4 mph, I think that helped me mentally more than anything else. I didn't even know what my legs were doing after the 5 minute mark, they just kept going. It really was all in my head. Lungs performed wonderfully today, it was a little iffy there towards the end, but it was nothing compared to Tuesday.

I almost lost it with about a minute and 30 seconds left. I looked down at my phone and saw that I was almost done and got so overjoyed I forgot to breathe....oops....But, thankfully I got it under control and finished strong!

When it was over, it took everything in me to keep from busting out some tears of joy. I really almost jumped off the treadmill to do a victory lap around the gym. 

Trust me when I say, if I can do this, ANYONE can. I've got a long way to go, but I have really come a long way. In the beginning jogging for a solid minute was a struggle, and today I jogged for 20 minutes. TWENTY. I still can't believe it. Thank you to all of you out there that have encouraged me throughout the day and this whole process!

Best day ever!!!

but those who trust in the Lord

will renew their strength;

they will soar on wings like eagles;

they will run and not grow weary;

they will walk and not faint.

                             -Isaiah 40:31 

If I die young, bury me in satin. Lay me down on a bed of roses...

So, I want you all to know that I have freaked myself out so badly about this afternoon's 20 minute run that I woke up this morning with The Band Perry's "If I Die Young" stuck in my head.

Please, if I die young, don't sink me in the river.

I feel sort of like Fred Sanford. This is the big one!

If I do die, I love you all. If I don't, tune in this afternoon for details from my up close and personal brush with death.

I don't know what I was expecting from the couch to 5 k program, but apparently running for 20 solid minutes wasn't it just yet. lol. Hopefully my heart and lungs won't give up on me like I've given up on them, I guess we'll see!

Week 5 Day 2- Knock knock knockin' on Heaven's door...

Whew. Y'all.

I really underestimated just exactly how long 8 minutes was. With the big 2-0 looming in the not so distant future, I didn't give 8 minutes a second thought. Boy was that ever a mistake.

Yesterday looked like this:
walk 5, jog 8, walk 5, jog 8, walk 5

Doesn't look so bad, right? WRONG.

The first 8 minutes were bad, but nothing like the last 8. That 5 minute walk in the middle was the most amazing thing that's ever happened to me. It took me most of that time to get my heart rate back down to something less than crazy.

I wanted to shed some tears when my phone told me to run again. But I ran wogged. For the first 30 seconds I was cautiously optimistic. That optimism quickly faded into a hatred of everything and everyone that surrounded me. My legs were in a numb Jell-O like state, so keeping them moving wasn't so bad. It was the lungs that failed me this time.

There towards the end I was considering how badly I'd be injured if I passed out and face planted on the treadmill.

For the last 5 minutes of the jog the whole breathing through a straw thing returned with a vengeance. Somewhere in that last 3 minutes some jerk walked by and put a kink in my straw, practically cutting off my air supply. It was really bad. That was the first time I really thought I was going to have to give up. But apparently the lack of oxygen going to my brain kept me from thinking about how destroyed my face would be if it kissed the treadmill, so I kept going and finished.

Really, the only thing that carried me to the end was my music. If you're curious, my playlist looks like this:

I Will Rise- Chris Tomlin
Praise You in This Storm- Casting Crowns
Hello My Name Is- Matthew West
Where I Belong- Building 429
Your Love Never Fails- Newsboys
Where I Belong (again)
Hello, My Name Is (again) and finally,
Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)

There's a good message in all of those that helps me push through. The last song is a beautiful extended version of the original that is a good reminder for me to be thankful to God for allowing me to do this and for Him giving me strength and determination, regardless of how much I'm hating it at the moment.

Needless to say I have little to no hope of completing the solid 20 minutes tomorrow. I am going to give it my best shot, but my level of optimism has plummeted from bleak to hopeless. Wish me luck! I'm going to be needing it!

Week 5 day 1

I was supposed to do w5d1 yesterday, BUT....I was super busy and really just didn't have any time. So, I thought it would be awesome to get up and go this morning before I got ready for church. WRONG. It was terrible.

Things I learned today:

1. Running on an empty stomach first thing in the morning is a BAD idea.
2. Come to think of it, running first thing in the morning was the worst idea I've had in a while.
3. Thursday is getting closer. Thursday = my first 20 minute long jog. Oy. My legs hurt already.

My head was not in it at all today but I did manage to make it through just fine. Finally got my breathing issues under control, and now my legs are having a hard time keeping up. My old lady hips tend to want to give up about halfway through...

I'm still waiting for the day to come when I can come home from a run and feel great and super energized like all the other deranged people out there that enjoy running. Currently when I come home, I really just want to go to bed or turn into a blob on the couch.

41 days until the race. 41 days for me to get it together. If I don't have to repeat this week, I am on track to finish the program by September 27. By the end I'm supposed to be able to jog for 30 minutes straight, which is still not 3.1 miles, so I'm going to have to use that extra week to figure out how to run for an extra 10 minutes or so. Hopefully once it cools down and I get outside and start wogging it will be easier...I'm counting on that, so I really hope I'm not wrong.....

Thanks for stopping by....until next time!

Week 4 day 3.... Turtle shuffling all the way to 5k

Well folks, Week 4 is in the books.

I made it through. Yesterday I really think I could have kept going, but I really didn't want to. So I didn't. It wasn't bad though, and I wasn't completely spent by the end. Good food = good run. I am becoming a believer of the banana and bagel pre run snack. Though I really should not use the word run, 4.5 mph equals an awkward looking wog at best (walk/jog). So I guess, actually, good food = good awkward wogging. But hey, I am a PROUD wogger. 4.5 mph is better than 0 any day of the week.

Also, yesterday was weigh in day! I am happy to report that I have slid down the scale from 206 to 202.4. Down 3.6 lbs! No magic weight loss secrets, supplements, or gimmicks, just good old fashioned calorie counting and sweating my rear end off. But really I don't sweat, I just gush liquid awesome. True story.

In just a few short days I will be half way through the program. When I started day 1 I was optimistic, but doubtful. I am happy to report that is still the case. I've come to realize that if I aim low with my expectations I tend to do better. If I aim high and miss, the disappointment gets to me. But if I aim low and score big it really gets me going.

Next weeks schedule looks pretty rough. Until now, most of the weeks have had the same thing going on ever day. This week looked like this:

Days 1-3- warm up, jog 3, walk 1.5, jog 5, walk 2.5, jog 3, walk 1.5, jog 5, cool down

Next week looks like this:

Day 1- warm up, jog 5, walk 3, jog 5, walk 3, jog 5 cool down
Day 2- warm up, jog 8, walk 5, jog 8 cool down
Day 3- warm up, JOG 20, cool down

What were they thinking?! I really believe they are using some sort of crazy reverse psychology here. Because by seeing that TWENTY minute jog at the end of the week, I don't even care that there's a jump from 5 to 8 minutes. I already know that will be nothing compared to 20 straight minutes. I am 100% positive that I have never in my entire life jogged for 20 minutes straight. NEVER. EVER. I played sports for 8 years, and in all of those years, I never once ran/jogged for 20 minutes.

So, I really believe that somehow between now and next Thursday I have got to master two things:

1. How to breathe correctly without thinking about it, and
2. How to get lost in my thoughts and forget about what my legs are doing.

If anyone has any words of wisdom, I'd be happy to hear them.

Until next time folks!

Week 4 day 2

Going into week 4 day 2 I had a pretty positive outlook. I will not be making that mistake again. I finished it, but with little to no energy left. Somewhere around halfway through I decided I was never running again and that I hated the world. Maybe eating at P.F. Changs and Texas Roadhouse over the weekend wasn't such a great idea....

I am improving though, slowly but surely. I still think hitting this goal is possible, perhaps not probable, but definitely possible. I really wish I'd started sooner so I'd have a chance to repeat the weeks I'm failing miserably at, but alas, it is what it is. My first run is October 5, so when I started, I had exactly enough time to finish plus 3 or 4 days wiggle room.

My advice for anyone starting this program would be give yourself more time. If you are an uber beginner like I am, I'd say give yourself at least 12-15 weeks. Next Thursday I have to jog for 20 straight minutes. TWENTY.

Yeah right. Hilarious.

I think my biggest problem is boredom. Running is dreadfully boring. Maybe once I'm in a little better shape it will be ok, but for now, if I think of anything other than how I'm breathing (Google cadence breathing for some good tips) my lungs start to seize up and my legs stop working. I don't know how in the world I'm going to make it through 20 minutes mentally, much less physically. Bagels and bananas for every meal! But seriously...

I really hope tomorrow goes better than yesterday.

Outlook is bleak.

Hope is fading.

I am woman, hear me cry.

etc.

Putting the numbers out there

So, in every blog I've come across concerning c25k, the first thing I wonder is what kind of shape the person blogging is in and how I compare.

There are two things women are good at lying about: their age and their weight. But, the older I get, the less I care about who knows what those two numbers are. So, here goes. The ultimate in accountability. I've decided that I will report my weight loss in real numbers for the whole world to see.

When I started this journey 4 weeks ago, I was pretty close to the heaviest I've ever been. In the beginning I decided to weigh myself and take my measurements every two weeks to track my progress and now I'm going to start reporting those numbers here.

First the basics, I'm a 29.5 year old female. I smoked second hand smoke for 18 years, and firsthand for 6 years. I put them down and walked away for good 3 years ago. I am 5'6" and when I started this I weighed in at a whopping 208 lbs. I am currently medicated for thyroid issues that make it difficult for me to lose weight. I'm not putting that out there as an excuse, I'm putting that out there so people can relate.

At the two week mark I was down to 206, and will be weighing in on Thursday to see how I've done for the last two weeks. It can be a little discouraging seeing such small changes in numbers on the scale, but I'm learning to look past the small stuff in the now, and look towards my bigger, overall goals in the future.

As far as my diet is concerned, 6/7 days of the week I try to eat four 400 calorie meals a day. Saturday is generally my cheat day, when I allow myself to indulge a little for one meal. I have tried to incorporate more fresh foods into my diet and have been trying to avoid processed foods, excessive sodium and sugars as much as possible. It's a slow go, but the process seems to be working for me. I drink only water, with the only exception being half a cup of coffee in the morning. Eating 4 small meals a day keeps me from getting hungry and eating everything I see, until I get home from work that is. It's a struggle to keep from eating the whole kitchen while I'm getting dinner ready. Mind over matter has been my mantra for the last few weeks.

So, now you know all of my dirty secrets. And now I know that I've got to behave or the whole world will have access to the fact that I'm a slacker. I'm setting my goal at 165 for now. So, 2 down, 41 more to go. LETS DO THIS.

Couch to 5k, Week 4 day 1

Week 4, day 1. I gotta run for 5 minutes straight. Kill me now.

Oh week 4. I was so scared yesterday before I hopped on the treadmill. I KNEW I wasn't going to be able to finish .

Up until now I've been jogging at around 5 mph, and walking around 3.3. I made the decision to slow it down a little at the beginning of the week to give myself a fighting chance. I took my jogging down to 4.5 but bumped my walking up to around 3.4, 3.5. Again, I realize how slow that is in the grand scheme of running, but it's better than sitting on the couch.

When I hit the first 5 minute run I knew I wasn't going to make it. But, turns out I did, and I COULD HAVE KEPT GOING. WHAT?!

I the second 5 minute stint was tough, but I DID IT. My legs were a little like Jell-O, but surprisingly my lungs were doing great! I'd like to think it's because the lung exercises I'd been doing worked, but I'm pretty sure it's because I slowed my pace. I think each day I'll bump it up a little till I can do 5 mph again. That's the goal. I want to be able to do the whole thing in around 35 minutes. You gotta start somewhere, right?

By the end of day 1, I was convinced that I CAN DO THIS. we'll see what day 2 has in store, but right now, I feel like nothing can stop me! Bring it on c25k!

Couch to 5 k...weeks 1-3

My nickname as a child was Myrtle Turtle for a reason. Not because I look like a turtle, or because I liked turtle soup, but because I ran like a turtle. I seriously hated running as a kid, and there's a good chance I'll always hate it.

Why did I choose running then you may be asking? Because I have an obsession with efficiency. Running is the fastest way for me to turn my body into the shape it's supposed to be. It is a means to an end. I have a goal to be in overall better health by the time I turn 30, and I'm looking at less than 6 months to get where to where I need to be. If I can continue to lose 1.5-2 lbs per week, I'll be sitting pretty come February.

Week 1: Running for a whole minute. You've got to be kidding.

At the end of day 1, I was able to determine that as suspected, I still hate running. And that shoes are very important. Days 2 and three were better, but I was fairly certain I was going to die before I reached the end of the program. Still kind of am...

Week 2: Running for 1.5 minutes. I have LOST all my good sense.

When I started this week the thought of running for a minute and a half made me want to puke. I had mastered running for a minute straight, but this running for a minute and a half crap was for the birds. Day 1 was ok, and I was feeling pretty good about day 2. Day 2 was great! I felt awesome by the end and decided that I was destined for marathons and other crazy things. I really thought day 3 would be a breeze. WRONG. I wanted to die by the end of day 3. I bumped up my jogging speed to 5.0 mph. Which for the average bear is turtles tromping in peanut butter slow. But for me, it was FLYING.

I decided at the end of week 2 day 3 that three minutes of solid running was going to be the death of me. I made sure I told my husband what to do with my belongings in the event of my untimely death. I was not feeling it AT ALL.

Week 3: I've got to run for 3 straight minutes? You've really got to be kidding.....

Day 1 of week 3. I was not ready mentally. I knew I was going to fail. But, with the exception of feeling like I couldn't breathe, it wasn't all that bad.

Day 2 of week 3 got me. I had fast food 2 days in a row prior to running this day. NEVER AGAIN. I find that the deeper I get into this adventure, the more my attitude is changing. I am now avoiding foods that are bad for me (most days) in order to have a successful run.

RUNNING IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN FOOD. WHAT THE WHAT?

Don't get me wrong, I still indulge occasionally, but nothing like before.

Day 3 of week 3, I ran outside for the first time. The humidity was high, but the temp was freakishly low for August in Alabama (think high 60s, low 70s), so this made for a decent day to start trying the whole outside thing. Every runner I know LOVES running outside and claims it makes such a difference.

Liars, liars pants on fire!

That may be a little harsh. I'd have to say it was about the same. Except for the fact that I'm an idiot and didn't plan my route correctly and ended up running uphill for the last 3 minutes. But I did it. And I didn't get a cramp, lose a lung, or fall over dead even though at one point I was having visions of lying on the sidewalk in a puddle of my own sweat and tears.

Afterwards, I'd decided that I was going to fail at week 4 so there was no reason I should even be worried. Failure IS an option kiddies! I had defeated myself before I even started....Outlook is bleak...