Friday Night Fever

When I went to the gym on Friday night, I was encouraged by the number of attractive people there who were also spending their Friday night on a treadmill.  It made me feel less pathetic for being there instead of out doing something more glamorous.  I can't say that there could have been anything better for me to do, though, so I am grateful I have the opportunity to run as often as I do.

Week 3 seemed really hard looking at it from Week 2, but now it's not too bad.  I was actually surprised and somewhat disappointed when my workout was complete the other night.  I felt like it ended too soon, but both timers said it had been 28 minutes, just like it was supposed to be.  Monday finishes up week 3, then it's on to week 4.  I'm excited about the progress I'm making, and how much easier it seems this time around.  It's like my body remembers that it used to do this all the time just 6 months ago.

I also finally got to see the end of Dark Knight at the beginning of my workout.  Like I always say, you gotta hold onto those little things!

Next week I plan to add in two more days of light exercise.  For now I think it might just be 10 minutes on elliptical and 20 minutes of weight training or 30 minutes of laps at the pool, just to mix it up a bit and still give my joints a break.

Workout:
Time: 28:00 min
Distance: 1.70 miles
Sensation: Entertained, pleasantly sweaty

The Inner Coach

Three minutes of straight running, kiddos.  That's what comes with week 3.  It's not bad at all, but I recall not being able to do week 3 on the road even after finishing week 5 on the treadmill.  Now the treadmill is on that 3.0% grade to simulate actual real outdoors running, so this is an accomplishment.

You gotta hold on to those little things, ya know?

Another milestone today is that my positive thinking inner-coach finally showed up.  I know 3 minutes sounds like such a short amount of time to go through anything, but it seems to just DRAG on while I'm running.  Tonight, I just kept telling myself really positive things, and I got through it.   It even seems easy now, looking back on it.  I just kept telling myself that I could do it and that three minutes isn't really that long until I was done. The second three-minute stretch seemed a lot better because I already KNEW I could do it.  It was a great feeling.

Workout:
C25K W3D1
Distance: 1.65 mi
Time: 28:00 min
Sensation: Satisfaction

Day 28: Boredom and Change

Sean reminded me this evening that the greater the challenge, the greater the satisfaction when you accomplish it.  That was a good thing to remember, because this running on the road in real life is a lot harder than running on the treadmill.

I'm back to week 3, and it was actually kind of hard.  My ankles hurt now for the first time since the first time I did week 3, but I know that cardiovascularly I can handle this.  I have done it before.  I have overcome more than I thought I ever would, and I can do it again.

I ran around the park again today, and it was hard, but I was pretty much able to do all of week 3.  I'm just going to find a flatter place to run and then continue the training program from week 3.  I've also considered doing three miles three times a week with as much running as I can.  The end result will still be finishing a 5K, but I won't have a regimented schedule for doing it.  I may also start swimming and/or taking fitness classes at the gym just to not be doing couch to 5K all the time.

Whatever happens, I am staying active.  In fact, I'm kicking it up a notch.  I bought a new food journal.  Yuck.  But I'm going to do it, at least for a week or so, just to see my patterns and force myself to think more about what I'm putting into my body.

The Workout
Outside, Kiwanis Park
2.2 miles
35 minutes

Day 13: Happy Monthiversary!

A month ago today was Day 1, Week 1.  Forget about the fact that I have moved past week 1 and am in fact holding my own at week 3.  The fact that I am still here at all is amazing.  Now, I've enjoyed this a lot, and that's why I'm still doing it, so I guess it's not much of a sacrifice yet for me to keep going to the gym.  But if you consider that I don't normally like exercising, it's amazing.  


Unfortunately, it looks like I'll be on week 3 another week.  It's still challenging, so I think it's okay to stay on it.  Next Friday I'm going to try to move on to week 4, daunting though those five minute running intervals may seem right now.  Again, I may have a long way left to go, but man, look how far I've come ALREADY!


Since starting this program ONLY a month ago:


My resting pulse rate has dropped (by quite a bit, actually).
My waistline has shrunk.
I no longer consider the walk up that hill to class a workout.
I can run for three full continuous minutes.
I am more flexible.
I have greater confidence.
I deal with stress in healthier ways.
I respect and take (better) care of my body.
I sleep better at night.
My life has become more satisfying.


Those are the most noticeable unanticipated benefits from the program.  I honestly started this just so I would have something on which to focus my attention that didn't have to do with Chemistry or dating, and now it has become its own thing.


I have said this before, I know, but it's true: this truly is what was missing in my life, and although I really struggle with it sometimes, I am glad I do it.




My workout today was:
Week 3:
1.80 miles in 28 minutes, 2.0% incline
Walk Speed: 3.5 mph
Jog Speed: 4.5 mph
Total Distance So Far: 24.23 miles

Day 12: Numbers

Isn't it strange how we as women use numbers to measure ourselves?  A little while back, I participated in Operation Beautiful, and one of the notes I posted said, "Your greatness cannot be measured," and had a ruler on the bottom edge of the page.  I feel like maybe I should post one of those proverbially or literally for myself.  I am always trying to measure myself, no matter what it is I am doing.  I seek approval from myself and others based on a number, or sometimes many numbers.  


Today I was asked what speed I run at, and that shouldn't have made me upset, but it definitely did.  I felt embarrassed that I run so slow.  Then I talked to my extremely tall friend Nicole who told me that she still runs slow for her height even after running for years, and I felt better.  


In unrelated-to-running workout news, I did AM Yoga yesterday morning for ten minutes to wake me up for church, just on a lark, and it was fun.  I couldn't quite get into all the poses, but I see promise there, and the stretches felt good.  Little did I know it, but I was REALLY getting a workout.  I woke up this morning almost too sore to get out of bed.  After ten minutes of yoga.  Seriously?


As far as running goes, week 3 is getting easier, for sure.  I am going to do week 3 again on Wednesday, and then I will attempt to move ahead to week 4 on Friday, even if it is hard.  I really think I probably COULD do week 4 right now, I just don't think I SHOULD.  A lot of people on the C25K discussion groups say that they were stuck for several weeks on week 3, so I am at least in good company.  It's a tough week to get through, but I'm determined to stick it out.  I've only been running for four weeks (as Sean the saintly workout buddy reminded me today), and instead of focusing on  how very far I have left to go, I should look at how far I have COME.  A month ago I could jog about a block.  Now I jog at least several blocks three times a week.  


I am becoming a runner.  Spud to stud is fortunately faster than the other way around, but still, it took me years to develop the destructive habits I had up until a month ago, so it will take me definitely more than a few weeks to break free from them.  


My workout today was:
Week 3:
1.80 miles in 28 minutes, 2.0% incline
Walk Speed: 3.5 mph
Jog Speed: 4.5 mph
Total Distance So Far: 22.43 miles

Day 11: Stranded in Week 3.25

I wanted to start week 4 today because well, I technically finished week 3; however, that did not happen.  Actually, I started week 4, but then I thought I might die with crazy tightness in my calves, so after the first run/walk cycle I switched back to week 3 intervals.  Overall, the workout WAS a little more intense than your usual week 3 because I went further in the same amount of time, but it was definitely closer to week 3 intensity than week 4.  Plan: Stay on week 3 one more week, then re-try week 4.


I hereby give myself permission to stay back where I know I can be successful for as long as it takes me to get strong enough to challenge myself even further.


It took me years and years to get as out of shape as I am.  I can't expect to reverse it overnight.  I must NOT get discouraged.


I'm doing yoga every now and then, and it's a lot harder than it looks.  I thought running was hard!  I already see benefits from yoga, though, and the instructor in the videos I have always says ways to alter the poses if you're just starting and continually says, "it's okay if you can't quite get there yet."  Also, between the running and the yoga I sleep like a baby.


To end on a positive note, I had an awfully stressful and intense week, but this training has given me something to look forward to at the end of the day and helped me to cope with it much better than I ordinarily would.  I no longer feel like my life is go to work, go home, go to work, go home.  All I needed was something to work towards and look forward to.  Who knew it would ever be a physical activity?


My workout today was:
Week 3.25 ish
1.78 miles in 28 minutes, 2.0% incline
Walk Speed: 3.5 mph
Jog Speed: 4.5 mphTotal Distance: 20.63 miles

Day 10: Opposition in All Things

I think while I'm on the treadmill about things like "what am I going to title my blog entry for this one?" and today inspiration struck several times.  After writing that entry earlier today about how running is a great place to escape from stress and frustration, I was shown the other side of that coin on my run today, and that is what inspired this title.


First of all, I was somewhat stood up by my running buddy.  No biggie.  I was glad he told me so I didn't have to wait on him.


About two minutes into my run, my mom called.  At that point, I just stop the treadmill and talk to her.  Some people are worried when their parents call them late at night; I get worried when my mom, a tax accountant, calls me during the day prior to April 15th.  Turns out my grandmother had chest pains this morning, and they've determined that it was congestive heart failure.  She's 95 and has been ready to die for years now, but that doesn't make the possibility of her impending death any easier to hear. I guess I should be grateful I was at the gym so I could rapidly dispel the extra stress that caused rather than just sitting at home as I was tempted to do.


I restarted the treadmill, and just as I was getting into my stride, an ex-roommate called, which I ignored so as not to disrupt the C25K program on my phone that pauses while you talk even if you're still walking/running.  But it jarred me a little for my phone to randomly start ringing just after hanging up with someone else.


Then, probably the worst thing that happened run-wise is that I touched the red emergency thingy on the treadmill, and it came loose, which stopped the treadmill.  Like, not on pause.  Stopped.  Erased.  So...  I noted the mileage when I got to the mid-way mark (which the app announces), subtracted that from my final mileage, and multiplied by two.  Best I could do to salvage mileage.


Amazingly, run-wise it wasn't too bad; of course, that could be related to the minute or two it took me to figure out how to restart the treadmill, which translated to extra recovery time...  It was literally over before I knew it.  That said, I'll probably stay on week 3 at least a few more days because week 4 intimidates me.  The "short" runs become 3 minutes, and the long runs are 5 minutes.  I can't imagine myself running for five straight minutes at this point.  Not that I don't think I'll ever do it, but week 3 is still challenging enough, and I really am going to just slow it down a bit this time.


Oh, and guess what?  I'm almost at 20 miles!  I think at 50 we should have some sort of celebration!


My workout today was:
Week 3, Day 3
1.72 miles in 28 minutes, 2.0% incline
5 minute warmup (3.5 mph)
90 seconds running (4.5 mph)
90 seconds walking (3.5 mph)
3 minutes running
3 minutes walking
(repeat 2x)
5 minutes of walking (cool-down)
Total Distance: 18.75 miles

Day 9: The Perfect Hobby

Running is the perfect hobby because it's healthy, it only takes up 90 minutes out of the whole week, it's time to myself where I don't have to think about anything in particular, and it's completely, totally, and blissfully unrelated to what I do all day.

I didn't get a chance to update Monday because this week is insane.  I did run on Monday, though.  Looking forward to running is actually what got me through my day, in fact.

The run was challenging.  I think ramping up the speed to 5.0 mph was a little bit too intense, but even at that, I made it through the whole thing, except I slowed down the pace near the end because my calves started burning something awful.  No, seriously, I suspected I had given myself shin splints again.  Except not, because after I stretched my legs felt fine again, like I could run another couple of miles.

When I run this afternoon I plan to run at my usual 4.5 mph during the first half of the workout, and possibly move up to 4.6 or  4.7 during the last half.  I feel like speed would be better at the end than at the beginning anyway.

My workout Monday was:
Week 3, Day 2
1.73 miles in 28 minutes, 2.0% incline
5 minute warmup (3.5 mph)
90 seconds running (5.0 mph)
90 seconds walking (3.5 mph)
3 minutes running
3 minutes walking
(repeat 2x)
5 minutes of walking (cool-down) - 3.3 mph
Total Distance: 17.03 miles

Day 8: Knowing My Strength

It would appear that I have once again underestimated myself.  I was iffy about week 3, but told myself that I would try it anyway.  I kept comforting myself and saying, "If this gets too hard, you can always just go back to week 2..."  And then before I even realized it, my phone chimed and said, "Workout complete."

Don't get me wrong.  There were challenging bits.  My new strategy is to just keep going and listening to my music and concentrating on the running, not the time.  Especially since now I don't HAVE to worry about the time.

Maybe next week if I feel frisky I may try to increase my pace a little bit next, maybe just for the last half of my workouts.  I actually think it might be LESS rough on my knees to run a little faster.  I find that when I'm not thinking about it and running comfortably, I'm outrunning the treadmill, so that might be a sign.

Week 3 is a little shorter of a workout than the previous weeks (28 rather than 29 minutes) so I'm not going as far...  But soon I will be going further and longer and faster and better and it will be glorious.  Look for an entry soon about shoes and shoe shopping, because I'm going to do that soon as a reward for making so much progress.

I never thought I'd be able to jog for three straight minutes.  This program is truly showing me just how strong I am.

My workout Friday was:
Week 3, Day 1
1.75 miles in 28 minutes, 2.0% incline
5 minute warmup (3.5 mph)
90 seconds running (4.5 mph)
90 seconds walking (3.5 mph)
3 minutes running
3 minutes walking
(repeat 2x)
5 minutes of walking (cool-down)
Total Distance: 15.30 miles