Achilles Ankles

I tried to start again on C25K last week.  I have a lot to say about this but not a lot of time to say it, so I'll save it for another entry.  I trained for my first 5K mostly OTP (off the program), running when I felt like it and walking when I needed a rest.  I ran my 5K that same way.  After I ran the 5K I started back on the C25K program.  With that reasoning, and the idea that anything is better than blatant inactivity, I am going to

Problem:  My ankles KILL me when I try to run on the program.  I guess it's all the hills here, and the unnatural pace that the program forces.  My method now is to run on all the flat parts, half the down-hills,  and the last little bit of the uphills.  I'm going to keep doing this until it feels comfortable and easy, and then I will gradually increase.  When I can run for several minutes without ankle pain, I'm going to start on the structured program again and train for a 5K.

In the meantime, genius athletes out there, what do you think I should do about my poor ankles to help them along?

Legacy Pains

I'm back on the ball - I worked out three times last week in total because although I added a day of weight training, I left off a day of running.  My bad.  I guess I'm just not ready for that yet.  Maybe I'll just wait until the running stuff becomes easy.

Speaking of running coming easy, it definitely didn't tonight.  I had the same ankle problems today that I did during the Lavender 5K over the summer.  I feel fine now (as I did that day) but it was really annoying when I was going through it.  The pain really climaxed during the end of the first five-minute burst of running, and it was then that I turned off the C25K app and just ran/walked at my own pace.  I still did almost 2 miles, but it wasn't as much as if I had stayed on the plan. 

I am going to try dynamic stretching on Wednesday and see if that solves some of my problems, and probably stay on Week 4 for another week and a half.  This is where I start hitting walls, much as I would like to NOT hit them right now.  

It kind of put me in a bad mood, which was even worse because today is Valentine's Day and everyone just assumed I was bitter.  Really, no.  But running is the thing that normally makes me feel good, and today I felt defeated by it.  I'm recovering, though, and it's nothing a viewing of some sappy romantic movie before bed can't remedy.  :)

Always Easier the Second Week

'Tis true.  I don't know what it is about it, but the second week is always oh so much easier than the first week.  I just don't think my legs like changing speeds very often, so the 2 minutes walking to 90 seconds running intervals allow me to get into a better cadence.  Also, 90 seconds of running at a time isn't very much, so it's still very easy aerobically-speaking.

Whatever it is, week 2 was the easiest week for me last time, and it still seems to be true this time around.

I owe part of that to my bud Madison, who gave me stretching pointers.  Ya know, not on her blog, but still, it was helpful.  Basically, I abandoned the whole "stretch before running" attitude, and now jog lightly for five minutes prior to stretching, then proceed to my usual workout.  Much less tightness now.

Today on the treadmill, I watched Arizona vs. UCLA.  I cheered for Arizona because BYU beat them, but maybe I should have cheered for UCLA because they beat BYU and they apparently needed it more.  I guess I need to get better at picking out the losers so I can have a more exciting time.

Also, my "run like the wind" anthem that really motivated me today was I Don't Feel Like Dancin' by Scissor Sisters, which I discovered via Emily, the same one who took the pretty pictures in my Lavender 5K entry and helped me get through the end of the race by showing up at just the right moment to cheer me on.

Okay, well I've plugged enough music and blogs for one entry, so here are the stats:

C25K W2D1
Distance: 1.77 miles
Time: 29:00
Feeling: Accomplished, yet adequately sore.

Hechos Son Amores

I spent Wednesday through Friday in Monterey, California and failed to pack proper running gear.  I was actually quite unprepared for how gorgeous it was going to be, and I felt jealous of the people I saw running along the shore.  But as they would say in Argentina (and many other places) "Hechos son amores no buenas razones."  Good intentions only count when they lead to action.

Except the action was that on this day that I could have easily skipped the gym, I pushed myself and went anyway.   Not only that, but I'm actually very glad I did.  I had a hard time during the first part, but I made it through without compromising on the schedule, although I did lower the speed slightly for the last half of the run.  I figure I'll start out at this running pace and I can always work my way up to my goal pace once I can run a 5K on the slow pace without walking breaks.

I don't struggle with running anymore; I struggle with the walking parts.  Does anyone else experience this?  I just feel this incredible tightness in my calves that is oh so much worse when I'm walking than when I'm running.  This might mean I'm not warming up properly before stretching, so I'll have to figure out some way to change up my routine and see if I can reduce this discomfort.

I discovered today that basketball games are really the best thing for me to watch while I'm running.  It's sometimes hard to find a team that I care about, so I just cheer for whatever team is losing because that makes it more exciting.  I glue my eyes to the TV and can completely ignore the fact that I'm essentially running on a rapidly-moving inclined conveyer belt.  I love basketball. <3

C25K W1D4
Distance: 1.83 mi
Time: 31:00