C25K - Week 9

Last Saturday I started Week 9, Day 1 of C25K.  I struggled a lot more than I expected to.  I couldn't believe that those extra two minutes would be that much harder, but they were.  I finished my run, fixed my kids some lunch, took a shower, and went back to bed.  I slept most of the afternoon away.

The next day I fell asleep at my sister's house, then noticed I had a scratchy throat.  By Monday morning, I knew something was really off.  I was sick. It got progressively worse through the week and I missed an entire week of running.

I got up this morning ready to get right back to it - Week 9, Day 2.  I really thought I had it in me, but apparently I was wrong.  I made it almost halfway through my run before I thought I was going to pass out.  I had to stop and walk most of the rest of it.  I did a couple short intervals, but just couldn't do it.  Apparently, I wasn't nearly as recovered as I thought I was.

I only have two weeks left to get ready for Race for the Cure and I'm starting to get a little afraid.  Right now I definitely don't feel ready.  I really hope by Monday I'm can get a full run in.  Two weeks is a very short time and I can't afford to miss any more runs being sick.

C25K - Week 8, Day 1

I drove to three different stores last night, but I finally succeeded in purchasing a new treadmill. It took hubby and I nearly two hours to put the dang thing together, but I was so happy when it was finally done. Getting up to run this morning was actually pretty easy because I was so excited to try it out.

I hopped on, started up my C25K app, and started my warm-up walk. I was a little scared of the 28 minute run that starts up Week 8, but I was feeling motivated. It felt so good to run again. I can't believe how much my body has missed it over the last week. I didn't feel any lag until I was nearly at the 20 minute mark. At about 22 minutes in, I started getting tired and wanted to quit but I kept going. The last two minutes were pretty brutal, but I wasn't going to give up. I even increased my speed a bit in the last minute. It felt SO GOOD!

I'm beginning to think that my body is actually transforming. I love that instead of dreading a run, I actually look forward to running. Running has always been so difficult for me and this is amazing.

A Little Snag

So yesterday morning I got up all ready to run.  I was feeling good and just knew I could rock my last Week 7 run.  And? I was doing fabulous.  I was feeling a little tired just as I hit the 20 minute mark.  I slowed down for just a few seconds to grab a drink of water, and that's when I felt the treadmill belt slipping under my feet.  I sped back up to get back into running speed and the belt was sliding all over the place.  I finally gave up and tried to finish my run by running small circles in my basement but it just wasn't the same.

After I finished, I took a quick look at the belt to find that it was buckled in the middle and bottom layer of the belt is shredding away.  Not so good.

I have two choices - replace the belt for about $90 or buy a new treadmill.  Neither option is really what I want to do right now, but if I'm going to be ready for my 5K, I'm going to have to choose one or the other.  I'm not very comfortable running on the road and there are no sidewalks in my neighborhood.  Plus, I'm on a very limited time limit in the mornings and can't really drive to find a trail to run.

For tomorrow I think I'll just get up and do a Wii Fit or EA Sports Active workout so I don't totally miss it and then try to get out for a run on Saturday when I don't have a time limit.  Hopefully by next week I'll have the treadmill issue worked out.

C25K - Week 7, Day 2

I actually got up on a Monday morning and ran.  I haven't done that for a while.  Mondays have just been rough.  I'm feeling a new sense of commitment this week though, and I'm hoping to get 3 good runs in.  I may even get real adventurous and try to fit in some Wii Fit or EA Active workouts.  I'm seriously ready to do this thing!


Yesterday I started tracking my meals on Weight Watchers again.  I figure if I'm putting in this much time running, I should really be feeding my body better foods as well.  I definitely need to learn to bring some healthy snacks to work with me though.  I don't mind the smaller portion sizes at lunch, but it doesn't hold me over until dinner.  I find myself craving sweets in the afternoon and that just won't work.  I should have known this from previous experience, but for some reason forgot.

Along with starting Weight Watchers again, I'm forcing myself to drink more water.  This should be a given, right?  Unfortunately, I really struggle with the whole water thing.  I just don't like it.  I always drink water when I'm running/exercising, but when I'm sitting at my desk at work I just want my Diet Coke.  As of now, I'm allowing one Diet Coke a day, one Crystal Light or other flavored drink, and other than that it's WATER.  We'll see how long I can keep this up.

It's all just a mind over matter thing, right?  I can do this.  MIND OVER MATTER

C25K - Week 7, Day 1

And back to the treadmill I go.  Running while on vacation didn't happen.  I'm not at all happy about that, but it is what it is and can't be changed.  Let's just say it was a bit difficult to take time out for myself when we were planning schedules for 9 people.  The days that I could have gotten up to run, I ended up sleeping in instead.  I was very tempted to hop on some gorgeous treadmills at the hotel on our last morning of the trip, but opted to take the kids swimming instead.  I'd say it was a good trade.

After we got back, I had a really hard time getting up early to run.  I overslept twice and only ended up getting one run in last week which was pretty grueling after nearly two weeks off.

This week has been a little bit better.  I didn't make it out of bed on Monday morning, but forced myself up on Tuesday and again today (Thurs) so I've gotten two runs in.  I started C25K - Week 7 today - 5 min warm-up, 25 min run, 5 min cool down.  My legs still feel a bit like lead, and I took it very slow, but I managed to complete the entire 25 minute run without stopping.  I was pretty impressed with myself considering I barely made it to 20 minutes on Tuesday.

Besides not staying on schedule with my running, I've also been eating like crap.  I really need to fix that if I'm ever going to lose any weight.  I know healthy eating will help me feel better and probably help with my stamina when running as well.  I just need to get my head in the right place and stop giving in to cravings.

I am starting to doubt my ability to actually complete the 5K in August.  I am officially registered for the Komen Race for the Cure now, and afraid that I won't actually be able to run the whole thing.  I'll finish it out walking if I have to, but I really was hoping to be better prepared by this point.  Taking the time off on vacation really hurt me I think.  I have 45 days left and in that time I need to at least double what I'm running right now.  Can I really do this?

C25K - Week 5

I haven't updated this week and I blame it on the fact that I'm disappointed in myself.  I didn't get up and run Monday morning like I should have.  I was tired, my blister and my shins were still hurting from the walk on Saturday, and I just didn't feel like getting up.

Tuesday I did get up.  I did my Monday run and I felt great.  I completed the Week 5, Day 1 run - 3 5-minute runs.  I was proud of myself, even though it was a struggle to get through the last bit of it.

I try to do every other day during the week, so I should have run again on Thursday.  Wednesday night, however, did not go as planned and I ended up staying up way too late so I didn't get up on Thursday.

Today though, I got up.  I didn't want to.  I even tweeted about how much I didn't want to run.  But I did it.  I freaked out when I looked at my C25K app and saw that I was supposed to run 8 minutes, walk 5, then run another 8.  How could I possibly do that when I struggled through 5 minutes of running the last time?  But you know what?  I did it and it actually seemed a little easier than the 5 minute runs.  I found myself having to really push at about the 2 minute mark and at about 4 1/2 minutes, but once I pushed through those it wasn't so bad.  I actually think I could have gone past the 8 minutes if I had wanted to.

I'm still amazed that I ran 8 minutes in a row (twice!).  A few weeks ago I really didn't think I'd ever get there, but here I am!

I haven't been updating me weight (sidebar) because I haven't really had much change there, but my body is changing.  My husband even commented that my stomach is looking smaller (unsolicited) and that made me feel really good because I had noticed that difference too.  I haven't really been watching what I eat, so that's the next step.  If I could control what I'm putting in my mouth, I think I would see a lot more difference.

Hillcrest 5K Benefit Walk

Last Saturday I completed my first 5K.  It was a walk, not run, but I still think it was beneficial in helping me realize just how far a 5K really is.  I'm still only doing a little under 2 miles on my C25K runs so I still have a ways to go.

My mom and I walked together and kept up a good pace the whole time. Unfortunately, I ended up with a blister on my toe and my shins were a bit sore afterward (I'm only used to the treadmill!). Otherwise, it went really well and now I'm even more pumped up for Race for the Cure! I think I've talked my mom into walking it, but I'm still going to attempt the run.  We're hoping to put a small team together for Race for the Cure and I can't wait!