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 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.

C25K - Week 2

Well, I made it through C25K Week 1 and even got an extra run in on Saturday that I wasn't planning.  It was definitely harder to make it through that 4th run though.  I think my body prefers to have a day of rest in between.

I started Week 2 on Monday and so far, it's going good.  My biggest struggle really is getting myself out of bed.  The last run interval was rough, but I managed to get through it even though I wanted to stop.  I just have to keep motivating myself so I don't give up.  I got this.

C25K - Week 1, Day 1 - Do Over

So I'm calling a do-over and starting from scratch.  I started this whole C25K thing with gusto.  I was ready to commit and I did great the first week.  Week 2 didn't go so well.  I had the best of intentions but I was tired and overslept on two of my run days.  I made up for one, but didn't catch the third one.  I had planned to do week two over the following week.

Sunday night, the one before I should have started my Week 3, I ended up taking my mom to the emergency room and was there until 2 a.m.  That didn't bode well for a 6 a.m. run.  Monday night I came down with some kind of horrible chill-inducing stomach bug, so a Tuesday morning run was out of the question.  Wednesday I finally started feeling better, but didn't make it up in time for a run.  Thursday was a sleep day, and Friday I had the kids home with me and there was no way they were going to give me 30 minutes to myself to run.

The whole week was just a mess.  I decided to give myself the weekend and start up again on Monday, going back to Week 1 workouts.

I did get out of bed this morning, as much as I didn't want to, and got my run in.  I bought myself some new running shoes over the weekend and it felt good to slip them on.  This week I am going to get at least my 3 scheduled runs in.  I might even do a couple extra if I can fit it in. 

I CAN do this. 

I WILL do this.

Dusting off the Treadmill

Saturday morning I woke up irritated.  My kids never sleep in long enough for me to get any benefit on the weekends and I was tired.  It didn't help that hubby and I had gotten into a semi-argument the night before just as I was trying to go to sleep.  I wasn't ready to face the day.

I reluctantly crawled out of bed, went to the bathroom for my usual morning routine, but stopped before getting in the shower.  Instead, I grabbed a sports bra, socks, and tennis shoes and headed for the treadmill.

I haven't used the treadmill in a very long time.  If it weren't for the occasional visit from my mother-in-law, I'm not sure the old thing would even function any more.  As it is, the display is hard to read (but does work if you can make out the dim numbers) and the belt has a couple of torn spots along the edges.  I did actually dust it a couple months ago and clear the cobwebs off, but there was a nice fresh layer of dust that needed removing.

Armed with my Zen and my iPhone to use for a timer (screw the dim, hard-to-read display on the treadmill), I climbed on the belt and started it up.  As I took the first few warm-up steps I slid on my headphones and cranked up the music.  I've had Tik Tok stuck in my head for days, so I put on some Ke$ha and started jamming. (No judging my choice of music here, the beat kept me moving.)

I figured 20 minutes was a pretty good goal considering the only exercise I've had for the last several months includes chasing around my two little monsters or making a mad dash through the grocery store.  Before I even bothered to check the time, I was already over halfway through.  A few minutes later and I had met my goal, almost effortlessly.

I'm not at all a runner, so I'll admit to walking at a fast pace for that 20 minutes but it was enough to get my out-of-shape heart pumping and break a sweat.  I only clocked a little over a mile, but it made me feel great.

I got off of the treadmill with my head held a little higher, the stresses of the morning a little lessened, and feeling a little bit invincible.  It's funny how such a small thing can make such a big difference in your day.

That's why I set my alarm clock a little earlier today and got up and did it again.  It was a great way to start the day.  I wasn't thrilled to get up earlier, but again, I felt great when I was finished.  I'm going to make it a goal to get up early at least 3 days a week from now on and visit my old treadmill.  Who knows?  Maybe it will end up being a daily thing.

I've been on this quest to simplify, to relax more, to find more "me" time during the day, and to achieve a healthier lifestyle, but I've only been taking a few very timid steps toward it. This is something I need, both for my physical health and my mental health.  That 20 minutes on the treadmill did a lot for clearing my mind.

Yes, it's another small step.  Yes, I've done it before and before long I've gotten tired of the routine and stopped.  I need to find a way to hold myself accountable.  Perhaps I should join a Twitter group or other online site.  I did check out SparkPeople.com the other day and it looks interesting.  Until I decide on something, putting it out here for everyone to see is a start.