Week 3 Day 1

Day 1 of Week 3 kicked my butt!
Ok it may have had something to do with the fact that I went to the gym and totally killed my arms BEFORE coming home and jumping on the treadmill to kick out W3D1. Nonetheless, week 3 was hard. I held on to the treadmill quite a bit. I may have to do week 3 again I dunno yet. I wanna stay at 6MPH coz that's a 10 minute mile. But, if I just can't I'll do this week at 5.5MPH and then do it again at 6MPH. Since I already did the C25k once I know I CAN DO IT.
I think I would have done much better if I would have ran before going to the gym. I didn't intend on killing myself at the gym either...lol. I just signed up for a free 7 day trial then set off to work out. I did 4 different upper body exercises. Got a 30 minute work out in and left the gym feeling great. I came home and I could feel my arms...like they'd done something. "This is good." I'm thinking. YEAY. Look at me go!
But, NOW my arms are dieing....lol. They have hardly any strength at all. I feel every movement I make...lol. It's not so bad that I feel injured or anything. Just wow did I give myself a work out today...lol.

W3D1
5 minute warm-up
21 minutes alternating between 3 and 6 mph
5 minute cool-down

Week 2 Day 3...

Friday's run was a mix for me. In some ways it was awesome but in others it's a little depressing. I felt like I got into "the zone" for A-MINUTE-AND-A-HALF. Running felt good, a I felt light and I wasn't focused on "whew...come-on...just 10 more seconds" it was nice to have a break from that and have that minute of the running zen that I used to get. But it was also depressing, the zen was very fleeting and it mad me angry that my body had lost so much stamina. Now running for a-minute-and-a-half straight seems so hard... nearly impossible at times,...and I used to be able to run for 30 minutes straight...not no more. Well I take that back, I prolly COULD if I lowered the speed to a light jog/fast walk. But, who wants to do that?
So that's that for week 2. Now I'm on to week 3 on Monday. I been trying to stick to running on Monday's, Wednesday's, and Fridays...and taking the weekend to rest.

Week 2 Day 2 ...

I made it through another day of C25K. Man, was I sweating today! Yep, got me a good work out in today. But, I'm feeling unsettled... I suppose impatient is a better word. I wanna run better, more like I did last summer...grr. Shame on me for being such a slacker. I really feel like a put the capitol "S" in Slack-ass-ory. But, I suppose it doesn't make much sense to sit here moping about   what I did   quit doing. I'm on the right path and I just gotta keep plugging along.

So, yah....

I been thinking about lotz of things, The River Bank Run, joining the gym. I dunno I think I have the "Blahs" You know the winter blahs. I just want some sunshine and warm temps. I miss spring!! Heck I even miss the muddy nasty mess that spring is here in Michigan...Oh what I wouldn't give to be worried about tracking mud in the house again...lol....it's been soooo long....lol. This weekend they are saying that we are supose to get all the way up into the 40's WOOHOO!! I hope they aren't fibbing, weather forecasters love to do that... juz kidding.


~toodles

The healing power of .... RUNNING??

I was feeling weak, defeated and overrun with negative emotions today. I forced myself on that dreaded treadmill once again to do my C25K training. As I ran my focus changed, I have to force myself not to look at the numbers on the treadmill it makes it harder…I HAVE to look at the time to make sure I’m getting my intervals right…but I don’t need to stare at it the whole time. So I looked out the window a bit, then I noticed a cob web ( I really should knock that down)…I thought about improvements I wanna make to the house… looked outside some more and thought about how it’s starting to look a little like spring. As I got sweatier I opened the window and I could hear birds chirping. Another sign of the approaching spring? Hope so!
By the time I got done running, I was a bundle of positivity and confidence.

With that all said, I have completed Week 2 Day one of the Couch to 5K. It still feels like it’s too hard…but I always manage to make it through…so, I’m pretty sure I’m working out at the perfect level. I don’t want it to be too easy. Still running at 6mph and walking now at about 3.2mph.
With the 5 minute warm-up and cool-down included I went 2.05 miles which took me 31 minutes.

Week2 Day2 is gonna be on Wednesday!

Week 1 Completed

Wednesday night I got new running shoes. I had been needing a pair and with starting the C25K I figured this would be a good time to get some. I tried on a bunch of different kinds of running shoes and finally decided on some New Balance 725's. Not that I'm a big fan of New Balance...but I'm kinda starting to lean that way. Since I'm a neutral runner I can get a variety of shoes. But, I find I enjoy lots of cushion to lessen the shock on my body during impact. So I opted for a super cushy pair of shoes. The nice thing about these New Balance shoes is they seem to be a bit wider too which accommodates my pudgy footsies so much better.
Here are my new shoes.

From Running

These are the stats:
New Balance 725
Abzorb® EX heel provides durable cushioning and shock absorption
C-CAP® midsole provides cushioning and support
Synthetic/Mesh upper provides lightweight comfort and support
N-Durance® rubber compound for maximum outsole durability

Today was W1D3 of the C25K. Yep I finished week one and I'm on to week number 2. I'm still working on running at 6MPH and walking at 3MPH. Today's workout was the first in my new shoes. They worked out nice. Felt so much more supportive than my old pair. I also found something cool on the net. C25K T-shirts Pretty cool...I might consider getting one when I complete the C25K.

On To Week #2

Determined...

I didn't wanna run today. I REALLY didn't wanna run today. I argued with myself in my head the whole time I was setting the treadmill up to run. My body was pleading with my brain like a little child...please, no, anything but running. I got on the treadmill hoping, praying for a distraction something urgent that I'd need to take care of. No distraction came. My brain kept pushing forward. "Not optional, we must do this." my mind was set.

Running was so-so today. I was moody on the treadmill so naturally everything irritated me. My hip made a popping noise at one point and hurt for a bit. I ran through it...it's not bad now. My head phone cord caught on the treadmill and ripped out of the IPod so I walked while trying to put that back in. I ran outa water early in the run and didn't wanna stop to get more so I was thirsty. Boo Hoo…poor Kathy!! See what I mean. I had a million reasons to stop, to not run today, to give up. But, I'm happy to say that despite the fact that I have a wimpy body, my determination is strong and W1D2 is now behind me!!

Friday is Day 3 of the C25k and the end of Week 1!!


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5 minute warm-up for 0.25 miles at about 3mph which is about a 21:44 min/mile

20 minutes C25k intervals between 6mph and 3mph for 1.4 miles averages to be a 14:00 min/mile

7 minutes cool-down for .37 miles at about 3.3 which is about a 20:05 min/mile



For a grand total of 32 minutes and 2.02 miles

W1D1 all over again..

I’m happy to report that I’ve completed W1D1 of the C25K today. I gotta say it was far from easy...lol; I've lost a lot since last July. That's kinda depressing. I decided to use 6 mph as my jog speed and 3 mph as my walk. At 6 mph it was hard for me to last the entire minute but, is was okay cuz the 90 sec break was JUST barely long enough for me to recover. So I'm thinking as I go forward into week 2 or week 3 I may have to slow that jog speed down some we'll wait and see. For now I was able to keep my breathing under control and it was hard but, as Jillian would say, “Unless you faint, puke, or die, KEEP GOING!” and I didn't faint, puke or die AND I didn’t have to hold on to the treadmill so, I guess I didn't over work myself.
I felt really good afterward like I accomplished something and the hardest part of exercising is the actually "DOING IT" ...lol.
So, my next challenge is to stick with it for the next 9 weeks. Nine weeks is a long time but, I know that it gets easier to handle the longer I do it and the more it becomes a habit...just something I do. For me once I work it into my weekly routine, then I'll do okay.

Next C25K workout will be on Wednesday!


Why am I Starting C25K Over Again?
As many of you know, I started the C25K program for the first time and on the 4th of July weekend I participated in the Run thru Purgatory - 5K. After that I had planned to do the Run thru Hell, but, that didn't happen. I had a leg surgery which stopped me from running. I was supposed to quit for 6 weeks... but, 6 weeks quickly became 6 months and now here I am, I've gained a good amount of weight and I haven't been on a treadmill since before my race. I'm actually a bit afraid of getting on that treadmill, coz then I will know the full measure of what I have lost. I'm afraid of how depressing it will be knowing where I was and where I am now. I'm sad to see how I let myself go and surprised to see how quickly my progress was lost. Despite all that though, I plan to start the C25K on Monday January 26th, 2009. I'm gonna start back at the very beginning again with week 1 day 1. At least this time around I know what to expect.