W2D4: Proud

I went to Body Pump class tonight and skipped Core Conditioning.  After leaving the gym, I rushed home (as much as I could rush with all the stoplights and traffic) so I could go for my W2D4 run.  It was getting dark, and the thought of running when twilight was fading struck me as somewhat foolish, but I reasoned that my neighborhood is still fairly safe.  Street lights are evenly spaced on all streets, and I avoided the places where street lights left gaps of darkness.  The sidewalks all pass in front of people's homes--families--who mean me no harm.  Many of the neighbors who were getting in their cars to go somewhere or returning from work or wherever took time to nod or say hi as I passed.

The run itself was not difficult until the end, especially when I ventured to run uphill.  I didn't avoid this, as I have been doing, because I can feel a slight improvement in my endurance after the strenuous effort.  My goal is to run continuously, and if I go ahead and include hills and inclines in my training early on, they won't be so daunting and intimidating later.  They will be the norm.  Raleigh has slight hills wherever you go--some larger than others--you know being in the Foot Hills and all.  Maybe one day I will graduate to running around one of the many lakes or trails in the area.

I shouldn't sing my own praises for fear of inflating my head and ego, but I am very proud of myself.  I have actually stuck to this training when my habit is usually to quit.  What surprises me most is the desire to do it.  Who would have thought that *I* would choose to run?  I can actually see myself going for a run several times a week during the summer.  Will I brave the winter running, though?  Hmm...  I have 3 more seasons before I have to make that decision.  OH.  The bigger question is probably 'Will I brave the summer running?'  Yep.  Definitely the bigger question.

W2D3: Focus

In lieu of cardio kickboxing tonight, I went for the Week 2 Day 3 run, did Windsor Pilates and 10 push-ups.  My personal trainer sent me a text message to say that he and his wife were stuck in Boston due to inclement weather, so I got the wish that I made earlier today.  I didn't want to go to a personal training session today.

The run itself was challenging.  I don't think I've quite adjusted to the longer running time yet.  My body is panting by the end of the 90 seconds, but the cool-down (2-minute walking) is the perfect recovery time.  I hope I still think that in Week 3.

I used to go to an hour-long Pilates class twice a week when I was a member at Gold's Gym and Sam still lived in Raleigh.  I noticed a significant improvement in my posture and how well my clothes fit at the time and have thought recently that I need to do Pilates again.  My Windsor Pilates video is only 20 minutes, but I could definitely feel the work by the time I was done.  My core has gotten so weak over the last year that I couldn't even hold the positions like I used to.  Ah well.  It'll come back...eventually.

I just need to remember to keep my goal in mind to stay focused.  Summer time.  :)

W2D2: Struggle

So today wasn't so easy.  Each run interval felt like forever, and I reached the end of my tolerance to run about 3 seconds before I was supposed to stop.  I'd stop, then start again b/c I didn't want to quit, and then, I heard the cue to stop.  It was a rather frustrating session today.

I think I struggled more today than previous days because I haven't been eating well the last week or so.  Food consumption plays such a large role in how efficiently your body functions that I wished I had just stuck to eating healthily rather than succumbing to the temptation of tasty (fatty) foods.  I'll try to remember that feeling in the future.

Tomorrow is back to oatmeal for breakfast, Lean Cuisine and fruit for lunch, and a healthy dinner.  I've got a session w/Bobby tomorrow, and I'm a little worried that it's going to be painful.  Maybe I'll try to fit a run session in after work but before my personal training session.

The C25K program says that I, a new participant, shouldn't run every day, but I question this.  My trainer says I should do cardio everyday, and I've tried running back-to-back days without any problems.  The second day was actually smoother than expected.  Hmm...  Maybe that's just a precaution to give people who go from sitting on the couch all day to working out.  Since I've been working out a little more regularly the last few months, I don't see any harm in it.

OK.  So enough rambling for me.  It's time to clear and dress the bed with clean sheets and shower.  I'm still all icky from my run today.  Yuck.

W2D1: Worried

I was supposed to do today's run (Week 2 Day 1) on Tuesday if following the every-other-day plan, but work and other activities got in the way.  I put off W2D1 until today, and as I was preparing my playlist for the activity, worry over skipping days (since not having attempted to run since Sunday) kept running through my thoughts.

Once again, I was surprised by my body.  The run/jog interval this time was 90 seconds, walking for 2 minutes.  I didn't even notice the extra jog time.  Well, that is until I tried jogging uphill.  The slight incline of the street I happened to be on had me panting for air during the last 5-10 seconds of that interval.  The 2-minute walk was a relief.

Every once in a while, I catch my body trying to limp because my right leg is so much weaker than my left.  The good news is that I am able to consciously control the limping (well, to an extent).  I remember when I scoffed at my physical therapist when he told me not to limp, and I thought he was crazy.  I had always believed that people limped because they couldn't help it, and for the most part, that's true.  But that no longer applies to me with this rehabilitation.  Anyway, I digress.

After that interval of running uphill, the rest of the of exercise was a breeze.  I didn't get overly exhausted, and when it was time to stop, I was a wee-bit sad.

If you had asked me 3 weeks ago if I could ever learn to like running, I would have given you a firm and unwavering "Heck no!"  Now, however, I'm in awe at how much I've taken to the new exercise and hope that I can actually build up to doing this regularly without hurting myself.  It's fairly inexpensive--other than having to buy decent running shoes, which aren't cheap, and since I already own an iPod (several, actually) and the computer to make my own playlists/podcasts--or whatever you want to call them--all the better.

Now, if I can only clamp down on the most difficult aspect of this healthy living thing.  I love food.  There's just no getting around it.  I've done well to cut back on the amount of salt and fat I consume, but apparently, it's not enough to lose weight.  I struggle with balancing all the nutrients my body needs to remain active (running, cardio kickboxing, weight/muscle training) because I hate running out of energy during a workout.  I'd rather eat a bit more to prevent that, which doesn't sound bad except when the "bit more" becomes "too much more."

Looks like Week 2 might not be so bad.  The day-after-tomorrow puts me running on Saturday.  Woohoo!  The only problem is how do I choose what to do--Body Pump or Kickboxing?  Running can probably be combined with either, depending on how much I push.  I'm thinking Body Pump since I skipped it on Wednesday night.

Stay active!

W1D4: Impromptu

Last Sunday (3/21), the inclination to go for a run struck me, and instead of ignoring it the way I have in the past when I got the urge to exercise, I acted on it.  I donned my running clothes, socks, shoes, hat, and iPod shuffle and walked out the door.

It was kind of cool and the wind was blowing so I was a little self-conscious about how my body was behaving like a weather gauge.  But shortly after the 5-minute warm-up, the cool breeze was welcome and refreshing.

I repeated the Week 1 curriculum for a 4th day and was pleased at how my body seems to be adjusting to the regimen.  The walk/run interval was over just when I felt like I was getting into the groove.

W1D3: Beautiful Day

I had to put off doing Day 3 for 3 days after I was supposed to.  It originally fell on the same night that I attend Body Pump class, and then I couldn't pass up a friend's 30th birthday dinner the next night, AND THEN I basically passed out on the couch after work the next night...which put me to Saturday...which is today.  I went to Kickboxing after not waking early enough to make it to Body Pump and then for my Day 3 run after lunch.  It was wonderful being outside in the beautiful weather, and I actually enjoyed the heat radiating down on me.

While I was running, I remembered that this year I need to cover my scars so they don't get any darker, but it's going to be expensive putting Band-aids over them every time I go outside.  But I guess I can get the generic brand and it won't be so bad.

So the actual running...
I had trouble with the first 10 minutes of the intervals.  By the time I finished the 60 seconds of running, I was panting and did not want to continue.  But I trudged through, listening to my book, and was thankful every time the walk cue sounded.  Towards the 15- or 20-minute mark (or so I estimated), I was surprised to realize that I didn't mind the running.  The muscle down the back side of my left calf (that goes into the ankle/heel) tightened up pretty bad, and I had to stop the iPod track to stretch the Achilles tendon (well, that's what I think it's called).  When the 20 minutes of running ended, I felt kinda sad 'cause I still had energy to do a little more.  That's progress, right?

Given that response, I am considering doing a Week 1 Day 4 tomorrow, but we'll see how I feel.  I usually take Sundays off, but feel horrible at the end of the day, wishing I had actually done some kind of exercise.  My trainer told me that I should do more cardio, so this is it.  Guess I'll decide tomorrow morning.  (I'll be running in the morning if I decide to do it at all.)

Time to look up the "curriculum" for Week 2.  Woohoo!

W1D2: not so bad

I'm proud to report that I did not skip out on Week 1 Day 2 of my Couch-2-5K endeavor.  After work, I met with my personal trainer for 30 minutes and did several reps on the hamstring curl and standing calf weight machines.  Oh, and I did 90% of the Ab-Ripper work-out (P90X) with Daniel.  I ran out of steam by that point, so I opted not to go to kickboxing.  It's now 8:46, and I'm already showered and in PJs.

I told Bobby, my trainer, that I am training to run the Race for the Cure on June 12.  He took the opportunity to support my effort and had me run around the building.  He said that 5 laps around the building was approximately a mile, and I jogged 3/4 of it in 1 minute and 12 seconds.  He estimated that I'd probably run the mile in about 11 minutes.  When I did the C25K alternating walk/run intervals for 20 minutes, I covered 1.3 miles of ground.  (Afterwards, I got in my car and drove the path that I had run to get a rough estimate.)  The slight incline on some sections of the run really do make the 60 seconds of jogging feel like 3-4 minutes!

I got more tired more quickly during the first two jogging intervals today compared to Saturday, but that's probably because I had already worked out at the gym before going for the run.  My knee hurt a little when I was jogging around the gym, but when I was trekking around the neighborhood, it didn't hurt at all.  I find that my feet tingle more now, but I assume that's to be expected since they're not used to this exercise.

By the time I hit the 15-minute mark, I felt a small burst of energy.  It was almost like my muscles--in fact, it was my whole body--relaxed and settled into the paces I was putting it.  Nothing hurt and I felt proud of myself for sticking to it, even if only at Day 2.  If you know me, you know that that is a huge accomplishment.  Strangely enough, I'm looking forward to Day 3, which is on target for Wednesday.  I might have to shift to Thursday because Body Pump is Wednesday night, and I don't know if my legs can handle squats, lunges, and jogging.

I have 6 weeks to get in shape to run at least a mile without stopping before I go to TX.

W1D1: Starting Off

I did not want to keep glancing down at my watch or a timer to run 60 seconds, walk 90 seconds, so I decided to make a playlist, choosing music that was timed just right.  Turns out that my iTunes library doesn't provide many options for the 60- to 90-second songs, so I would have run out of music after 8 or so minutes.

I figured someone else would already have beat me to this idea, so I googled it like everyone does in 2010. I didn't find any music that suited me, but I started reading about how to create your own track.  As it turns out, I already have all the tools I need.  My MacBook Pro came with an application called Garage Band, which is exactly what I need to assemble my own playlist.

I spent the morning figuring out how to use the application and ended up putting the current audio book I'm listening to on my iPod with voice-over markers to indicate when I should walk and run at the appropriate times.  I saved a template so I can just change out the current chapter I'm on, and voila!!  My very own Couch-to-5K track.

I put on my running shoes, shorts, shirt, and cap and donned my iPod Shuffle and headphones, then set out the door.  There are roads that I never drive in my neighborhood so I had different scenery to enjoy.  The first two run intervals weren't difficult, but I could definitely feel it in my feet and shins.  Oh yea, and in my lungs too.  By the time I started thinking about the running (and not listening to my book), the voice-over told me that my 20 minutes were up.  Wow!  That wasn't that bad.

The program says to run every other day, but my trainer says to do cardio daily, so I'm considering doing this daily.  We'll see how my leg feels tomorrow before I really decide.

I made it through my first official attempt at C25K, and I'm quite proud of myself.

Introduction

When I was little, I used to race with my best friend and would almost always win.  My legs were slightly longer, and I liked winning.  Then, of course, I started getting taller (and older) and inevitably hit puberty.  Once I started filling out, running became more painful as body parts moved and bounced when before they did not.  I stopped racing and never really tried to again.  This avoidance continued through middle school, high school, and college.  Needless to say I never officially ran the mile.  I jogged and trotted a bit, but ultimately, I walked the mile in anywhere from 12-15 minutes depending on the time of year and weather outside.

Well, I'm now 30 years old and can say that I've never run a mile in my life.  I started studying Tae Kwon Do because running was not a requirement, but since I stopped practicing due to injury, the Head Instructor has changed the requirement, claiming that those with black belts should have more physical fitness and stamina.  Running is now a pre-requisite to testing for black belt.  Those testing for black belt should be able to run 3 miles in 30 minutes, which boils down to a 10-minute mile.

I still have no desire to run, but I do have a desire for that thin black belt that symbolizes an accomplishment of a personal goal I set for myself.  So, Running is my newest goal.  It also ties in with losing weight and improving my endurance.  A friend told me about this program called Couch to 5K, and I'm going to give it a try.  It's supposed to help you gradually build up from nothing to being able to run a 5K.  The Race for the Cure is in June, but sooner than that, I'm going to visit my friend in TX.  She's really into running, and we've never run together, so I'm hoping that I can build up enough by then to go running with her.

The purpose of this blog is to record my new running adventure.  From Day 1 to my first short-term goal, feel free to run to keep up.