Couch to 5K - Week 4 (and no Week 5 yet)

I completed Week 4 last Friday and I have to say it has been my favorite thus far.  It had a good flow to it and I never felt like I was jogging for as long as I was.  

Each workout consisted of a 5 minute warm up, two intervals of a 3 minute jog, 90 second walk, 5 minute jog and 2.5 minutes walking with a 5 minute cool down.  The five minutes went by really fast - so fast that during workout 3 I accidentally hit pause and ran for almost 8 minutes!  I was a bit winded after but I did it so I know that when I actually start Week 5, I'll be ready.  

I say when I actually start Week 5 because I've been fighting off a cold all week and haven't worked out.   And, I'm leaving Saturday to go on vacation to New Orleans!!!!  Woo!  So I've decided to repeat Week 4 when I return since I'll have lost a little endurance and want to be ready for the 5 and 8 minute jogging intervals.  

I have to admit I've missed working out.  Melinda in February 2009 would have never said that.  Thank goodness for lifestyle changes.  

Week 3 Complete!

Let me just start off with saying this: I love San Diego!!  While the rest of the country has had freezing rain, several inches of snow or just plain ol' wintry weather, I completed two of my three workouts outside this week.  Today in particular is ggooorrrrrgggeeeeoooouuuusssss.   Clear skies, low 70's, light breeze.  Perfect weather for an outdoor workout!  Ok, I'll stop bragging about San Diego's perfect weather....

Week Three consisted of the usual 5 minute warm up and cool down and two intervals comprised of 90 seconds jogging, 90 seconds walking, 3 minutes jogging and 3 minutes walking.  During the first two workouts I kept checking the clock during the 3 minute run wondering how much further I had to go.   (I've only gone for 1 minute?!!) But by the third workout the 3 minute jog was a piece of cake.  I didn't even break a sweat! Could have just been the perfect weather. :-)

Here's a graph of my workout. I kept my running pace pretty steady but I know I need to walk a little faster in between intervals.

And just in case you wanted to see the weather for San Diego.

Couch to 5K Workout 2

Two weeks down, only 7 more to go! Oh, and I'm supposed to jog for 20 minutes straight by the end of week 5??  Eek!! That's only three weeks away and I'm scared!!   

Week Two was a little more challenging than Week One.  This week consisted of a brisk 5 minute warm up, alternating 90 seconds of running and 2 minutes of walking for twenty minutes with a 5 minute cool down.   I completed all of the running intervals without resting, but I'll be honest, by about the 5th interval I was wondering when I would reach the cool down period (and still asking myself how I'll ever run for 20 minutes straight).  I ran two of the workouts this week on the track and one on the treadmill.  So far my preference is on the track. Surprisingly enough, I can still keep a good pace and end up in the same spot for each interval.  And the fresh air is nice.

So far is this ish ain't easy, especially if you've never been the athletic type. But I'm going to keep at it because I'm determined to run a 5K this year!

Couch to 5K Workout 1, Week 1

It's the New Year and that means it's time to get back on track with my running program! Over the two week break I worked out a few times and continued my running program but I decided to start an actual program instead of something I made up in my head. I've heard a lot about Couch to 5K and decided it best suited my  needs.  I realize I'm no couch potato but I haven't been able to improve my distance so I'm starting over.  My goal is to run a 5K by April and that gives me time to train and ensure I'm ready by then.
 
I downloaded the C25K iPhone app and hopped on the treadmill.  5 minute brisk walk as a warm up and then 60 seconds of running with 90 seconds of walking intervals for 20 minutes.  I kept my speeds about the same as what I've been doing the past few weeks - 4.0 walking, 5.5 running and it felt like a pretty good workout. This is the same workout for all three days this week and each week the running intervals increase and the walking decrease.  By week 9 I'll be running 3.1 miles in 30 minutes. We'll see!

Inevitable Holiday Weight Gain

After months of maintaining my weight and um, bragging about it - I've gained weight. :-/  I weighed in last Thursday (yes, on Thanksgiving) and did a little dance because I was still right on target.  But yesterday when I weighed in I gained a little more than 2 pounds.  Diet Fail!  But I have two really good excuses!!  Excuse #1: There was a lot more eating and drinking over the past few days and a lot less activity.  Excuse #2: This new running regime is leaving me hungrier so I'm eating larger portions.

But, even with two really good excuses, I have to get back on track because 2 pounds could lead to 5 pounds and then all of a sudden I'm back on Weight Watchers complaining about not being able to drink beer.

So in order to lose the two pounds I've started logging my food on the fitbit website and will pay closer attention to portion control...especially how much cereal I consume. (It's so tasty!)

I'm not going to beat myself up over gaining a few pounds.  Lesson learned and those two pounds will be gone before I know it! Below are my daily food totals and calories burned v calories eaten.  Not too shabby!

Run, Melinda, Run!

Woooo! I'm a runner!!  Just kidding.  I have a lot more work to do, but I'm making progress.

If I had updated my blog for the last few weeks it would have been full of complaints.  This is too hard. My lungs hurt.  I have shin splints.  I'm sweaty. This sucks!   But, I was a little busy and failed to update everyone on my progress (um, complaints) and now I can successfully report that I can run 1/4 mile straight!

That may not seem like great progress to some, but for me it's awesome!  My first week I could barely push past 30 seconds and maxed out running one minute with longer recovery times.  My second week wasn't much better, I think I maxed out at two minutes. And, I went home for my sister's wedding so I had a good excuse for not training much. (Congrats to Laura and Matt!)

Week three I got back into my training routine and went to the track with a friend, which changed how I'm interval training.  I didn't have a stopwatch so she and I ran half of the track and walked the other half.  We completed 2.4 miles in 35 minutes. I kept my training to 1/8 mi intervals the rest of the week decided to go for three miles on Friday.  After two intervals I pushed myself to keep going for a full 1/4 mile. And, I did it!  Yay!  Of course, I was so red in the face after completing a 3 mile walk/run I think other gym patrons were worried about me.  But, I didn't die!  And, I ran all the way around the track today at lunch!! 

This isn't easy and I still have a hatred for those who can easily run but it's not quite as strong as it was three weeks ago.

I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving! I know I'll be running on Friday to burn off all of the food and drinks I plan on enjoying.  :-)

I am (not) a Runner...Yet.

I want to be a runner.  Not a marathoner.  Just a runner.  I want to be able to jog along happily without needing to pause to catch my breath.  This doesn’t seem like it should be too hard, right?   I look around at others at the gym, jogging along on the treadmill at a steady pace and it looks easy.  Looks are deceiving.

I get on the treadmill and after a warm up I crank up my speed up between 5.0 and 5.5 and I start jogging.  30 seconds.  Stop. Pant. Walk. Walk. Walk.  30 second jog.  Pant. Pant. Walk. Glance over enviously at my neighbor running with ease.  Walk. 30 second jog. Repeat for 30 minutes.   I’m out of breath.  I feel like my legs can keep going but my lungs can’t keep up. 

But, I keep going.  By the end of week one, I worked up to 45 second intervals.  I’m now into week two and I’ve managed to run for two minutes straight but then had to knock it back down to 1 minute intervals. 

This is a lot harder than I thought it would be and in spite of how awkward I feel running I’m determined to do this.  If I can reach my goal weight, I can be a runner too.  And after watching My 120 Pound Journey, I’m also inspired.  This guy started out slow too.  And, look what he’s accomplished.  He found happiness along with losing120 pounds and running the Boston Marathon with his father and brother. 

If you want to do it, all you have to do is do it.