It was sooooooooo cold tonight! I usually run with a tank top under my t-shirt and either capris or long pants and tonight I had my long pants, tank top, t-shirt and I kept my hoodie on and I was still chilly!
The time change has screwed me up. Now, at 7pm, it's as dark as it was at 8pm! We tried to go at 6:45 tonight, and it was dark already. What we did find was that at 7:15, there were guys at Ocee to play soccer, and they got the lights to come on. We may need to come at 7 so that we can run part of the time with lights.
Stacey brought her dog, Jake, and I felt so much better about running in the dark because we had a dog with us. It was just Stacey and Lesley with me tonight, but we had fun.
I've been feeling like garbage lately and I am coming down with a cold. I didn't want to run, but I desperately needed to run.
We ran around the parking lot tonight. It was too dark to run around the track because the back is very dark with the woods there. It's a bit on the creepy side.
I started off with the intentions of running the straight 25 minutes tonight, but I had a raging headache and just didn't have the ability. So we ran for a while and then walked and ran a bit and then walked quickly and ran a little. It was more walking quickly than anything.
My total distance tonight was 2.05 miles. I am impressed. I walked 0.55 miles and my average pace was 18:08 and then I ran 1.50 miles and my pace was 16:38! Here's my progress so far:
I can't believe I made it to week 8. Six more runs and I will have completed Couch to 5k!! If I run again this week and then at least three times next week and twice the week after, I can complete the program before we head to Michigan for Thanksgiving!! That's my goal!
I am excited for the Turkey Trot. Steve had decided that he's going to do with with me, so the boys will be in the double stroller and we'll take them on the route with us. I think they'll enjoy it. I'm getting more and more excited to do the Turkey Trot and just pray that it's not too cold.
I ran Week 7 Day 2 last night. It was exhausting and I didn't want to go, but I'm glad I did.
It was just me and Lesley, and Ocee Park was totally dark again. Thankfully, there were a few small lights on in the back and it was do-able. We ran together at a pretty slow pace, but we ran non-stop for 25 minutes. It was awesome.
It's funny how I've progressed to this point. While I'm not fast, I am at least out there moving. It's more than I was doing before. At this point, I just want to finish C25K and be able to say that I did it.
I could tell that I was going slowly, but I knew I needed to maintain my strength for the long-haul. I was excited to finish and not have my knees aching, or my shins hurting. I'm good today and feel really comfortable. I didn't get get home and do my usual crash.
Don't get me wrong, I was tired, but I wasn't overwhelmingly tired. If that makes any sense.
Here's my progress so far:
While I'm not happy with the fact that my walking pace was 20:50 and my running was 18:49, I am excited that I walked the shortest distance so far. To think that I've actually put in 35 miles so far, is awesome.
We were going to try to run on Thursday, and start a Monday/Thursday schedule, but Thursday is Halloween. So we're going to try to go tomorrow. I'll finish Week 7 Day 3 and then the progression to week 8 is easy. It's just like this week, but running for an extra three minute. I can totally do that.
I'm seriously impressed with myself. I can run for 25 straight minutes. I could NOT do that seven weeks ago.
We met last night at Ocee to run. It was cold. Like, 54 degrees (not cold to most of my northern friends, but it's pretty chilly for Georgia). I wore pants and had my hoodie with me, but I decided to ditch it before we started running.
Since we ran the Color Run on Saturday, I wanted to give myself several days of rest before starting back on the C25K plan. By the time yesterday rolled around, I was feeling pretty good about running.
I'm on week 7 day 1.
Can you believe that? I've been running for 7 weeks already. It's quite spectacular to look back and see how far I've come in just seven weeks. I was hardly able to run 1.5 minutes before, and now look at me!
Last night, I did the 5 minute warm up and then it was a straight 25 minute run. Yes. I ran for 25 minutes without stopping!!
I'm not going to lie. I am quite impressed with myself. That's a LONG time to run and to not stop once. Granted, I was running slowly, but I didn't stop. When I finished and had to do my five minute cool down, my legs felt like Jell-O.
I've decided that I am going to run twice a week. My days will be Monday and Thursday. Since all the runs from here to the end of C25K are all 25+ minutes straight, I want to give myself enough time between to have the energy, determination, and motivation to complete them.
Here's my C25K progress so far:
Last night, I walked the shortest distance and ran the furthest so far. I am really pleased with my progress and I can't believe that I'm only 8 runs away from finishing the C25K program.
Lesley and I decided that after we finish the program, we're going to do it again from scratch, and see if we can beat our pace (we should be able to). I plan on keeping up with my running into the winter and spring. Not sure how summer will go... but with the night runs, it's been much easier mentally and physically.
I still don't consider myself a runner. I'm still not losing any weight from the effort, but I feel healthier. I know that I'm exercising and I'm eating better than I have in years. I've got thyroid issues that don't help with weight loss, but I'm doing what I can and I'm moving my body.
I'm still not sure how I feel about 5k races. I would much rather run with a few people at night and do what I like, than to deal with the nonsense and stress of a race. It's not like I'm being timed... but I just felt really defeated both times that I've done a 5k. Maybe it's because I am slow and not comfortable with that? I don't know. I am excited about the Turkey Trot next month (November 28th). I'm more excited to run with Jessica, my dad and Dave, but I think it's going to be awesome. And I get a medal after this one, and I intend on wearing it all day on Thanksgiving.
I'll be back next week to post about week 7 day 2.
I knew I needed to run last night, even though I really didn't want to go. I didn't go on Friday or Saturday, so I knew I absolutely had to get a run in before Steve heads out of town for the week. Thankfully, Lesley was also feeling up for it, and we ran at 7:15.
It's so weird to see it get darker and darker... earlier and earlier. I swear, we got to the park at 7:25 and it was totally dark. Add to it that there are no activities on Sunday night, and the lights weren't on. It was really dark.
We started off and my run was walk 5- run 10- walk 3- run 10- walk 5. I was good until the last run of 10 and then I was just really hot, tired, and felt like my legs were made of cement. I pushed through, but it was hard. Here are my stats:
Total Distance: 1.83 miles
Walk Distance: 0.72
Walk Pace: 17:56
Run Distance: 1.11
Run Pace: 18:02
I was definitely on the slower side... but at least I gave it my all and I finished the run without having to stop. My new total is 29 miles since September 1st. I've completed 17 days out of 27 for C25K.
My dad arrived tonight and he'll be here through Monday. I'm excited to see him and it's now real that I'll be running the Color Run on Saturday. I hope I have stamina and endurance, and more importantly, I hope I have fun. I'm excited to run with a big group of friends and eager to see how the Color Run goes.
I'm probably not going to run again until Saturday, so be ready for a post with pictures on Saturday/Sunday!! Wish me luck!!
There's nothing in the world like the feeling you get after a great run. They're few and far between, so when they actually happen, it's important to really enjoy the feeling.
Tonight was one of those nights. I had contemplated not running, but since I'm hosting MOMS Night In tomorrow (there are like eight or so friends coming over to watch Dirty Dancing, eat delicious food, and enjoy the night together), I wouldn't be able to run tomorrow. So that left me with no other option but to suck it up and run tonight.
It was just me and Stacey tonight, and the park was PACKED. It was a cool night (64 degrees I think) and we started at 7:15. We stayed together for a lot of it, but she did go off a few times because she's faster than me and wanted to get a good work out in and not just slowly trot next to me all night. :-)
I started off slowly, but it wasn't super slow. I ran 1.97 total miles tonight! My walking distance was 0.90 with a pace of 18:33 and my running distance was 1.07 with a pace of 16:47. I set a new record for distance (with the exception of my 5k) tonight.
I felt pretty good all the way through. Almost immediately I felt hot though and it was funny to see how quickly the body warms up. :-) My first run was for five straight minutes and I was comfortable and didn't start to think about walking until I was already 3 minutes in. It's amazing to think that I ran for three straight and had no problem at all. I think I AM adapting!
I finished and my shins hurt a bit. I almost think it's shin-splints which sucks. I used to get them in high school when I cheered. I'm hoping that it's not shin-splints... because there's not a lot that can be done for them. I've been tempted to look into compression socks to wear when I run because they help with shin-splints, but I don't know if they're worth the money. I need to do more research and see if they're worth it or not.
I'm not sure when I'll run again... either Friday or Saturday. Either way, I'm prepared for the next run (10/3/10). I'm now going to head to bed and enjoy the comfort of my bed. Man, I do love a good run! And to everyone that cheered me on (via FB) while I was running-- YOU ARE SO AWESOME!!!!
Last night I wasn't sure if I was going to run or not. I was still sore from Saturday and I read something that said to take two days off and then a slow transition back into training. However, there's no rest for the weary and by 7pm, I was mentally good to go.
I picked Lesley up and we talked about where we are on our training. She was starting Week 5 and I was ending week 5.
I'm not sure what it is about C25K Week five, but it's grueling. It's probably because up until then, each work out is just a bit more difficult and it gradually builds up and then you get to week 5 and it's a total change.
We met up with Stacey and the three of us started our five minute warm-up. When we got to the running part... I started out on the longest run of my life (honestly).
Even when I ran track in middle school and did the 800 (two miles), the longest I ever had to run was like 15 minutes because I was much faster back in the day.
So I started out slow... and I just did it. It was hard, and I wanted to stop at different points, but do you want to know what honestly kept me going? This:
My friend Aimee told me about it. It's the Nike Running app (it's free) and you can have it post to your Facebook to let others know that you're running. And while you're running, they can cheer you on!! As I ran, I had over 10 cheers come through (I think it was like 13) and they came at just the right moment. It was so awesome to run and to know that someone was seeing my FB post and liking it to give me that extra support that I needed!! If you run and don't use this app yet, I HIGHLY recommend it!!!
What's funny about running for 20 minutes is that eventually, your body just goes and you don't have to really think anymore. I found my breathing was aligning with my steps and while it was hard, it wasn't as painful as previous runs.
I made it to the cool down and then had a potty emergency. Must have been my insides sloshing around or something... I'm not sure what's up with running and needing to use the bathroom. I swear I need to wear depends when I run. I ALWAYS feel like I need to pee!!
Anyway-- Here's my time from yesterday:
Walk Distance: 0.60 16:39 min per mile Run Distance: 1.17 miles 17:05 min per mile
Total distance for yesterday: 1.77 miles.
I'm not too excited that my distance was shorter, but I think it's because I was running slower than usual. I felt like I needed to go slower so I could endure the entire 20 minute run. With everything, the more you practice, the better you'll be. I'm hoping the same is true of running.
The awesome news is that I finished Week 5. I am now on Week 6 and my first run is: 5 minute warm-up walk, then run 5, walk 3, run 8, walk 3, run 5 and cool down. It's a 34 minute workout... but I think I can handle it and can do the runs with walking in between.
And then Week 6 Day 2 is another good one-- 5 minute warm up, jog 10 walk 3 and job 10. More my speed for sure.
The great thing about finishing week 5 is that I'm not afraid of the 20 minute run anymore. I not only faced it, but I did it and I now know that I CAN do it. Running is such a mental game... for real. I just have to keep saying:
I've got this.
I am proud to say that I ran week 5 day 1 today. It was a 5 minute warm-up, run for 5 minutes, walk for 3, run for 5, walk for 3, run for 5 and cool down for 5. Not only did I do it, but I set another best pace and distance record.
Tonight I walked for 0.93 miles and had an average walking pace of 17:12 per mile and I ran 0.95 miles with an average running pace of 15:45 per mile.
Could it be that my body is adjusting to running and it's finally getting into a groove? I am so amazed at my progress. Tonight when I was running, when I would feel tired and check to see how much more I had to run, instead of it saying 4:00 like last week, it said 3:00.
I felt good tonight and I set a pace that I thought was do-able. I'm going to be running the 5k on Saturday with Steve and the boys, and it'll be good to see the actual 5k distance and know that I'm doing more than 1/2 way right now. I feel like the program is getting me to go further and further and I'm beginning to feel hopeful.
On Saturday, I'll be running week 5 day 2, which is a five minute warm up followed by running for 8, walking for 5, running for 8 and then the 5 minute cool-down. It's running for 16 minutes and walking for 15... which is almost the same as tonight (run for 15 and walk for 16). I have to just wrap my head around the idea of running for eight straight minutes. It's all mental. I can do it.
I can't wait to blog on Saturday and share my experience of running my first 5k!!
