I'm feeling much better and a lot more like a human instead of a sack of crud :P but i've missed a second day of training :(
I understand the need to rest, recuperate and rehydrate, but I feel bad for not getting out there....the worst part for me is that even while I was home indoors all this time, you'd think I'd get some chores accomplished about the house.. helllllllls no... didn't do squat... watched TV, surfed the web and read a bit.. that's it that's all.
I hope this stupid cold won't set me back in the training... and I hope I don't get this crud again... I thought exercising made you immune system more tough??? What the hell? :)
Oh well, nothing to do, but lay on my sofa and hope it can let go when I need to get up and out there again...
Stupid cooties!
I'll try and stop whining now.. :D
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
Sick spud
Not only am I sick and feeling like crud with this head cold/fever chills/sore throat/sneezy/sniffly thing, but I also feel like crap because I missed my Sunday run with Alex.
I'm also missing work today, but I don't feel as bad about that... there will always be work waiting for me!
I'm also missing work today, but I don't feel as bad about that... there will always be work waiting for me!
Friday, September 25, 2009
Spandex Sausage....
Alex and I ran around on one of the ball diamonds at the RA after work this evening. We've done that a few times before, it's awesome. We're outside, the weather is awesome, the terrain is nice and flat (except near home plate) and the area is pretty far from the road unlike the bike path. You're probably thinking "Hey! Why aren't you crazy ladies running on said bike path... well let me just elaborate point form:
- The bike path near the RA is right along Riverside road (VERY LOUD) so we can't hear the running program queues on my iphone
- It's a "bike" path, not a running path, so we have to share with many other people and I was not growing fond of diving into the grass every time I heard a bike bell behind us. It messes up my rhythm (LOL)
- The path is situated along the north side of Riverside, so we have to cross the whole front lawn of the RA centre (4 ball diamonds) as well as four busy lanes of traffic just to get to the path.
- The path has a lot of hills... don't sneer at me! It's a struggle to run for 90 seconds on flat terrain... cut me some slack people LOL
So, before we went and messed up the pristine ball diamond we took pictures of ourselves to put into the blog... Alex looks all cute and sporty and I look like sausage that didn't get shoved into it's casing properly LOL Oh well.. it's like I told Alex... it will make the before and after pics much more dramatic hahaha *ahem* We're all about the drama here at spud TV :P
Anywho, I guess I should actually write about the run. So we ran all of the 90 second segments today without finishing early AND I think my breathing was much better. No Dave, I didn't listen to you and try and slow my breathing... I just needed to breathe less. Slow my breathing???? Jeez people, I'm trying to haul 80 extra pounds around I'm going to be breathing like a porn star out there... I might even moan and groan a bit too!
In my book, that's progress. You're going to get sick of reading about me being "amazed" and "ecstatic" about my progress... well if you're going to get sick of that... you're on the wrong blog because I was freaking thrilled about the breathing thing tonight! If I could do cartwheels, I would have mustered up the energy to flip at least one of those mofos out to celebrate :P I also whipped out the measuring tape and took some measurements for posterity. The scale isn't moving right now, so I figured maybe some shrinkage was going on around the ol spud's middle. I looked for the measurements I'd taken in February or even in May and I think I tossed them... WHINE! I seem to be doing everything backwards LOL
Chest = 50 inches Waist = 46 Hips = 54
I am not built like an hourglass, I seem to be built like about an hour and a half :P If the scale never moves it won't be a big deal if the inches change... i should probably measure my calves and thighs.... *sigh* I'm sure I have a tape measure around here somewhere..... more measurements to follow... tape is eluding me.
I was talking to my co-worker Dave today about the lack of movement in the scale and he was shocked to hear that I'm trying to stick to 1500 calories per day to lose weight.... I told him that men are around 1800-2000 and he didn't realize there was that much of a difference... hell ya! I'm thinking the lack of movement on the scale is because I'm not doing enough regular cardio... Running is great cardio, but it's quite a short work out really... and it tires me out a lot more than just walking on the treadmill for an hour or even two hours.... I'm thinking that on my off nights I should go to the gym and start doing weights again as well as a few km's on the treadmill. Just walking should still be considered "rest" and It'll help boost my metabolism. Yay revved up metabolisms!
Alex looking all cute and SportySpice-like
Me looking like a badly stuffed spandex sausage :P
ps 239 days to D day
- The bike path near the RA is right along Riverside road (VERY LOUD) so we can't hear the running program queues on my iphone
- It's a "bike" path, not a running path, so we have to share with many other people and I was not growing fond of diving into the grass every time I heard a bike bell behind us. It messes up my rhythm (LOL)
- The path is situated along the north side of Riverside, so we have to cross the whole front lawn of the RA centre (4 ball diamonds) as well as four busy lanes of traffic just to get to the path.
- The path has a lot of hills... don't sneer at me! It's a struggle to run for 90 seconds on flat terrain... cut me some slack people LOL
So, before we went and messed up the pristine ball diamond we took pictures of ourselves to put into the blog... Alex looks all cute and sporty and I look like sausage that didn't get shoved into it's casing properly LOL Oh well.. it's like I told Alex... it will make the before and after pics much more dramatic hahaha *ahem* We're all about the drama here at spud TV :P
Anywho, I guess I should actually write about the run. So we ran all of the 90 second segments today without finishing early AND I think my breathing was much better. No Dave, I didn't listen to you and try and slow my breathing... I just needed to breathe less. Slow my breathing???? Jeez people, I'm trying to haul 80 extra pounds around I'm going to be breathing like a porn star out there... I might even moan and groan a bit too!
In my book, that's progress. You're going to get sick of reading about me being "amazed" and "ecstatic" about my progress... well if you're going to get sick of that... you're on the wrong blog because I was freaking thrilled about the breathing thing tonight! If I could do cartwheels, I would have mustered up the energy to flip at least one of those mofos out to celebrate :P I also whipped out the measuring tape and took some measurements for posterity. The scale isn't moving right now, so I figured maybe some shrinkage was going on around the ol spud's middle. I looked for the measurements I'd taken in February or even in May and I think I tossed them... WHINE! I seem to be doing everything backwards LOL
Chest = 50 inches Waist = 46 Hips = 54
I am not built like an hourglass, I seem to be built like about an hour and a half :P If the scale never moves it won't be a big deal if the inches change... i should probably measure my calves and thighs.... *sigh* I'm sure I have a tape measure around here somewhere..... more measurements to follow... tape is eluding me.
I was talking to my co-worker Dave today about the lack of movement in the scale and he was shocked to hear that I'm trying to stick to 1500 calories per day to lose weight.... I told him that men are around 1800-2000 and he didn't realize there was that much of a difference... hell ya! I'm thinking the lack of movement on the scale is because I'm not doing enough regular cardio... Running is great cardio, but it's quite a short work out really... and it tires me out a lot more than just walking on the treadmill for an hour or even two hours.... I'm thinking that on my off nights I should go to the gym and start doing weights again as well as a few km's on the treadmill. Just walking should still be considered "rest" and It'll help boost my metabolism. Yay revved up metabolisms!
ps 239 days to D day
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Just adding a picture for posterity....
Someone mentioned that I should post a picture of what I looked like before I started running... you know... just on the off chance that I might look different after the 5k... I figured I'd just look sweaty and tired... but below you will see a picture of Lindsay and I at the Cinnabon in Rideau Centre on race day in May 2009. Lindsay is a big fan of Cinnabon, so she figured a bit of sugar would help her with the 10k... and who was I to argue especially when she ran the 10k in just over an hour... so I got in line for my bun too LOL
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Still loving this running thang....
When does the honeymoon end? It always ends when I start a new diet, new gym membership, new exercise regime etc etc. there always seems to be a period of "enthusiasm", "excitement", "dedication" and "consistency". but then something happens... life interferes... work goes late... tired... sick... bored... sore just to name a few excuses.
It's been 4 months since we started running and I can't remember if that's long enough to get past the honeymoon stage. Am I safe yet? Will my enthusiasm continue? Will my body be able to keep up with the things I'm making it do? I guess only time can tell.
Alex once told me that she is much better at doing things, when she knows there is a specific goal. When she told me that, I felt like a light began to glow above my head... it felt right and true for me as well. I began to think about my former exercise and diet plans... yes, there was a goal, but deep in my heart of hearts I don't think my heart and my brain could believe that I could ever attain that goal, be it the weight or the dress size. When you've been overweight all your life it's hard to believe that something like that can be different....
So when we began talking about running the 5k, I thought about all the times that I'd walked 2 or 3 k on the treadmill in my many many gym visits and realized that 5k isn't that much further, it is doable! As I've said many times before... I may not be able to run the whole 5k this spring, but I am committed to finishing it!
I was scared to death of running.. thought my knees would break off.... I would walk and walk and walk on the treadmills or outside. I would feel good, but weight loss or any type of progress seemed hard to attain.. It always seemed like I had to work out 6 or 7 days a week for at least an hour and I had to sweat like crazy for anything to happen... 1 hour on a stairclimber or 1 hour of aerobics when they were popular... for someone that is overweight.. an hour is a loooong time... and 6 or 7 times a week is really really exhausting!
I am so happy that I got off my couch and tried running. I may not be really successful at it, I may not become a world class athlete, or even finish the 5k, but all I know is that I enjoy it a lot and that surprises the hell out of me! On the nights that we need to delay to the next night due to our schedules... I want to go out and run anyway...... and that is weird LOL Normally a "night off" from the gym or whatever work out was something to enjoy, celebrate and savor because I wasn't torturing myself with the evil exercise.
This evening we ran... I finished each running segment without stopping early! Yay for me :) Next week we're going to try going a bit faster and move to the 3rd week of the program. EEEEEK! But Alex did say that if my lungs collapse and my heart needs a defibrilator then we can drop back down a bit... maybe not all the way back to week 2, but run week 3 even if the run segments are not all completed. So we'll see how it goes...... I'm keeping my toes crossed... well unless I'm running :P
Ooh, she's a little runaway.... (Bon Jovi)
ps 242 days to D day
It's been 4 months since we started running and I can't remember if that's long enough to get past the honeymoon stage. Am I safe yet? Will my enthusiasm continue? Will my body be able to keep up with the things I'm making it do? I guess only time can tell.
Alex once told me that she is much better at doing things, when she knows there is a specific goal. When she told me that, I felt like a light began to glow above my head... it felt right and true for me as well. I began to think about my former exercise and diet plans... yes, there was a goal, but deep in my heart of hearts I don't think my heart and my brain could believe that I could ever attain that goal, be it the weight or the dress size. When you've been overweight all your life it's hard to believe that something like that can be different....
So when we began talking about running the 5k, I thought about all the times that I'd walked 2 or 3 k on the treadmill in my many many gym visits and realized that 5k isn't that much further, it is doable! As I've said many times before... I may not be able to run the whole 5k this spring, but I am committed to finishing it!
I was scared to death of running.. thought my knees would break off.... I would walk and walk and walk on the treadmills or outside. I would feel good, but weight loss or any type of progress seemed hard to attain.. It always seemed like I had to work out 6 or 7 days a week for at least an hour and I had to sweat like crazy for anything to happen... 1 hour on a stairclimber or 1 hour of aerobics when they were popular... for someone that is overweight.. an hour is a loooong time... and 6 or 7 times a week is really really exhausting!
I am so happy that I got off my couch and tried running. I may not be really successful at it, I may not become a world class athlete, or even finish the 5k, but all I know is that I enjoy it a lot and that surprises the hell out of me! On the nights that we need to delay to the next night due to our schedules... I want to go out and run anyway...... and that is weird LOL Normally a "night off" from the gym or whatever work out was something to enjoy, celebrate and savor because I wasn't torturing myself with the evil exercise.
This evening we ran... I finished each running segment without stopping early! Yay for me :) Next week we're going to try going a bit faster and move to the 3rd week of the program. EEEEEK! But Alex did say that if my lungs collapse and my heart needs a defibrilator then we can drop back down a bit... maybe not all the way back to week 2, but run week 3 even if the run segments are not all completed. So we'll see how it goes...... I'm keeping my toes crossed... well unless I'm running :P
Ooh, she's a little runaway.... (Bon Jovi)
ps 242 days to D day
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Running from a late night...
We stayed up a bit late last night... had a *few* drinks. This morning was rough LOL Alex and I dragged our butts out there and we did really well considering we weren't feeling in top form. I'm really glad we went out, but I was dreading it before we went :P I struggled a bit and finished early on one of the run sections, but it's really encouraging that I ran most of it even with Alex because she makes me run faster. I was thinking I was be really easy on myself on Friday, but maybe I wasn't as easy on me as I thought.... the feeling of progress is like flying... elated! However, at the end of the day my analysis is this: Don't drink anymore booze and drink more water.. i'm not hydrating enough even on the best of days. Would it look stupid if I walked around at work with a water bottle belt like the runners wear? :P
For you beginners out there, or people who are thinking of running, I've found this guy online and he has a few interesting videos on his site: www.startrunning.com
Some of his stuff is really interesting and some of it is a bit odd, like the fact that he likes to run bare feet or with these little molded shoes that look like rubber feet... they look odd, but I bet they are comfy for someone that isn't 80 pounds over their goal weight hehehe But weird rubber feet aside, I like his attitude, he says stuff like "don't worry about what to wear, just start running!" Get out there and do it... and do it we shall :)
Alex has suggested that the reward for getting halfway should be that we buy ourselves some running jackets with the cool selection of colours and the reflective tape. I think it's an awesome idea for a reward, something great to run towards. http://www.shop.runningroom.com/product_info.php?cPath=81_83_26&language_id=1&products_id=3060
Now we just need to decide which point is halfway LOL
Soon we're going to move on to week 3 of the run program and I hope I can keep chugging along like the engine that could...
The doo run run, the doo run run (Shawn Cassidy)
ps 244 days to D day
For you beginners out there, or people who are thinking of running, I've found this guy online and he has a few interesting videos on his site: www.startrunning.com
Some of his stuff is really interesting and some of it is a bit odd, like the fact that he likes to run bare feet or with these little molded shoes that look like rubber feet... they look odd, but I bet they are comfy for someone that isn't 80 pounds over their goal weight hehehe But weird rubber feet aside, I like his attitude, he says stuff like "don't worry about what to wear, just start running!" Get out there and do it... and do it we shall :)
Alex has suggested that the reward for getting halfway should be that we buy ourselves some running jackets with the cool selection of colours and the reflective tape. I think it's an awesome idea for a reward, something great to run towards. http://www.shop.runningroom.com/product_info.php?cPath=81_83_26&language_id=1&products_id=3060
Now we just need to decide which point is halfway LOL
Soon we're going to move on to week 3 of the run program and I hope I can keep chugging along like the engine that could...
The doo run run, the doo run run (Shawn Cassidy)
ps 244 days to D day
Friday, September 18, 2009
I'm just a lonely spud.. running without you :P
As you've probably guessed from my title, I didn't run with Alex this evening. She had the day off and I still had some shopping to do for the softball BBQ tomorrow night... kinda worked out because I was stuck in traffic for about an hour because of a bad accident on Innes. There was tons of glass and car bits all over the place by the time I drove by, but cars and injured had been carted away.. Scary!
I found the wind a bit chilly this evening... leaving me to wonder how we're going to be able to handle really cold temps this winter, but I'm sure we'll get tougher and tougher as we get used to it :P
I ran the route that I ran on my own a few weeks ago when it was the week 1 program and I'm happy to report that I could visibly tell that I'd gone further in distance... I didn't measure it, but it was slightly further.
I'm also quite happy that I run with Alex because without her I think I would be much easier on myself LOL Tonight while running the program I was breathing hard and sweating for sure, but I made it to the end of each 90 seconds no problem and to me that means that when I run with Alex, I run faster because she can run faster. So brownie points to Alex for challenging me and my burning thighs, collapsing lungs and jigging heart hehehehe
Run to the hills.. run for your lives (Iron Maiden)
ps 246 days to D day
I found the wind a bit chilly this evening... leaving me to wonder how we're going to be able to handle really cold temps this winter, but I'm sure we'll get tougher and tougher as we get used to it :P
I ran the route that I ran on my own a few weeks ago when it was the week 1 program and I'm happy to report that I could visibly tell that I'd gone further in distance... I didn't measure it, but it was slightly further.
I'm also quite happy that I run with Alex because without her I think I would be much easier on myself LOL Tonight while running the program I was breathing hard and sweating for sure, but I made it to the end of each 90 seconds no problem and to me that means that when I run with Alex, I run faster because she can run faster. So brownie points to Alex for challenging me and my burning thighs, collapsing lungs and jigging heart hehehehe
Run to the hills.. run for your lives (Iron Maiden)
ps 246 days to D day
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
The new sneakers are zoom zoom :)
So I broke out the new sneakers tonight for our first run of the week. It was weird, but yesterday I was all antsy and shit because I wanted to go run, but Alex had an appointment.. So... cracked out the sneaks and the new special double socks that prevent blisters... probably doesn't matter right now with the piddly 2k that we usually put out, but hey, i'll have them for my 15 and 20k runs *wink*
Not sure if I went into details about the program itself already, so here goes. The first few weeks of the program look like this:
Week 1
5 min warm up, 1 min run, 1.5 min walk (repeat for 20 mins) then 5 min cool down
We did week one for about hmmmmm let's say mid June until the 7th of September (labour day)
Week 2
5 min warm up, 1.5 min run, 2 min walk (repeat for 20 mins) then 5 min cool down
We've just started the second week of the Week 2 and should be doing it until end of September....
Last week was our first week of the 1.5 min run.... and let me tell you it makes that 1 min run feel so damn easy!! LOL When we were doing the 1 minute run.. there would be like 10 seconds left and I would be thinking my thighs are on fire... my lungs are going to collapse and my heart is going to jump out of my chest and do a jig on the sidewalk, but most of the time I managed to either finish or get to at least 3 or 4 seconds to the end. This week is 90 seconds... sounds really easy right? Piece of cake! mmmmm cake *ahem* yeah, not as easy as it sounds if you're 80 pounds overweight and could eat everything cooked in butter if people would just let me! Julia Child did it! Why can't I? Anyway, I digress.
As I was saying, last week with the 90 seconds listed on my iphone app, my apprehension growing and my lungs cringing in terror we set off to see if my faboulous ass could really *progress* at something in which I was visibly not making any headway. Miracle of miracles I ran... and when I started feeling the burning/collapsing/jigging body parts I looked at my iphone and low and behold.. out of the 90 seconds we had 20 seconds left... in shock i realized that I'd not only gone past a minute, but an extra 10 seconds before my body started waving the white flag *sponsored by Cheetos (tm)* I was so elated and pleased!
Which brings us to tonight... first run of the week, and second week of the 90 second regime. Again, i'm blown away... the white flag went up.. and there was 10 or 5 seconds left! If I could do cartwheels I would have been doing those mofos right around the soccer field! That is such a big improvement... I hope I can continue to see such progress and I also hope that my legs will actually be able to move tomorrow LOL
When I'd first lost a big chunch of weight (about 100 pounds and i've gained about 30 back) I would go out power walking around the Centrepoint area as it looped around in a big circle of about 2k.. but I didn't run.. it was winter and well I was still a chicken shit.. but I was amazed at how my body didn't hurt the next day as it used too when I was at my top weight of 325. These days with a bit of the weight gain still on me and slowly coming off (10 pounds gone since starting running) I do feel a bit sore the next day, but let's face it.. We're not running any marathons yet.
Overall, i'm a very happy couch potato... and on that note.. time for a small snack bag of popcorn and my beloved couch on which is laying my other beloved :)
Go on take the money and run...... (Steve Miller band)
ps. 248 days left until D day...
Not sure if I went into details about the program itself already, so here goes. The first few weeks of the program look like this:
Week 1
5 min warm up, 1 min run, 1.5 min walk (repeat for 20 mins) then 5 min cool down
We did week one for about hmmmmm let's say mid June until the 7th of September (labour day)
Week 2
5 min warm up, 1.5 min run, 2 min walk (repeat for 20 mins) then 5 min cool down
We've just started the second week of the Week 2 and should be doing it until end of September....
Last week was our first week of the 1.5 min run.... and let me tell you it makes that 1 min run feel so damn easy!! LOL When we were doing the 1 minute run.. there would be like 10 seconds left and I would be thinking my thighs are on fire... my lungs are going to collapse and my heart is going to jump out of my chest and do a jig on the sidewalk, but most of the time I managed to either finish or get to at least 3 or 4 seconds to the end. This week is 90 seconds... sounds really easy right? Piece of cake! mmmmm cake *ahem* yeah, not as easy as it sounds if you're 80 pounds overweight and could eat everything cooked in butter if people would just let me! Julia Child did it! Why can't I? Anyway, I digress.
As I was saying, last week with the 90 seconds listed on my iphone app, my apprehension growing and my lungs cringing in terror we set off to see if my faboulous ass could really *progress* at something in which I was visibly not making any headway. Miracle of miracles I ran... and when I started feeling the burning/collapsing/jigging body parts I looked at my iphone and low and behold.. out of the 90 seconds we had 20 seconds left... in shock i realized that I'd not only gone past a minute, but an extra 10 seconds before my body started waving the white flag *sponsored by Cheetos (tm)* I was so elated and pleased!
Which brings us to tonight... first run of the week, and second week of the 90 second regime. Again, i'm blown away... the white flag went up.. and there was 10 or 5 seconds left! If I could do cartwheels I would have been doing those mofos right around the soccer field! That is such a big improvement... I hope I can continue to see such progress and I also hope that my legs will actually be able to move tomorrow LOL
When I'd first lost a big chunch of weight (about 100 pounds and i've gained about 30 back) I would go out power walking around the Centrepoint area as it looped around in a big circle of about 2k.. but I didn't run.. it was winter and well I was still a chicken shit.. but I was amazed at how my body didn't hurt the next day as it used too when I was at my top weight of 325. These days with a bit of the weight gain still on me and slowly coming off (10 pounds gone since starting running) I do feel a bit sore the next day, but let's face it.. We're not running any marathons yet.
Overall, i'm a very happy couch potato... and on that note.. time for a small snack bag of popcorn and my beloved couch on which is laying my other beloved :)
Go on take the money and run...... (Steve Miller band)
ps. 248 days left until D day...
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Introducing....... yet another couch potato transformation... we hope :P
I've been thinking for awhile that I should put myself out there... put my thoughts out into that big black void of the internet so that you guys can keep me accountable. "What?" you say " I just want to read some blogs, I don't want to actually *do* something for someone" LOL
Well don't light up the torches and sharpen the pitch forks just yet... Can you really sharpen a pitch fork? Anyway, it's more of a mental trick for me.... get off the couch a few times a week and go out running with my friend Alex and then on Saturday May 29, 2010 we're going to run the 5k during the Ottawa Race Weekend.
We've been running since about mid June I believe, but I was side tracked a few weeks by some vacation time out east and the occasional day of "I don't feel well, so let's not run". I downloaded an app for my Iphone called Couch to 5k. It closely resembles the Running Room program for beginners. With the blessing of a co-worker who used to work for the Running Room, we've been using that program, but at a really slow pace. It's a nine week program that goes from 0 to 5k. We've repeated the 1st week a lot just to make sure that I was getting a really easy start since I'm about 80 pounds over the weight I'd like to be. Last week we progressed to week 2 and I'm thrilled that I have not keeled over of a heart attack and Alex has not stopped running with me out of boredom LOL
Last night I met up with the Running Room co-worker and she helped me buy a good pair of running shoes. We settled on a pair of Brooks Adrenaline with some snazy teal accents. The shoes are in the motion control category (see the Running Room website for more details http://www.runningroom.com/hm/) and i'm impressed how light they feel considering all the cushionning and support they offer.
We usually run on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday depending on weather and shedules.... So far we've run in the heat and a bit of rain, but since we live in Canada... we know the cold will soon be upon us. We are also thinking of signing up for some swimming classes as a good replacement for our 3 sessions a week and on the alternate days I can run on the treadmill at the gym so that when the really nasty cold weather kicks in we aren't obligated to run outside and the swimming will help with muscle building and relaxing all at the same time.
It's hard for me to convey how jazzed I am about this goal i've set for myself.. You have to realize that being overweight all my life I have been afraid of running. Always thought it was so evil and that I would break into a million pieces if I tried it. I've worked out in gyms most of my adult life, followed many diets, lost many pounds and gained many pounds back. All exercise programs and diets seemed to have fallen to the side over the years, but I think this will be different. It feels very different, it's a goal that seems more tangible than just "get in shape" or "lose some weight". That 5k finish line is like a glowing beacon in the distance... and I want to reach it!
Run away with me..... (The Professors)
Well don't light up the torches and sharpen the pitch forks just yet... Can you really sharpen a pitch fork? Anyway, it's more of a mental trick for me.... get off the couch a few times a week and go out running with my friend Alex and then on Saturday May 29, 2010 we're going to run the 5k during the Ottawa Race Weekend.
We've been running since about mid June I believe, but I was side tracked a few weeks by some vacation time out east and the occasional day of "I don't feel well, so let's not run". I downloaded an app for my Iphone called Couch to 5k. It closely resembles the Running Room program for beginners. With the blessing of a co-worker who used to work for the Running Room, we've been using that program, but at a really slow pace. It's a nine week program that goes from 0 to 5k. We've repeated the 1st week a lot just to make sure that I was getting a really easy start since I'm about 80 pounds over the weight I'd like to be. Last week we progressed to week 2 and I'm thrilled that I have not keeled over of a heart attack and Alex has not stopped running with me out of boredom LOL
Last night I met up with the Running Room co-worker and she helped me buy a good pair of running shoes. We settled on a pair of Brooks Adrenaline with some snazy teal accents. The shoes are in the motion control category (see the Running Room website for more details http://www.runningroom.com/hm/) and i'm impressed how light they feel considering all the cushionning and support they offer.
We usually run on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday depending on weather and shedules.... So far we've run in the heat and a bit of rain, but since we live in Canada... we know the cold will soon be upon us. We are also thinking of signing up for some swimming classes as a good replacement for our 3 sessions a week and on the alternate days I can run on the treadmill at the gym so that when the really nasty cold weather kicks in we aren't obligated to run outside and the swimming will help with muscle building and relaxing all at the same time.
It's hard for me to convey how jazzed I am about this goal i've set for myself.. You have to realize that being overweight all my life I have been afraid of running. Always thought it was so evil and that I would break into a million pieces if I tried it. I've worked out in gyms most of my adult life, followed many diets, lost many pounds and gained many pounds back. All exercise programs and diets seemed to have fallen to the side over the years, but I think this will be different. It feels very different, it's a goal that seems more tangible than just "get in shape" or "lose some weight". That 5k finish line is like a glowing beacon in the distance... and I want to reach it!
Run away with me..... (The Professors)
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