Intimidation Factor

Did I just register for training to jogrun (maybe even run by November) a half marathon?

I just did that. Who I can blame? Oh I know who I can blame. Or do I give them credit? Maybe it will be credit after the "race," but when I'm up and running at a hour that's too early for a Saturday in Mid-May, it will be blame.

I do have 30 days to change my mind. But NO REFUNDS after 30 days. Is getting a refund on something like this sort of like getting a refund on life?

I registered with the USA Fit group here in San Antonio.

In the meantime (before May 19th) I need to see about getting new running shoes. And thanks to a handy dandy Google Search that doesn't seem intimidating at all.

Only 140 millions results returned in less than a second.

Not intimidating at all.

Getting back in the groove!

Over the holidays I did a lot of stuff.

• Hung out with family
• Hung out with friends
• Went to the dog park with Wookie!
• Caught up on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, New York and Orange County (Thanks Dad!)
• Went to the Hill Country(Boerne and Fredericksurg)
• Saw a movie
• Went to the Riverwalk and saw the lights.
• Ate. A lot. 
• I ate a lot of good food at good restaurants and at home.

What I didn't do:

• Keep up with my running from my couch to 5K training. (Or much exercise period, unless you count Wii bowling, tennis and golf.)

So this week I  did the following:

• Got back into the gym with a friend on Wednesday
• This morning my office announced another Biggest Loser (Girls vs. Girls and Boys vs. Boys so I might stand a chance with no Europe trip (Sad Panda) in the middle of it.) 
• This afternoon I hit the pavement with Wookie! and did 2.73 miles in 50 minutes

This was not bad for the first time on the streets since early December 2011.  My jogrun was decent, but something was off in my shoes and I ended up walking probably half the time. (And I was getting some awful side stitches.) Apparently, when bonding with Wookie! at the dog park I used some old crummy sneakers and put my good insoles (that help me combat the awesomeness that is plantar fasciitis) in them. 

I never moved the inserts back into my workout/running shoes. (Face.palm.)

I realized this after my workout at the gym on Wednesday when my shoes felt loose.  I remembered laying the inserts next to my sneakers to put them in before the next gym trip and apparently I didn't realize I didn't have them in until I was a 1/3 mile from my house. Far enough to not turn around.

So at about 2 miles in my feet said no more and it took the other 0.73 to get home.  Wookie! was also throwing in the towel and has been recovering ever since we walked in the door.  

Yay for a tired puppy letting us sleep in tomorrow morning!

Final day of Couch to 5k

It's been nine weeks. Nine weeks of three times a week forcing myself out the door and into the gym or onto my neighborhood streets with the iPhone strapped on and the awkwardly fitting earphones in my tiny ears (seriously they are freakishly tiny).

I am grateful for the fact that Podrunner had the program. I'm glad I like techno music so I was able to enjoy the program with its  preset BPMs helping me to keep going, even if I didn't match them all of the time.

I'm glad I'm not alone in the journey and there are others pinning some wonderful stuff on Pinterest to help me put things in perspective (because sometimes we don't always clearly hear those closest to us).

I am glad the gym is only 5 minutes from our house, which made some of those early morning workouts possible and those after dark workouts safe (even if I think I hate running on the treadmill, cause maybe I don't because when you are done, you are done and don't have to keep walking home).

I'm glad for my awesome support team. A friend from JLSA who told me she was doing it and inspired me in the first place. My awesome friend, work cubie mate and Dance Central Partner who's been there since way before this started and will be here into the next phase of things to come.

My hubby. He went with me to the gym. He went with me on the jogruns in the neighborhood. He might have been moving backwards while I was moving forwards because I am so much slower and shorter than him and his stride is so ridiculously long because he is a 1/2 foot taller than me. He was there when I got home and he'll be ready to go on more jogruns in the future.

To total up week 9:

Jogrun #1: 3.11 miles in 47 minutes and 22 seconds

Jogrun #2: 3 miles on the treadmill in 42 minutes and 46 seconds

Jogrun #3: 3.11 miles in 48 minutes and some miscellaneous number of seconds.

Total for week 9: 9.22 miles
Total for all 9 weeks: 59.73 miles.  I'd almost be in Austin. Hot damn.

Found on Pinterest.

There's a graduation mix that is the finale of the program and has you jogrunning 35 minutes. I'll tackle that this weekend. It's gonna be all good.

Maybe the 10-week Gateway to 8k will be next. Who know's how far one will have to go to avoid the zombies.

Day 25 of Couch to 5K

Today I did day 1 of week 9.

Day 1 of week 9 of couch to 5k is day 25 of the program.

Of course many more days have passed since I started. But to know that I've laced on the sneaks with the intent of going on a jogrun for some predetermined interval of time for 25 days blows my mind a little.

I woke up this morning, volunteered for JLSA. Came home. Ate a-not-so-worth-of-my-time lunch. Procrastinated by waiting for Justin to come home from Lowe's with more supplies for the dining room remodel (I need to do a whole post on the gorgeousness taking place in there) offered my help, was told it was all in hand (and it really is) and then feigned shock when I saw that the clock said 1:25 p.m. as I was stuffing my iPhone into my armband to hit the road.

And then I did 3.11 miles in 47 minutes and 22 seconds. So a pace of 15:16 per mile according to mapmyrun.com , or just at about 3.9 mph.

Then I decided to do a little statistical digging and mapped just the part of the route that I jogran. (When you make up words, you also get to make up verb usage.)  The 30 minute bit between the 5 minute warm-up and what turned into a 12-minute cool down.

This is where I got excited. I did 2.15 miles in 30 minutes. That is more than 4mph. Outside. In my miniaturized swiss alp neighborhood. And that felt a-m-a-z-i-n-g.

Pinned on Pinterest from here.

Maybe I could survive a zombie apocalypse.

Week 8 of Couch to 5K

First and foremost a spoiler alert for The Walking Dead. You should click off this entry right now if you didn't see the episode that aired on 11/13/11.

Can you believe Andrea shot Darryl?!  What the heck was that?!?!  Seriously, the expletives that were uttered as we saw the writing on the wall and the shot was fired. Man oh man.

In other news, I finished week 8.  Thank you Podrunner!

This week consisted of three sessions that all have 5 minute warm-ups, 28 minute jogruns and 5 minute cool downs.

Week 8 was happening when I wrote my posts for week 6 and 7.  The day I wrote those posts I had done day 2 of week 8 on the treadmill. If you've been reading about my progress, then you know I dread a long jogrun on the treadmill.  There's something about my wiring that makes the whole thing somewhat panic inducing and the time remaining feel infinite.  But, I got through it, because I've come so far that I wasn't going to let a measly 28-minute treadmill jogrun stand between me and the end of the first leg of this journey.

And now it's time for the breakdown (Am I the only one who thinks of En Vogue's  Never Gonna Get It when they say that.  Here's a reminder: Link to the video.) :

Day 1: Outdoor run, 2.66 miles in 40 minutes and 45 seconds. A pace of 15:20 per mile (or approximately 3.92 mph).

Day 2: Treadmill run, 2.7 miles in 39 minutes and 30 seconds at approximately 4.2 mph ( 14.28 per mile).  It's the one advantage of the machine, you can manage your speed.

Day 3: Outdoor run, 2.66 miles in 43 minutes. A pace of 16:10 per mile (or 3.72 mph).  I blame the cold early morning for this one. But you know what? I still did it.

That evening I pinned the below to one of my Pinterest boards, because I saw it the night that I finished week 8 and damn if it isn't true:

It was originally pinned from this blog that is going straight to my Google reader list.

The post that pin comes from has another saying on it: "I never regret it when I do it, but I always regret it when I don't."  

It's the simple truths that'll smack you across the face.

You like how I managed to work zombies into this post?

Week 7 of Couch to 5K

Oh week 7. How I thought I would surely have to lay down in the front yard of some random house, pause the music and call Justin to come pick me up.  (That could've been awkward for everyone.)

Twenty-five minutes in my neighborhood goes by faster than on the treadmill, but wait, what! That street is way more sloped than I thought it was when I walked Wookie! on it the other day. Tricky street. And that street wasn't alone.  I knew it felt too good jogrunning (yes, it is a verb and a noun) down the street before so, so you when I reverse my route, the pain of the uphill climb is just closer to the end of the jogrun, and let's be real folks- I'm definitely not faster at the end of a run than I am at the beginning.

Three days of 25 minute jogruns. Outside. Oh, but there was some magic that occurred on one of these runs.  Let's take a look at the breakdown that's provided by the lovely mapmyrun.com:

Day 1: I covered 2.36 miles in 37 minutes and 13 seconds at an average pace of 15:47 per mile (or 3.8 miles per hour)

Day 2: I covered 2.39 miles in 36 minutes and 13 seconds at an average pace of 15:09 per mile (or 3.9 miles per hour)

Day 3: I covered 2.39 miles in 35 minutes and 13 seconds at an average page of 14:44 per mile. That is just over 4 miles per hour!!!!!! I finally broke the mark!  Something is going in the right direction!! Woohoo!!!

Here's when the Pinspiration from Pinterest.com comes in:

From: http://wanttobehealthynhappy.tumblr.com/

I've only, only, got one more day left in week 8. Way past half way there. Suck it zombies.

Week 6 of Couch to 5K

I'm fully aware that zombies will eat anything. But that's only if they catch me.  I am totally counting on the kind that won't evolve they way they've done in The Walking Dead. 

Right now I am one jogrun away from the end of week 8 so week 6 seems like an eternity ago.  It was the last week with any "short" jogruns. (In the past I mentioned that I would be calling the "runs" jogruns, because I am sinking-in-quicksand slow.)

Short jogruns in week 6 were 5, 8 and 10 minutes long. At the time, that also felt like an eternity.  I did the final 25-minute long run of that week at the gym. On a treadmill. I wanted to stop running all together. It felt like it was never going to end.

I also can't remember how far I went on the treadmill that day.  I did however track my outdoor runs using mapmyrun.com. I still think my neighborhood is hilly. I am sure I am sorely mistaken, but to me it seems like a miniaturized version of the swiss alps. (Not really, but my husband says that I am prone to exaggeration, so I'll take the liberty to exaggerate here.) 

Day one of week 6 went a little something like this: 2 miles in 33 minutes and 39 seconds at an average pace of 16:47 per mile (or about 3.6 mph).

Day two of week six went more like this: 2.21 miles in 37 minutes and 33 seconds at an average pace of 17:01 per mile (or about 3.5 mph- I think the me from two days before over did it).

I'm pretty sure on the indoor jogrun I must have hit 2 miles. So that's what I'll give myself some credit for in this.

For week 6 I completed approximately 6.21 miles.
In total through week 6, I completed 35.35 miles.

Found some great inspiration on Pinterest.com, but I'm saving that for a week 7 or week 8 post.  So you'll have to come back and read those.

Week 5 of Couch to 5K

I'm still here. Still plodding along and actually in the midst of week 6, but wanted to catch up on week 5.

Before I do that though, thank you to those with the encouraging words!  I am signed up for a 5k- Light the Night for Prevent Blindness at SeaWorld of San Antonio.  (Maybe it will be flatter than my neighborhood? A girl can hope!)

So for week 5, I kept it real and went outdoors to my neighborhood.  However, let's remember that when the zombie apocalypse hits I'm never leaving my house.  (It will be like that house on The Walking Dead with perpetual electricity.) 

With my chosen route it seems like the walking warm-up ends and my jogrun (that's what I'll call it from now on) always starts when the road starts curving uphill.  Seriously, you can do a loop in my neighborhood and go uphill both ways. So if the zombies chase me uphill maybe I'll outlast them.  (Does anyone outlast a zombie?)

Basically I averaged a 16.85 minute mile, or 3.56 mph. I used mapmyrun.com to track all of this
Day 1 looked liked this: 37 minutes, 2.21 miles, the max run was 5 minutes at a time (3x).
Day 2 went a little like this: 35 minutes, 2 miles, the max run was 8(!!) minutes at a time (2x).
Day 3 was the biggun': 32 minutes, 1.96 miles, but I did 20 minutes nonstop!!

Total mileage for the week: 6.17 miles
Grand total for all 5 weeks: 29.14 miles

I'm making it through week 6 right now.  Obviously I don't have any real speed at this point. Right now my mileage and times are pretty close to week 5, but I keep going and going and going.  This week I've been tracing the alphabet with my foot to stretch things out and try to avoid the shin splints that tried to creep into my legs.

Trying to remember the following:

Found on pinterest of course.

Week 4 of Couch to 5k

A little shout out to the awesome website that is making my progress possible (Yes, I know there are other programs out there, but this is free and easy and I like the music. ) Podrunner Intervals.

Yesterday morning I finished week 4 of Couch to 5k. That's 12 days. Still almost halfway there. 

Stats for this week are interesting.  Everyday, I basically did the same thing:

33 minutes (I tagged on extra cool down time because I needed it)

2.15 miles each time

3.9 average mph.

Total couch to 5k mileage for the week: 6.45 miles.

Grand total for all 4 weeks: 22.97 miles.

Why am I doing this?

I am doing this because I want to know that I can run in the event of a zombie apocalypse. 

I am doing this because I want to know that I can do it. I've always hated running.  I did the mile warm-ups when I rowed in college because you do what you have to do to do what you love. I loved rowing. 

I'm doing this because it will hold me more accountable to myself for a workout schedule. And I don't want to wake up at 6 in the morning to do P90X.  6:30 a.m. is a much better time for me, at least in these first few weeks where 30 minutes on a treadmill is totally doable (yes, I know I'll eventually have to go outside) and I know I'll either have to wake-up earlier to fit in the 45 minute sessions, or iron my clothes the night before to save morning prep time. I am perfectly capable of bursting my own bubble.

In short it's all about me. Not a self-centered "I need to look hot in hot shorts" all about me. But a "honest understanding of the fact that my future depends on it" all about me.  (I might still be talking about zombie apocalypses here. If you aren't watching AMC's the Walking Dead, you are missing out.)

And no one likes a quitter. Except the zombies.

Via Pinterest- fitisthenewbeautiful.tumblr.com

End of Week 3 of Couch to 5K

Almost half way there.  Almost.  I completed week 3 of Couch to 5k yesterday morning.  To make it through, I simply slowed it down when running, but I kept going. So moving forward is what it's all about.

On day 8, I did 1.8 miles at an average speed of 3.8 mph on an incline of 1 over 30 minutes.
On day 9, (nine!) I did 1.81 miles at an average speed of 3.8 mph on an incline of 1 over 30 minutes.

So for week 3 I completed a total of 5.36 miles.
Over the past 3 weeks the grand total comes to 16.52.

Manana I start week 4. Five minutes in a row here I come.

Day 7 to 5K

So, this morning we went to Anytime Fitness and I hopped on the treadmill, fully aware of the fact that I was going to have to keep up a faster pace for 3 minutes at least twice during the workout. 

Somewhere along the way I must have missed a cue and I didn't end with the last long run. I'll pay more attention next time- or maybe I'll listen to it before the next run so that I have a better idea of what to expect. 

Anyway there are still stats to report and in about 27 minutes, on an incline of 1 at an avg speed of 3.9 mph I did 1.75 miles. 

On the entertainment front we just watched what we're calling the mid-season premiere and man was that a heavy episode. They talked about taking a hard left in this episode and it seems like the creators took a hard left. 

We'll see how this plays out. If you want to see the episode you can see "Ass Burgers" here, but you should really see the episode before it "You're Getting Old" first.

Now to clean the pantry and do more laundry. Yay Sunday!

Week Two to 5K

This morning I wrapped up the second week of the couch to 5K program.  I was maybe half asleep when I started it and I don't know if that worked for or against me.

But I got it done. 

I didn't blog separately about my fifth workout I did 1.95 miles in about 30 minutes on an incline of 1 with an average mph of 3.9.

In my last workout this morning for the second week of C25K I went 1.94 miles in about 30 minutes, on an incline of 1 with an average mph of 3.9.

So in total this week I did 5.8 miles this week. 

In week one I did 5.36.

Add 'em together and so far though C25K, I've done 11.16. 

Wow. You do the hokey pokey and you shake yourself around.  That's what it's all about. (Yes that's random, but that's me)

This morning I realized that the week two workout was closer to 28 minutes and  30 seconds but with my fumbling around at the beginning of a workout trying to get headphones situated while the treadmill is running I ended up tacking on extra time at the beginning. (Brilliant strategy right? Add extra time and not even realize it. Guess again, I'm a girl who got a burn from coffee maker steam last weekend. I shouldn't try to multitask too much, though I have the whole chewing gum and walking/jogging thing down).  This morning I got things going right when I hopped on and cooled down for an extra minute and a half at the end. 

Tonight we are going to ompah it up with the big brass band during the First Friday Oktoberfest at Beethoven Maennerchor.

Fourth day to 5K

Technically day 4 is day 1 of week 2!  I've graduated to the second week.  Or at least stumbled into it and managed to keep moving.  

I was talking to my significant other, Justin, about something I experienced during the first week. Rather than feeling time was on my side and rushing by, it felt like it was crushing me. The amount of time left in every sixty second interval during which I was running felt like an eternity. 

My solution? 

Image courtesy of here.

A towel over the part of the treadmill that said the time remaining/expired. And I turned off the T.V. too and tried to just get lost in the music.  I think this helped a little bit. Of course my mind still tried to figure out the time left by looking at the mileage.  I even toyed with the idea of cutting a hole in my towel so that the only thing I could see would be the mph. 

I am neurotic. 

On to the stats. In about 30 minutes I did 1.91 miles, at an incline of 1 at an average pace of 3.8 mph. YAY! 

I then hit the leg machines cause I figure it can't hurt. Or if it does then it's just me getting stronger or something. Right?

Also, today I re-downloaded the iphone app My Fitness Pal.  I'd done it once before and for some reason stopped using it, but I think it will help me reach my goals. And boy do those calories go in a hurry. 

Now I just need to add some Rosetta Stone time into my day and I'll be on the right track all around. Hasta Luego!

Third day to 5K

So all I could think while pounding the treadmill at a blazing 4.8 mph (instead of the 5 mph I did the previous two days) was "Man, it isn't any easier to 'run' for 60 seconds."

Which is partly why I slowed it down, cause if I'm ever going to make it farther going faster than a fast walk, then I need to be able to more comfortably make it through these intervals.  

But I still felt kinda down on the whole thing. 

Then I went to my Pinterest board "Words Matter" and re-read this little ditty that I re-pinned:

Source: here

Cue the "duh" moment.

In just over 29 minutes I still managed to do about 1.8 miles at an incline of 1 going an average of 3.7 mph (I think this is magic- cause I don't know how that remains the same).

So I should say "yay me!"

In the words of Santigold: "I got to be unstoppable." (Disclaimer: this was playing on one of my Spotify playlists while I wrapped up the post, hence the inspiration.)

If you aren't familiar with it here's the song (no crazy video this time.) Enjoy!

Second day to 5K

Today I did the second day of Couch to 5k that I talked about on my First day to 5K blog post . This was just as hard, probably cause I went to the gym last night and did a dance class (or would have it been even harder if I completely rested?). 

Again my average speed was about 3.7 (I don't know where I got 3.79 last time) and total milage for just over 29 minutes was 1.80. 

Aptly, this has been floating around Pinterest (just let me know if you want an invite) and I'll just say, I really only feel like the bottom image. No way am I like Lola in Run, Lola, Run, just yet. 

Apparently this was found here, but I couldn't find the exact location. 

 And I'll leave you with this thought because I'm sure it applies to you too. "Every day I'm shufflin'"

First day to 5K

You read that correctly.  Today I did the first run in my now 9-week goal to being able to run a 5K. I download the mps from this Podrunner Intervals website here. So in just over 29  minutes I did 1.75 miles on the treadmill at the gym at an incline of 1.  After my cool down, my average speed was 3.79 mph. 

But let's get it straight, I just want to be able to run without feeling like a fish out of water.  Or even jog. I think this image pretty much sums it up. 

Found on Pinterest and pinned from here. 

Today was rough towards the end, but it felt good to do it.