I'm a Couch to 5k Graduate! :)

So much to say...

..so little motivation.

First things first: Scale today read 198.2! Finally under 200. BIG HOORAY! That's 56 pounds lost, 38.2 to go. And in 7 more pounds I get to be "overweight" instead of "obese". My BMI was over 40 when I started, and is down to 31. And... MYWEIGHTSTARTSWITHA1



Secondly: My run yesterday, not so hot. Gonna post it anyway, because... I dunno, just keepin' it real, homies.

Where I went wrong was... I missed my turn. By a LOT. And when I don't know exactly where I am or where I turn next, I start to get nervous. And when I get nervous, I fail. So it was going pretty poorly already because of the nerves when I met a great hill. About 1/4 mile in length, beginning at the 2.7 mile mark of my run. I just couldn't do it. I tried even walking for a bit and then restarting and no good.

So, I finished this one a bit shy of my goal, but I'm trying not to beat myself up over it. It's only the 2nd time I didn't finish (and I still ran over 2 miles both of those times), and I never missed a run in the whole 9 weeks. I know I don't take quitting lightly, so even though it doesn't seem as bad looking back at it, I know it was if I quit.

(side note, I ended up with a 2 MILE walk home after this fiasco)



Side note I don't think I've mentioned: I have a constant pain in my right side. They tell me it's the tubing rubbing against stuff. It's not debilitating or anything, just omnipresent and I figured I'd mention that just for the sake of a "did you know...?" and not because I need an excuse. It definitely wasn't why I quit yesterday.

This photo isn't exactly accurate, as my port is in the center and not way the hell over there, but you get an idea of where the tubing is that is giving me fits.



Finally: Couch to 5k ends tomorrow when I run the Smile with Me 5k at 9:15am. My goal when I signed up for this race (during week 3 of the program - I was a bit ambitious if not cocky) was simply to finish and to have RUN it. My secondary goal was to do it in less than 40 minutes, but if not, I don't much care. As long as I actually RUN the 5k, I'll have met my goal.

So, I will see you tomorrow with photos! Either of me dead on the ground or crossing the finish, whichever happens first.

I'll leave you with an updated ticker, since MY WEIGHT STARTS WITH A 1.

Week 9, Day 1

I'm really NOT an overacheiver, but it seems I've gotten ahead of myself a bit on this program. I really am just hoping I don't choke and die like an idiot on Saturday when I do my first official 5k. So, I'm making SURE I can go 3+ miles and that I can go up a bunch of hills (the course is VERY hilly). It's bad enough that I shuffle down the road like I'm 104, I'd at least like to shuffle across the finish line when I'm done.

Anyway, at this point of the program, I'm supposed to be running 3 miles. I did that last week, so today I bumped it to 3.5. It really is getting easier. I'm still waiting for that "runner's high" or "omg I love running" feeling to come, but at least we've gotten past "I hate running, wtf amI doing out here, go home and eat a cookie".

The route I chose today was challenging for a couple reasons. First off, it was out and back. I prefer to run a big loop with corners so that the next goal is always at least in sight, or at least I know where it is. To run out 1.8 miles in a straight line was almost more than I could imagine. Also, there is a KILLER steep slope at the END of this course. So steep, in fact, that during the winter when the roads are even the least bit slippery, there's a traffic pile up right there because cars can't get up it. It's not very long, but it's damn near straight up and I'm not even lyin. Also, it was at the 2.9 mile mark. Stupid place for a big hill, but there's a big hill around mile 2.75 of my 5k on Saturday, so I hope this will be just a bit more preparation. (No one in history will have prepared more for a measly 5k than me. lol)

It went pretty well. I struggled a bit with the first mile, which isn't uncommon for me. Once I got to the 1.8 mile turn around point, I knew I nailed it. I knew I could make it back. At least I knew that until I got to the hill. It was hard getting up it. Not hard enough for me to quit or think I couldn't do it, but hard enough that when I got to the top, I was pretty sure I was about to have a heartattack and that I'd never get my breath back enough to run the last half mile. Luckily, that wasn't the case, and I finished.

The song that came on during my last quarter was Joe Cocker. I figured if Joe could survive the 60s, I could survive this run.

Also, I'd like to give a shout out to my superstar Medina motorists, who are always very gracious and patient, and willing to sit at the stop sign a little bit longer while they wave me across the street. I appreciate that.

Here's the run. You may be able to tell where the hill was if you look really close.

Beating the Storm

I had 2 storms to beat today. The literal one seen here:



As well as the figurative one of "omg I suck at running and I failed and why did I think I could do this in the first place".

I'm happy to report that I have slayed them both.



My run today was scheduled to be 2.75 miles. Considering I was supposed to run 2.5 on Sunday and failed horribly, I was not confident - to say the least. In fact, I spent Sunday and Monday feeling like a complete loser and failure. I was a nervous wreck about this run today. I just knew that if it didn't go well, I was going to lose it, big time.

I plotted out my route and off I went. The first half mile went very smoothly and I thought hey maybe I can still run.

By the time I got through the first 1.5 miles and was still feeling great*, I knew I had it. I decided just to take it all the way to a 5k. I needed it for my morale, and it worked.

So, I'm back in the game, and I've beaten both storms (it started to sprinkle just as I finished stretching! I just made it!). I think I better have another smoothie.

*The word "great" when used in a post about running can be assumed to be implied in a very relative manner. I felt great as in "I'm sweaty and hot and can't breathe, but I think I can finish!". Not to be confused with "sitting pool side with an ocean view and a margarita" great.

Cliff Notes 4/27

Strength class = hard and GOOD
Pregnant instructor kicking my ass = bad for self esteem
Large smoothie at Smoothie King = comically oversized and took 2 hours to drink
Greek salad from Panera = yum

Over and out.

The Good, The Bad, and the Suckass

Good: Scale reads 202.0 this morning. OMG almost the 100s. Of course, I tend to hover at the same weight for few days, go up a pound here, back to the same, and then suddenly drop 2. So, it'll probably be a week before that moves but I see the light.

Bad: Failed the 2.5 mile run today. A combination of errors, I think. First off, I decided not to plan my route, but just go out and run. Yeah, that's not so great. I ran and ran and was like woot that was fun, ran far, etc. Looked at watch... .73 miles. Oh. Shit. Then ran some more, got a little lost, little nervous, frustrated that I didn't have a "goal". At least when I plan the route I can look forward to the next landmark. "Ok... almost to the school, that's where I turn the corner". This way just seemed endless, I dunno. Also, I always forget to stretch after soccer because I'm too damn freaked out about getting my shoes and socks off OMG RIGHT NOW because I hate socks anyway, but when it's 80 and I'm running around, especially not. So, that usually leaves me sore on Sundays. I didn't sleep well last night, and I just plain haven't been eating. Yesterday I had 1/3 of a salad from Panera, a Klondike bar, uhh.. I think that's about it. So, yeah, not much stored up there. I really need an unfill, but who wants to drive 4 hours round trip for THAT. Surely not me.

Suckass:

Ya know...

I spend the whole week working on getting the house half clean, always thinking that the next week I can start working on the details.

Then the weekend comes.

How is it possible that my house is this trashed by 8am Saturday?

It's like running on the treadmill around here. (like how I tied that in?)

Week 7, Day 2

2.5 miles, take 2.

I once said that it takes me 1 mile to get in the groove.

This was not the case yesterday. Unless it mysteriously moved to the 3 mile mark, there was no groove. The entire run sucked badly. I'll blame the cold weather / the tad faster pace / the economy / whatever. The important thing is, I did it, I finished it, and I even went .10 extra. (I'd quietly hoped to be able to run 3, and truthfully I probably could have, but I was so damn miserable, and I was back to my house, I just couldn't bring myself to run by it.)

That was yesterday.

Today I went to the strength class, which seemed wimpy and now I have guilt that I haven't done enough today.

Tomorrow, is soccer. And it's supposed to be 85, so that should be a blast. ;)

Updated Photo

I'm not impressed with the upper stomach or the 4 mile wide hips. But, I suppose it's progress.



In case you forgot, here's the before:

FYI

Since we're "catching up". ;)

Strength Class Day 1

Yay, it was perfect! Exactly what I was looking for to fill my non-run days! I wasn't the oldest or fattest, which pleases me also. It was an hour of pure strength training, no cardio at all.

Note: I can do crunches all day long but o.m.g. planks. Fail.

I am fully prepared to have zero use of my arms tomorrow, because we worked them to the point of quivering. I probably could have chosen lighter weights, but oh well. No pain no gain.

Came home and cleaned entire first floor carpets, just in case I wouldn't be in enough pain from class. Haha.

If you don't hear from me tomorrow, you'll know it's because I can't lift my arms high enough to type.

April 21th 2009 - C25K W7D1 (backdating)

(last of the backdated posts, then we can be current yay)

2.5 mile run.

I chart these out on Google and don't think I can do it because I swear it looks like it's around the whole damn town.

I am noticing that it takes almost exactly a mile for me to get in the groove. This also confuses me as I don't ever expect to actually be able to run a whole mile. Nevermind 2.5. The first half mile I am pretty unhappy, but eventually I settle in.

Today I noticed a change in my inner dialog now that I am off the track and running straight through. Where I used to encourage/negotiate with myself "just one more lap!", I now basically say "STFU and get over it, you still have 2 more miles to go, fatty."

Tomorrow I am going to try a new strength class at the Beautiful People Gym. My lone hope is that I'm not the token fatty.

April 19th 2009 - C25K W6D3 (backdating)

(I kept 2 pages in a paper journal before going DUH, BLOG. I'm a bit slow. Anyway, here's what I wrote.)

The idea was to keep a journal all through training. I am a couple months late for that (of course), so I will simply utilize the first day of my running journal to say this to myself:

The first 5 weeks of running SUCK.BAD. Do not ever do them again. Whatever you do, make sure you can run for 30 minutes at a time so that you will not have to repeat this agony.

I've been through runs where I could barely get up the 2 back steps into the house, or walk for the next 2 hours. And that was running half a mile. Yeah, not looking forward to repeating that anytime soon ever.

Having said that, I just completed week 6, day 3 of Couch to 5k. A 2.25 mile run. It was my first run on the streets instead of the track. And it followed the first outdoor soccer game of the year (the day before). It was also my first run on the streets instead of the track. I did not want to go. I was sore, tired, nervous about the hills and hard concrete, and convinced I could even DO it. It amazes me that I can run more than 2 miles without requiring medical attention at the end. Even though I toughed it out for 2 months to get to this point, it still doesn't seem possible.

But, I did it. I could have gone further, and I wish I had just to see how far I could go.

There are still many miles (groan) and many pounds to go - but I think it's safe to say that this journey is officially underway. (It was tempting to spell it underWEIGH. You can thank me later that I didn't.)



(not sure what's with the dip. didn't happen. :P)

OMG HAI

So. Yeah.

I think it's time to resurrect da blog.

Mostly because my running books all say I need to keep a journal, and I'm super too lazy for all this writing.

So, prepare to be bored out of your mind with my running thoughts.

FYI, I'm down a total of 51 lbs so you haven't missed much.