5k Run #2: 40:56

I don't typically run when I get home because 1) it is usually too hot and 2) I don't want to run after biking 2 miles (~ 14 minutes). However, it rained today and when I got home it was nice and overcast. The clouds looked like they were moving in the opposite direction, so I set out to run. I do not know why, but I could not get my stride today. I struggled through the whole thing. It seemed that the faster I ran, the farther the finish got. It was nice and cool, so it was not the heat. Maybe it was the wind, or that I was running a tad faster, or maybe I was more tired from the bike ride than I thought. I also don't think I am used to my new shoes yet.

Anyway, I ran 3.1 miles again, so now I know I can do this and the first time was not a fluke =P Here are my split times from today compared to Monday.

mile	6/8	6/10
1	14:39	14:08
2	13:51	13:22
3	12:54	12:22
.1	1:00	1:04
Total	42:24	40:56
Avg Pace	12:52	12:38

As you can see, even though it did not feel like it as I was running, I did it faster too: almost 1 1/2 minutes faster. If I can just shave off one more minute, I can run a sub-40 5k! I think I can do that :) Though I need to remember that it will be a lot hotter on Saturday, so I shouldn't be disappointed if I it takes me longer.

When I started walking, I felt a slight twinge on my right knee; it was nothing major but I was conscious of it. I think I was overcompensating for this the whole time so I would not get hurt and my stride suffered (it did not really hurt when I was running but I think I was being overly cautious so it wouldn't). This knee (on top and just below the knee actually) tends to act up from time to time, so I think is overuse. As much as I want to, I don't think I'm going to run again until Saturday because I do not want to risk injury and not be able to run Sat. I would be so mad if that happened. I think I will stick to my biking and just go for an easy walk on Thursday. Maybe do a bit of strength training on the knee. What are good exercises for that? Squats and lunges, right?

HYC Check In

I did not lose any weight this week, and I may have gained a pound, but I worked out a lot more so I gained muscle and it was also my TOM. I am well on my way to running the 5K on Saturday, so right now I am focusing on exercise and I know the pounds/inches will eventually will come off.

Accomplishments since last check in:

• 2 truly Meatless Monday in a row
  
• I ran 3.1 miles on Sunday
  
• I ran 2.85 Miles on Friday
• I exceeded all my fitness goals last week
  
• I am addicted to fitness

Progress on this week's goals:

• Run 3.1 miles (5k) without walking [DONE]
  
• Bike at least 20 miles [6.59 miles]
  
• Run/walk at least 10 miles [4.14 miles]
• Core exercises at least 3 days [2]
  
• QF Cardio Kick at least 2 days
  
• 45m Yoga at least 1 day
  
• Eat at least 3 vegetarian meals (meatless monday) [DONE]
• Eat out at most 3 times [so far so good]
  
• Complete my 4th 5k race without walking in under 42 minutes (preferably in under 40) [on Saturday]
  

Meatless Monday Update

I've had great success with Meatless Monday the past few weeks. At first, I was just eating seafood instead of beef, pork, or chicken; but the last few weeks I've had no meat at all on Mondays. The nice side effect is that I often end up having at least a meatless lunch the next day (and breakfast because I never have meat for breakfast). So here is what I ate instead.

6/9 Food Log:

breakfast: banana, oatmeal to go bar
lunch: morningstar basil and tomato pizza burger, raw yellow squash
dinner: pesto tomato pasta w/morning star Grillers Recipe Crumbles
snacks: teddy grahams, quaker granola bar, ice cream with teddy grahams

6/2 Food Log:

breakfast: banana
lunch: pita pizza
dinner: tofu and veggie stir fry, white rice
snacks: goldfish, chocolate covered almonds

I did it! Couch to 5k in 65 days!

Armed with my new running shoes and socks, I set out to run 3.1 miles tonight and I did it!!

I ran 3.1 miles!!
Hell yeah!!

I ran it in 42:24, and I felt good during and after the run too. The last mile was hard because I was tired and I wanted it to end, but it was totally doable. I probably could have kept going if I had to, but I am glad I didn't have to :) I started slow, so I had plenty left for the last mile, and I kicked it into high gear for the finish.

Split times:
mile 1 = 14:39
mile 2 = 13:51
mile 3 = 12:54
.1 = 1:00
Total: 3.1 miles in 42:24 minutes, avg pace: 12:52
With the warm up and cool down walk, I covered a total of 4.14 miles

It feels so good to know I can do this, so that is one less thing to worry about for Saturday's 5K. I want to try to finish the race in under 40 minutes. I know that is almost 2.5 minutes faster than today's run, but I took it slow today. I wanted to focus on going the distance so I would know I had it in me before I pushed myself , but I know I can do it a little faster. I plan to run on Tuesday and try to push myself a little to see if I can do it faster. I may run Thursday, but since it is so close to the 5K I want to take it easy and reserve my energy for Saturday.

For those of you who like numbers: it took me 65 days from the first run to reach 3.1 miles. Because I ran every other day (instead of 3 specific days a week), I ran 4 days some weeks. That means it only took me 9 weeks and 2 days to complete C25K.

Fitness Update: no change

I didn't lose any weight this week. I may have put on a pound, but my scale was being temperamental, much like my body because my TOM is here. However, I was very active this week and over achieved all my fitness goals, so I probably also gained some muscle. I bought new running shoes yesterday and some other running gear. I didn't get up early enough this morning, but I plan to run tonight and try to reach that 5k distance. I'll just start really slow so I can cover the distance. I'll work on speed later in the week, but my goal for Sat is to run the whole thing and to hopefully do it in under 42 minutes (I would love to do it in under 40, but I think that may be a bit ambitious since I'll have to start slow to make it. We'll see).

I finally did some strength training this week. Instead of weights, I am just going to focus on my core, so I came up with this routine (mostly based on this article and exercises from the Metabolism Booster segment of 10 Minute Solution - Carb and Calorie Burner).

1. Push Ups (2 x 10)
2. Standard Crunches (10)
3. Bicycle Crunches (10)
4. Reverse Crunches (10)
5. Basic Plank (30 sec)
6. Plank Weight Shift (10)
7. Plank Knee Drop Crunch (10)
8. Plank Knee Drop Oblique Crunch (10)
9. Plank Leg Lifts (10)
10. Side Plank Dips (10)
    
11. Supermans (10)
12. Heel Touches (10)
    

I don't do all of these every time, but I hope to work up to that eventually as well as add more reps and a few of the other exercises from that article in a week or 2 once I get comfortable with these. I also want to alternate between these and 10-20 minutes from Quick Fix Cardio Kick.

Accomplishments for week of 6/1 - 6/7:

• Ran 2.5 miles & then 2.85 miles without walking
• Biked: 24+ miles
• Ran/walked: 12+ miles
• Core exercises: 3 days
• 45 Min Yoga for Weight Loss: 2 days
• Ate out only 3 times: brunch at Sweet Tomatoes on Sunday, dinner at Macaroni Grill on Wednesday, Olive Garden for lunch on Thursday

Goals for the upcoming week:

• Run 3.1 miles (5k) without walking
• Complete my 4th 5k race without walking in under 42 minutes (preferably in under 40)
  
• Bike at least 20 miles
  
• Run/walk at least 10 miles
  
• Core exercises at least 3 days
  
• QF Cardio Kick at least 2 days
  
• 45m Yoga at least 1 day
  
• Eat at least 3 vegetarian meals (meatless monday)
  
• Eat out at most 3 times

2.85 Miles! (W10D3 - W8D1 revisited)

Last night I convinced myself I would have to take today off from running because my body needed a rest, so when I woke up at 6 a.m. I just went back to sleep. When I finally got up, I realized I felt great and my legs didn't even hurt. Damn it! I could have ran, but now it was too late, so I got ready and rode my bike to work.

After a light dinner of fish and sweet potato, I anxiously killed time and finally went out to run around 7:30 p.m. It was still a little warm but I was itching to get out there. The run went pretty good. This is still not a walk in the park, but I always feel amazing when I finish and realize what I've just done. I ran 2.85 miles today. Let me say that again.

I RAN 2.85 MILES!!

Who the hell is this person? I don't recognize myself any more. Every time I finish a run lately, while I am walking that 1/2 mile to cool down, I am in awe of myself and how far I've come in just 10 weeks. I have no doubt that by next Saturday I will be more than ready to run that entire 5K.

Splits (pace):
mile 1 = 14:29
mile 2 = 14:08
finish (.85) = 13:17
Total: 2.85 miles in 39:53 minutes, avg pace: 13:58
With the warm up and cool down walk, I covered a total of 3.76 miles

Yeah, I know I could have pushed myself and just done the 3, but I was pushing myself from 2.5 and since I had only set my watch for 3 miles I realized that if I did 3 it would bother me that I didn't just go the extra .1 (if I hit 3 and kept going I wouldn't have accurate data--yes I am that OCD =P) Anyway, I exceeded my goal for today, and I still have 2-3 more runs where I'll hit that 5k mark before the race so I am thrilled with 2.85 miles today.

W10D2 (W7D2 revisited)

It seems every good run must be followed by a challenging one. I didn't want to get up this morning. When I woke up, my calves hurt, and I wasn't sure I should run. I decided to get up, do a bit of yoga and see how I felt. I am usually sore just laying in bed, but I am fine once I start moving around. I felt good after the warm up/stretch, so I headed out. I walked a full 1/2 mile at a very brisk pace for the warm up then begin to run. About 2/3 into the first mile, my iPod died. I always wanted to try running without music, so I guess I got my wish. It wasn't so bad except that all I had to focus on was how far I had left to run.

My splits:
Mile 1 - 14:08
Mile 2 - 13:48
Finish (.5) - 13:15
Total: 2.5 miles in 34:34 minutes, avg pace: 13:83
With the warm up and cool down walk, I covered a total of 3.51 miles

My pace overall was slower than Monday, but I am ok with that. I do not need to push myself every time I run and it was warmer since I started after 7 a.m. I think I like running at night better (at least I seem to do better), or maybe is just that I need to actually get out there at 6 a.m. :) One of the reasons I decided to go for the run this morning, instead of trying to fit it in tonight, was because the race will be at 7:30 a.m. and I need to get my body used to running when is warmer.

I will definitely start slower at the 5K race so I have enough steam for the end. I want to run the whole thing and finish strong. It's only .6 miles more than I have done so far, so I think I can do it if I pace myself well. I'll run at least 2.75 miles before then so it will only be at most .26 miles longer than my longest run. As if you did not see it coming, I've yet again changed my mind about my running schedule. I think revisiting weeks 7-9 has worked well so far, so I think I will continue with that through next week and start the new schedule 1-2 weeks after the race once I've officially graduated from C25K. I don't want to push myself too much before the race and I want to give my body a rest after. So here is my current plan until the race and the following week or so:

Day	Date	Plan	Notes
Fri	6/6	W7D3 - 2.5 miles	if I feel good, I'll run a tad extra to get closer to 2.75, maybe 2.65
Sat	6/7	rest / cross	probably a bike ride and some yoga
Sun	6/8	W8D1 - 2.75 miles
Mon	6/9	rest / cross	bike to work and maybe some yoga or strength training
Tue	6/10	W8D2 - 2.75 miles	if I feel good, I'll run a tad extra to get closer to 3, maybe 2.85
Wed	6/11	rest / cross	bike to work and maybe some yoga or strength training
Thu	6/12	W8D2 - 2.75 miles	if I feel good, I'll run a tad extra to get closer to 3, but I don't want to push it too much so close to the race. At the same time, I'd love to actually run 5K prior to the race
Fri	6/13	rest / yoga	nothing extraneous on this day, including biking to work. I may go for a short walk, eat a nice pasta dinner, do some yoga before bed, and go to bed early
Sat	6/14	5K Race	(will also count as W9D1)
Sun	6/15	YOGA!	A true day of rest with lots of yoga, stretching and taking it easy. I'll probably be going to my parents for Father's Day anyway.
Mon	6/16	rest / cross	bike to work and maybe some yoga or strength training
Tue	6/17	W9D2 - 3 miles
Wed	6/18	rest / cross	bike to work and maybe some yoga or strength training
Thu	6/19	W9D3 - 3 miles	C25K GRADUATION!!
Fri	6/20	rest / cross	Hiking / geocaching while camping?
Sat	6/21	rest / cross	Hiking / geocaching while camping?
Sun	6/22	Start new running schedule	with 3 mile long run

Addicted to Fitness

I can now see why some people workout everyday. I've been running and biking so regularly lately that I actually miss it when I don't get to do it. I think I actually get cranky.

It is getting too hot out and it was supposed to rain today, so I did not bike my usual 4 miles to and from work. I came home early and took a nap, which seemed to energize me because I then went for a bike ride and caught up on some of my other exercises. Here is what I did today:

• 6-milie bike ride - 34:32 minutes - 224 calories
• Yoga Conditioning for Weight Loss - 45 minutes
• strength training: push ups, sit ups, planks, obliques

This is the longest I've ever ridden a bike (at least since I was a child). I've ridden 8 miles round trip to Target, but I had a break while I shopped. This was 6 miles straight and I felt like I could have done more.

I think instead of my "lift weight" goal, I am just going to change that to strength training because I think these should be enough to tone my upper body without having to lift weights and I am more likely to fit in some push ups than lift weights.

I think running and biking must help with flexibility because when doing yoga the last few times, I noticed I don't need to use the blocks as much in some of the poses because I can reach to the floor.

Progress update on this week's goals:

- Run 2.5 miles without walking [DONE]
- Bike at least 12 miles [6]
- Run/walk at least 10 miles [5.63]
- Lift weights Strength training at least 1 day [DONE]
- Yoga at least 1 day [DONE]
- Eat out at most twice [went to Sweet Tomatoes for Brunch on Sunday]

HYC Check In

For my HYC visitors, here is a list of my accomplishments since last week's check in (linked to relevant posts for details):

- Completed C25k (can run 30+ minutes straight - hope to run 5km on Sunday)
- Ran 2.5 miles yesterday in under 33 minutes
- Fit into a size 2 skirt (pants are still at least a 4)
- 20 lbs gone!
- Had another truly Meatless Monday yesterday (I need to write a post about this. I made tofu for the first time, and it was quite yummy)

Progress so far on this week's goals:

- Run 2.5 miles without walking [DONE]
- Bike at least 12 miles [none yet, maybe tonight]
- Run/walk at least 10 miles [5.63]
- Lift weights at least 1 day [none yet, maybe tonight]
- Yoga at least 1 day [none yet, maybe tonight]
- Eat out at most twice [went to Sweet Tomatoes for Brunch on Sunday]

2.5 Miles! Hell Yeah! (W10D1 - W7D1 revisited)

I just had my first 2.5 mile run and it was my best run yet! I kept a great pace and it felt amazing! I was pushing myself to go a little faster at each mile, but it did not feel like it. I finished strong and I even kept jogging at a slow pace a tad bit more to ease into the cool down walk because coming to a dead stop to walk from running at 12:25 is never a good thing. I think I finally learned to pace myself and how to set the watch properly to help me. I basically set up a workout with different pace zones for each lap so that I don't run too fast or too slow. It worked out great!

My splits:

Mile 1 - 13:29
Mile 2 - 13:08
Finish (.5) - 12:25
Total: 2.5 miles in 32:49 minutes, avg pace: 13:08
With the warm up and cool down walk, I covered a total of 3.32 miles

Now that I finished C25K by time, I was going to redo weeks 7-9 for distance but I may be altering that a bit because I want to start running 5 days a week. Here is the schedule I came up with, which is bound to change a ton of times before or after I start it =P

[SUN] long run: 2.75 - 3 mi
[MON] rest / yoga
[TUE] easy run: 1.5 mi
[WED] intervals at faster pace: 3 x .25 mi run / .25 mi walk
[THU] easy run: 1.5 mi
[FRI] rest / CT (walk / yoga)
[SAT] easy run: 1.5 mi

Each run would include an additional mile or so for the warm up and cool down at a brisk walk or very slow jog. The plan is to increase the long run distance by 1/2 mile every other week, then do the same for the other runs on alternating weeks.

I think I will finish this week running 2.5 miles every other day, then start this schedule on Sunday and see how close to 3 miles I can get. I'll shoot for 2.75 on Sunday and see how I feel after that and if I have that extra 1/4 mile in me. I think if I start slow and pace myself well like I did today, I can do it! I can't wait!

***

Now let's back up a bit, because the day did not start as great as it ended, which is why this is an even bigger win!

I wasn't feeling well last night or this morning when I woke up, so I did not get up early to run. I took a sick day. Around 10ish, I was feeling better so I decided to try to run. BIG mistake. It was supposed to rain today, so I figured it might not be so bad. It did not feel that hot when I left. I even wore my running skirt and just a sports bra to stay cool. After the 5 minute warm up walk, I ran about 1.25 miles before the heat got to me and then just walked a 1/2 mile home. I was drenched when I got done. I figured I'd run the difference tonight after dinner and then try again for the 2.5 miles on Wednesday.

As I was finishing dinner, it started to rain and the power went out. Things did not look good for running again tonight. The rain stopped around 8 p.m. and Jason agreed to come running with me. He urged me to try the 2.5 miles again and I warned him that meant I had to start really slow. He kept walking for a bit longer after I started running but eventually caught up with me and past me. I kept my pace and finally caught up with him at the end. He went home as I finished the last 3/4 mile and my cool down. I am SOOOOO glad I went out again and tried for the whole distance. Man this feels so GOOD!