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Max Distance: 2.25
Weight loss this week: +2
Weight loss so far: -4
Well, I did it! I finished my first race. I didn't do as well as I had hoped, but I did finish. My goal was to run more than I walked. I think I did about half and half. But as my sister says, I'm a completer, not a competer.
I learned a couple of things from my first race. I learned that it's not a good idea for me to run during allergy season. The race was at the BMW Performance Center race track, which is meant for cars. So, it has a "rough" area for when the cars go off the track. The rough is weeds and grass, of which I am highly allergic to. I was almost done with my first mile when my allergies really started bothering me. It took me over 17 minutes to do the first mile, and I was almost ready to give up.
But I came up over the hill and my son came running, cheering me on, saying, "Go Mommy! I love you!" I had told him I was going to run a race, and by God, I started running again. I still didn't run all the rest; I had to walk about half too. My second mile, though, went a lot better. I did that one in about 13 minutes.
The other thing I learned was that I don't need to be at the front of the pack when we line up to start. I also don't need to start out too fast. I actually did pretty well with that. But it is really hard to not want to try to keep up when every one is zooming past you!
Overall, I am proud of myself for making it through. I have one under my belt. I'll keep trying. My next goal is to do a 5k in the spring. Someone told me about a Nike slogan that says, "The only way to finish is to start." So true!
Max distance: 2.38
Weight loss this week: -1
Weight loss so far: -6
I only got to work out once this week again, but it was a really good work out. I was on the treadmill for 40 minutes, and I jogged 22 minutes of that. Unfortunately, I am still having to break up the jogging a lot. I'll do 5 minutes jogging, 3 walking, 8 minutes jogging, 3 walking, and so on. I can do that for a long time. I just have a really hard time doing a straight set of jogging all in a row.
I really wanted to jog the whole 2 mile race this week, but I don't think it's going to happen. I'll be really happy if I get jog 1 mile in a row. I am sure that I can jog most of it. And I know that no matter how much I walk, I will jog over the finish line! A friend will be doing it with me. She's very in shape, but she's never done a race either, so that will help me. I won't feel so much like a fish out of water.
I feel kind of silly making a big deal out of a 2 mile race, especially since my goal was a 3 mile race, and I probably won't even jog the whole thing. But it's a big deal to me. I've put a lot of work into this. I'm pumped! Six days to go!
Max Distance: 1.8 miles
Weight loss this week: -1
Weight loss so far: -5
I missed a week of working out because the kids were sick, again. But I wasn't totally inactive. We went for walks and played. This week, I only got to work out once. And it was terrible.
I felt fine when I went to the gym, but I should have known by how swollen my eyelids where that my allergies where acting up. I guess I figured I would be ok in the gym though. I have been able to run 10-12 minutes in a row before walking, but I was five minutes into running when I started gasping. It was scary. I started walking for 3 minutes and tried jogging again. I jogged for 5 minutes but felt like I was going to throw up. So, I walked for another 3 minutes. Then, I tried to jog a final 5 minutes. I got to 3 minutes and just felt terrible. I gave up and walked. I didn't even do my toning exercises afterward, just a few stretches. Then, I sat in the locker room until I felt like I could get in the shower. I had to do my inhaler first, though.
I guess during allergy season, I am going to have to do my inhaler or my son's nebulizer before I try to exercise. It's a scary feeling to feel your chest tightening up and not be able to breath well. And my asthma is mild. I just got a touch of what my poor son feels like all the time. I hope I am able to make it through my race without getting an episode! Less than two weeks now!
Max Distance: 2.44 miles
Weight loss this week: -4
Weight loss so far: -4
There was actually a week in between week 14 and 15. I took a break, and I didn't get to blog because my father-in-law passed away. But, the week before that, I had been doing really well. I got up to 2.44 miles one day with 8 minutes straight of running and several 5 minute stretches.
After my week off though, it was like stepping backwards. First of all, I tried to switch from the treadmill to the inside track in preparation for my upcoming race. So, that works different muscles. But, I did do a lot better this time with pacing myself. I went basically as fast as I do on the treadmill.
The problem was that I pushed myself too hard. I ran for 12 minutes straight and then didn't stretch enough. The next day, I could barely use my thigh muscles to get off of the floor or to get up off the couch. I was in so much pain. I had to ask my husband to watch the kids so I could take a bath when he got home and just soak my muscles.
I let myself rest a few days and then went back to the gym. I still jogged, I just took a step back and didn't push myself too much. And then I made sure that I stretched really well. It amazingly made me feel better!
So, I have less than a month to be able to jog 2 miles continually. I am breaking from the Couch to 5k program now and just trying to increase the stretches of time I can jog in a row. I'll keep trying!
Max Distance: 1.9 miles
Weight loss this week: -1
Weight loss so far: -1
I was able to workout as planned. I just stayed on the same day I was on before my knee injury. And then moved on to the next day on my second workout that week. The second workout had me jog 8 minutes straight, walk 5, and jog another 8! It sounded intimidating, but really wasn't that bad.
I started at another gym too. It is really nice. My kids weren't liking the one where I was going because of the total lack of supervision in the nursery. This gym is really posh and more expensive, but I think it will be worth it.
This week, I did the same 8-5-8 work out and then was gearing up to do a straight 20 min jog. Low and behold, one of the kids got sick and couldn't go to nursery. So, this morning, my husband took the kids for a walk while I tried to do my jog in the neighborhood. Whoa! Jogging on pavement in a hilly town is NOT the same as jogging on a treadmill. First of all, I could not pace myself at all. I was jogging to whatever beat was on my music, which was way too fast. Then, my allergies and asthma kicked in. And last, I did not have my water with me, which was a big mistake. I probably only jogged for about 4-5 minutes of the whole 30 minute work-out!
So, I called my sister to get some advice on pacing myself and transitioning from treadmill to road. She said to first set the treadmill to a 2-3% incline. Then, when I do run on the road, go with my car and put my water out somewhere first. Also, run without earphones or music at first until I learn how to set my pace. There are also things you can buy to attach to your iPod or watch that tell you what pace you are running. I might try to find one if they are pretty inexpensive.
Overall, my exercise is going pretty well, but my weight is going nowhere. One measly pound! That is just enough to piss you off! I am going to have to do something drastic -- like try that Alli or something. I can't afford surgery, or I would try that!
Max Distance -- 1.25 miles
Weight loss this week -- 0
Weight loss so far -- 0
My knee started feeling better by the end of the week. I really didn't want to get too far behind again on my "training schedule" because I feel like I am never going to make it to running 3k! On Thursday, I went to the Y just to walk on the treadmill to test out my knee. I had bought a knee brace, and that helped a lot. I was able to walk for 25 minutes without any real pain, just a few twinges here and there. I even jogged for 3 minutes of that. So, I am planning on going tomorrow and resuming regular exercise. I am just going to stick to the same week I was on before I injured my knee instead of moving up to the next week. I don't need to put any additional stress on my knee. So, we will see how it goes. I am going to do my best without pushing it too hard and doing something stupid!
Max Distance -- 2.0 miles
Weight loss this week -- 0
Weight loss so far -- -2
Well, I really rocked it this week. I was able to complete my training as scheduled. I did 16 minutes of jogging the first day I exercised this week, and completed 2 miles between walking and jogging. The second day, I moved up to the next week on the schedule. There was less overall jogging, but bigger chunks together. I was surprised that I didn't really had a hard time doing the big chunks, until my knees started hurting.
That was the downfall of this week. My knees started hurting while I was exercising. Then, they started hurting worse when I was stretching, which was not a good sign. They usually feel better when I stretch them out after a workout. I got home and went to unhook one of my kids from their car seat, and when I locked my knee, I almost fell to the ground. I thought it was just a sprain or something, but it has really been hurting. It feels like my knee cap and my tibia are just grinding together. And when my knee locks, it takes my breath away. So, I will be laying off the exercising this week. Maybe I will go to the pool with the kids or try to walk a little around the neighborhood, but nothing too strenuous until I get this looked at!
