Week 3 Day 1

So today I completed the first day of week 3. Yes, I didn't complete week 2 last week, I admit it, it got away from me. Amelia has been teething and waking up every hour for the last few nights and I just couldn't drag myself out of bed. And I didn't run yesterday because I couldn't find my iPod, I need it to help with timing and everything. But I ended up finding it last night (behind a bookcase in the hall) and so this week I'll run T,Th,Sat.

However, since I felt that I could handle week 2 pretty well, I again decided to stay on schedule and start with week 3 today as planned. I know I don't have too many more weeks where I can skip like this, and I'm pleasantly surprised that my fitness level is higher than I originally thought. I guess all the walking in London helps a bit.

But back to today's topic, this week's runs consist of a 5 minute warm up/90 second run/90 second walk/3 minute run/3 minute walk/90 second run/90 second walk/3 minute run/5 minute cool down.

So basically the time spent running is the same as last week, it's just in different intervals and you're running for longer periods. I thought today's run actually went by faster, I guess it's feels faster to be half way done after two runs than it does after 3 or 4.

So yeah, good run. It was cold, cold, cold though this morning in London...yikes I really hope it starts to warm up. In a way it was nice, because I was looking forward to the running parts, just to stay warm.

Well that's it. I'm determined (as always) to actually complete the entire week this time, mostly because next week is a killer (at least according to those who have done it before). I'm very much looking forward to being right next to Regent's Park when I start doing my longer runs, as there is a trail that is just under 5k, so that will be nice.

See you on Thursday!

Week 2 Day 2!

Boy was it hard to get out of bed this morning! I woke up right before the alarm was supposed to go off and I admit that I laid there, trying to convince myself to just go back to sleep. However, I'm bound and determined to not let anything stop me from going out (if I can help it). So even though I was tired and still dealing with a few stomach issues...out I went.

And I'm glad I did. Nothing feels better than coming back in from exercising. I know I would've beaten myself up if I'd gone back to sleep. Only one more day this week and I'm on to week three.

The run today was pretty good. My legs felt a bit heavier than on Monday, but still it wasn't a problem to do the 90 second increments. I didn't even find myself mentally yelling at the guy on the podcast to tell me that time was up (not much anyway). But yeah, I feel pretty good. Not too wiped at all.

I'm going to sign up for a run in Regents Park, it's a 5k and it's for Race For Life. It's also on Amelia's birthday, which is a Saturday. I think it'll be good fun.

So that's it for me here. Tune in on Friday for the thrilling conclusion of Week 2!

Week 2 Day 1

I just got back from my second week of running, day one. It's actually only the second day I've been able to run. I opted to skip the rest of week one when I wasn't able to get out because of the weather. But since I found the first week to be relatively easy (I wasn't even sore after that day, which if you've pushed yourself, you should be feeling a little sore) so here I am. And since I completed today with no problems, I think it was a good move.

Week 2 workouts involve running 6 intervals of 90 seconds with 2 minute walking in between. As always there's a five minute walk to warm up and to cool down. So you're moving the entire 30 minutes, and running actually about 10 minutes or so. I was doing pretty good. I felt good for the first two intervals, the third one was a little more of a struggle, but the fourth and fifth ones felt great. The sixth one was the worst though, as you'd expect it to be.

Body wise, I'm feeling pretty good. My right calf muscle is a little sore when running, it was that way last week as well. I made sure I stretched it really well, but it's certainly something to keep and eye on. And my antibiotics are kicking in on my stomach issues. I hadn't realized how bloated and sore my stomach had been (think constant dulling cramps...) until it's well, not completely gone, but certainly less severe.

So that's it. One day down, 2 more to go. Look back Wednesday for my next update. I'm going to hop in the shower now, I hear that Matt and Amelia are awake...so I need to take advantage of him being home!

Cheers!

Week One, Day One

Well, today was my first day W1D1 and I'm very pleased to report that it didn't suck! In fact, I feel like I held up better than I thought I would. The way the first week works is that you have a warm up walk for 5 minutes and then you run for 60 seconds, and walk for 90 seconds and you do 8 intervals of 60 second runs. Then you have your 5 minute cool down. You do this three times a week. Each week increases the running time until finally at week 9, you're running for 30 minutes straight. I didn't find the 60 second stretches too long and I was often surprised when I heard that time was up. So I'm taking that as a very good sign. Granted, I was taking it a very easy pace, but at this point I'm trying to build up stamina, rather than speed.

The hardest part was waking up this morning. I'm still having trouble sleeping through the night for some reason. I go to bed tired, but around 3am I wake up and struggle getting back to sleep. Amelia hasn't helped the situation much these last two nights, she's woken up at 4am wanting to play. So needless to say when my alarm went off at 6:30, I struggled to get up. And looking outside it was dark and wet and looked so cold, I immediately started trying to justify not running. But that's not an option for me, so I bundled up and out I went.

I think I need to rethink my running route though. We've had an unusually high snowfall here in London and the sidewalks still had snow and were a little slippery, so I found myself running in the road. I initially planned on running in Regent's Park, but the pathways there were so full of snow, it was obvious they hadn't been cleared off at all.

So on Wednesday I think I'll try to find some side streets to run on that don't get much traffic. One little incident I had today was that apparently there'd been some horses that had gone down one of the roads I was running, so my running form was a little off as I was trying to keep up my 60 seconds while dodging horse manure at the same time.

Over all though, I'm very pleased with how my first run went. I know I'm going to be sore tomorrow, but hopefully this is a positive beginning.

Good times. I'm very much looking forward to Wednesday!

Just for Me...

Hey, this is a blog to chronicle my running. I'm starting the Couch to 5k program (www.c25k.com), which is supposed to get you running a 5k in just 9 weeks. My goals for running are to lose some weight, get fit and actually run a 5k here in London. My goal is to run the 5k by May, and I think it can be done. I've given myself plenty of time for setbacks etc.

The way the program works is that you run 3 days a week, I've chosen to run M-W-F, I'm planning on doing it in the mornings while Matt is home and can help with Amelia. It's really the only time that works well for us.

I'm giving this address to you, my dear close friends and family in hopes that by letting you all know, you'll help encourage me and motivate me.

So starting on Monday (12 Jan), I'll be a running fool.