Week 2 - Epic Fail

I don't know what happened today....

Week two ups the run times to 90 seconds. I had plans to jog during boychilds baseball practice but found ourselves ready an hour before practice so decided to run first and relax at practice.

Got to the track, walked five minutes.... no prob, went faster then I remembered.

First run - easy breezy

Second run - not a problem but Hannah clunked out, she had run too fast and her side hurt.

Third run - My legs seized up! It wasn't that I was tired or out of breath, no. My muscles just tightened and said no more. None. Zilch. Not moving.

I walked through the next 90 second run hoping that this would help, even stopped and stretched twice, but they were so tight, almost like having a Charlie horse in your leg but without the pain.

I stopped at twenty minutes and I am very frustrated with myself. 2 days ago I did fine and today nothing.

Some thoughts?
- heat and humidity? This is the first day I have ran when it was hot (85 but muggy)
- dehydrated? I drank a lot of coffee this morning and no water today. I am sure it didn't help!
- double layer of clothes? I had a spandex jog tank top on with a tshirt over. It was hot. Seriously hot. and not in a good way.

I'm wanting to go jog again today... we shall see how far this gets me.... I am frustrated :-(

Finished week one!!

I have started the week and couldn't make it half through. I gave myself permission to take two weeks for each level instead of one. Imagine my surprise when Saturday morning I jumped up and headed to the running track... was rainy and cool out and I really didn't want to run by my 12 year old cheerleader encouraged me to go.

I went.

I conquered.

I feel amazing.

So I bought a brand Spanking New pair of running shoes!

Color me proud!

Week 1 day 2

I am driving home and realizing I look forward to jogging. My legs are not hurting and its a beautiful day. Temperature around 68 degrees and I am home in early evening.

I gather my ten and twelve year old cheerleaders. We sort out socks and shoes, who is running with a dog and who is carrying a waterbottle. Thirty minutes later we are off!

It takes approximately 5 minutes to walk to the park. There we find a great walking path (how did I not ever see this before??) Hannah jogs with me while Jake forgets he is my cheerleader and heads to the playground.

My legs are hurting. Bad. Seriously going to bust into pieces bad. I jog 2 of the 60 second sprints and realize my legs are so tight I can barely move them. I stop to stretch and discouragement sets in. I can't even get through day one.

Then as I am stretching, I realize I am 37 and packing at least 75 extra pounds. It isn't going to be as easy as it used to. I allow myself to briskly walk until the pain subsides. I keep going with my cheerleader beside me.... Soon I can pick up two more 60 seconds and it feels good.... It FEELS GOOD!!!

Before I know it we are 25 minutes into this, so we head for home. While it takes 5 minutes to get to the park, it takes about ten minutes to get home due to one very.large.hill.

I forgot we went down the hill... hefting myself up the hill was about as fun as a root canal. Hannah got behind me and pushed me up saying "I think you can, I think you can"

Teamwork. It Rocks.

Week 1 day 1

I am ready! I have read up on what I need to know (go slow, drink lots of water, eat food after, expect pain)

I strapped on my old shoes (first mistake) and my motivated 12 year old was my cheerleader. We dropped the boy at baseball practice and prepared to run the first run

And then I ran into the exboyfriend. Ugh. In running clothes. With no makeup. Not a grand moment... I wanted to shrink my 240 pound self into the car...

BUT we went off with our podcast... I warned her that I may struggle. 5 minutes of walking then 60 seconds jogging, 90 seconds walking... alternating for 30 minutes.

First 5 minutes - awesome! I'm feeling good... pass some people on the street but I feel ok....

First jog - ouch...

second jog I turned from a dog and BOOM... im jogging uphill. I can't breathe. My chest is tight. Am I having a heart attack??

Third jog... my shins are about to split in two. I can't breathe. Reality is setting in....

Fourth jog and I realize we are not making it.... 12 year old cheerleader is laughing.. MOM!!! You can't jog anymore?

I decide as long as I keep briskly walking then its better then nothing.... so I keep walking, SHE decides that we need to take a shortcut back to practice, I agree.

We made it 22 minutes. SO... week 1 day 1 wasn't quite a flop. It was more then we did the previous day but we didn't make it.



**** The following day I thought I was going to die. My legs and shins hurt so bad I can barely walk. I am stiff and several times believe that my legs may give out under me. No Bueno.

I'm gonna do WHAT??

I'm doing WHAT??

Jogging. 5k. Race.

ME?

 Er... no. See I am 37 years old, I am about 70 pounds overweight. I have five children. I hate exercise. I work full time. Running sucks. I have a broken knee, or at least I did four years ago. I'm fat. I have curly hair and its hot out. I think runners look like idiots. I am a fat lazy couch lump who would rather read a therapeutic book then walk outside. I hate exercise.

So, why am I starting the Couch to 5k program?

I don't know. It started with realizing that bending over was becoming hard. I realize that its a familiar feeling... I have had five children. My baby is ten. I guess I can't blame the pregnancy for this feeling anymore.

I have realized more and more how unfit I am, and also realized I am not getting younger. Or cuter. Or better hair... but that can't be fixed with jogging.

However I have been thinking of what I can do to get healthy again... I have begun eating better and that's great, but when I sit all day for work (Hey, I'm a therapist... hard to run laps while analyzing a three year olds brain!) and then come home and sit doing casenotes (ok, sad excuse). So I need to get healthy!

Option A - Join a gym. Er... I live in rural Arkansas. The Ozarks. Town of 400. Not gonna happen....

Option B - Buy a home gym ... ya right. I'm going to invest 800 bucks into equipment I may not use?

Option C - Home exercise videos. YA right? And I would do this with my children lined up to offer advice? Laugh? crack up at mom's moves... er... no

OR final option? Jog!

I don't jog. I covered those reasons earlier, or at least that is what I said to all the runners in my life. THEN... I woke up one morning and remembered how much I loved jogging when I was young. I even remember my first purple and teal jogging suit and how I would jog for hours (well, seemed that way) and how good I felt...

So, armed with some google searches, some podcasts and comfy sneakers.... (and an extra 75 pounds) I am off...

I have no idea where this is going. In theory I can run a 5k in 10 weeks. I think 20 weeks is more realistic.