This morning I woke up way too early in the much too cold (oh how my blood has thinned since I moved from Massachusetts to Georgia - it's embarrassing!) to run my second "official" 5K.
I mean, I ran a 5K on Wednesday and hit a personal best, but I was all by myself so apparently that doesn't count.
Today's 5K will probably be my last race for some time. It cemented that I simply do not like racing against anyone but myself. It wasn't a fluke - I still don't like the crowds, the jockeying for position, the unknown route (yes, yes, I could have gone before the race and learned the route - for various reasons, that wasn't feasible either this time or last time). I also don't like feeling competitive in a situation in which I am simply not a competitor (yet) - racing brings out my "I am not good enough" feelings for a minute, before I realize that I have been running for a mere 11 weeks - and nine of those were the Couch to 5K program. I have only been running three miles at a time for about three weeks, and I still can't even run that without walking (but never stopping and always walking as fast as I possibly can when I take a break for about 10 seconds at a time).
That said, and despite the fact that today's race was on an uphill incline for much of it, so I walked, I still hit my best time ever. Did I win or place? Nope. Did people I know beat me handily? Yup. Did I run a 9:21 mile? Heck yes. Did I run a 5K in less than 30 minutes? 29:10.
I am doing this for exercise - to improve my body inside and out. My next goal is to run 12 miles a week for a while. At the moment I'm at 10. I'll do 10 for another week (or more, if I feel like it). Then 11. Then 12. I don't actually want to run a 10K or a half-marathon or a marathon. I don't want to run for that distance or that length of time. But I do want to be able to run as fast as I can for three miles. I would love to run an 8 minute mile. I think I might be able to do that sometime, if I stick to this.
But I also want to mix it up. This summer is going to be hot and I probably will switch to DVDs and indoor activities for a while (and playing at the pool). I am a runner, I feel strong, I feel proud - but I don't think my goals are the same as most runners.
Then again, I might get annoyed enough to train for a marathon, just to prove the haters wrong. I've done that before...
Go me.
I started uploading one picture a day to 365project.org/marlatiara - usually one that I also upload to Instagram. There's no real reason why I'm doing both, except that I am. Feel free to look.
Showing posts with label c25k. Show all posts
Showing posts with label c25k. Show all posts
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
New Project - Couch to 5K - January 17, 2012
This post serves, more than anything, as an accountability post.
Today I started the Couch to 5K program. I have two different 5Ks that I think I'd like to do (one or both would be fine) - both around May-ish. Also, though, I need to stay motivated with the weight loss and healthy living I've started. Otherwise, I'm afraid that once I complete the formal maintenance part of Weight Watchers, I'll feel like I've hit a finish line and...go back to eating ice cream every night or something. I'm using the Android app and I LOVE IT. It uses the GPS to track my speed and distance and it gives me a complete map when I'm done - that's really really really really cool. And I downloaded some timed podcasts that count for me when I'm close to switching the intervals.
And alongside this new exercise routine, I also ordered Jillian Michaels's Ripped in 30 DVD. This was mostly because I was buying something else (I'll explain) and needed to hit that magical $25 Amazon threshold for free shipping, so I threw it in. (By the way, if any PR person wants me to, like, TEST the Amazon Prime program and write a review or something, I'm your woman!!!!) I like the 30 Day Shred but I tried Ripped in 30 and liked it too so...well, free shipping, right? And as someone with no attention span who really needs new and exciting things to keep me motivated, I figured a new DVD that I could use would be a good idea. Right? Er...hopefully.
So my first day of running was not as bad as I expected, though it wasn't as awesome as I hoped either. (Apparently this is typical?) Alongside the usual stuff - I got tired, I couldn't complete all the running parts of C25K 1.1, my leg started to hurt - I had my ME stuff: I get terrible ear/jaw/headaches from the cold, my headphones kept falling out of my ears, I was carrying my phone, I hit a button and messed up my music. (OH MAN I AM WHINY.) So along with the DVD today, I bought a headband to keep my ears warm that also has built-in headphones. I bought an armband for my phone. (Eek, buying things, but the DVD and headphones were free thanks to Swagbucks <- referral link! and the armband was cheap.) And oh did I mention I also bought running clothes at Target? Well, they WERE on sale...and I didn't buy anything extraneous - in fact, I wore it all today.
So. Keep me accountable, blog readers. I want to do this. I want to stay in shape. And today I tried on a bathing suit that hadn't fit me in at least ten years (I don't know why I even still have it, but I found it when I was rearranging some drawers) and IT FIT. So it needs to fit when it actually counts - this summer. Goals. I need lots and lots of goals.
And hey, maybe this will all be a good stress reliever? The three-day weekend with my daughter was rough... How I envy the parents who can just go to a museum or spend an afternoon doing crafts or even just watch a movie with their children. (Heck, I envy people who can pick up a kid, put him or her down on his or her feet, and have him or her then continue to stand and walk off...) None of that works for my family, and when we have no specific plans, things get pretty tricky around here. Her communication is also improving - but far too slowly for any of our liking, so the tantrums are also increasing. Expected but also....no fun. So anything I can do to keep myself sane and back on the Good Mommy Track while she is at preschool is a good thing. I need to be able to be there for her - and for me.
Disclaimer: All links to Amazon are referral links. Thanks!
Today I started the Couch to 5K program. I have two different 5Ks that I think I'd like to do (one or both would be fine) - both around May-ish. Also, though, I need to stay motivated with the weight loss and healthy living I've started. Otherwise, I'm afraid that once I complete the formal maintenance part of Weight Watchers, I'll feel like I've hit a finish line and...go back to eating ice cream every night or something. I'm using the Android app and I LOVE IT. It uses the GPS to track my speed and distance and it gives me a complete map when I'm done - that's really really really really cool. And I downloaded some timed podcasts that count for me when I'm close to switching the intervals.
And alongside this new exercise routine, I also ordered Jillian Michaels's Ripped in 30 DVD. This was mostly because I was buying something else (I'll explain) and needed to hit that magical $25 Amazon threshold for free shipping, so I threw it in. (By the way, if any PR person wants me to, like, TEST the Amazon Prime program and write a review or something, I'm your woman!!!!) I like the 30 Day Shred but I tried Ripped in 30 and liked it too so...well, free shipping, right? And as someone with no attention span who really needs new and exciting things to keep me motivated, I figured a new DVD that I could use would be a good idea. Right? Er...hopefully.
So my first day of running was not as bad as I expected, though it wasn't as awesome as I hoped either. (Apparently this is typical?) Alongside the usual stuff - I got tired, I couldn't complete all the running parts of C25K 1.1, my leg started to hurt - I had my ME stuff: I get terrible ear/jaw/headaches from the cold, my headphones kept falling out of my ears, I was carrying my phone, I hit a button and messed up my music. (OH MAN I AM WHINY.) So along with the DVD today, I bought a headband to keep my ears warm that also has built-in headphones. I bought an armband for my phone. (Eek, buying things, but the DVD and headphones were free thanks to Swagbucks <- referral link! and the armband was cheap.) And oh did I mention I also bought running clothes at Target? Well, they WERE on sale...and I didn't buy anything extraneous - in fact, I wore it all today.
So. Keep me accountable, blog readers. I want to do this. I want to stay in shape. And today I tried on a bathing suit that hadn't fit me in at least ten years (I don't know why I even still have it, but I found it when I was rearranging some drawers) and IT FIT. So it needs to fit when it actually counts - this summer. Goals. I need lots and lots of goals.
And hey, maybe this will all be a good stress reliever? The three-day weekend with my daughter was rough... How I envy the parents who can just go to a museum or spend an afternoon doing crafts or even just watch a movie with their children. (Heck, I envy people who can pick up a kid, put him or her down on his or her feet, and have him or her then continue to stand and walk off...) None of that works for my family, and when we have no specific plans, things get pretty tricky around here. Her communication is also improving - but far too slowly for any of our liking, so the tantrums are also increasing. Expected but also....no fun. So anything I can do to keep myself sane and back on the Good Mommy Track while she is at preschool is a good thing. I need to be able to be there for her - and for me.
Disclaimer: All links to Amazon are referral links. Thanks!
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