C25K: Repeat Week Three, Day Three

I did it! I’m still pushing through.  I’m not giving up. 

I’ll be on vacation next week.  I am going to do my best to stick to my fitness routine.  I think getting the extra rest next week is going to help me with my couch to 5K training.  Not sure if I’m moving on to Week Four.  I guess we’ll find out when I step on the treadmill on Monday. 

C25K: Repeat Week Three, Day Two

Oops! I guess was so tired yesterday I forgot to post my update. In fact, I also forgot to wear my heart rate monitor. 

Anyhow, Week Three, Day Two done.  I slowed down my running pace.  It's still a struggle but I'm getting there. 

I'm also doing much better with stretching and completing my core exercises. 

I plan to complete day three tomorrow and move onto Week Four.

C25K: Delayed Week Three, Day Two

Although I was supposed to do Week Three, Day Two today, I did not complete it. I didn’t sleep well last night. I woke up around 4 am with a stomach ache. I went to the gym with every intention to complete it. I hopped on and off the treadmill. I couldn’t get past not feeling well. I hopped on the Elliptical. I was dripping sweat within the first five minutes. It was also pretty hot in the gym. After about 20 minutes, I started feeling nauseous. I banged out another five minutes and called it a day.

On the way I felt a bit sad that I didn’t at least try. I questioned whether or not I was looking for an excuse. However, three hours later, my stomach still feels queasy. So, I’m going to hydrate, get some rest, and try again tomorrow.

C25K - Repeating Week Three, Day One

I was very nervous as I walked into the gym today.  I am repeating Week Three this week. I reminded myself about my weekly lessons and hopped on the treadmill.  Dammit! Those three-minute runs still elude me.  I’m not giving up! Wednesday I am going to slow down my running pace to see if this helps.

C25K: Week Three Lesson

During Week Three my lesson was borrowed from advice my OA sponsor gave me one day: focus on the effort, not the outcome. Each time I was disappointed about not being able to fully complete the three-minute runs, I reminded myself about how much courage and strength I have just by showing up every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. Even though I will be repeating Week Three's runs, I am not admitting defeat.

I do need to put more effort into stretching and doing my core exercises. I have been stretching regularly. I’ve been very lazy about the core work. This week I did notice that it’s taking me longer to feel loose and warmed up. I am going to use my cross training days to schedule these exercises to make sure they are done.

C25K: Week Three, Day Three

Week Three, Day Three


As soon as I woke up today, I put on my clothes, and rushed to the gym to complete today’s workout. I didn’t even eat breakfast. I grabbed a bottle of water and headed out. I did not want to allow myself any time to talk myself out of it.

Today’s workout was better than Day Two but not as great as Day One. The 90-second runs were fine. I was able to complete two minutes and one minute of the three-minute runs. As I did on Day Two, I didn’t slow down the treadmill but I did hold on to complete the three minutes.

As first I was a little disappointed but I know I need to give myself credit for trying. I will repeat Week Three and keep working out. I am making progress!

Another C25K Week Three Quote

"Ask yourself: 'Can I give more?'. The answer is usually: 'Yes'."  ~Paul Tergat, Kenyan professional marathoner

C25K: Week Three, Day Two

Not a good workout for me.  Before I began, I kind of had a feeling it wasn't going to go well.  I was tired.  I didn't sleep well last night.  I sat in a long, boring meeting all morning and no matter how much I stretched I felt tight.  I debated on whether or not I should wait and do the workout tomorrow.  I was afraid I was trying to talk myself out my goal.  I didn't want to lose momentum.  So, I headed to the gym, praying the entire time. 

The 90-second runs were fine. I was not able to complete either 3-minute run.  I lasted 1 minute the first time. I probably lasted 30 seconds on my next attempt.  While I didn't reduce my speed, I held onto the treadmill and did my best to keep up. 

I decided that instead of going back to Week Two I will continue working on Week Three until I can complete those 3-minute runs.  Since I was able to complete one on Monday, I know I can do it.

I've read time and time again that I will have good days and "bad" days.  The most important thing to me is staying focused on my goal.

So, between now and Saturday, I'm going to stretch and get plenty of rest.  Tomorrow I'll probably do a quick 30-minutes of cycling and take a long walk on Friday.

C25K: Week Three, Day One done.

Week Three, Day One done. It was a doozy! I completed the first 3-minute run with no problem. In fact, I had to hold back tears. I was so happy and relieved. With that said, the second 3-minute run was rough. I was still out of breath trying to recover when it was time to run again. I just didn’t have the stamina to make it through. While I did not reduce the speed on the treadmill, I did hold on after the first minute. Despite this fact, I am extremely pleased with my performance today. I am so amazed at my determination to complete this program.


Today I just kept repeating: It’s possible.

C25K - Week Three Quote

My body takes me from A to B, but the real journey is in my mind. ~Unknown

C25K: Week Two Lesson – One Workout at a Time

This week I learned not to worry about the next workout. All weekend I spent time worrying about whether or not I should repeat Week Two. I stepped on the treadmill still not knowing what I was going to do. Finally, I hit Week Two, Day 1 and decided I was give it a try. If it didn’t work out, I would do as much as I could. Well, it didn’t work out the way I thought it would. I finished workout! I was so surprised and happy. It was challenging, but doable. I was anxious on Day 2 but I completed it just the same. Day 3 was very hard but I pushed through.

I made a horrible mistake the night before Day 3. I took a sneak peek at Week Three’s workouts. HUGE mistake! All I could think about was whether or not I was going to be able to run three minutes NEXT week. So much for staying present…. I was making myself so anxious about Week Three that I was wasting mental energy I needed to expend for my current workout.

I do not have to worry about the next interval or next workout. I will continue to make progress as long as I keep trying – one workout at a time.

Week Two, Day Three

I feel good! I can’t believe I just finished Week Two, Day Three.


I just kept telling myself that I had done it two times before and that I could do it again. Today’s workout certainly wasn’t like I experienced during the last workout of Week One. Today’s workout was just as hard as it was the previous time. It did help knowing that I was capable of finishing.

I did my best to focus on my breathing. I know I need a lot of work in this area. I have a tendency to either hold my breath or breathe too shallow when I push myself. I need to learn how to relax and know that I can (and will) get through any workout.

Week Two, Day Two

I was filled with so much doubt today. I didn’t think I was going to make it.
I said a prayer and jumped on the treadmill. Once I made it through the first 90-second run, I felt more confident. Before I knew it, the lady said, you are halfway done or whatever she says. Whew! A sigh of relief. I said a prayer of gratitude and did my best to focus on my breathing. You can do this, Sheila….

The doubt returned during the last two runs. I was sweaty and out of breath. I just repeated, push, push, push, push. I finally heard that voice, workout complete. Yay! I gave myself two thumbs up.

Lasagna

Today I decided to experiment with lasagna. I don’t eat it often because I usually eat Dreamsfield pasta and I haven’t been able to find their lasagna noodles. When I was on the My Fitness Pal site a couple of weeks ago, someone mentioned making lasagna but using zucchini strips instead of noodles. Her chief complaint was that it turned out mushy due to all the liquid from the zucchini. Someone else shared that she had the same experience.


So, I was thinking about the best way to tackle this issue. I decided to treat the zucchini the same way you pull the moisture out of eggplant—salt the zucchini before using it. I’m not much of a meat eater. I usually make spinach lasagna. However, I thought spinach with zucchini would be a bit much so I opted to use ground turkey. In addition, instead of ricotta cheese, I used cottage cheese.

C25K - Week Two, Day One

Whew! I was so nervous on my way to the gym. I keep trying to stay in a positive space but I could feel my heart beating. I decided I wasn’t going to watch the time today. It really worked out. Just when I thought I couldn’t go on, the lady said, “walk.” I completed each run interval. Yay!
I was feeling all proud of myself and shared my accomplishment with someone. First, she asked me why I was doing it, why I just didn’t walk another 5K. She thinks I’m going to stress myself out. I explained that I need specific goals to help me stay motivated. Then, she encouraged me to aim for only running half of a 5K. Ugh! I felt kind of weird after the conversation. I think, for a while, I’m going to stop sharing my training with people who are not part of my fitness pal/blogging/Twitter community. I just need to continue reminding myself that I am doing this for me and me only.

C25K Week One Lesson: Stay In Your Own Lane

To get to the finish line, you'll have to try lots of different paths.  ~Amby Burfoot

As I approach Week Two of the Couch to 5K running plan, I have been reflecting on what I learned during Week One. First and first most, my training is unique and individualized. I’ve received a lot of advice, encouragement, and even some discouragement. Ultimately, it is about me and what I want from this experience.

Nothing shows you just how unique you are as fitness. I learned this lesson when I first began this journey. The worst thing I can do is compare myself to the person next to me, ahead or behind me. All I thing I need to do is start and finish MY race.

I can learn training plans, stretching routines, and correct form from others. However, how fast I need to go, what I need to eat before and after exercise, how long I need to train, what gear I need, and where I need to train are all questions only me and my body can answer. The bottom line is that I am so happy and proud to be out there trying.

C25K - Week One, Day Three

Week One – Day Three


I did it! So very grateful! I definitely need to tackle this on the treadmill for a while. Last night I spent some time viewing some YouTube videos about running form and stretching for runners. Having the correct form and avoiding injury is very important. I just remembered while I was reading about stretches for runners that I had Osgood Schlatters Disease when I was younger. I totally forgot about it. I don’t have any problems with it now but I do see how I’ve probably always had problems with my quads and hamstrings…which manifest as pain in my knees.

I’ve been very conscious about doing squats and lunges. I’m doing my best to keep my quads and hamstrings loose.

Today I slowed down my walking pace to 2.5 mph instead of 3.0 mph and kept my “running” pace at 4.0 mph. Based on most of the things I read last night, the most important things to focus on right now are proper stretching, correct form, and sticking with the routine. I was able to apply some of the techniques I learned last night to my session today and I felt pretty good. So, I plan to move forward to Week Two on Monday.

Here are the stretches are worked on this week.

How to stretch before and after a run

Avoiding shin splints

C25K - Week One, Day Two

You have a choice. You can throw in the towel, or you can use it to wipe the sweat off of your face.


Yay! I did it! I completed each running interval!
 
I decided to go back to the treadmill today and I think it made all the difference. Even though it was challenging, I was able to push through and complete each 60-sec run. I think it’s because I can control the pace of my running much better on the treadmill than on the pavement. I have no idea how to pace myself without the aid of the treadmill.


I’m not sure if I’m going to go back to the park on Saturday for Day 3. I’m thinking I may train on the treadmill until I build up my stamina.

At any rate, I’m very proud of myself for trying.

C25K - Week One, Day One

OMG! It was brutal! I've been walking/running on the treadmill for about a month or two.  Nothing compares to running outside.  It also probably made a big difference that I have been walking four to five minutes between each one to two minute run.  I've been wishy washy about training on the treadmill vs. outside.  I figure since the race is going to be on the road it's best to train under similar conditions. 

First of all, I was very nervous.  The walking trail I chose has a pretty good mix of inclines.  I was good until the fifth and sixth run.  I couldn't even finish them.  I stopped after 30 seconds on the fifth run and after 50 seconds on the sixth run.  I'm not sure if it was a good idea or not but I repeated both of them.  Running up an incline was pretty challenging but I know in the long run it will be worth it. 

Next, I'm not so sure about my pace.  I think I may need to slow down a bit.  It was only the first day.  Now that the first day jitters are over I can learn what is going to be best for me by trial and error.  I'm also thinking that I may need to repeat Week One.  We'll see....

At any rate, I'm so proud of myself.  I was so afraid I was going to talk myself out of it.  I was feeling a bit self-conscious but I believe I did okay.  Looking forward to day two on Wednesday!