W5D2 update

Ok, today was a seriously UGLY day. The weather has been horrible! Windy, cold, rain/snow, who wants to go out in that, let alone RUN?! It was about 6:30 (and still a full night of "stuff" left to do) I didn't think I was going to run, and had really already resigned myself to not going. Scott got home and said plainly, "just go". So I did. And it was great. Today's interval training was different than Monday, so today I ran 2 8 minute intervals with a 5 minute walk in between. Friday (or Saturday, depending on the weather), will be a straight 20 minute run. I'm a little anxious about it and yet confident too. So, we shall see. Off to Women's Conference at BYU tomorrow and Friday, so LOTS of walking. I can't wait! (Hope it doesn't rain or snow, but of course, it's supposed to!)

I think I can, I think I can...

I was a little apprehensive about yesterday's run. It had been since Wednesday morning and I wasn't eating so well; Diet Coke, pizza, carne asada tacos, etc, and yesterday had been a super busy work day, so I didn't get a chance to go out to run until 8 pm. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was a really good run and I'm beginning to see that I think I can run the whole race! I've realized too, that as much as I would love to run with my hubby, that even at his slowest pace, he still is too fast for me. Sorry honey! So, tomorrow is W5D1! It's getting closer! 2 weeks from yesterday is the race. I think I'm almost more concerned about getting downtown to the race (whether to take Trax or drive, and where to park?) than I am the race itself. Oh, and I'm excited to get my T-shirt, I think it will feel more "real" then. We are supposed to have storms Wed-maybe Saturday next week, and Thursday and Friday is Women's Conference at BYU, so I'm not sure when I will run and in what conditions, but I WILL RUN! Until next time!....

Day 2

Early morning run. It's interesting how you can change your routine and it changes your workout. I couldn't sleep this morning after everyone left and for some reason, all I could think about was that it is supposed to rain/storm today and I DON'T want to have to run in the storm, so I got up and went early. It was a beautiful morning, moderate temperature. We had a REALLY bad rain storm this afternoon, it's still raining and it got really cold, so I am glad I didn't have to run in it, or have an excuse not to run. I felt really good this morning, not like an afternoon/early evening run when I'm already tired. I think I might try to do that more often, now that the weather is getting warmer and the sun is coming up earlier. It wasn't as hard as Monday either. And mentally, to get ready for the day knowing I've already ran is so satisfying. I can't decide whether it is getting easier (relatively) for me or if it was just hard on Monday (I'm sure Scott's pace made it harder for me on Monday!), so I'm anxious to see what day 3 (Friday hopefully) will feel like. Anyway, it is getting easier. There were several times today that I again, thought about that 5K and am thinking I can run it. (There were other times today that I thought I need more training!...) Until next time....

W4D1...woohoo!

I can't believe that I'm already into 4 weeks of training, and the race is 2 weeks from Saturday! AHHH! Friday's run was good, uneventful. I was busy Friday night so didn't have time to post. Today was a new interval training, my longest run so far. The first was a 3 minute run. I felt good and was doing pretty well. Oh, and the hubby ran with me today, I was really worried that it was going to be like W1D1, but it was all good. The first interval set was a 3 minute run, then a short recovery walk, then a 5 minute run with a short recovery walk, then repeat. I did really well, although the last 5 minute run was really, really hard (uphill, too! UGH!). Music really DOES make for a good run! On the podcast, during the last 5 minute run, it's a really lame song, so I'd like to blame the song for it being hard! LOL! Last Friday was the first time I could really "see" myself running the whole race! Today put that into better perspective, but I really am thinking I can do this! I'm so excited! Wednesday is going to be a crazy day, so I may have to run on Thursday for day 2, and it's supposed to be really crummy weather. Oh well! Wouldn't be the first time!

W3D2

Today was a good run; light breeze and beautiful sunshine made it even better. I am a little sore, not like pulled muscles sore, like achy muscles sore, and only my quads. I have been stretching but for some reason the achiness is still there. I'm hoping it will pass. I was thinking today about how it is going to be for a 3.1 mile run. UGH...I'm still a little nervous that I won't be able to run it all. I came home and checked out the workouts for weeks 4-6 and they are pretty gnarly, especially day 3, so maybe that's what it will take. One day of rest and then back at it. I LOVE this program!

Rain, wind and hills...oh my!

I survived day 1 of week 3! After I read what was the training this week, I REALLY started to dread it and to doubt myself. There are 2 3-minute runs in this interval today and I was really worried. I planned as best I could to make it so that the runs would be mostly downhill, which they were. It started raining just as started stretching. Again, I could have made an excuse and given up, but I didn't. The wind was blowing really hard today, it will be nice when it is mild. I thought the 3 minute runs would be harder than they were, but it wasn't too bad. Music sure makes a difference, too, doesn't it? Well, gotta go. Hubby made dinner and is waiting...(he also started laundry...! Yeah!)

Week 2 - CHECK!

Today was W2D3. It was a bit rough starting out. I was going to go this morning, but we went to dinner at Pat's BBQ and after a meal like that, I thought I should stretch it out as far into the day as possible. LOL! I went out about 5:00, already tired for the day and a bit sluggish. My left quad was aching and I just wasn't real enthusiastic about it yet. It would have been really easy to make an excuse and skip it, and I did think about it, but only for a split second. It was windy, so of course, going up the hills today was hard. I ran the same route as Wednesday - I like it - I like where it put me on the intervals coinciding with where I was on hills/flat area. The best part was the last 90 second run, knowing that I only had a 5 minute walk/cool down left, and hearing Mary J. Blige singing "Just Fine", ..."I won't change my life, my life's just fine." AWESOME! Oh, and it's officially official - I registered for the 5K on May 8th. Bring on Week 3 on Monday! :-)

OK, here goes...

Not very long ago I was going to delete this blog and just stick with keeping up on my Facebook page. I don't think I'm a very good "writer" so FB is definitely more my style; quick and easy. Obviously, I didn't, and here I am and well, I'm feeling REALLY vulnerable and a little scared at putting this "out there" but...I have recently decided to start running. And I guess I could say -again - since several years ago, I was actually running up to 2-3 miles. But now, a few years later, older and definitely more out of shape, I've decided to try again. People say muscle has memory, so if that is true, I'm hoping my body remembers that I used to be able to do this and it will be easier to do it again. When I stopped last time, I was almost to 3 miles, but that last mile was tough. I found that I really enjoyed it and would actually look forward to going out and listening to music and feeling my heart and blood pumping (and even sweating). There's something about that feeling. I've been inspired by some women recently who are running; Tammy, Lia, Deea, (you guys are awesome!) among others and one day I thought "I should do this". And not only, DO this, but I've decided to run a 5K, my very first one. (A very close family member has just beat breast cancer and is participating in the Susan G. Komen Race For The Cure here in Salt Lake, so how could I not go and show my support for her?) Like I said, I'm a little scared putting this out there, I've been told that once I do, then it's harder to fall short, because other people are following me, so I have some accountability. Not that I intend to fall short, but I'm hard enough on myself when I don't complete something I've set out to do, or even when I don't follow through with something. (Wow, life is so overwhelming now as it is, am I sure I want *one more thing* to add to my never ending stresses?) My biggest concern is will I be ready to run the 5K. The race falls on Week 7 Day 1 of my training, so I won't have completed the program and will have to run it at whatever stage I am in. My biggest worry is that I won't be able to run it. I know I can walk it, and that's a good option, but I really, really want to run it. That is my goal and I hope I'm ready. So, a friend suggested that keeping this blog will be a good thing to keep me motivated on the hard days and may inspire others, kind of like in "Julie & Julia", how she kept a daily blog of her progress (journaling?). At first, I thought that it would be crazy to blog about my running, who REALLY wants to know? But another friend today said the same thing, so somewhat reluctantly, here I am. It will definitely be honest and simple. For those of you who are interested, here goes...

My good friend Melinda was just certified in San Diego as a Zumba Instructor and got me totally excited about Zumba, (since I LOVE to dance, this was a perfect exercize plan for me) and I couldn't wait to go. Problem was, time. The scheduled classes at the fitness center were at the worst possible times for me. Bummer. But..it lit the flame that started the fire. I decided I needed to do something, so, when I stumbled upon this running plan, I thought "I can do 30 minutes, and when it's convenient for me, that's perfect!" And so it began. My plan is a 9 week plan; 3 work outs per week for approx. 30 minutes. Each week the workout has differing intervals of running and recovery walks with a warm up and cool down. Week 1 day 1 (W1D1) was very inspiring but SOOOO hard! It was a Saturday and I asked Scott to go with me. I loved having the company but having Mr. competitive- former personal trainer back in the day-push me 'til it hurts guy - with me, in hind sight wasn't the best decision for day one, but I survived it. We live in a neighborhood that is on a hill and surrounded by hills. In fact, I think the only real flat area is the elementary school up the street, so not only am I trying to run this program, but doing it on hills is even tougher. On the good days, I take that as a challenge. On the hard days, I dread them. I thought I left my lungs and legs somewhere along the route, BUT when it was the 5 minute cool down walk, it was such a high! I did it! I hurt, but day 1 was down! W1D2 was a bit easier, I was alone and could run at my own pace. It was still tough, but easier than day 1. Again, I felt great and was so excited that I was already 2 days into it. I don't remember much about day 3, it must have been ok. Week 2 Day 1 was the day after Easter. UGH! We were anticipating a huge storm, so I needed to get my run in before it rained/snowed and got too cold. I enjoyed some yummy foods on Easter (chocolate and Diet Coke, yum!) but it definitely caught up with me. Adding to that, the storm was coming and it was unbelieveably windy. I decided that in order to get through this one, there was no way I could run the hills AND against the wind, so I opted to run around the school. By the time I got to the school, my shins and my ankles were hurting, so the run was rough and painful and at times, I didn't think I would complete it. I made it through and hobbled home afterward and nursed my legs and ankles the rest of the day. Scott said I was walking like an old lady and I sure felt like one! I learned a lesson through that, I need to be aware of what I take into my body, especially before a run. I've never experienced that before, so it was a good wake up call. Our storm passed and I should have ran yesterday. Most people would say that they run to relieve stress and maybe I'll get to that point, but yesterday was a super stressful day, and the last thing I wanted to do was run AND with only a small window of time in which to do it. That alone was causing me MORE stress! So, I blew off the run and committed to doing it today. The ugly storm passed and today was beautiful! All day I was actually looking forward to running! (I KNOW! I can't believe I really felt that way!) I finally got out about 6 pm and it was GREAT! It was a beautiful night and the run was great. As I ran, I wasn't thinking as much about which interval it was and how many more I had left, I was just enjoying the music and the surroundings. That is a huge improvement for me and I was thrilled that I have reached that point so soon. It was fun to be out around my neighborhood again and several times I really thought "I can do this and I WILL be ready!" One part of the run made me especially grateful that I went. Toward the end, I passed a cute little blonde boy, about 4 or 5 years old, riding his bike on the sidewalk. As I looked at the end of the street, I saw the Ice Cream Man turn the corner, without music, realizing that this little guy hadn't seen him yet. Within seconds the music started and I saw the boy, simultaneously, throw his bike down, leap about 2 feet from where his bike landed, in a dead run toward the ice cream truck. I laughed so hard I could hardly keep running! It was so adorable, and as I watched this cute little guy, it touched my heart. It reminded me of years ago, another cute little blonde boy named Kai, that I'm sure played out that exact same scenario, the bike dropping and the dead run toward the Ice Cream Man, because the boy NEVER missed the Ice Cream Man. As I ran by, it brought to mind the years that have gone by and how my little guy has grown into a young man, and made me grateful for that memory and that I was out to see it. Oh, and I am hardly sore at all! I loved my run today. I realized that when the weather is nice, I enjoy the runs so much more. So, bring it on!

Whew...so, now that that is all said, and it's "out there", I'm committed, I'm in, I'm ready and I'm going to keep posting my progress. So there... it's still kind of scary (AAACK...I feel so vulnerable...why??), but it feels kind of good to share it. Thanks Heather for the idea and your inspiration and Jerri for your support and encouragement...this will be an interesting adventure!