I'm holding on to run a 5K on April 21st!!! Well, week 8 is over and one! I'm running 28 minutes at a time and loving it. Isn't it so much easier to say that once it's over and the runner's high is in full effect?? Loving to run while running.... well not so much! I tried some different things this week - some worked, some didn't but here's the recap. (Sorry for the length - lots on my mind about running this week!)
Day 1 - Run 28 minutes. First day in the new shoes. Hoping this helps with the pain, calf, knee, and back pain! Last week I could barely walk when I got off the treadmill (Day 3 of week 7); I was advised to get new shoes (among with some other advice) and so I did. They are so light and airy feeling and they seemed to fit better, so I couldn't wait to try them out running. I was nervous about running having been in so much pain, but it seemed to subside by Monday morning and a-running I went. New shoes definitely helped; I don't feel like I'm pounding the treadmill so much anymore. My run went well - I don't remember too much so it must not have been terrific or terrible. I was also able to talk to one of the personal trainers afterward about all the pain I'm having. She showed me some stretches to do for my hips but told me to do them after I warm up. I was told to warm up for a few minutes on the bike, then go stretch and then begin running. She showed me a few other stretches and then told me the pain in my lower back was actually my upper glutes. That seemed to relieve me a bit, at least I'm not injuring my back! She told/showed me that laying on the "half ball" (love my gym equipment terminology?), I can stretch it out. (On another side note, I talked to her about my extremely poor posture that is a result of a extremely weak core, or vice versa. I can't do sit ups without my back killing me. She showed me some other ways to work the abs, standing and also by utilizing a full size ball).
Day 2 - Run 28 minutes. I couldn't run in the morning - Emma had a concert at school. Once Matt woke up, I headed to the gym. The weather was beautiful out and I considered running at the park just to change things up a bit and I was curious to know how well I would do on asphalt compared to the treadmill. Once I realized I don't have a fancy, schmancy belt to hold everything, it was a no go. I mean, how can I run and hold my keys, cell phone and water bottle? I tried to think of what I could leave in the car. Definitely not my keys!! I have an arm band for my iPod so that wasn't an issue to begin with. My cell phone has my app on it to run and while I technically could use the timer on my iPod, I'm one of those people who needs every box checked off to feel successful (OCD, maybe?). And I don't really need the water bottle, I don't usually drink until my cool down anyway. But I just couldn't handle the thought of having my hands full of keys and my phone while running. So I headed to the gym. Plus, had I went to the park I wouldn't have been able to do any additional cardio or do my weights. I tried reading a magazine while running since my playlist is getting O.L.D!!! It actually helped pass the time a bit better. I wasn't reading full articles, just skimming and reading the highlights. I may make this a regular thing but really wishing I had an iPad or Kindle to watch something - watching an episode of Happy Endings or Modern Family would definitely pass the time. I'm finding the monotony of treadmill running the hardest part. I get bored very quickly in and that is what makes me want to quit more than anything - more than how hard it is. It's hard because all I have to look at is an orange wall (or I can look UP and watch TV with no sound, but I have to constantly monitor where I am on the treadmill). I'm realizing I need to update my playlist or I won't make it Friday; I'm also considering downloading a book to listen to. On a TMI sidenote, I actually had to get off the treadmill half way through today. I tried making it not happen since I remember how much worse it is to do intervals, but I HAD to. I tend to eat a lot of fiber and protein since my running adventures and well, the fiber tends to want to work its way out while I'm running. There was nothing I could do... but run to the bathroom. About a month back it was so bad that I had to make sure I went to the bathroom before I ran or I wasn't running.
Day 3 - Run 28 minutes. Let's back up one day, a day before the run. I've been having trouble with my itunes, so I haven't been able to download any music lately but I'm determined to get new music so I start looking for new music and by God's amazing grace my iTunes is working!!! That magazine I read on Day 2 had a playlist in it (Better Homes and Garden had a whole section on healthy living that included running in it - how convenient!!) I downloaded several of the suggestions (walking on sunshine, SexyBack) and a few others. I began looking for books to listen to. I usually read a lot of Christian non-fiction books but I need something that is fast paced and intense! I immediately thought of Brad Meltzer's books. I read several over the summer and they are those books you just can't put down; I read them in only a few days so I thought they would be perfect! Ehhh... not $25 perfect. I wasn't going to download a $25 book, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Plan B. Looking at podcasts I search for Francis Chan - he is one of my favorite pastors. I've read Crazy Love and heard him speak at Catalyst last October. I found several free sermons and paid $3 for a sermon plus 2 songs (that I added to my running playlist - score!). Chan is such an amazing speaker I thought I'll just listen to him the whole time. Two of the sermons were 34 minutes, two were an hour, and some others were shorter. Back to Day 3. At the gym, I warm up on the bike, stretch and begin my run on the treadmill. (I bumped up my speed to 4 mph - still slow but I'm working on it.) I pull up Francis Chan's sermon on "The Joy of Suffering". Excellent, excellent sermon. It was extremely convicting and I love his love for God. But definitely not a treadmill type of audio to listen to. It wasn't fast paced enough and it was 51 minutes long and since I didn't have a way to monitor the time I found myself checking the clock a lot more than I usually do which makes it go slower, waaaay sloooooower. My brain starts telling me to stop and give up more than normal on days like this. I tell my brain to shut up and remind my heart of how much I want this and how great I'll feel that I have finished 8 weeks of freaking running when I'm done. 8 weeks. I've been running for 8 weeks. And it's HARD - harder than I ever imagined. I feel like it should be getting easier and the pain lessening. The pain finds a new place in my body and with each minute I add it's just another minute for my mind to try to out talk my heart. But I won't let my mind win - I want this too badly. I think I'll stick to the music to distract my mind and watch for the price of Brad Meltzer's audio books to drop. *(On a complete side note, two senior citizens were at the gym when I arrived this morning and those little old people were rocking and rolling on the treadmill running at almost 6mph and here I am struggling at 4 - go old people!!!)
I've been logging literally everything that goes into my mouth this week on myfitnesspal.com. If I can't log it (say those few bites of chips while making oven fried chicken out of them), then I don't eat it. It has definitely helped and now that my fitbit is syncing with myfitnesspal and my laptop, it's really helped! I finally feel like I'm making head way on losing weight. I'm learning that I don't eat enough and that may be what contributed to my lack of weight loss recently (or the not eating as "good" on the weekends - especially at Life Group Sunday nights - the night before weigh-in).
I can't believe next week will be the final week. I'll be running for 30 minutes straight. There are only 3 weeks until my 5K and I feel unprepared. In 28 minutes I'm not quite reaching 2 miles - I've still got over a mile to go! I have got to work on my speed; but if all else fails, I'll run for at least 30 minutes like I know I can do and walk the rest if need be. I'm wondering if I should work on running for 3 miles straight and then work on speed or simply work on speed and then I'll eventually get to 3 miles in 30 minutes? I'm proud of myself for how far I've come and for being only a week away from completing the program. I've recommended Couch to 5K to several other new runners that is how much I believe in this program! What a ride it's been but I'm excited for what comes next!
