Week 1 - 5 min warm-up 60 sec run 90 sec walk for 20 minutes
Week 2 - 5 min warm-up 90 sec run 2 min walk for 20 minutes
Week 3 - 5 min warm-up 90 sec run 90 sec walk 3 min run 3 min walk repeat once
Week 4 - 5 min warm-up 3 min run 90 sec walk 5 min run 2.5 min walk repeat once
Week 5 Day 1 - 5 min warm-up 5 min run 3 min walk 5 min run 3 min walk 5 min run
Week 5 Day 2 - 5 min warm-up 8 min run 5 min walk 8 min run
Week 5 Day 3 - 5 min warm-up 20 min run
Week 6 Day 1 - 5 min warm-up 5 min run 3 min walk 8 min run 3 min walk 5 min run
Week 6 Day 2 - 5 min warm-up 10 min run 3 min walk 10 min run
Week 6 Day 3 - 5 min warm-up 25 min run
Week 7 Day 1 -3 - 5 min warm-up 25 min run
Mon - 4.4 mph 1.85 mi
Wed - 4.3 1.79 mi/4.1 1.72 mi
Fri - 4.7 mph 1.94 mi
At the end of today's run I decided I needed to find out exactly how my run is going and not the entire workout. This week is a perfect one to gauge b/c the intervals are not changing every day and there was a dramatic difference in each day. So, the notes above reflect my speed and distance. I couldn't remember exactly where my run ended on Wed so there are two different times and distances to reflect the two places I might have stopped for my cool down. I was shocked and amazed today when my run ended the driveway before my house!! The music I am listening to was giving me a pretty good indication I was making better time but to land at my house at the end was validation.
This has been a rough week for me. There was a strong contrast between Monday, Wed, and Friday's attitude about exercise. Mon was amazing and optimistic and empowering. Tues I did P90x's leg and back - not too big a deal the day of though I knew I would be sore the next day. Wed I was indeed sore but did my run anyway because that has been my mindset - just do it and 'just because I am sore does not mean I am limited'. I was so stiff the rest of the day and walking around New York was exhausting. I loved being with my friend and seeing the sites (MoMA anyone? Original Picasso and Monet paintings...) I thought the walking would help stretch out the stiffness but I didn't really feel any better at the end. Thursday I was supposed to KenpoX but opted to take it easy. I did feel more limber when I got up in the morning but the stiffness returned the rest of the day - especially after sitting long periods of time. My friend and I walked around downtown Princeton and for some reason I was feeling really emotional. Yesterday I had absolutely no desire to exercise. None. I could care less about ever exercising again. Ever. My legs were feeling mostly better though. I knew that I would probably feel better if I just got out and did it, but I didn't. For our FHE activity we played Wii Fit and by the end my glute muscles were sore again. I was totally exhausted and crashed soon after the boys being ready for bed. My alarm went off at 5:15 this morning like usual and I debated getting up and running. I decided to sleep in and finally forced myself to put on my running clothes and shoes and get out. A cold front came through yesterday after all the rain and mugginess the weather feels great.
The run was much better than Wed (as the time suggests) but it did get hard half way through. I thought about giving up but kept at it. The feel to quit has been so tangible this week that I have come to decide that it must be the Adversary. I have been extended a new calling and have felt the weight of it this week and know that giving up in this aspect of my life would only give the darkness more power. There is a battle waging that must be won with perseverance and determination. I will not give up!!
Saturday, September 14, 2013
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Couch to 5K Week 7 day 2/Weigh In
Just a quick update before my day gets busy and I forget.
Today was hard. H. A. R. D. hard. I am really sore from yesterday's legs & back workout added on top of being tired and high humidity in the air when I ran, it was a nasty combo. My pace was a lot slower and I really wanted to give up early on, but I persevered and made it.
My optimism from Mon was totally squished and negative. I know it is only b/c today was so challenging and the positive will return, but for now it feels like doing this 5k is the hardest thing in the world (which it isn't/won't be).
I am spending the day walking around New York with one of my TX friends. I am looking forward to being with her but my body does not feel ready for the demands placed on it today....
Oh, and I didn't lose anything this week. Still 180.1. And my measurements have not changed. If anything they've gotten bigger :/
Today was hard. H. A. R. D. hard. I am really sore from yesterday's legs & back workout added on top of being tired and high humidity in the air when I ran, it was a nasty combo. My pace was a lot slower and I really wanted to give up early on, but I persevered and made it.
My optimism from Mon was totally squished and negative. I know it is only b/c today was so challenging and the positive will return, but for now it feels like doing this 5k is the hardest thing in the world (which it isn't/won't be).
I am spending the day walking around New York with one of my TX friends. I am looking forward to being with her but my body does not feel ready for the demands placed on it today....
Oh, and I didn't lose anything this week. Still 180.1. And my measurements have not changed. If anything they've gotten bigger :/
Monday, September 9, 2013
Couch to 5k Week 7 day 1
Week 1 - 5 min warm-up 60 sec run 90 sec walk for 20 minutes
Week 2 - 5 min warm-up 90 sec run 2 min walk for 20 minutes
Week 3 - 5 min warm-up 90 sec run 90 sec walk 3 min run 3 min walk repeat once
Week 4 - 5 min warm-up 3 min run 90 sec walk 5 min run 2.5 min walk repeat once
Week 5 Day 1 - 5 min warm-up 5 min run 3 min walk 5 min run 3 min walk 5 min run
Week 5 Day 2 - 5 min warm-up 8 min run 5 min walk 8 min run
Week 5 Day 3 - 5 min warm-up 20 min run
Week 6 Day 1 - 5 min warm-up 5 min run 3 min walk 8 min run 3 min walk 5 min run
Week 6 Day 2 - 5 min warm-up 10 min run 3 min walk 10 min run
Week 6 Day 3 - 5 min warm-up 25 min run
Week 7 Day 1 - 5 min warm-up 25 min run
2.44 miles/35 minutes total/4.2 mph
Where to start.... It was the first day of school which meant first day of new routines. When my alarm went off at 5:15 am I really wanted to stay in bed but with the morning plans for breakfast right after the boys got on the bus, I knew I couldn't delay my run. And I knew how I reacted to my alarm would set a precedence that would be hard to break. I finally drug myself out of bed and then all of a sudden I felt awake and ready to face this new challenge.
It is amazing how quickly the sun's habits change. It seemed like just days ago that the sun was bright at 5:30 am, but now it is still dark. It was chilly this morning but I figured I'd warm up enough once I got going. I was right. It was really just about perfect running weather. And it is amazing to be outside while the sun rises. It crested right as I finished my run. It was like a greeting of celebration at my achievement :)
This was the first time I've run without my running buddies. It was kind of weird to go it alone, but at the same time I was excited to see how far I could go without having to run circles or push a kid up a small incline. I figured this would be a truer test of my abilities. I was able to run at a good clip to begin with but about the half way mark I was really feeling the run. I slowed down and was just barely getting one foot in front of the other, but amazingly, once I hit the 15 minute mark I felt empowered to finish. In fact, I even picked up the pace!! I made it all the way around the neighborhood and down the next street, back to our neighborhood and almost to the street before ours before it was time for the cool down. At that point I'd gone 2.15 miles. I was disappointed at this when I mapped it because I didn't think I'd improved my distance. But, once I added the cool down I was pleasantly surprised that I surpassed my previous distances!! I almost made 2.5 miles! And my time went from 3.3 or so to 4.2 (about what my treadmill pace is). Not bad :D
I carry two pouches with me while I run - one to hold my water, phone, and keys and the other to hold the phone with the podcasts. They have a shoulder strap so I carry them across my chest like a messenger bag. I don't like the way the water bangs against me so I hold the pouch in my hand while I run. For some reason I let it go the last 5 minutes and boy what a difference it made!! I was really surprised how much easier and faster I could run without that 'burden' of carrying a water bottle in my hand. I think I may need to figure something else out to carry all my stuff so my hands can be free. There is power in the movement of arms as you run/walk. I have also noticed that since starting these longer timed runs I don't drink as much water. Previously I could down two water bottles in a 20 min walk/run interval. These last two runs I have barely finished one bottle. I am not sure what the difference is. I am almost wondering if I could get away with no water at all, but it really is helpful to get what drinks I do take.
This week we consistently run for 25 minutes before upping to 28 next week. It is amazing to think how far I've come. 1 1/2 minutes was awful. So was 3 minutes. And 5. And 8. But I've done it and done it well. I look forward to completing this challenge and moving on to the next. I am debating redoing the 5k challenge with a focus on speed or moving on to the 10k. Hmm.... Of course with winter on its way it would be easy to give up running, but I hope that with the treadmill in the living room I don't make any excuses.
Oh, funny story. I have been keeping an eye on my weight and inches (as you are aware). I can see small changes but today Matthew was massaging my legs for me and all of a sudden made a somewhat surprised comment about the muscles on my leg/hamstrings. I had to feel for myself because I didn't believe what he was saying. I was shocked to feel my muscles! I know it is silly, but this running is actually toning my legs!! (as it should be, I just hadn't noticed because all I see is the fat I want to have disappear - and this was the back of my legs. I notice muscular legs because that has always been the type of leg that I want. Running might actually get me there - though it is such a gradual process it is hard to detect).
Week 2 - 5 min warm-up 90 sec run 2 min walk for 20 minutes
Week 3 - 5 min warm-up 90 sec run 90 sec walk 3 min run 3 min walk repeat once
Week 4 - 5 min warm-up 3 min run 90 sec walk 5 min run 2.5 min walk repeat once
Week 5 Day 1 - 5 min warm-up 5 min run 3 min walk 5 min run 3 min walk 5 min run
Week 5 Day 2 - 5 min warm-up 8 min run 5 min walk 8 min run
Week 5 Day 3 - 5 min warm-up 20 min run
Week 6 Day 1 - 5 min warm-up 5 min run 3 min walk 8 min run 3 min walk 5 min run
Week 6 Day 2 - 5 min warm-up 10 min run 3 min walk 10 min run
Week 6 Day 3 - 5 min warm-up 25 min run
Week 7 Day 1 - 5 min warm-up 25 min run
2.44 miles/35 minutes total/4.2 mph
Where to start.... It was the first day of school which meant first day of new routines. When my alarm went off at 5:15 am I really wanted to stay in bed but with the morning plans for breakfast right after the boys got on the bus, I knew I couldn't delay my run. And I knew how I reacted to my alarm would set a precedence that would be hard to break. I finally drug myself out of bed and then all of a sudden I felt awake and ready to face this new challenge.
It is amazing how quickly the sun's habits change. It seemed like just days ago that the sun was bright at 5:30 am, but now it is still dark. It was chilly this morning but I figured I'd warm up enough once I got going. I was right. It was really just about perfect running weather. And it is amazing to be outside while the sun rises. It crested right as I finished my run. It was like a greeting of celebration at my achievement :)
This was the first time I've run without my running buddies. It was kind of weird to go it alone, but at the same time I was excited to see how far I could go without having to run circles or push a kid up a small incline. I figured this would be a truer test of my abilities. I was able to run at a good clip to begin with but about the half way mark I was really feeling the run. I slowed down and was just barely getting one foot in front of the other, but amazingly, once I hit the 15 minute mark I felt empowered to finish. In fact, I even picked up the pace!! I made it all the way around the neighborhood and down the next street, back to our neighborhood and almost to the street before ours before it was time for the cool down. At that point I'd gone 2.15 miles. I was disappointed at this when I mapped it because I didn't think I'd improved my distance. But, once I added the cool down I was pleasantly surprised that I surpassed my previous distances!! I almost made 2.5 miles! And my time went from 3.3 or so to 4.2 (about what my treadmill pace is). Not bad :D
I carry two pouches with me while I run - one to hold my water, phone, and keys and the other to hold the phone with the podcasts. They have a shoulder strap so I carry them across my chest like a messenger bag. I don't like the way the water bangs against me so I hold the pouch in my hand while I run. For some reason I let it go the last 5 minutes and boy what a difference it made!! I was really surprised how much easier and faster I could run without that 'burden' of carrying a water bottle in my hand. I think I may need to figure something else out to carry all my stuff so my hands can be free. There is power in the movement of arms as you run/walk. I have also noticed that since starting these longer timed runs I don't drink as much water. Previously I could down two water bottles in a 20 min walk/run interval. These last two runs I have barely finished one bottle. I am not sure what the difference is. I am almost wondering if I could get away with no water at all, but it really is helpful to get what drinks I do take.
This week we consistently run for 25 minutes before upping to 28 next week. It is amazing to think how far I've come. 1 1/2 minutes was awful. So was 3 minutes. And 5. And 8. But I've done it and done it well. I look forward to completing this challenge and moving on to the next. I am debating redoing the 5k challenge with a focus on speed or moving on to the 10k. Hmm.... Of course with winter on its way it would be easy to give up running, but I hope that with the treadmill in the living room I don't make any excuses.
Oh, funny story. I have been keeping an eye on my weight and inches (as you are aware). I can see small changes but today Matthew was massaging my legs for me and all of a sudden made a somewhat surprised comment about the muscles on my leg/hamstrings. I had to feel for myself because I didn't believe what he was saying. I was shocked to feel my muscles! I know it is silly, but this running is actually toning my legs!! (as it should be, I just hadn't noticed because all I see is the fat I want to have disappear - and this was the back of my legs. I notice muscular legs because that has always been the type of leg that I want. Running might actually get me there - though it is such a gradual process it is hard to detect).
Friday, September 6, 2013
Week 1 - 5 min warm-up 60 sec run 90 sec walk for 20 minutes
Week 2 - 5 min warm-up 90 sec run 2 min walk for 20 minutes
Week 3 - 5 min warm-up 90 sec run 90 sec walk 3 min run 3 min walk repeat once
Week 4 - 5 min warm-up 3 min run 90 sec walk 5 min run 2.5 min walk repeat once
Week 5 Day 1 - 5 min warm-up 5 min run 3 min walk 5 min run 3 min walk 5 min run
Week 5 Day 2 - 5 min warm-up 8 min run 5 min walk 8 min run
Week 5 Day 3 - 5 min warm-up 20 min run
Week 6 Day 1 - 5 min warm-up 5 min run 3 min walk 8 min run 3 min walk 5 min run
Week 6 Day 2 - 5 min warm-up 10 min run 3 min walk 10 min run
Week 6 Day 3 - 5 min warm-up 25 min run
2.25 mi/43 min (including 5 min warm-up and 9 min cool down)
Wow!! I am in amazement. First of all, I was surprised when the podcast said we were running for 25 min because for some reason I had it in my head that it was only 22. Second, I did not feel like I was dying by the end. In fact, I felt amazing! Maybe part of that was knowing that Matthew would be driving up any minute and my general attitude was a positive one, but I think I was prepared for the run and handled it well. We've had fall weather this weeks which also helps. It is a nice dry climate and refreshingly cool. Perfect running weather :)
It was my intent to run first thing this morning but the boys were being sluggish and I had a long list of work to do around the house. I was concerned that I'd be drained afterward and was willing to put the run off til the evening. Unfortunately the sun is setting sooner now and though two weeks ago it would have still been light when we left, we were definitely in the dark coming home. Aaron decided he did not like riding in the dark. Good news for him because once school starts all runs will be in the morning and bike rides can happen after school.
One of the mental games I played tonight was comparing my location to Wed when I ran for 10 min thinking that when I got to that place I'd be close to 10 minutes. Either I was running faster today or my memory was off because when I hit that spot I'd only been going for 5 minutes. I think I did start at a faster clip today and realized that I needed to check my pace or I'd burn out pretty quick. I did slow down after the half way mark but then was able to speed up again at the end.
Running in the evening increases the chance that people will be out and about in the neighborhood. I had to laugh to myself when a few people commented that I'd never be able to catch up with my boys who were biking up ahead of me. It is a 'win' to me because at the beginning of summer Aaron couldn't keep up with me! One of my goals was for us to be active and exercise regularly. I think we have definitely achieved that goal and Aaron especially has gotten stronger. I don't know that he could keep up with me on foot, but even biking requires leg power so I think he'd be better off now than when we started 3 months ago. Thankfully I haven't had to worry to much about the distance between the boys and I because almost always one of them is waiting just around the corner. I am pleased that Jared waits for us instead of zooming so far ahead that we can't catch up. He does circles around us or pulls off and waits for us to catch up. Aaron takes enough natural breaks that I end up passing him or running circles around him until he gets his zoom going again.
Chubby Jones always says the right thing on her podcast. One of her initial comments was recognizing that this run will be hard, but every week has been hard and yet we did it! So we can do this one too. Hard to believe that I have completed week 6. Only two more weeks to go!!
Week 2 - 5 min warm-up 90 sec run 2 min walk for 20 minutes
Week 3 - 5 min warm-up 90 sec run 90 sec walk 3 min run 3 min walk repeat once
Week 4 - 5 min warm-up 3 min run 90 sec walk 5 min run 2.5 min walk repeat once
Week 5 Day 1 - 5 min warm-up 5 min run 3 min walk 5 min run 3 min walk 5 min run
Week 5 Day 2 - 5 min warm-up 8 min run 5 min walk 8 min run
Week 5 Day 3 - 5 min warm-up 20 min run
Week 6 Day 1 - 5 min warm-up 5 min run 3 min walk 8 min run 3 min walk 5 min run
Week 6 Day 2 - 5 min warm-up 10 min run 3 min walk 10 min run
Week 6 Day 3 - 5 min warm-up 25 min run
2.25 mi/43 min (including 5 min warm-up and 9 min cool down)
Wow!! I am in amazement. First of all, I was surprised when the podcast said we were running for 25 min because for some reason I had it in my head that it was only 22. Second, I did not feel like I was dying by the end. In fact, I felt amazing! Maybe part of that was knowing that Matthew would be driving up any minute and my general attitude was a positive one, but I think I was prepared for the run and handled it well. We've had fall weather this weeks which also helps. It is a nice dry climate and refreshingly cool. Perfect running weather :)
It was my intent to run first thing this morning but the boys were being sluggish and I had a long list of work to do around the house. I was concerned that I'd be drained afterward and was willing to put the run off til the evening. Unfortunately the sun is setting sooner now and though two weeks ago it would have still been light when we left, we were definitely in the dark coming home. Aaron decided he did not like riding in the dark. Good news for him because once school starts all runs will be in the morning and bike rides can happen after school.
One of the mental games I played tonight was comparing my location to Wed when I ran for 10 min thinking that when I got to that place I'd be close to 10 minutes. Either I was running faster today or my memory was off because when I hit that spot I'd only been going for 5 minutes. I think I did start at a faster clip today and realized that I needed to check my pace or I'd burn out pretty quick. I did slow down after the half way mark but then was able to speed up again at the end.
Running in the evening increases the chance that people will be out and about in the neighborhood. I had to laugh to myself when a few people commented that I'd never be able to catch up with my boys who were biking up ahead of me. It is a 'win' to me because at the beginning of summer Aaron couldn't keep up with me! One of my goals was for us to be active and exercise regularly. I think we have definitely achieved that goal and Aaron especially has gotten stronger. I don't know that he could keep up with me on foot, but even biking requires leg power so I think he'd be better off now than when we started 3 months ago. Thankfully I haven't had to worry to much about the distance between the boys and I because almost always one of them is waiting just around the corner. I am pleased that Jared waits for us instead of zooming so far ahead that we can't catch up. He does circles around us or pulls off and waits for us to catch up. Aaron takes enough natural breaks that I end up passing him or running circles around him until he gets his zoom going again.
Chubby Jones always says the right thing on her podcast. One of her initial comments was recognizing that this run will be hard, but every week has been hard and yet we did it! So we can do this one too. Hard to believe that I have completed week 6. Only two more weeks to go!!
Bad omen
Woke up at 5 am for a potty break and realized I felt a little dizzy. Three hours later and I'm still feeling it. I think I may have been dragging yesterday for more reason that I realized. There is so much I want to get done today I don't have time to be sick!! Bad timing: run day and Matthew comes home today.
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Yoga - Ex
Well, what was meant to be a day full of life was just a day of good intentions. Kind of.
It started off well enough. I woke Jared up and encouraged him to come exercise with me. He followed me to the basement and sat watching while I started up YogaX. He decided to join me at one point, though he quickly got bored and moved on. I was getting bored too and ready to move on. Especially after I realized that the video was still an HOUR and TWENTY MINUTES to go!!! aye yie yie!! My arms were tired and I just wanted to quit. I stopped the video and debated. I checked the pamphlet to figure out whether I should keep going or not. I started it again and went another 10 minutes. I checked the clock. Finally I decided I was done. I didn't want to spend another hour exercising. Especially yoga exercising. It was intense in its own right. It was amazing to just sit and watch their flexibility, stamina and strength.
I am not sure how I feel about quitting the video. Part of me did not want to quit because that could make me feel like I had permission to quit other regimens (especially when our schedule is about to get shaken up anyway with Matthew's return and the start of school). I think the biggest reason I did quit was the time commitment. Had I realized that it was a much longer video, I would have either started earlier or skipped it today. I wanted to finish it and even thought maybe I'd go back to it later in the day (didn't). It was really hard on my arms. They were feeling the burn. I recognize that it won't get easier if I don't practice it though.
I got showered and dressed fairly quickly after going back upstairs and then something happened. All my energy deflated. Perhaps it was because I had chosen to take a meal to a family who'd recently had a baby but there were corn allergies to contend with it. After doing some research on google, it was really overwhelming to think about catering to such a demanding allergy. Corn is in EVERYTHING!! It turned out just fine and it was probably the simplest dinner I'd made for an occasion like this, but it just sapped my energy and will power. Before I knew it it was 1 pm and we hadn't even had breakfast :/ Thankfully I had to take the dinner otherwise I don't think we would have made it out of the house today. We didn't even ride bikes. This was a first (not counting Sunday but it was raining).
Tomorrow is running day. Big running day. From now on there are no more walking breaks. I've got this covered though, right? right..... positive thinking (she says as she lies in bed knowing she should be asleep because its going to be a L-O-N-G day tomorrow and she already has zero energy)
It started off well enough. I woke Jared up and encouraged him to come exercise with me. He followed me to the basement and sat watching while I started up YogaX. He decided to join me at one point, though he quickly got bored and moved on. I was getting bored too and ready to move on. Especially after I realized that the video was still an HOUR and TWENTY MINUTES to go!!! aye yie yie!! My arms were tired and I just wanted to quit. I stopped the video and debated. I checked the pamphlet to figure out whether I should keep going or not. I started it again and went another 10 minutes. I checked the clock. Finally I decided I was done. I didn't want to spend another hour exercising. Especially yoga exercising. It was intense in its own right. It was amazing to just sit and watch their flexibility, stamina and strength.
I am not sure how I feel about quitting the video. Part of me did not want to quit because that could make me feel like I had permission to quit other regimens (especially when our schedule is about to get shaken up anyway with Matthew's return and the start of school). I think the biggest reason I did quit was the time commitment. Had I realized that it was a much longer video, I would have either started earlier or skipped it today. I wanted to finish it and even thought maybe I'd go back to it later in the day (didn't). It was really hard on my arms. They were feeling the burn. I recognize that it won't get easier if I don't practice it though.
I got showered and dressed fairly quickly after going back upstairs and then something happened. All my energy deflated. Perhaps it was because I had chosen to take a meal to a family who'd recently had a baby but there were corn allergies to contend with it. After doing some research on google, it was really overwhelming to think about catering to such a demanding allergy. Corn is in EVERYTHING!! It turned out just fine and it was probably the simplest dinner I'd made for an occasion like this, but it just sapped my energy and will power. Before I knew it it was 1 pm and we hadn't even had breakfast :/ Thankfully I had to take the dinner otherwise I don't think we would have made it out of the house today. We didn't even ride bikes. This was a first (not counting Sunday but it was raining).
Tomorrow is running day. Big running day. From now on there are no more walking breaks. I've got this covered though, right? right..... positive thinking (she says as she lies in bed knowing she should be asleep because its going to be a L-O-N-G day tomorrow and she already has zero energy)
Couch to 5k Week 6 day 2
Week 1 - 5 min warm-up 60 sec run 90 sec walk for 20 minutes
Week 2 - 5 min warm-up 90 sec run 2 min walk for 20 minutes
Week 3 - 5 min warm-up 90 sec run 90 sec walk 3 min run 3 min walk repeat once
Week 4 - 5 min warm-up 3 min run 90 sec walk 5 min run 2.5 min walk repeat once
Week 5 Day 1 - 5 min warm-up 5 min run 3 min walk 5 min run 3 min walk 5 min run
Week 5 Day 2 - 5 min warm-up 8 min run 5 min walk 8 min run
Week 5 Day 3 - 5 min warm-up 20 min run
Week 6 Day 1 - 5 min warm-up 5 min run 3 min walk 8 min run 3 min walk 5 min run
Week 6 Day 2 - 5 in warm-up 10 min run 3 min walk 10 min run
2.12 miles/36 min
Mentally it is easier for me to run somewhere, not in a circle or on a treadmill. I like to see progress. Today the boys rode their bikes while I ran the neighborhood. Though it was challenging and my sore legs ached, I think it was actually easier than when I run on the treadmill. We went roughly 2.12 miles, give or take with the back tracking required when travelling with a 6 yr old. I had 5 min left of running when we got to the end of our neighborhood so we just followed the sidewalk on out of it and made it to the next neighborhood culdesac. We didn't go down that street, but I think if we had the timing would have worked out so that I got to our house right at the end of my time. Instead we cut across the top and headed home only to discover I had 2 min of walking cool down to go still.
Tomorrow morning - Yoga X
Week 2 - 5 min warm-up 90 sec run 2 min walk for 20 minutes
Week 3 - 5 min warm-up 90 sec run 90 sec walk 3 min run 3 min walk repeat once
Week 4 - 5 min warm-up 3 min run 90 sec walk 5 min run 2.5 min walk repeat once
Week 5 Day 1 - 5 min warm-up 5 min run 3 min walk 5 min run 3 min walk 5 min run
Week 5 Day 2 - 5 min warm-up 8 min run 5 min walk 8 min run
Week 5 Day 3 - 5 min warm-up 20 min run
Week 6 Day 1 - 5 min warm-up 5 min run 3 min walk 8 min run 3 min walk 5 min run
Week 6 Day 2 - 5 in warm-up 10 min run 3 min walk 10 min run
2.12 miles/36 min
Mentally it is easier for me to run somewhere, not in a circle or on a treadmill. I like to see progress. Today the boys rode their bikes while I ran the neighborhood. Though it was challenging and my sore legs ached, I think it was actually easier than when I run on the treadmill. We went roughly 2.12 miles, give or take with the back tracking required when travelling with a 6 yr old. I had 5 min left of running when we got to the end of our neighborhood so we just followed the sidewalk on out of it and made it to the next neighborhood culdesac. We didn't go down that street, but I think if we had the timing would have worked out so that I got to our house right at the end of my time. Instead we cut across the top and headed home only to discover I had 2 min of walking cool down to go still.
Tomorrow morning - Yoga X
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
"I want to be a missionary!!"
I want to write this down so I don't forget it.
Aaron is assigned a talk in Primary this Sunday on the topic: I will serve God with all my heart, might, mind, and strength. We've been having an ongoing discussion when we sit at the table about the topic. We've broken down what each of those words mean and today I asked Aaron if he could think of someone from the scriptures who served God with all their heart, might, mind, and strength. He immediately thought of Ammon protecting King Lamoni's sheep.
I traced the story back to the very beginning and had the boys recall exactly who Ammon was: the son of King Mosiah (which means he was a prince) and we meet him along with his brothers and friend Alma, the prophet's son, as they go around trying to destroy the Church. One day an angel comes to them and asks why they are trying to destroy God's church. The experience is life changing for them. In an effort to truly repent, they go about trying to repair the damage they made in their rebellion. They even go so far as to want to be missionaries to their enemies, the Lamanites. King Mosiah offers each one of his sons the opportunity to be the next king, but each turns him down choosing instead to bring people to Christ.
Think of this, they chose serving God over being a ruler. This decision effected their ENTIRE society and even their world. Following King Mosiah's reign, their government body changed into more of a republic like ours. They established the election of a chief judge to rule but also another panel of judges to offer a checks and balances. In addition, because of their work among the Lamanites, many people (including some of the Lamanites' own leadership) turned to the Lord and these new Saints played a really important part in later history.
So the sons of Mosiah and Alma go to the Lamanites to serve a mission. Ammon happens to land up in King Lamoni's land. King Lamoni asks him what he is doing there and why. Ammon responds that he wants to live there, possibly for the rest of his life. The king likes this answer and even offers one of his daughters for a wife. I wondered if there was something about Ammon to indicate he was a prince for the king to offer one of his daughters, a princess, to be his wife. Ammon declines and says, nope. I want to serve you.
One of his first assignments is to help water the king's flocks. (And this is the part that is Aaron's favorite story of all time). While there at the waters, another group of Lamanite robbers scatter the flocks. Ammon's fellow servants are beside themselves because historically, King Lamoni kills the servants who let the flocks get scattered. The robbers know this and do it for sport. Ammon recognizes this as an opportunity to show the Lord's power. He takes command of the situation and tells the other servants to gather the flocks back up and encircle them so that they don't scatter. (Incidentally I saw this in action on a farm with sheep. As long as people were spread around the sheep with arms out wide encircling them, they felt enclosed and did not bolt. Once they saw on opening they would make a break for it). When the robbers try to scatter the flocks again, Ammon defends them with his sling and sword. He chops the arms off of those who seek to kill him and finally when they realize they could not overpower him, they run away. Pretty dramatic experience I think. The servants thought so too and when their flocks were watered, they gathered the arms to take back to the king as proof of the story. Ammon just humbly goes on to his next assignment. I drove home the point that Ammon was so obedient that he did not forget or get distracted or do whatever he wanted to do before moving on to his next task.
After the servants present the king with all the arms, Lamoni wonders where Ammon is now. They tell him that he is preparing his chariots like he was told. King Lamoni is so impressed with Ammon's faithfulness and obedience that he calls Ammon to him and wants to know exactly who he is and what power he has because he seems like a god. Ammon tells him he is only a man, but then teaches who God is as well as the plan of salvation. King Lamoni believes him. Further experiences with Ammon then allow King Lamoni's father to hear the gospel and accept it. Between Ammon, his brothers, and Alma, a large group of Lamanites eventually become converted and become a great source of strength to the Nephites.
So to recap, how did Ammon serve God with all his heart, might, mind, and strength? He chose to serve as a missionary instead of a ruler and as a result of his obedience and service, protected people, brought them to Christ and changed their society. At this point, Aaron got really excited and started shouting, "I want to be a missionary!! I want to be a missionary!!" ahh, music to my ears
To read the story directly, here is a link to the chapters in Mosiah and Alma: Mosiah 27, 28, 29, Alma 17-27
I love summer. I love this time with my children. Once school starts it is all hussle and bussle of homework. Summer gives us a chance to actually be together and utelize that time for teaching opportunities. I hope Aaron remembers that feeling of excitement and desire to be an influence for good. I hope Jared caught a feeling of vision from this conversation as well.
Aaron is assigned a talk in Primary this Sunday on the topic: I will serve God with all my heart, might, mind, and strength. We've been having an ongoing discussion when we sit at the table about the topic. We've broken down what each of those words mean and today I asked Aaron if he could think of someone from the scriptures who served God with all their heart, might, mind, and strength. He immediately thought of Ammon protecting King Lamoni's sheep.
I traced the story back to the very beginning and had the boys recall exactly who Ammon was: the son of King Mosiah (which means he was a prince) and we meet him along with his brothers and friend Alma, the prophet's son, as they go around trying to destroy the Church. One day an angel comes to them and asks why they are trying to destroy God's church. The experience is life changing for them. In an effort to truly repent, they go about trying to repair the damage they made in their rebellion. They even go so far as to want to be missionaries to their enemies, the Lamanites. King Mosiah offers each one of his sons the opportunity to be the next king, but each turns him down choosing instead to bring people to Christ.
Think of this, they chose serving God over being a ruler. This decision effected their ENTIRE society and even their world. Following King Mosiah's reign, their government body changed into more of a republic like ours. They established the election of a chief judge to rule but also another panel of judges to offer a checks and balances. In addition, because of their work among the Lamanites, many people (including some of the Lamanites' own leadership) turned to the Lord and these new Saints played a really important part in later history.
So the sons of Mosiah and Alma go to the Lamanites to serve a mission. Ammon happens to land up in King Lamoni's land. King Lamoni asks him what he is doing there and why. Ammon responds that he wants to live there, possibly for the rest of his life. The king likes this answer and even offers one of his daughters for a wife. I wondered if there was something about Ammon to indicate he was a prince for the king to offer one of his daughters, a princess, to be his wife. Ammon declines and says, nope. I want to serve you.
One of his first assignments is to help water the king's flocks. (And this is the part that is Aaron's favorite story of all time). While there at the waters, another group of Lamanite robbers scatter the flocks. Ammon's fellow servants are beside themselves because historically, King Lamoni kills the servants who let the flocks get scattered. The robbers know this and do it for sport. Ammon recognizes this as an opportunity to show the Lord's power. He takes command of the situation and tells the other servants to gather the flocks back up and encircle them so that they don't scatter. (Incidentally I saw this in action on a farm with sheep. As long as people were spread around the sheep with arms out wide encircling them, they felt enclosed and did not bolt. Once they saw on opening they would make a break for it). When the robbers try to scatter the flocks again, Ammon defends them with his sling and sword. He chops the arms off of those who seek to kill him and finally when they realize they could not overpower him, they run away. Pretty dramatic experience I think. The servants thought so too and when their flocks were watered, they gathered the arms to take back to the king as proof of the story. Ammon just humbly goes on to his next assignment. I drove home the point that Ammon was so obedient that he did not forget or get distracted or do whatever he wanted to do before moving on to his next task.
After the servants present the king with all the arms, Lamoni wonders where Ammon is now. They tell him that he is preparing his chariots like he was told. King Lamoni is so impressed with Ammon's faithfulness and obedience that he calls Ammon to him and wants to know exactly who he is and what power he has because he seems like a god. Ammon tells him he is only a man, but then teaches who God is as well as the plan of salvation. King Lamoni believes him. Further experiences with Ammon then allow King Lamoni's father to hear the gospel and accept it. Between Ammon, his brothers, and Alma, a large group of Lamanites eventually become converted and become a great source of strength to the Nephites.
So to recap, how did Ammon serve God with all his heart, might, mind, and strength? He chose to serve as a missionary instead of a ruler and as a result of his obedience and service, protected people, brought them to Christ and changed their society. At this point, Aaron got really excited and started shouting, "I want to be a missionary!! I want to be a missionary!!" ahh, music to my ears
To read the story directly, here is a link to the chapters in Mosiah and Alma: Mosiah 27, 28, 29, Alma 17-27
I love summer. I love this time with my children. Once school starts it is all hussle and bussle of homework. Summer gives us a chance to actually be together and utelize that time for teaching opportunities. I hope Aaron remembers that feeling of excitement and desire to be an influence for good. I hope Jared caught a feeling of vision from this conversation as well.
Summer challenge Week 10 Weigh in
week 10 180.1
week 9 182.3
week 8 181.9
week 7 182.3
Week 3: 174.6
Week 2: 175.9
Week 1: 176.6
Well, when I consider that 3 months ago I was four pounds lighter, it feels discouraging to be 180 but the fact that I am down two pounds is good. I weighed the exact same on Saturday so the consistency is also encouraging. I think I may be in better physical shape at this point even if the actual weight is greater.
Today I went for it and did the Shoulders & Back p90X video as well as the Ab Ripper X. The whole time he tells us to set goals and write it down. Well, I didn't write it down but I know I can improve. I used a resistant band instead of dumb bells though I would have liked having weights for freer movement. Ab Ripper was hard. I did a lot of modifying because my core just isn't strong enough to make it through the number of reps or even some of the basic moves. But, I will get stronger and eventually be able to do it all. My shoulders and arms are feeling weak at this point.
I was typing this last night and fell asleep. This morning I am definitely feeling it. My abs hurt and my arms. Going to stretch out the kinks and hit the ground running!
week 9 182.3
week 8 181.9
week 7 182.3
Week 3: 174.6
Week 2: 175.9
Week 1: 176.6
Well, when I consider that 3 months ago I was four pounds lighter, it feels discouraging to be 180 but the fact that I am down two pounds is good. I weighed the exact same on Saturday so the consistency is also encouraging. I think I may be in better physical shape at this point even if the actual weight is greater.
Today I went for it and did the Shoulders & Back p90X video as well as the Ab Ripper X. The whole time he tells us to set goals and write it down. Well, I didn't write it down but I know I can improve. I used a resistant band instead of dumb bells though I would have liked having weights for freer movement. Ab Ripper was hard. I did a lot of modifying because my core just isn't strong enough to make it through the number of reps or even some of the basic moves. But, I will get stronger and eventually be able to do it all. My shoulders and arms are feeling weak at this point.
I was typing this last night and fell asleep. This morning I am definitely feeling it. My abs hurt and my arms. Going to stretch out the kinks and hit the ground running!
Monday, September 2, 2013
Bike Riding It
I am so proud of my boys!! Three weeks ago Aaron could barely ride a bike and today we went on a two hour/3.21 mile bike ride!!! WOOHOO!!! Our first real bike trip :) They did amazing. Our goal was to get to the WaWa, but then we did a little bit of exploring and pushed it to the limit. Aaron was dragging by the end, but overall, he did fantastic. Jared said he didn't feel tired at all so kudos to him too! We were able to stay on sidewalks up until the very last bit. I was really nervous and apprehensive about riding on the street but for the most part they stuck to the curb. I can generally trust Jared to use good judgment when it comes to being on the street, but Aaron is a wildcard and scared me. Except for a small moment, he did good staying on the safe side. Jared would love to do it again tomorrow, but I think we'll have to give Aaron a day of rest. We'll see though.
Couch to 5k Week 6 day 1
Week 1 - 5 min warm-up 60 sec run 90 sec walk for 20 minutes
Week 2 - 5 min warm-up 90 sec run 2 min walk for 20 minutes
Week 3 - 5 min warm-up 90 sec run 90 sec walk 3 min run 3 min walk repeat once
Week 4 - 5 min warm-up 3 min run 90 sec walk 5 min run 2.5 min walk repeat once
Week 5 Day 1 - 5 min warm-up 5 min run 3 min walk 5 min run 3 min walk 5 min run
Week 5 Day 2 - 5 min warm-up 8 min run 5 min walk 8 min run
Week 5 Day 3 - 5 min warm-up 20 min run
Week 6 Day 1 - 5 min warm-up 5 min run 3 min walk 8 min run 3 min walk 5 min run
End mileage: 2.25 miles in 34 min (both warm-up and cool down included)
Despite my optimism about being able to successfully finish the C25K program and the 'ease' of today's interval, I was nervous about running today. My knees and left ankle have been a little tender. I am not sure if it was Fri's run or the storms that have been moving in and out all weekend. My ankle is especially sensitive now that I am finished. I am wondering if the balega running socks with their tube on the ankle to keep them from sliding down into the shoe (which is a brilliant feature) is tightening around my ankle and effecting it. It isn't happening on my right side though so maybe not. However, it is my left foot that has been giving me problems since getting real running shoes. Last week I had a bruise there too so obviously something is going on. As I ran I thought about maybe wrapping my left ankle to give it some extra support.
Joint issues aside, I tried to step this run up. I did it on the treadmill (and wondered if the cushion would help my joints too) and upped my run speed to 4.5 mph with a decent incline. The other times 4.3 were my limit. It is a small difference, but I had also dipped my speeds down to 4.0 by the end and my walks to 3.0 from 3.5. I did not want to dip my speed this time, so as I tired I decreased the incline until I was flat and it certainly made the run easier. If I ran the neighborhood there'd be declines as well as inclines so I didn't feel like I was really cheating to do that. The last minute of the final run I decided to punch it and got it up to 5.5 mph. woohoo!! I really wanted to make it to 2 miles before the cool down. I was really close but missed it by .02 miles. Not bad. Just for a mental note, I went .25 miles by the end of the warmup. When I put my final mileage and time into sparkpeople, it gave me an average of 3.75 mph which is a 16 min mile. I will take that because last week it was 3.3 mph and an 18 min mile. woohoo!! Progess :)
Wed we have 10 min intervals with a walk in the middle. The 8 minute run was hard, but once I can get to the half-way mark I seem to be ok. Those first two minutes are always a killer b/c I feel tired but still have so long to go before I'm done.
Last night I almost committed myself to the 5K on Sept 28th but decided to put it off until I had Matthew's full support b/c it would mean committing him too. We have some other responsibilities that day so we'll see how it turns out. I have until the 20th to register. I am kind of exciting about the prospect though.
****
Cross-training -
I didn't do my P90x videos Thurs or Sat :/ I do not want to lose the momentum but I am going to have to really focus my determination to keep it. These sore joints are a big hurdle. I will say that we have been pretty faithful at riding our bikes though which is better than doing nothing. Today is the last day the pool is open, but it is raining so we'll see if we can end our summer with a (pool) splash.
Week 2 - 5 min warm-up 90 sec run 2 min walk for 20 minutes
Week 3 - 5 min warm-up 90 sec run 90 sec walk 3 min run 3 min walk repeat once
Week 4 - 5 min warm-up 3 min run 90 sec walk 5 min run 2.5 min walk repeat once
Week 5 Day 1 - 5 min warm-up 5 min run 3 min walk 5 min run 3 min walk 5 min run
Week 5 Day 2 - 5 min warm-up 8 min run 5 min walk 8 min run
Week 5 Day 3 - 5 min warm-up 20 min run
Week 6 Day 1 - 5 min warm-up 5 min run 3 min walk 8 min run 3 min walk 5 min run
End mileage: 2.25 miles in 34 min (both warm-up and cool down included)
Despite my optimism about being able to successfully finish the C25K program and the 'ease' of today's interval, I was nervous about running today. My knees and left ankle have been a little tender. I am not sure if it was Fri's run or the storms that have been moving in and out all weekend. My ankle is especially sensitive now that I am finished. I am wondering if the balega running socks with their tube on the ankle to keep them from sliding down into the shoe (which is a brilliant feature) is tightening around my ankle and effecting it. It isn't happening on my right side though so maybe not. However, it is my left foot that has been giving me problems since getting real running shoes. Last week I had a bruise there too so obviously something is going on. As I ran I thought about maybe wrapping my left ankle to give it some extra support.
Joint issues aside, I tried to step this run up. I did it on the treadmill (and wondered if the cushion would help my joints too) and upped my run speed to 4.5 mph with a decent incline. The other times 4.3 were my limit. It is a small difference, but I had also dipped my speeds down to 4.0 by the end and my walks to 3.0 from 3.5. I did not want to dip my speed this time, so as I tired I decreased the incline until I was flat and it certainly made the run easier. If I ran the neighborhood there'd be declines as well as inclines so I didn't feel like I was really cheating to do that. The last minute of the final run I decided to punch it and got it up to 5.5 mph. woohoo!! I really wanted to make it to 2 miles before the cool down. I was really close but missed it by .02 miles. Not bad. Just for a mental note, I went .25 miles by the end of the warmup. When I put my final mileage and time into sparkpeople, it gave me an average of 3.75 mph which is a 16 min mile. I will take that because last week it was 3.3 mph and an 18 min mile. woohoo!! Progess :)
Wed we have 10 min intervals with a walk in the middle. The 8 minute run was hard, but once I can get to the half-way mark I seem to be ok. Those first two minutes are always a killer b/c I feel tired but still have so long to go before I'm done.
Last night I almost committed myself to the 5K on Sept 28th but decided to put it off until I had Matthew's full support b/c it would mean committing him too. We have some other responsibilities that day so we'll see how it turns out. I have until the 20th to register. I am kind of exciting about the prospect though.
****
Cross-training -
I didn't do my P90x videos Thurs or Sat :/ I do not want to lose the momentum but I am going to have to really focus my determination to keep it. These sore joints are a big hurdle. I will say that we have been pretty faithful at riding our bikes though which is better than doing nothing. Today is the last day the pool is open, but it is raining so we'll see if we can end our summer with a (pool) splash.
Friday, August 30, 2013
Couch to 5K Week 5 Day 3
Week 1 - 5 min warm-up 60 sec run 90 sec walk for 20 minutes
Week 2 - 5 min warm-up 90 sec run 2 min walk for 20 minutes
Week 3 - 5 min warm-up 90 sec run 90 sec walk 3 min run 3 min walk repeat once
Week 4 - 5 min warm-up 3 min run 90 sec walk 5 min run 2.5 min walk repeat once
Week 5 Day 1 - 5 min warm-up 5 min run 3 min walk 5 min run 3 min walk 5 min run
Week 5 Day 2 - 5 min warm-up 8 min run 5 min walk 8 min run
Week 5 Day 3 - 5 min warm-up 20 min run
Once again, I survived!! It was not easy. I don't know that it was any harder than any other hard run though. When my first 2 minutes passed, I wondered how I could possibly run for a total of 20 minutes. I was grateful for chubby jones' updates. When I hit 5 minutes I thought about how easy 5 minutes was on Wed but getting those next 3 were hard. Pretty soon 8 minutes had passed and I remembered that I was able to do the first 8 minutes on Wed and really was grateful for the walk. I wanted to walk at that point and really considered taking a short break, but I didn't. I kept my feet going even when they wanted to stop. When I got the more than half way there notice, it was like a rejuvenation. At the 5 minutes left I had to tell myself that I could run for 5 minutes. Then 2 1/2 minutes. It was a L-O-N-G 2 1/2 minutes, but when she did the final 10 second count down it was sweet relief!!! When I changed to a walk my legs almost went out from under me. But I did it. It felt SO good to walk home.
Some other notes about the experience...
I had wanted to go earlier in the day, but time got away from me and had to do it in the evening. By the time we got out the door the sun was setting. The boys were on their bikes and we headed to the parking lot that has become our go-to for bike riding. I ran in circles while they did their bikes. I was concerned about being there in the dark. It doesn't bother me as much on a bike b/c I know we could make a quick get-away or if something happened to the boys I could get to them quickly. Not so much on foot. I run like a snail so if we were in danger, we were out of luck - at least I certainly would be. Normally there is no one around when we go but tonight there was a man sitting on one of the curbs smoking a cigarette. Thankfully he left at some point but it was a little unsettling. We need to make sure and get our outing in before the sun sets. I had a hard time seeing the boys on their bikes too which is unsafe in and of itself.
Now that I am sitting as I update, I can feel my left knee whining at me. We'll see how it holds up tomorrow.
I was supposed to do chest and back and ab ripperX yesterday for my video but I sabotaged myself by staying up til 2. When I woke up at 7 I was absolutely wiped out. I really paid for it when I then worked all day (7 hours of cleaning!!!) I still had hangover tired today and considered not exercising again, but knew that if I didn't all my motivation would have vanished. I tried not to think about running for 20 minutes only that my run needed done for the day. I think that helped with the motivation. I am trying to decide if I should skip yesterday's video or go ahead and do it tomorrow. My left shoulder socket was bothering me by the time I went to bed from all the vacuuming and scrubbing and I think the video will be a lot of weight lifting which could irritate the joint even more. I'll figure it out tomorrow though I guess.
Week 2 - 5 min warm-up 90 sec run 2 min walk for 20 minutes
Week 3 - 5 min warm-up 90 sec run 90 sec walk 3 min run 3 min walk repeat once
Week 4 - 5 min warm-up 3 min run 90 sec walk 5 min run 2.5 min walk repeat once
Week 5 Day 1 - 5 min warm-up 5 min run 3 min walk 5 min run 3 min walk 5 min run
Week 5 Day 2 - 5 min warm-up 8 min run 5 min walk 8 min run
Week 5 Day 3 - 5 min warm-up 20 min run
Once again, I survived!! It was not easy. I don't know that it was any harder than any other hard run though. When my first 2 minutes passed, I wondered how I could possibly run for a total of 20 minutes. I was grateful for chubby jones' updates. When I hit 5 minutes I thought about how easy 5 minutes was on Wed but getting those next 3 were hard. Pretty soon 8 minutes had passed and I remembered that I was able to do the first 8 minutes on Wed and really was grateful for the walk. I wanted to walk at that point and really considered taking a short break, but I didn't. I kept my feet going even when they wanted to stop. When I got the more than half way there notice, it was like a rejuvenation. At the 5 minutes left I had to tell myself that I could run for 5 minutes. Then 2 1/2 minutes. It was a L-O-N-G 2 1/2 minutes, but when she did the final 10 second count down it was sweet relief!!! When I changed to a walk my legs almost went out from under me. But I did it. It felt SO good to walk home.
Some other notes about the experience...
I had wanted to go earlier in the day, but time got away from me and had to do it in the evening. By the time we got out the door the sun was setting. The boys were on their bikes and we headed to the parking lot that has become our go-to for bike riding. I ran in circles while they did their bikes. I was concerned about being there in the dark. It doesn't bother me as much on a bike b/c I know we could make a quick get-away or if something happened to the boys I could get to them quickly. Not so much on foot. I run like a snail so if we were in danger, we were out of luck - at least I certainly would be. Normally there is no one around when we go but tonight there was a man sitting on one of the curbs smoking a cigarette. Thankfully he left at some point but it was a little unsettling. We need to make sure and get our outing in before the sun sets. I had a hard time seeing the boys on their bikes too which is unsafe in and of itself.
Now that I am sitting as I update, I can feel my left knee whining at me. We'll see how it holds up tomorrow.
I was supposed to do chest and back and ab ripperX yesterday for my video but I sabotaged myself by staying up til 2. When I woke up at 7 I was absolutely wiped out. I really paid for it when I then worked all day (7 hours of cleaning!!!) I still had hangover tired today and considered not exercising again, but knew that if I didn't all my motivation would have vanished. I tried not to think about running for 20 minutes only that my run needed done for the day. I think that helped with the motivation. I am trying to decide if I should skip yesterday's video or go ahead and do it tomorrow. My left shoulder socket was bothering me by the time I went to bed from all the vacuuming and scrubbing and I think the video will be a lot of weight lifting which could irritate the joint even more. I'll figure it out tomorrow though I guess.
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Couch to 5k Week 5 day 2
Week 1 - 5 min warm-up 60 sec run 90 sec walk for 20 minutes
Week 2 - 5 min warm-up 90 sec run 2 min walk for 20 minutes
Week 3 - 5 min warm-up 90 sec run 90 sec walk 3 min run 3 min walk repeat once
Week 4 - 5 min warm-up 3 min run 90 sec walk 5 min run 2.5 min walk repeat once
Week 5 Day 1 - 5 min warm-up 5 min run 3 min walk 5 min run 3 min walk 5 min run
Week 5 Day 2 - 5 min warm-up 8 min run 5 min walk 8 min run
I survived another day of running. Used the treadmill since it started raining. The first 8 minutes were doable. The 5 min walk was a Godsend. The final 8 minutes were hard. I had to slow down from my 4.3 - 4.5 mph to 4.0 and lower the incline. I managed to talk myself through it: "You can do 5 minutes, you've done it before. Ok, now you just have 3 minutes. You can do it. etc" Until I was down to the final 30 seconds and it almost felt like no big deal, but I was really grateful to be done too.
In the program you have the option starting in week 5 to go for distance or time. The actual training (not including warm-up) should have totalled 2 miles. Well, I went 2 miles with the warm-up and cool-down (yay for treadmill to easily keep track). I think overall I did pretty well though.
Friday I run for 20 minutes with no walking interval. I can do that, right? Heaven help me.....
Week 2 - 5 min warm-up 90 sec run 2 min walk for 20 minutes
Week 3 - 5 min warm-up 90 sec run 90 sec walk 3 min run 3 min walk repeat once
Week 4 - 5 min warm-up 3 min run 90 sec walk 5 min run 2.5 min walk repeat once
Week 5 Day 1 - 5 min warm-up 5 min run 3 min walk 5 min run 3 min walk 5 min run
Week 5 Day 2 - 5 min warm-up 8 min run 5 min walk 8 min run
I survived another day of running. Used the treadmill since it started raining. The first 8 minutes were doable. The 5 min walk was a Godsend. The final 8 minutes were hard. I had to slow down from my 4.3 - 4.5 mph to 4.0 and lower the incline. I managed to talk myself through it: "You can do 5 minutes, you've done it before. Ok, now you just have 3 minutes. You can do it. etc" Until I was down to the final 30 seconds and it almost felt like no big deal, but I was really grateful to be done too.
In the program you have the option starting in week 5 to go for distance or time. The actual training (not including warm-up) should have totalled 2 miles. Well, I went 2 miles with the warm-up and cool-down (yay for treadmill to easily keep track). I think overall I did pretty well though.
Friday I run for 20 minutes with no walking interval. I can do that, right? Heaven help me.....
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
CardioX and weigh in
Man I am pooped. I got up at 7ish and did CardioX. Man I love that workout :) I feel so much more limber when I am done. Then I went to work and spent 5 hours shampooing carpets. So glad to be home with day light left, but I am too tired to enjoy it.
Today's weigh in was disappointing too: 182.3 Back to what I was two weeks ago :/ I am hoping it is water retention and the small rise before the fall. Probably I need to actually count my calories. More than likely I am sneaking in too many snacks like crackers, and I doubt my exercise calories are accurate either.
Today's weigh in was disappointing too: 182.3 Back to what I was two weeks ago :/ I am hoping it is water retention and the small rise before the fall. Probably I need to actually count my calories. More than likely I am sneaking in too many snacks like crackers, and I doubt my exercise calories are accurate either.
Monday, August 26, 2013
Couch to 5K week 5 day 1
Week 1 - 5 min warm-up 60 sec run 90 sec walk for 20 minutes
Week 2 - 5 min warm-up 90 sec run 2 min walk for 20 minutes
Week 3 - 5 min warm-up 90 sec run 90 sec walk 3 min run 3 min walk repeat once
Week 4 - 5 min warm-up 3 min run 90 sec walk 5 min run 2.5 min walk repeat once
Week 5 - 5 min warm-up 5 min run 3 min walk 5 min run 3 min walk 5 min run
hahahahah I did it!!! *WE* did it! It took a lot of encouraging for Aaron to make it all the way around, but I wouldn't let him give up even though he wanted to. I didn't feel like I was dying either. I think all the cross training is paying off :)
Quick Weekend Update
It's 5 am and I've been fighting sleep for the last hour. Part of me wants to sleep and the other part is raring to go. The logical side of me wants to go back to sleep so I can make it through the day. The active part of me is itching for some excitement and personal time. I could spend this time reading my scriptures and/or another book, sewing, cleaning, running on the treadmill....oh the possibilities!! I finally opted to start with updating and see where it takes us.
I am glad I decided to do Core Synergistics on Sat. I actually followed through and in the process, something clicked inside me. I feel committed at this point. I have a plan and will stick with it. This morning I even thought about doing the next disc despite my plan to wait til my off days. So how did it go, you wonder? Well, it was hard. I was sweating before the warm up was even over. I made the mistake of eating an apple before starting and ended up feeling really nauseous by the end. Core involved a lot of varieties of pushups which meant that I only did a handful or a lot of modified ones after watching them bust out 10. I have a long way to go before I can keep up, but everyone has to start somewhere. I am surprised that I am not more sore in my abs but this is also good b/c I did not stop at the morning workout. Later in the afternoon we went on a neighborhood bike ride and then followed that up with a trip to the pool. My legs and arms are still recovering.
I am so proud of my boys! At the beginning of the summer Jared was a wobbly unsure bike rider and now he's riding circles around us and trying to jump over curbs. Aaron is gaining confidence fast. Thursday we tried to go down the street on a ride and it took him 15 minutes to decide to go down the 'hill'. It scared him. He finally opted to walk the bike down til the street leveled out and then start. He was slow at first and then as he got comfortable, he picked up more and more speed. We went down around the culdesac and back up to our street. When he reached the top he let out a yell: That was so awesome!! Let's do it again!! I promised him we'd go the next day. And we did. We followed the same path (again he walked his bike down the hill, but there wasn't a 15 minute hesitation to begin) and then decided to go over to the next street which also has an incline to go down, but he just kept going. Granted, it isn't as steep an incline but he was offering whoops of joy as he felt the wind in his hair. One of the culdesac's sidewalks end at a driveway so Aaron had to muster his courage to go down the 'hill'. He took it slow, but he didn't brake all the way down as he's inclined to do. YAY! He made it down and kept on going. At this point driveways aren't a big deal at all, though he still has yet to conquer the hill.
I decided that bike riding is a great family bonding experience, so I told Aaron that I think it would be ok if we went on a bike ride on Sunday. Oh the excitement!! It seemed like an easy enough thing when I said it, but when yesterday came around and I was so sore, I wasn't sure I could do it. I really just wanted to lay down and get a massage! But I made a promise so I had to follow through. It was worth it. So worth it. I was right about it being an appropriate Sunday activity as a family bonding experience. There is a business with a large parking lot across from our neighborhood that we went to after riding through our neighborhood a bit. We had races, chases, and free play. We let Aaron have a parking space start before Jared and I took off in the races. Oh my goodness!! Aaron was so fast! Jared and I had to work really hard to win. We really ought to have let him win, but I have never been good at that :/ I will have to remember to do so next time.
There is a drive around the building that I'd been curious to explore but never wanted to by myself because I knew if I went, the boys would follow and I just wasn't willing to cross that bridge. But yesterday Jared brought up that he wondered where it went. We decided to explore it together. Aaron was pretty winded at that point and thus playing in the dirt. We cajoled him into going with us. He made it halfway across the parking lot before he admitted his legs were really tired. I gave him a drink of water and off he went!! The drive opens into the employee parking lot and oh man what a difference in care!! Potholes, cracks in the pavement, curbs....a great place for Jared and his burgeoning daredevil side. Not so great for Aaron and his training wheels. We discovered the pavement went even farther though - to the loading docks behind the building. It was the oddest thing. It got cold. There was like a line we crossed as we approached the back of the building. At this point the sun was starting to set, so maybe that had something to do with it, but it was kind of eerie. And with that, we decided it was time to go home. Jared told me he made a goal to ride his bike every day. I affirmed that I hoped we could keep it up after school starts, but in the meantime, I think we can do that :)
When I offered to go to the parking lot, I did it with reservations. The last time we'd gone, Mom was here and I was ready for a break before the boys were. I wasn't sure that I'd enjoy riding my bike in circles until the boys tired out. But it turned out ok. In fact, it was more than ok. We had fun the whole time, and even more amazing, I did not feel my soreness one bit. So there's a couple of lessons in there, but the one I want to hold on to at the moment is that just because I am sore does not mean I am limited. I say this in anticipation of my run today. My legs are sore and I wonder how they will be effected by all this cross training. I am hoping that I have more endurance and strength. Aaron has gotten so confident in his riding that I think we will be a good match as I run. Jared will still be riding circles around us, but Aaron won't be so far behind that it is a hindrance. And as I mentioned in the beginning, my body feels itching to be on the move. It really is like something's been awakened in my body.
At the end of the day Saturday, I felt so grateful to be here in NJ because I can be outside and be active without worrying about heat exhaustion. I don't ever remember feeling so happy to be active - especially outside activity kind of active. I know I have enjoyed bike riding very much as a youth, but that is about the scope of it. I have lots of memories of going outside to start a game with one of my brothers and quitting to go inside before he was ready. I just did not have the attention span to stay outside for long. At the moment, I feel like I could actually keep up with my kids. I look forward to becoming more and more fit. Of course, the downside of NJ is that winter is coming. But I hope that I can find other ways to enjoy the outdoors and not stop being active.
One more brag on my boys. They started off not being very confident in the water. Jared was more confident than Aaron, but still a pretty weak swimmer. He worked this summer on being able to go from one side of the pool to the other without stopping and standing up in the process. He can do that now :) Aaron has relied on his floaties big time, though he was getting more and more confident at the same time. Well, the floaties finaly broke and all he had to rely on were pool noodles. He can get around in the water pretty well with the floaties or noodles, but he won't put his face in the water. Something clicked in him on Saturday and he decided to try real swimming. Face in the water swimming. Ta da!! Swimming with confidence! I want to go swimming every day this week to keep up this momentum and see how far he can get before the pool closes for the season on Labor Day (next Monday). He pretty much doggie paddles, so he needs some tweaking but being willing to put his face in the water and sink without panicking is a HUGE step forward.
I would say that this has been a summer of growth for all of us.
I am glad I decided to do Core Synergistics on Sat. I actually followed through and in the process, something clicked inside me. I feel committed at this point. I have a plan and will stick with it. This morning I even thought about doing the next disc despite my plan to wait til my off days. So how did it go, you wonder? Well, it was hard. I was sweating before the warm up was even over. I made the mistake of eating an apple before starting and ended up feeling really nauseous by the end. Core involved a lot of varieties of pushups which meant that I only did a handful or a lot of modified ones after watching them bust out 10. I have a long way to go before I can keep up, but everyone has to start somewhere. I am surprised that I am not more sore in my abs but this is also good b/c I did not stop at the morning workout. Later in the afternoon we went on a neighborhood bike ride and then followed that up with a trip to the pool. My legs and arms are still recovering.
I am so proud of my boys! At the beginning of the summer Jared was a wobbly unsure bike rider and now he's riding circles around us and trying to jump over curbs. Aaron is gaining confidence fast. Thursday we tried to go down the street on a ride and it took him 15 minutes to decide to go down the 'hill'. It scared him. He finally opted to walk the bike down til the street leveled out and then start. He was slow at first and then as he got comfortable, he picked up more and more speed. We went down around the culdesac and back up to our street. When he reached the top he let out a yell: That was so awesome!! Let's do it again!! I promised him we'd go the next day. And we did. We followed the same path (again he walked his bike down the hill, but there wasn't a 15 minute hesitation to begin) and then decided to go over to the next street which also has an incline to go down, but he just kept going. Granted, it isn't as steep an incline but he was offering whoops of joy as he felt the wind in his hair. One of the culdesac's sidewalks end at a driveway so Aaron had to muster his courage to go down the 'hill'. He took it slow, but he didn't brake all the way down as he's inclined to do. YAY! He made it down and kept on going. At this point driveways aren't a big deal at all, though he still has yet to conquer the hill.
I decided that bike riding is a great family bonding experience, so I told Aaron that I think it would be ok if we went on a bike ride on Sunday. Oh the excitement!! It seemed like an easy enough thing when I said it, but when yesterday came around and I was so sore, I wasn't sure I could do it. I really just wanted to lay down and get a massage! But I made a promise so I had to follow through. It was worth it. So worth it. I was right about it being an appropriate Sunday activity as a family bonding experience. There is a business with a large parking lot across from our neighborhood that we went to after riding through our neighborhood a bit. We had races, chases, and free play. We let Aaron have a parking space start before Jared and I took off in the races. Oh my goodness!! Aaron was so fast! Jared and I had to work really hard to win. We really ought to have let him win, but I have never been good at that :/ I will have to remember to do so next time.
There is a drive around the building that I'd been curious to explore but never wanted to by myself because I knew if I went, the boys would follow and I just wasn't willing to cross that bridge. But yesterday Jared brought up that he wondered where it went. We decided to explore it together. Aaron was pretty winded at that point and thus playing in the dirt. We cajoled him into going with us. He made it halfway across the parking lot before he admitted his legs were really tired. I gave him a drink of water and off he went!! The drive opens into the employee parking lot and oh man what a difference in care!! Potholes, cracks in the pavement, curbs....a great place for Jared and his burgeoning daredevil side. Not so great for Aaron and his training wheels. We discovered the pavement went even farther though - to the loading docks behind the building. It was the oddest thing. It got cold. There was like a line we crossed as we approached the back of the building. At this point the sun was starting to set, so maybe that had something to do with it, but it was kind of eerie. And with that, we decided it was time to go home. Jared told me he made a goal to ride his bike every day. I affirmed that I hoped we could keep it up after school starts, but in the meantime, I think we can do that :)
When I offered to go to the parking lot, I did it with reservations. The last time we'd gone, Mom was here and I was ready for a break before the boys were. I wasn't sure that I'd enjoy riding my bike in circles until the boys tired out. But it turned out ok. In fact, it was more than ok. We had fun the whole time, and even more amazing, I did not feel my soreness one bit. So there's a couple of lessons in there, but the one I want to hold on to at the moment is that just because I am sore does not mean I am limited. I say this in anticipation of my run today. My legs are sore and I wonder how they will be effected by all this cross training. I am hoping that I have more endurance and strength. Aaron has gotten so confident in his riding that I think we will be a good match as I run. Jared will still be riding circles around us, but Aaron won't be so far behind that it is a hindrance. And as I mentioned in the beginning, my body feels itching to be on the move. It really is like something's been awakened in my body.
At the end of the day Saturday, I felt so grateful to be here in NJ because I can be outside and be active without worrying about heat exhaustion. I don't ever remember feeling so happy to be active - especially outside activity kind of active. I know I have enjoyed bike riding very much as a youth, but that is about the scope of it. I have lots of memories of going outside to start a game with one of my brothers and quitting to go inside before he was ready. I just did not have the attention span to stay outside for long. At the moment, I feel like I could actually keep up with my kids. I look forward to becoming more and more fit. Of course, the downside of NJ is that winter is coming. But I hope that I can find other ways to enjoy the outdoors and not stop being active.
One more brag on my boys. They started off not being very confident in the water. Jared was more confident than Aaron, but still a pretty weak swimmer. He worked this summer on being able to go from one side of the pool to the other without stopping and standing up in the process. He can do that now :) Aaron has relied on his floaties big time, though he was getting more and more confident at the same time. Well, the floaties finaly broke and all he had to rely on were pool noodles. He can get around in the water pretty well with the floaties or noodles, but he won't put his face in the water. Something clicked in him on Saturday and he decided to try real swimming. Face in the water swimming. Ta da!! Swimming with confidence! I want to go swimming every day this week to keep up this momentum and see how far he can get before the pool closes for the season on Labor Day (next Monday). He pretty much doggie paddles, so he needs some tweaking but being willing to put his face in the water and sink without panicking is a HUGE step forward.
I would say that this has been a summer of growth for all of us.
Sunday, August 25, 2013
BBQ ribs
8 Easy Crockpot Recipes: BBQ ribs
from www.mommysfabulousfinds.com
***
Made this for dinner. It was super easy. I added a squirt of mustard to my sauce. I trimmed the fat before cooking but I still ended up with a lot of grease which diluted the BBQ sauce. One of my favorite meals my mom makes is BBQ ribs. She does it in the oven by cooking the ribs, then adding the sauce and heating through. I think next time I'd rather go that route b/c I can pour the grease out before adding the sauce.
Jared liked them but Aaron did not.
from www.mommysfabulousfinds.com
Crock-Pot BBQ Spareribs
Ingredients
Instructions
- Place pork ribs in gallon sized ziplock. Mix remaining ingredients together in a separate bowl and pour over ribs. Seal bag and place in freezer. Thaw over night in fridge. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-7 hours.
Made this for dinner. It was super easy. I added a squirt of mustard to my sauce. I trimmed the fat before cooking but I still ended up with a lot of grease which diluted the BBQ sauce. One of my favorite meals my mom makes is BBQ ribs. She does it in the oven by cooking the ribs, then adding the sauce and heating through. I think next time I'd rather go that route b/c I can pour the grease out before adding the sauce.
Jared liked them but Aaron did not.
Friday, August 23, 2013
Beef, Eggplant & Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
Beef, eggplant & quinoa stuffed peppers
from http://cleananddelicious.com
from http://cleananddelicious.com
Beef, Eggplant, & Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
YIELD: 10 SERVINGS
PREP TIME: 40 MINUTES
COOK TIME: 30 MINUTES
TOTAL TIME: 1 HOUR 10 MINUTES
Ingredients:
- 5 bell peppers
- 1 lb grass fed ground beef
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 1 medium eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1-3 tsp Red pepper flakes
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- ¼ cup water
- 1 cup of cooked quinoa
- 1/3-cup fresh chopped parsley
- 5 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
Directions:
Pre heat oven to 350
Halve and seed the bell peppers. Lay the peppers in single file on a rimmed baking sheet and cook for twenty minutes.
In the meantime, heat one teaspoon of olive oil in a large non-stick sauté pan and add in ground beef along with some salt and pepper. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to break up the meat and cook for about five minutes or until the meat as browned. Remove the meat from the pan and set aside.
Add the remainder of the olive oil into the pan along with the onions, and garlic. Cook for about three minutes before stirring in the eggplant, red pepper flakes, and another kiss of salt and pepper. Cook until the all of the veggies are soft and tender (this will take about ten or fifteen minutes). If the pan seems dry add a splash of water.
Add the tomato paste and water to the veggies and stir until all the veggies have been coated with the tomatoes. Add the beef back to the pan along with the quinoa and adjust the seasonings. Shut off the heat and stir in the parsley.
Stuff each pepper with about a half-cup of beef and quinoa filling (or as much as it takes to fill the pepper). Pop the peppers back into the oven for about 20 minutes or until heated through. Remove from the oven and top each pepper with one tablespoon of cheese and then finish them in the oven for another five minutes or until the cheese has melted.
Enjoy!
Makes 10 servings.
Nutritional Analysis
Nutrients per 1/2 pepper: Calories: 205; Total Fat: 10.7g; Saturated Fat: 3.3g; Cholesterol: 36mg; Carbohydrate: 15.7g; Dietary Fiber: 3.5g; Sugars: 2.7g; Protein: 13.9g
*****
Discovered this recipe after Jared googled eggplant for me. We've had quite the stash of them from the CSA and though I've decided I really like their taste, I didn't know what to do with them. We found Dani Spies' video Eggplant 101 and then went to her website and found this recipe. We also got a bunch of bell peppers so it was killing two birds with one stone. Maybe it was b/c the boys were really hungry, but everyone really liked it! I only used three peppers since it was just the three of us (and the last time I made stuffed peppers there were a lot of leftovers I had to eat) and froze the remaining stuffing for future use.
Couch to 5k Week 4/Week 8 weigh in
Summer Challenge Weigh in
week 8: 181.9
week 7: 182.3
Week 3: 174.6
Week 2: 175.9
Week 1: 176.6
Couch to 5K
Week 1 - 5 min warm-up 60 sec run 90 sec walk for 20 minutes
Week 2 - 5 min warm-up 90 sec run 2 min walk for 20 minutes
Week 3 - 5 min warm-up 90 sec run 90 sec walk 3 min run 3 min walk repeat once
Week 4 - 5 min warm-up 3 min run 90 sec walk 5 min run 2.5 min walk repeat once
I did it. I completed week 4. Monday I thought I'd die. That final five minutes was awful!! I was pooped the rest of that day and the following. Although to the next day's credit, I did stay up late (think 1:30 am) and then got up to take my mom to the train station at 4 am. Thankfully I was able to go back to bed when we got home, but still. Not a very restful night. I had absolutely no motivation that day and was really muscle sore. We finally made it out of the house at 6:30 to go swimming (which closed at 7pm). But I digress, I went around the entire neighborhood and passed my house in the course of the training. I walked a little bit further to cool down. When I mapped it, I had gone 1.85 miles. A 5K is 3.1 so I'll need to go twice around my neighborhood to get the job done. The boys haven't had to go run with me since we left for TX, so I have been a little anxious about that dynamic. Since Mom was still around, we all went on Monday. Aaron decided to use his bike to go around the neighborhood. I am glad Mom was there to walk with him because he was SO slow!! It will take awhile before he is really comfortable and confident.
(short side note:
I am so proud of my mom! She has decided to take the 5K challenge and began a walking regime with me. She is doing the sparkpeople.com 5 week walk to 5K program. She'll walk 3 times a week gradually adding the mileage until race day when she walks 3.1 miles/5K. I signed her up for sparkpeople so she can keep track and even seemed excited about having a food plan to follow. So far she is using it. Go Mom!!!)
When it was time to go on Wed Aaron threw such a fit that I decided to use the treadmill. Oh he was excited then!! He had to have his turn. Well, so did Jared. After falling off twice because of not following instructions, Aaron's turn was cut short. Day 2 was much better than day 1. Perhaps it was because the treadmill is nice and even compared to the neighborhood, or maybe it was that my body was ready for it. I kept my run at about 4.3 mph and my walk between 3 and 3.8 mph. I will say that the last 90 seconds of that final 5 min run were bad!! It felt like it was the longest 90 seconds of my life!!! I had set up the computer so I could watch America's Got Talent while I ran. Each performance is only 90 seconds, so I thought no big deal. Oh my goodness, time seemed to stand still!!! But, I did it. I finished it. Again. Go me! It really helped to have chubby jones' voice in my head telling me to not give up. Love her podcasts!
Today was day 3. I woke up at 7 and seriously considered going for my run outside while the boys slept. After my experience today I am kind of wishing I had :p It was about 9:30 when I finally decided to go do the treadmill. I thought Jared would be the first one up, but it was Aaron. He came down just as I was getting ready to put my shoes on. By the time I had everything set up, Jared was up. We hung out for a little bit and then I got on the machine. As soon as I started the run part, craziness broke out. I had put food and bowls on the table so the boys could get breakfast and had America's Got Talent on for us to watch. Aaron fired question/request/complaint after question/request/complaint and kept coming next to the treadmill after being warned not to come near. I am not able to run and hold a conversation. I just can't. It was so frustrating to have to talk while I ran. Finally by the end of the 5 min run Jared stepped in and explained how hard it was to talk when you are out of breath and together they went to go eat. *whew* I was not in a happy place those first 15 minutes :/ I think Monday they will have to go take it on the road with me because I can handle that much better.
All that aside, I felt pretty proud of myself. When I started the run at 4.3 I felt like it was too easy (amazingly). I realized that I needed to up the incline to mimic outdoors so I did that and it felt a little more challenging. Of course, the first interval is always the easy one for me because I am fresh, so I didn't want to push myself too hard in the beginning though I felt I could go faster. The first 5 minutes was surprising to me when I only had 30 seconds left. The phone screen had gone to sleep so I couldn't see the countdown. After it happened on the second 5 minutes I realized I really need to be able to see that because seeing the numbers help me talk myself through it. I was really tired and having a hard time catching my breath by the second 3 minutes. The 90 seconds between went way too fast. But off I went for the final 5 minutes. The screen had gone off again when I had about 2 1/2 minutes left. I told myself it was ok. I can do 2 1/2 minutes. I've got this. But soon I was starting to panic b/c I had no idea how much time or energy I had left. I quickly swiped the screen and discovered I only had 30 seconds left. Awww relief. I can do 30 seconds. I did 30 seconds plus the other 270 seconds of that run!! I walked another 7 minutes or so afterwards to cool down. When the program went off I had gone 1.95 miles in 31:32 which about a 17 min mile. I know that's not great, but I think it's pretty good for a girl who doesn't like running very much :) And now I feel pretty good. My muscles are not sore like Mon/Tues and I still have energy for other things.
My running buddy in TX called on Wed in a panic because of next week's schedule. We have 5 and 8 min running intervals ending with running for 20 minutes straight. I wouldn't really allow myself to think about that 20 minutes, only day 1 and felt confident we could handle it (although I was thinking mostly she could handle it ;)) She is repeating week 4, after having done it two times already,the rest of the week which I think gives her a slight advantage. I had been debating repeating week 4 but if I move forward that would put us back on the same week again which would be nice. I think Monday will be really hard, but I believe I *we* can do it!
Other fitness/health news:
I finally managed to get my own legit copy of P90X while I was in TX. Not just my beloved CardioX and KenpoX, but the whole shibang!! I spent yesterday morning laying in bed reading over all the guides that came with it. I am not sure I can commit to the nutrition plan side of it, but I think I could do the lean schedule. I have been trying to figure out how to balance the 5k training and P90X. P90x is a 6 days a week program, but I think I may do my own modification and run for 3 days and do the DVDs on my off days. Yesterday would have been core synergy if I'd had the guts to do it. I tried it once before and didn't finish. It was really hard and felt like it was one I couldn't do without friends. But, I am willing to give it a try once again. I know I need to do some strength training on my off days and P90x would certainly fit the bill. I have high hopes for next week being more organized and productive, so I will commit to beginning on Mon (well, run on Mon and p90x Tues). hm, or maybe I should p90x it tomorrow (core) and rest Sunday.... that may be a better option because it would put CardioX on Tues. ...
We (Matthew and I) have been invited to a formal event for his unit at the end of Sept. I am kicking myself for not being more diligent this summer. But, I have one month to give it my best! Go team Val!!
week 8: 181.9
week 7: 182.3
Week 3: 174.6
Week 2: 175.9
Week 1: 176.6
Couch to 5K
Week 1 - 5 min warm-up 60 sec run 90 sec walk for 20 minutes
Week 2 - 5 min warm-up 90 sec run 2 min walk for 20 minutes
Week 3 - 5 min warm-up 90 sec run 90 sec walk 3 min run 3 min walk repeat once
Week 4 - 5 min warm-up 3 min run 90 sec walk 5 min run 2.5 min walk repeat once
I did it. I completed week 4. Monday I thought I'd die. That final five minutes was awful!! I was pooped the rest of that day and the following. Although to the next day's credit, I did stay up late (think 1:30 am) and then got up to take my mom to the train station at 4 am. Thankfully I was able to go back to bed when we got home, but still. Not a very restful night. I had absolutely no motivation that day and was really muscle sore. We finally made it out of the house at 6:30 to go swimming (which closed at 7pm). But I digress, I went around the entire neighborhood and passed my house in the course of the training. I walked a little bit further to cool down. When I mapped it, I had gone 1.85 miles. A 5K is 3.1 so I'll need to go twice around my neighborhood to get the job done. The boys haven't had to go run with me since we left for TX, so I have been a little anxious about that dynamic. Since Mom was still around, we all went on Monday. Aaron decided to use his bike to go around the neighborhood. I am glad Mom was there to walk with him because he was SO slow!! It will take awhile before he is really comfortable and confident.
(short side note:
I am so proud of my mom! She has decided to take the 5K challenge and began a walking regime with me. She is doing the sparkpeople.com 5 week walk to 5K program. She'll walk 3 times a week gradually adding the mileage until race day when she walks 3.1 miles/5K. I signed her up for sparkpeople so she can keep track and even seemed excited about having a food plan to follow. So far she is using it. Go Mom!!!)
When it was time to go on Wed Aaron threw such a fit that I decided to use the treadmill. Oh he was excited then!! He had to have his turn. Well, so did Jared. After falling off twice because of not following instructions, Aaron's turn was cut short. Day 2 was much better than day 1. Perhaps it was because the treadmill is nice and even compared to the neighborhood, or maybe it was that my body was ready for it. I kept my run at about 4.3 mph and my walk between 3 and 3.8 mph. I will say that the last 90 seconds of that final 5 min run were bad!! It felt like it was the longest 90 seconds of my life!!! I had set up the computer so I could watch America's Got Talent while I ran. Each performance is only 90 seconds, so I thought no big deal. Oh my goodness, time seemed to stand still!!! But, I did it. I finished it. Again. Go me! It really helped to have chubby jones' voice in my head telling me to not give up. Love her podcasts!
Today was day 3. I woke up at 7 and seriously considered going for my run outside while the boys slept. After my experience today I am kind of wishing I had :p It was about 9:30 when I finally decided to go do the treadmill. I thought Jared would be the first one up, but it was Aaron. He came down just as I was getting ready to put my shoes on. By the time I had everything set up, Jared was up. We hung out for a little bit and then I got on the machine. As soon as I started the run part, craziness broke out. I had put food and bowls on the table so the boys could get breakfast and had America's Got Talent on for us to watch. Aaron fired question/request/complaint after question/request/complaint and kept coming next to the treadmill after being warned not to come near. I am not able to run and hold a conversation. I just can't. It was so frustrating to have to talk while I ran. Finally by the end of the 5 min run Jared stepped in and explained how hard it was to talk when you are out of breath and together they went to go eat. *whew* I was not in a happy place those first 15 minutes :/ I think Monday they will have to go take it on the road with me because I can handle that much better.
All that aside, I felt pretty proud of myself. When I started the run at 4.3 I felt like it was too easy (amazingly). I realized that I needed to up the incline to mimic outdoors so I did that and it felt a little more challenging. Of course, the first interval is always the easy one for me because I am fresh, so I didn't want to push myself too hard in the beginning though I felt I could go faster. The first 5 minutes was surprising to me when I only had 30 seconds left. The phone screen had gone to sleep so I couldn't see the countdown. After it happened on the second 5 minutes I realized I really need to be able to see that because seeing the numbers help me talk myself through it. I was really tired and having a hard time catching my breath by the second 3 minutes. The 90 seconds between went way too fast. But off I went for the final 5 minutes. The screen had gone off again when I had about 2 1/2 minutes left. I told myself it was ok. I can do 2 1/2 minutes. I've got this. But soon I was starting to panic b/c I had no idea how much time or energy I had left. I quickly swiped the screen and discovered I only had 30 seconds left. Awww relief. I can do 30 seconds. I did 30 seconds plus the other 270 seconds of that run!! I walked another 7 minutes or so afterwards to cool down. When the program went off I had gone 1.95 miles in 31:32 which about a 17 min mile. I know that's not great, but I think it's pretty good for a girl who doesn't like running very much :) And now I feel pretty good. My muscles are not sore like Mon/Tues and I still have energy for other things.
My running buddy in TX called on Wed in a panic because of next week's schedule. We have 5 and 8 min running intervals ending with running for 20 minutes straight. I wouldn't really allow myself to think about that 20 minutes, only day 1 and felt confident we could handle it (although I was thinking mostly she could handle it ;)) She is repeating week 4, after having done it two times already,the rest of the week which I think gives her a slight advantage. I had been debating repeating week 4 but if I move forward that would put us back on the same week again which would be nice. I think Monday will be really hard, but I believe I *we* can do it!
Other fitness/health news:
I finally managed to get my own legit copy of P90X while I was in TX. Not just my beloved CardioX and KenpoX, but the whole shibang!! I spent yesterday morning laying in bed reading over all the guides that came with it. I am not sure I can commit to the nutrition plan side of it, but I think I could do the lean schedule. I have been trying to figure out how to balance the 5k training and P90X. P90x is a 6 days a week program, but I think I may do my own modification and run for 3 days and do the DVDs on my off days. Yesterday would have been core synergy if I'd had the guts to do it. I tried it once before and didn't finish. It was really hard and felt like it was one I couldn't do without friends. But, I am willing to give it a try once again. I know I need to do some strength training on my off days and P90x would certainly fit the bill. I have high hopes for next week being more organized and productive, so I will commit to beginning on Mon (well, run on Mon and p90x Tues). hm, or maybe I should p90x it tomorrow (core) and rest Sunday.... that may be a better option because it would put CardioX on Tues. ...
We (Matthew and I) have been invited to a formal event for his unit at the end of Sept. I am kicking myself for not being more diligent this summer. But, I have one month to give it my best! Go team Val!!
Friday, August 16, 2013
Pounding the Pavement
Wednesday I ran for the first time in a week. The drive back was really hard on my motivation. I spent the drive eating LOTS of cookies and other junk. I had planned on running Friday morning before our first leg and even at hotel stops, but it just didn't happen. I would have called it quits if it hadn't been for the fact that my running buddy bought me new running shoes right before we left. Seriously. I couldn't let her down. So Wed I got my new shoes on and got out the door. I was greeted by a cool breeze and felt positive. I decided to redo Week 3 to get me back into gear before tackling the longer runs and was pleasantly surprised at how easy and refreshing it was to be hitting the pavement. Today I again did week 3. It was harder mostly because I stopped at the beginning when we were drawn into a conversation with someone from the neighborhood. I actually look forward to trying the challenge of week 4. CRAZY!
I weighed myself on Wed after running and eating (normally prefer first thing in the morning) and was correct in guessing I'd gained 10 pounds. The Wii showed 184 = 9.4 pound increase :/ I believe most of that came on in the last week as I sat driving and eating. I weighed myself again yesterday first thing in the morning and I was at 182.4. Not great, but I believe I can get it off again as I get back into my routine. Being in a 3 story house will help a lot besides how active we've been since getting home.
I brought my bike back with me. Jared rode a lot while we were in TX and got really confident. I forgot that I'd picked up a bike for Aaron from a trash pile, so I spent some time fixing his and mine the other day. Last night we went for a family bike ride at a nearby business parking lot. I love bike riding, plus it is great exercise going up hills :p I look forward to when Aaron is more confident too so we can actually go places on our bikes!
Besides biking and running, we've also spent a lot of time in the pool. In fact, we just got back from spending an hour there. I spent half of that time swimming back and forth across the pool and doing tricep dips on the stairs. I hope I won't be too sore tomorrow but it'll feel good anyway.
It feels good to be in my own environment again too and in control (somewhat) of what I bring in to the house. I'm able to have my green smoothies in the morning and fill the fridge with fruit and veggies. Ahh it is good to be home :)
On another note, Mom drove back with me and as a result has been forced to be more active too. I even got her to ride my bike last night :) Today she tossed around the idea of doing the 5K program as well. I printed out the 5 week walking 5K and the 8 week walk/jog rookie 5K programs from sparkpeople for her. I hope she follows through.
I weighed myself on Wed after running and eating (normally prefer first thing in the morning) and was correct in guessing I'd gained 10 pounds. The Wii showed 184 = 9.4 pound increase :/ I believe most of that came on in the last week as I sat driving and eating. I weighed myself again yesterday first thing in the morning and I was at 182.4. Not great, but I believe I can get it off again as I get back into my routine. Being in a 3 story house will help a lot besides how active we've been since getting home.
I brought my bike back with me. Jared rode a lot while we were in TX and got really confident. I forgot that I'd picked up a bike for Aaron from a trash pile, so I spent some time fixing his and mine the other day. Last night we went for a family bike ride at a nearby business parking lot. I love bike riding, plus it is great exercise going up hills :p I look forward to when Aaron is more confident too so we can actually go places on our bikes!
Besides biking and running, we've also spent a lot of time in the pool. In fact, we just got back from spending an hour there. I spent half of that time swimming back and forth across the pool and doing tricep dips on the stairs. I hope I won't be too sore tomorrow but it'll feel good anyway.
It feels good to be in my own environment again too and in control (somewhat) of what I bring in to the house. I'm able to have my green smoothies in the morning and fill the fridge with fruit and veggies. Ahh it is good to be home :)
On another note, Mom drove back with me and as a result has been forced to be more active too. I even got her to ride my bike last night :) Today she tossed around the idea of doing the 5K program as well. I printed out the 5 week walking 5K and the 8 week walk/jog rookie 5K programs from sparkpeople for her. I hope she follows through.
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