Amendment

Let me officially ammend my previous statement to reflect that if I can reach and sustain a 12 minute mile, I'll be happy. 10?! What was I thinking?! I have short legs!

Last night was marginally less taxing than Monday, but I got a side "stitch" in my last 30 seconds.

Finally sore

After my sprints on Monday, I've been sore for the first time since this adventure started.

I was back at W1D1, (8 reps of run 1 min, walk 90 sec). I did that for the first 3 reps then altered it to run 1/2 lap, walk 1 lap for the remaining 5.

I felt a little ridiculous, because I was running all out (almost all out) then huffing and puffing for a lap. I was just waiting for one of the other joggers to come up and politely tell me that if I just slowed down I could go farther. And I kept reminding myself that it didn't matter to anyone out there other than myself what I was doing.

I could barely walk yesterday, and my chest muscles hurt from the extra exertion, and I just knew it was, to quote Fred Sanford, "the big one".

Today I'm just sore. I've had the intention of going back out today, but it's so windy here today...

Talking to Donald the other night, I told him how I was pleased with the fact that I am not currently working toward a goal, because I could do this week 1 routine for four weeks if I need to. And I may need to.

I have the same problem with running as I do singing. I can sing very high, and I can sing low, but for some reason it's those in-between octaves that I really have a hard time singing at consistently. I do great at my slow jogging pace, but when I pick up the pace, I seem to go straight to "run like hell". I have to find the middle ground.

Lighthouse 5K

Crossing the finish line (Ignore the senior citizen who finished before me -- there were more)


Although place doesn't really matter to me yet, I finished 117 out of 169, my total time was 41:01 and my average mile pace was 13:13 (although that's a normal pace for me, seeing it in print, it seems unacceptable to me)


Handing off my number so they can place me


First I want to say, congratulations to Erich, my big brother who won this race -- his first 5K win. I'm very happy I was there, and proud of him for beating his personal best to win.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I take a big sigh as I recline in my comfy chair this morning. All the weeks of preparation, one week of sickness, and one week of almost giving up, and it's all over.


It was a beautiful day for jogging. This was my earliest jog logged to date, as all of mine have been evening, with the exception of my 2 mile Easter run which was afternoon. There were not as many people at the starting line as I expected, but it did not look like 169 people to me. Erich wrote a great summary of the pre-race atmosphere at his team's blog at http://www.piedmontvelosports.blogspot.com/.

Here's a brief summary of my race experience.

I lined up very near the back of the pack. Back with the nervous first-timers, the older folks, the girl in tight jeans and makeup who looked like she would have been much more comfortable at a party somewhere, and commented before the race, "I used to run, but I just don't LIKE it" (infer whiney voice).

When the "go" command was given the entire pack in front of me, and a few folks from behind me took off. I was actually surprised by the ratio of people who were running as opposed to walking. I have walked a 5k before, and there was a much bigger group of walkers. I resisted the urge to take off with them, and kept my fast walking pace for the first song on my Zen. At the end of the song, I also took a big sigh, because I knew this is what I had been working for, and was still not confident in my ability to jog the entire way (that light house was waaaaay off).
But I did keep up my jogging pace to maybe 40-50 yards from the lighthouse. There was a tiny hill leading up to the lighthouse that got me (it's the same tiny bump in the road we laughed at on our way in the car). But I had already been coaxing my legs to keep going for at least the past mile, and I just couldn't make it up the hill.


Over the hill and through the sweat, to the finish line I trodded. Until I noticed a race figure walking back toward us. "That's probably Erich, no it couldn't be Erich, his hair is too big, but maybe he's coming to encourage me, if it is him, he's going to see me walking, but I just can't feel my legs right now, so jogging is not an option" And it was Erich, with his camera -- so I began jogging again, refusing to be captured on film walking. He gave me a high five and an encouraging "Keep going!" And I did, for about 20 more seconds when I just gave out (up?) again. I probably could have picked it back up and suffered greatly for the last .4 miles or so. But honestly, I felt like I had done my part, I wasn't very interested in jogging any more that day... until I got to where the folks at the finish line could see me of course.

And I did pick it back up at the finish line and jogged in smiling. It was a great experience. And if I hadn't gotten sick, and had back problems and energy issues that one week, I might have made it the whole way. Although still very, very slowly.


Future

And that brings me to my future goals. I know I have lofty goals about running a marathon ONE day (and probably much more than 5 years from now), I have a lot of work to do.

I told Erich that running/jogging for me is like him trying noodling (google it). I'm underwater, not breathing, flailing around sticking my arms into mud holes searching for a giant fish that wants nothing else than to get away from me -- or bite my arm off, all the while someone is holding my feet to make sure I don't drown. It's dark, muddy, scary, and thrilling all at the same time.
I know as much about running and exercise, as he does about the strange sport of Noodling (which I believe he had only vaguely heard the term before I mentioned it).

But I'm learning, by getting out there, and by reading. I'm an information junkie, and the more I know intellectually, the more I love what I'm doing.

Jill suggested my next training be to start back at the week I got sick, and go on from there. That is good advice. But I'm going to take it one step further. I'm going to start from the beginning. I'm going to start back with running one minute and walking one minute. Only this time I'm going to RUN. Now that I've found the fish's hiding place, and I've got one hand in his mouth, I'm in a better position. I'm not so worried about making my distance goal, I'm not worried about a date, I can run and make it hurt. I've got all the time in the world now, and I'm going to use it. And from what I read, if I make Monday and Wednesday my hard running days, and slow down a bit for a distance run on Friday, next time I'm interested in a 5k, I should be able to jog (or run?) it much easier.

I do not expect to ever compete with anyone but myself, but I think that I should be able to reach and sustain 10 - 10:30 mm. From where I stand, I see that pace being my max with a max distance one long off day being a half marathon (being the epitome of my running career). But that perception may change. I remember not that long ago thinking how impossible running a mile seemed. (And honestly still makes me cringe a little)

It's like Samantha told me weeks ago, "If you can do this, imagine all the other things you can do"and to quote scripture in a completely out of context way, I was "seeing through a glass darkly", but now understand completely what she meant. At first, I thought, running is running, but I am just bubbling inside with the possibilities of all the things I can do now.

And to bring the entire experience full circle, I started with the idea that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, I now have to give credit to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and the great and awesome Father God. If I do anything for personal gain, it is for naught, but in all things to Glorify Him.

Oak Island and Beyond....

It's Thursday, and tomorrow we're loading up our kids, the sunscreen, way too many clothes for 2 days, and my running shoes and heading for Oak Island. Yaupon beach to be exact. That's about as exact as I can be, because I don't have directions yet.

But, as Erich and Jill accurately predicted, I'm starting to get some butterflies. Getting out on a track and jogging on my own is much different from what I'm going to encounter Saturday.

I did get back out on Tuesday, but my muscles were so tense, I didn't make it a mile. I did walk quite a bit more though.

I've been resting ever since with the HOPE that if I start with well rested muscles that have become even stronger since my 2 mile jog, I'll be able to pull it out to do the whole 3.1 miles.

I have become more aware from talking to Jill and reading the Runner's World magazines that it does still count if you walk part of the race. Jill told me this, but I really didn't believe her until I read someone else's account of walking part of a marathon. Two people can't be wrong.

So, wish me luck. Expect pictures when I get back, because there will be plenty! Wish Erich luck too, because I'm rooting for him to win the whole thing. As long as 16 minute boy doesn't show up, Erich may be able to pull it off.

I'm tentatively planned to walk a 5k with a friend from sunday school in the next few weeks, so that's my next goal.

Then I've already peaked Donald's interest in the Air Force 5k in Ohio this September. Of course the main attraction for him was the fully restored "A Christmas Story" house and museum. However, I just looked it up and there's a 4 hour drive between the two. Hmmm... maybe I can find something else of interest in Ohio.

My LONG TERM goal is the Marine Corp marathon in Arlington VA. That would be a great trip filled with historic things to do which Donald would love, and it would be a great excuse. Maybe in about five years.... (And then there's the Princess 1/2 marathon Jill told me about at Disney World.... that may only be a year or two away....)

Okay, okay, I'll try to make it through this one first!

6 days to 5K

(Scroll down to the BOLD text to skip the boring part, and get to the good news)

I know my ticker changes on every post to the actual amount of time, but I will log it here as being

SIX days until the Oak Island Lighthouse 5K.



I'm getting excited now! It's funny how dread can so quickly turn to anticipation.

If anyone knows me, I mean really knows me, then you know that I over analyze EVERYTHING (down to why the shampoo bottle says what it does, and how long it took to come up with it, and if it's working overall as an advertising scheme, and does clear shampoo really clean your hair better, because it really seems to, and I really don't even understand what this shampoo bottle is saying to me, but those words together must have been carefully selected to sell the maximum amount of shampoo, and are we really that easily to convince to use a product just because it has pretty or technical sounding words on it....) you get the point. Welcome to my world.

So, in my typical over-analytical style, I am trying my hardest to figure out why the last two weeks I felt indescribably HORRIBLE, and this week I feel great.

I may never know, but since you guys have heard me obsess over this very point for, well, almost three weeks, I'm drawing my conclusions (again) and moving on:

1) period -- apparently I'm going to feel like crap for the week during and the week after (I've been on birth control since Jordie was born, so I'm trying to figure out my natural cycle and stuff again). (and NO, I'm not trying to get pregnant, so don't ask).

2) Allergy medication -- I could give you all the details, because there are many -- down to the fact that I think the minuscule amount of aspartame in them may have been the culprit, but I'll spare you -- just know that it might have had an effect.

3) Weather -- maybe the gloomy, windy, rainy yucky finally got to me?

and of course, the whole feeling like a failure thing that I covered last post.

Now, moving on to the good news...

I jogged 2 miles today. I jogged 2 miles today. That bears repeating.

It was fantastic, and after the first mile I felt pretty good. I might even (MIGHT) even make it through the 5K. Still planning on including the 5 minute warm up (which equates to about 1/3 mile).

I'm getting excited too because Erich and Jill are gearing up for the race, and E is running to win [like I'm sure he always does - psycho (but we love him)].

Six days and only one workout left before we leave!

Disallusionment and a Kick in the pants...

I was defeated - I was convinced my back was going to keep me from being a runner - I could taste the Doritos and beer, and had already settled into my sweatpants.

But, luckily I have a fantastic brother and sister-in-law who refused to let me quit. I guess they needed proof that my back really hurt, because they got me out on the track again yesterday.

We walk/jogged 2.25 miles (there you go Jill). Although I think there was more walking than jogging -- Jill did a great job of coercing me to believe it was still an accomplishment. And she also finagled (a nicer word for LIED) me into believing I was doing less than I actually was.

Conclusions:
1) I got out there and exercised yesterday, and didn't really break a sweat. I was having a lot more trouble breathing than Jill, and I really wasn't doing much. But it just proves I wasn't really working hard as I could. There were days I came home and couldn't get out a sentance, red in the face and sweating like a hog (lovely).

2) My back hurt minimally, which convinced me that the surface I run on does make a difference.

3) It very well may be the hard work that I'm afraid of. I think I feel very much like Erich did when he found out there was no Santa Claus. To him it was heartbreaking and haunts him to this day. (I didn't really care as long as the presents kept comin', if ya' know what I mean). :o) But since I know NOTHING about running or exercising I was under the impression that once I could run 20 minutes, I could run 20 minutes any day, and it wouldn't hurt a bit. I feel like it's Christmas morning and instead of Santa gifts, I'm getting a lump of coal. Really?! You mean it's going to hurt EVERY TIME? Poor Jill did her best to answer my cries of distress (answering the same question asked a different way 10 different times). And yet, I still walked away with a feeling of loss, but yet a feeling of knowledge. Now that I KNOW it's going to suck -- maybe I can move forward without feeling like a failure.

and finally

4) Even if I don't run 3 miles a day 3 days a week -- If I get out there 3 days a week and do what I can -- it will still be better than plopping my butt down for McDonalds and Monster Quest. Last summer Donald would come home and find us sitting inside on a beautiful day because I was too lazy to get the girls up and outside to play. This year, on every chance we get we're outside playing and gardening. And he knows 3 days a week I'm going to be out the door when he walks in for me to get some exercise. Even if it's just walking, I'm doing something positive for myself and my girls.

THANK YOU ERICH AND JILL!!!!!

(And thank you to Samantha for the support, and to Donald who's promised to not let me quit either)

Lifestyle Change

I do have to admit this has become part of my routine and habit. One of the best habits I've ever had. Okay, maybe THE best one.

I have gotten so off course and schedule for April 18 that it was weighing me down. I am remembering to look past the 18th and realize this is a change for life -- not a deadline.

Having said that, yes, today sucked again. I think it may have something to do with the monthly cycle. I had that going on all this week -- I think it may make a difference.

But I got out there again today and tried. I do so much better with directions. I do very well when following the program, but now that I'm off course, I'm flailing and helpless.

Next week I'm going to do week 6 again, and do it properly. I've decided it's better to repeat workouts than give up altogether.

Today I began my normal neighborhood routine -- down the neighborhood behind us, and I got about a minute into the run and was just on the downhill, when I heard barking (normal sound for a runner), but I look up and there is a gi-normous Saint Bernard. HUGE HUGE HUGE dog. No leash or chain in sight. I stopped dead in my tracks, understandably. I began taking slow steps backwards and kept this up until I felt comfortable to turn around and run the other way (although still looking overy my shoulder).

Already feeling like crap, I ran back to the grass on the main road that connects their neighborhood to ours, and began walking. When I got back into our neighborhood I ran a little, walked a little, ran a little. I had one "long" run which I estimate to have been about 11-12 minutes. A little less than a mile probably. It just wasn't in me again.

But I will get myself together to repeat week 6 next week. It may be slow going from here on out, because I have read that many people have to repeat weeks on this program. I may even check out that 4 month couch to 5k and extend my training even futher. The point is to keep at it, and just stay fit.

Honestly, my biggest motivation right now is the fact that I can see fat going away. I look slimmer, my clothes are fitting better, and I feel more fantastic about the way I look.

I may not post every day I run now, but when I have big milestones, or need encouragement.

Thanks guys for supporting me this far, and I hope this is a habit I stick with for life.

Crash n Burn

Week 6, Day 2 did not go well.

I was feeling mostly horrible yesterday -- dizzy every time I stood up, general malaise and lethargic.

I think it was the Aleve cold and sinus -- which works WONDERFULLY for a real cold, but puts me on my face if it's JUST sinus. I shouldn't have taken it.

I got about 30 seconds into my run, and I just couldn't do it. I didn't have it in me, and I still felt horrible. I started walking back home, and by left lower back and right ankle cramped up so badly, I almost called Donald to come get me at the top of the road. I was in tears by the time I got home and collapsed on the floor.

After a disappointing jog on Monday, followed by complete and utter failure yesterday, I'm officially discouraged.

I can, however, at least jog one mile now. I have improved. And I still have a few weeks. If nothing else, I can jog 1, walk 1, jog 1.

I may go out again this evening, or just cool it until tomorrow to see if I feel even better.

Week 6, Day1 - Movin' right along

Week 6, Day 1
Monday, March 30, 2009

Brisk 5 minute warm up followed by:
Jog 5 min
Walk 3 min
Jog 8 min
Walk 3 min
Jog 5 min


Theory...

My theory about jumping back to small runs, building up to one long run on Friday is two-fold. The first part of my theory is that the short runs is equivilant to doing less reps with heavier weights. I heard a long time ago that when lifting weights, you could do a LOT of reps with less weight and get leaner muscles more inclined to endurance. But if you did LESS reps with heavier weights, you would get bigger more defined muscles inclined to more strenghth, but less endurance.
I think this is where the program is headed. Since we only have 9 weeks to complete the program, I think the small runs are designed to give us more strength. The endurance is worked on during those last few long runs, but the strength is being built up through the first six weeks. Since I've determined that it's always harder the first few minutes, I think the program (today for example) is making you rest a little between runs to get your heart rate back down, only to get it back up again. Kind of like reps.
The second part of my theory is just to give you more rest between the first long runs. Friday was the first time I have been a little sore after (more stiff than sore) the run. But it's the first time I've felt like I had an actual workout the day after.

Looking Ahead...
I see that if every thing goes as planned for the next 19 days, I will have cut 4 days out of my plan.
When I ran 20 min and 1.5 miles that equates to about a 13.5 minute mile. At that pace I would be at right over 40 minutes for the 5K. Keep in mind the plan only goes to running 30 minutes (That would only be about 2.25 miles for me).
If I go as scheduled, I'll be up to 28 minutes in my plan. So I need to figure out to find a way to make this gap smaller.
I can include my 5 minute warm-up walk into the actual race. That will give me a little less running time, and since my body is used to that, it would be a good thing to do.
But that would probably only knock about 2 minutes off my running, leaving me with 20 minutes that I'm not prepared for.
Option #2:
Accelerate the plan. I have 8 workouts left. I could do this:
1) Jog 22 minutes
2) Jog 25 minutes
3) Jog 28 minutes
4) Jog 30 minutes
5) Jog 32 minutes
6) Jog 35 minutes
7) Jog 38 minutes
8) Jog 40 minutes

That's looking pretty good to me. I could still do my 5 minute walk at the beginning of the race, to ensure I'm properly warmed up.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Update: I only ran 15 minutes yesterday, followed by 4 min walking, followed by one more lap (1.5 min)

I don't know if it was the heat, or the track. But I was bummed.

Even my blueberries are cheering me on...

Week 5, Day THREEEEEEE

AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's the dreaded actual workout workout. This is it, this is trial by fire.

The TWENTY MINUTE jog. Can I do it? Will I survive? Or will I end up a crumpled pile at 0.8 miles????

I'm laughing at E -- he's living vicariously through my blog. Hahahahahaaaaa - Oh to be able to jog that coveted 0.7 miles! I do hope you get well soon -- I now know how much it STINKS to be benched because of an illness.

Well, I'm waiting on Donald to walk through the door so I can go out it. We have a party tonight, so I have to get out the door, do it, and back in and cleaned and ready in, well, less time than I actually have to do all that.

If I can get through those first 5 minutes, I'm just going to go until I can't go anymore. I will take my phone in case I need a mid-neighborhood scraping off of the pavement by Donald.

Wish me luck -- it's GO TIME.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And GO, I did. I went ONE and ONE HALF MILES. 20 minutes straight. YEAH!

I can do this after all! I'm 1/2 way to 5K

At this point, there's not much else to say. My victory speaks for itself.
(and I went up my biggest hill yet! woooooooo hooooooooooooooooo!)

Week 5, Day 2

Week 5, Day 2
Wednesday, March 25, 2009

I'm pretty sure you can deduce how I felt before the run -- very apprehensive, and well aware of the rain and cold that crept back in. (Although, I still contend that cold drizzle is the absolute BEST to run in. I haven't enjoyed warm weather runs nearly as much as cold weather runs).

So here was the schedule:

5 minute warm-up walk followed by:
Jog 8 min
Walk 5 min
Jog 8 min
Walk 5 min

After the Run:
Well, as usual, I stuck to the roads since it was raining. I figured I was done for -- finished -- defeated.

I started out up the big hill for my warm up, and nearing the top I decided I'd go out on the main road and down a parallel street to ours, and through the back roads to our neighborhood (I was mentally picturing less hills). So that is what I did -- running some in grass, and dodging cars. There was a hill that was a little steeper than I remembered, but not too long in distance. I went back afterwards and checked the distance in my car -- 0.7 miles in 8 minutes.

Yup, that's right. I jogged eight minutes. I am a MACHINE. I still haven't reached a mile, but c'mon. EIGHT MINUTES. As usual, right around the third minute I was thinking how UN-fun running is. It always gets me right around the start. But once I got into it, and at the end of the first 8 minute run I felt like I could have kept going.

The second 8 minute jog was typical too of my previous days -- around the last 1 - 1.5 minutes I have to dig -- I focus on the ground and just pull all I have out of me. But when it was all said and done, I felt fantastic. I actually felt fantastic through the whole run. But I kept thinking, this must be the one in five Erich was talking about.

What can I say, I couldn't stop smiling for about 15 minutes after I got home. I think my lungs are finally clearing up from the crud, and I'm back on my way.

But 20 minutes..... ????????

(Oh, merely having the nerve to leave my neighborhood actually showed confidence that I could get back home in decent shape. And when I walked up our driveway, today was the first time my legs didn't hurt when I got to the top wooooo hoooo!)

Week 5, Day 1 again

Week 5, Day 1

Monday, March 23rd

Brisk 5 minute warmup walk followed by:

Jog 5 min
Walk 3 min
Jog 5 min
Walk 3 min
Jog 5 min

Today's Challenges:
It's ALL a challenge these days. My lungs are still not up to what they were pre-sickness. And I barely made it through last week. I see other runners on the track that just run forever and aren't the least bit out of breath.

Before the Run:
It's warm today, so the heat will be a factor. I am going to try to make it through this. Wednesday will go to an 8 minute run, and by Friday I'm supposed to be able to run 20 minutes straight. I have to say... I lack confidence in myself. My schedule got ruined, and I just don't think I'm going to make 5k by April 18. I might have to check into that walk/run plan for a 5k, seeing as I'm already one week behind, and don't have much hope for completing this week on schedule either. But at least I'm still out there trying, right?!

After the Run:
It's the next day. I did complete this "run". It was hard, and I was huffing and puffing. It's a good thing I'm wearing earphones these days, because I'd probably be horribly embarrassed if I could hear myself!
All I could think about is "how the heck am I going to run for more than 5 minutes, much less 20". I just think that's an unreasonable goal to go from 5 to 8 to 20 in one week.

I'm not going to stop trying, but I just think it may take much longer for me to reach the 5K than just the original 9 weeks.

Just to get an idea of how fast I could theoretically run a mile: I can run 2.5 laps in 5 minutes.
6 laps = 1 mile
1 lap = 2 min
6 laps = 12 min

So, I'm doing about a 12 minute mile.

I think that Wed will be a stretch with 8 minute runs. But after Wed, if I can do it, then I may make my goal to run AT LEAST one mile if I can't do the whole 20 minutes.

I've got four weeks before OI5K - If I can run at least one mile, I could run 1, walk 1, run 1. But let's see how the next four weeks go....

Week What, Day Who?

Week What, Day Who?

I'm not sure. I did week four:

warm-up 5 min
Jog 3 min
Walk 90 sec
Jog 5 min
Walk 2.5 min
Jog 3 min
Walk 90 sec
Jog 5 minutes

It was painfully obvious to me how much ground I lost. But I did make it through. Barely. I did raise the roof and praise Jesus when I was finished.

I'm just one week behind. If I can do week four again on Sunday when I get back from my laaaadies retreat, then I can begin week five on Tuesday next week.

Does it ever get any easier? Will there ever be a time when running a mile seems like a piece of cake? Because I was dyin' out there today.

Back at it...

You can ignore my Week 5, Day 1 post. I'm not there yet.

I got back to it today with some apprehension, because I'm still having a lot of trouble with my asthma from the cold. I planned on doing Week 5, day 1, but ended up with this schedule:

Warmup
Jog 5 min
Walk 3 min
Jog 2 min
Walk 3 min
Jog 2 min

My back and hip were hurting and my legs were weak. My breathing was not as good as it has been, but it was not the big issue. It was mostly the weakness. I think that is coming from having been sick.

I think I will treat Friday's run as Week 4, day 3 and hope my strength has improved by then.
And I don't care what anyone says. Running in the cold beats the heat any day. Today was not all that hot, but with the setting sun directly on me it was just HOT.

I do feel tons better, but I am set back one week. I may have to walk part of the 5k, but I'm going to keep at it until it gets here.

Week 5, Day 1

Week 5, Day 1

Brisk 5 minute warm up walk followed by:

Jog 5 minutes
Walk 3 minutes
Jog 5 minutes
Walk 3 minutes
Jog 5 minutes

Notes:
I am aware that I didn't technically finish week for, or even do two whole days in week four. And I've also got a lot of stuff left in my lungs. I think I'm over the sickeness though, I've just got the lingering crap that will cause me to hack for weeks to come. Seems to me that it would be okay to run anyway. And since this schedule doesn't seem all that daunting to me (maybe I'm just really tired) I might just try this. My asthma has really kicked in since yesterday though (maybe running in the rain while I'm sick isn't such a good idea after all?)

I found a really cool website that has podcasts tailor made for this running program. Someone who is a bigger nerd than I am took the time to put together music and timed it to each week's program. So you get music, and the guy talks to you and tells you what to do next. It saves you from having to keep looking at a watch. Brilliant.
I've finally overcome the need to listen to my feet hitting the ground to be able to breathe properly, so I love the idea.

I hope I continue to enjoy running for a long time. I honestly look forward to it, and am really excited when the day comes when I can get out and just run a mile or three.

Mid-way Pictures

Well, I had a miraculous recovery this afternoon. I just suddenly started feeling a lot better. Somebody must have been praying for me. I went out and did half of my week four work out. I decided not to push it. Although I felt pretty fine, and am even breathing much better now that I'm done. I did:

5 minute warm up

Jog 3 minutes

Walk 90 seconds

Jog 5 minutes

Walk 5 minutes

I took mid-way pictures. The angles are bit different as Donald took the first set, and I had to use the timer to take these of myself (I also had to crop Donald passed out on the couch out of them).

I see a small difference. Mostly just a little trimmer through the hips. Not as much as I would have hoped, but progress is progress no matter how small. I did weigh four pounds less at the doctor yesterday than I did back in November.

Fishy Sock - pictures

I've got two socks pictured below. The first sock you see is the one I've finished for Lorelai. This is a remake. I'm going to make another one the same as this for her (except the fishie will be facing the other way, so they can talk to each other). The second sock was my first attempt, and is modeled by Jordan. She wanted to be like sissy and wear a sock and have her picture made. I have to say, the sock looks better in pictures than it does in person, and it actually fits Jordan better than it did Lorelai. I may make Jordan another one to match. But the "waves" at the top didn't turn out very pretty. I think the wave pattern is meant to be used on a flat item that is bigger so you can appreciate the big waves (I even shorted the wave length to try to make it fit better).

I remade it the first time because I wasn't sure I loved the first one. Now I'm not sure I love the second one either, but Lorelai does, so that's all that matters.

Here they are:

LORELAI:

JORDAN:

Sick

Woe, woe is me. I can't believe I've gotten an infection in my lungs. I've gone SEVERAL years now without any kind of chest cold (that I can remember). I've had sinus infections, strep throat (for the first time in my life), and regular old colds. But each time I was fortunate to avoid it getting in my lungs, and triggering my asthma. And every time I thanked God, because I know for me and my asthma it could mean a trip to the e.r. But now, here I am exercising and taking my Advair faithfully, and it gets me.

Of course, I can still thank God, because without the running and Advair, I would probably be in the hospital by now.

If I weren't on a schedule, and only 4 weeks into this, I wouldn't worry so much. But I'm so afraid when I'm well again, I'll be back where I started.

I'm on day 2 of my antibiotic, so I am hoping that if not tonight (because I'm still pretty congested), then by tomorrow I should feel better. It's the prolonged coughing crap up that I'm worried about.

I'm a little perturbed at the whole situation, but there's no one to direct my perturbed-ness at, so I'm basically just sitting around crying because it's the only way to release my anger.

Knitting News

I did not make the fishy socks. Not for entry in the contest anyway. I am making fishy socks for Lorelai out of different yarn though, and I'll put pictures up when I get one done.

I haven't heard back from knitty.com yet, which is actually encouraging, because they said if you don't hear it means you're in the queue. BUT I'm not getting too excited because it's only 10 days after the deadline, and the issue doesn't come out until June 1. I'm sure they have tons of entries to look through, and I didn't get mine in until the last minute. So I'm not going to hold my breath.

My carpal tunnel is acting up, and my left hand feels numb a lot. Erich diagnosed me, and said he was surprised I didn't get it before now. But I have had a trouble with that hand on and off for years. Before now, it's mostly been pain. The tingling has only happened once before a few years back.

I have a feeling my knitting might be put on hold for the summer while I tend to my garden. I also have another project underway, but I'm not ready to reveal it yet.

Samantha knows, and, oh great, I know how well she keeps secrets! ;o)

But when I know more about it, I'll share it!

Week 4, Day 2

Week 4, Day 2
Wednesday, March 11

ON HOLD

I have a cold, and a cough. And from my experience with my asthma, I can tell by the way the cough feels there's a bit of upper respiratory infection going on. I am also pretty certain I'm running a fever, so another sign of infection.

Hard headed as I am, I would normally run anyway, but I found this info on coolrunning.com:

"Exercise definitely affects the immune system which is fighting whatever viral infection you have. High intensity exercise has been linked with suppressing the immune system1. Which means that if you workout at a high intensity you may actually be making things worse!

If the symptoms you have are 'below the neck' such as aching muscles and a hacking cough, or chest congestion DO NOT workout that day and rest up. Working out places stress on the lungs and heart. If the heart and lungs are already under stress through an infection then exercise will just stress the body more and may actually lengthen the time it takes to recover from that cold."

So, I will sit out my running for today. If my chest congestion is gone tomorrow I will run then.

I'm distressed about missing a day, but I don't want to make myself sicker.

Pray for me to get well soon, so I don't lose my 4 weeks of training so far!

Week 4, Day 1

Week FOUR, Day 1
Monday, March 9, 2009

Brisk five minute warm-up walk followed by:

Jog 3 minutes
Walk 90 seconds
Jog 5 minutes
Walk 2.5 minutes
Jog 3 minutes
Walk 90 seconds
Jog 5 minutes

Okay, I've just completely foregone the format of this blog. I need to write BEFORE I go, and then again AFTER. I promise to do better.

Wow. Did you read that itenerary? That's 16 minutes of jogging with only 5.5 minutes of walking.

And ya know what? I did it, I did it, I really really really diiiiid it. (Sung to the tune of the "I'm naked" song by Lorelai).

I went back to the track, but after having been wet and walked on it was like running on huge rocks. It was littered with footprints and holes. And I don't mean once in a while, it was solidly bumpy. Yes, solidly bumpy.

And my ankle hurts. I'm sure that's what it's from. Ibuprofen, here cometh I.

But ya know what? I did it, I did it, I really really really diiiiiid it.

Did it almost kill me? Yes.
Did I want to quit? Yes.
Did I quit. NOOOOOOO. I am TIRED of being a quitter.

And I just looked forward to Friday, and all the sudden quitting doesn't seem all that bad, really. :o)

But tonight there were (and I counted) 15 people on the track, and several more standing by. All people who could ridicule and judge. As a matter of fact, I ran past one Hispanic couple on my second lap, and I heard the lady say "two" and something in spanish that sounded like "circle". I knew she was talking about the fact that I ran past them twice. I think they must have had a bet, because she sounded genuinely surprised. And to let you know I'm not just paranoid that everyone is talking about me, she went on to say (and you must insert your own ghetto-ish inflection here) "I'm not tryin' to run". And the man said something to the effect of "Run!" or "Go!". Then I heard them arguing over the fact that he said something to me. "I only said run!"

Okay, that was a completely unnecessary story, but I told it to make the point that people were NOT riduculing me, they were JEAL-OUS. Get some.

I'm going to take my Advil now.

Week 3, Day 3

Thank you Samantha and Erich for supporting me. I love you guys for loving me enough to care.


Week 3, Day 3


Friday, March 6, 2009





Brisk five minute warm-up walk followed by two repetitions of the following:





Run 90 seconds


Walk 90 seconds


Run 3 minutes


Walk 3 minutes





Today's Challenges:


Donald was late getting home, and it was almost dark when I got finished





Today's Motivations:


It's been three whole weeks, and my clothes are starting to fit like they used to





After the run:


I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I miss the cold weather. I already think it's much nicer in which to run.


I ran past the mysterious "lake" that's supposed to be hidden back in our neighborhood and it sounded like a million singing somethings -- tree frogs, insects, who knows. But it was beautiful. It did make me look even more forward to spring. I'm just not looking forward to the heat.





Otherwise, nothing new to report. Same old story for tonight. Next week..... uuuuuuuhhhhhh..... will I survive? I am really really really hoping to get back onto flat land for next week.





Here's my wall chart: 9 down, 18 to go -- I'm 1/3 of the way through (almost done with page one!)
I think at 4.5 weeks I'm going to take pictures of myself again to see if I can see a difference.

Week 3, Day 2

Week 3, Day 2

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following:

Jog 90 seconds

Walk 90 seconds

Jog 3 minutes

Walk 3 minutes

Again, I'm dispensing with the challenges and motivations, because today's post is after the fact. I'm slipping, I need to get back on my game.

Since the park is likely still muddy from the melting snow and slush, I again ran in the neighborhood. Which reminds me, I need to write a follow-up letter.

Dear Hills,

I kicked your ASS tonight. Huh? Get some!

Yours Truly,

Carla

I ate those hills like they were breakfast with extra breakfast.

I rocked it yesterday evening. Normally when I'm running, I'm calculating in my head which direction I need to go to avoid running up the hills. It's a complicated process. But yesterday I took the hills head on. For my warm-up walk, I walked all the way up our road, which is a very steep hill. On one particular turn-off in our neighborhood that dead-ends into some trees, I normally go only to a certain mailbox that begins the steep climb, but yesterday I went all the way to the end.

I did all my segments. I nearly died on the last jogging one, but it was uphill (small hill). And now that I'm over my bloated-ness I feel quite, and almost fit this morning. I feel better than I have in years. When I get up from a sitting or standing position, my legs don't cry out for mercy. They're actually quite accomodating now.

And as of Friday, it will be three weeks. And, as Sam says, three weeks makes a habit.

I meant to look in the storm drain yesterday to see if my inhaler was still there, but it was during that last push, and I was concentrating on just putting one foot in front of the other, so as I went by it just looked like a blur. Not because of my speed, mind you, because I could barely see straight.

Another good thing I noticed last night. Before I started all this, I would lie in bed some nights and my heart would just pound, and it would feel like it was shaking my whole body. Last night I could feel my heart beating, and it was this nice, steady, strong feeling as opposed to feeling like I was minutes away from cardiac arrest.

8 down, 19 to go. I AM a RUNNER.

P.S. I made a healthy dinner for myself last night. Black beans and rice with chow-chow. YUMMY. I took a picture of it because at the time it looked very beautiful to me.

Week 3, Day 1 - Early

Week 3, Day 1 - Early
Sunday, March 1, 2009

Brisk five minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following:

Jog 90 seconds
Walk 90 seconds
Jog 3 minutes
Walk 3 minutes

I'm going to skip today's motivations and challenges, because today was an impromptu run. There is a big winter storm "comin' rait forus". And there is expected to be anywhere from 1-3 inches of snow on the ground tomorrow. I'm not sure, but I'm guessing snow is not the best thing to run on, especially since there's likely to be ice mixed in.

SO - despite my husband's wild-eyed "your psycho" looks, I got suited up and headed out the door in the cold March rain.

I've eaten more than my share of oreos in the past two days, and don't even talk about what else I've eaten. I seriously need to get that under control. I promise myself I'm going to work on that beginning NOW.

Okay, so cold, rain, winter weather warning. I'll be honest. I didn't do it all. The rain for some odd and crazy reason makes you run faster. Which, in turn, put me off my rhythm, which in turn ruined my breathing, etc. Also with the rain coat on, as my arms swooshed against my sides, and with a toboggan and hood on, it sounded like 100 birds singing right in my ear.

Speaking of 100 birds, there were at least that many in my back yard this morning stuffing their little bellies because they know the snow is coming. It made me wish I had a bird feeder.

Another funny story -- I had my inhaler in my coat pocket. It stayed there nicely until I ran past a storm drain when, "plop" it fell right out of my pocket in to the drain. Seriously?! It's like it jumped right out! On my way back by, I looked down and there it was. Although there was so much water rushing over it I had to study it for a minute to be sure that was really it.

So, I only ran one minute of my last segment, which means I only ran 6 minutes in all. But I will still call it a sucess. Until I get pneumonia of course.

I just want to stay up to speed. And I'm going to judge next week, hopefully I can run Wed and Fri and then decide if I need to repeat a day next weekend. If not, I'll get back to my normal schedule next week.

Oh, and when I got home, Donald was standing on the front porch with a towel in his hands shaking his head. I'm not sure if it's because he loves me and is proud of me, or because he didn't want me to bring my wet clothes inside. :o)

Fishy socks

I'm working frantically to try to materialize a pattern that's stuck in my head, but won't seem to translate to fabric.

I think the problem is that I'm not an experienced enough knitter to understand the mechanics of lace work, therefore cannot get the pattern to do what I need it to do.

I did have an inspiraton last night, and have made progress toward what I would like to see on the socks.

The reason I'm frantic is because I'm endeavoring to enter said pattern into a contest. And said contest's deadline is March 11. That gives me 12 days to create and perfect the pattern, then knit up two socks in said pattern.

Luckily they're going to be to fit a kid.

I've got one outstanding entry in a crochet contest. That was not an original design contest, however the item I submitted was my own design. I've also got another sock design submitted to knitty.com and I'm anxiously awaiting my rejection letter.

I need to find some good crochet sites to submit patterns to, since I'm much better at crochet design.

This is kind of like the fair to me. I get almost as excited about entering stuff in the fair as I do when I win a ribbon. It's just the process of having my stuff out there for consideration that I find exciting.

Speaking of the fair, I need to start work on some things for this year! I have nothing so far!

Week 2, Day 3

Week 2, Day 3
Friday, February 27

Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 21 minutes

Today's Challenges:

Okay, today it really IS raining and cold. I mean, it is actually raining, not just forcasting rain. Donald insists I will get sick if I go out and sweat in the cold rain. I think that's just an old wives' tale. I guess we'll see who's right in a couple of days. Ain't no rain gonna stop me.

Not getting enough sleep. General dispair from my last miserable running attempt, and last, but most lovely, lady-things such as cramps.

Today's Motivation
Hmmmm..... The only one I can seem to pull out of thin air is just to keep going. And hope, HOPE, today is better than Wednesday.

Other stuff:
I may try to run around the neighborhood today since the track will be muddy, and I don't want to dirty up my pretty shoes. Nor do I want to run in mud. Another option will be to go to another nearby park that has a paved track.

After the Run:

Please excuse me for a moment, I need to write some letters.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Hills:
I hate you.
Sincerely,
Carla
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Asphalt:
I hate you.
Sincerely,
Carla
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Toe Knuckles:
Sorry about the asphalt.
Sincerely,
Carla
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Legs (et al):
What doesn't destroy you will only make you stronger.
Sincerely,
Carla
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now then. About my run. Two weeks down, seven to go. Six workouts down, twenty-one to go.
That should give me a sense of accomplishment. But, rather, it fills me with a really dark cloud of dread. Because I know this was just the warm up. The slap in the face to bring my body back to the reality of movement.

Looking forward to next week, I see that all three days next week are identical as well. So, I think I have another week of conditioning before the hard stuff begins. Week four looks like the killer.

Next week I'll be up to running approx 1/4 mile at a time. Then week four starts with 1/4 mile as segment one, and 1/2 mile as segment two. WHAT?! You can't just go doubling distance on me. That's insane. But, back to today.

I was once again smiled upon by God, and the rain held off while I was running. Only a slight misting again. It was considerably warmer than it's been, because the wind seemed to hold off for me too.

I did indeed choose the neighborhood as my exercise spot for the evening. Thus my new found hatred of hills. I think that had I been on my regular course tonight, I would have really broken those barriers I talked about on Wednesday. Because as I finished my "brisk warm up walk" and began to jog it FELT like the most natural thing in the world. It was such a feeling that I can almost not describe it in words. ..... And after sitting here staring for a good minute, I have found I cannot describe it in words. It was neat. (poetic, eh?)

It was a fantastic feeling that quickly (QUICKLY) wore off because my legs were already tired from going up and down hills in the warm up.

I do think that incorporating hills is an excellent idea though. It will only make my legs grow stronger and allow me to go farther. It just sucks a lot of eggs while I'm doing it.

And these are tiny hills. So tiny that when you're going up them, the road seem flat. It's only when you turn around that you notice how slanted it really is.

Another big realization this evening. I truly and honestly thought that my biggest challenge to this whole deal would be my heart and lungs. Because of previous exercise attempts that left me red-faced, gasping for air, and a heart that was sure to fail any moment, I just KNEW that my heart and lungs would take forever to come up to par. But throughout all my running tonight, the only time I had to breathe "hard" was going up the last hill. I had to breath a little bit more quickly at times on the other hills, but there was not gasping or near heart attacks. That, too was a really really wonderful experience. I worry so much about both my heart and lungs. As a matter of fact, about 3/4 of the way through, I finished a running segment that was all downhill, and about 5 steps into my walking, I realized I was breathing just about close to normal. NORMAL. That makes me want to stand up and scream "AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH".

Can you believe it?! I can't. I still can't envision 3 miles -- not even close, but I'm telling you, one mile is becoming a very fuzzy shadow on the horizon. I can't make it out just yet, but there's definately something there.

All I have to say is "Hallelujah, Praise Jesus!"

New Pics - Hat and Nikes

Introducing my new "gear".


The hat was knit up in a hurry, but I'm already getting ideas for next seasons' hat. I want one with a cuff next year. This is my logo. Like I told Donald -- I'm branded, baby. I'm the real deal. :o) Hee hee.

It really doesn't mean anything other than I am a "K"nitter, and I am transitioning into a "R"unner. Clever, eh? No? And it IS quite warm.




I'm having trouble aligning my pictures.
But these are my new running shoes Donald got me. And in return he got a poem
"This is how I doos, Thanks for my new shoes, You're so sweet, You care about my feet"

My shoes -- "chillaxin" after our run tonight. They deserve it.

You can't see the pink outline, so I have kindly included pointers for you so that you can be fully informed.

Week 2, Day 2

Hello Followers of Mine! :o) Yes, I always wanted to say that.



Week 2, Day 2

Wednesday, February 25, 2009



Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 (AHEM -- Whoever wrote this can't do their math -- it's actually 21) minutes.



Today's Challenges:

Well, I think I've finally overcome the cold (although I don't love it), and the initial worries.

1) Left calf was on the verge of cramping last time, and I woke up with a cramp in it this morning. I guess a lot of stretching is in order before I go tonight.

2) I think I've picked up a bit of the girls' cold. I don't feel sick, but I woke up with a stuffy nose. I've taken Aleve Cold and Sinus and it seems to have helped. But I can't afford to get sick! I've got a limited amount of time here!



Today's Motivation

We have "booked" the beach house at Oak Island for the weekend of the 5k. So, that's very exciting! It gives me a reason to not give up.
(That's a pic of the OI Lighthouse --> Pretty!)





Honestly though, I haven't had thoughts of giving up. Not yet. It hasn't been so miserably horrible that I just didn't want to do it anymore. So, that in itself is encouraging. Of course, I haven't had to run more than 90 seconds at a time so far, which I'm guessing is about an eight of a mile. (Guessing) WOW, I'm doing great!



But, see I'm hoping that the way this plan works is that one day those running segments will just grow closer together and pretty soon I'll be running a mile and not even notice. Have I mentioned that I've NEVER run a mile? And I'm shooting for THREE!



After the Run
Tonight was not fun. When I started out, there were people running around me who take enormous strides. I, myself, feel like I'm doing a potty dance, and shuffling my feet. So, just out of curiousity tried to lengthen my stride for a few steps. My leg muscles went in all out mutiny. So my curiosity was satisfied.
Then I just couldn't seem to remember my pace. Considering I had an Aleve Cold and Sinus 12 hour this morning, and an Ativan around 2pm-ish, I think those things did not affect me positively.
I also did some Wii exercises with my legs last night, and that seemed to be the WRONG thing to do. My legs were so tired tonight! From now on, I'm doing arm exercises only on my nights off.

I just couldn't help thinking tonight that I'll never make 3 miles. But I've got to remember to just focus on one day at a time, and I'll get there.

In fact 3 miles is still incomprehensible for me now, so is one mile. So, I really CAN'T look forward to that goal. I can't even visualize it. All I can do is just hope I can get through the next workout.

But I did it tonight, just barely. I have been eating better, and drinking mostly water. That should pay off too.

I'm just hopeful that Friday is going to break down barriers, and I'm going to see some real improvement from 2 weeks of exercising. I'm going to get myself psyched up for Friday starting now, and by then I'll be ready to bust it OUT!

Oh, and it was a few degrees warmer today, which translated to "Oh my goodness I'm hot!". I had to take off my special hat a few times.

Week 2, Day 1

Week 2, Day 1
Monday, February 23, 2009

Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

Today's Challenges:
1) Getting out there again after having 2 days off. I didn't do anything active this weekend.
2) Still cold, and getting colder! I've been psyching myself up for cold runs all along due to the FORECAST, and it hasn't been that bad. But today seems pretty cold.

Today's Motivations:
I'm starting a new schedule with this week, so it's exciting to have a new short term goal
Seeing how the extra 30 seconds of running each segment affects my ability to control my breathing

Samantha finds out if she's having a boy or girl today! I can't wait to find out too!
Boo -- cord was in the way, we have to wait another month.

After the Run:
I learned something today. I'm not a good enough runner to listen to music while I run. I have to be able to hear my feet hitting the ground to time my breathing. So, I can't give a great report of how I did. I can say that with what I did, it felt much like doing Week 1, Day 2 over again. It wasn't like starting ALL over, but it was a little more difficult than last time. But all in all, there weren't thoughts of just quitting and going home. More along the lines of the usual "when is this going to be over". And it's kind of cruel, really that I start getting excited about it with only a few minutes to go -- that's when I start feeling like I can conquer the world (or at least a quarter mile).

Speaking of a quarter mile, I'm not sure how far I'm actually running/walking. I don't know the length of the track I go to, so it's all based on time. I was thinking during my run tonight that when we go to Oak Island, it will probably become obvious as to how painfully slow I really am. I don't even imagine I'm fast, but I'm sure my pace is pretty slow. But, hey, increasing my time is a whole 'nother blog.

I did have some left side calf tightness, and only a tiny bit of shoulder pain. I do think I would have fared much better had I left the music at home, and focused on running. Music will probably come more in handy once I've mastered the 5k and want to keep my mind off of actually running the 5k. (This whole running thing is really sick and twisted if you think about it).

I got some new shoes too! My lovely and dear husband surprised me today by bringing home a new pair of running shoes. Now, I know some die hard runners will balk because I didn't go and get fitted, or at least try them on for myself. But I love them, they fit wonderfully, and they were very comfortable. AND, as I was opening the box, I paused ever-so-slightly to think really hard "I hope they've got pink, I hope they've got pink". And I was very very pleased to see two very clean, very pretty bright white Nike's with an orange swoosh, outlined in -- you guessed it -- pink! I love them.

There are pictures of them to come too, along with the afore promised knitted hat photo. (Which I have worn, ridiculously silly-looking or not).

And I have to say, I believe I like to run.

Knitting Meshing with Running

It had to happen. My knitting and running worlds collided. I needed a nice toboggan to go running in, so I made one. I have no idea if it'll even be warm, but it's kinda cute. I even made my own simple logo and embroidered it on the front. I hope I look ridiculously silly. It's for my own motivation, and having a special hat makes me feel motivated.

My next knitting/running project will be a pair of gloves.

Pictures coming soon.

Week 1, Day 3

Week 1, Day 3
Friday, February 20, 2009

Brisk five-minute warmup walk.Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

Today's Challenges:
1) Lack of sleep - both kids were up sick most of the night. I'm going to try to work in a nap today.
2) Unhealthy diet choices -- I'm working on my diet, but it's going to take time too. I've been drinking mostly water. I did have a coke yesterday, because my mom brought one for me on our trip to the mtns. I also had 2 beers last night, but it was a one time outing with my step mom and step sister. I had cake for breakfast. So, as you can see, I need some work.
3) Cold - I think today will be the coldest day I've run so far. It's supposed to be 39 and feel like 33.

Today's Motivation:
Easing the guilt of not taking care of my body by seeing if I can do it one more time.
Again, seeing if it's any easier than it was last time.

After the Run:
Today was AWESOME! At first I was thinking it was as if my legs had never done this before. They were SO tired. But after I got warmed up, I was great. I can say that I easily had controlled breathing the entire time I was jogging. The third segment I got a little faster than my good pace, and I started breathing a little hard, but I corrected that easily. Otherwise, I breathed through my nose the WHOLE FREAKIN' TIME!!!!!! GO ME!!!!!

I can't even describe in words how GREAT I feel about that. It's amazing to go from huffing and puffing and then two days later be completely under control. And it wasn't as cold as expected. No colder than the other days.

So, I'm very very pleased with my progress so far. It is definately more encouraging that I imagined. I even found myself thinking I could go farther toward the end of one running segment toward the end of the run. I even started to keep going before I realized I was out of time.

I'm a little nervous about taking 2 whole days off, so I'm hoping I can make some time tomorrow to go run. I think that will be better than taking 2 days off. I might consult with someone about that though.

One week down, 8 to go!

Some funny pictures of my "gear"

This is my wall chart of the daily exercises -- I stapled it to the wall by my bed

This is page 2 of the chart

The first day I used my dh watch to keep time, but I discovered these neat hello kitty watches we got from mcdonald's have a timer. So I cut the band off, and this is what I used tonight. Very effecient. Oh, and if I haven't mentioned this yet -- I'm cheap. BTW the timer only goes one minute, so once I get past anything more than 1.5 or 2 minutes, I'm going to have to upgrade. Hmph.

This is one of my notecards. Rudimentary, yes. Effective, Yes! Each day has the block from the chart cut and pasted. You can never have too many progress tracking tools.

It's like I told my mom -- running is the only thing that doesn't take any real investment -- only determination and dedication. Pretty much all you need is a good pair of shoes. Well, mine probably aren't good -- I'm not even sure they're running shoes. They're old, but they're pretty darn comfortable. My older bro offered me a $25 discount to Fleet Feet. I just might take him up on that if I can save up the other $75. (That's about as likely as me actually running 3 miles).

Week 1, Day 2

Week 1, Day 2
Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Brisk five-minute warmup walk.Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

Today's Challenges:
1) Rain, and cold

Today's motivation:
Seeing if it's any easier than the first time
Knowing that if I can get through this in the rain, next time should be easier

After the Walk/Run
I DID IT! That's probably going to be my response after every single session from here to the end.

I went to a park up the road this time, because I felt more comfortable being close to my car. That way I could get in it and get home if I needed to. The other night, even though I was still in my neighborhood, I felt so isolated, because I didn't have any way to get home quickly if I needed to.

So, I went to the park. It's a small oval track. I don't know the distance. It's not paved -- it's kind of like itsy bitsy gravel. It was wet tonight, but only one tiny puddle.

It was not raining while I was there (thank goodness!) it was lightly misting which was actually nice.

I can't say if it was any easier. I still had to make myself continue, but I came to the last segment, and I thought "I can't believe I'm almost done!" As I said in an earlier post, I have a fused backbone and herrington rods. My back doesn't hurt me when I run, but my shoulder always has. Ever since my surgery, if I do any type of jarring exercise, my right shoulder will hurt in the same spot. My theory is that it is a pinched nerve. It hurt quite badly Monday night, and I actually did some walking with my arm above my head to relieve the pain. Tonight it hurt for about 6 minutes into the run, and then went away completely. YAY!

My legs have not been overly sore, but adequately sore. They didn't give me much problem during the run (and I mean run/walk, but you get it), but they were incredibly weak starting out. The did numb up for me quite nicely though.

You know, the last time I went through my running phase (probably last summer) -- I started the "mantra" technique, and it helped me run farther than I thought I could. Of course, at that time there was no plan, and I was going with a 3 year old and a baby (and the dh of course).

I am using the mantra technique again. I usually use something like "for my heart, for my girls" or "for my heart, for my God". Tonight, my mantra ended up being (out loud mind you) "I am a RUNNER, I am NOT a quitter". Glad there was no one around to hear me.

But I am so very pleased. I came home and drank a glass of red wine -- for my heart, of course.

I have to admit.... I was so excited about tonight's run I forgot completely about getting my girl to church for choir practice! Okay, maybe a little less obsession, hmmmmm?

But I can't believe I'm actually EXCITED to go running. I think God must be working in me through this, because I know I could never do this alone. Hence my first post title.... All things are possible.... through Christ who strenthens me. Thank you Jesus!

Looking forward to Week 1, Day 2

Well, tomorrow's weather forecast is for a high of 48 and precip at 90%. It looks like I have the option of getting up and running in 37 degree rain, or wait until after 9pm and run in 49 degree weather.

I don't know if I will have the motivation to go out after dark at night. But I'm not a morning person, and running in the rain doesn't sound particularly appealing either.

I'm not going to let this stop me though.

I've also found the yoga program on tv, and plan on recording that for future mornings.

"BEFORE" Pictures

No, I didn't get up and do yoga this morning. I couldn't find the program my step-sis told me about, so I didn't have anything to do specifically.

These are my "before" pictures. Lovely, I know. I'm not too terribly sore -- I expect that to happen tomorrow.

All things are possible...

Hello, and welcome to my blog.

I am creating this blog as a personal record of personal growth. I'm going to chronicle my paths as I try to grow as a person, and overcome my obstacles, which I will talk about more later. My hobby passion in life is knitting and crocheting. I say "hobby passion" because my real passion is my love of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior. But for now, I'm going to talk about myself for a while. I've been crocheting for almost 6 years, and knitting for a little over one year. I own a consignment craft gallery where I sell my items, and create new items for customers' special needs. I'm 30 years old, and have just found out I have elevated cholesterol. Elevated, because the doc said it was satisfactory, but 2 points above the "high" normal is not satisfactory to me. It's genetic, as my mom has high cholesterol for no known reason too.

If you asked me two months ago, I would have told you I am happy with my body -- I don't think I'm fat, and I'm not worried about my health. I blamed my fatigue and general yuckiness to being the mom of two small girls. That certainly doesn't help. But after finding out about my cholesterol, it's just started in my mind a snowball of realizations that I'm not living the way I should. I'm becoming that fat, lazy mom who doesn't want to go out and play with the kids. My body is slowly breaking down and pretty soon I won't be able to get up and go, even if I want to.

SO. Here I am.

I have been fit before -- I used to do martial arts 5 - 6 times a week and was in pretty great shape (strength, if not aerobic). But that's been many (10) years ago.

I have asthma -- I have since I was a tiny tiny girl. I have herrington rods in my back, and my backbone was fused when I was 12 years old. This was the treatment for the very severe S-shaped curve of my spine due to scoliosis. I'm lucky my parents got this fixed, because I might not even be able to walk these days if I didn't have the surgery. My back doesn't give me much trouble. My asthma gives me much more trouble. But I have recently gotten on Advair, and I have seen such a remarkable improvement in my asthma, I feel I might be able to overcome this obstacle in exercise now.

My Goal: Run the Oak Island Lighthouse 5K in April 2009
(I found a race at http://www.roguerunners.org/ that fit my timeline)
My Plan: The "Couch to 5K" plan I found at http://www.coolrunning.com/

Of course, being a crafty non-runner, I've created notecards -- one for each day of my plan -- 27 in all. I plan on using the cards to check off each day as I go. I think this will work nicely for motivation. I've also employed the use of accountability. I'm getting my dh and my brother to hold me accountable and make me feel horribly guilty if I don't stay on track.

So, to sum up, I am using the following things to help me reach my goal:

1) Goal setting, long term and short term
2) Accountability
3) Progress-tracking tools, such as note cards and this blog
4) Most importantly, prayer

I am also going to use my blog to track my progress with my knitting. I am doing some designing of my own, and am going to try to get some of my work published online. And I might even do some blogging on my spiritual journey along the way.

I don't expect even one person to read this except myself, but if anyone out there wants to write a word of encouragement, please do, and be kind.

I am going to incorporate pictures as well.

Week 1, Day 1

Week 1, Day 1
Monday, February 16, 2009

Brisk five-minute warmup walk.Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

Today's Challenges:
1) Finding the perfect place to train -- our neighborhood is too hilly and I would either have to take the husband and kids with me, or go alone to a park. Going alone is not an appealing option. This challenge needs to be met and taken care of by the end of this week to establish routine which will provide comfort in the knowledge that I can use the same course to help track progress.
2) Headache! I don't know why but I have a terrible headache! Here at work I took Aleve, but usually Tylenol is the only thing that will knock out my headaches. Indeed, the Aleve provided a minimal amount of relief, but did not work. I will take Tylenol as soon as I get home, and wait until it kicks in to begin my training.

Today's motivation:
Getting started -- starting anything new is exciting. I think today will be good to get an idea of what my body and mind can do!

After the Walk/Run
Well, I did it! Mostly! I did all the segments except for the last running segment. My lungs were really tightening up by then, and I forgot my inhaler. I decided to go around the neighborhood, because when I got home from work, I drove the flat sections to see how long it is -- right at a mile. I did end up having to do some running up hill, but I made it!

I won't lie -- it was incredibly hard. I had to talk myself into continuing several times. But by the next to last running segment I did, I got a sort-of second wind, and I realized I was so numb, I might pull it off after all. By the time I stumbled up my ridiculously steep driveway, I thought I might just die. But after grabbing my inhaler and using it way more that is prescribed, and sipping some water my dh got me after I squeaked out "water, need water" -- I started to feel better.

Of course I had to get dinner on the table, so I'm panting and gasping and trying to make spaghetti all at the same time. And, of course, my body finally stopped trying to revolt, and I started feeling FANTASTIC!

Now, I'm facing two feelings: excitement to see if it's any easier next time, and absolute dread of having to do THAT again!!!

It's very late, and I've wasted the rest of the evening playing video games, so I don't know if I'll have the wear-with-all to get up early tomorrow morning to do yoga. No, wait. I AM going to get up early tomorrow to do yoga. There, that's better.

We'll see....

I took pre-5k-training pics of myself to post soon. Very pretty, very pretty indeed.