I didn't want to post about this until I stuck with it long enough to convince myself I really was going to do it... I am training myself to run a 5k! I have always been a natural swimmer and after my last baby I did swimming and ballet and Weight Watchers and it worked amazingly. But circumstances change things and this time around, I don't have the money for the ballet and I don't feel like dealing with getting into my swim suit lol. So I had to think of something affordable (or completely free) that I could do to deal with my pregnancy weight and I decided it was time to do something I had always admired others for doing- marathons. I figured that weight loss would be a great side effect of the running but that my main focus would be on training for the run.
In order for me to do this, I had to find a program that was for someone starting from absolutely zero running and out-out-shapeness that could take me all the way to my first goal of a 5k (or 3 miles). So I went online and found this really great program called Couch to 5k (). It starts out so easy that even I can accomplish it lol. I also decided it was time to exercise with Darryl because I know how much he struggles with running and I really wanted a buddy in this process. And so I started two and a half weeks ago and I will finish my last run of week three today. I am actually up to just under a mile and a half in about 20 minutes so I am very proud of how far I have already come and that I haven't had to repeat a week yet. That is a prop to this program, it is for 9 weeks, but you can repeat weeks that challenge you too much until you feel ready to push forward.
I also decided that I really needed to get a handle on what I eat again. But just like the exercise issue of money, I couldn't afford to do Weight Watchers this time around that had worked sooo well for me before. That was when my mom turned me to Spark People. It is this completely free online weight and exercise tracking website. You can track everything you would with Weight Watchers but without spending a dime and I LOVE it. There is amazing support and it really has been working well for D and I over the last three weeks. It has been great for us to do and I have actually seen results even though my body is extremely stubborn right now since just having the baby when it comes to losing a single pound. But luckily I already decided that my main focus is on the running and not the weight because I would have given up already if it were about weight for sure. It took two whole weeks to see any progress AT ALL because I am only two months out from Z's birth and I breastfed until he was a month and a half old. So my body is very resistant to letting go of anything still. Oh well.
All in all, I have three goals with the training. My first goal that I am currently working on is to run a 5k in 30 minutes. My second will be to be able to run a half marathon. My third will be to start working on accomplishing a triathlon. That is my biggest goal and I am most excited about reaching this one because there is swimming involved. I love swimming so much that I actually take Saturdays off from the training to run or the strength training and I just swim. It is a very peaceful experience for me to swim and now I actually have a goal in the pool to reach 3 miles straight just like running. For those of you in the swimming world that is just under 1625 meters per mile (4825 for 3 miles!). My biggest challenge in the pool is that I have always done much better with breast stroke than free, so I will master in breast and then start working on free. All in all, I am working very hard toward something big and exciting that I never believed I could do before. Something in me wants to finally feel like I am the person I always knew I could be. I want to be in a body that is pregnancy free and able to do something else amazing.
Just to keep tabs on my progress, I will check in with what I have accomplished and what I am working on every week. So far I am doing week 3:
Jog 200 yards, walk 200 yards, jog 400 yards, walk 400 yards, and repeat once for a total of 1.36 miles or about 1 1/3 miles. This takes about 20 minutes. See, easy stuff (yeah right! lol). I will post next week on what I am doing. I am so excited! There is a 5k coming up here in Ridgecrest on May 2nd I am going to do no matter where I am in my training because it is a walk/run and I can finish it at a walk if needed.
4 comments:
Wahoo!! I had no idea you were interested in that type of stuff! I have been swimming competitively since middle school (okay, so I don't do it anymore, but you know what I mean :) ) and running competitively since I was 7. Needless to say, those two sports are major in my life! I've always wanted to run a 1/2 marathon, and was training to do so before I left for college, then all was lost as I got married and had kids ;). I'm not sure I'll ever get back up to that (team triaths are my next thing to do), but I still enjoying running and swimming as much as I can. Let me know if you need anything...knowledge, tips, running partners, anything!! :)
Oh, and good luck! :)
I think I'll be doing that run too, so it'll be fun to see you there!
SOOO awesome, keep it up. Please share that website for the training...my husband really wants to run in a 5k and OMG, there's one coming up in MAY!?!? I'll have to share this news. This is very exciting for you and what a goal you have set. I LoVe sparkpeople!! GOOD LUCK!
Wow! That's awesome! Good luck!
Oh, and sorry about not calling when you were in town. Noah got sick the day you got here, and just everything was bad. I've been meaning to let you know what had happened, but I'm a lazy procrastinator.
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