C25k Week 2 & 3 (and 3 again)

Sorry for going m.i.a. there for a bit, life kinda got away from me. So here's a recap on the last few weeks and an update on where I'm at now.

Week 2 went really well. I did not have any problems hitting the set times and felt really great after each session. I was totally loving the program after week 2.

Week 3 was not so good though. It started off badly when my first run was delayed by 3 days. Saturday, which is when I had been starting the weeks, we were out of town all day, so I had planned to go Sunday. But Sunday morning I woke up feeling a little off, but I figured it was because of the junk I had eaten the day before and that a good bowl of oatmeal and a little waiting time would make it all better. Wrong. I ended up getting incredibly sick not long after that bowl of oatmeal (lesson, don't eat oats if you feel wonky) and was forced to spend the rest of the day on the couch barely able to stomach water. Turns out that this nasty little bug had been going around work, and apparently it was my turn. Monday I still felt bad, so no run that day either. I finally got to run on Tuesday and it wasn't great but wasn't horrible: I could feel that it'd been a few days since my last run and that I was kinda dehydrated/rundown from being sick.

My other two runs of week 3 weren't any better. On the second run about halfway through I started getting this shooting pain up the sides of my ankle. So I cut back on the running times and gave myself a day off before run 3. Unfortunately that didn't help and I had the pain again. So I thought maybe a couple days rest and a repeat of week 3 would help: wrong again. I only managed to make it to the gym twice last week and both runs were horrible and painful.

I've felt this before actually, but it's been a few years. In high school I did marching band and started to feel this pain during long parades. It's this horrible burning sensation up the tendon that runs up the outside of my ankle. It goes away shortly after I stop whatever I'm doing, but while I'm doing whatever it is it becomes incredibly painful just to take a step. We never quite figured out what caused it back in high school, but when I became a lazy bump-on-a-log after school I didn't have to deal with it and stopped worrying about it (plus, with the weight I've lost I was hoping I wouldn't have to deal with it anymore).

I have two theories on it though. One is that it's a type of tendinitis. Some basic Google researching this past week has me thinking this could be it. The other theory though is that it's just another symptom of my messed up legs: my hips and ankles turn (or kinda lean) out, while my knees turn in. When I messed up my knee in high school I had to do physical therapy and the therapist mentioned this the first time he saw me walk, news to me but not apparently to my mom. She told me later that they noticed this when I was really little but my craptastic doctor told them to just put me in high-top sneakers and I'd be ok - wrong! My mom later said that she wishes they would have put me in leg braces or something back then, so maybe I would have so many issues now. Oh, and if you want to see how bad it is, grab a pair of shoes I've worn for awhile and you'll see that my feet go out so much that I wear out the outside of my shoes really quickly.

I'm not sure yet what I'm going to do. I've been loving running (up until the whole burning tendons thing), so I don't really want to stop. I know I should go to the doctor probably, but I don't really know if I will - I hate going to the doctor. I may continue to baby my ankles some - rest, ice, etc - and may try to play with the C25k program and fine-tune it to something I can handle right now. I'm really just not sure. But I promise I'll let you know as soon as I come up with a plan.

I'm trying to turn myself from a self-proclaimed non-runner into a pavement-pounder by my first 5k this summer - and I'm doing it with the lovely Breanne of "Bella Vita". Check out my announcement post and Week 1 (and week 1 again) plus check back weekly for my training updates as I make my way through the Couch to 5k program. And if you're a runner with any tips I'd love to hear them!

C25k Week 1 = done

So I officially finished week 1 on Thursday. I ended up changing my plan from running Monday and Wednesday and making it Tuesday and Thursday instead because I was fighting a migraine all day Monday and ended up not making it to the gym.

Days 2 & 3 were still a bit of a shock to my system, even after day 1 and the bonus days last week, but I could feel that day 2 was slightly easier and day 3 was even more so. By Thursday I was really looking forward to getting to the gym and getting going. It's still totally mental and I spend a lot of the time talking to myself and reminding myself that I can do this - but it's starting to feel more natural. Plus one thing that really surprised me is how awesome I've felt the next day - totally thirsty but still awesome. I know that it's still small amounts of running so it seems a bit strange to think that it's having such an impact on me already, but I really swear it is. I've felt happier and more energized the next day and just a lot less blah.

I started week 2 on Saturday and it went well, I'll talk more about it next week. Also, I decided while on the treadmill on Tuesday that when I finish (although I kept saying "if" and having to correct myself to "when") week 3 I'm going to order a Bondi Band. I've seen these popping up lately on quite a few of the healthy living blogs I read and they've gotten really good reviews. I cut my hair a couple weeks ago and it's too short for a ponytail, so I've been having to do pigtails and a headband, but I've just got some thin elastic bands so I still end up with a lot of hair in my face. These Bondi Bands apparently stay in place the whole time you're running, are quite thick - so they'll really keep the hair out of my face, and they wick the sweat away too. The only problem now is deciding which one to get.

Finally, I was pretty bored the other night and was playing around with the flair on Facebook and randomly looked up C25k and 5k flair and found this:

I added it to my board but then got to thinking about the fact that it says "training." It just seems so odd to me that I can say I'm "training" for anything. I even questioned whether I could actually say that. But then, being the nerd that I am, I looked up the definition of the word training, and this is what Dictionary.com says:

Train - verb - "to make (a person) fit by proper exercise, diet, practice, etc., as for an athletic performance."

So, technically I really am training for a 5k. I'm also training to be fit, healthy, and (I've learned this week) happier. So I guess that training badge really does fit. But it still seems weird to me that I can say that - given my past feelings toward all things health and fitness. But it's a good kind of weird.

That's all I've got for now, so see you back next week with an update on week 2. And if you celebrate it - Happy Easter!

I'm trying to turn myself from a self-proclaimed non-runner into a pavement-pounder by my first 5k this summer - and I'm doing it with the lovely Breanne of "Bella Vita". Check out my announcement post here and Week 1 here plus check back weekly for my training updates as I make my way through the Couch to 5k program. And if you're a runner with any tips I'd love to hear them!

C25k Week 1 Day - uhhhh something

So I officially started Couch to 5k this week - twice. The first start was on Monday and it was hard! I made a rookie mistake and kicked the treadmill too fast on my first running session. I made it through that one but by even the second session I was feeling my lungs and legs burn. So I decided that the best thing to do was run for as long as I could and then walk. I kept my walking session times starting at the same time (for example if I was supposed to run minutes 10:00 to 11:00 and then walk but only managed to run to 10:45 I still considered my walking session starting at 11:00 and going till 12:30). It wasn't the best way to do it but it worked for me.

So Wednesday I tried to do it all over again. This time I kept my speed lower but just wasn't feeling it. I was feeling it more in my legs than I was on Monday, which was weird. Last Saturday I ordered some new running shoes from New Balance (I know, I really should have gone to be fitted, but there's no where near me to do it) and they came Tuesday, so Wednesday was the first time I ran in them (walked in them Tuesday). So I don't know if I was just still trying to break them in or what, but my legs felt so heavy and awkward. I kept with my "run as much as you can" plan and was just really happy that I kept myself on the treadmill the whole time.

I tried again yesterday and actually did the entire program the correct way! I cannot tell you how happy I was when that last running session was over. Not because I was happy to be done running, but because I'd actually done it! I was so incredibly excited to actually do it correctly and it gave me such a huge burst of confidence. Now, I have to say that it wasn't pretty and it wasn't fast by any means; but it was completed, and that's the important part. Plus I even managed to stay on the treadmill for an extra five minutes after the time designated by the program to give my legs an extra stretch.

So since I've started this program with plenty of time before my 5k in July, I've decided that I'm going to count Saturday as my official day 1 of week 1 and will go from there with Monday as day 2 and Wednesday as day 3 and just consider last Monday and Wednesday as extra days. I really think it's important to start out with a good foundation to training so I think it's really important that I'm totally comfortable with week 1 before I go on to week 2. So I'll be back to let you know how official week 1 went!

I'm trying to turn myself from a self-proclaimed non-runner into a pavement-pounder by my first 5k this summer - and I'm doing it with the lovely Breanne of "Bella Vita". Check out my announcement post here and check back weekly for my training updates as I make my way through the Couch to 5k program. And if you're a runner with any tips I'd love to hear them!

Leaving My Couch

So let me let you in on a little secret: I'm not a runner - never have been (shocked?). Once, in 8th grade, I got the crazy idea that I was going to join the track team (maybe I had a head injury or something, I don't know what caused the idea). So I went home, laced up my totally crappy tennis shoes and set off..... I barely made it around the corner. My track team dream died that day (tear).

Really though I don't know what I was thinking there. I never liked running, or really any physical activity, growing up. I was the kid who tried to figure out any excuse to get out of gym class - although I partly blame this on being so much taller and more, um, developed then my peers for years and then being heavier when I was a little older. I played some sports growing up, softball and basketball, but not really by choice and finally whined and complained enough that my mom let me quit. I was much happier sitting on the sidelines with the marching band then actually running up and down the court (::cough-nerd-cough::).

But in the last year or so that has really started to change. As I've slowly gotten more active I've also developed a bit of a love for sports (can I blame this on BWW and their 8 million tvs?). Now I look forward to going to the gym and moving my rear, I turn on Sports Center if I see that it's on, I read the sports section of the newspaper, and just the other day at work I was telling a couple coworkers that I think it would be fun to be a sports reporter (wait, who am I??!). So, basically I'm starting to love all those things that I absolutely despised and schemed to avoid as a child. Better late than never I guess, right?

So, where am I going with all this? Remember in my last post how I mentioned that there was possibly something in the works? Well, the time has come for me to let the cat out of the bag.

My friend Breanne of "Bella Vita" and I have been emailing back and forth about our trips to the gym and our fitness goals. Breanne is trying to lose the weight she gained when she had her adorable little girl, Bella (have you seen this kid? freaking adorable). In one of our emails I mentioned that I was thinking about starting the Couch to 5k program to give me something to focus on and work toward (I do better with a goal, but that's another blog post). Breanne said that she'd thought about the program too and thought she might look into and maybe we could do it together. Then she came back and made me put my money where my mouth (typing finger?) is..... she asked if I actually wanted to do a race. And, wait for it, I said sure (seriously, who am I??)

So, this July Breanne and I will be doing a 5k right here in my town (which is conveniently close to Breanne's town). I'm planning to start the C25K program this week so that I have plenty of time and can 1. repeat any days or weeks if I need to and 2. have plenty of time to run 3.1 miles before the big day. I'm really, really nervous (have I mentioned that I've never been a runner?) but am also really exited to have a goal to look forward to. I know in the blog world sometimes a 5k is considered child's play, but crossing that finish line will be a huge deal to me, and getting to that point is going to be a lot of work. But don't worry, I'll fill you in on every detail of that work (you were worried, right?)

So, expect a report on Week 1, Day 1 later this week. And if you never get it someone check the wall behind the treadmills at the gym and make sure I'm not splattered against it.

Anyone out there a runner? Got any tips for a total newbie?