The journey from fat to fit. Road trip, woo hoo!

I’ve decided to do more running outside and less inside on the treadmill given that the weather has had such a nice turn for the better around here.  But I like keeping track of all of my OCD stats on the treadmill.  I was considering one of those handy dandy personal GPS units for tracking miles, but since I discovered walkjogrun.net, it seemed kind of unnecessary.  But I did invest $30 yesterday in a sports watch that has a timer, so today I was able to accurately time my run.  Kind of fun, and I wanted to post a picture because my new watch is pink and purty : )

Found this 100 push up training program via another blog and, omg, decided to take the initial test.  How many push ups can you do?  And they need to be full on, not on your knees.  I can do, ummm, zero.  Almost one.  Like half way down and back up again.  Yikes.  I am not only cookie willpower weak but upper body weak as well.

I haven’t mentioned it because I didn’t think it was a big deal, but I have a pain in my left leg.  It’s in the hip/upper thigh area.  It’s not bad, but it’s constant.  I can’t really isolate it as to whether it is in the hip joint or in the muscles of the thigh.  But it hurts when I walk.  It doesn’t hurt worse when I run, which I guess would be a good thing, right?

It started Sunday during my run, something a little more pronounced than my normal amount of achiness and just general leg fatigue that I am used to when I run.  Just this little niggly ‘ow, what’s that’ in my left leg.  So I ignored it, and noticed more of an ‘OW, WHAT’S THAT’ when walking later that day, and it stayed with all day.  Like I said, running doesn’t make it hurt more, so I did my Monday run.  Same thing, just a little achiness in the upper leg, persisting all day.

I ran two miles last night and felt good, keeping a mental eye on my leg and it was sore but not painful.  After the run, I walked another 2.75 miles and by the end of that walk I was limping.  At this point, it feels much more like a sore or strained muscle than anything else.

My goal was to run Mon - Thurs, but I think I am going to take a break today.  So my new goal: rest today, run Thursday and Friday.  Evaluate weekend exercise when the weekend gets here.

I’ve been having a pretty “quiet” time work-wise, which has totally changed in the last two days and now I am in overload mode and thinking, man, I could sure get a lot more done if I just skip the gym until I’m all caught up.

But I’m not going to do it, so yay for me!  I am taking DD9 to school right now, she only has school from 8:30 to 10 am, which is ridiculous, but whatever.  That will give me time to drop off, go to the gym, do a quick 5k, shower and then pick her up.  Then I have to work, work, work, go to a graduation celebration and work some more.

My goal was to run four miles today and tomorrow, but there won’t be time today.  So I’ll be happy with getting in the three miles this morning.  If I am feeling really ambitious, I might be able to squeeze in a neighborhood run this evening after the family is fed etc.  Wouldn’t that be something, to go from too busy to run to getting in two runs in one day?  I guess that three miles in the a.m. and one mile in the p.m. still equals four miles for the day, right?

 UPDATE: Got behind schedule this morning and made it to the gym with EXACTLY 30 minutes to run.  So I ran 2.37 miles, 30 minutes, then zipped home for a shower.  Now I have 10 minutes to get my daughter picked up from school, delivered back home and then off to work for me.  I think I’ll have time to do upper body stuff this afternoon, then another half hour run in the neighborhood before bed.

I don’t know how to make a playlist, but I’m going to try.  I want to make one for my “running songs” in an order that is just right for pace and motivation.  Anyone want to add their favorite running tunes via comments? 

I’ve been using the same album ever since I graduated from the C25k podcasts, and I am going to keep the first three songs in the same order, because those three songs at a 4.5-4.7 mph pace are exactly one mile for me.  That’s been kind of my “kick off” for every run, just make it through the three songs and I know I’ll be OK.

 Mile 1: Beautiful Day, Stuck in a Moment and Elevation (all U2)

Other songs that I’m not sure if I’ll use or where I’d put them, but that I like to run to:

Sexy Back and What Goes Around (Justin Timberlake), American Girl (Tom Petty), All Apologies (Nirvana),  She’s Crafty (Beastie Boys), 3 AM (Matchbox Twenty), How Bizarre (OMC).

This is definitely a work still in progress. 

There is a questionnaire for those of us participating in the Wee Little Virtual 5k.  Copy it and post your answers on your blog so all of the runners can get to know each other!  Leave a comment on Wee Little’s questionnaire page letting people know how to find your responses.  Here are my responses:

1. When did you start running?

March 9, 2008, a day that shall live in infamy.

2. Did you follow a plan (C25K etc.) to get you started running? If so, what plan did you use? If not, how did you go about getting started?

I did use the C25k at Cool Runnings, along with the Robert U. podcasts, and with the support of my virtual running group on Yahoo.

3. Why did you start running?

I looked to running as part of my “journey” to a healthy lifestyle and weight loss.  It’s cheap and you don’t need to buy a home gym to do it.  Plus I have always had severe runner’s envy, especially of girls with swishy ponytails who jog without sweating.

4. Now that you are running regularly, what do you find to be the biggest benefits?

I feel great, I look good, my weight loss is enhanced by the extra exercise.  I’m a runner, damnit!

5. What are your future plans for running? Short-term and Long-range.

I finished the C25k program and ran in a real live 5k race with other people on 5/31.  I finished in 40 minutes 23 seconds and am still beyond proud of my accomplishment, because I did literally go from the couch to a 5k.  Since then I’ve improved my time, coming in consistently under 40 minutes.   I have also started training in what I am calling “5k to 5 miles.”  But now it looks like I may be doing a relay in August which will require me to do six miles in my leg, so my 5k to 5 miles may be revised to “5k to 10k.”  We’ll see.  10k still sounds a little too intimidating to me.

6. What are your personal goals for the Virtual 5K?

My goal is to come in under 38 minutes.  I would like to run it outside, but if weather forces me to do it on the TM, a secondary goal would be to do the first two minutes in 24 minutes and only slow down for the remaining 1.3 miles as much as I physically have to.

7. Do you have a music “theme song” that you will use for this race?

I’ve been doing all of my post-podcast running to U2’s “All That You Can’t Leave Behind” album.  It is inspirational.  I’m recently thrown in Justin Timberlake’s “Sexy Back” as my finishing victory song : )

OOOOOPS… So I found this really fun relay race where each person runs two miles, but the last person runs an extra mile, and there’s a beer garden and bands and stuff for kids to do and, OMG, doesn’t that sound like the funnest thing ever?  And you only have to run two miles!  I can do that! 

So I got DH onboard and got another couple onboard.  The other couple are a fun couple that we hang out with on occasion who are both runners (6 miles, 3 times per week).  We don’t see them that much anymore, but the Mrs. was here for my purse party and we got to talking and decided that this would be so much fun, and we’re all set.

 Except that I got it ALL WRONG and each person actually has to run SIX MILES, not two, with the last person running EIGHT MILES.  I can’t do that!  I totally cannot run six miles, especially in a nice, timely fashion.

How do I get out of this without looking like a whimp?

This is the little game I play with myself on the treadmill.  I set a goal, and work to reach it, and then realize that if I only keep going, I’ll reach the next little goal, and it’s oh so close, so let’s just keep going for five more minutes, or one more quarter mile, etc.  This is how I made it through the couch to 5k regiment and is now how I am going to make it to my next as yet undefinied goal.  10k?  I don’t know, sounds kind of intimidating.  For right now, my goal is 5 miles.  There, new goal set.  Wasn’t that easy?

Today I got on the TM with a goal of 45 minutes running or 3.25 miles, whichever came first.  I ended up running four miles.  Details on my 5k to 5 miles page.

Speaking of… I am going to start a new page, 5k to 5 miles, and record my boring running stats there (if anyone is interested.)  I do this mostly for myself, to keep a record of what I’ve done so I can build on it.

I learned a valuable lesson at the gym today.  I forgot my water and I forgot my towel.  I learned that IT IS possible to tilt your head in such a way that the sweat free-flowing from your brow channels right into your mouth, but IT IS NOT cool and refreshing.

I found a blogger who is “hosting” a virtual 5k this month and thought it might be fun to participate.  Go check it out.  I’m going to do it and I think it will be fun to read the results of all of the couch to 5k runners.