Couch to 4800k

I'm spending this week in Oregon, celebrating my Mom's 60th birthday. My route was flatter than my usual run, and so much more scenic. There were spots I didn't have the luxury of sidewalks, so I ran on the road.

Here, they don't have a shoulder on the road; they have irrigation ditches. I was pretty cautious in certain areas. The sidewalks I did run on have spoiled me when I have to return to VFW Parkway. They were flat, and smooth. No tree roots pushing them up. No acorn husks left by hungry squirrels (because they were all in my parents' backyard eating the peanuts my mother was feeding them).

At one part of my run, a plane was coming in and landing alongside me (the runway is that long dark gray part on the right of the picture). I am going to admit here: I totally felt like Tom Cruise in Top Gun. Without the motorcycle...or leather jacket...or sunglasses. But I digress.

This was supposed to be a 2.25 mile run, and I had plotted it out ahead of time. So much for technology (thanks MapMyRun!) I managed to keep a 3.5mph pace, no walking. I'll revisit doing 2.25 on Saturday, my last day before I head back home.

2 miles - Shaving Seconds

I wasn't sure how this run would go. I had run 1.5 miles on Thursday, so I was worried going back to 2.0 miles would be a bit of a stretch. I talked to A on Friday, and she suggested to go slow on the mile out, so I'd be able to make it on the mile back.

I headed out, and made sure not to "push." I kept my playlist on good, even, pace-making songs; "Born to Run," "Livin' on a Prayer," "Princes of the Universe." I'm getting to the point where I can actually feel that I have a pace, rather than "ohgoddon'tletmedieouthere, ohgoddon'tletmedieouthere..."

This run I shaved 20 seconds off my pace. The mile out that I was doing a pace? Was faster than I've done, even on Thursday's shorter run. The training plan so far seems to be working. I'm feeling confident that I'll be finishing the 5K under an hour.

Small(er) Cargo

I went to buy cargo pants the other night because my mother stole my last pair (by "stole," I mean I gave them to her and she took them back to OR), which I loved. I grabbed the few pairs of pants in my size (which are few and far between in a chain store that moved it's plus-size online), and hit the dressing room.

Huh, I thought, These pants are...too big? I went back out, grabbed a few more a size down, and well, look at that, these fit. It's the first pair of pants that the size doesn't start with a two I've bought in a very long time.

Instead of celebrating, or considering this a mark of my efforts, I started making up reasons why they didn't fit: they're a different cut of pants; they must be faking their sizes (I read that in an article the week before); it's only that store I'd fit into that size...

I battle with this little voice after every run. Today was a shorter run to increase speed, 1.5 miles. My guess while out on the run of where the turnaround was off a bit. So of course it wasn't a good run, I missed .04 part of it! I wouldn't have picked up my pace so much if I had just finished exactly .04...

This voice used to keep me from even lacing up the sneakers, or picking up that smaller size off the rack. As I'm getting older, I'm ignoring it more. I can tell the difference between my instinct (That dog foaming at the mouth? Not friendly!) and the inner critic (you're not going to finish a 5k, who are you fooling?). So I carry it around in my head, let it say it's thing, and walk up to the register to buy the cargo pants.

2 miles

Started this run filled with piss and vinegar. Realized a few minutes into it that maybe I was going too hard, but I felt okay so I kept going.

And then I hit the first mile, and as I rounded back, my legs went "hey, we are so DONE!" and my shins said "hear, hear!" Walking happened. I'd start jogging again, and my shins would bark in protest. More walking happened. I got to the last tenth mile of the run, I said "the heck with you shins, I need to finish strong," and killed myself to my finish spot.

I was sure my time would be craptastic, but then I saw my pace was still pretty good when I stopped RunKeeper. When I checked the stats on RunKeeper, I can see why after the first mile I was getting exhausted: I had really increased my pace, almost up a full minute on the first mile. Hopefully a trend on the rise!

Training for 5K: Week Two

Right. That running thing I've been doing.

I "graduated" Couch-to-5K on August 6th. I finished the timed training program, and I was able to run for 30 minutes without puking or passing out. I was running 1.65 miles in that time, a pace of 18:13.


Fast forward six weeks. I started my own program of adding more distance every week. My furthest distance has been 2.26 miles. My pace is usually at 17:50. I've also signed up for a 5K on Halloween day.

I also started a training plan I found on about.com. When I counted back from race day, it brought me to Week Two last week, which was a 1.75 mile run on Tuesday and Saturday, and a 1.5 mile on Thursday with a Cross-Training session on Wednesday, and an Active Recovery on Sunday.

I got two runs in, NO Cross-Training, NO active recovery.

I'll admit: I was burnt. I had been working out 5 days in a week the past couple of weeks. I was finding reasons not to get up and go, even when I knew that I'd feel cranky later in the day. I just wasn't motiviated. In Lift Like a Man, Look Like a Goddess, the author says this is okay, and giving your mind a rest as well as your body from time to time? Totally okay.

So I gave myself a light week for working out. And I wasn't hard on myself for it.

This week I'm on to climbing back up to 2 miles. I'm hoping to shave some time off as well. My goal for this first 5K is to come in under an hour. I know most people do them in 30 mimutes or so, but I'm being realistic. I'm a fat girl, learning to run. It's not going to be a 10 minute mile overnight. It will be a challenge, mile by mile, minute by minute.