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.

Couch to 5K, Week Three: Noticing Improvement

note: I think I need an pic/icon of Wonder Woman Running. OR, my dream icon would be the commercial trailer when Wonder Girl runs w/ Wonder Woman, and you see the two sets of red boots running in the street...that's one of my first Wonder Woman memories...

I started Week 3 in the middle of May. Week 3 consists of (after 5-min warm-up) jogging for 90 seconds, walk 90 seconds; jog three minutes, walk three minutes; repeat twice. I should have posted this closer to the runs, as I don't recall my exact feelings. I do remember coming in from one of the first of these intervals, and being shaky and out of sorts. Sweeetie came over, brught me water, took electronics away from me and helped to the floor to stretch. As I got my sorts back, he said "well, no wonder; your pace went up by almost a mile." In week 2, my fastest pace was 3.5 mph. Now, I was hitting 4-4.5 in some spots. Well, that is an improvement!

I repeated Week 3 twice, and one more day for good measure. It took me awhile to get comfortable running the three minutes straight. Quite a few times I did get into a "zone," and I felt like a "runner!"

Couch to 5K, Week Two: Bringing in the Tech

I moved on to Week 2 last Wednesday. The week's program is a
five-minute warm up, then intervals of a 90-second jog and a 2 minute
brisk walk. I am definitely progressing, because I'm ending further
than Week 1.

I have been using the podcasts from Go
Nicole Yourself!, which I like a lot more than Ullrey's podcasts.
The music changes for the different intervals, and there's a
five-second countdown to the change. The best part, however, is at
the end. A voice announces "aaaaand you're done!" and then a little
audience goes "yaaaaaay!" I live for those yays.

Saturday was Week 2, Day 2. Just as I finished my first interval, it
started to rain. Instead of turning around, I thought to myself, "I
can run through this." Near the end of my run, the heavens opened up.
I had two intervals left. I was DETERMINED to finish it. The rain
got so hard, my glasses were covered in water, and started to fog up.
I had to run the last legs basically blind. Thank GODS they had just
finished repaving our roads so I had a flat surface to run on. All
this time I'm thinking..."am I really running in the rain?" I
think I've finally gone hardcore on this program.

Saturday was also the day I tried out an app I heard about from a
coworker: RunKeeper
utilizes the GPS in your iPhone, and will map your course, keep your
time, and average your pace. The rain and clouds prevented RunKeeper
from working correctly on Saturday. I tried again Monday morning. It
mapped, but not correctly. It went off into the woods, into
backyards...my coworker suggested shutting off the 3GS, and and turn
off the automatically set time optime (put here more for my own
benefit on Wednesday).

If you end up on RunKeeper, I'm "runningkumquat" there. I was
hesitant to show my routes in fear of being judged on my slow pace and
amount I'm running...but fuck it. I'm a fat chick running...so of
COURSE I'm slow!

So that's where I'm at. I'm thinking about going to week 3, day 1
tomorrow. That would mean I stayed on Week 2 only one week, but I
found myself wanting to keep running on Monday morning. So, why not?

Couch to 5K, Week One: Lather, Rinse, Repeat

Three years ago, I started the href="http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml">Couch to 5k
Running Program. There's been stops, and starts, ...and a baby,
and now, a start.

I started again about a month ago, on a treadmill. I was miserable.
I kept catching the belt with my feet, that I wasn't picking up my
feet. I felt like the pace on the treadmill was slower than most
people were walking.

So I started looking at the strides of the runners on the treadmills.
Thankfully I didn't get kicked out of the Y for being a stalker, but I
got some idea of what I should be doing.

And then...I just got out and ran.

I stopped worrying about my form, my stride, my breathing. I ran like
I was a kid again, for 60 seconds, and then walked it off for 90
seconds.

Until the shin splints kicked in. ow, ow, ow, OW. I wanted to keep
running, but my shins just wouldn't let me. I mean, really, I
couldn't.

After a trip to Marathon Sports, I laced up my new sneakers last week,
and started Week One. Again. I also had a new podcast in my iPod.

And then...I just got out and ran.

My pace was improved! I went from a 19/20 minute mile, to a...14.7/15
minute mile run/walking.

I'll do Week One the rest of this week, and move on to Week Two. I
would REALLY like to finish C25K this time around.

Back to the Beginning...

It's too cold and icy to run outside now, so I hit the treadmill on Tuesday. My time SUCKED. So, in talking with E (who ran track in HS and is actually a pretty fast guy), I asked him what I was doing wrong. He said I was taking small steps during the "jogging" part of my interval training, and not long strides.

So, I decided this morning to go back to week 1 on the "Couch to 5k" program, and start again with a new stride.

I did not do so hot. I started with the 5-min warmup walk, and then started at a jog for 60 seconds, at 4mph. Then, walk for 90 seconds at 3.5mph. At the second interval, my shins started to scream at me. So I lowered it: jog at 3.5, walk at 3.2. I got off the treadmill feeling like a loser, and not being a very good runner.

I came home to hugs and reassurances from Sweetie that this stuff takes time. I popped my time in to coolrunning's log, and my time, including the 5-min warmup, was 16:00/mile.

Not bad, but I'm still feeling like I suck. :(