Couch to 5K......DONE!!!

I did it!!! I finished the C25K! I can now run for a full 30 minutes with no trouble at all. I really didn't think I would be able to do this, but it is SO addictive! I don't think my husband thought I would stick this out either, but he is really proud of me.
So what is next? I am going to run 30 minutes every other day until February or March. I want to get really comfortable with this. Then I am going to attempt the One Hour Runner. It is basically like the C25K. Instead of starting from scratch and progressing to a 30 minute run, you start from a 30 minute run and progress to a full hour. I would never have thought that was possible for me, but I am feeling really confident in my body and its abilities.
I'm gonna keep this blog going as a weekly journal to log my miles and experiences. This is a huge milestone for me, but I don't want to stop my progress. I have to keep myself motivated.

Week 8 is behind me now

I didn't have any trouble finishing my 3 runs of 28 minutes. I just had trouble trying to squeeze them into my insane holiday schedule!! It actually took me a week and a half to get these runs completed, but I am still going to move on to Week 9. This is my last week of the Couch to 5K program!! Wish me luck guys! I can't believe I am really going to finish this!!!

Week 7......Done!

Week 7 Day 1 was pretty rough for me. I learned a VERY important lesson on that day. Josh and I had alot going on with the kids last Monday. I didn't even get home until after 6PM. I thought I could just do a quick stretch and get running. Boy was that a mistake! I should have stretched more. I was only 10 minutes into my 25 minute run when my legs started to cramp like you wouldn't believe!! I knew instantly what my mistake was. I tried to tough it out, but by minute 16 I just had to stop.
On Days 2 and 3, I had a MUCH easier time. I stretched for about 10 minutes before running. Everything was great, and I had no issues. I did get a little miffed on Day 3 when my Ipod battery died. I tend to depend on my music to get me through. I learned that the distraction of music was less of a necessity than I thought it was. I guess it was a week of lessons for me.
That is all for now! Bye!

Week 6 Day 3

It was a really good day today. I managed to get in my 25 minute run with no major issues. I was having a little trouble around 16 minutes, and I decided to pick up the pace a bit (from a 15mm to a 13mm). I'm not sure why, but something was telling me to speed up a bit. Maybe it was just adrenaline that got me through those last few minutes, but it worked great. I feel good too. Can't wait for Week 7! Bye for now!

Week 6 Day 1

This workout was a surprise to me. I went into it feeling VERY confident after my 20 minute run last week. It was MUCH harder than I anticipated. The schedule was this...

5 min warm-up walking
5 min running
3 min walking
8 min running
3 min walking
5 min running

That seemed so simple to me, but it was a pain in the ass to have to take those walking breaks. I just really felt I wanted to keep on running. It wore me down to have to start walking. I could not explain why it was so difficult, but I am really looking forward to the 25 minute run this week. I really am finding it MUCH easier to just run without breaks. Isn't that weird? I never would have imagined in week 1 that I would be looking forward to not walking. I guess that means I am making progress!

A big accomplishment for me...

I decided to switch from the Nike program to the C25K. I picked up at week 4 and had no problems at all. I have been pretty nervous about W5D3 since I first started running several weeks ago. It is the infamous 20 minute run. No breaks. When I first saw that huge leap in running time, I had serious doubts about my abilities. I just could NOT see how I was going to be able to pull that off. 20 minutes seemed like an eternity!
Well, I finished that run yesterday!! I felt like I could have run 10 more minutes if I wanted to. It was super easy. I felt prepared for it. I had my doubts a few weeks ago, but as of yesterday morning I just knew I would be able to do it. I feel great, and my goal of running my first 5K (on January 26th) seems to be well within my reach.
I am also getting comments from several people that I have lost alot of weight. I have actually only lost about 10 pounds, but my clothes seem to fit much better now. It is as if my body is shifting around. I am not losing much actual weight, but I feel great about how I look right now.
My run for tomorrow is supposed to be 5 min. jog, 3 min. walk, 8 min. jog, 3 min. walk, 5 min. jog. A few weeks ago I was freaked out about my 5 min. run, but tomorrow seems REALLY easy right now. I feel like I could skip a week and be OK. I won't do it, but I feel like I could. I have to admit, this C25K has got to be the best beginners running program out there. If I can do this....anyone can!