Recap of my first 5K

 

I am sure you all saw my I Survived note, which means that I actually made it out of the 5K I was volunteered into by my husband and mother-in-law to support her in her weight loss. And just as a side note, my MIL has lost over 100 pounds since she started on Weight Watchers and I couldn’t be more proud of her, the woman is incredible.

Alright on to the recap of my little 5K !!!

We got up bright and early at 7 am yesterday to head over to the local Weight Watchers meeting point where the walk/run would start. I really didn’t want to leave my bed, and the thought of running scared me a little. I tried to chicken out and stay in bed, but the Mister got me up, dressed me and even put my knee brace on then practically carried me down the stairs to the car.

The sun was shinning, when we got to the shop and there were lots of people there. We met up with my MIL and it seemed that she was happy we could all make it.

Most people walked, the Mister and I decided to do intervals since I really wanted to run a part of it, but knew I couldn’t continuously run the whole thing. So we weaved in and out of the crowed when we could and jogged for a bit, then walked, then jogged. We didn’t stop once, and if it was up to my dear hubby he would have ran the whole thing, but he didn’t want to leave me behind!

When we got back to the store and were finished with the 3.1 miles I got a big hug and a kiss from the Mister for making it without stopping and whining to much.

I have to say my sinuses were killing me, my throat was sore and my chest felt like it was burning. But I did it. I finished a 5K, next up is actually running the whole thing, or at least incorporating more running then we did this time.

After the run we all changed and headed to Village in for breakfast. Once we were done stuffing our faces, the ladies of the family went on a retail therapy session while some of the men went back to A1 Scuba for the expo and others home!

PS: The Mister won a brand new Aqualung Regulator (the same one we use) valued at $500.00 from the Expo. I would much rather have won a trip, but now we have a spare if either one of our regs decided to dye. 

Our first 5K

 

I am running my first 5K today… I’m thinking I’ll be doing intervals more or less.

This past Thursday my Mother-in-Law announced that there was a Weight Watchers 5K walk/run coming up on Sunday that she was going to do. Yesterday we found out that she wanted all of us to show up and support her by participating in the walk/run.

It turns out, I’ll be running (out of breath and miserable) my very first 5K without really knowing what the heck I am doing. YAY! note the sarcasm!!

The reason why I’m running it is because the husband stated that there was no way he would do it if I didn’t at least try to run it. And I didn’t want my MIL to be disappointed that her son didn’t show up. So, we’re running.

If I survive the day, I’ll update you on how it went.

Wish me luck!

Great Friends and Running

 

Remember when I talked about how great Couch to 5K was? Well, then I talked about how I’m still waiting for the runner’s high… and then I mentioned that I hate running and quit.

Well, today when the Mister came home and saw me sitting around on the couch, he decided that it was time to get me outside and running again. Despite my protesting and putting it off, despite the excuses of I don’t have clean workout clothes, and despite my grouchy “I am going to die” attitude he got my butt off the couch and into the street.

Let me tell you, I wanted to kill him. I also wanted to cry, and maybe throw another tamper tantrum with stomping feet and all. However, I didn’t… well I might have told my ah-mazing husband that I hate him (sorry babe, I really do love you). ALSO, I’d like to point out that I am obviously very alive and able to write this post. In addition, now I remember why I wanted to start running again, and like it… I love the way I feel afterwards, when all the sweat has been washed off, when I can finally breath and my heart isn’t threatening to escape from my chest.

So here is to me getting back on the old path and trying to convince myself that I love to run. Wish me luck guys.

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On the brighter note. My Monday was super special because I got to catch up with a friend that I hadn’t see in four years!!!

Our middle school graduation photo… well part of it, both of us are on this side

Let me tell you a little about my friend Dita! She was my first real friend when I moved to the States, and at in the 4th grade when I barely spoke English… actually I think I knew about 10 words, she befriended me and showed me around. As the years went by, she became a part of my family to the point that we referred to each other’s parents as Mom and Dad.

Dita and I graduated from elementary, middle and high school together, we also lived a short walk apart, and when I started to drive I would pick her up on my way to school every morning because she wasn’t old enough to drive yet (funny story).

  

Our high-school graduation

After graduation we each decided on the University of Colorado as our school, however I went to the Denver campus while she went to the Boulder campus. Despite being only an hour drive away, our lives were so hectic that we didn’t see each other. When she would be in town I’d be gone and when I’d be in the Boulder area she’d be out of town and so on.

However, even though we didn’t see each other for four years, we never lost touch and when we saw each other today it was just back to the old days. Sitting around drinking tea, and talking.

 

Our college graduation

Long story short, real and true friends never forget, and even after literally years of not seeing each other can pick up exactly where they left off.

Love you Diter! <3 Can’t believe we’re done with another chapter of schooling.

Running out of breath … Day 13

 

Let’s start with this… I HATE RUNNING! But I always hear how great it is, how people love it and its such a good de-stressor.

 

Well, I’ve done the Couch to 5K, then never actually ran a 5K, stopped running because it was so unpleasant, started back up recently and loved running on the treadmill… but then I went for a run around the neighborhood and decided that I would never run again.

I remember a time when running didn’t seem so bad, it was just part of the sport and I did it willingly, without realizing that I was running. Now it’s just a chore. I can’t stand how stuffy I get, how my throat starts burning and my chest seems to tighten. It also doesn’t help that I go into a run with a negative attitude. So, I’ve spent the majority of the day looking up tricks and tips for new runners, because I really want to run a 5K and possibly a marathon.

One of the top suggestions I found was taking it easy when you start:

I know the Couch to 5K program uses the intervals, and I can get through it with little effort, however, it’s when I actually get out to run outside with hills, rough roads and stupid weather I start to regret my decision. I’ve read that trying a brisk walk outside for 20 minutes three times a week for three weeks can really get your endurance up.

I also like the idea of taking smaller steps then jumping into intervals, so I will be trying out a program created by Owen Barder who is an economist living in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The training schedule looks easy enough, and this time I am going to be doing all of it outside. I feel that the treadmill is much easier then being outside. Does anyone else feel this way?

Keeping a log:

I have never truly kept a log of the workouts or exercises I’ve done. About two weeks ago I started using myfitnesspal.com and have loved the fact that I can keep track of what I eat and know exactly what goes into my mouth. I also like the fact that I can make notes about if I felt full or I didn’t have enough, then try and fix these problems for the next meal or day.

So I feel keeping a workout journal will be very beneficial. I had a weight training one when I was in high school, and it defiantly kept me accountable for how much weight I used, and kept me from slacking and putting on lighter weights. Hence I’ll be putting together a fitness journal to go along with my weekly workout. Ideally it will record runs, times, distance as well as strength training, other cardio work and weights used.

Hopefully these two steps will be sufficient into getting me back on track with running, and help improve my feelings towards the sport. I would love to claim that I love running sometime soon, but we’ll see what happens.

Q: Are you a runner? How did you get into running? What are your tips and tricks for newbies and haters?