A Little Review

So I've been thinking about reviewing some of the products I have tried while on this journey and what better way to start than with an actually sample share I participated in for Old Navy.

I am a member of a great web community called Crowdtap that gets input from everyday people for big companies. You can earn credit while giving feedback that you can use for gift cards or give to charity. I was selected for the Old Navy Sample and Share - Take Your Workouts to the Next Level in Old Navy Active Wear Pants! Through this offer, I was able to get a coupon for myself and 3 friends to try their new active wear pants. I figure since this blog is dedicated to my fitness journey, I could throw a review of these items in for anyone out there looking for workout close.

First off, I was a little mislead and unhappy with part of the sample share. I thought all of their active wear bottoms were going to be included which meant shorts and pants because who runs in pants in the summer. Right? Wrong, it just included their full length pants and capris. This was a big bummer for me because I always only workout in shorts and I really wanted to try their new compression skirt(which I did, more on that later). It has already been 100 degrees here in Tx a few times so I really don't want to wear pants to work out. I finally found a pair of pants that I liked (the capris were all way to long for my taste) and picked them up.



I tried the Walking Pants in Carbon. They are very comfortable but as a lounge pant or maybe on a nice stroll, not for working out. They are way too thick and very hot. I took a walk(at night) in them with Mac and it is already too hot here to wear them outside much. They are comfy but not really what I consider "active wear" in any form.






My friend Jen H tried the Straight Fit Fold Over Yoga Pants and this is what she had to say:

The old navy active wear pants are great! I love the quality of the material and they have a good stretch to them. I would have expected the price to be more based off of how nice the material seems. Usually cheaper priced pants have a cheaper material, but not these ones! One thing about them that I was not loving is that I think the material, while good quality, is too thick. They would be a great winter pant to wear but because they are so thick I couldn't see wearing them all year long or even during a strenuous work out. I also appreciated that the tag was printed on the pant instead of an actual tag of some sort. It seems like something little, but I hate tags while I am wearing active pants! Overall for the price of the pants and the quality I would definitely buy them.



My friend Jennifer D tried the Split Leg compression capris and she said:

I thought they were comfy but the fabric did not "breathe" well. They also felt like they kept "riding up" on my legs. The material that they are made out of show any little stain. If you just graze your knee against something then you'll have a spot there all day. I even tried washing the spot with a rag, soap and water...the mark was still there. Other than that, they were super comfy! Overall, I liked them but I think I would wait until Winter to do any exercising in them.

This is what my friend Maggie had to say about hers.

The pants I got are the compression capri style. They are extremely comfortable. I wear capris on a daily basis while working out, but this is the first time I have tried a more fitted capri at the knee. I may try more after wearing these. I would say they are just as good as the Nike DryMax ones I own. I really liked the breathable material at the back of the knees. I was not as sweaty there after working out. I wore them for jogging and step aerobics. I think I may have preferred them for the step aerobics because they allowed me to move a little freer to do the kicking motions. I must say I am still going to hold back on saying they are great because my issue with Old Navy clothes comes with the 2nd or 3rd wash. They seams tend to come undone. So Far so good.



I ended up buying the Compression Skort. I can't include a link because they don't have them online. I really, really love it. It has a few minor hiccups but overall I love it especially for the price. I had been wanting to try a running skirt for a while but they are so expensive, especially for someone my size. I actually purchased a $50 skirt and returned it because I hated it and it wasn't worth the money. The Old Navy one is only $20 and I LOVE it. It has a high waist with almost a mock waist with a drawstring. In the back of the waist band(very wide and comfy) there is a small id pocket for you ID and car keys or a small MP3 player. I wish it was a little longer so my phone would fit but I like it still. It sits right on the small of your back so it isn't bouncing around on your butt and I forget that it is even there. It is very light weight and a great moisture wicking fabric. The compression shorts underneath however are not as great. They are not very tight and they do not stay down. However, this is not a big enough issue for me to turn my back on this product. I simply wear my regular compression shorts underneath just like I would for any other running shorts. I highly recommend trying the Old Navy skort if you are in the market for one but don't want to pay $40-$60 for it.

I'm actually planning on getting another skirt this weekend. I really do love it.

Well there are our reviews. As you can see the pants may not be the greatest for vigorous workouts but I don't know many people that wear pants when they are really working out hard. I really wish their shorts had been included because I really love them. They are made out of the same material as the skirt and they are really cute and comfy. They even have some new super lightweight running shorts but they are a little tight for my taste. Maybe once I lose another 20 lbs I'll pick some up.

If you are interested in joining Crowdtap, just click the link and sign up. They really have some great opportunities and it doesn't take much time at all.

WW Monday Link-Up

So I am once again linking up on Learning As We Go's Weight Watchers Monday.

Today's topic is Breakfast Ideas.

Honestly, when it comes to this I'm no help. I don't eat breakfast. I haven't ever eaten breakfast on a regular basis. It is one of the biggest struggles that i deal with now. Most days I don't eat anything at all before 5PM. I know I need to change this but it is hard.

Growing up I had a lot of issues with my sinuses and because of too much drainage, I woke up every morning nauseous. I felt too sick to eat and that started a bad trend. While I was in high school, I let the things others said get to me and I started skipping lunch as well. Around my junior year, I started eating only one meal a day. That has pretty much been the trend ever since. I eat dinner and then I snack all night until I go to bed. I have severely slowed down my metabolism and many days my body stays in starvation mode. It's one of the reasons I think my weight loss has been up and down since I started WW.

I'm trying to change this but it is hard. I can't eat much when I do eat breakfast because I'm just not used to it. For now, I am just trying to start out with a Slim Fast shake. That way I can get some protein and other stuff without using too many points. I'm trying to figure it all out but it is hard.

Texas Wind + Run = Bad

So I tried to do my run tonight. Technically I did my run but I wasn't happy with it. We've been under a wind advisory all weekend and tonight during my run we had sustained winds of 22 mph. Not fun to run into, up hill. Ugh. I was so tired so much sooner than normal. I had to add a little extra walk time and then my last two run intervals I ran with my old slow pace because I felt like I was going to die otherwise.

Hopefully by Wednesday the winds will be back to normal(only 10-15mph) and I will be able to get another good run in before I have to increase my time on Thursday.


Side note: Since I have a few new readers, I want to know if there is anything you want me to talk about. Right now, I basically can only think of stuff relating to my run training unless it is Thursday and I can talk about WW meeting and weekly results. As part of the link up I will talk a little bit about WW on Mondays. Other than that, is there anything you are interested in knowing? I'm just scared I will lose the few readers I have if I just talk about running all the time. Hopefully I will have new pool stuff to talk about too but is there anything else? Please let me know.

Visible Potential

I'm really starting to feel good about my running. now that I am running with my natural gait it feels great and I am seeing a lot of potential. Back in my post Tools of the Trade I talked about one of my tools being the Handy Runner app on my Droid. It is a companion app for the site RunningAhead.com. I love Running Ahead.(It's free, go join!) It uses the app on my phone to track my course and time and then it uploads to my free account on Running Ahead and tells me my average pace, distance covered and time of the workout. It shows you a map of where you ran that you can save as a course and it graphs your pace so you can see how you speed up and slow down.

Since I am running intervals my pace graph is always staggered between my walk pace and run pace. I averaged a 14:55 min mile tonight during my 21 minute workout while I was running one minute and walking 1 minute. As you can see from my graph(the image link kept breaking), I actually stick pretty close to a 10 or 11 min. mile. That makes me feel great about my potential as a runner.

Of course I am tired and a little out of breath when I finish my run intervals but that is why I am doing the 1/1 workout a few extra times before I start the program for real(Sunday night). That way I will have 4 nights of running 1/1 to get me ready before I have to increase my run time to 2 minutes. Plus it gave me a little time to get back in the swing of things since I took a few days off after the 5K last Saturday. If things continue in this fashion, I am going to have to find another 5K to run even if it is 2 million degrees outside. I guess we'll see when that time comes.

It just amazes me how much better I feel now that I am running with my natural gait. I don't have any of the pain that I normally feel in my calves when I jog. The pain wasn't just when I started, it was every workout all the way until and during the 5K. But now that I am running more naturally, I feel GREAT. My back has been a little sore because I actually keep it straight while I run instead of hunching forward like I do when I jog. I really hope things keep going this well.

I think I may also start adding water aerobics into my weekly routine. I just found out that the local boys and girls club has an indoor pool and offers water aerobics 5 days a week. I have been wanting to add something but I was afraid I may end up injuring my self if I chose the wrong thing. I grew up in the water and having a break from the weight on my joints would be really nice. I need to look into it a little more but if it works out, I think it would be really good for me.

'Til next time...





PS - My engagement ring fits again!!! It was my grandmothers and the band is very old and I didn't want to have it sized so I haven't worn it for the past two years.

The Road to My Low

It's a little long but it is the whole story. If you are just interested in the dirt, you'll have to scroll to the end.

Yesterday, I talked about how I have been wanting to share more details of my journey. I have come to the realization that I really need to be completely open and honest during this journey. It will help you all to understand me and my struggles more and it will help me to stop hiding. The reality is that if you never knew what my heaviest weight was, when I failed, I could lie about it. I've done that in the past and I am not letting myself do it this time because failure is no longer an option for me. I'm tired of hating myself. I am tired of going out and not doing the things I really want to do because of my weight.

Last year, I had a heartbreaking moment when my husband and I were talking about going horseback riding and I realized that I was too close to the weight limit allowed at the stables. I grew up riding horses and never thought that I would be at a point that I could be turned away because of my weight. (I know enough to know that any healthy adult horse could have supported me but it was the principal of the stable's policy and the embarrassment if they chose to enforce it.) It was a long road to this place so I know it won't be easy going back.

I have always been overweight, not always by a lot, but I always had a few lbs I could stand to lose. I was very active though. I played softball or baseball my entire life. In high school it felt like it was all I did sometimes. Even though I was active and in pretty good shape, I was still a larger girl and I was always teased about it. I don't think I ever wore anything smaller than a 14 in high school. I actually looked pretty good my Senior year but you couldn't have told me that back then. When I graduated in 2001, I weighed around 175.

College actually started off pretty good. I didn't really gain the freshman fifteen. I stayed pretty steady and even lost about 20 lbs doing weight watchers. Then that all changed. An idiot named Jimmy did something really stupid and the result was a completely torn ACL. I walked on it for 5 months before being properly diagnosed and having surgery during Spring break. That stopped my moving for a while. I was in an immobilizer for 3 weeks and then a metal brace for another 6 months. It was a long process and that is when the weight really started adding on.

I tried to stay active after my rehab was over but I was afraid of re-injury and my brace made things more complicated than I wanted it to be.(I had to wear it during all sports) Add to that the depression I found myself in and my weight just kept going up. Fortunately, I finally met my husband and he helped pull me out of the darkness that I found myself in and for him I tried to lose weight. It didn't really work because I really didn't know how. I knew that I needed to change my food but I had no idea how to work out. I had never been to a gym before, I always just practiced for softball. I never really figured out how to do it and so by the time we were married in 2006, I was around or just over 210lbs.

After we were married, I got comfortable like most people do. We both but on weight in our first year of marriage. He loved me, why did I have to kill myself to lose weight? It also didn't help that we ate out a lot. He was still in college and would get a meal plan that had the most Co-op bucks so we ate lots of Chic-fil-a since it was free.(The army paid for his meal plan since he had an ROTC scholarship) After our first year, we spent the summer back at my parents' house for his internship and then he started the Army thing in the fall of 2007. I was up to about 230.

Then the Army entered the picture. When Mac went to El Paso for BOLC II, I went with him. That meant we lived in a hotel room with just a mini-fridge and a microwave. We ate out the entire 5 months we were there. I attempted to work out by going to the post indoor pool that was near the hotel but I literally had a panic attack one day because of all of the soldiers that were there. I was so ashamed to be in public in a bathing suit that I had to get out of the pool and run back to the hotel. I tried to do WW again but it did not happen. I was not going to any meetings, just doing it online and I never tracked or held myself accountable. When we moved to Hood in March of 2008, I was 245.

Since we moved here, I've hidden. I was so ashamed of myself that I did not want to meet anyone. I did meet one person and she focused so much on weight that I felt increasingly more worthless every time I was around her. Unfortunately, she was the only person I knew so I kept hanging out with her. Several times she told me that Tricare would pay for me to get the Lap-Band. Fearing others would treat me the same, I stayed inside. I hated myself but I was so lost that I had no idea how to get out. I didn't know how to exercise. I knew how to eat but putting it into action was hard. I had added stress because my husband was deploying 6 months after we arrived here. By the time he left, I was a hermit or I was gone. I really, really wanted to lose weight for him while he was gone but I was not in the right place(mentally or emotionally) for it to work. I was driving back and forth cross country visiting family and every time I was home all I did was eat. My family loves to cook and they are good at it. I should have paid more attention to what I ate but I didn't. While I was in TX, I tried nutrisystem but it wasn't right for me. I'm a very picky eater so there were only about 5 different items that I liked and eating those things over and over again just wasn't working. I got really bored really quickly. I lost about 10 lbs but then it just stopped and I started going the other way.

Mac came home, all was great and the lbs kept adding up. We traveled a lot and he was here and there for training. I fell into a very lazy routine and things got ugly. In July of 2010, I hit the largest number I have ever seen on the scale. I remember what it was like every time I saw the numbers rise. I remember hitting 200 and hating it. I remember every ten pounds after that. I very distinctly remember when I crept closer to 250. I would hit it and then lose a few lbs. I kept saying as long as I stayed under 250 I was fine. Then I passed it and said the same about 260. Last July, at my heaviest I was 262. I managed to change a few things and lose 10lbs between July and the beginning of April. That's when I decided to really commit to Weight Watchers and start going to meetings. Thankfully I have managed to lose nearly 12 lbs since I started WW on April 7th and now I am down a total of 22 from my heaviest. Right now my long term goal is to be around the middle of my healthy BMI range which would put me at 143. I have 97 lbs to go. When I hit my 40% loss, I will be around 15o or 157(depending on which weight I use to calculate it) and that is when I will decide how much farther I want to or need to go. I know that I will have muscle from running and working out and losing too much may make me too small so when I get closer to that, I will make a final decision on what my goal weight really is.

So there you have it. All of my dirt and shame. I am trying so hard to make things work this time. I feel good about it. I am sticking with my running and heading to meetings every week. I did not intend to weigh in today because I had a bad week but I decided to anyway and lost .8 lbs. Not a lot but at least it is something. I have 1.4 lbs before I hit my first mini goal which is 5%. Running with nearly 250 lbs every week has definitely not been easy but I know that as I stick to it, that number will continue to fall. I want to be completely open and honest during this process because I feel that is the only way I am really going to succeed. This is who I am and where my journey began. I hope you will stick around for the ride and can celebrate with me when I have good days and offer a few words of encouragement on those days when I really don't think I can do it anymore.

Progress

Wow, what a difference 6 weeks and a running program have made. Granted, it has been a little longer than 6 weeks since I started trying to run but I feel the 6 week Weight Watchers program I used really did the most good.

As I said last week, I finished the program and did my 5k on Saturday. I did ok but knew that I needed to be better before I start my half marathon program. Because of that, tonight I started it over again. The first go round, my goal was just to finish. This time I am pushing myself and trying to really run. I know that may sound stupid but I was so out of shape when I started, to be able to finish the workouts, I could really on do a jog "shuffle" not a full stride run. It KILLED me because it did not feel natural at all but if I tried to full out run, I was so winded so quickly that I could not continue the workout. Now that I have increased my endurance with a slow pace, I am going back and starting over with faster pace during my runs using my full natural stride.

Tonight's workout was hard but felt amazing. I was exhausted and dripping with sweat by the end but I did it. And during my running intervals, I was running nearly a 10 minute mile pace. I don't know exactly what my pace was since my phone is dead so I couldn't use the tracker but we used our handheld GPS to track my overall distance and I used my watch for the time intervals. I did a total of 2 miles in 30 minutes with a 5 min warm up and then 1 minute run/1minute walk intervals. I am still running the block in our neighborhood. Each side of the block is approx. 1/10th of a mile. Some are a little longer, some a little shorter but there is one side that I know is 1/10th of a mile and I ran the entire side during one of my 1 minute intervals. Unless something is wrong with my math, that is a 10 mpm pace. Of course I couldn't run that pace for an entire mile yet but the point of running the program again is to eventually get there. I expect that as my distances get longer, my pace will slow down put just knowing that I have it in me somewhere makes me feel good. It reinforces the feeling that I can actually do this.

On a slightly different topic, I have been thinking about some information that I have been withholding. I've been thinking about how none of you really know where I started weight wise. Yes, some of you know me in real life and you know how big I look but only my husband and maybe one other person actually know how much I weigh. I've been going back and forth about when I would tell you that. I thought about waiting until I was near my goal and then posting a before and after shot to let you see the difference. I'm so ashamed of how far I let it go that I have been terrified of telling anyone how bad it really was. I'm starting to think I want to tell you. I want you to understand how some of the things that I talk about may seem like small things to most but they are huge to me because of where I started. no, I'm not morbidly obese. I'm not close to or over 300 lbs, so I do not have it as bad as some people but I also have way more than 20-40 lbs to lose. I think I am going to fill you in, but I think it will have to wait until tomorrow. I want to talk about how I got there and how I felt each time I crossed a new line. I want to celebrate tonight's victory a little longer before I dive into something so deeply personal and gut-wrenchingly emotional for me. 'Til then...

Linking Up

I found a blog that is doing a weight watchers link up on Mondays. I know I am late but I just found it. The link up is over at Learning As We Go. This week's topic is how much we have lost since starting and how far we have to go, as well as what we have learned that we were doing wrong.

As you know if you have been reading, in the past 6 weeks I have lost just over 10 lbs. I still have a LONG way to go. It's a little overwhelming and discouraging when I realize that there aren't many people out there(that I am connected to) that have the same journey ahead of them. Most people have a much shorter road to travel. It just makes me feel very alone.

I know that one of my big problems has been eating when I'm bored and not paying attention to portions. I don't eat for several hours after I get up and then I eat while I am awake all night. I need to start having some version of breakfast and cutting out the snacking at night.

I was planning to start the WW running plan Round 2 tonight but I am starting to get sick so it may have to wait. My plan as I work through the program this time id to increase my pace and lengthen my stride. Since I was taking it slow I was doing more of the jog shuffle than a full run stride. I want to be able to do the runs with my full stride before I start the half marathon training in a few weeks.

If my head doesn't clear up soon, I may not make it to the weigh-in this week. Even if I go to the meeting, I think I'll skip the scale because nothing is going right this week thanks to being sick. I hate having a cold.

Half Check?

So this morning was the 5K. It did not go exactly as planned. I ended up walking a few parts because I made few mistakes and did not realize how bad the hills were. I did not warm up properly and I started a little fast but what really hurt me was the half mile hill that started the course. My neighborhood has hills but not as steep or long as this one. My calves were killing me and I was only a half mile into the race. What sucked more, I had 3 more hills to go during the rest of the course. I had to walk a little to recover from the first one and then I walked up hill on the rest of them. Other than that, I ran. My time was better but not as good as I wanted it to be. I feel a little better about it now than I did right after I finished but I'm still not completely satisfied.

This morning was a 5K and 10K. We all started together and ran the same course the 10Kers just ran it twice. I wore my half marathon training t-shirt(it looks like the graphic on the side of my blog) and while I was being passed by a guy running the 10K, he yelled back to me saying I could do it, referring to the half marathon. It was nice having some encouragement from a total stranger that is a much better runner than I am.(he was on his second lap and I had just around 2.5miles) It was especially nice after one of the reactions I got before the race started. There was a group of women standing next to me when we were getting ready to start. One of them tapped me on the shoulder and asked what my shirt meant. When I explained that they 13.1 represented the half marathons I am training for she got all snarky and said, "Well, you just go and do that then." I know she just meant that she didn't care to ever try to run a half and I understand that but the way she said it and her body language after made me feel like crap. Like I was being mocked for trying to better myself. I know there will always be haters but I wish people thought about how the things they say can affected people.


Running

1. 1st 5k, May 21, 2011
   
2. Army Shadow 10 miler, Oct 9, 2011
3. Complete 1st Half at Run to Remember, Nov 5, 2011(no time limit or pace requirement)
   
4. Tinkerbell Half in Disneyland, Jan 29, 2012(3 1/2 hour time limit)
   
5. Princess Half in Disney World, Feb 26, 2012 in under 3 hours
   

Frustrating

Weigh- ins are starting to get really annoying. Today I only lost .2 lbs. Last week was great, this week sucked. This is starting to be a pattern that i really want to break.

It looks like if all goes well, the race will not be rained out. Our chance of rain keeps going down which is fine with me. It sounds like it is going to be warm and muggy but hopefully not too bad at 8am. I can't believe it is almost here. Here's hoping the run goes better than the weigh-in.

Goals

Tonight I ran the last workout before the 5K. I decided that since it was a short workout, I would push a little harder. I pushed a little too hard in my first interval. It wasn't bad I just knew I would not be able to keep that pace throughout the second 15 minute interval. I did my first mile in 14:10. That is a complete PR for me. I know I will not be able to run the 5K at that pace but at least knowing I can do a mile faster than my norm feels good. I slowed down for my second interval and still finished with a 15:30 average pace and that included some walking. I'm feeling good I just still pray it doesn't rain since forecasts have changed again and now we are expecting thunderstorms Thur-Sun again. This is one of my first goals and I really want to be able to complete it on my birthday.

Speaking of goals, I figured I would let you know what some of mine are and I will revisit the list and check them off as I go. I have the little graphics I created on the side, and though they represent the over all goals, I figured I'd give you a list that is a little more specific. I have both a list of running goals and weight loss goals.

Running

1. 1st 5k, May 21, 2011
   
2. 10K, September 5, 2011
3. Complete 1st Half at Run to Remember, Nov 5, 2011(no time limit or pace requirement)
   
4. Tinkerbell Half in Disneyland, Jan 29, 2012(3 1/2 hour time limit)
   
5. Princess Half in Disney World, Feb 26, 2012 in under 3 hours
   

Weight

1. 5%
2. 10%
3. 15%
4. 20%
5. 25%
6. 30%
7. 35%
8. 40%

After I lose 40% I will decide how much further I want to go. I could go to a full 50% and still be healthy but I don't know that it is necessary. I will see how I look and feel once I hit the last goal and decide from there. I also need to figure out if I am going to calculate it from what I started at with WW or if I am going to think back to my heaviest. There is a difference of about 10lbs. Going by WW would be easier since they tell me every time I hit a milestone but I don't know. The first one is close enough(.5 difference) that they are basically the same. After that it gets a little more noticeable. We'll see.

Shifting Forecasts

I'm really going to be pissed if the race gets rained out on Saturday.

Every time I check the forecast it is different. Now the rain is supposed to start tomorrow and last until Sunday.

Here's hoping things look better Saturday morning.

Run & 1/2 and One Week to Go

Since blogger was down all day yesterday, I am combining the post I wanted to have last night, Run & 1/2 , with tonight's post. Sorry it is a little long, but like I said it is 2 posts.

Run & 1/2
A run and a half, that is what I did on Thursday. That was not originally my intention but that is what I ended up with. We had some strong storms come through Wednesday night and Thursday morning. They were supposed to last through Thursday night so I decided I would change locations and time for my regular Thursday run. Since I didn't want to dodge hail I decided to go to the indoor track at one of the post gyms earlier in the day so I could get my run over with before my WW meeting at 1730. I decided to go around 1500 so I could get done and get a shower before the meeting. The storms ended up passing over quicker than expected and were out of the area by lunch. I decided to go anyway because I was hoping to shed a few more ounces before my weigh in and not have to worry about running after Maggie and I had pizza after the meeting. (Don't worry, we planned ahead and saved up our points.)

I got to the gym and headed up to the track. I knew it was short but was not prepared for how short. It is 1/16 of a mile. That's really small. It ends up feeling like you are always turning because the straight-a-ways are so short. I hate turning. You lose all or most of your momentum and it just sucks. My intervals were supposed to be 18 and 1. I made it 8 minutes, walked 1 lap and ran the last 8 or so to finish my mile. I walked the 1 minute interval and then jogged a little more finally quitting because I felt like I wasn't getting anywhere and the turning was wearing me out. I got home just in time to grab a shower and head out the door for the meeting. I was not happy with the run so I decided I would try again later that night. If I was tired after one interval, I would stop, if not I would try to actually do the entire workout.

The meeting went well. I lost again and now have lost a little over 10 lbs total in 5 weeks. I think I'm doing pretty good, I'm just hoping I can keep it up for a while. The meeting was about support systems and I bragged on Mac. The leader gave him a "Bravo" sticker because she was impressed by how amazing he has been while I've been trying to find my way. I have missed him terribly this week. I'm so glad he is supposed to be back in time for the 5K next week but I hate that he can't do it with me as we originally planned.(stupid stress fracture) I know this is just a preview of how next year is going to be but hopefully we will have one half marathon under our belts before he leaves this fall.

Anyway, after dinner settled and I caught up an a little TV, I headed out for attempt #2. I knew it was going to be harder since the intervals were 3 minutes longer so I consciously slowed myself down. I found a good pace and stayed there for 18 minutes. I took the 1 minute walk break and was shocked that it was all I needed(if I even needed it). I had no pain and wasn't even close to being out of breath. I started the second interval and my phone rang. It was Mac. I wanted to talk so I did as I ran. It slowed me down a little but not much. It was good to talk to him and I finished my run while we were on the phone. I did it. Thirty-six minutes of running with only a 60 second walking break. I felt great. Was I slow? Hell yes, but I finished it. That is my goal for the 5K. Just finish it with as much running as possible. I don't care that my pace is more than likely going to be slower than some people's walking, all I care about is finishing.


One Week to Go
I can't believe I am just a week away from the 5K.(Dear God, please don't let it get rained out.) Tonight I finished Week 8's workouts with a shorter run. (All weeks end with a lighter workout.) The intervals were 15 and 1 so I knew it wasn't going to be a problem. I picked my pace back up because I knew I could. I ended up with just over a 15 minute mile. I know that is slow, but read the last paragraph of the last post for my thoughts on that. It is a good pace for me. Sunday is going to be my longest run before the race. It is 40 minutes of just running broken up into two 20 minute intervals with a one minute walk break. Part of me has considered just ignoring the walk but I figure I have stuck to the program this far, I might as well see it through. The week's schedule is a little different. Sunday, Monday and Tuesday are the same but instead of Wednesday being a rest day, it is a run and then Thursday and Friday are rest days before the race on Saturday. I can't believe I only have 3 workouts left before my first attempt at RUNNING a 5K. I've walked several of them, but never once ran a 5K. (Dear God, please don't let it rain. Actually, I don't care about rain, I just don't want to run through hail and tornadoes.)

I'm pretty sure I am on the right path because it seems like stupid things are starting to go wrong. I feel like most of the time when we are doing the right thing, we face resistance in some way. At first, it was myself. I was so scared of trying and failing that I almost quit. I doubted if it was possible and if I was even worth it. I've finally figured out that it is indeed possible and somewhere deep inside, I feel worthy of the effort. Now that I am out of my own way, stupid things are popping up. I ended up with a nasty little rug burn type of injury on my leg thanks to a tiny whole in my bike shorts that allowed the friction of my nylon running shorts to take a layer or two of skin off. It is exactly the shape and size of the hole so I look like I have a cigarette burn on my thigh. Not really comfortable while running. Then today at the commissary, a box of freaking chocolate( I hate chocolate) fell off of a shelf and landed directly on the corner on top of the 3rd toe of my left foot. I thought nothing of it at the time, except "Damn, that hurt." Tonight while running in my vibrams(remember, separate toe pockets) I felt a pain on top of the same toe. I thought it was just a fold in a seam or something and didn't stop to inspect it. When I got home, it was hurting worse and I looked down to notice blood on the toe of my shoe. Apparently, the box's corner actually cut my toe and the shoe rubbed it until it bled. So like I said, STUPID STUFF. It isn't stopping me from running it is just annoying the hell out of me.

(I just checked the forecast again and the rain is now supposed to be gone by Saturday. Please God, let it stay that way.)

Never have I ever...

I can no longer say that I have never ran a mile non stop. However, before this week, that was true. I had never in my life ran a full mile. Not even in high school PE when it was "required." We only had to complete it in a certain time and that time was long enough that I could walk most of it and still be fine.

I know celebrating a mile seems dumb when I am signed up to run 13 of them next year, but you have to start somewhere. Technically tonight, I actually ran 2 miles though not straight through. My run tonight was two 15 minute intervals with a 1 minute walk in between. I had to swing by the house for a little potty break after the first interval(downside of drinking lots of water) so I had a little break between my miles but I still ran 2 miles.

I'm still a little mystified by this whole process. I can't believe that it is working and that I am actually accomplishing these things. They all seemed so impossible just a few weeks ago. I am starting to get a little more confident with the plan I have for the next year. I know that I will still have bad days and times when I struggle but I am learning that I can push through and accomplish so much more than I ever thought possible.

Just Maybe

Maybe I can actually do this.

Runs like tonight make me think that a 5K in two weeks is possible.

We'll see.

Ok day

I just finished my run. I was slow tonight because I haven't been feeling great today and I haven't hydrated as much as I should. I knew if I pushed too hard I would have to stop and I wanted to at least complete both intervals. I am now down to only doing 2 intervals per run because the times are getting longer. Tonight was 12 and 2. That means I was only running for 24 minutes total instead of the 30 I did on Sunday and Tuesday but that's ok. I completed my intervals(yay!) but only because I slowed myself WAY down. Typically I keep an eye on my watch and my normal pace is 1:40 per side of the block. Tonight I purposely slowed and took 2 minutes per side. I think it is the only reason I was able to do the whole thing. I will run the same intervals tomorrow night but hopefully I will be able to pick up the pace back to normal. I am definitely going to try to get plenty of water tomorrow and hopefully the slightly sick feeling I have had all day will be gone.

Today was not a good day on the scale. I am thinking it has to do with me not feeling well mostly. I'm really hoping next week will be better.

Great run... sucky weather.

That pretty much describes tonight. It actually took 2 tries to get going. When we first left for the run we made it about 100 yards before we had to turn around to put more layers on. Yesterday it was 95 degrees in the afternoon, tonight it was 49 when we left the house. The wind was horrible and it was misting rain.

After adding a few layers and a failed attempt at taking my husband's picture in his goggles and face mask, we headed out again. It was tough because of the wind and cold but from a strictly running standpoint, it went really well. I ran a total of 30 minutes tonight. Absolutely the longest and farthest I have ever gone with a combined distance of 1.95 miles.(Had I known during the run, I would have gone the last .05) My pace was better than I expected but still pretty slow. I don't care as long I can complete my run intervals. The breakdown for my three intervals were .68m with a 14:40 pace, .63 with 15:54 pace and .64 with 15:38. The wind slowed me down a lot in the last 2 intervals. I don't really care though because I am under the pace requirement for the half still and I am sure I will only get faster as I continue to train.

I'm really feeling optimistic after tonight. I am glad that I am seeing the hard work start to pay off and realize that the running plan is working and they know what they are "talking" about. Every time I see the run interval times jump up, I get nervous but when I go out and try it, I can do it. It is just hard to wrap my head around it since I have never been a runner before. It's nights like this that make me think I really can do this.



And yes, I heard the good news about Osama. We received a text from a friend after my first run interval. I'm very happy but still a little worried about what the next few weeks hold as a result. Proud Army wife tonight.