day 21

today’s workout (W7D3) from c25k: brisk five-minute warmup walk. then jog 25 minutes.

stats: time 1:11:18; distance 4.23 miles; calories 728; pace 16:49 (max of 10:12); heartrate average 149, max 180

thoughts: today sucked. i have been going one of three general areas for my runs–the path that i drive to that takes me to our lake, the streets around my house, and the dirt trail system, which splits into three separate paths. early in the c25k program, i had been doing the dirt trails. i loved them and they gave me several different routes of varying difficulty. i stopped using them, however, because they don’t do well in the snow. this morning i thought i’d try them again since we haven’t had much snow this week and it’s been quite sunny and warm. big mistake. it was covered in ice and where it wasn’t, the trail had frozen and was really rutted. i had to stare at the ground for most of my run to watch for ice and had to slow to a walk several times because it was just too icy. i could never really get into my running groove because i had to keep walking and because it was just uncomfortable on my joints. not every day can be as awesome as monday was, but i just hope not too many days are like today. definitely going to stay off this path for the foreseeable future. yuck.

next week: start of 2.8 mile runs.

ice hill of doom.

day 20

today’s workout (W7D2) from c25k: brisk five-minute warmup walk. then jog 25 minutes.

stats: time 1:41:04; distance 6.10 miles; calories 968; pace 16:40 (max of 6:29); heartrate average 143, max 182

thoughts: definitely didn’t feel as good or as easy as monday, but i was able to do it again, so i’m happy! my running pace was around 13/mile. still slow as a snail, but i’ll start working on speeding up post-c25k. i’m definitely loving these huge calorie-burners, though!

additionally, i’ve still not lost any weight. inches yes, pounds no. my friend MEB (who is a super runner and fit girl extraordinaire) told me that it’s not about the weight but how you feel. i certainly feel better, but i absolutely need to lose some significant weight. since running isn’t helping in that regard, it’s time to buckle down and eat better. i’m searching for a good methodology to do that (more complex than “eat less than you burn”) and am open to suggestions. reading dukan’s book right now and it seems promising. anyone have any suggestions? i’m sure as shit not doing any cleanses. this isn’t a diet but a lifestyle change, so no gimmicks please.

thankee!

day 19

today’s workout (W7D1) from c25k: brisk five-minute warmup walk. then jog 25 minutes.

stats: time 1:43:00; distance 6.32 miles; calories 971; pace 16:18 (max of 6:38!!!); heartrate average 142, max 183

thoughts: WOO HOO! today was a huge triumph for me! now that i’m in the homestretch i have to focus on distance more than time. c25k bases their times on a 10 minute pace, which i’m not at yet. so while today was scheduled to be a 25 minute run, i ended up running about 35 minutes at an average of a 13 minute pace. at the end, i felt great and that i could keep going forever, so i sped up my last half mile and had a blistering max pace!

i drove to my favorite path and ended up running to the state park where we sail. i just didn’t feel like turning around, hence the much longer distance (that’s a touch more than a 10K!). this was my longest run yet, the prettiest (see below), and i couldn’t be more excited (and tired) right now. while i’m on the program i feel the need to stay on-program and do the exact workouts called for. i’m really looking forward to finishing so that on days like today when i feel like i can run forever, i can just keep going.

why i hate the treadmill:

what met me at the end:

hope yall are doing well!

day 18

today’s workout (W6D3) from c25k: brisk five-minute warmup walk. then jog 25 minutes. (note: the actual c25k W6D3 workout calls for a 22 minute run, but the podcast had me do 25. not stressed about it, just noting.)

stats: time 46:38; distance 3.07 miles; calories 486; pace 15:22 (max of 10:30); heartrate average 150, max 179

thoughts: hard to believe i’m 2/3 of the way done! i have a lot to do in the next three weeks, but feeling pretty good about how far i’ve come. i had to stop at one point to cross the road (there were cars coming and i didn’t want to become roadkill), so i guess i kind of cheated, but i added 30 seconds on at the end to make up for it. because i didn’t stop due to being tired, i won’t count it as a cheat.

part of me feels that these long runs are easier–you just go and don’t have to worry about the clock. it’ll be even nicer next week when the podcast isn’t reminding an earlier run from that week to walk. i really felt like i could keep going today, so i’m actually looking forward to amping up in the next few weeks.

as the training progresses, c25k puts more of an emphasis on distance than on time, so i think i’ll start focusing on mileage. because i’m still slow, 2.5 miles will take me longer than 25 minutes, so i will run until i’ve gone the mileage called for. but i’m almost there! so excited!

day 17

today’s workout (W6D2) from c25k: brisk five-minute warmup walk. then jog 10 minutes, walk 3 minutes, jog 10 minutes.

stats: time 57:10; distance 3.61 miles; calories 533; pace 15:47 (max of 9:47); heartrate average 141, max 179

thoughts: today was the last segmented run! holy cow is that scary. but today was okay, just continuing to be slow. i’m looking forward to being finished so i can start working on my speed (it’s all i can do to just go at all right now, let alone go quickly). it’ll also be nice to have a better handle on my actual pace–this pace considers all of my time while i’m out, both running and walking. my plan is to finish c25k, keep continuously running, work on my speed, and work up toward longer distances. i ain’t gonna quit!

we’re set to get more snow on wednesday. i like all the snow we get, but it’d be nice to be able to run on the trails again–i so much prefer them to running on the road.

hope your running is going well!

day 16

today’s workout (W6D1) from c25k: brisk five-minute warmup walk. then jog 5 minutes, walk 3 minutes, jog 8 minutes, walk 3 minutes, jog 5 minutes

stats: time 48:45; distance 3.16 miles; calories 459; pace 15:33 (max of 7:04); heartrate average 142, max 177

thoughts: neither fantastic nor atrocious, but done. i felt really slow today, but needed to get it done as there’s a storm coming in tonight.

today was the first day i used a run to work through some emotional issues i’m having. i had a rough day yesterday and still felt really down when i woke up this morning. i spent the run thinking about it and wrapping my head around some bigger things and feel much better now. i used to be a very competitive horseback rider (hunter/jumper) and no matter what was wrong in life, as soon as i got on the back of my horse, i thought of nothing but riding. i never used riding to sort through my issues, so this is brand new territory for me. it felt good.

and hello to my new readers.

day 15

today’s workout (W5D3) from c25k: brisk five-minute warmup walk. then jog 20 minutes with no walking.

stats: time 39:23; distance 2.56 miles; calories 425; pace 15:21 (max of 10:39); heartrate average 153, max 181.

thoughts: I DID IT! i am SO excited (and still on an endorphin high). had you asked me in november if i’d be able to run 20 minutes without a single walk step, i’d have laughed at you. don’t get me wrong, it was hard and i was slow, but i did it, and i’m pumped.

the pace in my calculations has not been representative of my actual running pace–because i walk after i finish my run usually for about 30 minutes, that speed is considered in my pace. i looked at cardiotrainer when i had just finished my run (at the beginning of  my short walk (i had a number of things to do today that required i shorten it)) and calculated that my pace was just shy of 14 minutes (13:50). so while it’s slow, it’s not nearly as bad as i had feared.

today was a huge milestone and i actually feel like i can do this now!

i hope yall are doing well!