Week 4 - Update #2

This week I'm going to continue working out to Week 4 podcast. I dragged myself out of a warm bed this morning and went to the gym. It was 4:30am and 29 degrees when I got in my car. My leather seats were cold, my steering wheel was freezing and I had frost on my windows. Morning workouts during this time of the year totally sucks. But I did it and I'm proud of myself.

I still haven't bought new/better running socks. I'm afraid of the stores/malls. Crazy people are out there doing their Christmas shopping. I just don't have the patience to deal with the crowds and the craziness. I may end up ordering them online. I believe that's the only way I will be able to keep my sanity.

I also started back to weight training. Weight training (strength training - whatever you want to call it) is essential for weight loss and preventing injury. Today I trained chest and back. I'm sure I'll be feeling the soreness by tonight. I may have went a little overboard.

This week's motivational word: CONSISTENCY

p.s. The last 5 minute run kicks my ass! The only time I don't look forward to the end of a workout. :-)

Week 4

Hello! I'm still here. There hasn't been anything new to report. I've been sporadically training. A couple of weeks ago I hurt my ankle. I don't know how. I just know after getting off the treadmill, my left ankle started paining. I went home and iced it up. I probably should have soaked it instead. The following week I trained one day only. My ankle felt fine while I was on the treadmill but the moment I stopped, it would start hurting again. I don't know what's wrong with it. I'm still have the same issue as of today but I choose to ignore it. I'm sure that's not a good idea and may end up regretting it later.

This week I started the Chubby Jones Week 4 podcast. I don't like this one that much. The music sucks and the sound quality is terrible. I can barely hear the host, Mia, when she's cueing for the next run. I'll stick it out though because I am not ready for week 5.

Here's the Week 4 workout:
5 min warm-up
90 second walk
5 min run/jog
90 sec walk
3 min run/jog
90 sec walk
5 min run/jog
5 min cool-down

This totally kicked my butt this morning. I enjoyed it. I just wish the music was better. During the podcast Mia did admit she didn't pick the best music. Let's hope she has her act together for week 5.

Today is December 1st. 2009 is almost over and I haven't run in any 5k races yet. Will I be able to run a 5k before we ring in the New Year? Who knows? Time will tell. I have 30 days to figure it out.

Day 10 - On a roll!

First let me say: Today is my birthday. Yay me! So I woke up this morning at 4am and dragged my tired 36 year old behind to the gym. I wanted to stay in the bed. It was so nice and toasty inside. And I could hear the cold wind outside. But I told myself to not give in to the comfort and get to the gym.

The first thing I do is get on the treadmill. In my mind I'm hesitant to hop on the 'mill because I don't know if my shins are going to give in to the pain. I start walking, I do my 4 minutes. I up the speed and start running. I make sure to run at a .5% incline. This has really helped ease up the pressure on my shins. I run for 3 minutes and go back to walking. I feel good. A little winded but I'm feeling good. I crank up the speed again and do my second round of running. I start getting tired at the 2 minute mark but I push through. I start walking again. Third time's a charm so I crank up the speed. I start hitting a wall before the 2 minute mark. I'm winded. My shins are talking to me. And I'm tired. I keep looking at the time on the treadmill. I tell myself to stop. I find a spot on the treadmill and just stare at it. Before I knew it, my 3 minutes were up.

Today was a good day. I was able to not give in to the tiredness and the shin pain (which wasn't that bad). Friday is my next day to train. I can't wait!

Day 9

I've been suffering from a case of the Blechs. After suffering from shin and calf pain, I took a couple of days off from my training. But I hopped back on the saddle yesterday. And it felt good and it felt bad. It felt good because I was able to walk for 4 minutes and run for 3 minutes for 3 sessions. By the time I hit the second round, I was huffing and puffing but I pushed through. On the 3rd round, I wanted to give up. Every time I looked at the time on the treadmill, I wanted to hit the button and slow the treadmill down. But I kept telling myself 2 more minutes, I can do it. And then it would be 1:30 minutes left, then 1 minute, then 30 seconds, until I was done.

I need to stop looking at the time on the treadmill. When I do, it makes it go by slower. And mentally I start giving up. Other than the running, my workouts having been great. I've started weight training 3 times a week and I'm continuing my stretching. It's ironic; I started this so that I can run a 5k but this process has made me more consistent with the other part of getting fit and preparing for this race. I wasn't expecting that.

My objective for this week is: Complete 2 more running sessions. Stop looking at the time while on the treadmill. Push through, don't give up.