Week 4 D2

Summer time. I love the sun and I love the heat. What I don't love is the scorching heat and the humidity that hangs in the air. Yes, it is Summer hear in Southeast Texas. And it is hot. I did the treadmill today, I mean tonight. I wasn't really gung ho about it. But you know that comfort zone I was talking about in my very first post? Well, it now includes running. However, I have come to realize that I prefer running to my own music.

Don't get me wrong, I love the prompts by Robert but I want my own music. I did well on my run...well I completed it. And I think I met my goal that I set for myself, 24 miles in 28 days. Ok, my goal thingamiggy may not say it, but I lost my Nike + and was not able to record one of my workouts. So I finished it but I don't get the recognition....bummer.

Here is how I did

Duration: 46 minutes
Distance: 2.17 miles
Average Pace: 21'07" minute mile
Average Heart rate: 149
Max Heart rate: 172
Calories burned: 412

I have converted to miles from km so that people can see and understand my pace. I keep hearing alot about pace on the Weight Watchers forums. How fast do you run? Do you consider me slow? How fast should I be going? Look, don't worry about others. You are unique. Remember that pep talk your parents gave you as child about being different and unique? Well it is true. I am 5'2" with short legs and I wear about a 75 pound weighted vest when I run. Okay, maybe it isn't a vest but more like a fluffy layer. These are not excuses, they are reality. My pace may not "Wow" some but they "wow" me. A few weeks ago I was stuck on Week 1 of C25K because I was scared to try to run 90 seconds. Now, I feel comfortable at 3 minutes and I am working on 5 minutes. Can I get an Amen?

All I am saying is listen to your body. If you are so winded that you can't catch your breath and feel as if you are going to pass out...slow down. This isn't a race to see who is the fastest. This is a life time journey to becoming more fit. You will brush your teeth or soak your dentures for the rest of your life. See running as part of that routine. If it isn't running, then maybe swimming, or golf, or cycling. But we just need to keep moving. You are going to quit or burn out if you don't learn to be patient with your body. You didn't get out of shape overnight, so don't expect to become fit overnight. But I promise, if you stick with it and be patient, you will begin to see changes. All of a sudden, stairs won't be so daunting, when you go get the mail, you won't become out of breath and so on. Remember those small changes and record them.

W3D2...Is it going to get easier?

Well I did W3D2 on my treadmill at two percent incline. I lost my mojo in the middle of it. I woke up this morning and I couln't wait to work out. I knew I had some accounts I had to clear up in the morning so I wanted to run at lunch. The hours seemed to just fly by and I ran to my dryer to get out my sports bra, when I realized, I forgot to turn on the dryer. Ugh!!! So I had to wait until my bra dried. I don't know why because when I run, I look like I have taken a hose and sprayed myself. Nonetheless, I went back to my desk to do more work, when it hit me....hunger. It seemed to come out of nowhere. I ate breakfast at 9:30 and time flew so when I looked at the clock it was 1:30.

It was too late. I was hungry and all sanity leaves when hunger enters the body. So I nuked a WeightWatchers turkey and mash potatoes dinner, which only took four minutes but it might as well have been two hours. So while I "waited" for it to finish, I made some toast and used real butter. Oh, did my husband but a sausage on the Foreman Grill? Well, maybe I need to put one on for me. Needless to say, thirty minutes later I wasn't hungry anymore. Oddly enough, I still was full of energy and wanted to work out.

So I gave my body an hour to settle down and got on the treadmill. I felt great. I was waving my arms to the music, I was smiling and had attitude. I was going to do this thing. Warm up...great. First 90 seconds were great. I kept at a moderate pace, for me. I breezed through the walking. When Robert said to start running my first three minute run, all was going well. Then I got past the first minute and I felt tired. I caught myself reaching for the handles and I refuse to touch them. I have learned from experience, that I cheat when I grab the handles. I use my upper body strength to hold me up and make the run easier. I wasn't going to do that. By the time I got to the next three minutes...I pooped out.

Here are my stats:
Distance: 3.55 KM
Pace: 12'22"
Time: 43'59"
Cal Burned: 429
AVG HR: 155
Max HR: 175

W3D1

Okay I finally moved up in my C25K and it felt good. It was hard but it was good. Here are my stats:
Distance: 3.34 km
Duration: 40'38"
Pace: 12'09"
Calories: 458
Average Heart Rate: 144
Maximum Heart Rate: 182

I can't believe it there were moments (that only last a few seconds) but there were moments where I felt in rhythm and seemed graceful. There was a song that was about 13 to 14 minutes into the podcast that really had a nice pace to it. I also noticed that my fingers no longer swell when I run.

Afterwards, I did Yoga for runners for the first time. I read an article in Women's Running Magazine that mentioned yoga helps counter some of the stress caused by running and it also strengthens the core. I tried yoga once before in my life and well...I just tried it. This article has about 9 poses and one builds upon the other. They were hard for me. (Fluffy has a lot of fluff that gets in the way but I focused on my core and that in turn improved my balance.)

Tip:
I have read some threads on the Weight Watchers Boards about lacking a routine for working out and thus not working out. One of the things I do I learned from my scrapbooking hobby. I keep my post important tools in one area. I have this small chest on my desk in my bedroom. It sits next to my computer. It contains all the gadgets I need and use to work out, my IPod, my hotsync chord, my armbands for my IPod and Iphone, my HRM, and my HRM band. I also leave my shoes on the treadmill. If I go for my run outside, I still take my shoes off and put them on the treadmill. Knowing where my tools are is just one less frustration and one less excuse for not working out.

W2D4

That's right...you read it correctly. I did another day in W2. I forgot to change up my workout playlist to include W3 instead of W2 so I just ran it. Here are my stats:

• Distance: 2.76 km
• Avg Pace: 13'05"/km
• Time 36'10"
• Calories Burned: 305

So the mind came along late in the game. But I am glad I did it.

ON A SIDE NOTE: I was on a message board talking about legs rubbing. I wear capri or crop length pants that I got from Wal-mart, Danskin Now. I would like to eventualy wear shorts. Now, I know I can buy a product called Body Glide, and it will help with the rubbing. But here is the deal. I have fairly large legs. I am pear shaped and I gained most of my weight on bottom. So it isn't just my thighs that rub, it is my thighs and all the way down to my knees. So, for now, I am going to keep wearing crops until the knees stop knocking. I also think the size of my legs cause me to run funny. I find that I have to carry my left leg around the right leg. Now, I don't know why I don't have to do that for the right leg....maybe because I start out with my right leg. Who knows?

Here is something I have noticed since gaining weight. My normal pace for walking has slowed down. I know this because when I started dating my husband, we would take walks at Niagara Falls or Lake Ontario and I never complained about him walking fast. Now, that is all I do. "Slow down this isn't a race." But beyond me having to lug around more weight, I think there is another reason. Another part of the slowness comes from the effort my legs have to take to walk "around" each other. My gait is shorter because part of the momentum of putting my leg forward is being used to go around the other leg. Now, I know it has been said the sexiest line between two points is a curve (Mae West) but it is not the shortest distance. So one leg having to curve around the other leg to go forward....well you see where I am going with this. That being said, I can't wait until my legs don't rub together.