Fatty Must Run Marathon Challenge Monthly recap

Before I started writing this post, I decided to review my previous posts I have written since starting the challenge and I realized two things:

1.  I thought I blogged more than I actually did, which means all those times I thought I was sharing with you guys, I was only sharing with myself...in my head and
2.  I have no concept of time. It seems like just yesterday that I received the email stating I was accepted and at the same time, so much has changed in that time that it seems so long ago.

If you are not familiar with the Fatty Must Run Marathon Challenge, just click here for information about it. Over the course of a year, Julie, the leader of this challenge, will guide us through marathon training. Some would consider training for a 26.2 miles run as torture but I consider it a privilege to do so with these women.  Ok side note here: Julie is from the UK and I am obsessed with anything from across the pond, so when I read her blog posts, I read them out loud with my very bad British accent.

Julie gives us a new set of challenges each month.  We are to keep her updated at least once a month via email or blog post. But most of us have also updated eachother daily via Twitter.  If you would like to follow us, just search #FMRMC or #Fattymustrunmarathonchallenge.  For the first month, May, we were given three tasks run 2 miles, start 30 day squat challenge and run a timed 5K.

1. Run 2 miles and report back to Julie on how it felt. Because I was already running two miles each run, this one was natural for me.  The only comment I have is that it is getting hot in Texas so I have to change the time of day I run.
2. Start a 30 day squat challenge I had never heard of this but I googled it and discovered it is a 30 day challenge that increases the amount of squats each day. You start at 50 on day 1 and by the time you are on day 30, you are doing 250 squats in one day.  I love squats.   I build muscle extremely fast, genetics, so I can really see the difference and feel the difference in my legs and buttocks.
3. Run a timed 5K to get a base time.  Of all three, this one concerned me the most. I had not run a 5K in a very long time so I was worried.  I always hovered around 54-56 minute 5Ks.  I didn't want to time a 5K so soon after restarting C25K only to discover I am slower than before or not be able to finish.  My new time was a pleasant surprise 43:15.  I know, I know...I can't believe it myself but I took a picture just to prove it.

Yeah Baby!!!

If you had told me a month ago that I would have had so many changes in the first few weeks, I probably would have not believed you.  No, I know I would believe you.  As a matter of fact, I probably would have contemplating dropping out for fear of failing.  But I didn't quit. I just went one step at a time, one day at a time.  And things just happened.

• Pace  When I restarted C25K I was ecstatic that I ran my fastest mile at 15: 48. Years ago when I trained for my first 5K, my average pace was in the 17's and even 19's.  Yesterday I broke my own 5K time by doing it 43:15 and my average pace for my total 4 miles was 14:12.  By the way, the only reason I mention pace is not because I think I was going too slow before, but because it means I am improving. It means I am getting stronger. You guys know how I feel about pace.
• Distance:  My first few runs in April were 2 miles or less.  By mid May I was consistently doing 2 miles and as of last Saturday, I have increased my mileage to 4 miles.  My plan is to increase my mileage for my during the week runs to 4 miles and 6 miles on the weekend.
• Strength:  All I can say is that before this challenge, my legs just moved me forward.  Now, I can actually feel my muscles working and I love it.  There is a feeling of control or power...I haven't quite found the right word for it but all I know is that it is good.
• Community:  My running group has grown by 14.  We live hundreds, even thousands of miles, away from each other but this common goal is the thread that binds us together.  We encourage eachother and hold each other accountable.  On my own, I probably would have become bored the first week and moved on to a new challenge.  I am here to stay.

We have been given our new challenges for June.  I'll share more on those tomorrow.  All I can say is that it is going to be hard....mentally.  But in the meantime, check out the girls and how they viewed the first month. A link to their blogs is on the right.

Are those sirens behind me? W1D1 Couch to 5K

Are you kidding me?  W1 D1 has been on my mind and a thorn in my side for weeks.  I was so hyped up to start running when I bought the new bra (video review of it later this week) and then I had to put on the brakes because of a heel spur.  Thankfully that is a thing of the past. 

So I was a bit upset with myself for not getting up this morning and doing my first run.  I was tired, I hadn't decided which app to use and my preferable headset was broken....need I say more?  So what to my surprise happened at lunch time?   You guessed it, I got my arse out there and did my personal best.  

My husband was home today and he kept repeating, as I dressed for my run, "Remember take it slow.  Don't over do it." over and over again he said it.  To which I finally responded..."This is COUCH to 5K. It is a program developed with the assumption that I have been sitting on my lazy A** all this time!  If I am worse off than a person sitting on the couch all day then lets call it One Foot In The Coffin to 5K!"  So I get a little dramatic.  It is who I am.  Even my IPad is engraved with "Let me be the musical that I am!" (actually I should write in all caps because I am so dramatic.)

Where was I?  Oh yes, my run.  I had perfect spring weather with low humidity.  However, my husband was right about being careful.  Apparently I didn't tie my shoes properly and during my first run interval, I almost tripped  so I had to pull over and retie all my laces.  Oh and always check which way the wind is blowing if you have a choice in direction when going for your run. You see, I wear a long white tech shirt that billows in  the wind.  And when the wind is to my back, it serves as a sail and I feel like the wind is urging me to go faster as it pushes me forward.  But, oh but, when I am facing the wind...well it just mocks me and I feel as if I am dragging a parachute behind me.

I have learned to listen to my body during my runs.Thank goodness I remembered that from the last time. So I knew when I was going too fast or when I could afford to "speed" up.  Ok Ok so I never passed the guy in front of me that seemed to be on a casual stroll but today I felt like a Kenyan!

I just can't let go

Ok, here is why it irks me to lose it and run without it. Because I am a tracking freak. I want my Mini to show my last workout. You can't edit your workouts on Nike + so I can't go back and add it. It also won't show on my Goal ticker that I did the 2 miles. Two miles may not seem like much but for me it is a big deal.

Take a deep breath, let go and let God.

Ok so here is a review of the C25K application on Itunes. My bad, it is $2.99. It integrates with Facebook. By the way I am Rozette Peckham at Facebook. Search for me and add me as a friend. Just mention you came from SeeFluffyRun or Weight Watchers and I will let you in. So here are some of the Pros and Cons.

Pros

• You can make your own playlist
• It prompts you when to run/walk/cool down with a bell and voice
• It does a countdown for each interval (when doing 90 sec run, the screen will display a countdown from 90 secs)
• It gives you a halfway prompt (if you are running outside, this is a nice feature that tells you when to turn around)
• It keeps track of your runs
• If you need to start over, you can just reset and it will reset to W1D1
• If you were not able to complete a session you can edit that session as not done

Cons

• You cannot run another application, like MapMyRun so that you can track your distance
• It does not include GPS so it doesn't track your distance
• If you want to skip a song or need a power song to play, you can't control your music without turning off C25K, since you have to leave the application to get to Music
• The audible prompts do not get louder, so if you music is really really loud (and that is not good for your ears anyway) you may miss a prompt

Overall it is a great application to use if you want to use your own music. I am still waiting for that perfect application that does GPS and/or stride (like Nike +), has a chest band that keeps track of heart rate, that I can use C25K and allows me to play my own music. Until then, I am going to continue to look like the Bionic Woman with my HRM, my Nano for my Nike+ and my Iphone for safety and C25K and my personal playlist.