Some positive changes

Little update if anyone is still out there...

11 months after losing my mother to breast cancer, my father was diagnosed with lung cancer in Jan. He had it removed, no chemo/radiation required, but his recovery has taken a long time due to memory/awareness issues coming about after the surgery (2 months ago). He has moved to a facility near my family so we can oversee his care and be near him, and I'm doing his bills, dealing with insurance, etc. But he has improved so much in the last week, I am optimistic. Baby steps...

In the meantime, I've lost 6lbs now on WW, plateauing now, have about 6 to go to get back to pre-crisis me:-) Not really exercising (hello, that would beat the plateau, I know), but I'm just eating my rice cakes and trying to stay afloat right now.

Hope all my running friends are chugging along and healthy!

Trying...

1.5ish miles, 20 min, since I'm so sporadic right now, did R2/W1. And it was not easy but not terrible.

Trying...!

Twice in a week...can it be?

Distance: 1.76 miles
Time: 0:25:02
Pace: 14' 13 min/mile

Got a full 1/10 mile further in the same time. Felt it, too, lol.

HR function on my Garmin seems to have quit. I will Google this when I have a minute and investigate.

Peace!

first time in a long time

Date:	10/01/08 06:29 PM
Distance:	1.65 miles
Time:	0:25:02

R5/W1, R4/W1 rest of way. Didn't feel too terrible for all the time off I took.

Chatted with my phys-ed teacher buddy @ school. The guy *I* inspired to start running again last year (he has since run a 20 min 5K!). He lit a little fire under my behind, and with no activities to drive kids to tonight, I got out there for 25 min. Felt good to be out there (ok, maybe not by the end, lol), but I trucked along with my 15 min miles and ran for the first time in over a month. I've since knocked off 3 lbs by pretty much just eating salad & clear soup for lunch. It's a process, right. Life's a process, I guess.

Hiatus, you knew it was coming

Back from vacation, school has started in a flurry and I'm now super active in some community and church committees. Running for me right now is on hiatus--need to lose those 8-10 lbs, and have begun to do that (being back at school has been great for it, good salad bar, lol).

I am thinking I need to walk for awhile. I have hall duty now, I estimate I'm walking at least a mile there (not that briskly), that plus salad bar and some smarter food choices @ home should help me drop a few lbs. I just feel too weighed down, no pun intended, by the lbs, and by the school year being up and running again, to run right now (there's a play on words there somewhere, but I'm too tired to craft it).

Not a goodbye, because I will run again, I have gained too much from this life-changing sport and this amazing supportive community--YOU--but I have to get my act together, and cannot keep running 14+ min/miles to a max distance of 2 miles to utter exhaustion. I have been running, gaining a little endurance, but feeling like I'm not getting anywhere.

As the Governator would say, "I'll be back."

I will check in on my favorite run-bloggers (that's YOU) in the coming weeks & months. And when my you-know-what is back together, I'll be with you again:-)

Wannabe Will Be Out of the Office...

Off to Disney in the car with dh and kiddos. Running down there, I dunno, but I'll sure walk a lot.

Back on Labor Day when dh & I head to Rutgers season opener!

Good runs, recoveries to all.

C25K - W8 D2

Tough run. Plan called for R 28 min. I ran 14, took 2 min walk break, then ran the rest. Slowly.

2.00 Miles
28:04 = 14:02 / M

Why so slow? Just realized during this run (duh), that the fact that I am running with about 8 pounds more than I was last year MIGHT be making me slower and having to work harder. Yowzer. Yeah, when I had my work[out] stoppage this past winter, well, seems the weight crept on, ugh.

So ok. But I did 2 miles again, it was a tough, tough run, but I got through it.

C25K W8 D1

Run 28 min DONE!

2.02 Miles
28:02 = 13:52 / M

And now that I have actually run more than one mile, I have SPLITS! And negative at that!

1 =	14:09
2	13:18

Wes amusingly asked me what my time goal in a 5K would be, since my second incarnation as a runner seems to have robbed an already slow ME of some "speed". Good question, Wes. Here are my goals:
1. Finish 5K
2. 42 min or less would be just fine. Because of goal #1

I've decided not to do 5K Saturday fo'sho.' There will be more. I just want to keep building some minutes and regain some endurance...this comeback was harder than I envisioned, but it's getting done, slowly...

C25K - W7 D3

How has it happened that it has been 5 days since my last run???? With humidity being only 55%, perhaps that long time lapse between runs explains why I was sucking wind from about 9 minutes on...but 25 minutes nonstop again is DONE! And the good news is I got a little further in my 25 minutes, so I am getting there, slowly. I don't feel ready for the 5K I had in mind for this weekend, though...I may postpone my "comeback" to the fall.

Distance:	1.89 miles
Time:	0:25:02
Speed:	4.5 mph
Pace:	13' 15 min/mile

Must remember to do pushups again, I have just forgotten them, bummer.

C25K W7 D2

Run 25 min


Done! Getting a little easier. I covered a little less ground, but was a little less beat to a pulp by running 25 min straight!

1.78 Miles
25:01 = 14:03 / M

Peace out!

C25K - W7 D1

Waited one day to do this run due to slightly sore calf muscles from climbing and descending 868 steps in two lighthouses with my kiddos Friday! Love the Jersey Shore!

C25K W7 D1: Run 25 min nonstop.

Done. Again. Slowly, but done.

1.86 Miles
25:01 = 13:26 / M

Went a little further than the last 25 min jog, so that is cool (ok, .04 mile, but further is further!).

Keep forgetting to do PU's. Hmmm.

The rest of W7 is run 25 min.

C25K - W6 D3

C25K W6D3...Mercifully, the iPod was working again for my...

TWENTY-FIVE MINUTE RUN (done!)!

1.82 Miles
25:01 = 13:44 / M

Slow but done. I made the mistake of looking at the watch @ 14 min (aaahhh, 9 minutes to go), but I hunkered down and concentrated on the [non-running] podcast and (this is for you, Christie), before I knew it, I was at 20, then 22, and I knew I would make it:-)

Yay!

C25K - W6 D2

Run 10, Walk 3, Run 10....DONE.
1.67 Miles
23:00 = 13:46 / M

Ran @ night this time, iPod was out of battery juice, so it was just me & the weird songs running through my head. My 3 year old sings, "I'm bringing home a baby bumble bee, won't my mommy be so proud of me..." that was a recurring tune in my head. Made me want to run faster those last few minutes so as not to lose my mind...

:-) W6 D3 coming soon...run 25 min, yikes!

C25K - W6 D1

Run 5 minutes ; Walk 3 Minutes ; Run 8 minutes ; Walk 3 minutes ; Run 5 minutes

Done:-) Not as easy as I would have hoped, following my 20 minute triumph a few days ago, but I was able to push through the out-of-breath-ness and maintain some sort of molasses-like rhythm...

1.83 Miles
24:02 = 13:07 / M
Temp: 69 ; Humidity 90% (whew)

I am feeling good about this again. Like I will be able to run a 5K again...My true goal is to run the 26.2 with Donna, Breast Cancer Half Marathon in Jacksonville FL in February...but it will be expensive to fly there for a weekend with or without my family, so depending on weather, I may just train to run it here at home in Jersey. I could never run on a treadmill for 3 miles, much less 13.1, so it would have to be outdoors. Nothing like a nice half marathon in February in the Northeast, right??? Just something I'm working towards, I don't know if it will happen right now. But the cause is near to my heart and always in the back of my mind since my mom's illness and passing, so it's keeping me going and getting out there...

PU Report: (did W3D1 yesterday)
W3D1: 20, 15, 15, 13, 20 = 83 I did regular PUs but I'm going back to girly PUs next time.

TOTALS:

• W1 Total: 110
• W2 Total: 133
• W3 Subtotal (1 day): 83
  

Total PU's To-Date = 326

C25K W5D3 !!!!!

I jogged 20 min straight! The infamous C25K Week 5 Day 3 run---I did it!

I was basically ok, going slow (of course, that's what I do...), until about 15 min, then I wanted to walk. But I didn't walk, woo hoo!

Funny thing, jogging straight through I went pretty much the same distance, in the same amount of time, as I have been covering when I was taking the requisite (and very welcome) C25K walk breaks. Weird. And I do notice my legs are a bit more spent after today--they never have been so far. Interesting.
1.46 Miles
20:02 = 13:43 / M

C25K W3 is in the books:-)

C25K W5D2: PU Test

I did it. I got out the door before my kiddos woke up & dh left, I beat the heat!

1.48 Miles
21:01 = 14:12 / M
69% humidity
R8/W5/R8 - I ran 8 min straight, twice!

Tough last 4 minutes, but done!

Next workout, the infamous C25K W5D3, calls for 20 min straight jogging. Not sure yet if I'm ready for that. May repeat today's workout if I don't feel up to 20 min, will play it by ear

PU Report: After W2 I was to do a test of how many PU's I could do. 20 (girl PU's on knuckles). W3 begins tomorrow.

C25K - W5 D1; 100PU - W2D3

Anniversary dinner was great, we went to a place that did NOT contain chicken nuggets on the menu, so we were a little out of our element, lol, but we survived a yummy Spanish meal (there is nothing like chorizo, mmmm).

Got a regular doctor checkup yesterday, and aside from gaining a few pounds due to My Winter of Inactivity, all seems well:-). Doc was impressed that I am back jogging, said no excuses necessary for being a slowpoke!

C25K W5D1:
1.43 Miles
21:01 = 14:41 / M
79 degrees, that will teach me NOT to get up a little earlier, duh. It was HOT!

R5/W3 x 3. Did it. Almost vomited in the last 1 1/2 minutes, it was just hot (that is a pretty picture, isn't it?), but hey, I didn't hurl, and the run got DONE!

Not sure I'm ready for W5D2, Run 8 minutes, but maybe I will be when it's cooler....I'll play it by ear.


PU - W2D3: (better late than never)

• Today: 10, 10, 8, 8, 11 = 47
  
• (W2 Subtotal: 133)
  
• (W1 Subtotal: 110)

Total PU's To-Date = 243

C25K - W4D3

It's our 13th anniversary today. Going out to a slightly guilt-inducing caloric meal tonight, so I figured I'd better just get out and finish C25K Week 4 and quit putting it off.

1.50 Miles
21:31 = 14:20 / M
67 Deg. 95% humidity

Must pushup later...

C25K - W4D2; 100PUW2D2

1.53 Miles
21:31 = 14:03 / M

Amazing the role humidity plays. I went 1/10 of a mile further in the exact same time today. I attribute that to a few things (both of which may be psychological, what do I know...?):
a) Humidity today 30%. Temp was 80, but it felt fine.
b) I ate dinner and THEN ran. Not a huge dinner, nor a great one either(fish filets & instant mashed potatoes made w/skim milk with the kiddos), but I had a little fuel in me, felt actually ok.

Pushup Update (PU, ha!), W2D2:

• Today: 11, 9, 7, 7, 15(!) = 49 (girl pushups, but I did most of them on my knuckles to salvage my dignity)
• (W2 Subtotal: 86)
• (W1 Subtotal: 110)

Total PU's To-Date = 196

C25K - W4D1

HARD! 90% humidity plus the difficulty going up a big notch made this HARD.

But it is DONE. C25K W4D1. (Run 3 min, walk 90 sec; Run 5 min, walk 2.5 min) x 2.

It is humbling to see that running 5 min is difficult. Heck, 3 min is difficult still. That I used to be ablt to run 10 min, or even a whole 3 miler... So knowing that I have done it before motivates me to get back to the [cough]stellar[/cough] shape I was in when I could do that feat of great fitness...

Went super slow on the last five minute interval. Truly thought I was going to hurl in the heat during the last 90 sec. But all's well that ends well:-)

1.45 Miles
21:30 = 14:49 / M


Will update with PU report later (lol, PU...!)