LESS THAN PERFECT...RAIN!

I just finished "Week 7" of my C25K training! That means I ran three times this week with each run being 25 minutes long (2.5 miles). Can you believe I ran 7.5 miles total for the week?!?! 

Tonight however.....proved to be a little extra challenging because.....I did most of my run in the POURING RAIN!!! 

As I have said in a previous post, I am stubborn. So, I was not going to let a little rain stop me from missing a day of running training. Especially because I am born and raised in Los Angeles and refuse to be one of "those" Southern California veterans who shuts down at the sign of "weather". I was not going to let rain....real rain....(not a Southern California "rain" that is really just sprinkling)....stop me tonight.

So, I ran.

Something I forgot to consider was how heavy my clothes and feet would become when they were completely soaked. Wow.....did it add a lot of weight to my run. For the first time in quite a while, I had some pain while running. I think due to the extra weight of soggy clothes, a soggy hat, soggy socks and shoes, soggy dog leash, being pulled by a soggy dog....my ankles hurt, my knees hurt, and my back hurt. 

I did it though. 

While I was running I began thinking about what the heck made me so stubborn about completing this run. Here is the truth. I want my kids to know that real determination is completing a goal despite less than perfect conditions. I want them to know that I don't just preach "perseverance". I live it. I want them to know I keep striving for my dreams even when things are working against me. I want them to see me living the truth that many things worth attaining will not come easily, and you have to push through during challenging times to complete anything worthwhile.

When my sweet dog and I got home from our run, I had my husband dry her off while I hopped in the shower to warm up. I was drenched from head to toe through every layer of clothing. Just for fun, I decided to ring out my socks, my hat, and my outer jacket.....just from those three items I squeezed out a 1/2 cup of water!!!

Week 7 is complete! One more week to go! It is crazy that after 3 more runs, I will be running 5K!!!

22...DOUBLE PEACE SIGN BABY!

Well....another "impossible" thing happened today. I ran for a "new" longest time in twenty years....22 straight minutes (2-1/4 miles)!!!! When I looked at the "Day 3" training session for this week, I almost cried when I saw 22 MINUTES! The other tough thing about this week is that with C25K, I need to run 3 times per week. So, I run every other day just to make it easy in my mind. I ran yesterday, so I should not run until tomorrow. However, my oldest daughter is having a slumber party to celebrate her birthday tomorrow, so it would not be good for me to leave a house full of girls so that I can go for a jog. Hmmmmm.....on second thought....... :0)  Also, if I kept the schedule I was on, I would also be running on Easter. My husband is starting a new church and it is our first Easter service on Sunday....so needless to say Easter is going to be a wee-bit busy. I am fairly confident that with all of the preparations I am part of  for the slumber party (Friday), a picnic our church is hosting for foster families (Saturday), a Glow-In-The Dark Egg Hunt our family is hosting for our neighborhood (Saturday night), and Easter (Sunday morning), I will be comatose by Sunday afternoon....and in no shape to jog. Yes, it is also very likely we are getting "take out" for our Easter dinner!

So, I had to run back-to-back nights....and tonight was for 22 MINUTES!!! Double peace sign baby!!!! 

With lots of prayer and determination, I DID IT!!!

Before...22 minutes???

After...22 minutes!!!

TWENTY MINUTES....I DID IT!!!!

I did it.

I jogged for a whole 20 minutes (2 miles) without stopping....without stopping!

I was nervous about this jog. In a week where my training sessions went from running 5 minutes, to 8 minutes, to.....20 minutes, I just was not sure if I could do it. I hoped. I prayed. I believed....kinda. As I said in a previous post, what I don't have in stamina, I do have in stubborness. Today....that was an asset!

I did things differently for this jog. I was trying to set myself up for success. I wore my new (extremely fabulous) shoes, I played music, and I ran with someone. That "someone" was my amazing oldest daughter, who wanted to run with me so she could encourage me. She knew I was feeling nervous about this jog, and she wanted to be with me. She was so incredibly kind and compassionate. During the run, she said things like:

"Am I running too fast Mom?"
"Is it better for you if I run behind you?"
"You are doing good Mom....You can do it."

She made it look so easy. She is built for running....long and lean, with strides like a gazelle. She is Ethiopian, and running is in her blood. She looks so graceful when she runs, smooth, strong, confident. Me?.....Not so much.  :0)

One thing I wished I had not changed was NOT bringing my dog. She is my truck and I am her trailer. She pulls me. I needed her today. It was really, really, really tough. There were a few times I really did not think I could keep going. I was fairly sure I died and was resurrected (perfect for Easter coming in a week). I think my dog would have helped pull me through the hard times, but I also know that I need to be able to run without her. I am just not sure that this was the right run to do it. However, despite all of my feelings..........I did it!!!!!!!!!!

This may sound silly, but I almost cried. When I heard the woman's voice (that I have a love/hate relationship with) on the C25K program say, "Start your cool down",  I was so dang thankful. I slowed down, caught my breath, gave my daughter a hug, whispered, "Thank you Jesus", and gave a super tacky double-fist pump while I looked at my daughter and shouted, "We did it!" It took me a few minutes to catch my breath and I appreciated the 5 minute cool down period more than I ever had previously. 

I did it....TWENTY MINUTES!

NEW SHOES

Yay! I finally had time to visit the Road Runner Sports store so many people have told me about, and got fitted for "real" shoes! It was funny how "high-tech" the fitting process was....

1-Strip my tootsies down naked

2-Answer questions on a computer screen about how many miles I run each week, future goals, type of socks I like to wear, etc.

3-Got my feet measured to determine their size

4-Let the sweet employee bend my toes back on some sort of shoe insert

5-Walk bare foot on a treadmill, while they filmed it

6-Analyze how I walk....(P.S. I was told I have great ankles)

7-Stand on some sort of soft pad device that analyzes my arches and where I put pressure on my feet....(P.S. I was told I am way off balance...Hahahaha....I could have told them that!) Apparently, I stand on the heal of my left foot and on the ball of my right foot.

8-Analyze the information

9-Stand on a super padded cube thing while they fit me for "special" ($70) inserts.....that I did not purchase. Just give me shoes please!

10-Summarize all of the collected data, and have me try on four pairs of shoes that best fit my feet

I am so excited about my new shoes! They feel so different from the shoes I have been running in, and I hope they will make a difference in how I feel when I run. Great shoes will help me feel 80 lbs. lighter, right?

The new shoes are giving me great hope that I might actually survive my 20 minute run tomorrow! THANK YOU to my friend and my older kids for blessing me with the money to get some great gear for my tootsies!

HOLD THE PHONE!

Wow! Woweee! Wowzers! Hold the phone! Up to this point, the C25K program I have been using (to go from sitting on my duff on a couch to running a 5K), has had me doing the "same thing" for all three training sessions each week.

Examples:
Week 1 (Day 1, Day 2, Day 3): 
          -Brisk five-minute warmup walk
          -Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 
           seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.
          -Five-minute cool down

Week 2 (Day 1, Day 2, Day 3):            
          -Brisk five-minute warmup walk
          -Then alternate 3 minutes of jogging and 2 
           minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes. 
          -Five-minute cool down

Week 3 (Day 1, Day 2, Day 3): 

          -Brisk five-minute warmup walk

          -Then do two repetitions of the following:

                 -Jog for 3 minutes

                 -Walk for 3 minutes

                 -Jog for 3 minutes                          

                 -Walk for 3 minutes

            -Five-minute cool down

Week 4 (Day 1, Day 2, Day 3): 

          -Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:

                 -Jog for 3 minutes

                 -Walk for 3 minutes

                 -Jog for 5 minutes

                 -Walk for 2-1/2 minutes

                 -Jog for 3 minutes

                 -Walk for 3 minutes

                 -Jog for 5 minutes

         -Five-minute cool down

SO...........when I got to WEEK 5 (on Tuesday), and I saw that on "Day 1" I would be running all 5 minute lengths, I was nervous because of the length of time I would be running! Running a whole 5 minutes is a big deal for me.

          -Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:

                -Jog for 5 minutes

                -Walk for 3 minutes

                -Jog for 5 minutes

                -Walk for 3 minutes                

                -Jog for 5 minutes

          -Five-minute cool down

However, I figured that by "Day 3" of doing this, I would be feeling better...

....cue dramatic music....

Imagine my shock and awe when I looked at "Day 2" of Week 5 and saw that it was NOT the same as "Day 1". Day 2 had me running for EIGHT MINUTES!!! And guess what? I did it! I jogged for EIGHT MINUTES, two times today!!! 

          -Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:

                -Jog 8 minutes

                -Walk 5 minutes

                -Jog 8 minutes

          -Five-minute cool down

In my optimism, I told myself that there was no way "Day 3" of Week 5 could be even harder. Surely, the powers that be (those who designed the C25K program), KNOW that my poor, pathetic self needs to catch up. Well, ......apparently they did not get the memo, because guess what "Day 3" of Week 5 has in store for me? Guess? 

Ready for this?....

          -Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:

                -Jog for TWENTY MINUTES with no  

                 walking

          -Five-minute cool down

Really?!?!?! TWENTY MINUTES?!?! Is that possible? I guess we (I) shall see. It seems like a huge jump in 3 training sessions to jump from running 5 minutes, to 8 minutes, to 20 minutes, but I am going to do it!!!!!

I AM going to do it!!!

HITTING MY STRIDE

I just finished "Week 4" of my C25K training program! Could it possibly be true that I am beginning to feel okay running 5 minute stretches? It is crazy....but I think so! It is so funny when I think back to a few week ago when I was running 1.5 minutes stretches, and was struggling! Now, I can easily run that length and more. I am getting really excited at the thought of running longer distances. There were a couple of moments this week where I looked up while I was running and actually enjoyed the wind hitting me and breathing in the fresh air. I have heard runners talk about "hitting their stride"....I look forward to that happening for me someday. I had a few glimpses of that....and I liked it! More 5 minutes  stretches lay ahead for me next week....bring it!