Getting back into the swing of things

I completed day 5 of Couch to 5k a week ago but was so busy prepping for our family camping trip that I didn't have a chance to write about it. I did better on the second day of week 2 than I did on the first...the increased jogging is still going to take some getting used to but overall it went pretty well. At one point I stopped jogging just a few seconds early to get a drink...partly because I wanted to stop jogging and partly because I was thirsty...I knew that my jogging had to be just about over ;o)
Depending on how today goes for day 6 I may repeat week 2 as I am not sure I am ready to step things up to week 3 after a week off. I had planned to do at least one day of training during our camping trip but the weather was not in my favor-every day it was 100+ with temps not even dropping below 80 in the evening/morning add some humidity to that it was great swimming weather but terrible running weather. I did swim quite a but so I wasn't without some activity while in vacation. I also had some fun on the jumping pillow which is quite a fun workout but rough on the knees. The teeter-totter led me to tweak my ankle a bit but it is feeling better now.
I went on my usual morning ride and was able to enjoy a beautiful sunrise:

On a different note-I ordered myself a  Wii Fit Balance Board on ebay for $51. I got it in the mail last Monday and as a family we have discovered that it is quite fun! There are many different activities and games to choose from. While I purchased it for myself, it has been a big hit for the whole family-even Camden found a game that he can play by himself. My Wii Fit age came out at 31 (only 1 1/2 years older than I actually am). I am looking forward to having one more tool to help me along the way!

Couch to 5k Day 3

I can't believe I am going to say this but...the jogging is already getting easier! I was able to get about 30% farther during each jogging period than I did the last time which means I am getting closer to actual running :o) This one little thing has me pretty thrilled! I also feel like I am getting better at controlling my breathing so that I am not huffing and puffing after completing each period of jogging. After a single lap of cool down I had my breathing back to normal. This is feeling great! Cam had fun at Tot Time while I was running so everyone had a good morning.
Wednesday starts week 2 of Couch to 5k-I also have to work that day. I have an hour and fifteen minute lunch so I am thinking that I will go over lunch and run then have a bit to eat before getting back to learning about Common Core standards. I figure if I have a plan in place I will for sure get my run in and I will probably avoid eating out (which would probably be an unhealthy lunch!).

Catching Up Day 2 of Couch to 5k

Saturday morning was my second day of Couch to 5k training. It went pretty much as well as the first day. I have a few observations after a couple days of this:

1. I do not hate this-I actually feel pretty good when I am doing a cycle of jog/walking. If you see me at the Summit Center you may even see a smile on my face! I find all this pretty unbelievable! I know I am not all out running yet but really it is an amazing feeling to me to just enjoy this.
2. I can do this-Today is day 3 of my Couch to 5k training which means that I complete week one today and shift to week 2 on Wednesday. I already feel like I am on my way to really doing this!
3. This feels great-I am not the kind of person who enjoys being sweaty and gross but this makes me feel good about getting sweaty. I know I am doing this whole things for good-to get fit and honor some really great people. I am thinking I may even say I like getting sweaty now :o).

I went for an evening ride on Saturday because of an early morning thunderstorm (with thunder that shook our bed) and I enjoyed it for the most. The weather was really nice and I ventured across the bridge. The only real issue were the bugs! YUCK! Thankfully, I do not encounter an over abundance of them in the morning. I did have a very cool sighting-I saw a young doe near the creek. Once it spotted me it hopped off but it was quite the sight to see! I could still see the faint white spots on its back so I knew it had to be pretty young.
I didn't ride on Sunday. I didn't want to worry about it when I was focused on getting ready for church because we became members of First United Methodist Church yesterday. I went swimming with the boys in the evening and I swam laps during the pool break. We had a really fun time. By the time I got home and got the boys in bed it was 9:00. I could have gone on my ride but I figured some time with my hubby was more important.
My ride this morning was pretty uneventful. It was cloudy but warm. I usually see quite a few stray cats on my morning ride and today was no different. While I usually only see a couple per day, I know that there are several just because of the number of DIFFERENT cats that I see in any given week. As I was finishing my ride this morning I had another cool animal sighting-I saw a badger. It is actually the first time I have ever seen a badger in person. I was pretty close to it because I spotted it as I was rounding a bend on the trail. It quickly hurried off into the grass. I am so happy to be back to riding! :o)

From Nebraska

From the Bridge

Morning Greeting

Day 1 of Couch to 5K

Today was my very first day of Couch to 5k training-I was excited about this day and nervous about it all at the same time. Last night I finished preparing for it by downloading the C25K app, buying a bit more fitness wear, buying some good quality ear bud headphones (which I LOVE), and buying an armband for my phone. I was ready to go!
Today I was happily (yes I said happily when referring to running) awaiting 8:50 so I could load up the boys and head to the gym. I must say that I LOVE Tot Time! I paid $4 for both boys to go to Tot Time and play for an hour and a half (I had from 9-11am but didn't need that long). I will say that I worried that my oldest (7) wouldn't like it because it says it is for ages 2-7 but he has a blast. After they were all signed in I headed up to the track, hung up my bag, started up my music and started the app. It was very simple to use-I just hit start and began walking for 5 minutes to warm up. I do not normally listen to music when I workout. In the mornings I enjoy the calm and peaceful silence-I tried listening to my iPod once and didn't really care for it. But for running...for running I needed SOMETHING to distract my body from the thought that I was trying to kill it. I really like the music-it is upbeat and fits well with motivating me to keep going. I really like that it only cost me $4.99 after I used some Amazon mp3 credit. I previews hundreds of albums looking for something that I liked and I am happy with my choice.
Now on to the actual running/walking or should I say jogging/walking. When it was time to jog I really had no idea how much longer I had before I got to walk again but I do have to say, knowing that that motivating voice was going to come on EVENTUALLY and tell me I could walk kept me going. After a while I was able to estimate when it was going to cut in and tell me to jog or walk based on how far around the track I had traveled. That little bit of intel really helped me keep going especially toward the end. It is easy to keep going when you know that you will be getting a break shortly! All in all I have to say that today was not near as bad as I thought it was going to be. I did get towards the end and think..."Oh no, it is going to tell me I have to jog again...can I really jog again?" When I got to that point the lovely little voice came on and said, "Cool down." COOL DOWN?! Wait a minute...I did it? I completed it? NO WAY! All I have to do is finish walking and I am DONE! AMAZING! I have to say that I was pretty impressed with myself. The whole thing was smooth and simple-all I had to do was listen to the voice and do what it told me. Couch to 5k ROCKS!
As a reward for my rockin' performance I went for a swim afterward. Note to self...putting a suit on while sweaty should be an Olympic event! Once that was taken care of I headed to the pool and dove in. Never has that water felt so amazingly good! I really swam as a reward but I also figure it can't hurt my fitness goals. I swam for about 35 minutes until the calm peaceful atmosphere of the pool was broken down by several boys and their swimming lessons.
All in all I think it went really well :o) Only one little Just Dance 3 workout left for the day and I am all done until tomorrow. No running tomorrow as the C25K is a 3 day a week program but I hope to still do my morning ride...here's to hoping that I am not TOO sore in the morning!

Feeling the Burn

Today was a pretty standard morning ride-it was a bit chilly compared to the past couple days. I did a full ride plus the bridge today which was nice-the last two times I have ventured across the bridge I took a short cut through town. This added about 15 minutes to my ride which left my husband wondering where I was for a bit! I tried a different route to get to the bottom of the bridge this morning and I don't think I liked it at all! There is a really tight turn that goes directly into a steep hill which led to me walking my bike up the hill. I hate having to walk my bike! Anyway I went across the bottom of the bridge and then decided that I should take the top back to make it easier for me to get back on my normal route. Climbing that first hill to get to the upper level really made me feel the burn! I shifted down two gears but wasn't making as much progress as I would like so I stopped shifting and just powered through. I was huffing and puffing a bit by the time I reached the top but then it was smooth sailing! I am really glad that I choose to challenge myself this morning. It really made me feel energized!

A few other things on the agenda for the day-I would like to get back to counting points for weight watchers so that I can get a better handle on what I am eating again. This is and always will be my biggest challenge! I love food too darn much but I want to get fit and be healthy even more so I am determined to get back on track.
Today I will also be starting my Couch to 5k program which I am actually quite excited about! They have tot time at the gym from 9-11 so I plan to do my Couch to 5k and then take a swim to cool down without having to worry about what to do with my boys. I am hoping to have the time to write a second post later solely focused on running and why I want to be able to do it so badly! A friend may be joining me at the gym today which would be a nice change of pace. I often see people biking or walking together on my morning ride and I think about how nice it would be to have a buddy :o)

Taking the Low Road

Another day, another ride! The mornings have simply been wonderful the past few days-it is nice and warm and you can feel summer in the air. This morning I had to run an errand on my morning ride so I rode through town rather than taking the trail. The street that I had to ride to just happened to also be the street that led to the bridge, so I decided it was a good morning to ride the few extra blocks around to try out the bottom of the bridge. I have to say I like the bottom better for the lack of giant hills, and I like the top better for the magnificent views and the openness. I am pretty sure I will be tackling the top tomorrow because it is so beautiful. The bottom feels a bit too closed-in making it difficult to get a great picture. Either way I think I will continue my bridge rides as I have really enjoyed these past couple days.

In other fitness news, I have been reading a lot about this whole "Couch to 5k" program. My interest is quite peaked because as you all know (if you read my very first couple blog posts) enjoying running happens to be one of my goals...one that I have tried and still loathe. I planned on participating in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure again this year which is a 5k run/walk. Last year I walked it for the most part-there were short bursts of running but they were SHORT as they made me want to lay down on the sidewalk and die. My friend Lindsay and I said that we would run it (or run half of it?) the next year which is this year! IN SEPTEMBER! While I could totally blow off this pact that we made, I am thinking that this whole Couch to 5K thing just might be exactly what I need. Not only will it accomplish one of my fitness goals (hopefully) but I would feel awesome being able to RUN a 5k-and I would be doing it in memory of my grandmother Sandra. She never ran a 5k but she was a wonderful woman who always showed us her love in her own little ways. She died at age 56 of breast cancer-all the more reason to stay fit and take care of myself. In summary-this whole Couch to 5k thing sounds like it may just be worth $1.99/$2.99 but before I do that I think I need to work on getting some music on my phone...that is a whole new problem! Anyone use a C25K app for their phone? I have a couple in mind that I am trying to decide between.