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!

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.