My sister is a ROCKSTAR

My sister came through for me, AGAIN! On Friday's I work from home, so I always plan to run before I have to log in, around 7am.  Today however, I didn't get up until 8am. Well...honestly last night I already had doubts I would get up and run (see how I play myself mentally, ugh. hate that!)

My sister calls me around 10am and says she thinks she is getting off early and would come to my house around 4 to run with me.  And she was on time!

We agreed to do Week 2 of the training (3 fifteen minute run intervals with 1 minute walks in between)Nothing really phenomenal to report.  My legs felt strong and my breathing was good. After the hills I have to slow down some to catch my breathe though. We kept a pace that allowed us to talk throughout the training. It was a really good run! I'm so thankful that we are able to run together.

Final results: 4 miles, 48:40 mins, 12:10 minute pace! Yes,a personal best!!!

So far I've done 5 4-milers (according to my runkeeper activity).  Here they are:

9/28 - 52:55
10/2 - 58:41
10/5 - 52:59
10/10 - 51:08
10/28 - 48:40

Looks like progress. Lord please help me with consistency, especially on those days I have to run alone. Amen!


Have a great weekend!
Alicia

p.s Not doing well getting back on my workout streak.  I didn't work out yesterday, so I'm back to day 1 in the challenge. 

The Kid is Back?????

After coming off of several (2) crushing runs, I finally got out again.  Yes, I had a whole week off from running and toying with the idea of going down to 2 days a week (Fridays & Sundays) in order to squeeze in an extra day of Title Boxing.

I just can't explain enough the mental challenge running is for me. Much greater than the physical. I have got to get through this barrier. I have got to run, no excuses.

So what excuse did I come up with last week? None really. I just didn't feel like it.  That may be one of the worse excuses though. FEEL LIKE IT? WTH? There is a lot of things I don't FEEL like doing, but I do them because I have to or because that's the goal I set for myself. S

Anywho.

Yesterday my sister and I decided we would run together. Now there are pros and cons to workout buddies.

Pros
Able to socialize
Someone else is depending on you
Encouragement/Motivation

Cons
You are on someone else's time
Someone else is depending on you
Different fitness levels


Thankfully my sister and I run the same pace HOWEVER (and I love my sister) her time schedule is ridiculous.  10 mins means an hour and I'm not kidding.  If she says she'll be there at 7 you should be expecting her around 9. That bad.

Yesterday was no exception (but it wasn't her fault) so I was irritated a little (TOM kickin in too) and wanted to just say forget.  But we went.

She is also doing B210K but is on week 1. I know she could've done Week 3 with me, but heck I'm not confident I can. So we did Week 1 that consists of  four 10 minute run intervals. 

It was nice! Our pace was such we could hold a conversation during the entire run. We took on hills, loose attack dogs, a random mans comment saying "yall don't need to lose no weight" O_o  *begins to run a bit faster*

But it was so much fun! LOL  Nothing better than running in the city.  It's such a peculiar thing  to do unlike the suburbs where you can always find someone out running.  So we were definitely on an adrenaline rush.

I didn't run the RunKeeper app so I'm not sure how far we ran. I would say it took us a little less then an hour to complete the training.

I'm also seeing how important cross-training is while running.  Though I am not a consistent runner, I was able to hang in there and get it done. The hills weren't bad either. I think it's due to the boxing on the non-run days. My legs are getting pretty strong!

Oh I almost forgot. It was cold out. Well I guess the temperature was in the high 40's but I definitely needed my gloves on.  And it got dark during our last 15mins.  After daylight savings, I'm not sure we will be able to run together during the week anymore. *sad face*

I've got to push myself out the door Friday morning to run. It won't be as fun, but hey, it is what it is. 

Thanks for the support! :-)

Alicia

So what cha been up to?

Not running! That's what.  My last run was Sunday, and it was 2 miles. I'm getting in my slump. I feel it coming.  After 2 bad runs in a row, my confidence isn't there.  Thus, I haven't been back out. Oh and it's cold. I wake up to temps in the 30's. Excuses. Basically.

Yeah I talked a whole lotta smack to myself about how real runners run in sub par weather. But that's when the weather was terrific aside from a little sprinkle of rain here and there. But now...Oh I just want to stay under the covers.

Do I feel bad about it? No and yes.  Yes because I've dedicated this whole blog to my running adventures, yet I'm not running soooooooo..yeah. I feel like my blog is disappointing.

BUT, I still work out. Every day.  Title boxing kicks my a$$ STILL.  I've been going to a new trainer and he...is...TOUGH. But I love tough. I love to hurt.  I love the challenge.  He doesn't want us to do push-ups on our knees. EXCUSE ME? That's what I do. But this week I tried. *gasp* That's right. I simply tried. I can do 5! I'm also pretty stoked on the fact that I can pull up my body weight using my arms.  We do this thing where you put your feet under the bag, wrap your arms around the bag and pull yourself up. Sounds easy right? Well it's not! But I can do it! Nope, can't do the 15 he wants, but I can do about 8! I remember not being able to do that and HATING just sitting there watching everyone else effortlessly doing it.  Feels good to be part of the fit crew. :-)

What kind of sucks is his class is on Wednesdays. A run day. If I want to take his class, I would be running 3 days in a row (Fri, Sat, Sun). I don't know what to do.

Run because I said I would, or boxing that I LOVE! Hmmmm. Decisisons.

Also thought about getting my membership back to my gym at work. The advantage is I can workout during lunch and they have lots of weight machines(which I NEED). The disadvantage is I don't live close to my job.  I wouldn't be utilizing the gym on the weekends at all to use the treadmill for my run days. So basically I'm paying for a gym I would use only Mon-Thurs IF I go everyday I'm at work.

They do have a couple treadmills at the boxing gym...so I probably should save my money and just use that one.

I think I'm going to meet my November 1 goal of 185lbs. This morning I weighed in at 185.6. I need to stay focused this weekend and next and continue tracking my food.

That's about it!!!!
Have a great weekend!!

THEE WORST WEEK EVER!

The title is dramatic. But it was a pretty rough week fitness/nutrition wise. I know I'm SUPER behind on blogging so this is a quick recap on last week.

Last Monday I woke up with severely swollen eyes due to allergies. I worked from home and passed out on Benedryl.  Since I didn't run Sunday, I moved it to Monday evening. Thanks to my support system I went ahead and did it. And guess what!?! PERSONAL BEST. 4 miles non-stop in 51:08 (12:58 pace). I was SO happy about this run. I just kept going and was determined to do it.

Tuesday I did make it to boxing class but since I have been slacking on my tracking (hey that rhymed) I don't know what the heck I ate.

So the week went downhill from there. Sadly. Wednesday I went to the park to run.  There was so much going on soccer games, picnics, and even a wedding! Not that I'm making excuses, but I was seriously distracted and hoping my big butt wasn't in any of the wedding pictures. On top of that I ran for about 2 miles, the Runkeeper tells me I did 4 miles. UGH. Technology. So I began walking in order to pull my phone out of my fanny pack (which is difficult due to it being so small and my phone being so big).  And that was IT. Motivation was gone.  I checked out mentally and walked the rest of the day to finish the loop. So I would say I ran 2 miles, walked 1/2 a mile.

Thursday I didn't even go to Title Boxing. Why? I was looking fabulous and wanted to stay that way when I met my friends for dinner. We go out every Thursday and I'm always coming from Title in workout clothes. Being single out here is tough. I'm going to have to start looking decent when I'm out.  For dinner I had chicken strips and fries. Wasn't even good. So on top of not working out I had a crap load of fried food.  This can't happen every week, but I excused myself on this day and before I went to bed did 10mins of ab work so I wouldn't break my streak. (Day 94).

 I usually work from home on Fridays, but we had a meeting that I had to come to the office for. Of course there was a potluck afterwards. Good thing I'm not a fan of homemade foods and desserts so potlucks at work are not a weakness of mine. They had a chili cook-off ( I don't eat chili) so I brought my lunch instead.  It smelled good though, I will admit.  Being that I'm not used to being at work on Fridays my body was rebelling and motivation was ZERO. I took the afternoon off and met my friend for lunch. I was starving (no breakfast due to the meeting) so I ate my spaghetti I packed before leaving. THEN went to eat lunch. (fat huh?).  I wasn't really hungry, but craving (and thats all it was, was a desire, not a need) for chips and queso.  I think I ate my weight in chips. Felt bad afterwards. We went to the mall and the time we left was just in time for the 5pm boxing class (we were close) but I talked myself out of going. Sad.  And went home. I must've been pretty tired because I went right to bed.  I was sleep by 5:30ish and woke up at 9ish and STARVING again.  I really wanted to eat better but couldn't think of anything to eat. Guess what I decided? BBQ. Yes at 10pm I went and ordered a huge beef sandwich and fries. SIGH....
I come home to it and it was HORRIBLE. Cold fries, and the fattiest beef I have ever had in my life (even after I distinctly asked for lean beef) If the place wasn't so far from my house I would have taken it back.  The beef wasn't even chewable. YUCK. What a freakin waste of money and calories!
Oh and no workout! Yes I could've counted "mall-walking" but come on now. Heart rate wasn't even raised. STREAK BROKEN AFTER 94 DAYS. Aye....But it was done conscienencely. I was tired and full off nasty BBQ. I know I could've done 10 mins of ab work, but I didn't feel like it.

Saturday I had my family over to play Dance Central.  I cooked a huge pot of chicken alfredo with broccoli and wheat linguini (I tried to make it semi-nutritious. lol) But I again, ate my weight in pasta along with 2 red velvet cupcakes.  I'm hoping all of the dancing burned those calories though!

Sunday I was till exhausted but forced myself to get up and run. I knew already (mentally checked out) it wouldn't be a personal best, but I promised my friend I would go (thankful for sound support)  I ran 2 miles with a couple of walk breaks. My goal was 3 so I had to walk the last mile back home. The funny thing is this guy passed me up. He had on his little belt with 2 water bottles attached so I assumed it was a long run day for him.  He didn't look like he was going super fast at all, but he DUSTED me.  Not that I was intimidated, but my  mind told me to just STOP and watch him pass me. And that's exactly what I did. 
Eating wasn't great either. Leftover alfredo for breakfast (I bagged up the leftovers in one serving portions) and spaghetti for lunch (oh the pasta!) and then some other junk later that day.

SIGH.

I was scared to even get on the scale, but I did. I was prepared for 190lbs but I was 187.6. Still in a good place to meet my goal of 185 by 11/1!

Today I am starting over and prepared with breakfast, lunch, and healthy snacks. I WILL track and I WILL go to Title boxing tonight.

Thanks always for the love and support!
Alicia

My inner athlete wants to come out & play - Week 3 Day 2

Yes, she is ready to shed the layers. Years of being obese, years of inactivity, years of self-hatred, and years of saying "I'm not an athlete".

It's time. I've always visualized me running. Even at 300lbs.  Ok well maybe the high 200's. The visions just been buried under all of these layers of negativity and with that it stayed just a vision.  But finally, thank God, I've finally stepped out and am trying to make it happen.

Today I'm feeling good. I'm feeling proud. I'm feeling thankful.  The journey to health is NOT easy. Of course yall know that.  If it was everyone would eat right and be in excellent shape. So today I'm allowing myself to simply be proud.

Many times on my quest to stay "humble" during this process, I sometimes minimize my accomplishments.  Sparking and blogging allows me the outlet to "toot my horn" much more then I would ever do in real life. When people comment about my weight loss I simply reply "thank you" and start another conversation.  I'm not good with being the center of attention especially when it comes to discussing my weight. Blame that on years of trying to hide behind it. When you are 300 lbs of course you never wanted anyone to comment on your weight. The feeling is still here with me now. It makes me uncomfortable. Along with that, I try to be careful about what I say to people. It's easy to get on a soapbox about the subject. You have to remember everyone hasn't had their "come to fitness" moment and though they are quick to comment about your weight loss, that is where they want the conversation to end. Just think about it, at your heaviest did you want someone passing judgment telling you all the things you probably already know concerning your health. Nope. Not unless you asked them. But I've got to learn how to manage it. Sometimes it is okay to share your story. Someone may need to hear it.

So today (after much thought and soul-searching) I posted a body shot of myself on Facebook. It may not be a big deal to some of you, but for me it was a HUGE step. It brings attention to the place I am most uncomfortable with. My body. Yes. I'm proud of it today!

Ok anyways. Week 3 Day 2.

So guess who didn't start the training app on their phone? THIS GIRL. I thought I did, but 5 songs later, I thought, well where is my 10 minute signal? At that point I knew something was wrong. Oh well, I decided I would just run until I was tired.

Well tired came at mile 2. I had to walk and I'll admit, I felt so defeated. Like geez, I can't even get to 3 miles! REALLY!?!  Not even a 5k huh? I was upset. I walked for about a minute or 2 and was totally thinking about finishing the loop on the trail and getting in my car and calling it a wrap!

Don't know what happened, but I couldn't do it. Started back running. For another minute. Stopped again. I was tired on the incline. I saw this bench a little further along and allowed myself to walk to the bench. I'm sure I gave myself a little pep talk at this point. Probably something about not quitting, gotta blog, I can do it all those positive type mantras.

Well it helped and I was able to run 2 more miles non-stop. Oh wait I had to stop and tie my shoe. That doesn't count though right?  So anyways. Despite technical difficulties, sore legs, and mental blocks, I had my best run yet!  4 miles in 52 minutes.  The walk breaks were needed and from now on I will not bash myself for doing so. In fact, Jeff Galloway is all about the walk/run method of distance running. LOVE HIM!

Here is a picture of me. I LOVE this picture (in a VERY humble way of course!).  It just screams..THIS GIRL IS AN ATHLETE!! 

Very Regular.....Week 3 Day 1

I woke up ready and willing to run today. It wasn't hard to get started at all. Maybe I'm still feeling good about my new shoes. LOL.

I actually did the 5 minute warm-up ( I usually skip this part and just start running) because I felt a little stiff.  The first 10 minutes are always so hard. Totally mental (like always) but probably because I know I have at least another hour to go. 

So I added 2 minutes on my runs. And yeah. I could definitely tell.

The gloves helped, but my hands were still cold. Maybe I should've broke off the extra 10 bucks for the North Face's. Oh well.

Oh I forgot. There are lots of older people that walk on the trail. One lady said "you are really doing a good job".  She just doesn't know how much that made me smile and gave me a little push to keep going.

I finished in plenty of time to get ready for church. My hair didn't look like anything and had to throw it in a bun, but it felt good to wake up, run and make it to church. Just an all around good feeling to feed my body and spirit!

Nothing else really blog worthy to report.  It was tough, but I finished. Thankful for 2 days off from running. I hope my mind doesn't check out, and my body gets some rest.

Average Pace (including 5 min warm-up) : 14:38
Miles complete:  4.01
Time: (not including 5 min cool-down)  58:41

Until next time.....


Alicia

New Shoes! - Week 2 Day 3

I finally broke down and bought new shoes! I went to the local running store and where they analyzed my old shoes and watched me walk around the store in order to figure out what type of shoes I needed.  Sorry can't remember what the outcome was (something about I walk on the outside of my soles) I tried on several pairs of Nike's, New Balances, and Saucony's. I liked the Nike's because they were all black.  They were super cute.  I had to suppress my inner fashionista though and bring out the runner in me. This shopping trip was not about looks, it was about comfort and fit (yeah, that's what I kept telling myself).  I absolutely fell in love with these Mizuno Wave Precision 12's though!


pix from http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/

 Aren't the cute!?!? They have some flowers on the side. How girlie!!! Now I come from a place where only Nike and Adidas are acceptable brands of tennis shoes so THIS is monumental! I'm totally a runner! LOL because I didn't care.

They are so light!  I felt like I didn't have shoes on at all. I already have enough weight in my legs to lift,  no need to add more with bulky sneakers!
I was so excited to get out and run with my new shoes that I woke up before the sun came up today but had to wait until it got lighter out.
I went to the park by my house to complete W2D3, and I must say this was the best run yet. I felt so good running.  I still  looked forward to my 1 minute walks. I think that is mental. Just because I know they are coming, I get excited about it. But I think I could run the 45 minutes non-stop.

The inclines were a beast, but going down allows me to catch my breathe and gather my composure again. I do like running at the park. I can get my people on. And of course having people around makes me put a little pressure on myself to "look like a runner" lol. I watch my form, my posture, my breathing. I totally get into looking the part.

I was running today and this other runner (looked very athletic and experienced) passed me completely up. I mean she really lapped me. But I was good with that. More motivation to keep going and work harder. I envied how effortlessly she ran (well it looked effortless)

It was a little chilly out today. I had a jacket on but my hands FROZE. Another purchase. Gloves. Totally necessary. Looks like my running wardrobe is building up. Now I need to figure out what items I need to endure the winter months.

Since I skipped Friday, I have to run a back to back session. I'm actually looking forward to my run tomorrow and hoping my body adapts to the added 2 minutes.

And here is a body shot of me with my new jacket and running shoes! Oh and look at this other picture from January. WOOT! Body is SHRINKING!!!!!! I love it!



JANUARY 2011




OCTOBER 2011

 Until next time!!!!
Alicia

If only my head could catch up to my heart. Week 2 Day 2

Of course I kind of dreaded my run yesterday. Agonized over it a little bit at work but quickly tried to recover from it and THINK good thoughts.

I love to run.
This will be nice.
I can do it.
I'm a runner.

It helped a little I guess.  Like I always say, the hard part is getting out there. Once I'm out and find my groove, I'm fine!

Fanny pack on, I headed out my door. Back to my old route, left out of my subdivision. I like that route because it's a nice stretch of country. Only fields and roadkill (ok that part disgusts me) but the lack of housing, buildings, etc. is nice and allows me to think about God's awesomeness. Things you kind of overlook when you are driving 50 miles an hour and zoom passed it.

So training today consisted of a 15 minute run followed by 1 minute walk, 3x's.  I'd say the first 5-10 minutes of running is the hardest. After that, I'm in there and feeling good about it. 

I read on someones Spark blog that they like to run without music sometimes so they can pay attention to their breathing and how their body feels. Even though I had Nicki Minaj (Super Bass) blasting in my ear, I really tried to key in on these things. I noticed my breathing was ok. I'm guessing the slow pace (14mm) helped in that area.  I also noticed my calves burning a little. Hmmm, now that is different. It's usually my breathing that can't hang, not my legs.  Not sure why my legs were so heavy, but I decided new running shoes are a necessity and I am definitely going shopping Friday.  We shall see if that helps.

My route doesn't have any big hills, but nice inclines that I can totally feel.  When I'm on an incline I try to talk myself through it and push hard.  What comes up has to come down right? And when I am going down I take that time to gather my composure.

The second run was ok. I can't lie, I still look forward to my 1 minute walks though. It breaks the time up for me.  I was feeling the weight of my legs in the last run. The last 5 minutes sucked and was ready to be done.

So....I decided I LOVE the feeling of watching cars pass me as I run. Something about that drives me to keep pressing. I feel empowered a little bit. I remember a time I WISH I could be those people I see running while I'm driving in my car. When I wasn't active, I didn't pay attention to them (probably thought they were crazy) But when I decided I wanted to run, I was in complete awe of them (and a bit jealous).   I think I'm becoming that person.  I'm a runner!

Not to get beside myself, my prayer is that I hang in there. CONSISTENCY is what I'm striving for. The mileage will come if I'm consistent. I just have to push myself out the door.

Alicia

Today's run....

Is nothing to even write about.  Woke up super stopped up and congested.  My sister said last night my mom would keep my niece so we could run together.  I was good with that but she called at 9am-ish. At that time I was sneezing and just trying to sleep.

Last night I went to my friends wedding and we danced ALL NIGHT.  My legs are so sore and I just wasn't feeling it.  I finally got up just to get my 10 mins in. 

I walked/ran 2 miles today. Nothing phenomenal.  Just needed to get it in.

Oh I did try my new headphones and my new fanny pack.  I love them both and so happy my hands are finally free of clutter.  And don't be mistaken, my fanny pack is hidden under my shirt. I'm still too fly for a REAL fanny pack (though Rhinna pulls it off very well!)



http://chataignestyle.com/2011/01/22/trends-return-of-the-fanny-pack/



Hoping 2 days off of running will help me get in a good run Wednesday!  Have a great Sunday!

Freestyle Friday Run

I set out this morning to complete W2D2 of the training but somewhere after mile 1 my app FAILED.

For some reason I got a random itch to take a new route. That almost never happens so I went with it.
Instead of turning left out of my subdivision I took a right and to the right is A MAJOR HILL.  I just needed the change today I guess.  It's kind of good the hill is in the beginning of the run when I have the most energy so it wasn't horrible.

I decided to run to the Wal-Greens because SURELY that is 3 miles away. NOT. Only 2. Barely 2. Something about turning around takes some of my energy (this is dumb I know) because when I headed back I was tired.  Had to stop at an intersection and all my running momentum left me. 

I SO wanted to be able to come back and tell you I ran 4 miles today.  But I can't.  That's ok though. I ran a good 3 and ran/walked (mostly walked) the last mile. 

I have to keep reminding myself that I don't have a deadline. I'm going to take my time and enjoy the training.  I don't know why but I start to chase goals and attack them full force to the point of burn out. I don't want to do that with running. I would really like to become a life-long runner (as health permits).

Oh yeah, need to add that I changed the settings on runkeeper to only give me mile notifications and not time and pace. I did cheat a few times and check my pace and I'm averaging about a 13 min mile.  I also found a new music app to download some new songs (Music Download) I didn't have time to download anything new EXCEPT Beyonce - Party ft Andre 3000 & Kanye West. I will be getting a new playlist soon. YES!!

Title boxing was hard yesterday. I mean my legs were JELLO so I kind of figured today I wouldn't be 100% for my run (no. seriously. I'm not making excuses. LOL) 

My legs are definitely getting stronger and I'm seeing a muscle in my calf.  I have big (BIG) legs so anytime I can actually SEE something transforming there is pretty AWESOME! This is motivating me to keep going. I want nice long legs.

I'm proud of myself thus far for just going out there and running. It's still a challenge, but maybe challenges move me. I don't know.

Tomorrow is definitely a "rest" day.  A nice stroll in the park. That's it. I promise.  Though I am getting the urge to play Dance Central tonight!

Happy Friday!!!

pace...Pace...PACE Yourself - Week 2 Day 1

Like I said last week, I decided not to run the RunKeeper app anymore. Although I do like the fact that I know how many miles I've run, I get too obsessed with trying to keep a certain pace. This early in the game, I need to focus on getting in those miles, not how fast I'm running. So I started thinking this to myself:

If I know I have 13 more miles to go, how fast would I be running?

Not fast at all! I slowed it down and it worked! I read somewhere on the Internet that your pace should allow you to hold a conversation with someone.  While running I was definitely able to do that so I knew I was doing ok.

This was a VERY good run. I was able to complete the entire training session and wasn't exhausted when I finished.  My legs were stiff and my stomach cramped up (whats this all about?!) but other than that, I was good!

Oh, my phone died in the last 10mins of my last run.  I  know I said before I didn't need music and would try to train without it, but I did and it's ok. I can't say it gets me through, but sometimes it takes my mind off the time.  Usually I would use a dead battery as an excuse to stop but I kept going. Again, gotta be ready to run in non-perfect conditions!

So yeah. Good run yesterday.  Am actually looking forward to Friday's run.  Wait. Did I just say that?  I did!!

I think I can do this!!!!

I can't stand the rain.....Week 1 Day 3

But real runners run despite the conditions so I laced up early this morning and set out for day 3 of 10k training.

It wasn't raining too bad, just a light steady rain.  Now let me say this is HUGE. Black girls don't do rain and my hair wasn't happy about it even though I had a hood on. 

This was THEE best run so far.  I found my headphones so I had some music going (not sure if this helps or hinders). I like music, but I kind of like my own company more. I guess today I was able to have some of both. 

I decided not to use RunKeeper in the background. I was focusing too much on my pace.  Today I slowed it down and allowed myself to run at a pace that didn't make me out of breathe or tired.

It started coming down a bitter harder in the middle of my run, but it's funny that I couldn't tell really.  Hood on and focused, I kept going.

I'm still very nervous about this. I just hope I can hang in there when the weather isn't the best.  Ouch! thinking about those early mornings when it's cold and the bed is warm. Lord help me.

Bridge to 10k Program - Week 1 Day 1



courtesy of appfinder.com


The bridge to 10k program is designed for C25k graduates (ME!) and gently adds more running to the intervals.

Week 1 
5 min warm-up
10 min run
1 min walk
Repeat run/walk 4 times
5 min cool-down

courtesy of appfinder.com

When I saw this I thought, 10 minutes isn't too bad BUT 4 intervals with only 1 minute walking in between....YIKES

I fully intended to get up and meet my friend at the trail around the corner. I couldn't sleep thinking about my run. Worrying. Scared. Nervous. Anxious.

I was up at 4 am and we weren't suppose to meet until 7am.  So I tossed and turned and dozed off until 8am! UGH.  I  began  talking myself out of starting today and thinking I'll just start tomorrow. It's a kind of cold outside, a little rainy, I'm sleepy. Yeah. Excuses.

But I knew I had to face my fear of getting out there and just go. Since I'm working from home today I decided I will go over lunch.

In order to get my butt moving I got up and put my workout clothes on and shoes. I think this helped me get my mind in the game.  So there. When I start feeling whishy-washy about going out, I'll just put my clothes on anyway.

I couldn't find my headphones, but I kind of sort of think I run better without music. During all of my 5k's I've never had music and it wasn't bad at all. It allowed me to think and meditate. 

Finally about 11:30ish I set out for my first run.  I skipped the warm-up.  The first 10 min run wasn't bad at all.  My pace was a little under a 12 minute mile.  Then the walk. 

Wow. 1 minute walk isn't a lot at all.  Just enough to catch your breathe and relax some.  Second run was just ok.  I think I was able to do about 8 minutes before I started walking again.  So that gave me a 3 minute walking interval.

The third run started off really great. I guess that's when I hit my second wind or maybe it was mentally knowing I was halfway there and only had one run left.  My pace slowed down a lot at this point. Maybe 12 and a half minute mile.  I was able to run about 9 minutes of this run.  Then I took another 3 minute walk interval.

I started off running the last 10mins, but I mentally checked out. I was tired.  I know it was mental because I don't think I was tired physically, just mentally.  I ran for about 2 minutes and decided I would walk the rest of the way back home.

During the run I felt my stomach cramp up. This happened to me right after my 5k last Sunday too. I wonder if it has to do with being hydrated. Today I ate breakfast before the run, but last Sunday I ran on an empty stomach and had a banana right after. WAIT. I had a banana this morning too. Hmmm. Wonder if they are causing my stomach issues. *shrugs* Not a good feeling though.

I am not disappointed in myself that I couldn't run all the intervals today.  I am accepting where I am and praying that I progress. The only way to get better is to keep going and if that means giving myself longer walking breaks, so be it! I don't want to burn out. I didn't want to force it and have a bad run. When I do that, I'm slow to get back out there dreading another bad run.  I am PROUD of myself for starting!

Even though you are suppose to do this 3x's a week (non-consecutively) I am going to do it again in the morning. I decided I will do  W1D1 (week one day one) as long as it takes me to get comfortable with it. I am in no rush. 
I really need to figure out a schedule to work this program. It's hard for me to give up Title since I love going so much. 

I'll figure it out.  So there it is, day #1. COMPLETE!!