Gloomy weather has not helped me in my Couch to 5K challenge. In fact, it has not helped me in any area of life. It is hard to stay motivated when the sun is hiding away, taking any bit of warmth with it. I've already told you about my issues with the treadmill, it is no substitute for jogging in the sun along the lake.
Although, 1 plus about exercising within the privacy of your own home is that nobody sees you. This means you can be as silly as you want to be, which can be very helpful. I stepped it up a notch to try the Week 4 excercise (technically I have been doing this for 6 weeks). This consists of 3 minutes of jogging, 2 minutes of walking, 5 minutes of jogging, 3 minutes of walking...and repeat! When I first printed out this routine, oh so many weeks ago, and noticed all the jogging, I began to panic, "I can't do this. Who can do this? Only crazy people jog for 16 minutes total!" And, friends, I will say that this part of the workout did hurt just a little bit. In fact, the day after I first tried it I was at school and had to bend down to pick up a pencil, I had a moment I wasn't sure I was going to get back up again. My hamstrings were screaming at me and asking, "Why on Earth did you do this to us! Here we were, content to just lounge on the couch watching Oprah's last season! Why, why, why, why...."
This is a perfect example of my body, my brain and my heart not exactly being on the same page. But, I did it anyway, despite the protest of my hammies and managed to get through it. Now, this was accomplished in the confines of my home on the treadmill, which meant I could talk to myself and say things like, "Go, your almost there, don't give up, booya, woohoo, you rock, yeeha!" Had I done this outside in public I would have more than likely ended up checked into the local hospital for an evaluation. But, inside, I found giving myself affirmations a great way to get through that LAST little bit that your just not sure you can do. So, my advice for you, hoot and holler all you want and celebrate the time you are off the couch! It can make a big difference in how you feel after! Oh, and NEVER be afraid to boast a little bit to friends, family and social networking sites, you've worked hard and you've earned it!
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Monday, May 2, 2011
Why I Love and Hate Running
May 2, 2011
I have a love/hate relationship with running. I hate that I get shin splints. I hate that I sweat and get really red in the face so that I look like a raddish. Believe you me, I don't think that running is going to make me particularly attractive to the opposite sex (at least, not while I'm running). I have yet to buy those cute running outfits that all the fitness magazines show on their front covers. Nope, give me sweats and a t-shirt, put my hair up into a pony tail and I'm pretty much good to go.
What I Hope Is My Before Picture
What I LOVE about running is that it gets you out into the community. My town is small and picturesque, the quaint New England vacation town. It pretty much closes up in the Winter time, but around April you begin to see the first people emerge from their hibernation states. It's small at first, one or two people taking pictures down by the lake. By May, there are people everywhere: window shopping downtown, having a picnic in the park, or doing their own run/walk routine. And most people are very friendly! Today was no exception when, my dog being the social animal she is, we met another woman with her dog. Actually, I had no immediate plans to stop, I had hit the "zone" in my running routine. My dog had other ideas and stubbornly sat down until I let her go and sniff her new friend. Dogs apparently do not care about time or laps or exercise reps. Friendly dog and human greetings were exchanged (both in ENTIRELY different ways) and we left with the feeling we'd probably bump into each other again. I think this shouldn't be too hard in a town with only 700 people (if not less) in it.
We also met a little Corgi that had broken loose from it's line and came charging at us full tilt. This was a slightly less exciting event because I wasn't sure how my pup would react. One of the things I love about Bella is that she is a very friendly, passive dog. She won't start any trouble with other dogs. BUT, she is also not afraid to "throw down" if another dog starts trouble. Luckily, the Corgi seemed to be friendly enough and I left, breathing a sigh of relief (after notifying the owner that their dog was loose of course).
Running is also a great way to multi-task. For example, today I ran into my car mechanic, which was convienent because I needed to give him a call anyway. It's nice when you can accomplish 2 things at once! And, at the rate my car is going, I may need to rely more on my running muscles than ever before. It is one thing to "go green" voluntarily, but an enitrely different matter when your forced to. Ah well, if it is good for me and the environment then so be it!
So, to all of you out there reading my blog, enjoy your running and I hope you accomplish a lot of things as you multi-task your workout. Also, watch out for Corgis and mud puddles (a story for another time). Cheers!
I have a love/hate relationship with running. I hate that I get shin splints. I hate that I sweat and get really red in the face so that I look like a raddish. Believe you me, I don't think that running is going to make me particularly attractive to the opposite sex (at least, not while I'm running). I have yet to buy those cute running outfits that all the fitness magazines show on their front covers. Nope, give me sweats and a t-shirt, put my hair up into a pony tail and I'm pretty much good to go.
What I Hope Is My Before Picture
What I LOVE about running is that it gets you out into the community. My town is small and picturesque, the quaint New England vacation town. It pretty much closes up in the Winter time, but around April you begin to see the first people emerge from their hibernation states. It's small at first, one or two people taking pictures down by the lake. By May, there are people everywhere: window shopping downtown, having a picnic in the park, or doing their own run/walk routine. And most people are very friendly! Today was no exception when, my dog being the social animal she is, we met another woman with her dog. Actually, I had no immediate plans to stop, I had hit the "zone" in my running routine. My dog had other ideas and stubbornly sat down until I let her go and sniff her new friend. Dogs apparently do not care about time or laps or exercise reps. Friendly dog and human greetings were exchanged (both in ENTIRELY different ways) and we left with the feeling we'd probably bump into each other again. I think this shouldn't be too hard in a town with only 700 people (if not less) in it.
We also met a little Corgi that had broken loose from it's line and came charging at us full tilt. This was a slightly less exciting event because I wasn't sure how my pup would react. One of the things I love about Bella is that she is a very friendly, passive dog. She won't start any trouble with other dogs. BUT, she is also not afraid to "throw down" if another dog starts trouble. Luckily, the Corgi seemed to be friendly enough and I left, breathing a sigh of relief (after notifying the owner that their dog was loose of course).
Running is also a great way to multi-task. For example, today I ran into my car mechanic, which was convienent because I needed to give him a call anyway. It's nice when you can accomplish 2 things at once! And, at the rate my car is going, I may need to rely more on my running muscles than ever before. It is one thing to "go green" voluntarily, but an enitrely different matter when your forced to. Ah well, if it is good for me and the environment then so be it!
So, to all of you out there reading my blog, enjoy your running and I hope you accomplish a lot of things as you multi-task your workout. Also, watch out for Corgis and mud puddles (a story for another time). Cheers!
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