Run.Eat.Smile.

I can officially say that I can run 4 miles without stopping. 🙂 However, I have only done that once so far. I’m going to try running 4 miles about once or twice each week for awhile and run 3 miles the other times-then I’ll see if I can increase my mileage.

I now have other women that want to start running so I am training with them on the Couch25k AGAIN-it looks like this:

Run my 3 miles after school.

Run with the ladies for the training program.

Prop up on the couch when I get home.

🙂

This past Friday night I went with 3 of the girls to a 1 1/2 hour zumba fundraiser in Pelham, AL. We rocked the house!

I started the 6packMarch challenge on March 1st and have now kept with it for 12 days! Woohoo! Except today I was supposed to hold a plank for 60 seconds and COULDN’T! I’m going to try it again in a little bit!

I ran 3 miles today, walked a mile, did my ab workout, and started strength training for my arms and legs. Whew! I REALLY want to do strength training 2-3 times each week.

I ate too much this weekend so only lost 2 tenths of a pound since last Monday. Got to get better about the weekends! What hurt me was going out to eat on Friday night after Zumba and Saturday night for my best friend’s birthday. Plus this red velvet cake at my house (for my stepson’s birthday) is not helping matters any. GO AWAY BIG RED VELVET CAKE!!! 🙂

I love to run. I love to eat. I love to smile. Not necessarily in that order. 🙂 Running makes me smile. Eating makes me smile. Smiling makes me happy. Loving life right now!

Couch25k-Round 2

I have completed the Couch25k program, run in my 1st 5k, and am now helping to train/motivate 3 other ladies where I work that want to start running!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We started out today with Week 1-Day 1 AFTER I had already run my 3.1 miles. Now I am sitting on the couch with my legs propped up because they feel achy! 🙂

I am so glad that I am going to have some running buddies 9 weeks from now!

And tomorrow another lady that has been a runner for YEARS is going to run with me after school. I can’t wait!

I.LOVE.THIS. 🙂

Did it!!

I actually ran (jogged) 3.2 miles without stopping last Friday, then 3.4 miles Monday, and 3.4 miles yesterday!!!

Thank you Couch25k!!! You helped me get to this point! I never would have believed it at the beginning. I couldn’t even jog 1/4 of the way around the school track without feeling like I was going to puke! 🙂

I am loving life!!! I LOVE TO RUN!!

Today I walked 5 miles to sort of rest before my 1st 5k this Saturday! Yippee!!

Oh yeah, I have lost 20 pounds so far-hope to lose many more! I feel so good!

This week would have been week 8 of the 9 week program, but stopped the program and am now just running the whole time! 🙂

Runner’s Creed

Today was not a good training day. I tried to train on the dirt road be my house, but it ended up being a jog/walk/jog thing! There couldn’t be 2 more DIFFERENT things in this world:

School track (flat) VS. regular road (hilly)

OMG! 🙂 So I ended up walking/jogging 3 miles in 53 minutes. That’s not too bad is it? 🙂

I found some inspiration over at My Dirt Road Anthem-a youtube video with a runner’s creed. Just what the doctor ordered for today! 🙂

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJkN27qvMNQ&feature=player_embedded

Got lost AGAIN!!

So I got lost AGAIN! 🙂 I went to walk/jog the 5k route for the race that is coming up in 2 weeks. It’s a trail run down near Lake Martin in Alex. City, AL. I looked at the map before I left the house (live about 40 minutes from it), but must NOT have studied the map good enough! Whew! My step-son works at the horse stables down there so I called him and he just took me in his truck and showed me! LOL! Now I know where to go! So I’ll try to get back down there sometime this week! The part that I did jog/walk (and mostly jog!) was pretty and pretty hilly. 🙂

BUT the good part is that the last 1/2 of the race will be FLAT LAND AND DOWNHILL!!! 🙂 So if I can just make it through the 1st half. 🙂

Treadmill vs. Outside

I have only been on a treadmill about umm… 4 times in my entire life. And I just found out last night that it is SOOOOOOOOOOOO much easier than training outside!!! And I’m not talking about weather really-just endurance and strength. I’m wondering why? Is it because I don’t have to actually propel my body forward to get somewhere?

Anyway-I did a 25 minute jog last night and this morning on the treadmill at the hotel (I had a committee meeting last night in Montgomery, AL). Those 25 minute jogs were a breeze on the treadmill compared to my 8 or 10 minute jogs around the school track. And I was jogging at a faster rate on the treadmill than outside. Definitely faster on the treadmill. 🙂

So I’m thinking my hubby needs to buy me a treadmill. 🙂

Now I’m off to get ready to drive home 1 1/2 hours. Oh, and if I have time I might stop by the 5k route and walk it. 🙂

HAPPY SATURDAY!

Couch25k-Week 6-Day 2

Had to do 2 10 minute jogs with a 3 minute walk in between. The 1st jog was A LOT easier than the 2nd one! Tomorrow is a straight 25 minute jog! Oh, my! 🙂

Here are some in progress pictures from last summer and tonight. YIKES! I still need to shed at least 17 more pounds if not more! 🙂

July 2011                                                                     February 2012

July 2011                                                                        February 2012

July 2011                                                                   February 2012

I can honestly say that the only real difference I see between last summer and now (I have lost 14 pounds) is:

1. under my chin     2. BUTT from the sideview     3. I see my shoulder

From the way I feel and the way some of my pants fit now, I really would have thought there would have been a more visible difference in the pictures. My co-workers are telling me that they can see that I have lost weight so why is it not showing up with the camera? Stupid camera! 🙂

Anyway, I’m trying to remember that my goal for this year is to run a 5k, not lose weight. I was just hoping that the weight would be a side benefit!

So I’ll keep on training. I did day 1 of the Jillian Michaels 30 day shred on Monday and haven’t done it since. Time to kick it into high gear!!

Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred Workout

I just started doing the 30 day shred video with Jillian Michaels today. It was intense to me! I guess because I am not used to doing any strength training. It was a great workout. I think I’ll try to do 30 days of Level 1, then 30 days of Level 2, then 30 days of Level 3. So maybe by summer I might fit into a bikini! 🙂

Today was Week 6-Day 1 for Couch25k, and I swear it felt harder than the 20 minute jog from Friday. Maybe because I’m sore from zumba? Not drinking enough water? I ate light so that’s not it, but my legs literally felt like lead today!

Tomorrow will be a cross training day-I might just get on the stationary bike. Haven’t decided. My legs are pretty tired right now. 🙂

Oh yeah, the 20 minute jog

COUCH25K-Week 5-DAY 3

CHECK!

DONE!

ACCOMPLISHED!

This was the day of the 20 minute jog (without stopping) that had butterflies in my stomach all day leading up to it! 🙂 I knew that if I couldn’t do it I would just reattempt it until I could. It’s not like the Couch25k Police were going to come and get me! But I REALLY wanted to be able to do it! AND I DID!!! I’m super pumped now and feel as if I am on top of the world! 🙂

Now I can’t wait to start week 6!

And after that 20 minute jog, I still went to a 2 hour zumba master class!!! It was a great Friday!

I am the 1st one on the back row. The one who’s head looks like  a football helmet because of the sweat! 🙂

Couch25k-Week 5-Day 2

I did it. I jogged for 8 minutes WITHOUT stopping! 🙂 So the training today looked like this:

1. 5 minute warmup walk

2. 8 minute jog

3. 5 minute walk

4. 8 minute jog

5. 5 minute cool down

 

That 2nd interval of 8 minutes was a teensy tiny bit difficult. 🙂 But I did it. Then I kept walking around the track to get to a total of 3 miles in 43 minutes.

So tomorrow will be where the big dogs get separated from the puppies. A 20 minute jog without stopping. Hmmmm. Not sure about this yet. 🙂

If you don’t hear from me in a few days you might need to send out the search and rescue team!!! To find my body!! 🙂