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I FINISHED my FIRST 5K!!!!

Yesterday was the big day! I woke up feeling fine and was ready for whatever the day had in store for me...

We got to the race area a little before 7am to walk around, and see what we might be getting ourselves into. I was quite excited at this point so we got our chip and did a warm up walk around.

Our friends joined us, and before we knew it it was 8am and we were all lined up at the start gate! And we're off...but holy crap! No one mentioned how many hills there were in the course! Those hills KICKED my BUTT!

I jogged pretty much all of the first mile (despite those damned hills!) and the ended up briskly walking the rest of the course. I was happy to have finished in under an hour AND I did NOT finish last! My first two goals have been met!

We're already signed up for two more this summer so I'm very excited. I plan to keep writing about our experiences, and to hopefully start updating this blog a little more then I have been! My next and only goal is that I can beat my time at the next race.

Here are a few pics! Enjoy!

This is me before the Race...looking optimistic!



This is my Husband about to finish...he came in just a hair above 45 minutes!



This is me just about to cross the finish line - my husband and our young friend Cody circled back to cheer me across the rest of the way!

Ain't no Stopping me now!

So I haven't updated for a while because I've been a little depressed and discouraged about my health keeping me from running. Heck...I wasn't even able to walk there for a while!

I've been very good about taking it easy, but it really sucks! Last night I was finally able to finish 3 miles of walking with a little bit of running mixed in.

Our first 5K is TOMORROW...while I wish I was farther along in the program and could run the whole thing, I will end up mostly walking this one! That's ok though...right?

I'm gonna cross that finish line even if my fat butt has to crawl over it!!!

Another Bump in the Road...

After working my way back up to week four training, losing some weight, and starting to feel confident...I am once again plagued by the ever annoying, and always unexpected "girly" issue. I shall not go into detail for the sake of the men reading, but all I will say is that THIS SUCKS!!!

Week four was kind of awesome, so I can't wait to get back to it! I felt amazing after getting through that first five minute run! Our 5K is only about a week and a half away, and by then I should hopefully (PLEASE cross your fingers and toes for me) be somewhere between weeks five and six in my training.

My plan is to just walk it tonight...bummer...I think I may go and load some tunes on my MP3 Player in preparation for the race so I can cheer myself up!

Until next time...ugh.

Feeling Good and Prepping for the week ahead!

This big girl ran last night and it felt GOOD! I didn't hurt afterward, I was only mildly winded, and recovery time was shorter then it has been for any other trainging session to date! There is something to be said for hydrating well beforehand, and cooking a light and healthy dinner with time to digest before running!

Let me say though, that I am NOT getting arrogant! I am hearing lots of different things about the week four training, and I'm kind of scared! The thought of running for five minutes straight terrifies me and gives me flashbacks of some not so fun moments in High School Gym Class! Yikes!

I am upping my water intake, and am trying to eat more fruits and veggies this week because I hear it can only help when you face a hard week of training! Keep your fingers crossed for me...my first 5K is two weeks from thsi Saturday!

Week Three Yipee!

I am so excited to report that I was able to start the week three training schedule!!! I ran it on Sunday and will be doing it again this evening. I think I'm starting to REALLY like this! I've found a good pace, I've learned about hydrating and fueling, and I'm starting to feel good about all of this!

It is definitely starting to make a difference in my weight! Last week, I lost 6lbs! Can you believe it?!?!?!?! While we are trying not to concentrate on the numbers, and are just focusing on being healthy, I've got to say it was nice to see such a drop!

When it comes to weight, any loss is a good loss...right?

I hope I still feel this good after tonight's training!!!

Getting Back Out There!

Well my friends...the "girly" issues have resolved themselves and I was able to run again last night. I didn't realize how much I missed it until I was out there!

I started on Week Two training to ease myself back into it, but I think I will definitely be able to move on to Week Three...I'm starting to move past being terrified of all this, and am kind of getting a little bit excited! Our 5K is in FOUR weeks!!!

With the help of my husband, I have learned that it really is VERY important to stretch. We now start each session with a small walk, we stop to stretch, and THEN we move onto the full five minute "brisk" walk before running. I felt very good after our training last night, and I am not sore at all today. How AWESOME!

We're both still working on what to eat as "fuel" before we train. Last night's Chicken Caesar Salad just didn't cut it, so I plan to do some reading. It's a tad-bit challenging to balance weight watchers, and make sure you are getting the proper amount of nutrients pre and post training. If anyone has any suggestions, I'd love to hear them!

Thanks again for all of your support and encouragement, this is QUITE a journey!

Setbacks are a Bummer!

Hi All! This past week has been a bit of a bummer for me! I was just at the point where I was going to start week three, when BAM! Out of nowhere I've had a few medical type setbacks. I hope that the "issue" resolves itself soon so that I can do a day or so of Week 2 Training and move up to week three!

It hasn't been a total loss...Instead of giving up completely, I've been forcing myself to walk. I've gotten to the point where I can walk almost 2 miles and not think anything of it. If anyone had suggested that a year ago, I would have laughed at them and sat my fat butt down on the nearest bench with a soda in my hand!

I'll keep you posted on my "issues" and write again when I ease back into the running! We are less then Six weeks away from this event and I'm getting a little nervous! Keep me in your thoughts and as always, keep your fingers crossed for me!

It's been a while!

Howdy everyone! Sorry it's been a while since my last post! I've been a little busy...but now I'm back and I'm excited to tell you what I've been up to!

I've been VERY faithful to my running schedule. Even with another weekend away, I still trained. I've decided to start giving myself an extra day of each session before moving up to the next weeks training. This is working out well for me. Besides the fact that I'm starting to feel awesome, it feels like I've had better recovery time since I started doing this.

Tomorrow will be my last day of Week 2 training and I'm kind of nervous to move on to week 3. My very supportive friends all said it went well, but we all know I'm a wuss! Although...I have found myself looking forward to finding out what songs will be in the next podcast because I'm really starting to like them.

Here's a funny story for all the readers who already know me personally...I was in Philly this past weekend and thought I would have a hard time finding a track to run on. My brother told me there was one behind his house and I got so excited that I forgot to stretch or eat breakfast before my run! Can you say "major Charlie Horse!" Even I had to laugh at myself for that one!

I did discover something interesting after this weekend's adventures...I was due for a run on Easter morning, but I had been out drinking the night before (heavily I might add,) so I was a little worried. I forced myself to wake up, had some fruit, and got out to the track...when I started running, I found that it was one of the BEST runs I've ever had! I wasn't sore, I didn't really run out of breath, and the only thing I noticed was that I had perspired more then usual. Could this have been because of the alcohol? I did end up drinking a lot of gatoraide that day, but it was amazing how good I felt! I probably won't ever do it again, but I'd love to hear your thoughts about this?

Well...until next time...Keep your fingers crossed for my next phase of training!

Weekend Away and Staying on Schedule!

Hello again! Thanks to everyone for their support! It's feels great to know that there are people out there cheering me on!

My husband and I got away for the weekend, but prior to our leaving, we ran on Friday morning. Since I got a Charlie Horse during my last session, I decided to cut back to week one training. I woke up early, had a good breakfast, sat around a couple hours, then hit the track. It was apparently the perfect amount of fuel for the run, because I actually felt good after we were done! There was a minute amount of soreness in my knees over the weekend, but it wasn't enough to slow me down.

I also ran today (So I'd like to give myself kudos for sticking to our schedule even though we were away!) It was raining a little too hard for my taste, so I went to the gym to spend some time on the treadmill...let me tell you that running outside on a track, and running on a treadmill feel COMPLETELY different. I pushed myself back up to the week two training, but hated the way I could feel every little step on the treadmill. I felt it WAY too much in my knees so I'm not sure I'll ever do that again! If the weather's bad, I'll either just suck it up and go out anyway, or I'll re-adjust my training days. I REALLY didn't like running on the treadmill!!!

My next training day is Wednesday...keep your fingers crossed for good weather!