7 Days Later

Here I am exactly 7 days after I attempted W1D1 of the c25k. I can *finally* walk without a limp. I am finally restored to my regular self.

Do I want to get back out there and try W1D1 again, as written? Heck yes!

Do I want a repeat of last week? Heck no!

Shall I walk a few times this week and build up my abilities? Yes!!

The Aftermath

Oh. My. Gosh.

It has been almost 48 hours since Week 1 Day 1 (W1D1) and I can barely walk. I have been taking Ibuprofen like it's candy and soaking in hot baths. Seriously, even sitting down and standing up is a chore. The tops of my feet are in pain and so are my calves and my upper thighs, like above my knees. I do not remember ever hurting like this before.

A wise chica commented (after reading this post) that I should keep repeating W1D1 until I can complete it as written. That makes SO much sense. Otherwise, I am not really, honestly, completing the program accurately. I believe that if I continue to move on, even without doing it as written, I am setting myself up for failure later on in the coming weeks.

(Though the instant gratification of moving forward to Day 2, Day 3, etc. is awesome!)

Second, after some research, I found out that some folks (very obese, etc.) should make sure that they can complete a brisk 30 minute walk without croaking before beginning the c25k. There is no doubt in my mind that I fall in this category.

So, while I feel like I want to just attempt W1D1 over again, I KNOW that I need to just walk today. That being said, I am proud for three reasons:

1) In spite of starting off WAY too hard for my body, I did manage to do a decent-for-me job. (want to read the minute-by-minute details? Click here.)

2) I am suffering, quite badly, and yet, I still *want* to exercise today. WTF?! I believe it is because I actually made it through some jogging, so I am definitely confident enough to do a bit of walking.

3) In spite of the limp, I am headed out the door at lunch today to hoof it around the cemetery for a good 20 to 30 minutes. (Walking. Slowly.)

60 Second Intervals of Misery

Being that my "workout" shoes were in the trunk of my car...I really had no excuse not to do Week 1 Day 1 of the C25K Plan.

Thank goodness I keep a pair of knit pants and a tank in my bathroom at work because I would have started a fire with my thighs rubbing together in this skirt...decided not to even start today...

I discovered an android app on the c25k website and immediately downloaded it. I really did not want to have to carry around my piece of paper with the walk/run intervals on it. (and being the control freak that I am, you KNOW I would have... probably even laminated...) Now my phone does it all for me. Count-down clock, total workout clock, a voice (or bell) that says Walk!, Run!, etc., a "check-off" list of what week/day I am on... etc. LOVE IT! Plus it integrates with my own music, so I am all set!

I drove out to the cemetery where everyone in town goes to walk (not creepy at all, promise!). I parked my car. I sat there for a few minutes debating on actually getting out of the car and starting. I thought about who would see me. I thought about who would laugh at me. I thought about how miserable and sore I would be afterwards. I wished I had a c25k buddy to do this with. I thought about just hitting a drive-thru and going back to work. Then I made a huge decision.

I. Got. Out. Of. The. Car. And I started walking.

Thanks to my app, I knew I had 8 separate intervals of running to complete. Here is a run down of my experience (I remember most of it, though parts are fuzzy... I think I was close to either passing out or maybe I was trying to leave my body...)

5 minute Warm-Up:... fine... but I was breathing pretty hard through it.

First 60 second run: I jogged about 15 seconds, then walked 30, then staggered around for another 15 seconds

90 second walk: I worked on breathing in my nose and out of my mouth. I sounded like a puffing bull. I never did catch my breath before the voice said "Run!"

Second 60 second run: I jogged about 30 seconds of it, then did some sort of skip/walk/jog-every-other-step thing for the last 30 seconds

90 second walk: I just tried to breathe and finally during the last 5 seconds, I "caught" my breath

Third 60 second run: I don't really remember this one, but I made it through the whole minute, jogging, slowly.

90 second walk: Did. Not. Last. Long. Enough.

Fourth 60 second run: I made it through about 10 seconds, then I started walking, and got choked up. I cried a bit, but realized that was not helping my breathing. At. All.

90 second walk: Adam Lambert's song What Do You Want From Me? came on. Somehow that made me feel like I *had* to finish this session. I quit so many things and always feel like such a failure because of it. I just did not want to add this to the list. (pretty deep thoughts for a 90 second walk)

                       

                        "Just dont give up, I'm working it out"

                        "Please don't give in, I won't let you down"

                        "It messed me up, need a second to breathe"

                        "Just keep coming around..."

                       

Fifth 60 second run: I knew I was on the down-side of the runs now, I got through about 45 seconds of jogging.

90 second walk: I was ready to cuss the voice that would say "Run!" all too soon.

Sixth 60 second run: I just don't remember. I just know that I figured out by now, that I have to look up, and hold my shoulders back... slouching and staring at my feet/the ground is NOT good.

90 second walk: I was sweating really bad, my bangs were in my face, and I was crying. Again. I am pretty sure the man mowing the cemetery saw me. BUT I held my head up high.

Seventh 60 second run: By golly, I jogged the entire minute. I felt a wave of intense heat come over me though. I was kinda worried about this.

90 second walk: Thank goodness.

Eighth and FINAL 60 second run: I jogged about 50 seconds of the minute. I was still HOT. Very. I stared at my phone screen.

5 minute cool-down: I was too exhausted to be happy that it was over. My head was pounding. My feet felt heavy. My breathing was erratic and I still sounded like a puffing bull. Sweat everywhere. In fact, the only thing I *was* thinking about was how I am just not sure if I can do this two more times this week.



Hot-and-still-slightly-red-faced after 10 minutes of full car AC. Miserable.



I sat in my car for 10 minutes with the AC on full blast. I managed not to puke. I got back to my office and changed clothes, and got back to work. Now, here I am taking a quick afternoon break to tell you about all of that.

Three things:

1) I am going to have to search my soul and decide if I want to proceed with the C25K. Even if I have to do Week 1 over and over for a few weeks...

2) I *really* want a treadmill.

3) I am pretty sure that when the rest of the soreness from today sets in, I will not be able to get out of bed in the morning.

Couch VS. 5k

So, Scott and I are walking around the farmer's market this afternoon and I look at him and say "How am I going to be able to do the Couch to 5k if I don't even feel like walking around this place?"

Needless to say he (we) got a good laugh at my honest, yet humorous view on the whole topic.

I have been hearing a lot about the Couch to 5k (C25K) and being that I have always wanted to run (jog), I feel like this would be a good place to start.

Here is what the first week looks like:

Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes. (do this 3 times the first week)

Hey, I can do that, right? (insert nervous, unsure laughter here) Right now, my left knee is killing me, so that kinda makes the couch look much better at this point. (But, here is that whole two-sides-to-every-situation-in-my-life thing...the fat that I carry around is contributing to my ugly knee pain... well, that and the fact that I like to sit with my left leg folded under me for some reason.)

Before I got pregnant with little B, I had worked up to jogging a bit on the treadmill at the Y...and it was awesome! (I really wish I had a treadmill.) I liked going at lunchtime and the AC was glorious!! Without the Y, I am stuck in the graveyard that everyone else walks at near work... there's no way I will be able to walk at home outside and/or after work, with a toddler and a hubby who need me to constantly do mommy/wife things...guess that sounds like a lame excuse, but that's really how it is right now.

If I am going to do this, I gotta start soon though...it was only 73 degrees outside today and I was miserable!  (I was wearing jeans and sandals though...not good walking gear!) That, or I am going to have to rejoin the Y...