14:58

Remember a few days ago I did 1.25 miles in 30 minutes? That was really bugging me. Last evening, I was itching to run to see if I could do better. I typically run first thing in the morning, but why not run when I'm actually feeling like it?

I ran the 1.25 in 14:58. I did not shuffle. It was hard to do. But I did it. The best thing about it was KNOWING that I could run a mile. THE BIG SCARY MILE is no longer scary and out of reach. Instead it's firmly in my grasp to do whatever I want with it.

I believe I ran at a pace of around 4 mph (correct me if my math is wrong). In my book that's fairly respectable. A lot better than 30 minutes, that's for sure.

At this point, I'm not sure if I want to work on the speed so much. The run really messed up my feet and ankles. I've been limping around like an old woman. My feet kill. It feels like I have two sprained ankles. I'm not sure if it's because I ran faster or if it's because of dodging rocks, sticks, pinecones and logs (both putting a lot of strain on my feet and ankles - feet and ankles that don't have the correct support to begin with). Maybe a combination of both. But, while I'm in Pennsylvania, I think I'll lay off the speed and more focus on distance.

I'd like to run 2 miles.

A New Goal

I was able to track the distance of my past few runs (thanks moochoo for reminding me that GPS exists).

The results are a little disappointing. But, how can I be disappointed when I actually accomplished my goal? That's right. I met my goal of a mile. And actually, I went over that and did 1.25 miles. Yes, it took me 30 minutes. Yes, that's surprisingly slow. Yes, I can and do walk faster than that.

So, I can quit now, right? I'm done? Yeah, right. Now I have it in my mind to run a mile in a respectable time (whatever that means. any suggestions?) AND add some more mileage to my runs.

The Bad

Of course my awesome run last week had to be balanced with a truly horrible one this week. Monday I woke up to it pouring outside so I decided to put the pillow over my head and sleep for a little longer and determined that I'd run on Tuesday.

Tuesday I woke up not wanting to run at all. At all. But I dragged myself out. From the very start I knew it was going to be rotten. Maybe it was my attitude. Maybe it was the 82% humidity. Whatever I didn't want to be running.

I ran anyway. I ran the 15 minute split - run 15 minutes, walk 1 minute, run 15 minutes. I hated every second of it. And when I finished it I didn't even care. Wasn't proud that I accomplished it even though I was tired and hot and in a bad mood. Lots of times I'll be proud that I've accomplished something despite my trials. Not Tuesday.

And when I say I ran, I really mean that I shuffled. And I don't mean as the run progressed I started to shuffle - I mean that I started out at a depressing shuffle and it only got worse.

The silver lining: Tuesday is over.

24:56

Last week I was on week 5. That is run for 8 minutes, walk for 2 and I was to do 3 sets of this. Monday, I did it no problem. Same with Wednesday. Friday - I almost skipped my run due to a horrible night sleep and an impending big day out and about. However, I woke up early enough that I couldn't not run. So out I went.

Remember Forest Gump? Remember him running - he just felt like running and kept on going. I ran for the first 8 minutes. When that time was coming to a close I realized I wasn't all that worn out and thought perhaps I could skip the walking (2 minute) portion and just keep on running, at least for a minute or two more. I did. Before I knew it I had run 16 minutes straight! At that point, I thought, what's 8 more minutes? So I continued on and ran for a total of 24 minutes 56 seconds straight! And I could have gone on longer but I needed to get the kids up and ready for the day.

I'm pretty sure I ran my mile. But, I'm not entirely sure. I run awfully slow. Once I'm back in AZ and can track my mileage either outside (from one street to another) or tracking it on my treadmill, I'll know for sure if I can run a mile.

This is a huge leap for me. A huge accomplishment. I'm not taking it lightly. I'm dang proud of myself. If I have indeed run a mile, I intend to keep going. I'd like to get my pace respectable and I'd like to be able to run a mile without it being a big deal. I think that means I'll have to run more than a mile at some point.

Obstacles

Any challenge has its obstacles. Even before starting the challenge I had my obstacles. Not only am I missing bones and functioning muscles in my feet and ankles, but I deal with insomnia and chronic headaches. Before starting the program I decided that I'd be my most efficient and best if I only did the running on days that followed a good night sleep and didn't wake up with a headache. However, those days never exist.

So, I decided that regardless of sleep quality or headache status I would run anyway.

Every time I wake up in the morning, I'm exhausted with a pounding headache. Sometimes I run to the beat of my pounding head.

And I feel tough. I grit my teeth and get through it even with those obstacles.

Other obstacles that I've faced so far:

Time: Finding time to get a run in. I've found that I enjoy running first thing in the morning (when I haven't had an entire day to talk myself out of running). But with kids, sometimes it's hard to get a run in when they're up and at 'em, asking for breakfast. Sometimes they have to wait.

Natural Elements: In AZ, I run on the treadmill. In PA, I run through the woods - which I love. But tripping on pinecones and stumbling over sticks has its drawbacks. So does the weather. The other day I ran in 39 degree weather. I saw my breath! Today it was 67 and HUMID. It's interesting how I have to adjust myself to take in the change of temperature. Not only that, but I have to watch out for wildlife - bears, deer, and today I smelled a skunk.

The Treadmill: I hate running on my treadmill. It sucks the life out of me. I can easily WALK 2 miles in 35 minutes. But, get me on a treadmill and with intervals of RUNNING I can go about 1.6 miles in 35 minutes. When I'm running outside, I don't need any technology - no music, no video, nuthin'. I'm happy with my own thoughts. Get me on the treadmill and I need to be watching something to distract me from the hell I'm putting myself through. So, yeah, my treadmill is an obstacle as is the dwindling selection of DVDs I have to watch while running on the stupid thing. I need a better selection. Reruns of Charmed just ain't cutting it.

I'm on week 4! Running intervals of 5 minutes with 2 minute walks - 4 sets. I'm doing it! I don't think ever in my life have I been able to run more than 2 minutes at a time. I'm proud of myself.

The Goal and The Program

The Goal: to jog one mile without stopping or walking. I don't care how slowly I go. I don't care if I make a new record for the slowest jog. I just want to jog a mile, a whole mile. Once that's under my belt, I'll work on upping the speed to something respectable.

The Program: The program I am following is a variation of the Couch-to-5K running program. Mine varies slightly.


Week 1 Run one min, walk 90 seconds. Repeat eight times. Do three times a week.
Week 2 Run two mins, walk one min. Repeat seven times. Do three times a week.
Week 3 Run three mins walk one mins. Repeat six times. Do three times a week.
Week 4 Run five mins, walk two mins. Repeat four times. Do three times a week.
Week 5 Run eight mins, walk two mins. Repeat three times. Do three times a week.
Week 6 Run 12 mins, walk one min. Repeat three times. Do three times a week.
Week 7 Run 15 mins, walk one min, Run fifteen mins. Do three times a week
Week 8 Run 30 mins continuously.

By week 7 I should be jogging my mile. As of right now I am on week 3. It was a scary jump to go from jogging 2 minutes to 3 minutes. Two minutes was hard enough for me - but 3 minutes!? with only a 1 minute walk in between!? But, surprisingly it went rather well. Next week I will be running 5 minutes at a time. I'm shaking in my sneakers!!