Week 4: Days 1, 2 & 3

Week 4 is done and I made it. I can actually admit it wasn't too bad. I can also admit that I don't look forward to Week 5 AT ALL....by day 3 of this week the paper says to run/jog WITHOUT WALKING 20 minutes (2 miles). Yikes! I have to do just do one day at a time and not think too much of the next day of training. I will finish this program and I will push myself...that will become very obvious this coming Friday and in the next 3 weeks. Hopefully I will be typing "it wasn't that bad" after Fridays training :). We will see!

Week 3: Day 1, 2 & 3

I was a bit nervous starting this week because it said to jog 3 minutes. The first day wasn't too bad and I was very happy to have finished it. Days 2 and 3 went fine also. Now I am looking ahead to weeks 4 & 5 and am getting nervous again. In week 4 we will jog 5 minute intervals....really that shouldn't be too scary. I have jogged for 20 minutes (2 miles) a couple times while training for the tri last year. 5 minutes should be a piece of cake right? Oh why oh why oh why am I doing this again? I don't think I was built to run....unless someone is chasing me. That is what I am going to think while doing the tri in August...all the people behind me are chasing me...it should work right?
Here are the speeds I have been using for week 3:
Walking 3.5-3.7
Jogging 5.3-5.5
I have been hitting around 2 miles in 25 minutes. We will see what happens when we have to jog 20 minutes coming up in a couple weeks. So far my shins have been ok. The only bad days were right in the beginning. My knees have actually felt better since I have started this and I have lost 3 pounds. I have noticed that my calves have been very tight when doing the 3 minute run so I have to stretch better. I was only stretching when I was done and I think I may have to stretch before I start the 5 minute warm up walk. I know that I have to tackle my eating (portion size) and add another couple days of weights and swimming to my exercise routine to see the weight drop off. Jared has agreed to all my "demands"...I call them goals and rewards :).
20 pounds lost: a new cricut (scrapbookers will understand)
30 pounds lost: a new tri suit or workout clothes for the triathlon this fall
40 pounds lost: a new wardrobe...it would be greatly needed at this point!
50 pounds lost (no, this isn't too much for me to lose...even Sparks.com agree's): a vacation to somewhere WARM next winter....Jared says "anywhere but Disney"...Party Pooper :)
Does anyone else have any goals and rewards (aka DEMANDS)?

Week 2, Day 1, 2 & 3

So, I forgot to hop on here and update on last weeks training. I did it. Thank you for checking....jk.
Actually, Week 2 wasn't as bad as week 1, day 1. That day really was bad- like I would rather be doing anything else but that bad. Luckily, it has gotten better each day I train. Hope it keeps going because Week 4 scares me, Week 5 scares me and Week 6 & 7 seem unattainable at this point.
This week I walked at 3.5 and did the run (or jog compared to the lady RUNNING on the treadmill next to me) at a 5.2. I was able to go 2 -2.1 miles each day in 25 minutes. Hopefully, Week 3 (starts tomorrow) will be ok. I really need to work on my eating this week or everything I am doing is for nothing. I love to eat as much as I hate to run :)....not a good combo! I am excited that in 7 weeks I should be running a 5K. The most I ran while training for my triathlon last year was 2 miles. I never got up to 3 miles. For anyone that thinks they can't do this, please please please know that if I did it (and survived) YOU CAN DO IT TOO. I am hoping to have a kick ass group of women doing the tri this year with me. We will see! Let me know!

We interupt this workout blogging.....

...... to bring you an update from the kids (yep, they are still around)!

Christmas was a hit this year. All 3 kids had "the best Christmas EVER"...I heard 2 of them say it and Kate smiled so we will take it for 3 out of 3 kids loved Christmas 2009. It's no wonder since they had 6 Christmas' this year!

1. Home.

2. GG's (my grandma)

GG with some of her Great-Grandkids

Jack, Grace and Kate with GG

Josh & Isaiah with GG

3. Aunt Deb's: made awesome gingerbread houses and ate yummy food

Lauren with Kate :)

Gingerbread house decorating (eating)

The Goodies

Jack's finished product

Grace's masterpiece

4. Sarah & Jeff's (my family): Grace got her FAVORITE present EVER and ate yummy food

5.Yaya/Papa's (Jared's family): My camera battery died (Jared's fault) so no pics but ate yummy food

6. Jeremy/Jenn's (our friends): Had Nerf Gun wars and ate yummy food!

Jack's favorite gift was some hockey skates, a jersey and a hockey stick.

Grace's favorite gift of all time was not from me or Santa but from Auntie Sarah...her FurReal pet, Snuggles. She has that dog with her 24/7 (unless she is at school and SURE I am taking it with me everywhere).

I know she doesn't look that happy but you will have to trust me...

that dog is VERY well cared for!

Kate loved her Little People Farm set. She puts the farmer in the tractor and drives it around and sets up the fences and puts the animals in the stalls. It keeps her busy doing GOOD things vs the Naughty stuff she did today....like throwing Grace's Barbie computer in the toilet (GROSS).

My favorite part of Christmas this year was being able to help a local single dad give his son a Christmas to remember. I put out a call for help through email and facebook and was overwhelmed by the amount of people willing to help. I heard that when he (the dad) saw the presents he cried and asked how he would ever be able to thank everyone. That is what Christmas should be about...helping those less fortunate.

Yesterday, we (aka...Jared) took the snowblower down to the lake and got a nice size skating rink cleared for the kids. Then in the afternoon our neighbor, Kevin, hooked up a pump and they tried to flood the rink so it would be nice and clear for the ice skating party today. The pump didn't pump enough water fast enough so they were out there until it was past dark. 1/2 the rink was fast and clear and the other half was a little snow covered and slower for the younger skaters...worked perfectly!

Our Human Zambonies

We brought our fire pit down onto the ice and had a nice fire going, some hot apple cider and cookies and watched the kids skate until WE couldn't stand the cold anymore! It was a wonderful weekend....no cleaning got done, no working out, no plans.

Next weekend, Jared is playing in a snowball tournament....softball in the snow! YUCK!!! They all meet at the bar at 8am and start having something to "warm them up" and then play softball all day. Again, I say YUCK!! He has fun and we have to pick him up by the end of the day ;). I will try to get some pictures posted after the games are over :).

Ok...back to our regular scheduled blogging:

Tomorrow, starts Week 2 of the C25K:

Walk 5 minutes to warm up. Run/jog for 90 seconds. Walk for 2 minutes. Repeat the jog and walk for 20 minutes and boom...your done and ALMOST ready for that 5 K :)...ok...maybe not, but it is a start, right?!

W1D3

I made it through Week 1. I have to say that day 1 was the worst. Maybe it had to do with running on the track vs a treadmill or that I am HORRIBLY out of shape. Whatever the cause I am happy to say that I am out of pain....no shin spints, no sore knees/thighs. Today I ran and walked the 25 minutes and went 1.75 miles. I am walking at about 3.5 and running about 5-5.3. We will see what happens next week when we up the running to 90 sec vs 60 sec....and to think they are expecting us to run 30 minutes at a pretty good pace (10 min mile) to hit the 3 miles mark (5K)....without stopping.
I am also hoping that I get to the gym 4-5 times next week and add in weights and bike on the days opposite the running program. In a couple weeks I will add in swimming after I run. I have to stay motivated to do this. It is time to drop the weight and earn my much needed shopping spree (shhhh...Jared doesn't know about this part yet). I have set up goals along the way to help keep me going:
10 pounds lost: .....Yet to be determined...any idea's?
20 pounds lost: A new Cricut for scrapbooking. I had one last year but sold it when we needed the money more than a scrapbook cutter...and I miss having it.
30 pounds lost: A Triathlon suit...yep there is an outfit for everything :)..hoping to look much better in it this year than last year.
40 pounds lost: New Clothes (still am figuring out the amount)
50 pounds lost: it would be a miracle...but if it happens I am going on some sort of beach vacation
Let me know if you are interested at all in joining me at the Danskin Women's Triathlon this August (Missy....Bethany....hellllooooooo?). We have a great time...the more the merrier...or is it Misery Loves Company?

W1D2...

Today I brought my headphones and hopped (ok...stepped up gently) onto one the new treadmills at the Priceton Club. I stood there forever (aka 5 minutes) trying to figure out how to use it! I finally just hit Quick Start and off I went on my training course. THEN...I figured out how to watch the TV screen that is in the treadmill and watch the clock so I could rotate between walking and running. The 25 minutes went sooo quickly and wasn't too bad. I still made sure I was in my target heartrate while running but it didn't hurt my feet. Is there a triathlon that has a treadmill to run on at the end? It would be great! So now the treadmill is my best friend at the gym and I am going to write to Danskin and suggest they set up a couple thousand treadmills for us instead of the run around the lake this year :).

OUCH

Ok, so yesterday I did Day 1 of the Couch to 5K training....

Today.....It hurts to sit/walk/move in general. How in the world did I get soo out of shape. This really stinks....

I still hate running and I still love to eat but I will keep doing it because I would love to wear clothes that look good on me more!

Tomorrow is Day 2 of this week.....I can do it, I can do it.......

Day 1: C25K

First, I have to send a HUGE thank you to Bethany for making our blog look so pretty! I am thankful for her willingness to take her own time to do this.

As you remember, I completed my first triathlon last summer and even though I asked myself MANY times while doing it "WHY AM I DOING THIS?" I have decided to do it again this year. I think we (the posse) have decided to do the Danskin Tri in August vs the Trek Tri in July. They are the same course at the same location, just different dates and companies running them. They are both woman only tri's and are considered sprint tri's. If anyone is interested in doing this with us please let me know! Please know that anyone can complete a sprint triathlon. If swimming is keeping you back you can have a swim noodle to assist you and/or have a "swim sister" swim with you for support. The bike portion doesn't have huge hills to climb, it is mainly pretty flat and the run portion can be walked (trust me I know this as fact :) ). I haven't done ANY for of exercise since my last tri...NOT SMART. So, when I was on Bethany's site one day I noticed she is starting Operation Couch to 5K training and is doing a wonderful giveaway if you are interested!

Today is Day 1 for me. I made it to the gym during lunch time and completed todays workout. My goal is to do the C25K training on Mon, Wed & Fri and then do the bike and weights on Tues and Thurs. In a couple weeks I will add swimming after the running on Mon, Wed & Fri.

Here we go.......