Week 4

Week 4

The dawn of my running career!  Yes, I had a successful week.  During this most promising week I have fully integrated the run/walk into my routine.  Now I am truly saying that I am not really following any sort of plan at this point.  I have been doing a five minute warm up followed by running/jogging until I must slow to a walk usually due to shinsplint pain.  Then I catch my breath, let my shin muscles relax and start all over again.  The biggest achievement came lastnight at the club.  I was in town early and wanted to get my workout in before dinner.  Ana and I went to the club at 5:45 pm, narrowly missing the ex-mother-in-law, and it was crowded.  My whole row of treadmills was full!  I had to warm-up on an elliptical and wait.  Fotunately it was only about five minutes.  I snagged the open machine before anyone else could lay claim to it and started my warm-up walk.  Five minutes in and I started to jog.  With people around me.  Did I mention the lights were on?  Usually I wait till I am alone but here I was surrounded by speed demons and holding my own for 1-2 minutes at a time.  I didn't even feel stupid.  Well at least not until the girl next to me finished and the hot guy moved in.  I tried not to notice by watching the Seinfeld rerun on the screen in front of me as he took off his shirt, then pants...no really!  I knew I couldn't look because I don't have a poker face at all!!!!  Needless to say, with my new neighbor I picked up my pace and jogged for longer increments of time. 

My feet have been doing better.  I wish I could say the same for the shins.  Walking fast seems to make more problems for me, so I have resorted to slowing my walking pace in between the jog sessions.  I am really there to try and run anyhow.  One thing I did learn in the past week is how truly different tradmill running and pavement running really are.  I could barely run last Wednesday.  I don't know if it was breathing the cold night air, the firmness of the pavement, not having a motor to propel my big butt, or the fact I had just finished a 12 hour shift but I struggled.  It was probably a combination of all those things.  I really wanted to go to the club.  I did not have a bag packed or the ambition to drive over there.  Outdoor night running in my ninja suit (all black sweats) seemed like a good alternative.  Perhaps wearing my running shoes instead of an old pair of Asics cross trainers would have helped.  I was worried about violating the club rule of "NO STREET SHOES!"  I may need to invest in a second pair of shoes. 

I know last week I promised to reveal my favorite nutrition sites.  There really is just one.  The site www.411fit.com has been the best site I have found.  I may have read about it in a magazine.  Who knows.  It is a free site that helps you calculate how many calories you need to eat daily to lose 1-2 pounds per week.  No it will not let you go over two pounds.  There are posts from other members, logs for your exercise and food/beverage intake.  The logs help you calculate calories, fat, carbs and sodium intake.  Logging these helps you to make better choices throughout the day.  I am more successful at weight loss when I log than when I don't.  I hate logging.  It is so tedious!  You can also graph your weight loss goals, see your calorie intake on a pie chart and lots of other cool things.  Did I mention every member on this site is there to support you?  Virtual high fives and pats on the back abound.  It is also the best place to hear about new gear, food, and exercise programs.  Check it out.  It doesn't cost anything to try!

All images were found on Pinterest, my favorite waste of time.  As you can see, they have many motivational images from a multitude of sites to keep you wanting to move.

Week 3

Week 3

Welcome to week three of my half marathon training blog. Or as I am affectionately referring to it as "the big let down." My training this past week was to consist of three days of faster paced walking. Only three days. Yep, three days. Why the big let down? I only managed to make time for 1 day. Yep, one day. I thought about getting to the gym more often. Truly I did. So here are my excuses. Sunday was my off day. Monday I had a lunch date that took the whole afternoon. When I got home with cupcakes from Gigi's we decided to celebrate Valentine's day instead. Tuesday when I got home from work, Ana was sleeping on the couch until 7:00 PM. I didn't have the heart to wake her and make her go to the gym with me. Wednesday I worked a 12 hour shift and was just plain tired by the time I got home. Thursday I had no kids, and actually made it to Prairie Athletic Club which is where I noticed my flat tire. I kept thinking, if I go Friday and Saturday I can still salvage this week. So Friday I came home from work and did house work in preparation for the overnight I was begged into letting Ana have. Saturday more cleaning then a visit with my cousin and aunt in Baraboo. Home by 7:30. No more trips to the gym.

How easy it is to fall out of habit or let little things take over my agenda. I know if I am going to succeed I cannot let this happen. I am proud to say that I am already halfway through the planned week four workouts. I only have to fit two more workouts in this week and it is only Monday. I went Sunday evening alone because Ana didn't want to go. She was happy playing with her ipod. I only went for 40 minutes but when I found myself alone, I cranked up the gears and started running. I only did it a few times for about a minute at a time. I didn't want to hurt myself. The training program I have been following goes from fast walking to running 5 minutes at a time. I haven't run in forever so I don't think I can run for a full five minutes. This is where I am shortening the intervals. Sixty seconds of running with 2-3 minutes of walking. So far the running feels good. Better than the fast walking ever felt.

I have also suffered my first "injuries." I have developed painful calluses on the plantar surface of my feet near the balls. I had to google the usual prevention, symptoms and causes to really stop myself from worrying about destroying my feet forever. The new shoes helped a bit. I thought changing to a thinner sock without the terry on the inside would help too, but it didn't really make much difference. I used a pumice stone to try to get rid of some of the thickness developing. I bought some gel insoles for the balls of my feet but that seemed to make it worse. Then I bought foot powder. Gold Bond medicated foot powder. It would seem my whole problem was friction. The foot powder seems to be helping. Here all this time I thought sweat was a good thing.

Here's the part where I put in a plug for the Prairie Athletic Club. I have belonged to a few gym's in my time and PAC is the one I always seem to come back to. It is also the most family friendly gym I have ever been to. I like the fact that it is not one enormous room like another popular Madison gym. The additions made to PAC have made it where you can find your own little niche or join the masses. I prefer the treadmills under the mezzanine and across from the three basketball courts. The space feels a little more personal with about half a dozen treadmills in a row. I like the ellipticals on the mezzanine with the StairMasters and rowing machines over looking the courts. You can amuse yourself while working out with the Antics of the Thursday night volleyball leagues. The track encompasses the courts as well but I prefer to run laps on the soccer field. It doesn't feel as enclosed and I don't fear bumping the chain link fencing with all my natural grace. They have numerous pools, family and adult only locker rooms, massage and tanning services. The restaurant, The Lost Court, has great salads and adult smoothies. They also have group fitness classes and an outdoor water park. They are open early enough and late enough to meet most peoples needs. Check out their website www.prairieathletic.com because I know my descriptions are not doing them justice.

Stay tuned for week four. It is sure to be more of a success for me than week three. I will also discuss some of my favorite nutrition sites.

Week 2

Week 2

I have finished week two of the training schedule I had posted last week.  Right on track.  I even learned a few things this week.  First being, stick to your own training schedule!  I went to the PAC and climbed aboard the only available treadmill.  I started my warmup at a comfortable pace and then let my own pride kick my butt.  Every other person in that row was running.  Every last one of them.  So, I shortened my warmup and increased my walking pace so I could feel more athletic.  What happened was pain and muscle cramping to the point I had to turn the treadmill off, re-stretch and start over.  Lesson learned.

I also decided if I am going to be a serious runner, I had better make sure I have the right shoes for me.  The Nike running shoes I had gotten from Kohl's last year felt fine until I got moving in them.  Through the suggestion of my friend Damara I took myself shopping at the grand-opening of the new east-side location of Endurance House.  This was a completely new experience for me.  Rather than pick up a pair of shoes that looked like something I might like, the salesperson Tracy, gave me some basic flat shoes and put me on a treadmill to try them out.  Have I mentioned that I have not yet run in years, much less on a treadmill, in public?  While I held on for dear life, my backside was being video taped.  They call this a foot strike analysis.  It wasn't pretty.  My feet were out to the sides.  My ankles looked like they were rolling.  We won't say anything about what was going on up higher.  Tracy left me with visions of my backside horror and picked out three pairs of shoes for me. All were a size larger than I had been wearing.  I tried all three on and gave them an equal shot back up on the treadmill.  The shoes definitely helped.  While all three were an improvement, I ended up picking out the pair of Asics pictured.  Not my choice of color or style, but Tracy said, "That's how you know you picked the right shoe."  Did I mention mine came with hot pink shoe laces?

Tracy also mentioned checking into a book about improving running form.  Seems my death grip stance was not so impressive.  It just so happens I have been reading up on this.  I bought the book Chi Running last winter and had just decided to start reading it the night before my Endurance House encounter.  I didn't read far enough into it to improve my form.  I told Tracy about this book and she gave it her approval.  Seems I can avoid a lot of potential injury by turning my feet so they point straight ahead.  This will take some practice.  On another side note, this location of Endurance House has been open for two weeks.  Tracy said the majority of the clientele she has helped have been new women runners.  Seems I am in good company.  Seriously, check out the store http://www.endurancehouse.com/. They also have swim gear ad bikes.  Everything you need for the perfect triathalon.  Then check out the book Chi Running by author Danny Dreyer.

So armed with my new knowledge, my new shoes, and a new sense of purpose, I made my way back to the Prairie Athletic Club.  It was later in the evening on a Saturday night and I found myself alone with the row of treadmills.  If only it could be like that all the time.  Nobody could see my hot pink laces.  I turned my phone to 93.9 on I<3radio, put on the earbuds and took off running.  Not really.  I was determined to stick to my own schedule.  I walked and concentrated on keeping my feet forward, my body in a forward lean, my shoulders back, and my head up.  It was harder than what I had been doing and boy could I feel it!  Walking now felt like work.  I will stick with it though.  I will continue to read the book and improve my form.  Now the confessional.  For a brief thirty seconds, as long as I was alone, I ran, without hanging on.  My deepest fear was not realized.  I did not fall off the back.  I did not break an ankle.  Nobody was laughing.  I can do this.  I will do this!

The first week

I would like to dedicate this first post to my mentor (oh how the tables have turned!) and best friend Damara.  This remarkable person has inspired a 40 year old, overweight, divorcee, mother of two to run a half marathon this year.  She did her first full marathon at DisneyWorld in January this year.  How could all that excitement not be contagious?  The half of my choice will be the Haunted Hustle in Middleton, WI on Halloween weekend.  Why this one do you ask?  Most of them are self serving starting with it is still nine months away, then we move to it probably won't be too hot in October, it is rather close to home, and finally, we get to dress up in costumes so nobody will know it's me!

So if you haven't figured it out yet, this blog will cover the next nine months of my personal triumphs over shin splints, hormones, family and maybe even work.  Seriously, how can you separate any one aspect of your life.  Why blog about it?  Accountability.  I feel I am more likely to stay on track with my training schedule if I put it out there for all my friends and family to see.

Week One

I have just finished week one's pre-training schedule.  Three days of thirty minute fast-paced walking.  I know this does not sound like a very intense first week but I am trying like blazes to void shin splints.  You know, those pesky pains on the front of your lower leg that make running excruciatingly painful.  I have been googling the best stretches for avoiding shin splints and have so far avoided them.  I think the real key is having off days in addition to stretching.  My past endeavors at fitness have been an all or nothing attitude.  I would jump into any exercise regimen and do it every day until I could no longer do it.  Not this time.  I am integrating a training schedule from the Couch to 5K program, which can be seen at http://www.coolrunning.com/, Complete Book of Women's Running, author Dagney Scott Barrios, and The Non-Runner's Marathon Trainer, Author David Whitsett.  Please buy the books!  They are full of insight, tips, and inspiration!!!!!

Here is the pre-training training regimen I am currently following.

Weeks	Walking/Jogging Pace	Training Days	Total Time
1	Moderate Walking Pace	3	30
	(17 - 20 min./mile)
2	Moderate Walking Pace	4	30
	(17 - 20 min./mile)
3	Fast Walking Pace	3	30
	(13-16 min./mile)
4	Fast Walking Pace	4	45
	(13-16 min./mile)
5	Jog for 5 min. and then walk	3	30
	at a fast pace for 5 min. Repeat 2 times.
6	Jog for 10 min, and then walk	3	30
	at a fast pace for 5 min. Repeat once.
7	Jog for 15 min. and then walk	4	40
	at a fast pace for 5 min. Repeat once.
8	Jog for 20 min. and then walk	4	40
	at a fast pace for 5 min. Repeat once.
9	Jog for 25 min. and then walk	4	30
	at a fast pace for 5 min.
10	Jog for 30 min.	4	30
11	Jog for 30 min.	4	30