Week Five, day two, starting to feel it!

I still feel like I deserve a round of applause every time I do actually go running after work, when it's all dark and chilly outside.

Tonight was about 9C and not terribly windy, humid, or wet (when I started). I stretched, put on a pair of running pants, teeshirt, and hooded sweatshit (my layers are starting to become a bit less!). I was, I admit, nervous about the 8 minute jogs. the pattern today was:

5 min warmup walk
8 min jogging
5 min walking
8 min jogging
5 min cool down

and let me tell you, 8 minutes FEELS more than five minutes. more songs go by on my ipod, I covered more distance, and it was harder. but still, not as terribly hard as I thought it would be! I did find myself waiting trying to count down how much time I had left by the songs that were playing, but I didn't actually struggle. I also know that I ran very slowly, and I'm still absolutely fine with that. way, way more important for me to actually jog the time I'm supposed to jog rather than go fast.

During my second jog it started to rain just a tiny bit - between a mist and a drizzle - but it didn't get in my way. On my second 8 minute jog I tacked on an extra minute! That means almost 17 minutes of jogging this time around, in two sets. I still do not feel mentally prepared at all for jogging 20 minutes in a row (which is day three). Physically I admit, I suppose it's possible. but ... really? what am I going to do for 20 minutes? I need to enter some sort of zone that I still haven't entered yet. Changing my music will probably help, and maybe changing my route .... more than anything I just wish I was able to do all this during the daytime. Maybe I'll do my next run in the morning and try to head for the park, i think that will help.

I am still astounded that I've made it halfway through the program! It has been totally worth it so far, to follow the plan slowly and regularly. let's see what happens when I go out for day three...

Week Five, day one

I forgot to update after my last run, but I'm still on schedule! This past weekend was absolutely insanity - I fed thanksgiving to about 35 people over a course of two days. But while the turkey was in the oven and everything was more or less on schedule, I escaped the kitchen for 31 minutes to do my run.

I did:
Five-minute warmup walk
jog 5 minutes
walk 3 minutes
jog 5 minutes
walk 3 minutes
jog 5 minutes
five-minute cooldown walk

Everything went pretty ok. I was running in a new location (I was cooking at a friend's house) so there was different stuff to look at, and I got to go outside while it was still light out and warmish (probably about 10C). I was able to wear only a long sleeved shirt and pants and not feel cold! the challenge during this particular run was the wind. holy god it was really really windy (not uncommon for amsterdam). But I made it through, managed to tack on an extra 45-60 seconds of running to my last five minutes, and made it back to the house feeling fine.


On Sunday and Monday I was so painfully tired from the weekend of cooking, cleaning, and serving food that there was no conceivable way I could have gone out jogging. Today is Tuesday, and that means I have to go out - I know if I miss more than two days in a row it's going to be too hard. I am nervous... week five is the halfway point, the point where there becomes more jogging than walking.


Let's see what happens!

Week Four, day three

I did my last day of week four last night! I know this doesn't seem like a big deal, but the fact that I've managed to be committed to this program for four weeks is already longer than any other running phase I've been through in the past 8-9 years. I've done all my runs outside, and by a ridiculous stroke of luck it has not rained once when I've wanted to run.

Last night was the perfect temperature - maybe about 8-9C or so, and I wore a tank top, teeshirt, 3-quarter sleeve shirt, and a very light zip-up. I could have gone without one of those layers and been fine, but again, I'd rather be overdressed then cold. I made it through the run without any major issues, and during the last run I even tacked on an extra 30-60 seconds, so I should be ready for week five. I'm getting paranoid about my knees and ankles and my running "form" as I'm sure my form is not correct, and I sometimes have a little knee pain, cramps in my feet, or something like that. Nothing too major, and I always stretch before and after, but I wonder if I should look for more specific warmup/cooldown techniques. This really is the first time I've ever run on uneven pavement - which includes a lot of old brick and cobblestone roads - and I don't want to end up slowly hurting myself. I should really start doing pilates or yoga on a regular basis.

My feelings about running after four weeks are:

-- I still don't really LIKE the actual act of running
-- I do like that I'm forced to go outside and run around for thirty minutes a day
-- I have a new sense of appreciation for how beautiful Amsterdam is and I love discovering new routes to take myself on
-- I am always happy once the workout is over; I've certainly never regretted my jogs
-- I like that this is something I can do in 30 minutes
-- I would never be doing this if it weren't for the app
-- I do think I'm sleeping better and becoming more tired at night because of the exercise, which is great


So far I've spent roughly €175 on new shoes, pants, and sweatshirts to wear while running outside. Jeez. It looks like week five is when this is supposed to be harder, but I haven't looked at my app to find out what's coming up. I think I'm supposed to be jogging 20 minutes without stopping by week five, day three. Hmmm. Wonder if that's going to happen.

This is also thanksgiving weekend, and even though I'm in Europe I'm celebrating by making a giant feast for 20 people on Saturday, and then hosting a giant lunch on Sunday. I just have to make sure to get my runs in there on Friday (I have no idea where it's going to fit on Friday) and maybe somehow on Saturday, once the turkey is in the oven. And I really, really must update my running playlists, because if I hear "American Music" by the Violent Femmes one more time, I'm going to lose my mind.

Week Four, day two

Ooof! I was not in the mood to go running today. I got home from work around 7.30pm or so, the city was cold, foggy, and wet, and I wasn't particularly in the mood. but I did it, and I made it through - certainly didn't add even an extra ten seconds at the end, I was literally standing in front of my door when the ipod touch said "workout complete." But still, I did it, and that means something. It was about 3C, but with so much humidity that it didn't feel super cold. I wore pants, sneakers, tank top, long sleeve shirt, and hooded sweatshirt. I was quite warm and sweaty at the end, but still, I'd rather overdress than under-dress.

The fog made the city look beautiful and mysterious, but I also had to be really careful about where I was stepping - the ground was wet, wet leaves were all around, and I could barely see more than 5 meters in front of me.

And my reward in the end: wonderful dinner cooked by my boyfriend and beer. and yes, I was happy I went out to do the run in the end even though I was really, really, really not feeling like it. and honestly during the run itself I wasn't really loving it. but I wasn't hating it either, which is probably enough progress for now.

Week Four, day one

I've entered week four. In an ideal world I would have taken today off (as yesterday was an "on" day) but today I A) had the time B) the weather was nice C) I could go out during daylight hours. I think tomorrow will be too busy work-wise to try and cram a run in, and I wanted to make sure to do it. I left the house around 4.45pm and by the end of my run it was practically black outside... I did get to enjoy the sunset, and the park looked absolutely beautiful with a bit of fog - but man I hate how it gets dark so early.

It was about 7C (low 40sF) and humid, which is a great temperature. I wore running pants, sport bra, tank top, cotton long sleeve shirt, and hoodie. And I'm already noticing that I'm becoming less of a  wuss with the weather - when I started I would have thought this was freezing. Now that I'm, you know, actually moving a bit more I realize I could actually lose a layer and still probably be fine. I'd still rather overdress than underdress.

Anyway, this was today's workout:

5 min walking warmup
3 min jogging
90 sec walking
5 min jogging
2.5 min walking
3 min jogging
90 seconds walking
5 minutes jogging
5 min cool-down walking

Everything was pretty much ok, except for two small things. #1, I'm already sick of most of the music I have on my playlist. I went to skip ahead a Violent Femmes song and instead skipped ahead on my program! I was in that last 90 seconds of walking and then the app dude was saying "run" and I was like "wait no I have 40 more seconds to walk ahhh!" I quickly fixed it, but still, distracting. #2, my left ankle started to hurt just a bit during the last five minute run. not enough to stop, but it was weird. when I got home my little toe was numb - I think I was curling up my toes inside the shoe. Anyway, when I got home I stretched out and felt pretty good.

the total is fifteen minutes of real jogging. It's starting to seem a bit more real now, that maaaaaaybe I will actually get to the point that I can do a 5K. maybe.

Week Three, day three - my first morning run (EVER)

Ok, I think I maybe went running five or six times in my life in the "morning." by "morning" I mean 11.30am after I had slept 10 hours and it was a beautiful spring day and I wasn't working (that was about 3.5 years ago). it doesn't count.

Today I woke up, had a glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice (thanks to my boyfriend - the night before I made him promise over and over that he would help push me out of bed and he agreed), put on my running clothes and my new sneakers, and left. Before coffee. Before breakfast.

I understand this does not make me the most hardcore person on earth, but holy god. I don't even enjoy running that much. I'm not a morning person. And I am insanely, fully addicted to coffee. I also hate running/excercising on an empty stomach - I need a bit of fuel, even if it's half a banana. Oh, and by the way, I make it sound like i woke up at the crack of dawn but really I got out of bed at 8.30am and was out the door a little before 9am. this is early to me. seriously early. Around 9am I am usually drinking coffee in bed, cuddled up with my boyfriend, trying to convince myself to get up and get ready for the day. (I'll emphasize that this is possible only because my commute to work is a 10 minute bike ride)

so there I was, going outside my house without coffee or breakfast, dressed in running pants, sneakers, a long-sleeve shirt and a sweatshirt. the weather was great today - maybe about 8 degrees but sunny and quite humid, which made it feel warm. I didn't need gloves or any more layers. And I used my new sneakers - purchased yesterday for €100. I wasn't looking forward to spending money for shoes that aren't super cute, but I have to say I could feel the difference, and it was really significant. money well spent, I suppose.

The run was fine - felt harder to lift my legs because of the lack-of-coffee thing, but I made it through. and just like previous runs, it was much easier toward the end, and I tacked on two extra minutes. so I did:

5 min warmup walk
90 sec jogging
90 sec walking
3 min jogging
3 min walking
90 sec jogging
90 sec walking
3 min jogging
+2 extra minutes jogging
6 minute walking/cooldown

and that's it for week three! next time I go out I'll be in week four.

I'll say this - I didn't particularly love the morning run, and I'm much much more of a night person. but it's good to know that it is at least possible, and it gives me room to relax about the rest of the day and not worry about where I'll fit it in. .. maybe I'll do this once a week or so. the hardest part is just giving up extra cuddle time!

Week Three, day two

I did it! I went out running last night.

After I spent €100 on running-outside-clothes. Because I only used to work out in a gym, I have plenty of sports bras/tank tops/shorts. but I only have one real pair of workout-type pants, and I'm not the biggest fan of doing laundry alll the the time. So yesterday I purchased:

1. "Running Outside" pants. They're like warm leggings, with a special little pocket in the back for a key or something like that. fancy! And they cost about €45. I figure... well, even if the whole running thing is only a phase, I can still use them to cycle or just work out normally in a gym.

2. Sweatpants. They're warm and probably just fine for running outside, right? Again, even if the whole running thing is just a phase, I figure sweatpants are always handy for... actually I hate sweatpants but I'm sure they'll have some purpose in my life.

3. Hoodie. I needed a new hoodie anyway, and I doubt I actually use this one for running, but it's there.

4. Ear warmer headband thing. Turns out this doesn't work for me as I wear headphones when I run - the big kind that go over my head (ear buds don't work for me - my earnings knock them out). But that headband thing cost €5.00 and I'll probably put it to use when I'm riding my bike this winter.

I was super intimated looking at all the running accessories. I didn't buy gloves or a hat, I just wore my normal gloves and that was fine.

Okay, so I bundled up in my new fancy running pants, long sleeve shirt (just some normal cotton shirt), and a northface jacket liner. it's the thing I usually wear under my waterproof jacket - it's not heavy but not light. I didn't wear a hat or scarf.  It was probably about 2-3(C) degrees (about 35-37 F). it was cold. I hate cold. I went out.

my "brisk five minutes warmup" was indeed BRISK. I was cold. my jacket does zip halfway up my neck, but it's not snug. I held it closer around my neck while I was walking. When the first 90 second run came on I was happy to move more just to get warm. I noticed two thing. 1. I was definitely running slower than I had before 2. it was hard! when the 90 seconds was over, I went back to walking but felt REALLY out of breath. I know the same thing happens when I'm biking - even though I bike slowly on my old clunky bike and ride down flat streets, in the winter somehow it just seems harder. but I was surprised to find myself unable to really catch my breath and get my breathing back to normal. On the next three minute run, I made it through, but it was the same - harder, slower, not breathing well. on the following 90 second run I started to get cramps and knew I just wasn't breathing properly, but I didn't want to stop.

When I heard the "last run coming up" message from my app, I focused. I was warmer. I was still out of breath. But I started running, probably even slower than I had before. I was only focusing on my breathing - not how fast or slow i was going or what song was on, just breathe in-breathe out. it worked. I felt better. I finished the three minutes and then added on an additional 1 min 30 seconds, which means my last run was a total of 4min30 seconds. I walked for another 3 minutes or so, and then during the "cool down" I did a sprint! just wanted to see how it felt. it felt hard, by the way.

When I got to my house and took the headphones off, I heard myself breathing for the first time and noticed how raspy I was. When I got up the stairs and inside, I didn't go immediately for a glass of water like I normally do, I went for the couch. I laid down for a couple minutes, then decided that laying down was probably bad and counter-productive. I got up, sat on the floor with my back straight, and focused on breathing. in, out, yoga style. it took at least five minutes before I felt like I was breathing normally again, and while I was doing that I was also coughing just a bit.

I attribute all the breathing issues to the cold, not the run. my ears were fine, my nose and hands were fine, but my chest and throat need to be warmer. I could have worn another shirt, but my real question is what to do about my neck. a normal scarf would be itchy. turtleneck maybe? something else to investigate.

I also determined that I really should get a new pair of sneakers. mine are not running-outside sneakers, they're very much gym-sneakers. my knees and legs feel ok, but not perfect. and I don't want to mess anything up. so this little 5k goal is becoming kinda pricey all of a sudden...

... but if I'm going to make my goal of a 5k by the end of 2011, I need to really stay on schedule. I have exactly enough time to make my goal, but no extra time. oh, and by the way, because I don't have the GPS function working on my ipod touch, I don't actually know if I'll be able to do the five kilometers exactly - but to be honest that's not the important part. I just want to be able to run 30 minutes without stopping, and I can always work on improving my pace whenever I figure out what my pace actually is (it's slow).

I will run tonight I will run tonight I will run tonight

I'm psyching myself up right now. it's a nice sunny day, but the days are getting colder. 6 degrees Celsius and sun looks great from inside my nice warm office, but by the time I get out of work I know it's going to be 1-2 degrees. And that is fucking cold. I was just randomly googling "how to run in the the cold" articles, all of which say the same thing: to dress properly. but then again, most people are writing those articles for people who really RUN, not people who walk/run/walk/run.

I'm also reading a lot of blogs from people who have gotten through the program and trying to get inspired. Posts like this: http://scarletwords.com/2009/11/08/couch-to-5k-here-comes-week-7/ really help. all the people who start by saying "I hate running" are the people that I want to talk to (or at least read).

after a couple of manic work days, the last time I ran was on Sunday. Today is Wednesday, so I have to do it today. have to. have to. and I really want to do this outside - I only want to go to the gym if it's raining (which is not in the forcecast). the whole point of learning how to be a runner is to be able to take my workouts with me everywhere, which means not becoming dependent on the gym.

So I think I'm going to wander into a sporting goods store and buy some more workout clothes. as it stands I only have one pair of workout-type pants (the rest are shorts) so I'd need more of those anyway. and maybe a headband. and special gloves? that one I might wait on. One thing I might need to do soon is also investigate new sneakers - I like mine, they're a few years old (new balance) but they feel good... however my knees were feeling a little achy for a day following my last run and I really don't want to be accidentally hurting myself because it turns out that my sneakers are not at all what you're supposed to wear when running outside.

hmmm. ok. I will run tonight. I will run tonight. in the dark cold city. I will do this.

Week Three, day one

Another sunny weekend day, and I managed to squeeze my run in during the mid-afternoon. I felt good! This time I did two sets of:

run 90 seconds
walk 90 seconds
run 3 minutes
walk 3 minutes

etc. I think it was something like that. everything went fine - I still lack any kind of real I-run-outside-in-the-cold clothes, but to be honest, I guess 10-12 C still doesn't really count as "cold." I don't feel the need to wear gloves or anything like that yet.

nothing major to say about today, just worried about the week up ahead. work is going to be insanity. In a moment of what can only be described as love, my boyfriend offered to get up "early" in the morning to run with me so that leaving bed isn't quite so hard. I predict we will do this once and then never again. :) but still, maybe if we manage to do this once or twice a week, it could actually work. he's in better shape than me and a better runner than me, so hard to say if he would really keep my pace or if he would go off on his own - but I think just having him get up and go out the door with me is the motivation I need.

Week Two, day three

Today is Saturday, and my last run was on Tuesday. Work has been too crazy to even think about exercise, unless I became the kind of person who could wake up early in the morning and go then. I get to work between 9.30am-10m, and my "commute" is a ten minute bike ride. so if I was running from say, 8.15am-8.45am, I would still have plenty of time to shower, drink coffee, and get to work. It seems like such a good idea in theory, and I guess I'd feel really good about myself all day long, but let me tell you - the first thing I do when my alarm goes off is turn it off and snuggle with my boyfriend for as long as humanly possible. Then he gets out of bed, makes coffee, and brings it to me (still in bed), and we snuggle a bit more while drinking coffee together. why on earth would I replace that with jogging??

If there's any chance at all of me doing a 5K before the end of the year, I'll just need to get the runs in whenever possible, even if that means three days in a row with three days off. Today's run was quite nice - it was about 12C, sunny and clear skies,  and tons of people were out on the street. I ran through Prisen Island, which is one of the most beautiful parts of the city, and quite enjoyed myself. No problem to follow the program, and I added on maybe an extra 1-2 minutes of running at the end. The nice thing about this is the simple fact that it gets me outside, and I'm lucky to live in such a beautiful city. when I approach my street, all the smells of coffee shops and fast food seem very unappealing, but it only takes me 30 seconds to get away from all that.

When I got home I stretched out a bit and did 100 crunches in three sets - 50/30/20. I remember the days when i could do hundreds of crunches without stopping...

Tomorrow I'll start week 3, which is run 90 seconds/walk 90 seconds/run 3 minutes/walk 3 minutes.

Week two, day two - can I run outside, in the dark/cold?

It's 10C outside right now (about 50F), which to me is cold. hmm. maybe not that cold. but it's DARK. it's NIGHT. it's almost 7pm and I'm just about to leave work, and the goal is to go home, change clothes, stretch, and then go out for a job. in the cold dark night.

Up until now, all my jogging-outside activity has been in daylight, during beautiful warmish autumn weather. As I despise getting up earlier than I have to, I don't think it's realistic to do my jogs in the morning. But can I really do this now? God, daylight savings time sucks. and I really don't have any kind of proper running clothes, nevermind running-in-the-dark clothes.

but I have to do it! if I don't my whole schedule will be thrown off. so... go!

UPDATE: the weather was actually fine! and running on a weekday around 8.30pm came with an advantage that I didn't have when I was running on nice, sunny days or weekends... there were MUCH less people out and about, so the streets were all mine.

First post - introduction/week two, day one

First, a bit of an intro.

I'm starting this blog to be completely separate from my other online life. I'm a 32 year old american woman and have been living in Amsterdam for the past 3.5 years or so, and I hate running. I've always hated running. It doesn't mean I dislike exercise, but I prefer to do pretty much anything else than run. My preferred methods of exercising are cycling, hiking, group classes like spinning or yoga, and weightlifting. This makes me sound like I'm healthy, and I suppose I'm in decent shape, but in all honesty I'm in the worst shape of my life. I'm about 5'6 (168 cm) and weighing in around 64 kilos (141-ish pounds). not technically overweight, but my body looks like crap at this weight.

My ideal weight would be about 125 pounds (56.5 kilos). I maintained 125 lbs from the time I was about 22 until pretty much... 30. My weight started to shoot up especially in the past year, and in a really bad way. I've always had a small waist, small arms, I guess a small frame in general. the extra fifteen pounds that I'm carrying around has dispersed itself in a pretty unattractive way, giving me a really mushy tummy and flabby arms. Clothes that I've had forever don't fit me anymore. I had a really bad day when I went to put on my comfy-at-home pants - these kinda ugly but cozy green pants that I've had forever - and they basically didn't fit. they used to be my comfortable pants, and now I can barely get them up. so this has to change.

I started reading a lot of couch to 5k blogs, I downloaded the app, and I'm giving it a shot. part of why it's hard for me to maintain a regular exercise routine is because I travel a lot, and I was always jealous of runners for being able to take their workout with them wherever they go. The weather has also been amazingly perfect, and I was looking for excuses to be outside rather than in the gym, so... here I am. Now, a note about the weather: the weather in Amsterdam kinda sucks. It rains a lot. The winters are better than they are in New York because it tends to not get super freezing, but at the same time, this is not exactly a location in the world that is known for nice weather. but still, this fall has been picture-perfect pretty with a lot of clear day and very little rain. Warm tempertures that made you want to wear a jacket during the day, but no need for hat/scarf/gloves until it gets dark. Anyway, a combination of good weather and figuring that I need a big change - CHANGE! - prompted me to give this whole 5k thing a go.

here's where I am so far:

29 Oct - week one, day one (done, felt good)
31 Oct - week one, day two (done, felt good)
5 Nov - week one, day three (done, felt good)
6 Nov - week two, day one (done, felt good)

so far so good, but of course it's a pretty easy thing in the beginning. I adore the app - even though my ipod touch doesn't do the GPS thing (which means I don't know my pace or how far I've actually gone), just having that little voice tell me when to run and when to walk is perfect. One of the reasons I love group classes is that I really enjoy being told what to do and not having to think for myself (if I'm being honest). I made a running playlist and love that I don't have to keep track of what I'm doing by songs anymore (which I've done in the past). I love that the voice tells me when I'm halfway through so I know when to turn around. and Amsterdam, with all of its flat streets, not much car traffic, plenty of parks (I live near Westerpark), and general prettiness, is a pretty perfect place to run outside.

I don't really cheat that much during my runs, though I do usually tack on an extra minute or two of running to the end of my workout, so my cool down is about 3 minutes instead of five minutes. sometimes I stay out longer than half an hour and just walk around. but I'm trying not to get ahead of myself too early - even though I can run for more than one minute at a time, I'm still a horrible runner.

it's going to be tricky to keep this up as my work schedule is pretty crazy these days and I have class twice a week, but the goal is to do a 5k by the end of 2011. I'm not sure I'll make it - if there's a week of rain and cold temps, I have no idea if I'll really be able to make myself run outside. I have a gym membership but it seems like it would be kinda annoying to do this on a treadmill.

let's see what happens! I'd also love to lose this 15 pounds/8 kilos by the end of the year too, but I think I'm going to need to do way more than just go jogging a few times a week in order for that to happen.