Week Nine, day one - THIRTY MINUTES! goal achieved!

Ok, I'm 15 days past my goal but I can finally say: I DID IT. Today I ran 30 minutes in a row without stopping. so that's

5 minutes walking
30 minutes running
5-10 minutes walking

It was a beautiful day today - around 8C, tons of sun, perfect blue skies. I couldn't fathom the concept of running inside on a treadmill, so I stuck with running outside (me and every other runner in Amsterdam had the same idea) through westerpark. I know I was slow, but without having a GPS on my ipod I don't know my pace, which is fine with me. Running outside means I'm not distracted by drinking water, checking my time/pace, or starting at myself in the mirror, and all of that is great.

It's worth mentioning that last night I had a big sushi dinner, drank a total of 5 beers, and smoked quite a lot of weed. I didn't sleep that well (gee, I wonder why?), and there was not one tiny part of me that actually wanted to go out running today. But I wanted so badly to achieve my goal, and I finally did it.

I wonder what happens next?

Week Eight, day three - treadmill

Another treadmill run today! Funny, my legs and feet always feel more sore after running on a treadmill then on the ground, but not sure if that's also because I'm running more now, so things hurt more. Anyway, here's what I did today:

5 min - walk
28 min - run (whooo!)
2:30 - walk
3 min - run
2 min - walk

And because I was on a treadmill, I have some more stats, that I'm sure anyone reading would be fascinated by (regarding speed).

First 14 minutes - ran at 8.8 kph
Next 9 minutes - ran at 8.2 kph
Final 5 minutes - ran at 7.8 kph
Extra 3 minutes at end - ran at 8.0

So that's an average pace of 8.2 kph (sorry americans, this is all going to remain mostly in metrics).

I completed 5 kilometers within 40 minutes, but at least seven of those minutes were walking (the five minute warmup plus the 2 1/2  min at the end.

My final stats were:

total distance - 5.3 km
total time - 43 min 47 seconds (including final "cool down" walk)
calories burned - 370
weight - 64.15 (141.4 lbs)

I did try, at first, to run 9.5 kph - there's no way I would have completed 28 minutes, or 14 minutes, at that speed. I could do it, but it was wearing me out too much. I was happy to see that I could run at 8.8 kph for the first half, but I think that the key to me actually finishing the 28 minutes without stopping was decreasing my speed halfway through. It really did make a difference. While I am running on a treadmill (it's still not super cold in Amsterdam yet, but winter is winter) I suppose I should make it a goal to eventually do the full thirty minutes at 9.0 kph. the metric/mile thing is messing me up whenever I google stuff about "typical 5k speeds," but I think I can aim safely for an 11-minute mile, which is uh... hmm, probably still too quick for my slow speed. because that would be about 35 minutes. well, eventually I'll try to get there.

The next time I run the goal is simple: FULL THIRTY MINUTES, non-stop. and dear god people, those last five minutes are hard. really hard. like I want to stop every second hard. I've changed the settings on my app to announce when I have 10 minutes left, 5 minutes, 2 minutes, and 1 minutes, because really, once I have five minutes left the only thing I can think about is how many more seconds I have to keep running. remarkably, I have still not learned to enjoy running. being on a treadmill sucks, it takes what little fun I had when I ran (seeing a pretty city, enjoying being outside) and puts me about 5 inches away from looking at myself in a mirror while I run. I'm not very pretty while I'm running, but the only thing I have to look at is myself, and how progressively sweaty I get as I go on.

Ok, this was super long. and I know that the goal was a 5k/30 minutes by the end of 2011 but... well, if I can do it by the end of this weekend, that's enough for me. I still have enough to work with on my time!

Week Eight, day two - first treadmill run

Even though the weather was ok today (clear, not too cold, dry), I decided to head to the gym and try a treadmill run. I was really curious about what kind of pace I run at, and exactly how far I actually go when I run for 28-ish minutes.

Here's what I did today:

lots of warmup walk - walked 10-ish mins to the gym, then walked another 5 mins or so on the treadmill
Ran about 25 minutes
slowed down to walk about 90 seconds
Ran again for another five minutes
Walked about 3 minutes
Ran 2 more minutes
Walked 1 minute
= 42 minutes total

It was weird. Being on a treadmill is as boring as I remember it to be, and I was really right in front of a mirror. Hello red face and sweaty chest and too-fat thighs! I will stare at you for 42 minutes. sounds great.

But I learned about my pace. I was right man, I am SLOW. I averaged 8.0 kph (5 mph). That means in 30 minutes of running, I only go four kilometers, not even close to five. That's why I stayed on the treadmill for 42 minutes, because I wanted to finish the 5k, dammit. and I did! I didn't quite get my goal of running 30 minutes without stopping, but I did actually run more than 30 minutes. I burned something like 350 calories, maybe a little more. can't quite remember.

I weighed myself, and I'm weighing in at an all-time high of 64.15 kilos (141.4 lbs). it makes sense, and it goes to prove that I don't exaggerate - when I say I've gained weight and clothes don't fit me anymore, that's because my body is used to being around 58-59 kilos (127-130 lbs).

It was good to be at the gym just to get used to being at the gym again, because I clearly need to do more than jog 3 times a week at 8.0 kph for 30 minutes if I want to actually shed weight. Today I didn't do anything else, but I did feel ok after the run was over, and I did like knowing my pace. I think it's probably about what I run in the "real world," it didn't feel too fast or too slow.

I also changed the settings on my app so that the voice will tell me when I have 5 minutes left - it kills me, I always want to check my time, and being on a treadmill made that SO easy today. it was also distracting to have my water so close by - when I go outside I don't bring water (and don't usually miss it), but having the water bottle right there made me want to drink all the time. maybe just because it's warmer in a gym?

I took the updated class schedule from my gym and I am going to try to do more spinning, pilates, and keep up with this running thing until I do actually run for 30 minutes without stopping. once I get that down, I'll work on actually being able to accomplish a REAL 5k, even if it means my version of a 5k takes 40 minutes. jeez I'm slow.

Week Eight, day one - after 10 days without running!

I believe I mentioned how shit the weather has been in my previous post. Well, today I woke up on my last week day of vacation (stay-cation) and the sun was shining brightly, the sky was blue, it wasn't windy, and there were no signs of rain. So I had to. I had to use today to go out and run outside and get back into the program.

The last time I ran was crap - it was week seven, day three, but I didn't do the whole thing. I've been a bit sick over the past week, I've been eating, drinking, and smoking more than than usual, AND just to make things even more fun I got my period. But I figured, well, might as well try to stick to the couch-to-5k schedule and just press ahead with week eight. Today called for:

5 minutes warmup walk
28 minutes non-stop running
5 minutes cooldown walk

People. I did the FULL TWENTY EIGHT MINUTES. I'm in shock. That's 3 minutes longer than my longest outside run, and my last 25-minute non-stop run was... two weeks ago? something like that.

I can't claim that I enjoyed all 28 minutes. When I had about 7 minutes left of the run, I wanted to stop. I wanted to stop with 5 minutes left. 4 minutes. and those last three minutes, I REALLY wanted to stop. but I kept going. and holy god, when I was done, it was hard to get my breathing back on track and start feeling normal again. I did the cooldown walk slowly and paused to stretch here and there. Walking up the stairs to my apartment felt like climbing a mountain. I couldn't tell my boyfriend about the run until after a glass of water and a few minutes of sitting down.

But still! I ran freakin' 28 minutes! That means I have two more minutes to add before I reach my goal. I'm still really skeptical that I'll be able to pull this off on a treadmill... even running through a beautiful city with new scenery and my own music bores me, I can't fathom staying on a treadmill for 35-40 minutes. I want to try because seriously, the weather in Amsterdam is only going to get worse in Jan/Feb. I was lucky with the late autumn.

So I'm going to be late with my goal, but goddammit, I'm going to get there. and maybe one day I'll even like running.

Week Seven, and here it starts to get messy

Ok, I was beat. The end of the year was crazy with work, holidays, friends, parties, dinners, and sooooooooo much drinking. and eating. And then I got kind of sick, and the weather turned horrible (well, even worse, let's say). I finished week seven sometime in the last week of December and haven't run since.

I mean guys, it's windy. rainy. not really cold but it just won't stop raining and the wind is seriously intense. When I tried running feeling a little bit sick, it was horrible. for the last run, I think I made it through about 14 minutes of running, then I walked about 3-4 minutes, then I ran for another 8-9 minutes. something like that, and it was hard.

I need to try going to the gym and using a treadmill, it's the only thing that's going to work to get me through the winter. Even with pretty warm January temps (about 8-9C during the day, 5C at night) the rain and wind is just too hard to work around. If I don't get lucky and grab the few hours where it's calm and dry, I'm screwed.

So sad to say, I didn't make my 5K goal by the end of 2011. :( but still, I did 25 minute runs more than once, and I think I can pick it back up. I desperately need to detox after all the celebration I've been doing and I am eager to get back into a routine. I'm still just a tiny bit sick, but it's more like winter malaise than anything else - kind of stuffy, coughing once in a while, runny nose.

So my new goal is this: by 15 February, I want to be able to run a confident 5K AND to have lost 3 kilos (6.6 lbs). I'm going to try treadmill running later today and see how it goes... I'm surprised at how much I'm dreading it when I compare it to running outside. But even for health reasons, going to the gym, you know, puts me at the gym which means I might do other exercises as well, which wouldn't hurt. There's also a fantastic sauna at my gym which helps immensely during these winter months.

Back to running, blogging, and trying!

Week Six, day three... 25 minute run!!!

And I did it! I ran 25 minutes without a break! It's hard to write that without using an exclamation point!

All day I wondered how I was going to do this run... I have plans with a friend for dinner, my job is pounding me with work, and getting up to run before work wasn't an option as it was pouring rain when I woke up. However, by 10-11am, the skies were perfectly blue, the sun was shining, and even though it was chilly outside (7-8C) it wasn't terribly windy or painful to actually BE outside.

Work started from the second I got out of bed, and I ended up working from home. And this is what allowed me the chance to run while it was still light! I was totally swamped until 3.30pm or so, but I could see some calm on the horizon. I put on my running clothes and headed out around 4pm. Because I barely had time to think about running, I didn't have the chance to build up anxiety about whether or not I could do this. But today's program was clearly:

Walk 5 min
Run 25 min
Walk 5 min

And I did it. And it wasn't super hard. Sure, I was breathing hard at the end and I was really tired and I wasn't particularly loving the whole thing, but running under the sunshine, in the park, etc.... I have to admit, it wasn't so bad. It feels incredible to have done this. Now that I'm someone who can actually run for 25 minutes, I have a few tips for anyone who wants to do the same but thinks they can't:

1. Always do the warmup and cooldown, always. the five minutes walk at the beginning should be brisk and get the heart rate up, and you should NOT skip it. it's the best warmup there is. I also know how tempting it can be to just simply collapse after the run is over and not do the 5 minute cool-down walk, but walking it out helps. Don't walk too slow at the end, just take it nice and easy and get your breathing back under control. Don't stop to catch your breath, if you feel like you have to do that, then just walk even slower.

2. go SLOW if you're new to this. I'm sure I am the slowest runner in the city, and I don't care. Going slow is what is enabling me to keep going forward with this program - I'm absolutely positive by the end of the 9 weeks I won't be able to fit a 5k in 30 minutes. that's fine. I just want to know that I can run 30 minutes. speed can come later. (I have no idea what my pace is)

3. Change your route, and avoid using a treadmill. Again, I hated running outside for 32 years of my life. I had attempted outside running only a handful of times. as it turns out, running outside is ten million times better than running on a treadmill. Trust me on this, I've tried before, I've tried both, and once you get used to working around the elements of weather, running outside is the best. Having stuff to look at (not TV or a countdown) is key.

anyway. wow. 25 minutes! I still can't believe it.

Week Six, day two - my first non-solo run!

Today's run was this:

5 min warmup walk
10 min running
3 min walking
10 min running
5 min cooldown.

And the important thing is I did it! And for the very first time, my boyfriend E came along with me - E is much better shape than me, he's one of those people that others look on with envy. Almost 40 years old but with a body that most 25-year old guys could be jealous of, and even if he doesn't keep up with exercise (the last time he ran was 5 months ago, and since then he's done a handful of pushups and that's pretty much it) he can pretty much get back into shape in 1-2 weeks. So despite the fact that he A) claims not to be a good runner and B) hasn't really worked out a whole lot in the past year, of course he had no problem completing the workout with me.  Do I hate him for this? A bit. but I hate him with love. :)

but let me paint a picture about why today's run was not the best - and heads up, the rest of this entry all falls under the "TMI" category, and men probably won't find much to relate to.

First of all, I got my period around noon today, along with the typical period-related cramps. Second, I had a lazy sunday breakfast of a small croissant, a piece of fresh croissant with jam and goat cheese, juice, and two cups of coffee (espresso-size). I did not have a proper "exodus" of all this (read: the sort of exodus one has in the bathroom) before I went out running. During the first run, I felt like everything in my body wanted desperately to come out. Ugh. During the second run, it was even more intense. And during that last five minute walk? My focus was very much on counting down the seconds until I could use the bathroom. All was fine after I got home, but MAN. next time, must pay more attention to what my body is dealing with.

I'm sure a lot of other women don't feel particularly enthusiastic about running three hours after they start their period, and there's nothing much to do about it except go running anyway. At the end of the day, it does actually make me feel better to work out on day #1 of my period - getting everything moving and helping gravity along tends to make my cramps (which aren't horrible, but they do exist) much, much less intense. But yes, it's hard to remember that when I'm outside running and my uterus is trying to destroy my body from the inside.

I quite enjoyed having my boyfriend with me, even though I wouldn't talk to him during the running portions (talking while jogging is still too advanced for me, and I rely on music to help keep me motivated), and he was also quite pleased that he went out. I can't believe the next run is 25 minutes non-stop, and that from here on out all the run will be straight runs without walking. and the weather isn't looking particularly great this week. well, good luck to me. :)