5K Training Week 7

Week 7 of 5K training is officially over!
I'm in absolute disbelief that I was able to run 2.5 miles 3 times this week without flinching. Granted, on Wednesday I didn't really want to run because of my mood, but I did it anyways. So that middle run was probably my worst this week. Today's was very easy. I do the first 1.5 miles @ 4.5 mph, then I up it by .1 each quarter mile lap afterwards. This morning, I even got the speed up to 5.3 mph. It's a huge improvement, and it's nice knowing that I'll be able to really push it at the end of the race!!
Our first 5K is April 9th, and I can't wait. After 5K we are planning on training for a 10K, then eventually...(dare I sat it?) a half marathon. Just 2 months earlier I would have said you were crazy if you thought I could run 3 miles lol. In just 2 short weeks, I'll be able to EASILY run 3 miles, 3 times per week. CRAZY!! I'm very proud of myself, and the running is definitely helping shed the excess weight I have still. I really need to work in some strength training though...especially to tone my stomach. And yes, I know it's impossible to spot tone, but I really need to lose some of this belly fat!!

Week 8 of 5K training consists of:

3 Runs all the same
Run 2.75 miles (with additional warm-up and cool down)

Weigh in Week 7

Well, I'm not going to write that much, because my weight stayed exactly the same! lol
I didn't eat so well at the beginning of the week, so I went up a little then did really well at the end of the week! :)
I kind of figured this would happen because I had HUGE loss of 4.6 pounds last week :) My pattern has been BIG week little week. Oh well...I'll keep on truckin!

Week 7 Run 1

I was really shocked at how easy this morning's run was! I ran 2.5 miles with no problems.
I even started at 4.5 mph for the first 1.5 miles, then upped my speed by .1 mph every quarter mile, until the last quarter mile which I started at 5 mph and ended at 5.2 mph. It felt great, too! Totally doable!
I'm really looking forward to running now...and can't wait to finish training. I do plan on following up with 10K training after this 5K stuff. Even possibly training for half marathon in October....feeling very ambitious!! :)

Success

I know it's Sunday, but I really needed to post this!
On Friday, my 3rd run of the week was to run 2.25 miles (or 25 minutes). At this point in the training program you can choose to run for distance or for time. Now, because I only run at a 4.5/4.6 mph pace, it takes me a lot longer than 25 minutes to run 2.25 miles. So I decided to run for distance, because honestly that's what most important when training for the 5K. If I can't run the distance for the race, I'm screwed lol.

First of all, my iPod was dead and couldn't find the charger :( So I was forced to bring my headphones and listen to the The View while I ran...boring! I got on, and wanted to quit around 10 minutes in...usually that's the hardest for me. But I kept going!!

I shocked myself. I was able to run 2.25 miles! It's funny because the longest I'd run before then without walking was 1.5 miles-ish. So I really surpassed that! It may seem like a small victory, but I'm VERY ecstatic about it! I haven't been able to run that long since before my wedding...and even then, I could only jog at 4 mph...I'm going faster that I did before! Now I'm done with week 6 of 5K training and on to week 7...3 weeks left!! Here's what week 7 entails:

3 Runs all the same
Run 2.5 miles (or 25 minutes)

I will be running the distance obviously. Unlike previous weeks, this is the first week with NO walking whatsoever (besides the warm-up and cool down).
I'm looking forward to this upcoming week. I don't think the weigh-in on Tuesday will be a big one...since I had a big week last week, but the week after should be awesome because I'll have done 3 solid runs!

Weigh-in Week 6

I can't believe I'm already on week 6. Time really does fly by! I did really well this week, even with going to a birthday party and having Valentine's Day thrown in there! I think the most important thing to take away from this is that it's ok to eat whatever you want sometime, BUT you have to get right back into the healthy routine the next day...otherwise it will lead to binging or just bad eating in general.
I also managed to hit 3 goals this week!! Woo-hoo!!

Here are the stats for week 6!

Pounds lost this week ~ 4.6 lbs
Total pounds lost ~ 21.4 lbs

Goals:
Pounds left til my gym challenge (need to lose 10 lbs by March 7th) ~ 2.8 lbs
Pounds left til my 15% goal ~ 10 lbs
Pounds left til my pre-pregnancy weight with Dominic ~ 17.8 lbs


Goals Accomplished This Week:
1. I have now lost 10% of my original body weight!
2. I lost 15 lbs in time for Valentine's Day!! (just a random goal I set)
3. I now weigh less than I what I did before my pregnancy with Jackson!

Week 6 of 5K Training

Here's what week 6's 3 runs consist of!

Run #1
Run 5 min
Walk 3 min
Run 8 min
Walk 3 min
Run 5 min

Run #2
Run 10 min
Walk 3 min
Run 10 min

Run #3
Run 25 minutes

(all with 5 min warm-ups and cool downs)

Run #1 went well tonight. It was an alright run. My body wasn't really into it, but oh well. I still managed to do the the run, then walk until the clock hit 60 minutes after. Then, I did the elliptical for 10 minutes, before heading home to make it in time to watch Pretty Little Liars! Tomorrow is weigh-in day...really hoping to see some good results!! :)

5K Week 5 Run 3

I did my 3rd run of the week yesterday for week 5 of 5K training. I was supposed to run 20 minutes straight. This is the first run where it was ALL running and no walking at all. Surprisingly, it was pretty easy. I even ran a little faster towards the end, too! Next week gets a little bit harder (0bviously), but I'm really enjoying this. I can really see myself as a runner!
We plan on picking out a couple 5K's to run this spring, too!

I was shocked at how good I felt. Now that week 5 is completed, I have 4 more weeks left in the 5K program! I'm sure they are going to go fast, then I'll have to start the 10K program. :)

Weigh-in Week 5

I got in a solid workout today! I didn't attend my first class like I had initially hoped I would.

Today's workout
Elliptical weight loss program ~ 30 minutes
Walk @ 3.5 mph ~ 20 minutes

Now here for this week's stats!!

Pounds lost this week ~ 1.6 lbs
Total pounds lost ~ 16.8 lbs
Pounds left til my pre-pregnancy weight with Jackson ~ 2.4 lbs
Pounds left til my Valentine's goal ~ 3.2 lbs
Pounds left til my 10% goal ~ 4.1 lbs
Pounds left til my gym challenge ~ 7.4 lbs

Run 1 Week 5

Tonight's run was rather easy, although I wasn't feeling myself. I had a little tummyache earlier :( My body felt lethargic when I was running, so I'm hoping that I'm not coming down with anything!
It was my first run breaking in my new running shoes, too. They felt a little tight, so I'm hoping they loosen up a little bit.

I can't wait to see what the scale says tomorrow. I don't predict a big loss. The hubster and I had a cheat weekend in terms of our diet. I was exercising over the weekend, so we'll see what the scale says. I think I might even attempt my first class at the gym tomorrow. We shall see. It depends on how I'm feeling in the morning. :)

5K Training

I completed week 4 of 5K training on Saturday. The running portions were significantly easier than they were the first run of the week. Now, I'm on to week 5! Week 5 is where it really starts to get difficult! The 3 runs a week aren't the same for each run any more. They change, and it ends with a longer run every week. Yikes!! My hubby is a week ahead of me in the training, and he just did his first 20 min straight run....crazy!

Here's what week 5 looks like:

Run 1
Warm-up walk ~ 5 min
Run ~ 5 min
Walk ~ 3 min
Run ~ 5 min
Walk ~ 3 min
Run ~ 5 min

Run 2
Warm-up walk ~ 5 min
Run ~ 8 min
Walk ~ 5 min
Run ~ 8 min

Run 3
Warm-up walk ~ 5 min
Run ~ 20 min

I bought new running shoes this week, and some new workout clothes. Kind of makes me excited to hit the gym :) I've been wearing my husband's oversized t-shirts and pants currently...it will nice to feel better about the way I'm looking!

Rest days

I was supposed to be taking today off from working out, but just HAD to get out because the boys were couped up in the house yesterday due to the snowstorm. So I went to the gym, without really any idea as to what kind of cardio I was going to do. Sure enough, I went over towards the treadmill....I'm a sucker. So I jumped right into my second run of the week...even though I told myself I was going to wait til Friday so my knees could get a break. Oopsie :) Anyways, it went really well. It was much easier than the first time around! Then my friend Jess that I work with at the daycare got there, and I finished up my workout at 60 minutes on the treadmill! It's really nice having someone there beside you to chat with!! You don't even realize that you're exercising.
I'm really glad she's been there the past 2 times I've ran. Helps me go a little longer and avoid ducking out after 35 minutes lol :)
So Jess-thanks!!

Anyways, I will use the elliptical tomorrow (as much as I really want to use the tread!). I'm looking forward to Tuesday's weigh in already. I'm thinking this is going to be a really good week for loss. Also-I'm getting new sneakers this weekend WOO HOO! I really need them, and I hope they'll help with the sore knees. Although, today, I didn't feel any soreness.
Just goes to say, that the body really does need rest days...even though I feel like working out everyday to keep up my weight loss....
REST IS IMPORTANT!!

Weigh In Week 4

This week marks the beginning of week 4 of my 5K training. This is when it starts to get interesting!! The runs get longer and you're actually running more than half of the time!

Here's what week 4 of 5K training looks like:

Brisk Warm-up Walk~ 5 min
Run 3 min
Walk 1.5 min
Run 5 min
Walk 2.5 min
Run 3 min
Walk 1.5 min
Run 5 min

Today wasn't that bad, especially since I ran a mile on Sunday. Although, I was pretty tired because I literally ran the night before. Also, my knees are getting a little sore, probably because I need new shoes, which I plan on buying this weekend. I didn't really give myself a break from running this week...oops. Normally I use the elliptical on cross-training days but I was kind of sick of it, so I stuck to running! So as far as weight loss goes, I only lost .6 lbs this week. I attribute that to a couple bad food choices as well as muscle gain. My body comp scale says I gained a good amt of muscle so I'm not worried. As long as I keep up with my calorie counting and exercise I know I'll be fine.

Now for the stats!

Pounds lost this week ~ .6lbs
Total pounds lost ~ 15.2 lbs
Pounds left til my prepregnancy weight with Jackson ~ 4 lbs
Pounds left til my Valentine's Day goal ~ 4.8 lbs
Pounds left til my 10% goal ~ 5.7 lbs