Monday.
I don’t even know how to start this post, so I guess I’ll just begin and hope everything falls into place. Sometimes, the best thing to do is to not think and just write.
I’m not going to do individual recaps for this past week. I introduced too many things to my training schedule and it would take forever.
In Couch 2 5K news, I finished two out of three sessions of Week 8 (five minute warm up, 28 minute continuous run, five minute cool down). The first one, on Tuesday, was sloppy, messy and hard. I felt frustrated and discouraged. The second one, on Friday, was better. I completed 3.34 miles between the brisk walks and continuous runs, in 38 minutes. This means that if I keep it up, I’ll be able to finish my first 5K in under 40 minutes. I didn’t really have a goal time in mind (ok, I wanted to be not last), but under 40 seems a solid and reasonable achievement for which to aim.
On Monday and Wednesday, I added the Jillian Michaels’ Yoga Meltdown (workout #1) to my schedule. My only experience with yoga was a prenatal class. I had an intense dizzy spell and got sick and decided that yoga, with all its breathing and sitting still, was not for me. However, this Yoga Meltdown is something different. It incorporates movement into some traditional yoga poses, and I would by lying if I said I didn’t feel the burn in my thighs and triceps for a few days after my first attempt. Verdict? I like it and will continue to make use of these workouts on my non-running days for strength and toning purposes.
I also picked up a walking partner. I love power walking, but I guess it does get kind of dull doing it alone. Pre-running, I would do three-five mile walks as my exercise, but dropped that when I started the C25K program. Recently, I have had the opportunity to go out again with a buddy and I am loving it .We did about six miles in 90 minutes on Thursday night and four miles in an hour last night (I attribute our slower time to getting caught in a pretty nasty rain). It’s fantastic.
This week, I have plans to finish Week 8 and get started on Week 9. I hope to get in at least two more really long walks and do at least two days of power yoga. I feel great. I have noticed that some of my clothes are feeling a little big and there is definition in muscles I didn’t realize I had. It’s a slow road, but it’s paying off.
On a negative note, Mr PugRunner injured his arch during his first day of Week 8. In my non-expert opinion, the problem is his shoes. He needs to go in for an analysis and fitting. In the meantime, he is rolling a bottle of frozen water on the underside of his foot, to alleviate the pain, and hopefully, it’s nothing more serious than that. He’ll be taking a few days off so as not to do any more damage.
