YIKES ... Catching up!

I am WAY behind on posting.  We got back from Disneyland Paris, and while my running didn't fall off, my posting did!  So here's a summary of the runs I've done since we got back a week ago.

Week 4, Day 3: Wednesday, November 7
Time--30:59
Distance--2.25 miles
This distance is an estimate; I ran on an indoor track and the GPS went all wonky on me.

Week 5, Day 1: Friday, November 9
Time--33:59
Distance--2.32 miles
Ran this in our little village.  The uneven sidewalks hurt my knees but I'm sure it's just a matter of getting used to the change of surface.

Week 5, Day 2: Sunday, November 11
Time--27:59
Distance--1.98 miles
Another run in our village.  It was COLD for this run--I could see frost on the ground for the majority of my run!

Week 5, Day 3: Monday, November 12
Time--29:59
Distance--2.10 miles
Back to the track on base today.  This run was hard--started off with a nine minute run!  I was a little surprised at how my body just kind of went on auto-pilot on that long run, though.

The next run (Week 6, Day 1) will be a doozy ... two nine-minute runs.  It's gearing up for the first 20-minute run.  TWENTY MINUTES.  Hopefully my body will go into auto-pilot with that one, too!

Bonjour ... voulez-vous faire le jogging??

So, I ran into a dilemma this weekend.  We had a trip planned, and our two travel days were Friday and Monday--two out of the three days I run during the week.  I had a choice: wait an entire week between runs, or take jogging stuff and do at least one run on vacation.  So, surprising even to me, I took my workout clothes and actually went for a jog on vacation.  And this is where I ran:

Photo taken by Dean Thomas at Aspex Design

It's the lake at the Disneyland Paris theme park.  Let me say that again: I RAN AT DISNEYLAND PARIS.  Dare I say it ... have I become *GASP* a runner?  I think when you make time to run when you're at a theme park in France, you can't avoid calling yourself a runner any longer.  And that's what I have been doing: avoiding labeling myself as a runner LIKE THE PLAGUE.  I think part of me is still terrified that I will fail at it somehow--stop running, or not be as good as I would like--but I also think part of me knew that if I call myself a runner, there's no turning back.  It's something that you ARE, and something that is a part of you.  And I guess I'm not afraid anymore to commit myself to that way of life.  Yes, running is hard, but it really does make me feel good after I've finished.

So, I guess I should say ... JE SUIS UNE JOGGEUSE!

Workout summary:

Time: 30:59

Distance: 2.25 miles

Weekly Weigh-In

Today's measurements are for twenty-four weeks on plan:
Weight: 169.0
Chest: 38"
Left Bicep: 11.75"
Waist: 34.5"
Hip: 39.5"
Left Thigh: 22.5"

Total weight lost as of today: 69 pounds
Total inches lost as of today: 48.75"

I also finally got my scale to start showing all the measurements that it was supposed to show me from the beginning.  It measures the percentage of my weight that is body fat, water weight, muscle mass, and bone mass.  This is the first time I have seen these numbers, so I have taken the liberty of looking it up on "the Google" to see what is normal for my height and age, and those numbers are in parentheses beside my actual measurements:

Body fat: 33.3% (average is 20-21%)
Water weight: 48.2% (average is between 37-49% for my body fat %)
Muscle mass: 28.4% (average is 36%)
Bone mass: 4.0%

Looks like I have some work to do still!  Next week I will have my numbers again, so I can see how much they are changing from week to week.  It will give me a better gauge on how I'm doing, since my weight loss seems to be slowing down a bit.

(I have another "during" picture to post, but I don't like the ones I took this morning ... I will take more tonight or tomorrow and post it then!)

Ease Into 5K: Week 4, Day 1

Or, as I wanted to call this post: THE APOCALYPSE.

I had so many fears about this day.  Most stemmed from the fact that up until now, I was super-proud of myself for jogging an entire three minutes in a row, and even that was a struggle.  Then I saw today's intervals, and I nearly choked: Run four minutes, walk two, run six minutes, walk three, run four minutes, walk two.  Then collapse on the ground and assume the fetal position.  (Okay, so I added that last bit.)  So, after my eye appointment and a quick favor to a friend, I put in my earphones and headed out.  I was in my little village today, which was actually kind of nice; it's such a sweet little village and on my run today I actually got to go to parts of it that I rarely see.  And the change of scenery, coupled with some AWESOME music from my workout playlist, made today's run easier.  I won't say easy; the first run was extremely hard--my legs felt like lead pretty much throughout the run--and that six-minute run nearly did me in.  But it was only slightly awful, as opposed to the scene from Revelation that I was imagining.


Time--30:59
Distance--2.11 miles


Friday is supposed to be Day 2, but we are getting up early to catch a train to Disneyland Paris (yes, I said Disneyland Paris ... my excitement cannot be measured with current technology) so I am not sure what this will do to my training.  I have half a mind to get up extremely early and fit it in before we leave.  If you know me, you know how much I absolutely HATE mornings, so the fact that I'm even considering this is a big deal.  More than likely I will try to get it in while we are at the park, although I'm not even sure if THAT will work. In any case, I hope I can fit in at least one run while we are gone.  We shall see!

Ease Into 5K: Week 3, Day 3

Time--26:59
Distance--1.94 miles

I am LOVING the GPS feature on this app.  It allows me to concentrate on my running and not on how many laps I've done so that I can figure out my pace.  It does it all for me!

Now Wednesday, I start Week 4.  The halfway point of the training!  And I'm so, so scared.  A 4-minute run, then a 6-minute run, then another 4-minute run.  I am going to DIE.

Ease Into 5K: Week 3, Day 2

Second verse ... same as the first ...

Time: 27:11
Distance: 1.8 miles

I finally got my app to allow me to make the in-app purchase to activate the GPS, so that it can track my mileage for me.  This makes things so much easier for me because I tend to obsess about how far I've gone. Now I don't even have to worry about it.  It's very nice!

Ease Into 5K: Week 3, Day 1

So, when my friend Megan told me that today's run starts off at three minutes, I was both shocked and terrified.  I mean, seriously?  I thought the 90-second runs were torture.  I thought I'd never get through that first run, much less the rest of the program for today.  And when I started, I almost psyched myself out; I began to think I was too winded, that my legs were too heavy, and that I'd never be able to finish this run.  Then I stopped that snowball and told myself to stop being such a wimp and do the best that I could.  And I'll bet you can guess what came next: yep, I finished that 3-minute run.  When the app directed me to start walking, my eyebrows raised and I said, out loud, "Hmm, not too bad I guess."  (Thank goodness the track was empty when I started--I don't need to be known as the crazy wife who talks to herself while running.)  It was still tough, but I think I was expecting it to be impossible ... and it wasn't.

Hmm.

I know that it's just going to get harder, but I think I learned an important lesson today: if I just push myself, I can actually surprise myself with what I'm able to do.  It's a welcome change from the defeatist attitude I've had for so long being overweight.

Workout summary:
Time--27:00
Distance--1.75 miles