[Dodgerchick]

This is a follow-up dynasty to the C25K thread thread where I was able to go from Couch to 5K in 8 weeks. I felt so good about my accomplishment that my goal by the end of the year will be to run half a marathon. Since I was successful with the C25K program, I will follow-up with the Gateway to 8K program and go from there. The developer who created the C25K application for iTouch/iPhone also created one for the Gateway to 8K program and that's what I'll be using.

We went on vacation for a couple of weeks and haven't ran in a while so I'll be rusty. The program starts off slow so I'm not really worried about it. I start tomorrow.
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[Dodgerchick]

Week 1 - Day 1 run of GW28K running plan. Today's workout consisted of:

Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do four repetitions of the following:
- Run 7 minutes
- Walk 1 minute.
Five-minute cooldown walk.



Incredibly I picked up exactly where I left off 3 weeks ago. Weather was in the mid-40's and it felt great to be out running. It was rough in the beginning but I'm so so glad that I'm right where I should be. *sigh of relief*

Looks like this program adds a minute to each run every week. ( http://www.djsteveboy.com/gw28koutline.html ) <---- Here is an outline in case anyone is interested. I have also found the Gateway to 8K application I'm using. It can be found here - http://www.appstorehq.com/gw28k-iphone-28411/app
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[Dodgerchick]

Week 1 - Day 2 run of GW28K running plan. Today's workout consisted of:

Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do four repetitions of the following:
- Run 7 minutes
- Walk 1 minute.
Five-minute cooldown walk.



I was having second thoughts about running in this weather.. it's actually really chilly for Austin. But to motivate myself, I read [URL="http://www.facebook.com/#/pages/CoolRunning/89260269536?v=feed&story_fbid=248732984536"]this [/URL] and re-read [URL="http://www.operationsports.com/fofc/showthread.php?t=75867"]this[/URL] for motivation. I mean seriously, I felt like a big wuss after reading how some people run in single digits. Nonetheless, as a first time runner and someone who isn't used to this kind of weather, I had to just put my shoes on and go out there. Since I don't have cold weather clothing I improvised so I wore 2 sweaters, shorts, sweats and some poofy socks to stay warm. The first run was rough, my eyes watered as the 28mph gusting winds hit my face. Going uphill was killer but I'm glad I was able to go over this hurdle, never thought I'd be "one of those people".. heh.
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[Dodgerchick]

Week 1 - Day 3 run of [URL="http://blog.c25kapp.com/about-gw28k-plan/"]GW28K[/URL] running plan. Today's workout consisted of:

Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do four repetitions of the following:
- Run 7 minutes
- Walk 1 minute.
Five-minute cooldown walk.



Still haven't gotten the pacing thing down because I start fast and end up completely exhausted, struggling towards the end. The weather was much nicer, no wind and in the high 30s. Another thing that drives me nuts and I don't know why I do it is tense my arms and shoulders. I don't realize I do it until I start paying attention to my shoulders... very tense and it slows me down.

Next week (Tuesday) I start week 2 and it'll change from 7 minutes to 8, still 4 repetitions. I should work on getting some core exercises in when I'm not running.
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[Dodgerchick]

Week 2 - Day 1 run of GW28K running plan. Today's workout consisted of:

Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do four repetitions of the following:
- Run 8 minutes
- Walk 1 minute.
Five-minute cooldown walk.



Added a quarter of a mile to my workout!!! My plan through this journey was to add a quarter every week, so far, so good. It was a sunny 59 degree day and fantastic for a run. I have also lost 4.4 lbs in 1 week. Not sure if I mentioned this, but my husband came home with a juicer last week and we've been juicing now for a week; so that in combination with running might have something to do with the weight loss. I have also cut down on portion control and eat more fruits. I should add more veggies to my diet though. We add them to our juice but it's probably not enough.

My next workout is Thursday and it's supposed to rain. Should be fun, I've never run in the rain.
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[Dodgerchick]

Week 2 - Day 2 run of [URL="http://blog.c25kapp.com/about-gw28k-plan/"]GW28K[/URL] running plan. Today's workout consisted of:

Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do four repetitions of the following:
- Run 8 minutes
- Walk 1 minute.
Five-minute cooldown walk.



One thing I don't like about the G28K app is that it doesn't notify how much time I have left on the last run. The C25K app told me how many minutes I had left. Maybe I have to wait until I'm further into the training.. I don't know. I might have to inquire about that.

Today there was a light drizzle and it felt nice as it hit my face. I felt light on my feet but the stats don't show that. I have to try and push myself harder towards the end to get the stats to go up. Always in competition w/ myself but that's what I love about running! There's always room for improvement.

My next run is Saturday and I'm gonna have to work around the post-season schedule which means I'm running in the morning... not a fan, I much prefer to run at night. There's something about the peacefulness and serenity of night that I really enjoy. Plus I don't have to deal with traffic, smoky cars and sun.

Tomorrow is gonna be rough diet-wise; my husband and I are going to the movies and I'm always tempted to order something junky like pizza, hamburgers or fried pickles (so so good). I'm gonna have to look at the menu ahead of time and prepare. Maybe order wine instead of beer and a salad for dinner.
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[Dodgerchick]

Week 2 - Day 3 run of GW28K running plan. Today's workout consisted of:

Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do four repetitions of the following:
- Run 8 minutes
- Walk 1 minute.
Five-minute cooldown walk.



I was supposed to go running yesterday but my Touch went on the fritz. My husband tried fixing it for a couple of hours and nothing. Thankfully I went to an Apple retail store today and got it swapped with another one. The running schedule resumes.

I ran right after the devastating Chargers loss and ran hard. Letting off some steam no doubt, I went up 0.11 miles.

Tuesday is a new week and an extra minute will be tagged on to my runs.
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[Dodgerchick]

Week 3 - Day 1 run of [URL="http://blog.c25kapp.com/about-gw28k-plan/"]GW28K[/URL] running plan.Today's workout consisted of:

Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do four repetitions of the following:
- Run 9 minutes
- Walk 1 minute.
Five-minute cooldown walk.



65 and a tad breezy today. This one was really tough. At the beginning of the 4th lap, I was completely exhausted and sweaty. Should have ran in shorts. Oh, and a good sports bra makes a humongous difference. I was wearing a cheapo one and my DDD's didn't like it. I wanted to stop so so bad but I kept running.. one foot in front of the other. Was so glad to hear the cooldown prompt. I came home and was actually in tears I pushed so hard and accomplished my goal of 1/4 of a mile in the beginning and not the end of the week.

I'm spent, gnite.
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[Dodgerchick]

Week 3 - Day 2 run of [URL="http://blog.c25kapp.com/about-gw28k-plan/"]GW28K[/URL] running plan.Today's workout consisted of:

Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do four repetitions of the following:
- Run 9 minutes
- Walk 1 minute.
Five-minute cooldown walk.



I wasn't gonna post anything until later but it'll do me good to post how I'm feeling. I feel miserable. There were 2 points in the run where I just wanted to stop, thank goodness for the Rocky song and Don't Stop Believing by Journey... they came right when I felt like quitting. Cheesy, I know, but goddamn... why am I doing this again
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[Dodgerchick]

From week 3 to week 4, I stopped logging. But here's where I started up again:

Week 5 - Day 2 run of GW28K running plan.Today's workout consisted of:

Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do four repetitions of the following:
- Run 11 minutes
- Walk 1 minute.
Five-minute cooldown walk.



Well my time away didn't last, did it? I was gonna update the dynasty with stats from my previous workouts but got confused and don't know what's what.. oops. I could have sworn I missed a week but my application says I'm on Week 5, Day 2. I swear these past few weeks have been a blur. Anyway, I'm completely and utterly stoked to be where I'm at. I'm at the halfway point and I need a little over half a mile to finish the goal of the program. I'm considering just running 8K (4.97 miles) and stop wasting time. 5 weeks is 5 weeks but why bother if I'm so close.. ya know? I'm gonna finish this week and next and see where I'm at.

Oh and another thing, I finished the C25K training but never actually ran in an event. I've had several friends that have trained and ran and I haven't. I guess I'm a little nervous since I don't consider myself a runner yet and don't know how I'll do. Pretty ridiculous considering I'm already running close to 4.5 miles.

Anyway, I realized that I really need to update this dynasty to keep me going. It keeps me honest and motivated.
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[Dodgerchick]

I haven't been feeling well and put my training on hold for a few days. Now that I'm feeling better, I will continue w/ Week 5, Day 3 tomorrow.

So I found out my sister-in-law has started running as well and signed up for a 5K. She did very well considering it was her first time. She finished at 25:00... I"m so proud of her. She convinced me that I should sign up for a 5K event and that all kinds of people run this thing and some finish after an hour. So, I did. The Texas Independence Day 5K Run| Saturday, March 06, 2010 @ 8:00 AM ( http://www.active.com/event_detail.cfm?event_id=1825966 ) in Downtown Austin is what I'll be participating in. I'm a little nervous, but I have to put this fear aside and just do it. I mean, hell, I'm already running 4 1/2 a half miles and I'm sure my time has improved so what am I afraid of?
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[Dodgerchick]

I wanted to see where my 5K numbers were like so I ran it instead. I'm not pleased so now I don't know if I should continue with the G28K program or work on my 5K time. Hmmm...



As I was running I felt some pain on my side that lasted a few minutes but it went away the more I ran. I probably should have rested an extra day because my throat is murmuring obscenities at me right now.
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[Dodgerchick]

Over the past week I've been gathering some quotes to psych me up for this Saturday. I'll start posting some motivational quotes as I come across them. The ones I've liked:

- "Most people run a race to see who is fastest. I run a race to see who has the most guts."

- "Stand up to your fears! You'll find they haven't half the weight you thought they had!" author unknown

- "Happy are those who dream dreams and are ready to pay the price to make them come true." Leon J. Suenes

- NO PAIN, NO GAIN

- "Pain is temporary, pride is forever" - Unknown
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[Dodgerchick]

So today, I guess you can say I "graduated" from the C25K program. Here are a few pics of the event:

Map of the run


Start line


My son gives me a hug


Gettin' my iTouch ready


Our MC. He said, "whatever you do, don't shoot the runner next to you!" hehe


And we're off!!!


My backside


My son runs over to meet me, right before I cross the finish line


Here I am with 2 of my biggest fans


The stats


So yeah, I actually ran the whole way! The hills were incredibly hard, I should have known we'd have some. And my pedometer needs to be calibrated, obviously. So in 2 1/2 months I was actually training for 2 1/2 miles and not the full 3.1... heh. Sorta funny. It was nuts, before I hit the 1 mile mark I saw someone heading back! That means he probably did the whole thing in like 12 minutes or so... . My husband said there was a young boy (probably about 10) that finished top 10. Wow!! As I ran up the first hill, I kept wondering where 1 mile mark was, then I turned the corner and there it was... what... I barely ran a mile? I was already tired, those hills man. So I kept running up these hills, tired, hurting... these hills are eventually going down, right? Then I approached the 2 mile mark.. oh yes, all downhill from here... literally. The 2 mile mark was the beginning of the downhill. Then I saw the finish line.. I actually teared up, then my son ran to meet me and I lost it. Luv that little boy.

So Monday I resume the G28K and take it from there. I'll have to calibrate my pedometer soon though to get a better read on my distance.

Oh yeah, when we first arrived, this confused noob didn't know where to go so I approached a woman and asked if she knew where we could park. She gave us directions and we chatted for a bit. I told her I finished the C25K program and then she said, that she was a running coach. Cool! The odds. So I told her about my year end goal and she told me to visit USA Fit :: Austin :: Marathon and Half Marathon Training Programs and sign up. Gave me great advice so after I finish this, I'm actually considering getting a running coach... but we'll see.
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[Dodgerchick]

And this is up to date, I ran this yesterday. My next workout will be tomorrow.

Week 5 - Day 3 of GW28K
Today's workout consisted of:
Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do four repetitions of the following: - Run 11 minutes - Walk 1 minute. Five-minute cooldown walk.



Man, I'm exhausted. I picked up right where I left off on 2/10/10. We live in a quiet neighborhood so I run on the street, close to the sidewalk though. I saw a car coming so I stepped on the curb and somehow I landed wrong and felt a little bit of pain on my hip. It wasn't overwhelmingly bad, but enough that I could notice. I'm gonna stretch it out a bit and massage it. I seriously need to do back and core exercises to better my running performance. Well, that and lose about 70 lbs. When I finished the 5K, the lady that was at the registration booth was at the finish line and congratulated everyone who finished. When I crossed the finish line, she congratulated me and said I was the last of the runners, but beat all the walkers. Ugh... thanks I guess. I don't see her words as discouraging though, on the contrary, it's motivation to get my weight to where it needs to be so I'm not last at the next event. I am 200 lbs. See, so if anyone is on the fence about doing this running thing, I'm a big girl and I was able to do it. If I can, I think you can find it in yourself to do this too.
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