Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Still on the bandwagon, er, treadmill...

I've never been athletic or even particularly active. Running is a totally foreign concept to me (as in "If no one is chasing me, why would I be running?!"). So, just the fact that I've taken up the Couch to 5K program is a huge step for me. I've been running on a treadmill because the one day I ran outside I wanted to die. It wasn't just the heat and humidity. I have no clue how to pace myself apparently. So the treadmill it is.

Now, factor in the fact that I'm not only married to a Marine, but one who is naturally quite lean without much effort on his part. I finished Day 1 of Week 4 on Monday. It involved running for 3 minutes, walking for 90 seconds, running for 5 minutes, walking for 2-1/2 minutes, and then doing it all again. The thought of running for 5 solid minutes terrified me. So when it came time to run for 5 minutes, I set the pace slightly slower than I did for the 3 minute run (very slightly). I wanted to be sure that I actually ran for the entire 5 minutes and didn't give up and slow to a walk prematurely.

I made it through the work out and told Stretch about it later. He told me not to slow it down too much, I needed to keep pushing. Sometimes, I hate being married to a Marine.

Today was Day 2 of Week 4. I kept the same pace for all the runs. It was at a roughly 13-minute mile pace. Which I know is probably super slow. Heck, I used to be able to WALK a 15-minute mile without a problem. (Okay, so that was over a decade ago, but whatevs.)

My point is that despite the slowness, it was HUGE for me. I kept it up. I didn't stop despite really, REALLY wanting to during the last 5 minute run. I can't help wondering where are the endorphins I keep hearing about? They're probably a myth.

Now if I could just see some pounds and inches disappear...

4 comments:

Kimberly D said...

That is AMAZING! Keep it up! Apparently I'm a quitter. I always start with good intentions but I SOOOO would've quit when I got to the 5 minute run part! You're my hero :)

Jody said...

Way to go!!! You burn about 100 calories per mile rather you walk it or sprint it. FYI... As I slowly run (it is barely a jog) around the track and other tall skinny people continuously lap me, I try to keep my focus on how much I have accomplished and that this is huge for me. By the way, I think the "skinny" pic on my blog was just a fluke. It must have been the baggy shirt and a good camera angle. I am only about 5 pounds less than when I was at your house. Maybe the walking/running is toning me a bit. Keep up your good work! I so wish we lived close enough to do this together!!

loqi said...

What Stretch said is just like what LT always says to me when I'm recounting a workout. When I tell him something hurts, he says "it's good for you". heh

Glad you're sticking with it! You will be running a 5K in no time. :-D

liberal army wife said...

congratulations! Yay for you!

LAW