August 15, 2008

Another 5K

I ran another 5K. This one was called Valley 5000 and it is based in Loveland CO. This was a very interesting race for me, because it rained the whole time. In fact by the time I got home I weighed an additional 6 pounds from all the water that my clothes has soaked up.

I was very proud of myself, because even though it rained and I was cold I beat my time by almost 2 minutes. My first race was officially 40 minutes and 21 seconds. This race was officially 38 minutes and 33 seconds and that was even after I had to stop and wait for the fire truck to move.

The next 5K that I am going to run is on 9-21-08 and it is located in Fort Collins. I am hoping to complete this run in 35 minutes or less. I have been trying to work out each day on my treadmill for an hour. During this hour I am doing a combination of running and walking, but I am trying to build up my bodies endurance and make it work harder and longer. I am hoping that this will help me finish my 5K in 35 minutes of less. I have about 3 weeks to keep up this routine before the 5K and I am also hoping to lose 5 pounds prior to the run.

8-9-08 - Rat Race

I just ran my first ever race. It was called the Rat Race. It was a 5K and I completed this in 40 minutes and 18 seconds. My goal was to finish in under 45 minutes and I accomplished that goal. The hardest thing for me was to figure out how to drink and run at the same time. This I was not able to figure out, so each time I needed a drink from the nice people that passed out water, I ended up walking. I walked a total of 4 times.

Monday, July 21, 2008

Today I was able to run for 22 minutes straight and then I cooled down with an 8 minute walk.

Sunday, July 20, 2008

OK, I got up again today and decided to do my treadmill right away (no breakfast or anything). I decided to just walk today, because my thighs are burning from yesterdays workout and I thought that if I walked it would loosen them up a bit. At the moment they feel OK, they are still sore but not as bad as when I started. I guess I will just have to wait and see what they will be like later today or tomorrow.

I walked for 35 minutes today and I was able to accomplish 2.07 miles. I kept my pace between 3.5 - 3.7 the whole time. I also decided to just walk one minute and then the next minute I did some form of arm toning while walking. This helped to pass the time, but my arms are feeling it.

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Today I got up and decided to hop on my treadmill right away. This way I would not have any excuses, such as: we will be leaving the house soon, it's to late in the day, I'll just use today as my day off.

I am extremely happy that I decided to get up and get on the treadmill, because today I was able to run for 20 minutes straight. Again, I know some of you are thinking, wow 20 minutes, is she kidding??? This is a really long time for me considering that back in April (end of April) I could not even run for one minute without wanting to quit, because it felt as though someone was standing on my lungs. Now even after 20 minutes I do not have that feeling, but I sure do get tired quickly.

Workout for today: 45 Minutes Total

Minutes Item and Distance
1-20 Run for 1.52 minutes (I finished 1 mile in 13.18 minutes)
20-30 Walk - distanced equaled 2 miles at this point
30-36.5 Run for another half mile - distance equals 2.5 miles at this point
36.5-45 Walk for another half mile (as cool down) - distance equals 3 miles at this point

At this rate I am not sure how I am going to build up enough strength and endurance to run a complete Marathon. I must have been crazy the day that I agreed to this, but I am not giving up. I am going to keep on working out and building up the length of time and distance that I am able to run.

Thursday 7-10-08

I was not able to run last night. My feet were swollen. I have been in the process of seeing a doctor to figure out why I am getting light headed, dizzy, and then my hands and feet swell. I am hoping to be able to run tonight, but I will keep you updated.

Wednesday 7-9-08

Last night I started running again. I have not been able to run for about a month, due to other activities that I had going on in the evenings. I thought that it would be hard to get back into it, but it was not that bad. I was able to run for 6 minutes straight. I realize that this does not sound like a great amount of time, but for me I think that it is fantastic. I am going to try for at least 7 minutes tonight. The biggest issue that I find that is making it hard for me to go longer periods is my lungs. I feel like they are being crushed. I think that it may be lack of water and also the fact that I have not fully taught myself to breath properly when running. I know you are probably thinking, what taught yourself to breath while running, this should be natural and the body should do it on its own, but trust me it does not. I am going to start out tonight with my camel pack to see if that helps with the lack of water. I am only able to drink little sips at a time, so I am hoping that this will help. I will check back in tomorrow and let you know how this works.