And let's try this again..

So, a recap from 2011:

Ran the 5k I was trying to accomplish in early May. Finished in about 33:00 or so...don't really remember. Kind of stopped running after that. My work schedule in the summer made it tough to get anything done during the week; I was leaving at about 5:30am to get there and getting home around 5:00pm four days a week.

Labor Day weekend, we started remodeling our bathroom, so I got home every day as soon as I could to keep working on that. Weekends were totally devoted to the bathroom or various other projects. Around October/Novemberish, I started staying after work to use the available treadmills with some of the other ladies at work. Nothing spectacular; just getting moving again. I got back up to 5k distance pretty quickly.

December saw a stuttering stop of working out again, mainly due to getting ready for the holidays. I got hit with a cold a couple of weeks ago, so doing anything that caused me to breath more wasn't real high on my list.

Enter today. While driving this morning, I asked my husband what he thought about me running the half-marathon in early May that he has run for the past couple of years to kick off his marathon training. His response was timid, but supporting. He said that he would help me write out a plan of what I would need to do in order to get there. It's going to take commitment; something I haven't been so great at when it comes to physical activity.

Here's what I figure: I can currently jog a 5k without stopping. It's not pretty, but I can get it done. So, if I'm running 3 miles now, and I need to get to 13, I have 17 weeks to increase my distance 10 miles. My goal will be to increase my distance 1 mile/week, pending my husband's stamp of approval. (Lest you think I seek out my husband's "permission" on everything in my life, he ran for one of the best DIII coaches in college, has completed 3 marathons, and coaches high school cross country. He knows a lot more about running and training than I do.) I figure the 1 mile/week gives me a little cushion, since I know that life will likely get in the way of my plan. Plus, I'm thinking that I can have a couple of "recovery" weeks where I don't focus on increasing distance, but getting comfortable with that distance. Maybe when I hit 7 & 10 miles or so. We'll see.

I went out this afternoon for a little jog of sorts. I managed a 55-minute excursion, including (2) 2:30 min. walks to catch my breath. I averaged a 10:29 mile for 5.25 miles. Not necessarily quick by any stretch of the imagination, but I haven't run in probably about a month, so I'm pleased.

One bonus is that I may get to go shopping for some new clothes. With the mild winter we've been having (knock on wood), there's no reason not to jog outside. Except that my husband probably isn't thrilled that I keep wearing his pants, hats, and gloves. If I'm going to do this, it might be time to get some outdoor running gear of my own. Any excuse for new clothes is a good one!

Days 4 - 2.1

Every day posts apparently are not my strong suite. A recap...

Day 4 - Plan said to walk briskly for 30 minutes. We did yard work instead.

Day 5 - Walk 10, Jog 5, Walk 5, Jog 5, Walk 10. Accomplished. Felt decent - not too fast.

Day 6 - Walk 10, Jog 5-7, Walk 5, Jog 5-7, Walk 10. Jogged 7 on both legs! Woo-hoo!

Day 7 - Plan said: Walk 10, Jog 7-8, Walk 5, Jog 7-8, Walk 10. I took a 2 hour nap instead. :)

Day 2.1 - Plan said to walk briskly for 30 minutes. I did yesterday's plan instead and jogged 8 on both legs! Bonus - my shins/ankles don't hurt anymore when I walk (or maybe I'm just walking more slowly) and I catch my breath much more quickly when I stop jogging.

The cats are going crazy. I think it's because I won't let them on the porch as it is supposed to start raining pretty soon.

The upcoming week's plan looks...I'm not sure. In two days, I will be jogging for 10 minutes. Hopefully the weather is nice for me!

Day 3

I woke up this morning feeling a little tight. I suppose that's to be expected.

I ended up outside yesterday. My husband suggested we go to the trail to get a bit variety, so we did. We started out together...and ended together. And that was about it. Where he put in about 5 miles, I think I may have gotten just over 2 (I wasn't paying close attention to the mile markers..plus they have two sets. What's up with that?)

I was more controlled on my first jog - felt like I could have gone a little longer. The second one was a bit rough though. At first I thought I had started out too fast, but then I realized that there was a bit more uphill this time around and a bit more wind as well. So I definitely wasn't going faster. It was just more work.

Here's something odd - my legs hurt more when I'm walking than when I'm running. I think I pull my toes up too high on my walking stride, resulting in some discomfort in my shins. It's almost a relief to run at that point. Or maybe I'm trying to walk too briskly. Never thought that could be possible.

Tonight is walking only. In some training plans, this would be a rest day, but I'm down with active resting. I'm thinking I'll get bored with walking pretty soon, so it may be time to invest in a bike.

Day 2...a little late

The plan for yesterday:

Walk - 10 min.
Jog - 5 min.
Walk - 5 min.
Jog - 5 min.
Walk - 5-10 min.

I was ready to be done when I hit that 30 minute mark. I started my first 5-min jog a little fast...probably at a slowish jog pace for my husband, but fast for me all the same. It was tough. My second jog was much nicer, easier going, and a ton slower. That's okay....it's not about speed right now. It's about moving and consistency. So even though I got home about 2 hours late last night, I went out. And even while my hands started to get chapped and numb from the wind because I foolishly did not put gloves on, I continued on. That's northern Illinois in mid-March. What should I expect?

Tonight's plan is the same as yesterday. The forecast is not looking promising. 30% chance of rain and a high in the mid-40s. I don't mind the rain when it's warm and I don't have to run in it. But I've never "worked out" in the rain. And I'm not really looking forward to it. Maybe tonight would be a good time to fork over $2 to use the indoor track at the Park District. A real runner would tough it out and get outside and run...I'm not a real runner. So I'll get in my car and drive to the Park District. :)

Day 1

I don't like running. Shocker, considering the blog, I know. So why would I decide to run a 5k in about 8 weeks? I suppose for the same reasons a lot of non-runners run 5ks....to get in shape. But it goes a bit deeper than that, I think. I don't like exercising but I want to be healthy. I don't like exercising because I'm not disciplined. Don't get me wrong, I love that feeling when you're done exercising - it's just the actual doing it that I don't like.

I've tried running on a treadmill, using an elliptical, running inside on a track, running outside on a street, using a BeachBody DVD series, using any DVD/at home program, and it all ends in one of four options - I get bored, I get lazy, I get discouraged, or I run out of time. So I need a goal, I guess (other than looking good in a bikini, because that's not really me). Hello, 5K. I would like you to not humiliate me, please.

The other side of it is that I don't like doing things I'm not good at, but I'm satisfied with being good enough at most things. I played sports in middle school and was one of the best, but didn't pursue anything in high school because I didn't want to work that hard. I was (am?) musically inclined, but not passionate enough to improve my ability. Since I'm not good at running, and we've established that I'm not disciplined enough to work at things I'm good at (let alone things I'm not!), I've never been sold out on running.

But I want to be different. I want to be better.

Not just at running, but a better me. I figure if I can learn to be disciplined in this one, tangible area of my life, maybe, just maybe, I'll learn how to carry that discipline (and dare I say or hope, passion?) into other areas of my life.

So. Here I am. 26 years old, not quite so lean through the torso, never having run more than a mile (and even that was a while ago!), 8 weeks from my first 5k. "Training" will follow the New Balance Couch-to-5K in 5 weeks plan (maybe I'll actually enjoy those last 3 weeks and actually just run).

Week 1, Day 1: Brisk walk for 30 minutes. Done and done. (I would hope that I could walk for 30 minutes!)

And I already feel like a better me. Day 2, bring it on!