Heather's Training - Week 1

Heather's 5K Journey

As you read in my sister's entry, I have the same motivation that she does. I couldn't believe how emotional I got at the Susan G. Komen race last year. I support breast cancer awareness and donate for the cause, but nothing hit me like going to that race did. That was near the end of my 52 New Things list, and I made the decision that I wanted to run that race one day. 9 months went by of me doing nothing to prepare, when my sister mentioned the 5K race in Columbia this fall. I had waited too long to prepare for the St. Louis race in June, but the September race seemed doable. Especially for me, a self-proclaimed non-runner. I think one of the reasons I hadn't prepared sooner was that I had no one pushing me to do this. Having my sister here right along side me (in spirit) is what's keeping me from giving up on this crazy ride. I wish we could train together, but having this blog to keep track of each other's progress will help motivate me each day.

So, to all of my friends and family reading this, who have been touched by cancer in some way, I hope I can make you proud. And not fall flat on my face (until after passing the finish line). Wish us luck!

Training Day #1 - May 25, 2010

Started my 5K training run today. Blech. Running is for the birds. I read online that the best way to start training for a 5K is to match walking with running. So, if you walk a minute, run a minute. 50/50 for 30 minutes until you build up to the 5K. It was a nice day outside tonight, so I decided to run outside. I hate treadmills like the Cardinals hate the Cubs. I literally loathe them. Since my 5K will be outside, I figured it was the best place to start. I needed to practice hills and rough terrain without constantly pushing a damn button.

Since I have no stop watch, nor do I really care to constantly be looking at my watch for 30 minutes to track my progress (this would surely result in me face planting into the cracked and warped sidewalks in the City), I decided to use song lengths to track my pace. I listened to a song while walking, then started it all over again and ran it, so my times would be even. Admittedly this may not have been the best idea either, since my mind kept wandering and I’d barely remember at the end of the song to skip back to the beginning.

30 Minutes Later...

Why the f**k did I decide to do this again? Running is seriously only necessary if you’re being chased. And in that instance you only have to be faster than one other person in your group. If you’re the only one being chased, well then I guess God decided it was your turn to go.
I’ve “ran” more than 3 miles on an elliptical before. Hell, I can do 3.5-4 miles in 30 minutes with no problem. I’ve now decided that ellipticals are shady shady creatures. They make you think that you will rock at running when really you only rock at sliding your legs back and forth in the air. Really fast. Son of a biscuit.

It really wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, although the hills in the “Hill” really suck my ass. Maybe I should have went with the treadmill after all. My muscles weren’t barking too much after I finished, although I did feel like my lungs might collapse. Gotta work on that endurance thing.

30 minutes = 1.25-1.5 miles (give or take) I know I made it at least one mile, but I may not have made it quite another half mile. Seriously? I’m supposed to be able to do 3 times that in the same amount of time? Good gravy, this is going to be a long summer.

At least I talked to my sister tonight, and since she’s started her training, I feel more motivated to keep going. Just trying to find the time is going to be the hard part. But, maybe once I get into a routine, I’ll be able to stick with it.

Mental Note: Britney Spears songs can be surprisingly motivating. Who knew?

Training Day #2 - May 26, 2010

Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow.

Ow.

I never knew my thighs hated me this much. It probably didn’t help that I went to yoga before my training run tonight. Yoga always does work the shit out of my quads and hammies. But, I’m trying to stretch out and work on my balance for salsa dancing, so I want to hit at least one yoga class a week. And it’s only on Wednesday nights. Which means, I have to run afterwards.

Since it was raining, I ran inside at the gym. Which means...the dreaded treadmill, or the dreadmill as I like to call it. I absolutely hate running on a treadmill. It’s boring, it makes my body hurt and it’s just stupid. Well, really the only reason I think it’s stupid is because I hate running, but whatever. You get the idea.

Fortunately, I discovered that my gym’s treadmills have interval training schematics pre-loaded, so I didn’t have to constantly be upping and lowering the speed every two minutes. This would prove to be the only salvation for these metallic torture chambers. It took me a few reps to get the right walk and run speeds down. (My intervals were to walk 2 minutes and then run 2 minutes for a straight 30.) At first the walking was too slow and I felt like I was in slow motion. Then I found a good run speed, but by the second run cycle, it felt too slow. For the most part all went smoothly. Sort of. Except for the part where I was fiddling with the speed trying to get it right and I accidentally hit the cancel button clearing out the past 4.5 minutes I had just started. Crap. That totally counts though. I’m only going to do 26 more minutes. Right?

About 15 or so minutes in, I was starting to feel like someone had jabbed hot pokers into my knees and sucked all the air out of my lungs like a dementor sucks your soul in Harry Potter. Really, I’m only half done? DAMMIT! "Okay Heather, you can do this. You can do this. You can do this. Whew. 2 more minutes of running down, I can walk now. This feels better. Crap, my two-minute walking interval is up! Shut your face. It's already time to run again?!" I seriously had this conversation in my head. While completely nutty and something you should probably worry about, it does help pass the time and keep me from thinking about what I’m actually doing. Running. F**k.

I’m not ashamed to say that for 20-30 seconds of the last couple of run intervals, I stepped on the sides and took a breather. I’m not cut out for this shit. I finished strong, 26+4 minutes and I made it 2 miles. That’s farther than I did the day before, so even though I feel like I just exited the spin cycle, I’m happy with my accomplishment. Especially since it’s only day two.

Mental note: Get used to the weird fast forward thing your body does when you get off the treadmill. I really hate that feeling. If I did illegal drugs, I kind of think this is how I might feel.

Training Day #3 - May 29, 2010

I got up early this morning (yes, early on a Saturday) to get my run in before the 5,328 other things I have to do today. I’ve realized this was not a good idea for two reasons 1) my body is still not fully awake and therefore will rebel against any stress put on it and 2) I haven’t had sufficient time to stuff myself with the fuel my body needs to produce a decent run. Both runs I’ve already done have been in the early evenings after work and after a late afternoon snack of does-a-body-good granola. This morning I had a measly bowl and a half of Special K. Definitely not fuel to run a solid 30 minutes.

I headed to the gym rather than outside because - don’t shat yourself - I actually wanted to use the treadmill again. I know, I nearly passed out from the thought of it too. I’m eager to know how much I run each time, and I don’t have a pedometer, so I don’t know exactly how far I run when I’m outside. I have a route that I run, and I know it’s exactly a mile from my house all the way around and then back to my house. However, if I stop anywhere in between, I’m clueless as to exactly how far that is. So, the treadmill gives me the results I’m looking for, without having to go buy a $5 pedometer. I know, shut up.

Unfortunately, I did not quite get the results I was looking for today. As I mentioned before, I’m completely lacking in the energy department this morning. I’m completely out of fruit and any other good for me snacks, so I had to settle on just the cereal. And I now know never to do that again. You probably could have jabbed me with a cattle prod to motivate me and I wouldn’t have budged. It was all I could do to get my 30 minutes of 2-minutes intervals in. And a few of those “run” intervals, I just fast-walked instead. I kept the speed the same as a run, I just walked really really fast instead of ran. But, at least this time, I didn’t take as many breaks as I did on Wednesday. I’ll give myself that little victory.

But, I still only made it 2.05 miles in 30 minutes. I was hoping to better my distance more than that, since it’s pretty much the same as Wednesday. But, I’ll try not to beat myself up over it, since it’s only Day 3. That’s usually my problem when attempting goals like this. I expect too much too soon, and then I get really disappointed when I don’t get as far as I think I should. I know I need to trust the process and know that I have to start somewhere and that eventually I will be able to run farther and faster, and that I’ll get up to the 3 miles it’ll take to conquer this beast. But, for right now, I just want to bitch slap the process.

The funny thing I’m noticing is that 2 or 3 minutes after my run I don’t feel bad. I’m not wheezing or having difficulty walking. I may look like I’ve just spent 5 hours in a sweatbox being tortured, but I honestly don’t feel as bad as I look. Sure, the next day my quads are giving me the middle finger, but it’s not as bad as I think. So this means one of two things: 1) I’m in better shape than I think I am and I’m too much of a pussy to push myself harder right now or 2) well, really there is no #2, I really think it’s just number one. Running is mostly a mental game after all. We’ll see what week two brings and how much better I fare with the distance and stamina thing.

Another mental note: Still not used to the weird fast-forward swaying thing when I get off the treadmill. Seriously, what is with that?