I Tri and Craft

thoughts from a mother of boys, a marathoner, a triathlete, a crafter, a wife, and a scientist

Tag Archives: C25K


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Running Log week 7 & 8

I didn’t want to write a bunch of bragging posts about my running advancement.  Then I thought; ummm…do you really think it is bragging to say you are able to run now?

Since I made the Official Race Announcement I figured I could everyone updated on how I am doing.

First: running is hard.

Don’t get me wrong, I love it, but it is hard to maintain.  I am not at that place yet, where skipping some days doesn’t affect me.

So here is how week 7 went:

Week six starts out with intervals and the third day you have to run for two miles or 22 minutes.  With no walking (except the warm-up and cool-down).  Then on week 7 you run for 2.5 miles or 25 minutes.  Each day.  No more intervals.

I run Sun, Mon, Wed & Thr.  I completed the third day of week six on a Thurs.  I timed it so I wouldn’t have to add three more running minutes to my time with out a break.  So come Sunday I was ready to run for 25 minutes.

Since I don’t run 10 minute miles yet, I knew I wasn’t going to reach the 2.5 mile goal.

I was nervous about running 25 minutes and wasn’t sure I could do it.  So I decided that I would run for at least 22 minutes before inserting a walking interval.  So come the 22 minute mark and I was so close to the 2 mile mark.  I told myself, just reach two miles then you can walk.  Well after I went past two miles my app told me I had one minute left!  I figured I could run for one more minute.  And I did.

I ran the whole 25 minutes.  No walking.

I did the same thing on Monday.  And Wednesday.  I just kept giving myself small goals that I knew I could do.

run log from Sun & Monday

run log from Sun & Monday

On Thursday I was supposed to start Week 8.  Which is 28 minutes or 2.75 miles of running, with out walking intervals.  But I had gotten this horrendous headache and knew I couldn’t do any running, and thought I would go on Friday.  Turns out the headache stayed with me till Sunday.

I just knew adding those three minutes was going to be torture.  I hadn’t run in four days and wasn’t sure if I would be able to do it.  I went to the gym making my list of small goals.

Who do I see on the treadmill?  An old coworker from my gym-rat days! (we used to work at a gym together)  I haven’t seen him in over a dozen years!

While I ran we kept talking, which is a bit difficult for me as my lungs are not that in shape yet.  But I was able to maintain fairly good speech.  And you know what happened… I ran the whole 28 minutes with out even realizing I had done so.

OK, so that is not really true.  I realized it.  Boy oh boy was I aware of it.  But I didn’t have to keep telling myself, only one more minute, or only 3/10 of a mile to go.  I was distracted so I wasn’t focusing on the time or distance.

The second day of week 8 is another 28 min/2.75 mile, but the third day is 30 minutes or 3 miles.  I don’t run a 10 min mile, I am more like 12 min miles.

week 8 day 2

week 8 day 2

But this pace allows me to run the whole time.  Technically I should be able to run a 5K by Wednesday, but that is not really going to happen, but I will be running 30 minutes, and that is awesome.

photo/quote by Julian Bialowas

C25K interval information can be found here

Happy Running

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It’s a Race!

After I decided I was going to start running again, my sister came to me and said “Let’s do the Shamrock Run”

Shamrock_Run_Portland_2014_Team_Poster copy

And of course I said that was a great idea.  I didn’t really mean it.

I had till March to get into racing pace and it was only November at the time.  We could do it.  And of course I made my cousin do it too, after all it was her fault I am running again.

So, she didn’t mean that we were going to run the 15k, just the 5k.  And isn’t that the program I started?

I decided that to make it a challenge for me, I am going to train for the 8k instead of the 5k.  Because, well if you are gonna do it, you might as well go all balls out.  Right?

I also figured I had to have someone hold me accountable.  Since the race gives me the option to change events, I figured if I told you, all three of my readers, about it, I couldn’t back out at the last-minute.

On my sidebar I have set a countdown so we all know when my race time comes.

I have also decided that I will keep you posted on my progress.  I know, I know, you’re welcome.

So this is my official announcement that I am participating in a race event!

My family and I love the movie “Rat Race” and almost every time I am walking somewhere with my sister, at some point we quote Rowan Atkinson, so it is only fitting now.  Right?  And thank you to Riddleman65 for posting this clip for me to use.

 

 

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I Run. I am a Runner. I Run.

I have to keep telling my self that fairly often.

When I was younger I was a runner.

I ran for me.  I ran because I enjoyed it.  I ran to collect my thoughts.

I started running at the athletic club where we belonged.  In high school my mom canceled that and I had to run outside on the street.  Which I found I enjoyed more.

Redefining-impossible_WEB

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I loved clipping on my walk-man, yes that says walk-man, and heading out of the house.  There was so many directions I could run, to change-up the scene a bit.  My mind would wonder and clear.  When it got hard, I would push through and keep going, because I had to get back to the house somehow.

Eventually, it was harder to find the time.  We lived where it wasn’t safe for me to run alone.  We lived where it was too cold to run outside.  Many reasons, well mostly excuses on why I stopped running.

For a while now I have wanted to start running again.  I didn’t because I had a mental block.  I knew I couldn’t just run like I used, I had to start out slowly, and run intervals.  However, I just couldn’t figure out how to start.

click picture for source

Sometime last October my cousin was talking about how she started this Couch to 5K program.  Which I thought was just a name she thought of, cause she is funny like that.

Turns out it is an actual program.  Someone sat down and thought about the best way to get people to run a 5K (about 3 miles) in nine weeks time.  It is specifically designed for people who have not run in a long time, or have never been running.  It is designed for a 30 minute workout, three times a week.

There are a lot of resources out there, some are free, some you pay for.  I like this website because he has complied a whole list of resources for you to get started.

In October I joined a gym and I started running.  I am too old for running in poor weather right now, so I run on a treadmill.

I downloaded this free app.  There was some complications and then the holidays, so I didn’t quite keep on schedule.  I still ran, but sometimes I repeated some of the days.  I am now on track to be able to run a 5K in two weeks time.

MamaSonshine_run_16Jan2013

I am not gonna lie.  It has been hard.  My lungs are not happy, my knees hurt and I need a new sports bra.  I have to learn to breathe again.

My run on Monday night was the most difficult yet.  I was just sooo tired, Baby Sid is teething, and both him and Ian woke me up a number of times the night before.  It was the first time since I started that I had to sneak in a minute of walking during a running interval.  Because I felt I was going to fall over.

But here I am now.  I am a runner.  I run. I run. I run. I am a runner….well almost.

 

Happy Running

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Seven Days of thanks ~ Week 3

I want to give daily thanks in honor of Thanksgiving this year.  Instead of a new post each day, I will recap what I am thankful for at the end of the week.  It is a great way to reflect on the little things in our daily life that we should be thankful for.

First I have to give thanks to you readers who are going to forgive me for not posting this days ago.  I forgot to schedule it, and didn’t realize it.  oops.

 

7 Days of Thanks Nov 15-21

Nov 15
The ability to easily make friends.  This boy can and will make friends with anybody where ever we go.  I’m not gonna lie, sometimes the other kids don’t realize they are friends or that Ian is playing with them, but he is.  It allows him to have fun and be carefree where ever we are.

Thanks_week3_friends

 

Nov 16
Family get togethers.  I have a wonderfully amazing family.  And we try to find any excuses to have a party.  Even if it is only to try out some new coffee.  Which then became a birthday party, but alas I didn’t take pictures of the actual people there.

Thanks_week3_family

 

Nov 17
Fearlessness.  OK, so sometimes I am not really thankful for it, because he gives me a heart attack like every thirty seconds.  But I am thankful that he is adventuress and has the drive to figure things out.  He couldn’t reach the door handle, so he pushed his chair over.

Thanks_week3_sid

 

Nov 18
Our fume hood.  Stinky thiols are horrible to work with, and I am so thankful that I have a working fume hood to keep them.

Thanks_week3_hoodpng

 

Nov 19
The things this kid says.  I try really hard to write down what he talks about, but sometimes it is so much and so funny, I can’t get it all down.  I really need a recorder in my car, or better yet, just attached to him.  He is constantly making me laugh.

Thanks_week3_ian

 

Nov 20
The treadmill.  I know sick right?  But if it were not for the treadmill, I would be out walking/running in the very cold wet yucky weather.  Plus I can use it, at the gym, after the boys go to bed without fear of running in my neighborhood.  This way I am able to stick to the C25K program that I just started.

Thanks_week3_gym

 

Nov 21
Another thing I am thankful for at work is these auto-tip fillers.  Could you imagine refilling this by hand?  That is like a million little tips to fill the box.  Maybe an exaggeration, but not if you are filling them by hand.

Thanks_week3_pippetts

 

 

What are you thankful for?
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