time for an update. i am halfway through my third week of this exercise thing. gotta say, i am really liking it. most of the time i really don't want to run when it comes time, but because our life is so crazy right now and i know there aren't many chances, i can usually ambush myself with, "go! go now! or you won't be able to because the children will wake up and eat your soul!" before i can do the mental gymnastics that i typically do to worm my way out of something hard. and then i am 7 minutes into it and LOVING IT.
some thoughts:
-when you're out of shape and you finally get moving it funny because you're pretty miserable the whole time. things are rubbing together, the sweaty wedgie is back with a vengeance making up for lost time, the cheese fries in your stomach are confused and affronted at such rough treatment and threaten to stage a walk-out en masse. then all of a sudden, you're done and the endorphins hit it's all, "wow! that felt GREAT! i want to do this all the time!" and it feels like you worked so hard so obviously you are well on your way. and then you go to take a shower and instead of the jessica biel body that your post-exercise hormones are making you feel like you have, nothing in the mirror has changed. youve just succeeded at making your fat hot and sweaty and ensconced it under smothering, ill-fitting elastic things for the past half-hour. that moment is a bummer. why aren't the results instant?
-i experience almost palpable embarrassment running in shorts while feeling so pale and plump. i know what cellulite looks like in motion and when brought to an abrupt stop (a la a running gait). it's not the best. so when cars drive by me from behind, i have to fight to keep going and not try to cover up or walk to spare them the view. i tell myself i would rather have a bunch of strangers see me like this right now then people who i love see me in the same shape in a swimsuit later this summer. plus, these strangers will be really impressed as the weeks go by if they are local when they see me again looking svelte.
-another motivation: every day i run i tell myself, "it will never be harder than this. you are getting stronger, fitter, healthier every time you do this. next time will be even easier, and think of how hard last week was and you are already better than her!"
-i had to do week one of the program all over again for the sake of statistical integrity. this is because at first i thought i could run pushing the jogging stroller with a kid on board. no. not ready for that yet. A: our jogging stroller had gone flat in all 3 tires and i didn't notice until 1.5 workouts along, prompting me to send out a desperate SOS to jesse to come pump me and judah up one saturday (it was like he put batteries in the thing it was so much easier). but even after the wheels were fixed, or even if it's just layla on board, the difference between with and without the stroller/kids is intense. and this difference messes up my graphs something fierce. so i had to get a full week of non-stoller-ness in so that my numbers would be accurate.
-as such, we are looking for a cheap 2-kid jogger that jesse can push and run with me since he's strong like that. or when my fitness is better i will try again with our single one because it does rock and the kiddos love it. but i am trying to maximize my success right now which means being a bit selfish.
-i hate to say it, but the right gear makes a big difference. i had been wearing some shorts that were too small and 6 year old sneakers at first. i got some new humongous (aka perfect fit) running shorts on sale at old navy and new asics sneakers. wow oh wow. i actually feel cute and athletic when i run in this stuff. the SEVENTEEN mosquito bites that i incurred in one hour outside on monday evening do not help the cuteness however. pale, plump and shaved-legs is a combo that equals skeeter-heroin. they love me. i HATE them. damn the far-reaching consequences to the food chain, if i was in charge, i would obliterate them.
-here comes the accountability. no judgement. this is week one! and i was COUCH not long ago.
STATS: C25k WEEK ONE (only non stroller workouts included):
routine: 5 min warmup walk, then alternate 60 seconds jogging with 90 seconds walking for 20 minutes. 5 min cool-down walk.
TOTAL WEIGHT LOSS (2 weeks worth): 4 lbs.
and just for funsies to see how much pushing those kids around (and flat tires) costs me. these stats mean nothing because there were like 8 different variables at play including, child, tires, stopping to see "choo-choo chax!", different shoes and different routes:
now, the routine gets harder from week to week. less rest and longer run periods may mean that when the next weekly phase hits i drop down in distance and pace a bit from the previous week. that's okay because i am running more overall which is the goal. here's where i want to be at the end of the 9 week program:
have a great weekend! i know we will because judah will be with my folks and we are celebrating lena's graddy-grad (graduation from grad school, doy). time to eat, drink, be merry, and de-toddler the house before his return assault.
