Cross Country

what happens after you cross over a creek several times

My dear husband talked me into running LHF race with him this morning.  He figured if I could run a 5k why not a 7 mile cross-country race?  Leading up to the race I thought I might die or my legs might fall off if they got too tired. But, I made it, it was fun and thankfully not completely freezing cold.  Just the right running temperature actually.  If you aren't familiar with this race it is known for people dressing up in crazy costumes.  I got just a little crazy and put satin nighty over top my running clothes.  Which is nothing compared to those running in leopard print leotards, men in thongs (gross), prom dresses, daisy dukes, a herd of reindeer with Santa-well you get the idea.  I am tired now and my legs hurt to go up the stairs. But I am glad I did it!

Andy threw mud at me because I was too clean.

Finish Line

It's been a busy day, actually a busy weekend.  But today we ran a 5k, went to church, had a birthday party for Dane and went trick or treating.  Since it was such a busy day we forgot to even take a quick picture of us at the race, so here is the aftermath, it will have to do.

Yup I ran my first official 5k today.  I ran in a 5k fun run once and almost puked, but this is the first one I had to wear a number and pay. I ran the entire way, no walking breaks!  Not saying that I didn't want to.  As far as the couch to 5k training program is going, I still technically have a week left of the 9 week program.
I ran with Andy so that was really fun and no stroller!  My goal was to not walk at all; to actually run the whole thing.  We finished in just under 30 minutes, I am informed that that isn't too bad, though all I wanted to do was finish.  I did want to puke at the end, but I didn't.

Here are my running buddies nestled in their wonky wheeled double stroller earlier this week.

Week 7: Day 2: Complete

I have been at it a little over seven weeks now!  Maybe it never gets easier, you just like how you feel in the end?  Actually today my lungs finally felt a little better, I didn't feel like I was gasping for air about to keel over when I was done or in the middle or beginning or after every hill.  I even pushed through the hills instead of stopping at the top.  Well all except that one big hill that I refuse to run up.  I have worked it out to where it [the hill]  is usually close to the end of my run, so it is my cool down walk, which I don't usually get cooled down from walking up hill.  The training program has pretty much leveled off at run for 25 minutes and it ups the minutes each week, no fabulous walking breaks.  Can't say that I am actually able to run that entire time either, but I am taking short quick breaks as needed.  Usually they come about in the form of stopping to adjust one of the passengers.  My personal goal is to not slow down until I am past half way.
Benefits to pushing a stroller?  It provides a nice place to hold my ipod and all the layers that I slowly strip off.  I am too much of a wimp to step out into the cool weather without bundling or probably over bundling.  I just like to be warm.  Off comes the 2nd fleece jacket, off come the mittens and off comes the ear wrap.

Week 6: Day 1 and 2 and 1 and 2

I sort of stalled out here at week six.  I ended up repeating the first two days of week 6 since day three I was supposed to run for 25 minutes without stopping and I was struggling to complete the running portion of the cycles on day one and two. Saturday was the first day I have been able to run without pushing the stroller.  What a difference that makes!  In my energy and my mental state. I know this isn't helping me at all but usually the entire time I am out there I am usually thinking, I can't do this, there is no way I will be able to make it that far, I am going to have to walk.  But Saturday my mental state was positive, I couldn't believe how much easier it was to run, I even made it up the dreadful hill [running] that I won't even attempt with the stroller.  I still was not able to run for 25 minutes without stopping but I did go the first 15 minutes with out stopping and only took a short break before running again.  I completed my loop much faster as well, and I felt all day as if I could go out and try again.  At least I know I can get my carcass 3.1 miles in little over half an hour.  It may not be running the whole time but I will get there.  My biggest hurdle at this point seems to be my lungs.  If I push too hard then I can't catch my breath for quite awhile, and the more I try to concentrate slowing down my gasping the harder it becomes for me to catch my breath.  Maybe a touch of exercise induced asthma?  I am still hoping I can push through it and grow my lung capacity.

Week 5: Day 3

Well I did not look ahead on the week five program.  All the other weeks have been the same all three of the days.  Week five was tough. All of a sudden day two I am running for eight minutes.  Didn't see that coming.  And then boom week 5; day 3, run 20 minutes without stopping.  Say what?  I looked forward to the walking portions!  I almost did it, I at least made it past half way before I stopped for  a few seconds.  I did pull up about 20 seconds short since I was starting up a massive hill.  I just can't mentally get past running up steep hills with a stroller.

Running from the slackers perspective

Week 5 day 1 is proving to be easier than week 4.  Maybe it's because in between the five minute running intervals there are three glorious minutes of walking.  Now I am going to reward myself with another cupcake.

Week 4: Day 3

That was yesterday that I finished week 4.  Week 4 turned out to be brutal.  I mean, I actually have to run for 5 minutes straight. Several times at that. (gasp- literally)   It was supposed to look something like this: Warmup 5:00 walk, run 3:00, walk 1:30, run 5:00, walk 2:30, run 3:00, walk 1:30, run 5:00, cool down.  I could not seem to keep running on that last 5 minute run. Each time I would poop out at about 4 minutes.  Maybe it had something do with pushing the perpetually turning stroller uphill.  One benefit to having a stroller, however, is on the walking segments when I feel like hunching over to catch my breath, I can support myself on the stroller and hunch over and keep walking, quite handy actually.
So the big question is, do I repeat a day of week 4 or just move on to week 5 tomorrow.  I will make a game time decision on that one.

Week 3 Day 3: complete

I have made it this far on the Couch to 5k program!  I have my trusty iPod kicking my butt.  I am not good at pushing myself, but put me in a sport with a coach or group exercise and I will push myself as hard as the person next to me.  So I knew running would be a challenge but this app I have tells me when to run and when to walk.  Don't be fooled I am still walking well over half of the 30 minutes that I am out there, but it has been relatively easy as I think I would have pushed myself too hard only to get tired too soon and want to give up.  The only embarrassing thing about having an iPod tell you what to do is to have other people hear it.  I don't use headphones right now I just set it in the basket of my stroller, so I groan inwardly when I am passing someone only to hear my iPod say "run now".  But it works for me.  My biggest struggle right now is getting the boys ready,  it has been taking 30-40 minutes to get Dane out the door.  I feel like he is trying to sabotage me every step of the way.  Throwing a fit because I want to dress him warm, so I don't have to hear him say 'I want to go home' the entire time we are out, or just throwing a fit because he doesn't want to get in the stroller.  If I don't get Dane out there soon enough then we run into Cade's nap time and if he's tired then he cries the entire time.  Oh yeah and the double jogger turns right the entire time because of a wonky wheel I don't know how to fix.  Other than those obstacles everything is going great!

So the couch to 5k that I am using is a time based program and you run for a certain amount of time.  I figured it out and I seem to be running/walking  just over 2 miles.  I was wondering how it gets you to 5k just by using time.  So I decided on the 3rd day of each week to go a longer distance.  I will follow the timed program which takes me once around Grays Lake, which is 2 miles. Then I am going to do a second lap at my own pace, or like today we went at Dane's pace. He road his balance bike all the way around.  So that's that, hope the weather stays nice because there is no way I will get Dane into a snowsuit or something if it gets that cold.

Week 1, Day 1: complete

I am going to try to run a 5k at the end of October. Today was pretty easy. Just the right amount of jogging/walking and my route was the perfect length. I even bought this nifty couch to 5k app for my ipod that tells me when to walk and when to jog. So no calculating on my part.

I purchased a double jogger last week, so now I have no excuses. Actually I better get some use out of it since it brought our stroller tally to a grand total of six. Yes I know that is a ridiculous amount of strollerage for only 2 children. I am hoping to sell at least one possibly 2 strollers. Anyone want to buy a singe jogging stroller? Funny rabbit trail. This weekend Andy and I were backing out of the garage to head to the mall shaking our heads and laughing in disbelief at the amount of strollers sitting in there. We get to the mall only to realize the only stroller we brought along was the rinky dink $2 umbrella stroller that we have to bend over to push since we are taller than average. The joke's on us I guess.

So back to the 5k business, I think my biggest challenge will be trying to run once the weather gets chilly. Hopefully I will have a good routine down before that happens. I have never been one to be able to talk while I am running, but I think my inquisitive parrot that NEVER stops talking will try to change that. He will talk and repeat and repeat and repeat the entire walk, I thought going on a walk was supposed to mellow a kid out and help him to chill a little. Of course he road his little bike over a mile this weekend and talked and whooped and hollered the entire time, until he pooped out, then Cade screamed for the second mile until he fell asleep as we approached the car, so no peace and quite on our walks.