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Well with all the fun holiday stuff going on around here, I haven’t had much time for blogging. Or running. Oops. I think I fell off the wagon and just layed there while it kept rolling farther and farther away. So today I made an attempt to get back on track.

After my last post I decided to go ahead to Week 5 and take Lou’s advice to do some extra days of Day 1 and Day 2 before attempting the 20 minute run on Day 3. I had a good run. I was tired but not exhausted. Then the next day my back started bothering me. So I let it rest Sunday and Monday (Christmas), but was still a little icky on Tuesday. And yesterday I was lazy. So finally today I got my butt on the treadmill and repeated Day 1 of Week 5. It was harder this time, probably because I haven’t done anything since Saturday. But I made it through and I’m still moving 10 hours later, so that is a good sign. Tomorrow I’ll probably do some elliptical or upper body weights, then try another run on Saturday.

In wedding news, I think we found a florist for the wedding. Our previous pick was a friendly girl, but she was young and did not have much experience. When it comes to flowers, I’m clueless, so I really needed someone where I could say “This is my budget, this is the wedding color, this is what I need. What can we have that meets those requirements?” The first girl just wasn’t able to help us much here, but our second florist did great. She pulled things out of the cooler and helped us match things together. We were in and out in 45 minutes with exactly what we needed. Big thanks to Stacy for recommending that place! I have also been fortunate to have a fabulous friend who is willing to do some day of wedding coordination for me. She is working toward her certification right now, but I know she’s already qualified to help me out. I just need someone who can be the go-to person the day of the wedding, who can make sure everything arrives and is setup, and can answer any questions from the vendors or resolve any problems that occur. Christina is that girl! I know she’ll keep me in line and on track so that the day of the wedding I can be my normal lazy self instead of running around doing last minute things.

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and is looking forward to a safe and happy New Year! I know I’ll see at least 2 of my 4 loyal readers that night!

Today I finished week 4 of the program.  Week 4 actually took me 8 days due to some scheduling conflicts and pure lazyiness.  All in all, I’m feeling pretty good.  Since I’m mostly running on the treadmill, I’m actually seeing some progress which is nice.  My pace has picked up a bit and I’m covering more distance than before.  The downside - I’m losing focus.  See, when you run outside, you constantly have to watch for obstacles such as people, pets, pet droppings, cars, etc.  Inside you just have to keep up with the belt on the treadmill or risk slipping and sliding off the back.  So I noticed during my second 5 minute run that I was starting to go a bit batty.  My mind drifted, I began focusing more on the TV playing Fox daytime talk shows and less on my form.  The result?  I ended up tiring out pretty fast on that run.  Once I re-focused and corrected my form, I got back on track quickly.  I guess next time I need to turn the TV to Martha Stewart.  I do not find her the least bit interesting.

So now I’m weighing my options.  I can go ahead to Week 5 - which progresses pretty quickly from Day 1 to Day 3.  Or I can do a few more Week 4 days to be sure my body is ready for the 20 minute straight run on Day 3 of Week 5.  Moving on to Week 5 is more challenging for my body and will probably result in more calories burned, but if I’m not ready I could hurt something and risk having to stop altogether.  Any votes out there?

Well, after my post yesterday, I finally came to terms with the fact that I have some things to work on. When I say came to terms, I mean I wrote it and posted it online. So now that it is there in black and white I can’t ignore it and stick my head in the sand. Sometimes blogging can be a curse.

So today at lunchtime I ran Day One of Week Four in the Couch to 5K program. If you haven’t heard about this program, it is on www.coolrunning.com - it is an “easy” program to get you from sitting on your bum to running about 3 miles in 9 weeks. I have not previously blogged about this for a few reasons. The first being that it took my 6 weeks to complete the first 3 weeks of the program. Why you ask? Well, you need to run 3 times per week and I was having trouble with the scheduling around ballet, etc etc. So I had to keep starting over, or my week would be closer to 8 or 9 days, etc. The second reason I didn’t blog before is that my fabulous friend Lou started her blogging days by blogging about her quest for the 5k (and the subsequent half-marathon). I didn’t want to be a copy cat. But, with her approval, I feel safe being a follower.

So Week Four consists of a 3 minute run, followed by 90 second walk, then a 5 minute run with a 2.5 minute recovery. Then you repeat. I did pretty well I think. I’m a slow runner, so I’m not exactly going to meet the 5k goal in the end, but I think improving on my length of time running is a good goal for now. Once I’m stronger I can worry about distance and speed. Through all the weeks I’ve randomly had trouble with my right shin. It tenses up and hurts and is generally no fun. I did get some new shoes and that helped. I also do not run on the day of ballet or the day after - that helps quite a bit. But in the end, I’ve noticed running outside is the biggest culprit. So far I haven’t determined if its that my running posture changes or just because there is less shock absorption on the sidewalk. My hope is that I can finish the 9 weeks on the treadmill with occasional outside runs. Then drop back to week 7 or so and start running outside only. Hopefully it will be warmer by then too.

So regarding my “goal” of losing 10 pounds, I’m apparently well on my way and didn’t know it. The last couple of weeks I have shifted lunches from the local Wendy’s to the kitchen. I do not enjoy this at all. Mostly because I tire of sandwiches very quickly, but also because I work from home and sometimes lunch is the only time of day I get out. I’ve also finally settled on a schedule for running. Monday, Thursday and Friday I run (and lift weights depending on time). Tuesday and Saturday I have ballet for 2 hours. And Wednesday and Sunday are my rest days (sometimes I do upper body weights these days if I’m feeling ambitious). The combination of these two changes have led me to a 4 pound weight loss! Wahoo!!! I figure to continue losing weight I’ll have to step it up, but the first few pounds is always helpful in keeping you on track.

My plan is to keep you updated on my progress with the Couch to 5k program, and any subsequent weight loss as well. I figure my 4 loyal readers will help to keep me on track by bugging me about my next post (read: Zach may not leave me alone so I better stay on top of the program).

The Cool Running Couch to 5k program: http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml

Podcasts by Robert Ullrey - This guy made a podcast for each week of the program. Keeps you from checking you watch the entire time, and helps with motivation: http://www.podcasts.ullreys.net/

Lou’s blog - read about her quest for the next half marathon and an assortment of other topics: http://viewfromthepark.blogspot.com/

About a month ago my mom sent out the dreaded e-mail.  The one that asks for Christmas gift ideas.  I’ve been making these lists for years.  When my brother and I were little, we would get out the JCPenney catalog and go through the toy pages and write down the different toys we really really really wanted.  Those were the simpler times.  In recent years, I’ve found making a Christmas wish list ranks right up there with cleaning the bathroom on my scale of Things I Hate Doing.
Honestly, there are a lot of things I want.  I want a house - mostly just a door to a fenced backyard and more than one bathroom.  I want no more car payments.  I want a money tree.  I want to know what I should be when I grow up.  I want 10 pounds to magically disappear from my body.  You know - the usual.  But these aren’t things you can really ask people to give you.  Not only are they either expensive or impossible - these aren’t really fun gifts to give!  (Besides, if I had the money tree I wouldn’t be gifting that away to other people either.)

So my list ended up being filled with random books or articles of clothing that would be nice to have.  Maybe some candles.  Exciting huh?  You see, the things I really want are things only I can do for myself.  Like making that 10 pounds disappear.  Or figuring out what I want to do with my life.

I suppose the next list I should make is the one that has steps to help me meet these crazy goals.  Stay tuned to see if that list ever makes it into existence!