Couch to 5K

Mar 11, 2012

I've always admired runners. Whether they run for speed or distance, I've always thought that was awesome to be able to do that. I was never much of a runner, even back in my younger days I just didn't seem to have the stamina. As I got older and started putting on weight, I especially didn't have the stamina. I would walk for exercise, and really improve over time, but then quit, and get discouraged. Fast forward to 305 lbs...I kinda figured at that point, it was never gonna happen.
I've been hitting the gym regularly and frequently all winter long. Along with weights, I've also built myself up to 40 mins on either the treadmill or the elliptical at a pretty good pace, watching my heart rate to keep it in the target range. (I read a book not too long ago about fitness that said "You have to slow down to get faster." Meaning, monitor your heart rate even if you have to slow down to an almost uncomfortable pace.)
Yesterday, the weather was beautiful here, so I decided to do my weight training at the gym, then take my son for a brisk walk on the awesome trails we have in our area. We did this last year, but I was very heavy and not able to really walk for far, and definitely NOT at a brisk pace! But we made the effort anyhow. Yesterday, I noticed a HUGE difference! I walked faster, my posture was better, my feet and ankles didn't hurt and I could breathe! It felt amazing! We had the best time. With the weather turning nicer (I hope) we plan to do this a few times a week. I'm bored with the treadmill and elliptical and doing that part of my exercise outside feels really good. We were in good company too...bike riders, families out for walks, and of course, runners. I secretly wished in my mind that I was running. I decided to go home and do some research on how to begin running, without tearing up my knees, ankles and feet. I have a bad ankle and foot, so I have to be really careful with what I do. (It comes from working a really hard job with a ruptured tendon at one time and caused me excruciating pain, and took a long time to heal, but it never healed normally.)
I found a site called "Couch to 5K" and it's for beginners who want to start running, and it's designed to get you running 3 miles in 2 months. But it gives you a good way to start so you don't beat up your body and get discouraged and quit, which is where so many people fail. It sounds like a great plan, and I really think I'm going to give it a try this week. It really sounds "do-able" for me. And if it's not, then I can always work on walking a little more and try again in a few weeks. But I really DO think this is for me. We'll see how it goes.
I've been "stuck" at 233 for 2 weeks now. I'm hoping if I do this, it will get me out of this stall. I've experienced about 3 stalls since my surgery in November, and it's frustrating to say the least! I'm really trying to get out of the 200's here! My clothes are going down in size, and that tells me SOMETHING is happening, it's just not happening with the scale! With me being in school now and the stress that is coming with that, I'm sure it's not helping. But after a long day of classes I'll admit it feels great to get up and move rather than go home and collapse on the couch, which some nights it's very tempting to do! Old habits die hard...time to get new ones!

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