Successful Weekend

Happy Sunday!  I have to get this out of the way right away!  Yeah Seahawks! I'm not really a football fan but you have to support the local team:)

I've had a very successful couple of days and that makes for a happy Katie!

First off, weigh in on Saturday.  I made myself stay off the scale during the week this week as I didn't want to get discouraged or get my hopes up about my weigh in.  When I was getting ready to head to weight watchers yesterday morning, my husband asked me how I thought I did.  I told him I would be happy to be down a pound or two.   I really would have been but I had the chance to be even happier.  I was down 4.3 pounds!    I know that my leader says all the time, if you work the program the program works, and it really and truly does.  I'm weighing and measuring everything, I'm tracking everything before I eat it (which I'm sure can annoy my husband when I'm taking forever to get to the table as I'm weighing my food and writing my points down.)  I was a very happy camper.

I intended to get my run in on on Saturday but as I was leaving weight watchers my mom called to see if I could take her for her shopping.   I jumped at the chance to spend some time with my mom, take her for her shopping and for a sushi lunch before I had to go to a meeting in the afternoon.  I don't know how many steps I got in as I have to get a new battery for my pedometer, but I gave myself credit for 10,000 steps with all the running around we did.

This morning I woke up with a vicious headache and after a couple of hours and doing our own grocery shopping, I didn't really see myself going for a run today.  I lay down for a little while hoping that would take the headache away.  It didn't but I none the less decided to head to the gym to get my run in as it was pouring rain out.  My husband was settled in to watch the Seahawks so off to the gym I went.

I do wish that the  machines at my gym would let me set them for more than 60 minutes but alas they don't, so I split my 6K run into 2 segments today.  I'm still having trouble running on the treadmill.  I get bored quite easily even with my new music playlist, but a bigger issue is that my feet go numb and I start to stumble as I run.  I have neuropathy in my feet to start with so they are already bad but when they go numb it's really annoying.  I haven't had that happen running outdoors and I'm chalking it up to the vibration of the machines.  I just have to keep fighting my way through it. 

I chose to do the hill program on the treadmill today as I have a  10K coming up on Feb22nd in Fort Langley and looking at the route map this morning it looks like it's a pretty hilly course.  

Run Clinic Support

I joined a running clinic in January, my awesome husband bought it for me for my Birthday/Christmas present.  I started out with the walk to run clinic, and back when we went from walking to running.  I did pretty good, I had been at the running for a minute level for several months as I tried to teach myself how to run.  In March we switched over to the learn to run 5k/10k clinic.

It was a new group of people in the clinic with the exception of one lady who had been in my previous clinic.  The degree of experience ranged from myself (newbie) to experienced (half marathoner recovering from an injury).  The first week we did 1:1's and it was all right, the following week we ran for 2minutes at a time and that was hard.  Last week we did 2:1's again (run for 2 minutes, walk for 1 minute) ten times.    It was hard work and I struggled to get through it but I was happy to get them done.

The homework last week:
Run 2:1 x7 on Saturday or Sunday, I did mine on Sunday  I did 2:1's doing 2.7 km's in just over 28minutes, with an average pace of 10:25 per km. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/467820836

Run 1:1x15 on Monday or Tuesday.  I did my homework Tuesday night after dinner.  I did 3.33km's in 36:18 with an average pace of 10:54. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/467820831

This was to prepare us for this week.  In tonight's run clinic we did 1:1 x2, 3:1x7, 1:1x2.
I admit, I was a little scared, I did find my run on Tuesday night to be easier than I thought it would be, I was confidant with my ability to do the 1:1's and even the 2:1's.  I wasn't so sure about the 3:1's.

When we headed out for Run Clinic tonight, the group shot ahead of me as they normally do (I'm still the turtle or caboose of the group) and when we do our walking part, they turn around and walk back towards me so that I have the chance to catch up.

I wasn't sure how tonight would go.  We did our two warm up 1:1's and I was able to stay pretty close but when Rick yelled out "Weee'rrreee RRRRuuuunnnniiiinnnng"  I wasn't sure if I would be able to keep up with them at all.  The first interval was pretty good.  I was able to keep everyone in sight as we were on a straight road.  I was counting in my head with every step to see how high I could count before Rick yelled out that we were walking, and everyone turned around.  (I didn't set the intervals on my watch as I knew that I would be constantly checking my watch and I would find it even harder to do it).   I was relieved when the first running interval ended, I counted up to 146 doing 1Mississippi, 2Mississippi, etc.  and I found it hard.   I mean hard!

When the next interval started I knew that I was going to lose sight of the group as we turn onto a side street a little ways down.  I was still counting in my head and had lost sight of the group as I was still going straight and they had turned.  I was getting pretty close to the 145 again when I heard Rick's voice yelling that we were walking.  I was so relieved to hear him say that as I turned the corner and was able to see how far I truly was behind everyone.  I was a little discouraged at that point.

I know that the Run Clinic isn't a race, I know it's not about distance at this point, it's about the time spent running.  I hadn't quite caught up to the group during the walking interval when Rick yelled out we were running again and off we all went.  The road is a little hilly and I was starting to lose sight of everyone again when I saw Rick heading back towards me.  He asked me how I was doing as I huffed and puffed up the hill, and I told him I was doing all right, while making a mental note to bring water with me next week! (my throat was dry from all the huffing and puffing)  On the next walking interval I got a little closer to my group with everyone cheering everyone else on and telling each other what a great job we were doing.

On each of the subsequent intervals Rick would turn around at some point and circle back to me and then catch up to the group and circle back again at the walking interval.  It meant so much to me to have his support, and his encouragement.  I wanted to stop running a few times, but just the thought of Rick coming back towards me kept me going.  I was accountable to someone else to keep running.  I know that if I had done this on my own, I wouldn't have kept running.  I would have let myself walk an extra interval or something like that.

It never ceases to amaze me, how this great group of people, support each other and keep our spirits up.  When Rick called out that we were on our last 3:1 everyone cheered when we were done it.  When we were done our run and back at the store to stretch, everyone gave each other high 5's.  We did it.  We as a group ran for the longest amount of time yet. My distance totals were 4.02 km's (the rest would have had a higher mileage due to the back tracking to meet up with me) in 41:55 with an average pace of 10:21!    http://connect.garmin.com/activity/468778186

Next week we jump up to 4:1's.  I admit, I'm already a little nervous about it.  The whole self doubt will rear it's ugly little head, however, I know that I'll do it.  I'll be able to do it, because there is a fabulous group of people giving each other support to accomplish what some of us have never accomplished before.  I can hardly wait!