Couch to 5k - Week 3 (once again)

This evening I finally got back into the Couch to 5k program. I sorta fell out of the groove there for a couple of weeks. But I am back and am going to stick to it. I did find this week 3 run to be a bit more difficult than I anticipated. I didn’t make it through the first 3 minute run, but I was able to get through the second one and I added another 3 minute run onto the end to help me get back home a bit faster.

I also am changing my form while I run. I was having significant pain in my knees a couple of weeks ago. I believe it was because I was ‘heel running’ instead of ‘forefoot running’. To see what the difference is you can check out this site.

As I type this right now my knees don’t hurt at all from this evening’s run! Progress is being made!

The Announcement

Right now is a very exciting time in my life.

Yesterday morning Jaime had a gift bag for me that she was really excited to have me open. I thought it was a bit odd to give me a gift while I was rushing to get to work on time. I opened the gift bag and inside was a pen box. I thought “I don’t really need a pen… but something else could fit into this box….” I opened the box and inside was a pregnancy test that showed positive! Jaime is pregnant! I’m a Dad!

We estimate that the due date is around November 24th.

We are very excited about this news! And now we need to decide if this changes any of our adoption plans……

Missing Motivation

This past week and a few days have not gone as planned. I haven’t been running or going to the gym. I still need to start my Week 3 second run. So I have fallen off track with the Couch 2 5k plan. I also haven’t been to the Gym at all. So my additional cardio and strength training isn’t happening. I am not sure what has happened but I seem to have lost my motivation, or maybe I just misplaced it…. My desire to do just about anything has plummeted to zero. I admit that I haven’t been feeling that amazing and my wife has been sick for the past few days, but I can honestly say that I can get off of my bum and be active with a sore throat and a cough. It is really just a convenient excuse for me.

So, I think I am writing this more as a confession of my laziness this past week and an attempt to re-discover my motivation that has gotten me to where I am today. I am now 25lbs lighter than I was 4 months ago and in the best physical shape I have been in for years and years. This is certainly not the time to stop, this is the time to keep pushing forward even when I don’t want to. This is the time to prove to myself that I can do this. I can get to my goal weight and I can run a 5K. I can do this, I just need to stop finding excuses to be lazy and get out there and hit the gym and the street with my running shoes. No more excuses. Tonight, I am running my second week 3 run and heading to the gym. My plan is simple, no more excuses.

Week 3 Run #1

This past weekend was a bit crazy so I didn’t get to my first Week 3 run until last night. The 3 minute runs were extremely challenging last night. I wasn’t able to complete the second 3 minute interval, I got maybe half way through it. Wednesday I will try again and hopefully have more progress. My shins didn’t hurt last night but just below my knees began to get sore during the first 3 minute run. I think in time my body is going to get used to this movement and the pain will will begin to go away. At least I hope it does or running a half-marathon will end up being an extremely painful experience!

Couch to 5K Week 2 Completed

Last night I completed week 2 of the Couch to 5K program. I did this final run for the week on the treadmill at the Gym. I found it more difficult to keep my posture upright when I was on the treadmill because I kept looking at the numbers on the screen. I also found that mentally it was more difficult since I was able to see my speed on the treadmill. Based on my overall distance I run much slower on the treadmill than I do when I am out on the road. My shins and my knees also hurt a lot this morning from last nights run. I was most likely running improperly from looking down and not straight ahead. Not a good thing for a new runner trying to avoid injury.

I am going to give my shins and knees a couple of days rest from running and then jump into Week 3. I doubt I will attempt my runs on the treadmill anytime soon either, the open road is the way to go for me.

I have also gained about 2 lbs this week so I am going to jump onto the Elliptical some more to burn more calories, and begin watching what I eat better. I have been an eating machine the past couple of weeks.