I managed to finish day 1 of week 12 on the first try! Here’s the mile by mile breakdown:
Mile 1 – 14:40
Mile 2 – 29:26
Mile 3 – 44:28
Mile 4 – 58:49
I wanted to make sure to get this week started because I have some very minor surgery next week that will keep me from running for at least a week. I have my stationary bike to keep in shape but since this is to remove a lipoma from my shoulder and you need shoulders to run, my dermatologist said no running until it’s healed.
Not to mention the stupid, annoying, uncomfortable lipoma is right on my shoulder where my bra strap sits. There’s no way I’ll be able to bear the thick, heavy sports bra strap until it’s healed.
I haven’t posted a run in a while mostly because I’ve been annoyed with myself for not finishing C210K. So, I got out of my own way and finished day three! Here’s the breakdown:
Mile 1 – 14:56
Mile 2 – 29:49
Mile 3 – 44:47
Mile 4 – 59:20
I am still shocked by my ability to make it to 4 miles at all despite all the training I’ve been doing. I still usually crap out in the third interval but man, I powered through and finished it!
I have started using my old P90X DVDs as a cross training tool. I read blogs from other runners stating they’ve done the program and it did improve their overall running performance but I am not willing to stop running in order to do the full P90X program. I’m just replacing their cardio and yoga days with C210K.
This run may not be a personal best for my pace or speed but I was able to stay at a jogging pace for a full THIRTY MINUTES. And by the end of the run, I didn’t feel too exhausted to do a proper cool down so all this work I’ve been putting in to increase my stamina are paying off!
All of this is working towards completing the C210K this year. Also, this isn’t my only run this week but this is the only run where I accomplished something different so I’m making a point to shamelessly brag about it.
Because I honestly was completely shocked I accomplished it.
Since I am a huge fucking geek, I am on a bunch of Zombies Run! fan pages and groups. It is through these that I learned that there is a 365 days in a row achievement!
I didn’t know this was a thing! I want that thing…
So, does this mean I’ve taken up a 365-day challenge?
Much like the 5k and 10k training, you don’t do this by being insane. I think I’ll start with a 7-day challenge and go from there. Meaning I’ll start today.
You’ll notice my pace is much slower than normal but today was my first run with the chases turned on. If you aren’t familiar with this app, chases are when the app tells you to run faster to avoid zombies and if you don’t go fast enough, you lose some of the supplies you’ve gathered. I’ve been curious about those for a while and decided to give them a try.
And nothing happened. So, I ended up powerwalking while expecting to put on a burst of speed.
I tweaked some settings for tomorrow’s run so we’ll see how chases work then.
This week’s C210K seemed harder for some reason and it is totally because of how long they are. In sticking with the schedule, I’ve forgotten how it feels to run close to an hour. It’s a struggle to make it through that last 10-minute jog and I can feel my fingers swelling.
Does anyone else have that problem when they run? Finger swelling? It is very unnerving…
As for incorporating more cross-training, that ab workout from Atlas Shape leaves me feeling much like the P90X Ab Ripper: too sore to laugh, cough, or sneeze. That must mean it’s working.
Week 10 means 15 minute long runs instead of 10 and I am honestly not sure if I can make it all four intervals. I may have to repeat the week or repeat week 9 to build up my endurance.
Either way, bring it on. Won’t know if I fail hard until I try!
Today was all about just seeing how long I can stay at my top speed; which for my fat ass is about 4mph. I was able to hang there about 3 or so minutes before needing a one minute break. Next time I’ll keep better track.
I have to say this isn’t so bad considering I was a lazy oaf last week and didn’t workout at all. I did a two-minute warmup then went as fast as I could for as long as I could. Next workout I’ll try to go longer!
But, I have been lax with my cross training so tomorrow, I’m busting out Ma’s old eight-pound dumbbells. We’ll see about getting my upper body strength up!
This is the infamous bit of furniture I moved last week (if you followed my workout whining on Instagram) and in that move, I got it out of the kid’s room, down to the first floor of the house and onto the porch. Now, where I live, I gotta call special pick-up to have things such as this taken away. My neighbors must have LOOOVVEED having this thing sitting on my porch for days until I could put it out this evening…
Anyhoooooo, the very nice woman I spoke to at the sanitation office said to put it out Tuesday night and like a dutiful member of society, I obliged. I didn’t hurt myself but there is some lingering soreness there so I took it easy, did a short round of Ninja on the Atlas Shape, and the first day of this Belly Fat Blast 28 Day Challenge… Thing. Since I have said plenty of times how my belly is a part of my body that bothers me.
The first day was not so bad. I’m not gonna say my back was happy about any of this but it didn’t make me run to the painkillers either. And honestly, I’ll take ANYTHING that will shrink my middle. Or at least my lower middle so my jeans will fit again.
I will say that something I’m doing is working because I went to my friend’s house this weekend and got a bunch of jaw drops as to how my body has changed since the last time they saw me. The muscle definition I have gained is physically visible to people who know me and that’s kinda awesome! Even with the setbacks of various knee issues and my Advil Adventures; all the time I spent on running made a difference. It mattered. And I gotta say, that’s fucking surreal to me.
And I still have some glorious scars from that which itch from time to time. I take them as reminders to not push it too far. Which is why I didn’t jump on the treadmill today. I have way too many people who will show up at my door and put me in the hospital if I don’t put myself there so, don’t shame me too badly for giving it a break today.
And, as sitting in this chair typing is annoying my back, I’m going to bed early like the lame thirtysomething that I am. I’ll be a badass tomorrow.
I felt a little slower today. I hit mile one in 14:50 and mile two in 30:53. Not bad, keeping it in the same pace average. What was more important is that when the mission was done, I felt like I could go another mile to complete a 5k. And since the race starts in 10 days, that’s a really good thing.
What sucks though is my allergies are already in full effect. My eyes are all itchy, my nose won’t stop running, and the coughing interferes with my breathing when I run. I’m already doubling up on my meds to make it stop. It’s all over the news that this allergy season is gonna be terrible so I’m not surprised. I’ll just have to deal with it for the next few days till the medicine kicks in.
Between my back aching and my head pounding, I didn’t want to bother at all today. But I did it anyway.
Part of this journey is understanding there are some days that you won’t want to workout, you won’t even want to move and those days aren’t about breaking a record; they’re about just moving. I was all cramped up, had a splitting headache, backache… And I got on the damn treadmill and moved my ass.
That’s why this run is a supply mission and not a story mission.
The entire run was just one big blech. Next time will be better!
Today was one of those runs where even through the sweat and aching, you end it feeling invigorated and awesome!
Other than my posture belt straps getting all messed up and me having to slow down to fiddle with them, I was on pace, my knees didn’t even so much as twinge, and I didn’t have a single cramp. Either I’m getting stronger or I have done something to please the running gods (are there running gods? If there aren’t, there should be).
Food again was kinda boring today. Toast for breakfast, salad for lunch, chicken wings for dinner. Maybe it was the pasta I had yesterday or the protein I ate 30 minutes before my run but today was a great day. 🙂
