Another victory and a look back before I tackle the mountain (W5D3)

[djplong]

I signed on to here on March 22 once it looked like I was going to stick with the program (I was in Week 2 at the time).  Later, I had my first failure at W4D1 where it took me 5 tries to finally get through it.  W5D1 took several tries but I completed it on Friday (with my personalization).  What shocked me more was that W5D2 - where you go from 5 to 8 minutes on the jogs did NOT take me muliple tries - I did it the first time through!  I did it just over an hour ago and I'm still on a bit of a high from that!

 

Wednesday is when the mountain is due - warmup and then jog for 20 minutes before a cooldown.  I have no idea how I'm going to fare when I try that - but I *will* find out.

 

Lately I've "personalized" the workouts.  The weather has been getting nicer.  I've also been tracking my distances with the MapMyFitness suite (MapMyRun+ specifically).  I noticed at the end of the workout, I'd be over 3km.  I would wonder if I could jog one more km after a resting/walking pace.  I'd wait until MapMyRun told me I'd gone 4km and see if I could jog until the 5km notice.  I couldn't do it at first - I came close but....  Then I did it.  I've done it a couple of times now.  I wondered, when I started this, if I could run a 5k.  Technically, I'm already doing it if I include the warmup and cooldowns plus my 'extra'.  ...and my times are getting better without me consciously trying!

 

So what have I noticed or learned in the month and a half that I've been doing this?  Well, in no particular order:

 

- Technology is an enabler (I'm using an iPhone 6+).  Having the statistics at my fingertips means I can see the progress in numbers that I might not be able to see without them.  Using MapMyRun I can tell when my pace quickens or when I've gone further during a particular interval.  I can't stress enough how much this has helped.  When I felt defeated at workouts where I couldn't do all the run segments at a jogging pace, the statistics told me that I was still doing better than before.  They literally turned 'defeat' into a partial victory!

 

- Entertainment helps a LOT.  I've listened to playlists from iTunes but, lately, I've been mostly tuning into the SiriusXM app.  The time seems to go by faster when I'm listening to the 'Classic Rock Party' channel (online only).  When I'm on the recomb. bike or NordicTrak, I'm streaming video.  In this case, a workout on my off days lasting one episode of "Third Rock From The Sun" seems to do nicely.

 

- I'm actually losing weight.  I haven't been able to 'see' it but the numbers don't lie.  I've dropped 9 pounds since I started this.  Two people already said my face looks thinner.  (My face???)

 

- Make a schedule and stick to it no matter what unless it's for health reasons.  I've gotten sick once and bashed a kneed against something metal and unyielding.  Those are the only reasons I skipped workouts.

 

- I don't enjoy running but I enjoy the results.  Seeing the stats get better is my reward, so far.

 

- The pain is changing.  Today was the first time I noticed that my back pain has been DRAMATICALLY reduced.  I was in the second 8-minute segment and I noticed I had NO pain there.  I'm in physical therapy for a shoulder injury and the therapist told me the pain was more than likely from where my leg and rear end muscles attach up around the pelvis and that it WOULD get better.  I thought it was from the curvature in my spine and would be chronic.  Looks like I'm wrong and she's right - and I'm GLAD!  Now it's just that first minute where my calves and shin muscles go "Wait, what?  What are you doing to us?  AGAIN?!?!?!" but that goes away quicker now.

 

- I'm genuinely worried about how I'll keep the schedule going when I'm on vacation in less than 2 weeks.

 

- I wonder how I'll handle it when the temperature goes up into the 90s - but there's time for that.

 

- I wonder how many attempts it'll take me to successfully finish a 20 minute jog (coming next in W5D3).  I no longer wonder IF I can do it - it's WHEN....

 

- I'm running with better posture.  I keep remembering to throw my shoulders back (therapist's advice to help the shoulder heal) and it's having results.

 

- I definitely want one of those Apple Watches.  At some point I'm going to want to monitor my heart rate and other stats.  I don't want to keep whipping out my phone for progress checks.  So far, all the other fitness trackers either don't do what I want or are priced so close to the Apple Watch I might as well get the real thing.

 

- Status checks.  Someone else wrote that you should put the phone away.  It's proof positive that we're all different.  When I look at the phone and I see I have 2 minutes left in a segment, it encourages me - especially if I'm at the park.  I can look downrange and some landmark and say "Come on - you can make it to that tree....".  That's why I want the watch.  I want to make those checks easier.  It works for me but I understand how it could work AGAINST someone else.

 

So what's my long-term goal?  I want my wife and I to be the oldest couple to ever walk unassisted through a border checkpoint overseas to get a passport stamp!

 

Shorter term?  We signed up for the WDW 5K & 10K races in January.  I may run a few virtual races in the meantime and we might do Montreal later this year.  There are some Color Runs that look interesting as well.

 

I feel like I have a VERY long way to go but these past 7 weeks have already taken me VERY far....

[Ariel Detonation]

Wow! That's some inspiration! I love the bit where even if you've had a bad workout, you're able to look at the stats, see your improvement and count it as a victory. Gotta love technology, I've just ordered a new phone because mine struggles to run the apps that I want while running.

 

I'm on the side where I can't look at the time left, otherwise I focus on counting down, instead of my breathing and putting one foot in front of the other.

 

Keep up the awesome work!

[Guest TrishE]

Youre a true inspiration! Thanks for keeping up with your posts so we can all see your progress

[djplong]

Well, today was my 3rd whack at W5D3.  Didn't make it - but I'm getting closer each time.

 

It's now been 2 months since I re-started the program.  Jogging 2 minutes seemed impossible back then.  Now I try to stretch my existing segments that far.

 

SO many firsts..  I'd never jogged 2 minutes at once before.  Then 4, then 5, then 8, then 10, 12:30 and now 14.  20 (for W5D3) is in sight..  I wanted to do a 5K in January and now I've effectively done it.  The distance tracking with the warmups and cooldowns has had me going over 5km - after I added in another km at the end just to see if I could before the REAL cooldown.

 

Apparently I've dropped a full 10 pounds now.

 

I'm getting some minor knee pains from time to time now but nothing terrible.  A little ibuprofen and being careful in the mornings (going down stairs hurts but up stairs doesn't) seems to keep it in check.

 

20:00 at speed seems like a heck of a mountain to overcome but I can see the top.  I know I'm going to have to do a lot more than that if I want to run that 10K in January as well.

[KellyAnn]

You are doing great djplong. 10lbs is awesome. I am so proud of you pushing through. Mekae sure you rest those knees when needed. Good Luck!

[djplong]

Had a week's vacation in the DC/MD area.  Had a great time but there was no place for any workouts.  I was a little worried as to what I'd come back to as far as what my body could do.

 

I decided to 'rewind' the clock a little and go back to W5D2 to see if I still had enough to do that.  

 

Well, I did - and more.  Did another 1km run after walking a bit after the last segment.  Just to see, I tried to actually RUN at a pace I'd LIKE to be able to do for the first 500m.  I can't believe I did it with a split of about 5:19/km for that half km.  I slowed down for the final 500m but still came in under 6:00.

 

The real 'tell' was after I came home.  Time to see what the vacation did to my weight.  Sure, we walked all over DC, state parks and a national wildlife refuge but it WAS a vacation...  Went through my usual routine and..  ...somehow lost more weight.  I'm now down about 13 pounds total.  I lost about 2.5 pounds while we were gone!

 

Words can't describe my feelings.  I try..  Things like 'elated' and 'motivated' and 'disbelief'....  I stepped off the scale and stepped back on to see if somehow I wasn't seeing what I was seeing..  These are real results.  I haven't gone on any diets - although I *have* cut out a few things and cut down on others.  

 

Between the weight loss and the numbers I see when I track these runs, I feel like I'm actually accomplishing something.  That extra km I did today - for the first time I actually felt like a RUNNER.  Sure it was poking right along compared to others..  But, for me, it was a milestone.  For the first time I didn't feel like a pretender.  Sure, I couldn't keep the pace for the entire km - but back in February I couldn't DREAM of doing what I can do now!  The thought of what I can accomplish over the next few weeks has me practically salivating!

 

Yeah, this is taking more than 8 weeks for me.  But nobody who knows me would have thought this possible - even this far.  I've said to friends that it would have been more likely that my kids would be swimming in open-air pools on the moon before I became a jogger..  

 

I am SO glad I found this program...