The Panda Chronicles

[Jeshi]

I wanted to share my story with you.

 

I've suffered from shin splits and side stitches while running since I was a small child. Currently, I'm at my heaviest weight and am considered obese. Being overweight has added to a host of health problems and left me with low energy and fatigue. I've cut back on calories and have been eating better since January. While my shape has improved greatly, my weight won't budge. (I'm only concerned with weight because my doctor told me I can improve several of my medical issues by dropping the number on the scale.)

 

I was inspired and motivated when I found out a close friend was training for a 5K (she runs her first tomorrow!). I was very nervous and apprehensive about running because I've never been able to run for more than a minute without being in pain, out of breath, and light-headed.

 

I'm so happy to have found this website and phone app! Yesterday, I read testimonials as well as running tips and calculated my target heart rate (~70% of max heart rate) to aim for during the running intervals. I used a foam roller to loosen up. I made the decision to try out this c25k program.

 

 

I woke up excited this morning. Today, I completed my first 30 minute session (pain-free)! I felt great afterwards. There was no light-headedness or dizziness!

 

3 things that really helped me out:

• Breathing in through nose, out through mouth
• Short, quick strides
• Slow run pace

During the running session especially, I focused on breathing slowly in through my nose and out through my mouth. I have a bad habit of holding my breath while exercising. Changing my breathing pattern helped keep me from getting light-headed. I also worked on picking up my feet and placing them down more rapidly than taking my normal longer strides. This improved my running form and posture so much. My calf and shins were not aching and my feet did not have any skin rubbed raw or blisters. I've always been embarrassed regarding the speed I "run" at because it is so much slower than everyone I know (and below recommended starting speed for beginners listed on the internet). However, I decided to go at whatever speed would get me to (and keep me at) my targeted heart rate, regardless of the number on the treadmill. I read some where that you want to run as slowly as you can. That it's better to run slower longer, than to burn out in the first mile and not complete any more miles. That you if CAN run slower, it means your running too fast.

 

So I am going to post my speed, as a reminder to myself my baseline. I chose 3.0 mph as a comfortable, brisk walking pace and 3.8 mph as my running/jogging pace. I don't really care that others are faster. I am just thrilled that I can find a sustained activity that keeps my heart rate elevated (aerobic) that I can do. One thing that really kept me in a good mood was how I framed the session (another tip I read about yesterday). Since it takes me 5 minutes to walk to the apartment gym, I used that time as my warm-up, and afterwards, my cool down. That mean I would only be spending 20 minutes on the treadmill for an effective workout. This mindset really helped me compared to the drudgery of hour-long walking sessions that I dreaded.

 

About my speed and mileage, I know that comes later, after finishing 5K, 10K, etc. I'm not worried about it.

 

My biggest concern right now is sticking with it. I haven't had success with exercise programs in the past. So here's my goal: complete this program by doing 3 sessions a week with a rest day between each session. It's okay for me to repeat a challenging week, but my goal is to continue running each week (to not skip a week...or two). I want to see this through to the end of the program. And "my plan" is of course the pre-planned interval training by the c25k app.

 

Here's to a lifetime of health and happiness! 

 

[Guest TrishE]

Welcome thank you so much for your story and your advice! Best of luck in the program

[Jeshi]

Thanks for the support, Trish!

 

I was so pumped from yesterday, I was motivated to workout this morning AND complete my W1D2 sesson! (Since I'm out of town tomorrow and I didn't want to deal with bring my clothes and shoes with me, I decided to complete my sesson today.)

 

Today, I continued to work on my breathing. I also really wanted to try out the 180 step cadence thing! I picked up and placed my feet down as fast as I could. I counted my right foot during the one minute run sessions, and guess what, I counted 90, meaning I made the goal! One interesting side effect that I didn't expect was my jump in heart rate. Previously, I chose 3.8 mph because it kept me at 70% max heart rate. At a 180 step cadence, my heart rate jumped to an 88% max HR (anerobic). I've always had a high HR at low speeds

[Guest TrishE]

For sure! Especially since you've have problems with being light headed and dizziness in the past. It'll take time to build up heart strength so dont push it. Listen to your body, you know it best. You sound like youre in complete control and that's a great mind set to be in. Stay on top of your workouts like you are and you'll be set.

Hows your diet? Thats definitely half the battle if not more so when it comes to weight loss and heart health

[Jeshi]

My diet is what's killing my weight loss. While I prefer the taste/"lightness" of lean meats and veggies over fast, processed food, the struggle of convenience often wins.

 

Munching at my work desk is a problem, too: all those extra calories/sugar/etc. I largely prefer cooked vegetables over raw ones. The problem is: the crunchiness of a snack not only helps to relieve boredom at my work desk, but also my anxiety.

 

Lastly, I USED to use food as my escape and would use that over full feeling from food to shut down at night. It definitely ballooned my weight. Sometimes, if I'm having a bad day and feeling particularly hungry, I'll eat a large portion size.

 

What would help me most is finding a vegetable that I could snack on at work and a vegetable side that I can throw in with whatever entree I'm eating that night for satiety and lowering the calorie content.

 

I've been tracking my calorie intake since January of this year. Over the year, I went from eating WAAAY over to eating the amount needed for weight loss by making better food choices and reducing the portion gradually. It stopped my rapid weight gain to where I was maintaining for several months, but the scale numbers did not drop.

 

This month, I had a lot of work and family crisis this month and am still fighting through them. That's why the increase on the scale upset me. Because I've worked hard, tracking intake and trying to lower my calorie intake for 8 months, without seeing any "real progress," and now, these crisis are undermining my efforts.

 

Sorry, if this post sounded like a rant. I'm frustrated with food.

[Jeshi]

Completed W1D3 this morning. I was SOOO sore before starting. I foam rolled to loosen up.

 

When I started the intervals, I had to drop the pace down to 3.4 mph. After loosening up and realizing I couldn't reach my cadence, I gradually increased the pace on each interval until I was at 4.0 mph. I hit 91% of max HR and I believe a cadence of 200 for one interval. I think I look ridiculous picking up and putting my feet down that many times per minute, but I'm determined to do this the right way. I kind of look I am doing football drills while running. 

 

For the DOMS inflammation, I'm considering taking an Aleve on training days, but I'm concerned about the heart disease, stroke, stomach ulcers, kidney failure, high blood pressure, etc. etc. I don't have time to ice afterwards (I go to work) and ice packs only cover a small area (would take forever to ice my lower body). I'm thinking about compression tights for recovery, but that's not in my budget right now. 

[Aideen2200]

Hey Jeshi I think you are doing AMAZINGLY well and I also think you are overthinking things? I'm not being mean, but just go out there and do what you're doing no matter how slowly, Rome wasn't built in a day

[Jeshi]

Thanks, Aideen! I started reading up on my medical conditions, which started to bum me out.

 

I've realized that my attitude toward running reflects on what I did the day before. 

Tuesday, I wanted to start Week 2, but forced myself to recover that day.

Wednesday, I didn't want to run, but convinced myself to keep with the program since I've been doing well sticking with it.

This morning, I was just sore and exhausted, despite going to bed early and getting lots of rest. I made myself do dynamic stretches and roll as my shoulder has been bothering me.

 

Week 2's run was very different from what I expected. I was getting used to and enjoying week 1's runs, and thought, okay, I'll get better and better at it. Since week 2 involves longer intervals, I brought my pace down to 3.6/3.8. I think the reason why I didn't enjoy this run as much because I didn't concentrate on the 180 step cadence. I believe I'm more "into it" when I'm putting my "all" into it, and bringing my heart rate up. I maintained 77% HR while running and 63% while walking. I tried "holding back" for fear of running out of gas and not finishing the run.

 

 

My plan for tomorrow is to stick to a medium pace (3.8 mph), focus on steps, focus on breathing, and just enjoy the experience. I'm pleased that I've stuck with this program thus far and hope to continue! Thanks for reading!

[Aideen2200]

Wow you're doing so well, I agree, everyone's attitude to this program is different. I've decided not to beat myself up if I'm finding it hard going, if I don't feel up to progressing I'll do a run from the week before, that way I'm still out there but not getting frustrated and still building my strength up

[Jeshi]

Thanks, Aideen. I'll admit that I started getting discouraged when I ran into difficulty. I grew up with that mentality and I've resolved to work on that through this program.

 

I completed Week 2 Day 2 this morning. Since the run intervals are longer than week 1, I decided it's best to go at a maintainable aerobic pace, I dropped my speed down to 3.6 mph. I read that you need a 1-2 incline on the treadmill to mimic wind resistance outdoors as a zero incline is the equivalent to running downhill. So I increased the incline to...0.5. And...my calves begin burning. I could feel my shins. I was trying to keep the 180 cadence to keep my running form and my heart rate high, but I got lazy and thought to myself, "Do I really need to lift my legs? How about I just shuffle along?" BIG. MISTAKE. Running from my knees put a BIG strain on my left calf and shin. I almost had to stop from pain before I realized what I was doing. Silly girl. I picked up my legs and started running from my hips. The pressure lessened and the pain was gone. 

 

You may be tempted to "conserve movement." Don't. It leads to injury.

 

Since I am moving my legs so much now, it's difficult for me to breath. I have to focus on pressing down and keeping down my chest and shoulders. I have to force air into and out of my lungs (I settled on a one second in, and one second out rhythm). When I gained a lot of weight and increased in size, it became difficult to breathe. I felt like my lung hit my outer body like a wall and I cannot Belly-Breathe in a lot of air like a balloon. More like a small lap-banded stomach. I FEEL like I get more air when I Chest-Breathe vs Belly-Breathe. But I don't do that. Because chest breathing at that exertion hurts.

 

I'm happy to say that my run pace of 3.6 mph was at 88% of my max HR and my walk pace of 3.0 mph was at 72% max HR, rotating me between aerobic and anaerobic. The -reason- why I quote these numbers is that it gives me something to work with. I know that I'm working my heart appropriately even if my body is uncomfortable or not used to it. My ability to breathe and the pain/lack of pain are also important indicators of whether I need to slow down or speed up. Focusing on breathing and posture help me run without injury. I think this focus pass the time quickly, it helps me stay in the moment, it keeps me from thinking 'omg, when is this going to be over'?

 

Doing this each time is getting me through the workouts. And the knowledge that I'm continuing with the program makes me happy. 

 

I think aiming my pace with heart rate percentages instead of speed is how I am building endurance and it's motivating me to look forward to the next workout. Thanks for reading!

[KellyAnn]

Thank you for sharing, you are doing great.  SOOO proud of you!      

[Jeshi]

Thanks, Kelly. Could you move this thread to Accountability?

 

Today, I had a realization that made me cry and laugh at the same time. I'm glad it happened when it did, and not later...

 

Today, I had myself motivated for Week 2, Day 3. I have to keep myself on track because I know it's too easy to make excuses. I need to push myself to stay on track.

I started my warm up at 7:05 this morning. Walking to the gym, I felt good about the cushy asphalt underneath my feet. I reach the gym area and glance up. Uh oh, both treadmills are in use! This hasn't happened to me since I started this program. I could wait to complete this workout tomorrow...no! I -had- to do this NOW! Putting off the workout after preparing myself for the effort, for the success, I know would derail my entire drive to finish this program. Later this week, I might put off another work out. Next week, I might only finish two days. Pretty soon, I would give up on this program. No, I needed to do this program now. I cannot wait for them to finish. I had to keep to my schedule and get to work afterwards. I made the decision to do it outside, in the parking lot. Cue the horrors!

 

They say that running outside is different than running on the treadmill. There's variable inclines and wind resistance and traffic to worry about. Practice running outside before race day.

 

Well, today, I found out what that difference was. I had been using 3.6-4.0 mph on the treadmill, but only because I was lifting my feet and placing them down per running form that I learned. When I tried jogging outside, I probably could have made a quarter mile in an hour. You know those cartoons where the animals are lined up and the race starts and the snail barely moves? I started jogging and my scenery stayed still. After several seconds, I was still in front of the same building. I was chugging along like the slowest train in the world while trying to pump my feet like pistons. I looked silly. Passersby probably thought I was doing some kind of aerobic train dance.  I ignored them and continued at my pace. I'm sure I only made any measurable distance because of the walking intervals. My walk was probably 2.5 mph and the run a fraction of that. I now know the meaning of jogging in place.

 

Halfway through my workout, I checked on the treadmill during one of the walking sessions and both were still being used.

 

At the end of my session, I did not feel like my heart/lungs had been worked as intensely as my previous sessions as I didn't push my legs to meet the cadence target. While I pushed through the embarrassment of my train jog, I don't think I could have managed looking like a crazy person (pumping my legs up and down 180 times each minute). I also did not sweat as much, possibly from cooling off outside.

 

 

My plan for Week 3 Day 1 is to use a GPS program to see how much distance I cover in 30 minutes. I downloaded MapMyRun today and will try it on Wednesday.

 

Do you think I should start Week 1 Day 1 again while outside?

[KellyAnn]

Hi Jeshi,  You are doing great.   I would not begin over again.  If you start outside, see how you do, then progress from there.

 

I Was able to move your post for you, I did not know I could do that , ll.  Yay....     Happy Running!       

[Jeshi]

Thanks for moving the thread, KellyAnn! Your post along with the others has kept me going. It's so therapeutic to write out my thoughts, experiences and plans for improvement.

 

This morning I tackled Week 3 Day 2. Unfortunately, I started 30 minutes later than usual. I started MapMyRun workout. I started c25k Trainer. After the 5 minute warm up, I was relieved that the first jog was 1:30. I did it, but I felt pain in the outer part of my left foot. 3 minute walk, I got this. 1:30 into the 3 minute run, the pain in my foot, shins, and calves was unbearable, so I walked for the remaining run interval. I thought, hmmm, since I have been walking on the outer part of my foot to correct protonation, maybe I'm over doing it and supinating. I turned my foot slightly inward so that I was running on the right half of my left foot and the left half of my right foot (not the inside of each foot) and I ran 1:30 of the 3 minutes of the next walk interval. The pain disappeared. I finished the rest of the walk interval and then walked until I heard the halfway tone. At this point, I had to make the decision to finish the session or to stop early and roll my legs before work.

 

I've noticed that I have to roll warm (warming up doesn't work, it has to be after a work out) or I get really tight. I REALLY wanted to finish my session. I had completed all the previous ones. Since my foot, shin, and calf was injured, I decided to suck up my pride and end my session in order to roll. I completed 0.82 miles in 14:35. I don't have any heart rate metrics as I don't have access to a heart rate monitor outside of the treadmill.

 

One great thing I got out of this is my improved breathing. I felt I could not expand my lungs at the beginning of this program. During the warm up, I was able to get into the rhythm of breathing in through my nose and out through my mouth. I'm used to breathing in and out through nose or in and out through mouth, but not in a circular pattern. Even if I never make great lengths, lung capacity improvement would be worth training for endurance running. 

 

Since I cannot make the 3 minute runs, I am going to try Week 2, Day 1 tomorrow. What do you think, KellyAnn? I don't think it's a 'setback' as I moved from 0 incline on a treadmill to hilly outdoors. Thanks for reading!

[Jeshi]

I did Week 2 Day 2 today and I FINISHED it! I did my run outdoors where it's kinda hilly.

 

My left foot hurt on the outer part on the first half of the workout. During the second half, my calf became sore as it compensated and the pain disappeared from my foot.

 

I jogged very very slowly, but I kept to the run/walk intervals!!

 

I completed 1.69 miles in 31.5 minutes.

[Jeshi]

10/3/15 Saturday

 

Still having outer left foot pain, but it decreases at the halfway point, when my left calf begins to get sore.

 

I made 1.80 miles in 33:34.

 

 

10/4/15 Sunday

 

It's a rest day. I'm ready for tomorrow!

[Jeshi]

10/5/15 Monday

 

Wow! Today was a breakthrough for me.

 

I got dressed early as usual. When 7:00 AM hit, I started doing the "I don't wanna" thing.  I started putzing around and dragging out my start time. I had to tell myself if I started too late, I wouldn't finish my session AND I'd be late for work. I had to put the voice out of my head and get myself out of the door.

 

I started by doing my laces differently. At the beginning of this program I was only tightening the last part of the laces, leading to top of the foot pain because it wasn't being supported. Last week, I tightened the entire lace section to where my foot felt like it was being pulled into an arch cup. This morning, I made the lower part snug and the upper part tight.

 

This time, when I ran, I concentrated on my feet landing. I quickly realized that while my right foot was hitting midfoot and pushing off at the right angle, my left foot felt like I was riding a bicycle! I must have been heel-striking while supinating slightly. I focused on leaning slightly to the right from the ankles and landing on the inner middle of the left foot and voila, no outer foot pain! The pain that used to be on the shin/outer calf from compensating for the foot rotated out was gone!

 

I finished the first 90 seconds (decided to repeat Week 2) with ease. Hurray! As I progressed through the session, I acquired more burn in my calves while climbing hills, but it was even throughout my calf and more of a workout burn than a pain. Of course, I got progressively tired and decided that I'd finish Week 2 this week instead of moving into Week 3.

 

 

I am happy to say that this is the beginning of my 4th week and I've been on target of completing 3 sessions a week! At the end of my 33:41 session, I looked at the mileage and saw 1.92! I can honestly say that today is the first time in my life that I believe I can run a 5K if I keep training at my current pace. That is incredibly liberating! I grew up with the resignation that I'd never be able to run. And look, I'm doing it!  I wasn't planning on my speed increasing until after the 8th week when I had built up endurance, but already, I can see that I increased my mileage by 0.12 from Saturday. These small victories are great! Finding a way to RUN OUTSIDE without hurting my shins, and realizing I made it almost 2/3 of the way to 3.1 miles was a very nice morale booster.

 

Thank you C25K. You gave me the confidence and training plan that I needed to start running 

 

p.s. I wanted to mention the most amazing discovery: I think I got this breathing thing down! Breathing in through nose and quick, forceful exhale through mouth has almost become second nature. I'm able to continue that to keep from getting winded while focusing on putting down my feet correctly and leaning my body correctly. I passed other people while I was jogging and I didn't even make eye contact because I was was concentrating on my foot-landing and breathing. (Also, to prevent that negative voice from thinking negative things). I do greet people during the walking portions.

 

p.s.s. Since I've been running on sloped asphalt, my balanced has improved significantly! After my run, I'm able to balance on one foot much better. This is huge for me because I'm big and have neuro-muscular issues.

[Jeshi]

Nothing ground breaking today.

 

1. Psychological: same excitement last night about running this morning. Not wanting to go this morning right before starting.

 

I realized with my morning, I was getting started later than 7:00 AM and going longer each session, not leaving enough time to take care of my body afterwards. This definitely put me in a down mood during my session.

 

I started with snug laces, but my feet were sliding inside my shoes. This caused foot pain for the first two runs, until I tightened the laces. The easiest way I found to tighten laces are to pull from the bottom and put an index finger on the X, using the other index finger hook it under the next X and pull up and tight. Then repeat. When I did this, my foot felt narrower and the outer part of my left foot became raised so I was hitting the road with the inner middle part of my foot instead of the outer part. This stopped the pain.

 

I realize the reason why my feet are hurting is the muscles are weak because I do not walk on sloped surfaces. For the last 3 years, I spend the majority of my time at my work desk (or inside an office building) and home. Both buildings are levels and built flat. My foot muscles were not being worked even though I spend all my time at home barefoot. For some reason, my right leg/foot takes the correct form when running, but the muscles of my left foot/leg are weak. I wonder what causes that imbalance.

 

When I tried running in the past, I would run like I am walking, but just faster. Now, I try to walk my intervals in a running posture to learn muscle memory. I'm pleased that my breathing in through nose and out through mouth is almost second nature as well as not lifting my chest when breathing in.

 

Today was slower than Monday (more hills? more doubt?), but I can feel the improvements in my body. If I wasn't constantly breathing in and out, I could talk at my pace.

 

What is most surprising is that I do not have to stop. When trying to run on the treadmill in the past, I'd run slower than others and couldn't do it for more than a few minutes. I had no clue how others maintain a fast pace for so long. I thought the only way to speed up is to start power walking and then build up speed to a run. I never knew that walk/run intervals was a strategy to build up endurance until I started this program.

 

I am also not gasping for air like I was 4 weeks ago. I will proceed to Week 3 next week. Sure, it's a scary thought, but I think I'm ready to try it. I like the fact that I can make adjustments by listening to my body and either swallowing my pride to repeat a week or to push myself to the next level. Many times, my calves/shins have burned and I wanted to stop during the run interval, but I told myself to keep going. I would slow my pace down even further (sometimes slower than my walk!) if I needed to. Today, I didn't glance at my phone as often to see when the interval would be over. I just let the announcer tell me when to walk and when to run.

 

Previously, I would work my hardest through the first few intervals telling myself that 'it is almost over,' and then I'd hear the 'you are half way' and laugh to myself. I didn't think about how much I had left, just kept going. Today's session felt 'easy' and 'dragging' at the same time. This is why I think I'm ready for the next week. 

 

I have noticed a lot of tension in my shoulders/neck, leading to headaches.

[iamnataliemarie]

Wow you've improved so much already. I wish I knew all this information about speed and distance. Since I'm running outside (that way my dog gets some exercise too and I kill 2 birds with one stone), I don't really keep track of all this info. I'm going to download an app that can maybe provide this info as it would be interesting to know. 

 

Can't wait to hear more of your progress as time goes by. My plan is to get used to running more minutes for now which will build endurance, and once I can jog the full 30 minutes I will start working on my speed. Maybe it'll be easier that way. I am jogging so slow right now it's almost embarrassing because my dog is next to me just walking slightly faster than normal lol. He's so bored he starts to take off a bit faster and I have to pull him back. 

 

Thanks for the post! 

[Jeshi]

Nice seeing you here, Natalie 

 

I use MapMyRun at the same time as C25K Trainer when I'm outside to keep track of distance. It's free!

 

 

You plan for running is perfect! They say if you can run slower, you should. That will help you run longer at each interval. Don't worry about the speed right now. I run so slowly some days, my "walk" intervals are faster than my "run" intervals. It doesn't matter. You're conditioning your body to run. When you repeat a Week for a few weeks, you'll be amazed how much easier that session is for you.

 

I was less-than-enthusiastic about repeating Week 2, but I was happily surprised how little effort it took me to complete on Wednesday. Our bodies are amazingly adaptive. Keep up the good work!

[Jeshi]

10/9/15 Friday

 

I did some reading on running yesterday. Specifically, about running for weight loss. It turns out that when you train for endurance (steady-state running) your body becomes more efficient (read: uses less calories to achieve the same task). This is why I experienced Week 2 becoming easy when it was difficult 3 weeks ago. If someone told me 4 weeks ago that I'd be able to run for 90 second intervals and find it easy, I'd call them a liar. It's amazing what this program has done for me.

 

However, we all know how people can get 'bored' with exercise. I know I do. I know that I generally fall off whatever exercise program I'm on after 4 weeks, even if it's as diverse as P90X, with a different program each day of the week. So, I thought I'd change it up. I don't HAVE to finish c25k in 9 weeks. If I don't, I'm not a failure. As long as I'm out there 3 days a week for 30 minutes, doing some form of running, I'm succeeding. And I'm getting stronger.

 

The thing I missed most about treadmill running when I was outdoors was the insanely high heart rate levels I was reaching. I would burst into anerobic sprints for 60 seconds and maintain aerobic levels for 90 second intervals. All for 20 continuous minutes. So I did that today. At 3.2 mph and 3.0 mph. You read that right. I focused on putting my feet down 180-200 times a minute at 3.2 mph. I didn't need to put my hands on the treadmill HR monitor. I could tell because my lungs felt like they were compressed. No matter how fast I deep-belly breathed, there wasn't enough air. It was great. I sweat so much. I felt like I completed a really great workout. 

 

Does this mean I'm going to stop progressing in the c25k app and start sprint intervals using Week 1 as my announcer? Of course not! This 'sprint day' is just another type of running I'm going to incorporate into my routine to 'change it up,' to keep my body guessing, to keep myself motivated. Sprinting helps build muscles and I love the feeling of working 'hard' even if it's 'torture' while I'm at it.

 

What do I love about running outdoors? Besides the fresh air, I love the full body muscular burn. The way the hills challenge my shins and calves. The great sense of accomplishment that I ran continuous during THAT ENTIRE INTERVAL and I'm not stopping. I'm not quitting. That each time I repeat this SAME SESSION, it's becoming easier. That all I have to do is continue in order to get to that 5k. Because if I think about the next Week in the program, I want to give up. It's daunting. So, I don't. I just focus my breath and my foot landing at this exact moment.

 

I'm happy that I'm on my way to running continuously and I hope it continues. Thanks for reading!

[Jeshi]

10/12/15 Monday - Anerobic Sprints

 

Having 2 rest days made such a difference! I settled on 3.8 mph 180 cadence and only felt the chest pressure near the end of the session. I sweat so much today (I probably sweat more indoors than outdoors due to air circulation, but this was more sweat indoors than usual).

 

My lung capacity is definitely improving. I've been eating better foods and watching my portions through MyFitnessPals, but I tend to binge on some days. All I need to boost my fat-loss is sleep. I'm running at about six hours of sleep on every day but Sunday due to work. I can really see the inches fall off on days I sleep enough/a lot and gain on days I don't sleep enough/consume a lot of sodium the day before.

 

I'm having a blast working on my lung capacity. I think I will alternate weeks of anerobic sprints with increased endurance. Maybe, I'll be able to speed up an endurance run after repeating it a couple of times. 

 

I'm quite happy that I'm out and about more and don't get as winded tying my shoelaces. Placing my run sessions Monday, Wednesday, Friday really helps me as I generally have to travel on weekends. I'll be doing a lot of walking this Saturday.

[Jeshi]

10/13/15 - Tuesday Running Outdoors

 

Didn't get much sleep last night. Woke up at 3:30 this morning and got into chore mode. Packed the blender with fruits and veggies for a green smoothie after running.

 

I was kinda kicking myself for using the treadmill for two sessions in a row. I felt like I took a 'step back' when I got onto the road. Yesterday, it felt like I had improved because the treadmill was smooth going and I was able to go faster without pain or losing my breath. Today, was a wake up call.

 

I am definitely going to stick to the program outdoors. (Will use treadmill only if I get in a rut or it rains.)

 

 

Today, I learned that I lean to the right. Even as I'm typing this I'm leaning to the right. When I'm drying a cup, I put my weight on my right side. My right leg is used to supporting all of my weight. During my run this morning, I could feel the unevenness in my legs. My feet got really sore. It almost felt like pain. I almost stopped my run to finish the session walking. But I push through it. I told myself that my foot was just extremely sore because it wasn't used to this. My right foot started getting sore, too. The treadmill had babied my feet and now they are going to have to learn to walk again. I focused on centering my body over my left leg while still moving forward.

 

I felt like another forum poster who mentioned I leg longer than the other. Could this be me? I'm thankful for the lessons I've learned from running outside. During the 3 minute intervals, when I was running up the hill, I slowed my paced down to a leisurely stroll. I didn't give up. I maintained my form (hitting with mid-foot instead of heel) and plodded along.

 

I can't wait to do the next session! 

 

I've decided to add as many days (up to six) of running as I can. Both to boost my metabolism, increase my muscular strength and lung function and to playfully compete with a friend who does push ups. I'm going to maintain Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, but if I'm not too sore, I will "catch the bug" and do some extra sessions in between. Thanks again for reading.

[Jeshi]

10/14/15 Thursday

 

Had a good break on Wednesday. Excited to get back to running today lest I fall off the running wagon.

 

I think this is one of the first days where I didn't go through a "I don't wanna" phase. I was just looking at the time and saying "go Go GO" in my head "If I don't move my butt, I'm going to be late for work." It worked.

 

Another reason why I love logging my workouts with MapMyRun (besides the time and distance metrics) are the challenges. Apparently, there are a whole bunch of free challenges that you can enter to win gift cards and such. All you have to do is log a workout. I don't want to manually log treadmill runs (yep, I'm that lazy), but I'm willing to tap "start workout" when I run outdoors. 

 

The big pull for these challenges aren't really the prizes themselves. I'm sure I'm one person out of a gajillion that's entering. Nope, it's for the fact that I CAN finish. I've never completed any exercise challenge before. If I just keep at this rate, I'll FINISH the challenges for once in my life. Very motivational.

 

Today, was also the first day I ran without foot pain. Woohoo! My feet were really, really sore though. Killer sore. Just something to push past.

 

 

 

10/15/15 Friday

 

Today, was amazing! Not only did I not have pain in my feet, but I couldn't even feel the soreness much. My calves burned like crazy going up the "hills". I ran the first few intervals at a nice pace. I always glance at the clock 1.5 minutes in, but I can't believe that I got through the first 3 minute interval without a problem. Really, it was the last 1.5 minutes of the 2nd 3 minute (or 4 out of 4) running interval where I was dying. My breathing was kinda out of control. My muscles were burning and protesting, and I REALLY, REALLY wanted to stop for the first time. Not slow down. Not walk. But just stop. But I didn't. I just glanced at the clock every 10 seconds. I started thinking to myself, I can't do this, if I keep glancing at the clock I'm going to keep killing myself. So, I put the time and pain out of my mind and started focusing on how my feet hit the pavement.

 

My breakthrough running motion is difficult to describe. When walking, the heel hits first and you roll to the front of the foot. This creates a smooth stride. During running, you land mid-foot and control the decent of the heel. I kept visualizing an upside down gas pedal in a car. The bottom of the gas pedal is tethered to the floor of the car. You press the top of the accelerator to the floor of the car to go faster. In running, I would touch my fore/mid-foot to the pavement, and then control my heel down to the pavement. Then, like a puppet, lifted my opposite hip up and forward, swinging my whole leg forward, keeping my foot in position to land correctly.

 

During the walking intervals and warm-up, I practice walking landing as if I am running. It looks funny as hell, but I don't care. I've developed foot muscles for walking, but the ones for running motion are SO weak. Aren't all the muscles in your foot the same (don't you use all of them when you walk/run/etc,?) NO! If that were the case, people wouldn't need to cross-train with different foot movements to build foot strength/muscle. There would be only one type of shoe. There wouldn't exist running shoes for back and forth motion and cross trainers that include side to side motions. I just wiki'ed and found that there are more than a hundred muscles, tendons, and ligaments in the foot.

 

I don't want to be injured. I don't want to be sidelined, temporarily or permanently. I'm trying to learn as much as I can and invest myself into running for health.

 

I cannot believe that I made it through Week 3 Day 3. Very, very happy. Today, marks the 4th week of when I made the commitment to try this program and I'm still here. I cannot WAIT to finish this program (although I will take it as slow as I need to.) In fact, I'm on the fence of whether I should push to Week 4 next week or repeat Week 3 as my body becomes more efficient.

 

I'm very excited that I've been sticking to this running thing and I've been eating better and watching my portions. The one item I'm lacking right now is sleep. I've felt so much better since exercising that I've been taking care of myself more and everything takes up a lot of time.

 

Well, thanks for reading and I wish you a happy running journey!

[Jeshi]

10/19/15 Monday

 

I walked 10K on Saturday (at a festival).

 

I...completed...Week 4 Day 1 today!!! I couldn't believe I did it! On the second interval, I checked my phone and saw that I had to do a 5 minute job and nearly freaked out. I had to put those thoughts out of my head and continue to maintain my breathing and focus on my footwork. My calves burned so much today and my feet continued to get stronger.

 

I held back because I wasn't sure I could finish it. 

 

 

I'm debating whether I should continue with Week 4 Day 2 tomorrow or to repeat Week 3. I know today was a little easier because I had two rest days.

 

 

One thing that really worries me: my "run" is super slow. My average speed before cooldown is 3.15 mph. I understand that I'm building endurance and speed will come later, but I'm worried that I'm not really building endurance for running if I'm really just walking. Probably the difference between walking fast is my gait and form. I'm also managing my breathing fairly well (it's not easy, but doable).

 

Any thoughts?