So I've decided to ditch my old weight loss diary after a few months. I've proven to myself that I've changed my lifestyle and can lose weight, and last February when all the roads were blocked off and I was cursing because I had to detour for the Marathon in Jacksonville, FL, I told myself, "One day I'm gonna be one of the runners making people detour." I doubt anyone believed me, or if I even belived myself, but now I have to!!

Two weeks ago, I signed up for the Madison half-marathon on May 30, 2010. And I hope to follow that up with the real deal in either October, or back in FL if I can afford the trip back down to the sunshine state in Feb 2011.

I'm still 286 pounds, but I've lost 40 the last few months. And I find it's much easier and much more healthy to obsess over my fitness goals rather than my weight.

A month ago I could hardly run a mile in 12 minutes without feeling like I had just died, but lets dream big right!!!

And hell, if Alta can do it, than so can I dangit!

Hey, I'm from the Milwaukee area I should sign up for the half marathon!!! Man that would be insane if I could actually do it.... you have me tempted to sign up though! I'm doing my first 5K this Sunday at the Milwaukee County Zoo... the Jingle Bell run/walk for arthritis.

And I like what you said about Alta... lol... I will be thinking of her during my 5K!!

Good luck with everything

~ Sarah

Over the last couple of weeks of training and reading I think I've finally tweaked my workout plan pretty good. At first I was running too much and too fast, but I'm learning to pace myself and not overtrain. AND warm up and stretch. Go figure, it actually works.

Training Schedule:

Day 1 - Easy 2 mile pace run
Day 2 - Intervals (faster pace with hills and walking)
Day 3 - Medium 2 mile pace run - faster than day 1
Day 4 - Rest
Day 5 - Cross training (30-60 min on bike)
Day 6 - Long run - starting at 3 miles
Day 7 - Other (Rest or light cross training, no running)

My first long run was 38:00, and last night I got it down to 36:00. Yay for me!!!

In another week or two I'm gonna add a half mile to each run. I can see the finish line already.

You should!! I never would have signed up for Madison except my coworker knew about me running and had just run the Milwaukee marathon a few weeks ago. He almost qualified for Boston. Now that I've signed up it's so much easier to stay motivated. I almost skipped a couple workouts last week, but then I remembered, in 209 days I have to run 13.1 miles!!! Ahhhh!

It's nice to have someone pushing you (plus another coworker just did the Madison Ironman). If you have the time to train and want to run at my slow pace, we can all push each other to finish!

Good luck on the 5K!

Jeff

Just got back from doing 19.5 miles on the bike at the gym. Dang is my butt ever sore from sitting on that thing for an hour! Ughh. But my legs aren't too sore at all. Maybe tomorrow I'll be paying when I wake up though. Kept up a 19MPH pace the whole time, just jamming out to my iPod.

Gotta love the new Jay-Z! I was even playing air drums while I was peddling. Yeah, there were a few other people in there. Haha. Just sweating away and in my zone and having a good time. I hated that thing two weeks ago when I forced myself to do some cross training. Now it's my favorite day of the week!

Probably start upping the resistance a little now that I feel I can pedal 80-90 RPM all day. After like 2 miles I usually want to just stop, but if I push through it seems to get so much easier.

Finally broke down this afternoon and agreed to a weekly run outdoors with my coworker. Problem is that he was running 16 miles a day just recently. I hope he can keep up with me.

And I bought some official running shirts and underarmor to wick away the sweat since I now have to actually RUN OUTSIDE in the dang cold. I modeled for myself in the mirror and posed and I look just like a total running dork. It's great! I've never ran with someone else before. Running in the past has usually entailed me going half a block and gasping for breath and sucking down gulps of air like it was going out of style.

Personal best for 2 miles on the treadmill today: 22:35.

Well, best in like 9 years anyway.

Hee hee .. That made me giggle. I love getting new gym clothes that make me look like a gym rat. I take pride in it. It's awesome.

Keep up the good work mate! Can't wait til I'm at the stage when running that far seems achieveable, since...

Is about where I am right now!

Haha Kara. Yeah, I feel like Reggie Bush in that Underamor commercial when I put it on, except for all the flab where the muscles should be.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Benji Can't wait til I'm at the stage when running that far seems achieveable

Just keep working at it and slowly up the speed. I did a kind of couch to 5K program to build up my endurance. Run for a minute, walk for 2 minutes ... then build up the running. Best of luck!

Signed up for my first race today: Jingle Bells 5K on December 5th. I was already kinda nervous about running outside, having committed to one day a week with my coworker, and now this! Ahhh!!! So I bought some underarmour running pants and a jacket today at Dunham's to go along with the free stuff the guy at work gave me. I'm all set now. More goodies to play with.

Then what better way to get the nerves out than to actually do it! Dang it was hard to run today though. It was dark and I had no idea of my pace being off the treadmill and w/o my headphones and I had to cut the run short cuz my sis was waiting on me. So I'm still nervous though, since I've yet to set a base pace for my outdoor miles. Can't wait until Friday to run two miles outside like a real runner and see what my pace is. At least I found mileage markers along the path in the dark, so it'll be a good place to run through the winter.

Gotta force myself to take a day off tomorrow though. It's gonna be hard. Only 4 weeks to get ready for this 5K. No more screwing around!

Hey, I had the same issue in terms of not knowing how to pace myself when running outside. In my first 5K, I just relied on picking certain people to follow as I went along. If, after a few hundred yards at least, they seemed a bit slow, I would pass and pick someone else. This didn't get me an optimal time, but it kept me from burning myself out, allowed me to finish strong, and gave me experience for the next race. My 2nd race I still followed people but feel I did a better job of picking who to follow and did better because of it. Trust me, when you finish your first 5K, you'll be happy no matter the time. Also, Under Armour is key! I have an Under Armour cold gear shirt and I wear it under a t shirt to run on cold days. It insulates for one, but it also keeps you from getting soaked in sweat, which would obviously just make you colder. And if you want to simulate outdoor running on the treadmill, remember to set the incline up to 1.0. Good luck on December 5th!

Thanks for the tip on that website in your journal: Running in the USA - Welcome to Running in the USA

Quote:

Originally Posted by codon2004 Trust me, when you finish your first 5K, you'll be happy no matter the time.

Yeah, that's all I'm focusing on is trying to run the whole thing no matter how slow my pace. Then I can build from that until May.

HEHEHE

me too!!!!
I just bought a sweet under armor shirt.... and i feel like such a studette muffin!!!!


heck ya bitches..... i AM A BEAST!!!!


LMAO!

Just got a call from my brother asking me to work tonight. So now I get to work from 7am to 4pm at one job, and then from 4pm to 11pm at the other. THEN I get to drive across town and run the two miles I planned on with little sleep ... in the dark again. Yay!

I felt down for a minute and was going to blow off my run, but I'm reading Ultra Marathon: Confessions of an All Night Runner, which is an amazing and hilarious autobiography (yes, my job is uber hard, with posting on the forum and reading), and Dean Karnazes, running in his first 135 mile Badwater ultra in Death Valley, collapses in the dirt on the side of the road more than halfway through. Then he quotes Theodore Roosevelt.

The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid soulds who neither know victory or defeat.

I WILL NOT BE A COLD TIMID SOUL!!!

If he can run 135 miles straight and a marathon in -50 degree weather on the South Pole, I can force myself to run my pitily little two miles tonight.

......OMG!!!........I am so happy to have FOUND YOUR THREAD right now!!!...I was looking and I saw Marathon and thought..."Oh cool...let me click real quick..."...and I was so happy for you just reading and that you MADE THE DECISION...and then..I saw MY NAME!!! ...I am so happy that you could think that way...cause it's the truth...I DID IT..and just reading that you signed up and made the Committment..I KNOWWWWWWWWWWW You can too!!!...I am rooting for you buddy!!!..I have my 2nd Marathon in Feb!!!...I am SOOOO PROUD OF YOU!!!..Thank you for mentioning me...it's so astounding to see!!