More Of A Breakthrough

I just finished week five, where the walk/run is 35 minutes per session.  On a scale of 1-10, most of the past weeks have been 8-9 on he difficulty scale, so I wasn't thinking this would be an easy week.

Actually, it wasn't easy.  Just relatively easier, a 6-7 on the exhaustion scale, but I did feel much better.  One of the main points of this blog is to inspire and help others, so if you're having trouble I hope you find some hope here.

I think there are two main reasons why I felt better.  First, continuing from my last post, changing to morning workouts has made a huge difference.  It's cooler and I feel fresher.  Also, eating more has given me more energy to burn, and who doesn't enjoy eating more food?

The second reason, which has been dawning on me recently, is to take it one day at a time.  Even during workouts, I have learned to try and not worry about how fast I will have to run in a few minutes or how tired I will be at the end.  Instead, break everything down into small, even one minute increments.  Try and have your mind think about something else besides running.

I have also learned to start applying this lesson to other parts of my daily existence.  For example, when I walk into the office (maybe I should jog through the door now?), or even before I arrive, I often think about all I have to do that day.  You can really stress yourself out by this mode of thinking.  I'm learning to break tasks down into smaller increments.

Applying that same reasoning to running a marathon, I've often wondered during these past few weeks how on earth I would ever reach that point.  There were times where I practically needed to be carted off after doing a 25 minute walk/run, so 26 miles was unimaginable.  I've learned that you can't look that far ahead.  Just focus on what you're doing that day.  I'm still not sure how I will run 26 miles, but have a little more faith  now that I might just get there.

A Breakthrough (Of Sorts)

Weeks two and three don't sounds that difficult on paper.  They are just run/walks of 20/25 minutes with a loose interpretation of "run" on my part.

During week two my top speed was 4 MPH and that was for two minutes each session, with a total distance not much more than a mile.  This past week I bumped it up to three 4 MPH blocks and covered around 1.35 miles total (except last Thursday when I spent four of the 25 minutes at a blazing 4 MPH).

That sounds easy, but I was wiped out after each workout.  I have been trying to deduce the reason.  The treadmill is downstairs and there isn't much ventilation, so I have been roasting, especially in the hot weather recently.  Also, after working and then battling traffic on some tough drives home, some lasting over an hour, I'm usually tired before I even hit the treadmill.  I am probably not eating enough either and I'm still working on my breathing while exercising.

I think all of the above are contributing.  The weather is cooling down and I started eating more this weekend.  I am also (I think) going to try waking up at the ungodly hour of 5 A.M. and try exercising in the morning beginning tomorrow.  I did exercise around 2 A.M. one crazy Friday night/Saturday morning a week ago and felt pretty good despite eating poorly that night and drinking a fair share of fireball.

So what was this supposed breakthrough?

I hiked in Mission Trails with Sarah yesterday, plus we had to walk nearly two miles later that night when we had to park in a different state for a band competition and I felt real good on all those walks.

Then today I went geocaching with a buddy of mine.  We had to climb some STEEP trails.  Several times my friend had to stop from being so winded, yet I felt fine the entire time.  I guess I have made some progress.  Now on to week four!

Week Two Has Begun!

My final "workout" last week was a Saturday walk on the beach with Daniel.  It felt great strolling near the shore and it was already hot.  I was wearing jeans and shoes, so I had to tap dance around the incoming water in certain parts, adding to the fun.

Yesterday Daniel and I teamed up again to shop for some running shoes.  The store was tucked away and it took us a little while to find it, but it was well worth the wait as they spent an hour with me figuring out what shoe works best.  I ended up buying a pair of Nike's and three pairs of running socks.

This week instead of 20 minute walks each session it's bumped up to 20 minute "run/walks."  That leaves a lot of wiggle room.

Tonight I wore my new shorts, short, orange socks, and new shoes (oh yeah, I bought two pairs of shorts and shirts at Target on Saturday).  With my new attire, I had a plan for the treadmill, increasing to 3.5 MPH after five minutes, then speeding up the pace to 4 MPH for two minutes in the middle.  I did all that, but I wasn't able to then return to 3.5 MPH, instead dipping to 3 and catching my breath before finally returning to 3.5 for a couple minutes.

I did feel tired at work today even though I think I had enough sleep.  Maybe that led to me feeling sluggish tonight.  The good news is I did break a mile for the first time at 1.02.  The bad news is a marathon is 26 miles!

I think I need to eat better.  I haven't been too bad, but it's difficult running when you feel heavy.  Last week the goal was establishing a routine and getting some running gear.  I will start focusing on nutrition more this week.

I'm alredy curious how Wednesday will go!