Accomplishing more than ever thought...

As you know, I have been on this weight loss journey for almost 5 months.  While on this journey, I started going to the gym daily to help boost my weight loss and to make my body stronger.  When I first started working out it was mostly the elliptical machine and I could only remain on it for about 15-20 minutes.  

While at the gym, I learned that a friend of mine from a former church was also a member of the gym and in turn she introduced to to another lady.  Both of these ladies were running on the treadmill several days a week.  I was super jealous of their fitness and ability to run for so long.  Don't get me wrong, I love both of these ladies dearly, but I just was frustrated that they could do something that I couldn't.  

Almost 8 weeks ago, after the encouragement of these same fine ladies, I began training for a 5K.  I started to use a C25K (Couch to 5K) app on my phone.  Essentially this program breaks it down so that in 8 total weeks you are able to run a 5K.  I must say, I found this to be unreasonable considering when I started this program I was still well over 230lbs and not physically fit at all.  

Week by week I would do the requirements of the program.  It starts relatively simple with you jogging for 60 seconds and then walking for 90 seconds, for a total of 21 minutes.  And then you build up each week, adding additional jogging time and shortening up your walking time.  And in the end, you are jogging for the full 3.2 miles and walking 5 minutes on either side.  I honestly thought going into this training program that I would end up repeating some weeks and lengthening the total amount of weeks that it took to complete it.  Well I couldn't be more wrong!

On Sunday, April 1, 2012, one week earlier than expected, I jogged my first 5K.  I completed the 3.2 miles on the treadmill at the gym, with my daughter and her friend there to witness it.  It took me just under 43 minutes to complete the 5K and I must say that I felt wonderful during and after.  I didn't set out to complete the 3.2 miles, but once I started to run that day, I knew that there was no stopping me.  And in the end, there wasn't.  

So I have accomplished something that I couldn't possibly imagine myself doing.  Running/jogging isn't something that a person who is 274lbs thinks that they will be doing.  Even with completing a cardio workout each day at the gym, I didn't think that my body would allow for me to complete a 5K.  But I couldn't be more wrong.  I have to say that being able to achieve what I did is because I challenged myself and wouldn't allow myself to give up.  Pushing myself to the max is something that I have always done and now it translated into completing a 5K.

Well now that is done I plan on continuing to run the 5K on the treadmill and I will attempt to shave time off of the jog by gradually increasing my speed.  It will be fun to see how much time I can trim off of the bottom line of the 5K.  I have also considered beginning a C210K program now.  Holy cow... a 10K!  What in the world am I thinking?!  Well actually I am thinking that I can accomplish anything that I set my mind too!  

Another minor milestone...

As you are all aware of, I am doing a C25K program.  Today was Week 5 Day 3 of the 8 week program.  I have survived thus far, but each run gets harder and harder.  As I expressed earlier in the week, today was a BIG day for me… a 20 minute straight jog without walking at all.

I started the morning with a 10 minute brisk walk to warm myself up.  Then I hit the start button the C25K program (no turning back).  The program had me walking an additional 5 minutes to warm up.  I figured that I would kick up the speed just a bit for these 5 minutes to really get my body all warmed up.  At the end of that 5 minutes the little prompt to me to begin jogging.  And so I did…

I decided that I would focus on the local news that I set on the TV in front of me.  That lasted all of 2 minutes and I found myself looking at the time.  18:29 left to go…

I moved my attention to the music that I was listening too.  Taylor Hicks (who is my obsession in life… yeah go ahead and laugh, I’m use to it) was the selection that was on and I focused all of my attention on him.  I kept thinking that he overcame so much the season that he won American Idol (the old jokes because of his hair color, being quirky and no one understanding his style, the must that he has a passion for, etc).  I told myself that if he could overcome those major adversities in his life to win American Idol, that I could overcome any adversities in my own life that would prevent me from jogging 20 straight minutes.  This distracted my attention for a bit… I looked at the clock and I still had 13:44 left.  Oh my goodness!

I glance at the TV again and they are talking weather.  OK great, maybe this will distract me from looking at the time.  I watch the entire forecast, finding out that the next 7 days are going to be absolutely beautiful, and then look down again at the clock… 12:33 left.

OK, so I must focus.  Focus on anything but the time.  I start looking at the calories that I am burning and I feel better.  This allows me to not think of the time that seems to be slowly ticking away.  While staring at the calories the prompt on the C25K program speaks, she says “You are half way there”.  This means I have reached the 10 minute mark!

Regroup my focus and now Fantasy by Earth, Wind and Fire is on.  Being a huge Pittsburgh Steelers fan, this song has meaning because it is one of the songs that Hines Ward danced to when he was on Dancing with the Stars.  I then begin to think again, that if Hines can do it so can I.  Song ends and I look down at the time 6:45 left to go.  I realize (not as if the prompt shouldn’t have clued me in) that I really am over half way there.

Back to watching TV and trust me when I say that I am not feeling bad at this point, but my mind starts to play tricks on me.  My mind started telling me that I couldn’t finish.  That I needed to walk.  That it was important for me to give up.  That negative Sam came out in full force.  I IGNORED that voice and then I started to repeat to myself something that I tell my daughters all the time… “Suck it up and deal with it”!  Look down and I am at 4:33 left.

Oh my goodness… under 5 minutes left.  I know that I can do it!  I look around the gym.  I then turn back to the TV.  Ignore the little negative Sam.  Listening to “I’m Sexy and I Know It” by LMFAO.  The next thing I know is the voice prompt in the program says “1 minute to go”.  YES… 1 minute!

The last minute flies by and the next thing I know, I am in cool down mode of the program and in total disbelief that I actually jogged for 20 minutes straight.  I felt great, no aches, no pains and no labored breathing.  I actually felt good.

So I learned that I can push myself further than expected.  I also learned that the negative Sam is still around and that I have to occasionally ”beat her down”.  I guess listening to the negative all my life got me into the position that I am and now it is time to squash that negative talk and replace it with accomplishments!

Happy Friday everyone.  I sure hope you all have a blessed weekend 

Is running for me?

I started my journey on November 13, 2011.  When I began this journey I focused on nutrition only.  I did very little (almost none) exercise.  My thinking was that I needed to put all of my energy into learning how to feed my body right before I began to work out.  On January 2, 2012 I joined the local YMCA, as I had given myself time to learn about the nutritional aspect and now it was time to shift gears to exercise.  In my initial plan, I wanted to work out about 3-4 days a week.  

It is now February 21, 2012 and I have been at this work out "stuff" for a little over 7 weeks.  In that time I have challenged myself on the elliptical machine, treadmill, stair master, bike and even some weighs.  Each time I tried a new machine I wouldn't allow myself to fail.  I persisted until I reached a level and goal that i set for myself.  First it was little goals, like completing 30 minutes on the elliptical on resistance 8 or 15 minutes on the stair master on resistance 10.  Each time I pushed myself, I found that I could achieve the goals set forth!  Additionally, I have moved into working out 7 days a week.  I honestly feel horrible if I even think about missing a day at the gym.  

So now... the newest challenge for me, after watching 2 of my fellow gym rats, is to run.  As a "morbidly obese" female, I honestly don't think that I can actually run.  Heart rate, lung capacity and my joints and muscles not being used all concerned me with my current weight.  Yes, I know that I have lost some weight (almost 37 pounds to be exact), but I am still very much overweight.  But I am all about a challenge when it comes to the gym and it didn't help that someone told me that running will help "melt away the pounds".

So last week i decided to try my hand at running.  I downloaded a Couch to 5K (C25K) app (because that's they way I do everything).  The app is to prepare you for a 5K in 8 weeks.  You work on running 3 days a week for the 8 week time period and at the end of it, you are suppose to be able to run a 5K.  In the first week you walk briskly for 5 minutes, then rotate between 60 seconds of running and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.  Then you end with a cool down for 5 minutes.  Now it doesn't sound like much, but for someone who doesn't run at all, this made me sweat like you wouldn't believe and certainly got my heart racing!  Additionally, I decided that I needed to add some additional running into my routine and kicked it up a notch.  I ran 1 day in 3 different increments (2 minutes, 3 minutes and then 4 minutes).  Another day I challenged myself even more and did 3 different increments (6 minutes, 5 minutes and 5 minutes).  Throughout the week I noticed that I can push myself and I can run!  I may not be the fastest or able to complete many, many miles, but I can run... at my pace.

This week is Week 2 of my C25K.  I do a 5 minute warm up walk, rotation of 90 seconds jogging and 2 minutes briskly walking and end with a 5 minute cool down.  I completed day 1 and it kicked my butt.  Tomorrow is day 2 and I am excited to challenge myself again to complete day 2 and move onto day 3.  I am hoping that Week 3 won't kill me... but only time will tell.  

I am hoping that I can complete a 5K sometime in the future.  This C25K will take me to the middle of April to complete and that's just in time for 5K season.  I am not sure when I will run one, but I am determined to complete a while 5K and not just walking one.  

Challenge yourself.  Raise yourself and your workout to new highs.  If you don't try new things, you will never know what you are able to accomplish in life :)