I Did It! . . . Almost.

O.M.G! My cleavage is DRIPPING sweat! (TMI? Yeah, probably.) I just completed C25K w4d1. Kinda. Okay, I cheated a little toward the end, but still. . . progress is progress. It's been gradual baby steps up 'til now, but Week 4 is a huge leap up from Week 3, in my opinion. Your run time suddenly takes a huge step up, and at the same time, they cut your recovery walks in half. All things considered, I'm not displeased with my performance. It may take me 2 weeks to feel that I've mastered this one and am ready to move on. Which would suck, as I have my eye on a couple 5K's toward the end of May, beginning of June, and was hoping to fully run at least the June 4 one. We shall see. But boy, I was wishing about halfway through that I'd thought to turn the a/c on before I started! Still, probably for the best that I didn't. If I'm hoping to run outdoors, I might as well not get used to frosty cool air now. Still, when your run outdoors, there's the hope of a breeze, at least the one you create for yourself by running THROUGH the air, lol! Hoping to catch an "easy" run with my friend Marca tomorrow, as she's just starting her C25K journey. Of course, it'll be the first time outdoors for me, so it may not be as easy as I'm hoping, lol! Still, it'll be fun to run with a friend. Better shave tonight if I'm going to be wearing this outfit in "public" though!

No laughing! I know it looks hideous, but I wear it for function, not fashion. And I'm starting to believe that the camera really does add 10 pounds! Couldn't seem to get a full-length shot, but yes, those are capri-length tights. Too bad--the shoes are the best part of the whole getup, lol! Mostly, I think the reason I'm willing to post a picture of my 209-lb self in lycra is b/c then you (and I) can see the improvement as the weight comes off. :-) Damn, I didn't think I was still this fat. . . oh, well. Miles up, pounds down! Healthier body, here I come!

Loggers Lake

Took my oldest boy out for a little hike today. We drove out to nearby Loggers Lake to hike the nature trail around the lake. A beautiful day, and the forest was abloom. :-) We lost the trail partway out and had to turn around and go back, but oh well. Needed to get back and start dinner, and the kid was wearing out anyway. Not finishing=an excuse to go back! Better luck next time, but hey, it was a pretty nice way to spend an afternoon! Monday night, so company for dinner. Baked sweet potatoes, grilled pork loin, and coleslaw, plus an experiment in grilled mangoes. Experiment was a success. Yum! :-) Got some more work done on a baby blanket I'm crocheting for a friend. Working on the granny squares right now. I despise granny squares! But, the baby's coming in June, so. . . mustn't procrastinate! I'm hoping to mail it in time for the shower, and that's actually in May! Starting Week 4 of C25K tomorrow. This is where it all fell apart for me before. Wish me luck, say a quick prayer for me, whatever it is you do. I'm going to need all the help I can get! Screw you, Coach Porter! Perhaps that shall be my mantra as I puff my way through 5 minutes tomorrow. :-)

Inside Again!

Well, stuck running inside on a beautiful spring day once again. :-( Still, finally completed w3d3, and there's something to be said for that. Tried reading on the Kindle while I ran, but I'm not sure how well that's going to work out. I can't reach the buttons to turn the pages particularly well, which gets rather awkward, but it is a nice distraction. Today's run was actually the most difficult of Week 3 for me, which is unusual. Maybe it's b/c the pace on my walk breaks felt faster, making recovery more difficult, but I can't confirm this with a broken display. Or it could be due to failure to fuel and hydrate properly today. A breakfast of 6 mini Cadbury creme eggs does not make a good breakfast, and I hadn't been drinking my water right, either. Tried a new recipe for dinner tonight--sweet potato-lentil chili. The kids were not impressed. When are they ever? ~sigh~ The grown-ups approved, however, which means it'll probably keep coming back. It'll at least make a reappearance as leftovers, since the recipe makes WAY more than it says it does! It's supposed to make 8 half-cup servings. Since I feed a crowd (with healthy appetites, usually), I doubled the recipe. The leftovers filled my 4 (or is it 6?) quart slow cooker insert! Loaves and fishes, anyone?

Odd. . .

Amazing what a brief period of healthy eating will do to you. I saw the most amusing thing in the store today--a bag of Jet-Puffed Jumbomallows. Bought them, figuring the kids'd get a large charge out of them. :-) I ate one. ONE! I feel slightly nauseous. How strange. Bought some new running gear today, and a new battery for my Polar watch. I'm contemplating various options for a piece of gear to track my distance, but barring a miracle, that purchase will be a long time coming. I hoped to get outside for the last workout of Week 3 today, but it just didn't happen. I'm going to go ahead and skip it today and try again tomorrow, but if getting outside fails tomorrow, I'm going to just suck it up and hit the 'mill again. It was perfect weather this afternoon, too. :-( But, when you don't have time, you just don't have time. I have to find a way to make time. Maybe tomorrow I can get either mom or my aunt to watch my boys for a bit so I can go out. Wish me luck!

Still Plugging Away on the Broken 'Mill

Well, check Day 2 of Week 3 off the to-do list. The treadmill's still busted, and I'm still running on it. No idea how fast I'm going or how far, and it sounds like hell. But I'm doing the workouts; I guess that's the important part. I guess right now, the way I feel about it is mostly get in, get it done, get it over with. I could wish I was enjoying it more, but truthfully, it's not too bad, and maybe that's a pretty good review, all in all, coming from me. :-) I kinda wish I could get outside, though. Weather's gorgeous, and the view's bound to be better. Probably be harder than the treadmill, but less boring, and I could at least track my distance better. Besides, if I'm going to do a 5K outdoors, I have to learn to run outdoors eventually, right? Maybe next time the husband's in for the weekend, I can get one in, test it out. But since he's only here maybe twice a month, is it enough? Ugh. Ate too much stir-fry tonight. Oh, well; tomorrow's another day. On the bright side, my TOPS weigh in came back with a loss of 2.75. The scale gets to live. I threatened that if it lied on me again this week, I was going to beat it into a pile of unrecognizable rubble. Guess it took me seriously. ;-)

Addicted?

Okay, so I did it anyway. Despite crappy equipment, no light left outside by the time dinner was served and cleared, and a lack of anyone to watch the Brat Pack, I still did it. I couldn't stand not to. I felt like if I gave in today, that was the end of it, really. Especially the end of my ambition to run the Boy Scout 5K in Rolla on May 30th. I HAVE to stick with it tight if I want to do that run. Even at that, I may not be ready to do it all without breaks. But I want to do it, just the same, and do the best I possibly can. Am I starting to get hooked? Lol, I don't know; you be the judge!

Curse You, Technology!!!

My treadmill is on course to become my nemesis rather than my friend. I had decided after this weekend that I would simply take my 2 days, and shift my workout schedule to TTS, rather than MWF. However. . . I suited up and hopped on the treadmill today, only to discover that my belt is back to rubbing my motor housing and my display is shot! I just want to SCREAM! So I guess I'm going to HAVE to figure out a way to do my running outside, or give it up altogether. :-( I have my Polar watch that Bo gave me last year (needs a new battery), but no real way to track distance outdoors, so no way to pace myself. Still, once I replace the battery, it at least gives me a way to time my intervals. The main issue is how I keep up with someone to watch the kids 3 days a week while I go out. My usual run time (while baby naps) has to be scrapped, and replaced with something later in the evening, which gets in the way of dinner prep! I'm just losing my mind all around, and every solution I can come up with costs money, which I don't have! Sometimes, being a broke single mom sucks.