C25K

So on April 7th I started quite a new journey for me.  I had read about the Couch to 5K program online and then a nurse I work with was talking about that she did it to lose the last of her baby weight after having her twins.  It's a 9 week program for people who aren't runners or haven't run in awhile.  The goal is to get you off the couch and able to run a 5K or 30 minutes in 9 weeks.  You're supposed to run 3 times per week with a day of rest in between each run day.  After reading some motivational stories of people who were obese and had completed this program, I decided to give it a go. 

Keep in mind my knees have been terrible since I was about 14 years old and it's been about that long since I've run anywhere (unless I was being chased)!  I won't take you through the program week by week (you can check out the site if you're interested), but I will say that the first week consisted of a 5 minute brisk walk to warm up and then alternating 60 seconds of running with 90 seconds of brisk walking for a total of 8 runs and then a 5 minute cool down walk.  I was really unsure if I could even JOG for 60 seconds straight without dying or my knees giving out.  I decided just to take it slow and not to push my knees too much and listen to my body.  I'll admit, the first day of my training was hard as hell!!!  I wanted to quit many times during that workout, but it was just me being out of shape....my knees weren't in pain at all!  I pushed through and was so proud of myself when I was done! 

My motivation for keeping up with the journey is to a) lose 20 pounds before getting pregnant and b) the theory that if I strengthen the muscles that support my knees that they will be more stable. 

I am on Week 2 Day 2 of this training and started to feel some pain behind one of my kneecaps last night and this morning.  After talking with some experienced runner friends today, I have decided that it is best to not do my run today and do a bike ride instead to rest my knee.  I will still get my cardio, but much less impact.  I was planning on going to a runner's store on Tuesday anyway to get fitted for new running shoes and I think that might help my pain.  I'm pretty sure my 2 year old Shox aren't the best thing for a girl with bad knees to be running in.  The place I'm going will analyze how my foot moves when I walk and run and my stride to find the best shoes for me!  Yay!!!  I know this will probably be pricey, but it's got to be worth it! 

I can't believe I'm really going to put this out there for the public to view, but I think it will help keep me motivated and accountable.  My weight the morning before my first run was 150.4 pounds (the heaviest I've ever been in my life).  UGH!  Like I said, I would like to lose 20 pounds to be at a healthy weight for me before getting pregnant.  I'll keep posting my progress with my weight and my training! 

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