Week 4 Day 1

Okay, so I'm sure you noticed there is no Week 3 Day 3 post. I'm betting you are thinking I ran and forgot to post about it. Right? Sorry to disappoint, but I did not run on Week 3 Day 3. I just didn't have time to run on Thursday or Friday and by Saturday I just hadn't done it. Life just got the best of me at the end of the week. I had to go into work on Thursday at 6, so I left the house at 5, which means I got up around 4ish. Then I had to stay late for the shift change that happens at 6...so I got home around 7ish. Lucky for me Jay had dinner ready, but dinner was not the end of our tasks, because we got a call that they wanted to show the house on Friday. That meant that Jay and I spent the rest of the evening cleaning the house. Friday was another early day for me, had to be there by 6:15am...I'd intended to get up around 4-ish...the alarm didn't wake me, so I woke up in a panic at almost 5...Raced to get to work. Friday, Jay picked me up in Aurora and we went to Omaha to see friends and family. We were pretty busy on Saturday, so I didn't manage to run Saturday either.

Okay so Sunday morning, Shannon, my friend in Omaha, who started this whole running deal for me suggested we run together this morning. Shannon is on Week 8, so we decided to run my program on Week 4 since I didn't think I could handle her workout yet. So this week's workout:

Run 3 mins
Walk 90 sec
Run 5 mins
Walk 2 mins
Run 3 mins
Walk 90 sec
Run 5 mins

This was hard. I don't think you realize how long 5 mins of running is. It is an eternity. I think the closest way to realize how long 5 mins is when you are running is to compare it to something we all do. Drink 2 big bottles of water. When you feel like you are about to pee your pants, start the timer and wait 5 mins before you head to the bathroom...trust me it's a long time.

So the good thing was I got to run with Shannon. We met at the High School Track by her house and did our workout together. We were both feeling it today. We 'might' have had a few drinks at Shannon's house last night when we were BBQ'ing. Not the best for an early am run. We were both tired and a little dehydrated, but we made it. I really didn't want to do that last 5 min. run, but I think the only reason I finished was the fact that we'd already done 20 mins of the workout and I couldn't quit so close to the finish line.

Shannon was trying to teach me what she learned about how to focus on breathing while running. You are supposed to breathe in for 2 sec and out for 4. I tried to do this when we started, but I'll be honest I was just trying to keep my feet moving by the end. Maybe it is something I'll work up to. Shannon also had a cool little gizmo that tracked how far we ran. Since we were on a track I kinda had an idea how many laps we were doing, but she said we did 2.18 miles. Which was her personal best! Way to go Shannon!!! I have no clue how far I run when I go, so I have no comparison. I can guesstimate how far around the lake I normally go, but that's about it.

Physically, I'm still hanging in there. My knees on up are doing well. My right heal is a little sore when I'm done running, but my right heal has been sore for about a year now from the standing on concrete floors at work. It's not painful, I can just feel it. My left foot is sore, but that also goes back the BBQ at Shannon's. We were on her deck last night and I stepped on a huge sliver... so my foot is pretty sore, but that's temporary. Running on the track this morning helped my feet since it is made out of that rubbery material. So I'll say this much...4 weeks in, and running hasn't killed me yet!

I promise to make sure Annie goes with this week, should be morning runs, so it should be easy to take the dogs. I still think she's lost some weight...we won't talk about my weight! Annie and Bigs will hit the trail with me Tuesday morning!