Sunday, August 1, 2010

Getting off the couch

My brother mentioned a while ago that we should start running. We had been commiserating about how flabby, fat and lazy we've been feeling. Since he mentioned it, I've been thinking about it a lot. Yesterday he texted me saying that we start Tuesday which is his next day off. I quickly agreed.

Since mid-June I've been tracking my weight (using an iPhone app called TargetWeight) trying to get down to a weight that would make me feel better in my clothes and make my shorts fit over my rear. So far I'm down 7 pounds but have hit a wall, weighing in at the same exact weight for the past 4 days!!

I've read about a lot of people doing the Couch to 5K program, so I found an app for my iPhone that would "walk" me through it. Brother couldn't start today because of work but I was itching to get going. First, I needed running shoes (oh and that iPhone app). Off to DSW I went. Tried on several pairs with each one feeling better than the previous. Decided on a pair of Asics GEL-Kahana 4's. They felt great.

Tonight instead of our normal evening walk I took Tally on my first "C25K" workout. It was so great! I loved it. It was definitely hard but I always knew that I just had to make it to the next interval. Since the intervals are so short it never got overwhelming. And with the app watching out for me I didn't have to worry about timing or anything, I just had to run and walk. The app also lets you create a play list to listen to while running, a perfect distraction!

Another distraction and the big bummer was that Tally couldn't keep up during the runs. Since we were running in an enclosed area and I knew she probably wouldn't run off, I let her off leash for the last few intervals so I wasn't dragging her along to the finish. Poor girl, we are both so out of shape. It also took her a pretty long time to recover when we got home. I'm not sure what to do about it. Should I keep pushing her to go along? Should I leave her home? Ugh so stressful. She's got her last post-Cancer check-up on Tuesday which is my next running day so I don't have to worry about it until Thursday. I'd really like it if she could do this with me. Perhaps a call to her regular vet is in order.

Here's hoping that I stick with this. If today is any indication I'm actually going to like it.

2 comments:

Kate said...

I had started the C25K program before my accident. I had progressed through half of week 3 when I had to stop for obvious reasons. ;) I loved the program and thought it was so much fun! Someday I'll continue it again. Good luck, Emily! I'm cheering for you from the sidelines!

Pickles and Dimes said...

That would be great to have Tally run with you. Is she in good enough shape right now or would you have to condition her?

Shorty loves to run, but would kill me by the end of the first block because of his habit of lunging in front of me unexpectedly.