Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Week Eleven: Run Olivia, Run!

This past week, I've been so excited to blog, and today I almost completely forgot!

I know lately I've been talking about food a lot (and the lack of it), but this week I want to talk about:



I have some exciting news! I totally have started doing Couch to 5K! I actually started a week ago, but I didn't want to post anything about it until I knew that I was going to do it more than once.

So, for many people who know me, this is going to sound odd, but I've always wanted to be a runner. I would always look out the car window and see some poor schmuck running in the intense cold/heat that this great state of Wisconsin brings us. And I would always think: maybe I'll do that.

 I could be that poor schmuck

But that's all it's ever been. Just me gazing out of car windows feeling a pleasant mixture of jealously, and happiness that I was not the person running. 

Well, as I've been getting heavier, I've been looking for a good steady exercise routine. I had been spending time on an exercise bike, but that was going nowhere (pun intended). It was getting redundant, and it was too tech-y for me. I never could find a good balance, so I didn't really push myself. It seemed pretty dumb, and I didn't have a set day and time, so I was too willy nilly about the whole thing.

I needed a change.

My friend Christen, who is also trying to get into shape, had started running. She downloaded some sort of ap, and it had been guiding her through her runs. She was really seeing results. I figured "Hey, why not? I've felt fat lately, let's try running".

 This is pretty much how I pictured it.

So I looked up some "running" aps. I found a free Couch to 5K ap, and snatched it up. I know a few people who have done Couch to 5K, and they really had results. One has even started running in marathons! 

The idea is that you slowly adjust your body to running. You run/jog 3x a week, and every week, the workouts get steadily harder. The first week, you jog for 1minute, and walk for 1:30 minutes. The second week, you jog for 1:30 minutes, then walk for 2:00 minutes etc etc. until eventually, you can run for 30 minutes (or 5K) straight without stopping.

I even tried Couch to 5K once, but I didn't have a timer, or a distance tracker, or whatever it is that crazy running people use, so I just counted to ten 6 times while running, then to ten 9 times while running. That got old fast. Plus, then counting would get stuck in my head like a bad song.

Almost as bad as this stuck in your head.

I was excited to start, but also nervous. I am really not as in shape as I used to be. Running a couple miles at my own pace wasn't too big a deal. Well, it WAS, because running kinda sucks; what with the not being able to breathe, being slow, and never quite knowing how far I had gone. But I was afraid I would quit halfway through, or that I would puke or something. Or that people would see me and be like "Why does that chubby chick even try?"

I feel like this is what I look like while running.

But it was not terrible! Many people may have seen my Facebook status from that day:

November 5
Olivia ran 2.41 miles today, and it did not make her puke!



And it's totally true! I SO DID NOT PUKE. Because I'm a super star, and just super awesome like that.

Me

And the ap is really cool! All I have to do is open the ap, and hit START NEXT RUN. Then this voice goes "Start five minute warmup". Then I play my music and zone out. All the while, the voice (I've named him Clyde) tells me when I start jogging or stop jogging.

"Now jog for 1-Minute"

Shut up Clyde.

But it is really convenient. I've started week two, and even though it is hard, I'm really enjoying it. And if it's too hard, I just tell Clyde to stop judging me.

But I do have things I think about while I'm running that motivate me. For instance, Claire Dunphy from Modern Family racing against Phil.

Then she let him win.

Or, I think it would be really cool to be in a Color Run:


Looks right up my ally.

If you don't know, a color run is not really a race as it is just fun. The runners must wear white, and run the designated 5K. At each kilometer, a certain color is thrown at you. 

" Runner/walkers begin the 5k at the start line like a brand new pristine coloring book. By the end, they look like they fell into a Willy Wonka… tie dyed… vat of colored goodness. "
http://thecolorrun.com/about/
It just sounds like fun.

Mostly I enjoy running because it has so much potential, and it makes me feel like I have a lot of potential too.  The sky's the limit!

Also, it's free.

I'm gonna wrap it up because I have homework to do, and I have to get up nice and early to run tomorrow!

P.S. Sam and I did some "tests" and turns out my scale is a dirty rotten liar. It over-shoots by 10lbs. So this week, I came in at 177lbs. The body generally fluctuates between about 5lbs, so I'm not terribly worried about it. However, if with the running and the lack of food doesn't work, I might just throw myself off the wagon at a cheese wheel.

P.P.S. Here's a picture diagram thing of basically what Couch to 5K is:


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