Week 5 day 1

Ok well today was a really good run. I took daves advice and looked at the actual times we run on day 1 and we are actually running for 1 minute less than we were on the week 4 days. I went out at lunch time and nailed it. I am really happy with how that went. Today was also one of those days where I have Karate, and both the 100 push ups and 200 sit ups programs all falling on the one day. I managed to knock out the push ups as part of my warm up at Karate so that was excellent. I was the only student there tonight so I got lots of attention and worked mostly on my Kata. When I got home I worked through my sitpups and knocked out 120 sit ups in my last set a total of 243 situps in 5 sets over about 15 minutes. I have one more set in all of these programs and I will be 1/2 way to completion of all of them. This is a huge thing for me and I aim for this to be one of my most excellent achievments. for my health and fitness this is honestly the best thing I could have done for myself.

Week 4 day 3

Wow well today has been a great day of personal bests for me. I went out at lunch time and ran at Braeside Park and it all just came together for me. I did my normall shuffly jog for the first 3 runs and most of the last run but when I got to the last minute (the ipod program tells me 1 minute left) I counted to 30 and then just stretched it out and Ran. It actually felt really good. the Heart rate got right up there and I was on such a natural high mainly because I could fell the difference and I know that I am moving forward... Thanks C25k I never ever would have got this far without all the folks on the forum. Then I had Karate and I also did week 3 day 1 of both the push ups and sit ups programs. I have not had a day this good in ages.
lets hope that we can carry this through week 5-9.

week 4 d2

ok so it has taken me a little while to get things together for this post. I really wanted to have something positive to report. So here goes I went out this afternoon with a couple of friends of mine from Karate, Sharna and Spiri. we went out and took Spiri's dog with us to the track. Spiri is an accomplished runner in her own right so I was a bit worried about that but she is so great Sharna looked after the dog and Spiri ran with me well she lapped me several times as she kept on running when I walked but hey the bottom line is that on the grass athletics track I made it through the week 4 day 2 run again. so on Monday all things being = I will have a go at week 4 day 3. I have been a little distressed at week 4 because it has been so hard. I have had to repeat days 1 and 2 of this week so far and although I am really pleased with myself for continuing to run and getting this far it sometimes gets hard to see that week 9 off at the end of the tunel. However the sit ups and push ups are progressing really well. I did my 2 exhastion tests today and under supervision from Sensei and a couple of Karate students I made it to 20 push ups and 105 sit ups. I am really pleased with that. anyway I am hoping to be back here in a couple of days with results from my next run and the other programs Until then keep on smiling, running, and working on the push ups and sit ups.
Lisa

in between bits

ok so today was not a running day and thats good I love having a day off in between. I must be a bit wierd because I do have my Karate class that I do 4 times a week sometimes it falls on the same day as a run sometimes not. However just to add insult to injury (damn I hope not) I am doing the 100 push ups and 200 sit ups as well. so with all this going on I am finding that on the nights I do Karate I have to come home and finish up the situps and push ups. on tuesday I had a drop in the number of push ups I could do in the last set and I thought that might have related to the fact that the programs clashed with Karte that night but I am pleased to say that tonight proved that this is not so...I managed to get through the push ups program ending with a final set of 17 and then I did all the sets in the sit ups program finishing with a set of 101 and it is not just my count I made hubby count for me... :) so now I know I can work my way through all of this stuff and come out on the other side...maybe not any saner but I should be a damn site fitter. I may not finish right on time but that doesn't matter if I need to repeat a day in any program or even a week who cares it's not like I have to finalise it all by a certain date. its the end result that matters to me in the long run...
I am really looking forward to w4 d2 of the c25k tomorrow. here's hoping it all goes well.
wish me luck.
Lisa

w4 d1 take 2

Ok Thanks for the kind comments Mandy I really do appreciate all your support.
now lets get down to it. left work feeling fairly rubishy there are lots of changes happening and it's a little hard to stay on top of them all.
drove up to the local park my normall running ground. Well back on my dirt track with the trees and the birds I even saw a couple of bunny's running across the track. Armed with my ipod and some good running music. (well its good for me to run with ACDC and Pink) and off I went. the 5 minute walk was as usual good and relaxing then we hit the first 3 minute run....finished that not bad I says to myself. I walked for a bit and instead of saying I can't do this I said to myself I can do this just go as far as you can and if you get to the 5 minutes thats good if you don't thats ok just try and get your best time..3.52 well I was just getting to the point of omg is it ever going to end better check that I didn't flick the volume on the ipod as I put it in my bum bag, so I pulled out the ipod and only had 7 seconds to go...yes I made the 5 minute run. Well what can be done once can most certainly be done again in the right environment and guess what I was in the right environment...I pulled it off Yeahhhhh I am so happy....on sunday I was pretty annoyed with myself I know I set myself up to have a hard time changing so many variables all at once but the thing that annoyed me was that I let it beat me. so now I don't have to be annoyed anymore because I beat it... week 4 day 1 is dust..
Thanks so much to those of you who inspire me to push through these mental blocks and just do it....you know who you are and you deserve medals.
Lisa

week 4 day 1

Wow I think I let this one beat me before I even put on my runners...we had such a big weekend with Rhys doing his black belt grading and everything else going on as normal and I had been reading the forums like crazy. There were lots of posts from people who had trouble with this run and I think I let it all get under my skin.

I went out to the farm and on the way home I was thinking should I give my mate a ring and get her to come with me? I decided no because she is an accomplished runner and I was a bit intimidated by that.

I jumped on Face book where I bumped into Mandy who is the lady that told me about c25k running in the first place and she is also a Karate student that works with me regularly. we chatted for a moment and I told her I was off to try my week 4 d 1 at Casey fields where they have all sorts of sporting stuff. I could tell she was thinking about it and I invited her along. Mandy doing week 1 d 1 and me doing w4 d1.

Well the track we were running on was designed for push bikes and so black top all the way. I normally run on a gravel track so this was a major change for me. As much as I hate to admit it I think I was trying to impress Mandy a bit and I walked out faster and started my first jog faster than I normally do by the time I realised what I had done I was really struggling with the first 3 minute run. I ended up dropping back to a walk about 20 seconds early on that interval. It was then that I realised that lots of the track we had decided to run on had several inclines. Now I won't go so far as to call them hills but talk about put me off. when I got to the first 5 minute interval I knew I was in big trouble... I did the best I could to push through and I made it to about 3min 50 seconds before I dropped back to a walk. I did the 5 minute walk and got my breath back faster than I thought I would I finished the next 3 minute run fine. The last 5 minute run I made just under 4 minutes before I dropped back to a walk. I have to say the inclines and the black top didn't help at all. I was pretty down on it all as I walked back to where Mandy was but I realised that even though I did not make the 5 minute runs I did make personal bests for the amount of time i jogged. Prior to today I have never jogged more than 3 minutes in my life so to add almost a minute to that is a good thing. I am playing with the idea of repeating the last run in week 3 or at the very least repeating today's run in the more familiar environment by myself so I don't get distracted by anyone else and their pace. I know I don't need to be competitive with Mandy and she is so wonderful she encourages me to keep going no matter what Thanks Mandy your a real Gem. I will make up my mind on Tuesday depending on how I feel about which run I will do. I am not stressed about this anymore I understand that everyone has a bad run sometimes. I will wait and see what happens in the next run before I make any more changes.
So yeah Week 4 day 1 damn thats hard

w3 d3 +

OK So yesterday was a great day for me. I was having one of those days where work is giving you so much grief that your back starts to ache and you just feel revolting. I hit midday and decided I just had to get out of there and I put on my gear and walked out the door.

It was not nearly so hot today only 24 degrees c but it was humid and I hate that it makes me feel like I need gills...


Anyway I drove up to the park and got myself all set to go. The first jog interval of only 90 seconds was so uncomfortable I thought I would have to quit. My back was aching and I just felt so out of control...Then I started thinking about chi running and setting yourself up for the best possible consequences and I started to relax well it seemed like no time and I got the 1/2 way mark. Damn I thought that was quick then I started to think about how I felt...back had stopped aching legs were doing OK breathing not to bad...mmmm I think my system actually likes this.

Now please don't get me wrong I did not sprint or "Run" I have no idea how fast or far I travel I just know that I jog (you could read shuffle at a snails pace here) and walk at the prompts from my ipod and I am making it through.

I actually completed the w3d3 run and I am now exactly 1/3 of the way through c25K.

Every week I look at the run program and I start panicking at the end of week 1 it was "90 seconds you gotta be kidding I am struggling with one minute". At the end of week 2 it was "a 3 minute run no way" at the end of week 3 I guess I am looking at it and saying well the program hasn't let me down yet....omg could it be happening am I actually turning into someone who is enjoying running? "nah not yet anyway"
I love the feeling I get completing each run I guess because that is a measurable success. I still am yet to find that stride where I go "Yeahhh baby that's the one."

I have never really understood why people love running but so many claim that they do... I know I love my Karate, and riding my horse and being with my kids but I still need to cultivate or find that love of running.

Now on a quick note I just have to brag my youngest son Rhys graded to his Thunderbolt black belt today. For Rhys this is a huge achievement. For my hubby Peter it now means we can take the boys to Karate together a bit more often as Rhys will now only train in Young Samurai classes. For me it just makes me proud to know that he persisted until he achived the goal and that is one of lifes biggest lessons quitters never win.

Goals and Aspirations

well my mate Mandy had done it to me again. she is the master of writing up her goals. I watched her last year as she worked towards her goals with a single mindedness that was truely amazing. so here I am attempting to write down for all the world to see exactly what I hope to achieve this year.

one of my ultimate goals is to obtain my black belt however this is not something that I can finalise in this 2010 year. I can however move towards some slightly lesser goals.

lets start at the begining I do need to note that these are flexible goals nothing is set it stone.
1. I want to work through the c25k program successfully and and make running a regular part of my fitness routine. so far I have not developed a love of running but I can see that the general feelings of accomplishment that go with this sport can be good for pretty much everything.

2. I want to complete the 100 push ups and 200 sit ups programs and maintain the fitness level required to do this on a regular basis.

3. I want to work with my horse on a more regular basis and ride more often.

All of these goals are short term like 3 month goals at least in the initial phase of getting to the end of a set program.

as I move to mid term goals I have less control over whether or not they will be achievable.

before the end of the year I want to gain my 2nd kyu I believe this is possible and it is in keeping with obtaining my black belt before I get to 47 years of age. (note I have dropped this from 50 as that age is just to scary to contemplate)

ok so basically that is my goals for me for the year. Of course as a mother I need to add items like spending more time reading with my kids and helping with the house and homework with them I have this wondeful husband who has managed to stay relatively sane married to me and he puts up with me working through all this stuff by watching and making the odd comment. One of my goals is to keep him happy and home brewing to his hearts content.

anyway apart from boring work commitments and other stuff the only other goal I have is to be a good friend to those I have come to love and to maintain a positive outlook.

I don't know if writing all this down will help me to achieve what I want to achieve but if nothing else it will help me to remember what I wanted to do this year.

have fun party hard and keep on moving.
Lisa

thursdays...bad planning

well hi there again this is me. It looks to me like I have planned things a little badly or perhaps they just could have been planned a lttle better. Thursdays are not a running day but they are a Karate day. so after doing at least an hour of Karate I have come home and done my 200 sit ups program. I am just taking a minute or two to update things and catch my breath before working through the 100 push ups program. normally I would come home from Karate and just bludge but now at least on a Thursday for at least the next 5 weeks I will come home and do some more work. it is a bit of a daunting process. At this point I just need to be bloody minded enough to persist. I need to emulate the little engine that could and just keep on steaming along...
wish me luck I think I'm gonna need it.

week3 d2

Ok so things are moving forward It was 31 degrees today so pretty warm for running. It got to lunch time and I headed off to the park to run. I left my water bottle at home by mistake and had to rely on the water fountain at the end of the run that was a real pain. If it is warm I will make sure that I have my bottle. The 3 minute runs seemed harder today not sure why the legs were good but breathing was harder. not to worry so long as I am moving forward I am happy with that.

Yesterday I did day 2 of both the 100 push ups and the 200 sit ups programs at the moment the sit ups are much easier than the push ups and my progress reflects that. However I am moving forwrd in both programs and completing each day as it goes.

Maintaining motivation is going to be the big thing over the next 6-7 weeks while I get through all of these programs. What I do after that will all depend on how things are going at Karate and how I feel when I get there. sometimes its not hitting the big goal that is the important thing its enjoying the feeling or working through the various challenges and hitting all the little goals that make up the big one at the end.

week3 day 1

well in sunny old melbourne it was 30 degrees at lunch time and I was desperate to get my run in because it had been 2 days since i finished week 2 and tomorrow I will be in the city all day so running will be out of the quesiton. Not only did I have nerves abut jogging for 3 minutes but doing it twice was a real mental hurdle for me.
As Monday morning progressed the office was driving me nuts so another excuse flew out the window. I headed off to the park/ track where I run from work and set up my Ipod and off I went. for some reason the audio cues didn't work for the first 1/2 of my run so I had to rely on the change in the colour of the screen. Then I worked out how to fix it by hitting the external volume up control and everything just fell into place. I worked my way through the whole run. Didn't cheat and finished the run dripping wet and hot as hell but feeling great. I can't wait until Wednesday to do it all again.
today was the first day I have felt the need to carry a water bottle but gee I'm glad I did. legs were good breathing was good all in all it was just good. slow but good. Yeaaaaaaaaaaa

A little bit of background

Ok so I finally got back to this. its about time...lol. :) I am a 44 year old mother of 2. The picture up on my blog is me and my eldest son Liam. About 3 years ago in March 2007 my 2 boys took up Karate at a local dojo. As a parent I sat and watched for about 6 weeks. I have for as long as I can remember had issues with my weight. Although I have never let it stop me from doing anything I wanted to do I have often been self concious. After watching the kids for about 6 weeks I decided to give Karate a try myself. with the encouragement from various sensei(teachers) and Sempai (senior students) I have spent the last almost 3 years training 4 times a week. I have gone from being able to do 0 full good form push ups and about 3 situps to being able to do 10 full good form push ups and 40- 50 situps. I have obtained the level of 3rd kyu (brown belt) and I look forward to continuing to train and ultimately achieving the level of black belt where my Karate journey will actually begin. Part of obtaining my black belt requires that I learn the required moves and kata and that gets taken care of in the dojo however there is a certain level of fitness required and I need to lift my game on several levels over the next year or so to even be able to attempt this. For several months possibly even a year when possible I have been walking for 1/2 an hour at lunch time. after a couple of weeks I started to add the occasional jog. Initially I didn't have any specific goals for the jogging but as time progressed I split my 15 minute walk into 3 sections and I hoped to walk the first section jog the 2nd walk the third and then do the same thing on the way back. I discussed this a couple of times with Karate instructors and fellow students and we all agreed that this could only help my fitness. One of my buddies from Karate told me about the c25k program. Well I have embraced this program and I am so happy with the results so far. I have managed to make it through the first 2 weeks and despite the effort required and some discomfort I have completed the 1st 6 runs. After reading the c25k forums and being totally inspired by everyone posting there I have decided to set up this blog and record my efforts. As well as doing the c25k program I plan to do the 100 pushups and the 200 sit ups program on the days that I am not running. I think I need to ignore the Karate classes that I will continue to do and only worry about recording my efforts on these 3 programs over the next 9-12 weeks. I hope I havn't been too boring but hey how enthusiastic can you guys be about my training program. I started the 100 push ups and the 200 sit ups today and successfully got through day 1 so I am pretty happy with that. so at this point I have 6 weeks on the sit ups and push ups programs and about 7 weeks on the running program to go. all of these programs are flexible so if I need to repeat any week then thats just fine. Anyway If I can get to a point where I can run for 1/2 and hour do 200 sit ups and 100 push ups then I will consider myself ready to hopefully go for my next grading for 2nd kyu at the formal grading in June. Keep your fingers crossed for me I think I am going to need all the help and support I can get.

following in the masters footsteps

Hi there everyone and anyone who wants to know.
I have been inspired to do this by reading this blog:
http://sufficientlymelodramatic.blogspot.com/
Dave's consistant posting and encouragement have meant that I have finally become delusional and think that I am going to make it through the c25K program.
not only that I have obtained the 100 pushups and the 200 sit ups programs and I am flirting with working through those.
I have to organise tea for the kids now but I am hoping to get back here later tonight to work on adding to this.

Now it's started your welcome to join me on this journey.

oh just so you know this is all aimed at increasing my chances of obtaining my black belt in Karate before I reach the magic age of 50.
thanks for checking it out.
Lisa