Some Like It Hot...

...I DON'T!!!

It reached 100 degrees (by my car thermostat) yesterday in Michigan...which is uncommon. I had my C25K workout scheduled for yesterday night...and I knew that it was still going to be warm, but I wasn't expecting 84 degrees (90ish with humidity) at 9:30pm! However, I went out and did it anyways! I was bummed because I couldn't find my mp3 player so I had to go without music, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be without the motivational tunes. I usually don't take my water bottle with me...I leave it at the end of the driveway and get it on my way back, but I took it with me yesterday and finished the whole 24oz before I got back home! I was so proud of myself that I did it...and without walking during any of the running sections! I have to admit that talking to my friend Jessi helped motivate me to get the whole workout done. I had been talking to her on the phone just before leaving for my workout and she told me and that her husband and her had just gotten back from a run and turned back because it was just too hot. I told her that she had just given me more incentive to get my whole workout in so that I could brag about how I had finished when she didn't. She laughed...and I will be telling her that very thing at book club tonight. : )

I was a little slower but that's to be expected with the heat. Hope everyone has a wonderful Friday! I know I will...book club with a Greek food theme and then to the movies with the girls to see Magic Mike!!!

And Then...And Then...And Then

Sorry its taken me so long to write a new post. Sometimes I go through spurts of just not wanted to post. I wish I could dictate my posts and it would type out itself. lol

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Ok...lets see....Monday was the first weigh in for Run with Jess's Lose a Marathon Weight Loss Challenge. My weight loss for the week was somewhat skewed because when I registered I had to give a starting weight. So I weighed myself half way through the day on Thursday, I believe, and for some reason I had shot up after last Friday's weigh in even weighing in the morning so it was a high 238 lbs. As a result, my Monday morning weigh in showed a 5 lb. weight loss! While I know that its 'really' more like a 2 lb. weight loss its very motivating and encouraging to see a 5 lb. drop on the scale. ; )



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Tuesday night I had my weekly Crim group training session. We walked our farthest yet...5.5 miles!!! It took us 2 hours!!! My poor neighbor wanted to come along and I tried to explain to her that we were very slow...the slowest walking group in fact...but she insisted and was still surprised by how slow we were. (She's currently training for a triathlon) She said she enjoyed herself though, talking to the other people in the group and answering some walking/running questions.

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My next C25K training workout WILL be tomorrow night. I feel like it had been forever and I'm hoping that I will still be able to run 5 minutes straight. The last time I ran was Saturday!

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I went in to see my neurologist today for a check up and to discuss starting medication for MS. He agreed that I had experienced another 'attack' about two weeks ago and because of that he has decided that I should start taking a different, stronger drug than he had initially planned for me to take. While I'm happy that this means that I will only have to inject myself three times a week instead of seven, I am very scared about some of the side effects of this stronger drug. Clinical depression runs in my family. I have had short bouts of depression a couple of times in my life, but its never lasted so long to be considered clinical and this drug can cause depression and suicidal thoughts...especially in those more prone to depression! That terrifies me!!! I think I am going to call my doctor tomorrow and ask just how often he sees patients suffering from this side effect and if he would still recommend me taking it if I'm prone to depression. He did say that I am NOT overdoing it with the exercise, to keep it up, and that I'm doing one of the best things that I could be doing for my overall health as well as for managing my MS. So that's good news.

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I am currently trying to talk my husband into signing up for an 8 mile run around Mackinac Island in September. I thought that we could find someone to watch the kids and we could make a weekend out of it. Our first ever trip together (at age 19) was camping and we spent a day on Mackinac Island...even rollerblading all the way around (8 miles). He's worried about the cost...so I guess I'll just have to put aside some extra cash whenever I can to convince him that we can go. : )

On our first trip to Mackinac Island. I sure wish I was that size again!

Sorry this post is all over the place...but that's what happens when I wait several days to post.

I hope everyone enjoys their Thursday...I know David won't...he's getting his vasectomy tomorrow! (He's going to love that I shared this on my PUBLIC blog...lol)

5 MINUTES?!? NO WAY!!!

YES WAY!!!

I ran 5 minutes STRAIGHT tonight...not once...but TWICE!!!

I decided to go ahead and move on to C25K's week 4 workout. Which is 5 minute warm-up; 3:00 min. run; 1:30 min. walk; 5:00 min. run; repeat and then a 5 minute cool down. So that means that I ran for 16 MINUTES total tonight! I still can't believe it!

I got to use my new MP3 player this time, which I've convinced is the only thing that got me through the 5 minute runs...especially the second one (Thank you Nickelback). There are two bad things about listening to music while running, to me anyways. 1. I want to dance...and that's impossible while running and 2. I can't hear my Garmin beeping so I had to look at it frequently.

I was pretty slow, but I just wanted to finish without having to stop and walk during a running interval...and I didn't! HA...take that HUSBAND! David didn't think that I could do it. Booger!

Here are my splits. I was hoping for better...but hey, I've never ran 5 minutes straight so I'm happy! : )

		Day One	Day One
C25K Week 4	Time	Distance	Avg Pace
1	05:00.0	0.25	19:45
2	03:00.0	0.22	13:46
3	01:30.0	0.08	19:01
4	05:00.0	0.34	14:42
5	02:30.0	0.13	19:15
6	03:00.0	0.19	15:40
7	01:30.0	0.07	20:02
8	05:00.0	0.31	15:57
9	05:00.0	0.26	19:12
10	02:32.4	0.14	18:49

What's cool to me is that, total, I ran just over a mile tonight! : ) I have never ran a whole mile! Pretty soon I'll be able to run a whole mile straight! Its so cool to see my progress! : ) I hope everyone enjoys the rest of their weekend!

SPLITS!!!! : )

I'm so pumped that I have to lead off with my splits!!!

I did NOT want to go out tonight. My feet have been really numb since the Crim group training walk on Tuesday (and they were already more numb than "normal" a week prior) and I had ate a pasta dinner 2.5 hours before and I could still feel the food heavy in my stomach...yuck...but I went anyways!!! I'm still surprising myself with how important I feel these workouts are. Even if I really don't want to go...I feel like I just HAVE to, no ifs, ands, or buts about it...and I LOVE THAT!

I thought the whole workout sucked...each run was pretty difficult. I couldn't seem to keep my breathing controlled the way I usually do and I just felt tired...and SLOOOOOW! I was not expecting to have my fastest times for this weeks training! It was a lot more humid tonight than it normally is when I've gone out, so I'm thinking that's why I felt so off with my breathing. It wasn't all that hot, kind of warm maybe, but the humidity is what makes you feel yucky.

I'm really looking forward to this Lose A Marathon Weight Loss Challenge...remember, you still have time to join in too...until June 25th.

I'm finally going to be able to go get a fitted pair of running shoes! YAY! I can't wait...now I just have to figure out when I can go. I don't really want to try and take three kids into a small running shop so I'll have to find someone to watch them for me. I'll be sure to post pictures of the beauties when I get them. : ) That is, if I ever find my camera's memory card. : (

I'm feeling really good about how my C25K training is going, but those of you who have done it know that you can either track your training by time or distance. I have been tracking by time so I thought I'd figure out how my distance compares to the distance that the C25K training states. I'm falling short on the distances. So now I'm wondering if I should continue to do week 3 training and aim to hit the distances instead of the times, or if I should just continue the way I've been going and move on to the week 4 workouts. What are your thoughts?

I hope everyone has a great FRIDAY! : )

Playing Catch Up

I realize that to people in some states, 90 degrees is either normal or 'cooler' than normal during the summer months, but in Michigan its FREAKIN' HOT and add that to the high humidity we have...UGH!!! I had my Crim group training on Tuesday. We were scheduled to walk 5.5 miles, which is what I had mentally prepared myself for, but when I got there, I was informed that because of the high heat index that we would be cutting the mileage in half (THANK YOU JESUS!). So we walked 2.67 miles...BUUUUUT...we walked the part of the Crim race course that has the infamous "Bradley hills"...they are not "hills" by Tennessee standards, but when you are running or walking (and I believe these "hills" are towards the end of the 10 mile race)...especially in the heat we were walking in...they SUCK!!! What's bad is that you go up about three separate times right in a row. It was NOT fun and I think since we were cutting the mileage in half because of the heat, we should have done the half WITHOUT the hills for good measure. ; ) All I know is that I was surprised by just how much the heat effects a workout! I figured that I'd finish the 2.67 miles no problem...maybe a little sweatier...but not super tired. Boy was I wrong! I got my first blisters on my feet and I could tell even though they had gone pretty numb, more numb than they have been recently due to my MS. I was wondering how the heat would effect my MS symptoms since I have been reading about how extreme temperatures can intensity symptoms...mine were, in fact, intensified. By the time we finished I felt like I had walked 10 miles!!!

I'm now debating whether or not to extend the Couch 2 5k week 3 for another whole week. I'm thinking that I may just do my third workout and then movie on to the week 4 workouts. *SHOCKING* I'm actually EAGER to move on!!! WOOHOO!

I was over at Marcia's blog, Minus One Hundred and she was talking about joining this weight loss challenge where you literally "lose a marathon"...in weight. No, not by running one...heck no people...I am NOT running in a marathon...hmmmm...YET! ; ) So I thought, eh, why not? Maybe it'll help with my motivation to get my eating habits in check...because its becoming painfully obvious to me that the exercise alone is NOT taking the weight off. So I headed over the Run With Jess and signed up for the Lose A Marathon Weight Loss Challenge. If you're interested you still have until JUNE 25TH to enter! It runs for 13 weeks...so about 2 pounds to lose a week...I can do that!!! (Ernie says with doubt...ugh)



I said in my previous post that I would explain a little better what happened with my son Jacob over the weekend in my next post. Well, we are pretty sure we was stung...but where and by what we have no idea. He went over to the neighbors house to play on her play scape. David ended up carrying him back after about 10 minutes or so and he was crying. David thought that he had hit his head while climbing in the play scape. Jacob started dragging his hands down his face and was itching his thighs. He kept saying how his face got a spider web on it and then his whole head started to hurt. *We do not believe it was a spider bite, and neither does his doctor.* He was crying pretty hard and would not stop dragging his hands down his face. I got worried when he got this weird look in his eyes and I started to notice some puffiness around his eyes. His heart was racing as well and I just told David that he needed to go to the ER. David said he would take him and they were gone within about five minutes, and by then he was starting to get little bumps all over his face.

 My husband sent me these pictures from his phone so they aren't the greatest (we have crappy phones).

What Jacob looked like after the short drive to the hospital. You can see the swelling and the bumps if you look close.

This was taken just after he got into a room in the ER. They took him right back so this was maybe 20 minutes after leaving our house.

They gave him benadryl (sp) and prednesone (sp) through an IV. : ( It took the nurse three tries to get the IV in.

 The ER doctor said it was a pretty bad reaction. When he came home he looked a lot better, with hardly any red bumps...but within a couple hours they were coming back to I had to give him the dose of benadryl and prednesone that the ER sent him home with. He's now on the last day of medication and I took him in to see his pediatrician today and they prescribed him an epi-pen and are scheduling him an appointment to see an allergist to figure out what it is that he's allergic to since we aren't exactly sure what happened. We never found a sting site.

*sigh* So there you have it...I think I'm all caught up now. : ) I should have a new post tomorrow on my C25K training.

Hope everyone has a good Thursday! : )

Quick Post

I'm very tired today...my oldest son Jacob had a severe allergic reaction yesterday to what we believe was a sting of some kind and had to go to the ER. David took him while I stayed home with Nathan and Isabel and they didn't get home until around eleven o'clock....so I didn't do my C25K workout last night...I did it tonight instead. Which means that I will probably be extending the week 3 workouts for another week because I don't think it would be wise to try and do it again tomorrow night and then have my Crim group walk of 5.5 miles on Tuesday...AND THEN start week 4 on Wednesday!

I was expecting to do worse for this second week 3 workout but was pleasantly surprised when I saw my splits! : ) It must have been my method for helping the three minute runs go by faster...I sang songs that I know by heart in my head. ; )

For those interested, when I'm not so tired, I will post in more detail about my son's scary experience and my workout.

		Day One	Day Two	Day One	Day Two
C25K Week 3	Time	Distance	Distance	Avg Pace	Avg Pace
1	05:00.0	0.27	0.23	18:41	21:44
2	01:30.0	0.12	0.12	12:29	12:19
3	01:30.0	0.08	0.08	19:09	19:46
4	03:00.0	0.21	0.22	14:29	13:45
5	03:00.0	0.15	0.15	20:08	20:20
6	01:30.0	0.11	0.12	13:15	12:24
7	01:30.0	0.07	0.07	20:35	20:40
8	03:00.0	0.21	0.22	14:08	13:52
9	03:00.0	0.14	0.16	20:46	18:43
10	07:00.0	0.34	0.36	20:35	19:25
11	01:34.0	0.07		22:20

I hope everyone has as good a Monday as one can have...given its Monday. : )

I CAN'T BELIEVE I JUST DID THAT!!! : )

I just ran THREE MINUTES STRAIGHT....TWICE!!!

I was not planning to go out and do my workout tonight because my knees have been bothering me all day and because of the numbness I've been experiencing, but the more I thought about it the more I wanted to see if I could actually move on to C25K's week 3 workouts which consists of the following intervals:

1  -  5:00 Brisk Walk
2  -  1:30 Run
3  -  1:30 Walk
4  -  3:00 Run
5  -  3:00 Walk
Repeat numbers 2 through 5 once more
10 - 7:00 cool down (do equal 30 minutes total)

The first run is always the hardest for me. My knees don't really want to move smoothly, but once they warm up they are good. It went by pretty quickly...but so did the 90 second recovery walk after it! I was so nervous to try and run for three minutes straight. I made sure to keep my pace slow and as even as possible. I don't know about any other beginning runners out there but I concentrate mostly on my breathing during my runs. I always seem to start off with breathing in for 4 strides and breathing out for 4 strides. During my C25K week 2 training (which was extended) I seemed to go from the 4:4 breathing to 3:3 breathing and then for the last 10-20 seconds I would be breathing at a 2:2 ratio...which meant that I was just barely hanging on...praying for the Garmin beeps signaling the final five seconds of running. So when I started my three minute run I started with my usual 4:4 breathing ratio and I was worried about how I was going to be breathing after I reached the 90 second mark because that was as far as I had ever run before.

To try and make the time seem to pass faster I thought about anything but what I was doing (still always keeping count of my breaths), like getting started on the Summer Reading Program with my son and buying him a lunchbox and helping him prepare for what to expect when he goes to ALL DAY kindergarten in the fall...things like that...and before I knew it my Garmin was beeping!!! I had made it THREE WHOLE MINUTES without stopping...and I never reached my 2:2 breathing ratio!!! I finished with a 3:3 ratio. I was so FREAKIN' excited!!! I really enjoyed my three minute recovery walk. I don't know why but the shorter runs were the hardest during this workout. My ankles started to kill with about 30 seconds left of my second 90 second run...I know this because I glanced at my Garmin for the first time ever to see how much time I had to run left. I made the mistake of doing the same thing during my second three minute run and I still had 1:15 left...truthfully I think it helped me finish. I was really tired but I thought...I have just over a minute left, just 75 seconds left...I can do this! AND I DID!!! : ) I immediately turned around after the three minute run and started the final 10 minutes of walking. I didn't want to end the workout too far from home, and as it was I ended up having to restart my Garmin for another 1:35 seconds or so before I made it home. I'm glad I did because while my knees were pretty good through out the intervals...they did start to hurt during the last three minutes of my cool down. :(

I still can't believe I actually did it! I'm so happy that I ultimately decided to go ahead and go for it, even with how I've been feeling...especially today! Now, this does not mean that I'm not dreading trying to do it again on Saturday! The trend for me so far seems to be that the second of the three weekly workouts is the hardest to complete. I guess we'll see. For now, I'll bask in my three minute glow! : )

Here are my splits...I was so shocked! I really thought I was running SUPER slow, like a 16:00min/mile pace.

		Day One	Day One
C25K Week 3	Time	Distance	Avg Pace
1	05:00.0	0.27	18:41
2	01:30.0	0.12	12:29
3	01:30.0	0.08	19:09
4	03:00.0	0.21	14:29
5	03:00.0	0.15	20:08
6	01:30.0	0.11	13:15
7	01:30.0	0.07	20:35
8	03:00.0	0.21	14:08
9	03:00.0	0.14	20:46
10	07:00.0	0.34	20:35
11	01:34.0	0.07	22:20

I hope everyone has a great Friday. It's my hubby's birthday tomorrow, he's turning 29. He is going to a Tiger's game with three of his guy friends after work...I hope he has a great time...he truly deserves it! : )

Scared

I am very afraid of what is going on inside my body right now.

I was diagnosed with MS or Multiple Sclerosis on December 21st, 2011 and at the time felt relief in that diagnosis. My mind was thinking words like 'cancer' and 'tumor' when I was first shown the "lesions" on the MRI scan. One larger one on my lower spine and about five tiny ones on my brain. So to hear that I was not dying but had a disease (or is it condition or syndrome?...I haven't really studied it that much yet.) that was very much treatable...though it meant sticking myself with a needle everyday for the rest of my life...I took a huge mental sigh of relief. I was told that it would be ok to continue to nurse my baby and hold off going on a treatment because women with MS are known to keep the symptoms at bay while pregnant and then nursing. So over time I started to make myself believe that I probably really don't have MS...that maybe the lesion on my spine (which would be the one causing the numbness in my feet and backs of my legs) was caused from having three epidurals and subsequently three blood patches to stop spinal headaches after two of those epidurals...not to mention that when I was about 14 or so my cousin pulled my legs out from under me and I landed very hard on my tailbone and have not been able to sit on the floor for any length of time since. I convinced myself that it was a combination of these things and my excess weight that was resulting in the numbness that I was experiencing now. I guess I just didn't want to believe that I really had a disease that would be with me for the rest of my life that could (but WILL NOT) render me physically and/or mentally disabled.

I'm afraid that I can kid myself no longer.

For the last week or so I have had increased numbness in my feet and when wiping after going to the bathroom (sorry for the TMI) I noticed that I am also numb in my groin and rear end areas up to my tailbone. I am not 100% sure because, like I said, I have not studied up on MS much (although I have a stack of books from the library about the disease just sitting here) but I'm pretty sure that the numbness is the result of an MS "attack".

Aside from the fear this realization brings I'm also thinking "WHAT? NOW I HAVE AN ATTACK!!! JUST WHEN I START TO GET OFF MY ASS AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT MY WEIGHT AND HEALTH!!!" So today I put in a call to my neurologist. I have an appointment with him two weeks from yesterday, but I wanted to know if my sudden increase in physical activity could have contributed to my having this attack and if I should scale back (which I already have somewhat, which if you've been following along, you know) on the amount of exercise I am doing. I do know from the little I have read on MS that exercise is suppose to be good for keeping the disease at bay, but maybe I overdid it going from no exercise at all to 5-6 days of exercise a week. He's out of the office until Monday so I won't get an answer until then.

So its looking like I am going to have to wean Isabel soon, rather than letting her decide when we're done because I really should start treatment...which I'm not looking forward to since it means injecting myself everyday for the rest of my life...but while the thought of not nursing saddens me because Isabel is going to be my last child...the thought of not being able to play with my kids because I'm unable to walk or think clearly is much worse. Therefore I will do what I need to do to be there for my family.

Something Has Got To Give

After taking two days off because of the pain in my knees I went out for my third (fifth total) couch 2 5K week 2 workout. *Here comes the complaining.* I did not want to go at all. We had dinner at 6:00pm but I still felt full at 9:30pm! Around 8:00pm my right ankle started to bother me, but I was going!

As soon as I started walking the joint where my thigh bone meets my hip was hurting with every step...but after about 2 minutes of walking that warmed up and stopped hurting. My ankle bothered me throughout the whole workout and my knees bothered me a little during the first and last runs, but that was all. I just felt more weighed down than normal, which could be due to the fact that it was warmer and WAY more humid tonight than it has ever been during my previous workouts. I'm a little disappointed in my paces but I'm proud of myself for going out there and doing it...all of it...even though I really didn't want to.

My husband really feels that I'm overdoing it, which I agree with to an extent. My thought was to do the Crim group training every Tuesday and then, instead of doing all of the Crim training "homework" walks, I would just do the Couch 2 5K training Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. David wants me to stop doing the C25K training and concentrate on the Crim training program...which would be just walking 6 days a week. He doesn't think that I will be able to run a 5k in the time frame that I'm gunning for (July 12th). I'm not expecting to be able to run the whole think by then either, but I'd rather train for it than to just go out there and 'try' to do it...that would spell injury way more! I'd really like some advice on this and would appreciate it greatly!

Tomorrow I have to walk the 4.5 miles for the Crim group training session on my own earlier in the day because my son has his preschool graduation tomorrow night! : ) I also found out today that he will be able to go to the school district that we wanted!!! YAY!!!

Here are my splits...ugh

		Day Five	Day Five
C25K Week 2	Time	Distance	Avg Pace
1	05:00.0	0.27	18:40
2	01:30.0	0.12	12:15
3	02:00.0	0.10	20:46
4	01:30.0	0.12	12:36
5	02:00.0	0.10	20:39
6	01:30.0	0.12	12:12
7	02:00.0	0.10	20:13
8	01:30.0	0.12	12:21
9	02:00.0	0.10	19:21
10	01:30.0	0.11	13:19
11	02:00.0	0.10	20:12
12	01:30.0	0.11	13:44
13	02:00.0	0.10	20:46
14	04:00.0	0.20	19:43

I hope everyone has an awesome Tuesday! : )

Isn't this suppose to be getting easier???

Before I start complaining about my workout tonight. I wanted to pat myself on the back for losing two pounds this last week!!! For the first time in several weeks I didn't have to add $1.00 to the weight loss competition's pot! WOOHOO!!! Hopefully this is just the start of some consistent weight loss.

Ok...now to complain! First I should mention that I did not go out and do my 30 minute easy walk yesterday...for three two reasons. 1) My knees and ankles were really bothering me by the end of the day and 2) I went to a parade that our local high schools have every year where the seniors walk through downtown in their caps and gowns and receive crap tons of balloons and flowers from family and friends. My brother is graduating this year so I went to watch him in the parade. So I was walking up and down the downtown area for awhile, while pushing a double stroller. I figured I could count that. : ) *The third reason was that I was tired and just didn't want to.* So my knees were bothering me pretty badly today, but I went out to do my workout anyways, but as soon as I started running I could tell that it was going to be horrible...and it was!!! My knees ached the ENTIRE time. It seemed to me that I was getting winded faster and during the last two runs my legs even became extremely heavy and tired towards the end of the 90 seconds...but I did the entire workout and did not walk any of the run times! Hooray for small miracles! My knees were killing me so badly when I got back that I immediately took 800mg of Ibuprofen and iced my knees down with some bags of frozen peas from the freezer.

I am seriously wondering if I SHOULD continue with the C25K training??? I know that I WANT to continue with it and have been despite my pain...but I'm worried that I'm just going to cause more injury because I would feel guilty if I "quit". My most frequent thought is that I really should have waited until I had lost about 40 pounds or so before starting to run. I just don't know what to do. I'm pretty sure that I will continue to do the C25K as long as the pain is bearable, until I go to my weight check appointment with my family doctor and then I will discuss with him what I've been doing and what I've been experiencing. I really would like to go out and get fitted for a new pair of running shoes, but my husband just won't get on board with it right now.

Here are my splits...nothing impressive.
 

		Day Four	Day Four
C25K Week 2	Time	Distance	Avg Pace
1	05:00.0	0.25	20:21
2	01:30.0	0.12	12:18
3	02:00.0	0.10	20:34
4	01:30.0	0.12	12:47
5	02:00.0	0.12	16:49
6	01:30.0	0.12	12:01
7	02:00.0	0.11	17:41
8	01:30.0	0.14	10:34
9	02:00.0	0.10	20:21
10	01:30.0	0.12	12:22
11	02:00.0	0.10	20:27
12	01:30.0	0.12	12:31
13	02:00.0	0.10	19:53
14	04:00.0	0.21	19:02

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Here We Go Again

Tonight I went out and did Couch 2 5K's week two, day one workout AGAIN...and it felt like the first time I did it! I'm definitely not to the point where it starts getting easier yet. In fact, it seemed harder. I'm going to chalk that up to missing the one workout though.

Is it weird to say that I hated but also loved my workout? lol It was hard physically but it cleared my head of all the BS that went on during the day, which I was so grateful for. My knees and ankles started bothering me a little but once I got warmed up they were fine. I just hope I still feel fine tomorrow morning! I wasn't sure I was going to get out there tonight given the morning I had with leg pain. I woke up very early this morning (really yesterday morning if you take into account the time at which I'm writing this) with a pretty bad headache. I have suffered from migraines since I was ten years old. I take Inderal daily as a preventative measure against migraines, but when I feel one coming on I have a prescription for Imitrex...which works really well, but I also have some side effects with it. It makes me sleepy, nauseous, and makes all my nerves hyper sensitive. Its the hyper sensitive nerves that bother me the most and this morning, as I was taking the Imitrex, I was nervous as to how that would effect my leg pain. I found out about 30 minutes later when I couldn't fall back asleep because my legs were KILLING ME!!! Thankfully my side effects subside after about 30 minutes so the pain went away.

I know I mentioned that I was relieved for the workout because of all the BS from today...I just want to say that my day was not total BS. I had quite a bit of fun with my kids outside today. First I had Isabel in her walker outside while I pitched a plastic baseball to Jacob and Nathan and then after sitting on the grass under a tree in our front yard and Jacob laying out a small blanket to lay on...I went inside and got a couple more blankets and some toys for the baby and we hung out on the blankets in the shade for about an hour and a half or so. I really enjoyed myself and I think the kids did too!

I was planning to start some cross training this week instead of just walking every day that I don't do the C25K, but my little brother is graduating from high school this weekend and tomorrow all of the graduates from our local high schools walk in a parade downtown so that family and friends can shower congratulatory balloons and flowers upon them! Its a lot of fun and I'm looking forward to seeing how my kids enjoy it. My other little brother graduated a couple years ago and my boys went to the parade, but I don't think they remember it.

Here's my splits...pleasantly surprised with my average paces during my running intervals! : ) No wonder it felt harder...I was running faster. ; )
 

		Day One	Day Two	Day Three	Day One	Day Two	Day Three
C25K Week 2	Time	Distance	Distance	Distance	Avg Pace	Avg Pace	Avg Pace
1	05:00.0	0.28	0.27	0.26	18:10	18:17	19:12
2	01:30.0	0.13	0.12	0.13	11:45	12:08	11:34
3	02:00.0	0.10	0.10	0.10	20:27	20:35	20:25
4	01:30.0	0.12	0.12	0.13	12:13	12:45	11:57
5	02:00.0	0.09	0.09	0.11	21:22	21:36	18:58
6	01:30.0	0.11	0.12	0.12	13:49	12:50	12:00
7	02:00.0	0.09	0.10	0.10	21:08	20:59	19:25
8	01:30.0	0.11	0.10	0.13	13:09	14:43	11:58
9	02:00.0	0.10	0.10	0.10	20:38	21:01	20:48
10	01:30.0	0.11	0.11	0.12	13:57	13:16	12:55
11	02:00.0	0.10	0.10	0.10	19:37	20:58	20:31
12	01:30.0	0.10	0.11	0.11	14:25	13:46	13:16
13	02:00.0	0.10	0.10	0.10	19:41	20:33	20:46
14	04:00.0	0.22	0.18	0.19	18:33	22:11	20:46

The other day I was wondering if I'd ever have two pace times be exactly the same! I had thought it was very unlikely, but apparently I kept an extremely consistent pace for my last walking interval and cool down. : )

I hope everyone has a great Thursday!

I'm Still Here...

...and I haven't quit exercising. I did not do my workout on Sunday or Monday however. On Sunday I decided that it would be best to just do my 30 minutes of walking because my legs and ankles hurt pretty bad and I didn't want to over do it. On Monday my legs and ankles were still hurting pretty badly and my husband...who rarely thinks I give my all to anything said that I was over doing it and that I should take a rest day. I still feel kind of guilty about it but my legs and ankles are feeling MUCH better today. : )

I had my group workout for the Crim training program tonight. We walked 3.5 miles and I felt good the whole way. I'm a little achy now in my knees, shins, and ankles but I'm confident that I should be able to do another C25K workout tomorrow evening. Since I wasn't able to complete week two I have decided to do it over again this week. I'm also hoping to convince David (my husband) to let me go get fitted for some running shoes which might possibly help with some of the pain I'm having...I know most of the pain is caused by how much weight I'm trying to lug around on my poor leg/ankle bones, so I'm going to try working on the eating side of things more this week...which means I need to go grocery shopping PRONTO! All I have is cereal! Wish me luck! : )

I hope everyone enjoys their Wednesday!

Struggle

Did I get rained on AGAIN (this time without a rain coat)...YES 

Did I think about quitting and going home more than once tonight...YES

Did I complete Couch 2 5K Week 2 Workout #2...YES

Holy Cow that SUCKED!!! I was going to make the title of this post That SUCKED AGAIN...but I didn't want to be so redundant. ; )

I won't give you the blow by blow in case that is getting boring...just the highlights. I was anxious/nervous/excited to start for a couple HOURS before I went out for my run!!! Does this happen to anyone else? I wish that excitement continued DURING the running! I ALMOST went for my run earlier than I normally do, but I wanted to run as it was getting dark (harder for people to see me), so I found something to occupy my mind (reading Fifty Shades of Grey).

I planned to do my normal route...yep...I've ran enough to say I have a "normal route" *puffs out chest*. However, I did not, so that may have messed with my mental preparedness somewhat. I actually encountered two younger girls who decided to taunt me when I ran past their house, so I decided not to do my loop back. So I ended up running past my house, which I didn't want to do. It started raining when I was doing my second to last 90 second run and I did not wear my rain coat this time...just a HEAVY pull over sweatshirt....so I got wet!

Just like last week, this second workout seemed much harder than the first and I'm really wondering if I should repeat this week's training again next week. I guess we shall see. I didn't think I was going to be able to complete even one of week two's workouts and I have done two of three now!

I realize that I haven't really talked about my weight lately...that's because I'm not losing any...in fact I gained a pound at my last weigh in. I know its all in what I'm eating and I really need to get it under control, like YESTERDAY!

I've decided to use one of my two free race vouchers through my Crim training to do the Huckleberry Hustle 5K in July. Three full months before the race I signed up for in April(?) to be my first attempt at running a 5K!!! I have a little bit of history with this race. It was the first 5K I ever signed up for (to walk) when my oldest son, Jacob, was 3 months old! Its a trail race and it was HARD!!! I was pushing a stroller...which didn't last long because I couldn't keep up with my sister who was walking with me...so she took over pushing the stroller and I was just barely able to keep up with her. I believe I finished in just under an hour! I hope to SMASH that time!!! : )

I haven't decided yet whether or not I'm going to do my third workout tomorrow night or Monday night. According to my Crim training I am suppose to rest on Monday's, but since the group walks on Tuesday aren't really that strenuous for me (and its a step down week) I think it'll be ok. So, I'll either have another post tomorrow night, or you'll have to wait on pins and needles until Monday night. : )

I hope everyone enjoyed their Saturday. Ours was pretty eventful (for us) we took the kids to a lake-wide garage sale, they were ecstatic to be able to rummage through old toys and bring some home! lol Then my husband planted our garden. This will be our first attempt at a garden...wish us luck!

Here's my splits from tonight compared with Thursday's

		Day One	Day Two	Day One	Day Two
C25K Week 2	Time	Distance	Distance	Avg Pace	Avg Pace
1	05:00.0	0.28	0.27	18:10	18:17
2	01:30.0	0.13	0.12	11:45	12:08
3	02:00.0	0.10	0.10	20:27	20:35
4	01:30.0	0.12	0.12	12:13	12:45
5	02:00.0	0.09	0.09	21:22	21:36
6	01:30.0	0.11	0.12	13:49	12:50
7	02:00.0	0.09	0.10	21:08	20:59
8	01:30.0	0.11	0.10	13:09	14:43
9	02:00.0	0.10	0.10	20:38	21:01
10	01:30.0	0.11	0.11	13:57	13:16
11	02:00.0	0.10	0.10	19:37	20:58
12	01:30.0	0.10	0.11	14:25	13:46
13	02:00.0	0.10	0.10	19:41	20:33
14	04:00.0	0.22	0.18	18:33	22:11

I figured, since I've just been sharing yucky pictures of myself lately, I'd share a picture of someone I find much more fun to look at. ; )