First 5k

Sorry it's been a month since I've posted. My littlest one got sick the day I posted the last post and was in the hospital for a week. After that I've been working 50 hour weeks and it's been insane. Because of that I haven't been running much (or at all) the last two weeks. But I went and did my 5k this morning anyway. I just told myself that I would just do my best and try to keep moving. That's exactly what I did too. I don't know my exact time yet since they're not posted yet but I did chip timing so I'll look it up in a few days to see. I do know it was less than 50 minutes though. ****edited to add that the final time was 49:13**** Not awful considering. Not only had it been 2 weeks since I'd run at all, I've NEVER done 3.1 miles before in my training AND I had my two oldest kids with me. The teenager complained half the time and the 10 year old had to pee from mile 1. lol

Other than that I've been doing well on my diet since I've lost weight. This morning I was down to 239.9.  :)

I've also got the race bug!!! I came home and registered for a Santa Run for Dec 4th and a St Patrick's Day 4 miler March 10th. I think having those to work towards will help keep me focused. I really need to keep it up if I'm going to do my half marathon June 2nd. I want to do a 10k at some point in April or May too. I just feel like I need the experience of running a longer race before the half.

To prepare I'm running as much as I can in the coming months. The half is just over 6 months away and I think I need every bit of that time to train. I bought a 3 month membership to the community center gym near my house so I can use that when the weather is bad. It's still nice now but in a week or so it could turn! It'll be good until Feb 24th. By then the weather should start turning the other direction.  I plan to start Saturday with the bridge to 10k app on my phone. I'd started it before but I think I need to start over. It's a 10 week program so I should be done by the end of January. At that point I'll start my half training.

Journal 10/20

EXERCISE
Today I went out to run with the intention that I would just see how long I could go before stopping. The answer is 30 minutes!!! I guess that means I'm graduated from C25K! This is amazing. After my epiphany Monday it is like a switch just got flipped. It is so hard to believe that I just started this 5 weeks ago and now I can run for 30 minutes. Also it means I have 4 weeks to increase my speed. In 30 minutes I did just under 2 miles. I know I'm slow. But that's okay. I am fine with going slow. I'll get faster as I get thinner too.

FOOD
I have been really good about eating vegan lately. It just seems normal now. I will occasionally eat dairy (well . .. cheese) but I'm not too concerned about that. I don't miss meat at all and I doubt I'll ever eat it again. I splurge on cheese about once a week or so. Also, I have been doing great on the pop situation as well. I have about one or two a week. That is amazing considering how much I used to drink!!

Epiphany

Today is a monumental day for me. Just 5 weeks ago I started the C25K program. The first day is just 60 seconds run, 90 seconds walk for 8 reps. I was only able to complete 4. But I got back out there and tried again. And I have continued to do that all the way through this program. The day I was most dreading was week 5 day 3. It's a 5 minute warm up walk, a 20 minute run and a 5 minute cool down walk. I didn't think it was possible. Even last week when I did week 5 day 2 (two 8 minute runs with a 5 minute walk in between) I struggled and didn't think I was ready for the 20 minute run. Well let me just tell you that I was wrong. I should not have sold myself short. Today I ran 20 minutes. No walking. No stopping. I had turned the app off on my phone because I didn't want to tell myself that I was going to do that. I had the jog tracker app on and it told me every 2 minutes how long I'd run. I walked for the first 4 minutes and then started to run (well it's very slow so I'm not sure you can call it that!). Every two minutes I told myself good job and I kept on. Once I had done 8 minutes I decided to go for 10. Once I hit 10 I decided to push myself to 12. Once I did 12 I decided to go to 14 and so on. Truth be told I could have actually run more than 20. I felt pretty good. I felt strong. I concentrated on my breathing and kept my pace slow. I could care less how fast I do it. I just am proud that I can do it. This is what I needed to keep going. Now I know that it's possible. And at this weight!!! Honestly if I can do this anyone can. I am still 80ish pounds overweight and I just ran 20 minutes. Next month is the 5K and I am feeling so good about that now! I'm going to be able to run the whole thing!!

Weight Loss Update 10/13/11

I LOST 6 POUNDS!!!!!!!!!

that is all :)

Journal 10/12

EXERCISE
Yesterday I didn't work out. I worked out hard all weekend and Monday I had a hard and disappointing run so I felt like I needed a rest day. Well it paid off because today I tried week 5 day 1 again and I did it!! For me I don't think I need to take every other day off but it never fails that when I work hard three days in a row I need one off. I don't think that's bad. One day off per three working out is not bad!!! It's just once or twice a week average. I did my run in the neighborhood again. It was tough but I felt really good. I felt like I might die when I was done but I think that means I worked hard enough! It was 31 minutes and 2.1 miles so that's not a bad pace either!! Especially since 16 minutes were walking and 15 minutes were running. Although I don't think my running is much faster than my walking at this point!! Oh well. I am not concerned about my speed at this point. It's hard enough to carry 250 pounds around. I will get faster as I get thinner I'm sure.

I posted something on Facebook yesterday about feeling guilty about wanting to take a rest day and someone (skinny lady) posted that I should just go out and try to run for at least 10 minutes. I wanted to laugh. Does she not realize that I am just now up to 5 minute runs?! I'd like to see her strap 150 pounds to herself and run 10 minutes. I'm not sure why but it really rubbed me the wrong way. I know she just doesn't get it because she's never been 250 pounds but it still stung a bit. Five weeks ago I could barely do a minute and now I'm running 5 minutes. It's an accomplishment I'm proud of. And at this pace in another 5 weeks I'll be doing 25 minutes. That's kind of the point of this program.

My plan is to try day 2 of week 5 tomorrow. If I can't do it then I'll try again Friday. I am just fine with week 5 taking two weeks instead of just one. I have heard that's pretty common. Plus I  need to make sure I can do it before moving on. After week 6 it's all long runs. I'll get there. I know I will.

The conclusion I've come to is that I want to run. I want to be a runner. I signed up to run a half marathon on June 2nd. The focus has shifted for me. In the beginning it was about losing 100 pounds. Now it's all about running that half marathon. The weight will come off in the process and I'll just get faster as I get thinner. I no longer want the focus to be the weight loss. Don't get me wrong I'm THRILLED to see the weight come off. But as long as I've been going on this weight loss roller coaster I've had the weight as the goal. It feels good to have something else be my focus. I can't always control the fluctuations that my body does when it comes to weight but I can control getting out there to run.  It's free and I'm in complete control of that. The weight loss is a side effect to the goal I'm really working towards. This is also something I can keep doing. There will always be another race to train for. Another challenge to tackle. I can do this for the rest of my life. It's not finite like losing weight and dieting is. With this I think I can keep this off long term.

FOOD
I have been doing really well on my food. I am still tracking on www.sparkpeople.com and I feel like it is helping me stay accountable. I know that I don't want to log stuff that is going to be really bad. So I just don't eat it. I have been almost entirely vegan as well. Also, I have only had like 2 sodas in the last 10 days. That is huge for me!!! I am also drinking lots and lots of water.

All of these things combined hopefully will make for a great weigh in tomorrow morning. I think this is the most successful 10 day period I've had since I started. I feel like I'm finally on a good stretch. I am totally killing this thing and I couldn't be happier!!!!

Journal 10/9 and 10/10

EXERCISE

Yesterday (Sunday) was great. Love and I worked out on the treadmill in her dad's exercise room in his apartment again. Since I ran on Saturday I just wanted to walk. I set the time for 35 minutes and a speed of 3.5, which is 17 min/mile.  I plugged along and then the last 5 minutes I put the incline up to 3 to give myself a little extra challenge. I was drenched when I quit. So much for an easy day!! Oh well. It felt good.

Today I decided to do week 5 day 1 of C25K.  We all 5 went out to a park nearby to do it o the track they have there. I started off running with the girls but they surpassed me quickly! Week 5 day 1 is a 5 minute warm up walk, 5 minute run, 3 minute walk, 5 minute run, 3 minute walk, 5 minute run and then a 5 minute cool down walk. I did it (slowly) up to 2 minutes of the third run. I just couldn't breathe anymore! I am really disappointed in myself. All I can do though is to go back out there and try it again. Day 2 is different than day 1 so I'm going to try to do day 1 again until I can do it before moving on. 

I've been dreading week 5 for a while now and this is why. It really is going to require a lot more stamina. That will just take time I suppose. I am totally fine with repeating days until I can complete the runs. No matter how long that takes. The goal is to be able to run a 5K. Not walk it. I know I can walk it. I don't want to set a time limit on myself for it. I just want to be able to do it. That being said, I am registered for a 5K on Thanksgiving day. It is in 5 1/2 weeks. I've only been at this about 4 weeks and I've really improved so I absolutely think it's possible. 

FOOD

I have been pretty good on my food lately. I've cheated and had dairy here and there but I think I'm about 80% vegan on a bad day and 100% vegan on a good day. And they're mostly good days. I have also been better about drinking a lot more water. Plus I've only had one pop in the last week or so. That is a huge improvement!!! Oh and I haven't had meat in over 2 months. I have no desire to ever eat it again. It just doesn't appeal to me. I have also started tracking my calories through a sparkpeople app on my phone. That has been really helpful. I'm averaging about 1300-1500 calories a day. 

Journal 10/8/11

NEW SHOES!

EXERCISE
We are visiting my love's family in Arkansas this weekend. Her dad has a gym in his apartment building so we took advantage and went to run on the treadmill this morning when we got up. It was my first time doing my run on a treadmill but it went well. It was my final run of week 4. It was also my first run with my pretty new shoes!! It was great. The new shoes help a lot. My toes didn't have the same  problem that they've had before. I did get a half size bigger than normal and I think that really helped. I finished this time which is good. Those 5 minute runs still kick my butt. It's not my legs that bug me. It is the breathing I think. It'll just take time I guess. I was getting a pain in my right side just under my rib cage. Week 5 consists of three 5 minute runs on day 1. Then a couple 5 minute runs alternated with 8 minute runs on day 2. Then day 3 is a 20 minute run. We'll see how that goes. If I have to repeat week 5 I will. From what I've heard it's not that uncommon. I just will keep doing it until I can do it. I WILL finish this program. I WILL be able to run a 5k. I've just decided.

FOOD
Since we're in Arkansas we're not eating as well as normal. Oh well it's just a weekend. We will go back to normal when we get home tomorrow. I just can't come down here and not eat fried pickles. It's a must. It's just a couple times a year so I'll not beat myself up about it.

October 3 Weigh In (and Measure)

So it was time again for our once every 10 days or so weigh in and this time it was measure time too since it is now October. Sorry it's taken a while to get this posted but I've been having issues with my handy dandy little chart.  Here's how I did. . .



For the month of Septmember I'm down 7.7 lbs and 11.75 inches!!

Not too shabby I must say!! Since I weighed last time (Sept 23rd) I'm only down 1.2 lbs but a loss is a loss in my book and the inches is what really matters anyhow. I'm so glad I'm taking my measurements because otherwise I would be very discouraged. Most of those inches came from my waist and hips too so that's why my pants are feeling a bit looser! If I keep losing inches like this I'll be buying new pants by this time next month I think!

The breakdown of inches lost is:

0.5 in Bust
1 in Neck (wow!)

1 1/2 in Arm
4 1/2 in Waist (no wonder my pants are loose!)
0.25 in Calf
2 in Hips
2 in Thighs

Not too bad for a month! I am anxious to see what it is at the beginning of November. I really hope by then I'll have to actually wear a smaller size instead of where I am now where the size I'm currently in is really loose but I'm not quite ready for the next size down.

Journal Oct 5, 2011

EXERCISE
I did week 4 day 2 of the C25K program. This consisted of a 5 minute warm up, 3 minute run, 90 second walk, 5 minute run, 2 1/2 minute walk, 3 minute run, 90 second walk, 5 minute run and then a 5 minute cool down. The same thing all three days this week. Next week is when things get changed up! I decided to do my run on the streets in the neighborhood this time since I was getting really bored with doing it in the backyard. (Yes I've done all past runs in my back yard! You should see the path I've beaten down!) I have to say that it is a lot harder. First of all, I think the pavement is harder on your legs and feet, secondly there are hills!! I was on an uphill climb when I started my first 5 minute run and I finished it but it really took it out of me! I still did the whole thing except the last 45 seconds of the last 5 minute run. I was just so out of breath and getting side splints. This is the first time that's happened. I started getting it pretty early into my last run but I tried to be really mindful of my breathing and work through it but I just couldn't. Plus it was another uphill portion so I had to walk the last little bit. Oh well. I'm not going to beat myself up about it.

FOOD
I did really well food-wise today. I had one of the home made granola bars that my love makes that are about 175 calories and have 6 gm protein on my way home from work because I knew I'd need something to fuel me if I was going to run first thing. For lunch I had vegan meatballs with red sauce and rotini, steamed broccoli and some sliced tomato. Yum! Dinner was at my parents house. Veggie fajitas with no cheese and vegan sour cream. Spanish rice on the side. I'd only had about 900 calories all day so before bed while Love and I watched TV I had a little piece of this vegan chocolate cake she made. It was 300ish calories but so worth it!! Oh and I've been vegan exclusively for weeks now. :)

Journal 10/2/11

EXERCISE:
I did week 4 day 1 today. Not only did I do week 4 day 1 today but I did it after working 13 hours thankyouverymuch! I have to say that I'm pretty darned impressed with myself. The run itself was not too bad. The first 3 minute run was a breeze and the first 5 minute run wasn't that bad at all. I felt like I could still take a deep breath while still running even. HUGE improvement. The second 3 minute also not too bad. The second 5 minute run was tough. I had to do a lot of pep talking to myself to get through it. That being said - I did it. Now I feel all kinds of accomplished and stuff. Yay me. The last two runs I was having a lot of pain on my right foot at the base of my second toe. About my second toes -they're crazy long. I think I might need a half size bigger shoes. Or toe shortening surgery. I think the shoes might be easier. It's all coming at a good time because this coming weekend the wife and I are going to her home town for a wedding and her dad has offered to buy us running shoes since he's been so impressed with our endeavor. I'm pretty excited. It'll be nice to get a nice pair of running shoes that are fit by someone knowledgeable about such things. It'll be good. Especially going into week 5!!!!

FOOD:
I've started a new medication a couple weeks ago and it's been messing with my appetite. As in I don't really have much of one. Not a bad problem to have really but I also know that because I'm working out I need to fuel my body to be able to do that. So I've been eating every 4 hours to make sure I'm keeping my energy and blood sugar up. I'm not being too picky about what I'm eating but I've been eating a lot of high fiber foods and foods with high protein. Also staying vegan.


Tomorrow is not only weigh day but also monthly measurement day. The second measurements we've done. I'm anxious to see how many inches I've lost because I'm definitely seeing a difference in my clothes. Even though I'm less than 10 lbs down. Well I WAS less than 10 lbs down. We'll see what tomorrow says . . .

October Goals

I have already shared my goals for the next 12 months so I wanted to break it down into monthly goals as well. Since it is now October I'll share them here now. At the beginning of November I'll share how I did on my October goals and make new ones for November. You get the idea!

OCTOBER GOALS

1. No more than 1 soda a day.
2. Run at least 3 times every single week all month.
3. Stay vegan 80-90% of the time
4. Lose 10 more pounds
5. Bring lunch to work every time
6. Register all of us all for the Thanksgiving 5K

A Week in Review

Okay so it's been more than a week since I posted. I wanted to. I really did but life kept getting in my way! So here's what I've been up to since then . . .

Last week I completed week 2 of C25K and it was lovely. No problem. Then Sunday night at work I fell and hurt my back. To be honest the first thing I thought about was that it was going to derail my running plan!!  It's amazing that just two weeks in and I find myself looking forward to it!

I left work early on Monday morning because it kept hurting more and more and I went to the ER that the occupational health nurse told me to go to. I was there for a little over an hour and all that got accomplished was that a doc who thought I was drug seeking and didn't even properly examine me gave me scripts for V.icodin, Ibuprofen and a muscle relaxer. Grrr. I didn't fill them. I called the occupational health nurse back and she told me to go to one of their clinics that handles all of their worker's comp. cases. That doc was very helpful and did x-rays to make sure I hadn't broken anything before he gave me a course of steroids and a muscle relaxer. I also saw my wonderful and fabulous chiropractor A that day and she helped me a lot too. Other than seeing three doctors on Monday I did nothing but lie on the couch and rest and sleep. Sitting was painful and I was drugged. Tuesday was more lying around and babying my back.

Wednesday I felt so much better. Those meds, the chiro and two days of rest really helped a ton. I even decided to go attempt week 3 day 1. I promised myself that I could quit if I needed to but I didn't need to.  I felt good. Thursday I went back to be adjusted again and I felt even better. Friday when I did day 2 I noticed that I had a lot of pain in my SI joint (pelvis-hip region) on my left side so I FB'd my chiro and asked for advice. Ice, rest, stretch. Did that and felt up to another run (week 3 day 3) Saturday before work!! It feels so good to be through 3 weeks of this program. I'm a third of the way there!! I'm feeling ready for week 4 (jog 3 min/ walk 90 sec/ jog 5 min/ walk 2 1/2 min  x2) since it's not a huge jump from the 1 1/2 and 3 minute jogs I've been doing in week three but then there is the dreaded week 5. After that it gets harder and harder every week. Like a lot harder. Here's how it looks:

Week 5 day 1:    jog 5 min/ walk 3 min/ jog 5 min/ walk 3 min/ jog 5 min
Week 5 day 2:    jog 8 min/ walk 5 min/ jog 8 min
Week 5 day 3:    jog 20 min

WHAT?!

So you're telling me that I will go from being a person who's never run more than 8 minutes at once in my life and then suddenly I'll be able to jog 20 minutes straight? Talk about taking the training wheels off! I have been reading through blogs where people like me document their C25K process and they all are about where I am right now on week 3 and they are all able to do it. I guess I will just have to have faith. I think this is where the idea that running is about 40% physical and 60% mental.

I'll be sure to document it here how that all goes! I'm not expecting anything too drastic on week 4 since it's not a huge jump. I found this week that I wasn't even getting to where I needed to look to see how much time was left until 2 minutes so I think the jump to 5 minutes won't be huge. I hope I'm right.

Another thing I've got rolling around in my head is that when my aunt Sandy (who was a runner and inspired me to reach this goal) died 3 1/2 years ago I swore to run a marathon by the time I was 35. Well here I am 4 months into my 35th year and I'm running 3 minutes. So I've altered it a bit to run a half marathon at 35. There is a half marathon here in town that's pretty big around here and it just happens to be about 2 weeks before I turn 36. So if I train for 8 months I think I might be able to do it. So that's my big goal that I'm not ready to shout from the roof tops just yet. I'll keep it close for a while. I need a couple 5k and maybe a 10 k under my belt before I'll feel like it's really going to happen but that's the goal I'm reaching for.

Journal 9/23/11

FOOD
I was not a very good eater today. I haven't worked for almost 2 weeks due to my daughter's illness and then my own so tonight is my first night back in a while. I had half a granola bar (home made vegan bars) for breakfast and then lunch was vegan chickn nuggets, smashed potatoes, steamed broccoli and sauteed mushrooms. Then I went to take my nap to prepare to be up all night and when I woke up I just had some chips and salsa. And a pop. :( I needed caffeine. Since I work nights my eating day won't end until after midnight so I'll include that meal as well since I brought it from home. I brought leftover vegan meatballs and red sauce with pasta and an apple. Then I brought another of the home made granola bars to eat if I get hungry in the morning before I go home. I guess it's not terrible but not as good as I would have liked to have eaten. I'll get better at figuring out how to do this with working!

EXERCISE
I didn't. :(  I did not sleep well last night so I was super tired this morning and then slept all afternoon. I plan to come home and do my run before I go to sleep in the morning though. Hold me to it! I want to get 4 in this week!!!

Weight Loss 9/23/11

Weight Loss Progress

This is my weight chart. The first weight is August 4, 2011. The most current is today 9/23/11. I'm trying to weigh in about every 10 days. As you can see I initially lost weight when we went vegan (August 4th) and then gained. That's because we went out of town and we gone for 9 days and ate like garbabge the whole time. But I started exercising 2 weeks ago and I've seen great progress since then.

Here are the weights so far:

8/4/11 - 262.2

8/15/11 -257.4  down 4.8

8/30/11 -260.7  up 3.3

9/14/11 -256.8  down 3.9

9/23/11 -254.2  down 2.6

I plan to also do measurements every month. The last measurements were done 9/5/11. Once we do them again (probably next weigh in on or around Oct 3rd) I will post those as well. I am noticing a difference in my clothes though so I am hopeful that I've also lost some inches!

Journal 9/22/11

I did my C25K Week 2 Day 3 today. This is three days in a row that I've done my running!!! I was so sore last night I didn't know if I was going to be able to do it today but I just went out and did it. The secret for me is to put my exercise clothes next to the toilet in my bathroom so I have to look at them every time I go in there. And since I'm sitting there on the toilet half dressed anyhow it's enough motivation for me to just put the clothes on. Once I have the clothes on then I might as well go out and just start. I always give myself permission to stop if I need to but I never do. I don't feel worn out until about half way thru if I do get worn out and once I've started then I like to just finish it. I spent the $1.99 for the C25K app on my phone and I love it. I can listen to my music while I do it and that helps me get focused too. When it's time to run or walk a voice comes on and tells me and when I do a run it always says "good job!"  It seems corny but it really does help. There is one for the 10K training program as well and I've already purchased it. Once I complete this 9 week program I plan to just start that on the following week. No excuses.

Another thing I have done to keep me motivated to keep going is to plan to run in a 5k on Nov 20th. I haven't paid for it yet but I plan to. Once I've paid for it then I'm IN! I want all of us to do it together. That's why we're all doing the training together now. I think it would be awesome to be able to run 5Ks together as a family. Since my girls are older it's really nice and it gives them a good base to keep going into their adulthood. I was never into sports or any sort of activity. We just never did that stuff as a family. I think showing them that activity can be fun to do is a good thing that they'll take with them. Maybe that way they won't struggle with weight as they get older. I hope.

As far as food I'm doing pretty well. I had a half a grapefruit this morning along with a couple pieces of pumpkin bread that K made. It was nice. She also made up a recipe for granola bars that are nut free, yummy and packed with protein. Plus they're vegan. Of course. They turned out great!! Maybe that'll be a great breakfast for when we're on the go. Lunch is red beans and rice and salad with vinaigrette. Yum! Dinner was pasta with vegan meatballs and red sauce with some texas toast. Also yum. I don't count calories or anything. I just make sure I stay vegan and control my portion size. It seems to be working so far!!

Journal 9/21/11

I did week 2 day 2 of the couch to 5k. It was not bad. I did it with the girls. It was fun! Several hours later, however, OUCH! Two runs in two days and my body is freaking out!!! My legs and back are killing me. I'm going to take Tylenol tonight and we'll see how I feel tomorrow. If I don't feel up to running tomorrow though I'll at least walk. I just need to keep moving!!!

The food is going good today too. Strictly vegan all day. :)

Overall a good day. We've been weighing in every 10 days and it's just 3 more days to weigh in day. I'll update all that then.

Goals

These are the goals I have set for myself for the next 12 months. I plan to update them as I complete them.

1. Quit soda -by January 1
2. Begin strength training program -by January 1
3. Run 5K -by January 1
4. Train at least 3 times a week -cont.
5. Run 10K -by March 1
6. Become strictly vegan -by March 1
7. Cholesterol below 200 -by March 1
8. Run half marathon -by June 1
9. No more depression -by June 1
10. Lose 100 lbs. -by Sept 1

On the first of every month I will update my progress on these goals and add more goals as I check them off!

Why this blog?

I am starting this blog because I want to record the process as I go from being a couch potato with 100 lbs to lose to a completely vegan person who runs races. It seems insurmountable right now as I sit at 257 lbs but I am determined to make this happen. Here I will document how I did it so that someone else out there who is sitting where I am now can see that it can be done. I plan on journaling every day or at least several times a week to document how I'm eating and the exercise I'm doing to keep myself accountable.

Food: This is my biggest issue I'm sure. At least 70%.  I love food. It's been a constant friend and comforter for me and I just need to find something else. I'm not sure yet what that's going to be but I need to find something else. As long as I can remember I've snuck food, I have stolen food, I've hoarded it and eaten secretly. Most people in my life don't know this. I have come to realize that I am an absolute food addict. The problem though is that I can't quit food. I just have to learn how to relate differently to it. I seriously think it would be easier to be a freaking alcoholic! This addiction is brutal. It's everywhere. There is no escaping it. EVER. So what I have chosen to do is cut certain foods out of my diet completely by becoming vegan. My cholesterol right now is 235 and so by cutting out animal products I will eventually reduce my cholesterol since that's where cholesterol is found. I'm going to have it rechecked in January. I hope I have a better number to report.

Exercise: Also a huge problem for me. I don't move unless I have to. First of all, it hurts to move a lot when you're heavy. But I have to remind myself that the more I do it the lesser I will weigh and the better it will feel. I have to keep that in my mind while I'm exercising otherwise all I think about is the pain. The program that I'm choosing to do is the Couch to 5K Running Training Program.  I have done it before years ago and it really does work. It works you up slowly from barely running to running for 30 minutes. It really makes it possible. That will take me 9 weeks. I'm currently on week 2.  But I don't plan on stopping there. After that there is a 10K training program too. There are more after that too all the way to becoming a marathon runner.   For some strange reason I have always had running as a goal for myself. I'm not exactly sure why since I have never been a very fit or athletic person. I guess I'll have to blame it on my late Aunt Sandy. She's my mom's sister and had always struggled with weight. Then she became a runner. It changed her whole life. She never struggled with it again. She has truly been my inspiration and I promised myself and her when she died 3 years ago that I would actually do it. And I will.

So there are my plans for how I am going to accomplish this. If you are someone who is struggling with weight please come and do it with me. I know we can do this. I know it is in me and I know it is in you.

Journal 9/20/11

I did Week 2 Day 1 of my couch to 5k program. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. I was worried because week 1 day 1 was really tough. I couldn't even complete it! I just kept trucking and I was exhausted and my heart was pounding out of my chest when I was done but I did it!!

I ate mostly vegan today until dinner and then K and I were feeling like Mexican and so we splurged and ate dairy. I had a cheese quesidilla and some chips and salsa. Not great I know. Oh well. Tomorrow is a better day!