Running for the Un-Athletic. . .Blog Day #20

I can say, for the first time in my life, that I'm a runner. Not a fast runner, but a runner none-the-less. . .Now when I say fast, I mean running more than a few miles at 10 minutes or less per mile. . .I myself am an average runner.  Not fast, not slow. . .I am capable of running 6 miles at 13 minutes per mile.  That, so far, has been my greatest accomplishment of 2011.

This is a lot to say for someone like me.  Since I turned 22 years of age, I have gained over 50 pounds 5 times. The body I had when I graduated college is no longer in existence. (Now, of course, this weight gain was to sustain 5 little lives, but it's still an impressive thing to say. )  Each time I gave birth, and weaned, I shed almost all the extra poundage.  Almost. . .so the little that I kept, added up. . .until now, after my fifth baby, I'm left at 20 pounds from my BK (Before Kids) weight. . .

Note: I've already had to lose 20 pounds to get to pre-4th child weight. . .so to get to BK weight, the total loss needed as of January 2011 was 40 pounds total, oy! Whoops, let's not forget to add the 5-10 pounds I gained over the holidays (getting older is no fun). So when I reach my goal, that will be 50 pounds total lost.  That is an atrocious amount, especially for a Chinese chick.

I wish I could say that I took a special pill that I got in bulk at Costco. I wish it was as simple as spending a few days on the potty cleansing my colon. I even wish that I just drank some fake milkshakes 3 times a day and the fat just melted away. . .Just goes to show you that the easy way is not always the best way.

No, I decided to start running. A big feat for someone who could barely run down the one block to the stop sign. Even at 16 years old, swimming 30 second 50's, I couldn't run a mile. So how was I to get past my own body and run like my much envied friends? How would I run a 5k race when I couldn't even control the jigglies during aerobics?  Not to mention my hips were a little messed up from delivering the last child, who was 9lbs 14oz.

Couch to 5k. . .My friend suggested it. . .I tried it, and it worked. So a non-athletic, mom of many, hay-fevered asthmatic, married single parent, homeschooling and living solely on her husband's income woman learned to run 3 miles.  In fact, she's learned to run 6, and counting, miles without stopping or collapsing. The only obstacle left is to push through the sore muscles and rest enough to get past the 6 month mark, where I hope my body will finally get used to the impact involved in running.  If that's the only obstacle left, then I've got running in a bag. Yay!

I've been asked what running schedule I've used.  So here it is, and following is a list of my running mix. . .I've also read some informative and useful articles on running.about.com. To sign up for walk/run races in the Sacramento area, www.runsac.com is great. Now the following schedule is not cited because I cannot, for the life of me, remember exactly where I got it. . .but I believe that Cool Running is very useful. For you iPhone users, I use the RunKeeper app.  There is also a Couch to 5K app.

Invest in some great running shoes, socks, compression shorts and some supportive tops and get ready for a fun 10 weeks:
The Couch to 5K Training Plan

Week 1

1. 5 min walk, 2 min jog, 5 min walk   
2. Relax!   
3. 5 min walk, 2 min jog, 5 min walk   
4. Relax!   
5. 5 min walk, 3 min jog, 5 min walk   
6. Relax!   
7. Relax!

Week 2  

1. 5 min walk, 3 min jog, 5 min walk   
2. Relax!   
3. 5 min walk, 4 min jog, 5 min walk   
4. Relax!   
5. 5 min walk, 5 min jog, 5 min walk   
6. Relax!   
7. Relax!

Week 3  

1. 5 min walk, 6 min jog, 5 min walk   
2. Relax!   
3. 4 min jog, 5 min walk, 4 min jog, 5 min walk   
4. Relax!    
5. 5 min walk, 7 min jog, 5 min walk   
6. Relax!   
7. Relax!

Week 4   

1. 5 min walk, 7 min jog, 5 min walk   
2. Relax!   
3. 5 min walk, 8 min jog, 5 min walk   
4. Relax!   
5. 5 min walk, 9 min jog, 5 min walk   
6. Relax!   
7. Relax!

Week 5   

1. 5 min walk, 9 min jog, 5 min walk   
2. Relax!   
3. 6 min jog, 5 min walk, 6 min jog, 5 min walk   
4. Relax!   
5. 5 min walk, 10 min jog, 5 min walk   
6. Relax!   
7. 5 min walk, 11 min jog, 5 min walk

Week 6  

1. 5 min walk, 11 min jog, 5 min walk   
2. Relax!   
3. 13 min jog, 5 min walk  
4. Relax!   
5. 15 min jog, 5 min walk   
6. Relax!   
7. Relax!

Week 7   

1. 15 min jog, 5 min walk   
2. Relax!   
3. 8 min jog, 5 min walk, 8 min jog, 5 min walk   
4. Relax!   
5. 16 min jog, 5 min walk   
6. Relax!   
7. 17 min jog, 5 min walk

Week 8   

1. 17 min jog, 5 min walk   
2. Relax!    
3. 18 min jog, 5 min walk   
4. Relax!   
5. 20 min jog, 5 min walk   
6. Relax!   
7. Relax!

Week 9  

1. 20 min jog   
2. Relax!   
3. 12 min jog, 5 min walk, 12 min jog   
4. Relax!   
5. 24 min jog   
6. Relax!   
7. 25 min jog

Week 10   

1. 25 min jog   
2. Relax!   
3. 27 min jog   
4. Relax!   
5. 30 min jog   
6. Relax!   

Race Day!

Tips

• Stretch after every workout to avoid injuries.
• If you start developing an injury, STOP running before it gets worse and take a few days off.
• This is only a rough outline of the perfect plan for you. You can change it as you need to.
• Don’t push yourself too hard when you jog. Go at a comfortable pace.
• Hydrate properly and energize yourself at least an hour before you run. 

Because of the length of this post, I put my music set on Blog Day #21. . .