Why not hit the ground running?

I did just that! As I mentioned before, my fabulous trainer friend gave me a 12 week 5k running program to get my butt moving again. With so much excitement about this new plan and having lost about 40-50 pounds  by that time, I thought for sure my running would be amazing from day 1. So, right off the bat I set my race time goal as 30 minutes. When I said that to my trainer friend she said... you know- it took me a while to get to 30 minutes, maybe you should rethink that time.... I'll come back to this.

About 3-5 years ago, I ran somewhat often; I did some 5k races and even one 10k.... but I never PROPERLY trained for any distance. I would start the couch-to-5k program and I'd be good for a couple weeks... but I'd hit a run where I'd feel like I couldn't do it, or I wasn't running hard or long enough, so I'd stop.

So going in to this 12 week plan, I had A LOT of apprehension about how it would go. This time was different, for so many reasons.
1- Someone else is involved. My trainer friend took the time out of her busy life to create a plan for me.
2- I knew I was ready to make a change in my life. In January when I truly got back on the Weight Watchers program, I knew I was ready to tackle weight loss and activity head on.
3- Several other people knew what I was taking on. This was no longer an attempt at something that would go unnoticed if I didn't follow through.
4- I wanted it. So bad.

Now all of those things being said- it wasn't an easy 12 weeks by any stretch of the imagination. A couple weeks in when I did a 4k run I said to my sister... you know I just want to do 5k in 30 minutes, that's all. And she said you'll get there, but you haven't even reached the point in your training where you do a full 5k... get the 5k under your belt and then think about timing. So it was shortly after that conversation where I decided maybe, I should rethink my race goal of 30 minutes... Perhaps 30 minutes for my first race isn't the most attainable goal, that being said, I changed my goal to 35 minutes. I even thought that goal was a little lofty given that when I ran years ago, pretty sure my best time ever was in the 38 minutes.



My trainer friend said at the beginning to "trust the process" with the running plan. Honestly, I'm surprised that my she didn't hit me on multiple occasions for my comments. She listened to me complain A LOT- comments like- "I don't want to run at intervals, I just want to be able to run 5k without stopping","I'm slow, I want to be faster...now", "Why is everyone's running ability better than mine",  "This is too hard" and the list goes on. Instead of her punching me, she cheered me on. She wasn't the only one either! My mom, sister, sister-in-law, brother, best friends and even some of my Facebook friends were constantly checking in and cheering me on... telling me I could do it. That's what helped me through.

It feels SO GOOD to have stuck with the training plan. I feel accomplished and proud that I could stick with it, even when it got hard.

So my first run in 3 years was the IWK 5K Run- In Memory of Jessica (#3782 above). It was a pretty warm day, but the start of the run was in DeWolfe Park which is on the water, so there was a nice breeze. From there we ran on a trail and back road that were both pretty shaded, so it still wasn't too bad. We looped back, through to the other side of DeWolfe Park. For the last kilometre or so of the run there was no shade or breeze at all!! So I had a brief moment of ohmygod, it's so hot, I'll never make it back to the finish line... but then I realized how close I really was to the finish.  I threw on my power song, turned the corner to the home stretch and there was trainer friend waiting to cheer me on, check in on how I was doing and run a couple steps with me leading up to the finish.
Here is proof of all that. This picture means so much to me right now. It is proof of the amazing trainer that I have, the hard work I've put in on this journey, the enjoyment that I'm having on said journey and how truly happy I am in life.

I was THAT runner who had a huge smile on my face in that home stretch. I felt SO strong finishing that race- it wasn't like other runs I've done where I cross the finish line and feel like collapsing after I stepped over the line. I totally had the runners high. I was PUMPED. I was a little slow to stop my running app, but when I did I was so excited- I was bang on with my goal. I finished my first 5k in 35 minutes! I was on cloud 9!

Lesson- trust the process. You're right Courteney, this time....

I'm taking what?

Yesterday, for the first day in 120 straight days, I took a rest day. No running, bootcamp, personal training, cross-training or even a long walk. It's been a good stretch... and looking back, it's been a tiring stretch. I've had tunnel vision since February 7th when I started this stretch. My sister sent me this little colouring page for a visual of my activity and it's what really started my 100 days of activity.



Being the OCD and over achieving person that I am, I not only saw a challenge of 100 days of activity but took it to mean 100 days straight. Once I get excited about something, I love to tell people about it.. so naturally, I told my sister know about my commitment of seeing this through, my trainer friend, my friends oh- and all of my Facebook people since I posted it there when I started. So I was off to the races- February 7th I started my 100 day goal. For the first 3 weeks, my activity ranged from bootcamp or personal training with my super fabulous trainer to a long walk, an hour of yoga or a cardio session at the gym. 

At the end of February my previously mentioned super fabulous trainer gave me a training schedule to prepare myself for running 5k. In the past, I've done several 5k races and even one 10k, but this time I knew I was ready to commit to it and become an actual runner. For 3 months, I followed that training schedule to a T. 
I may have bumped a run back by a day, but I haven't missed one day on that schedule. And that is something that I've become so proud of. So between running, bootcamp, personal training, yoga, walks and cardio sessions... there has been no shortage of activity. There were days where I felt like being a bump on a log but they seemed to be the same days where people on Facebook would message me to see how many days in I was and if I was still doing it. 
I felt like if I took a single day of rest, it would mean I was cheating and wouldn't have accomplished the goal..therefore I would have to start at day 1 again. 

Throughout the 100 days, I had several people say to me... you know.. you CAN take a day off... you aren't a superhero... you don't NEED to be super active EVERY day. Even athletes training for the Olympics have a rest day in their routine. They're right... I'll admit it, But I feel like I can defend myself by saying... some of those days were a leisurely walk for 30 minutes- not all of them were intense workouts.

So this past weekend for activity was no busier than other weekends. Friday I had a personal training session, Saturday my brother, sister-in-law and I hit softballs for an hour, Sunday I ran 5k and did a 40 minute bootcamp. Sidenote -->The 5k on Sunday was my first official race not just of 2016, but the first one for me in 3 full years. I put it all out there for that run... the adrenaline was pumping with people cheering me on, not to mention the friendly competition that was happening. I'm happy to report that putting it all out there resulted in me getting a personal best. I couldn't be happier. More to come on that run in a future post.  

Anyway- when I got out of bed on Monday... something felt different... I was sore from the multitude of weekend workouts, but more than being sore- my entire body was so tired. It wasn't the normal sleepy tired I feel on Mondays, it was an overwhelming feeling of complete exhaustion. I was spent... and it hit me like a ton of bricks. Throughout the work day I thought... oh I can still get my run in tonight, or at least a good walk. And I flip flopped all day on whether or not I was going to be active that evening. When I got home after our Sparks year end party, I flopped on the couch and was proud to announce that I wasn't going to do anything for the rest of the night. This even happened- 

 
and for any loyal FitBit wearers out there, you know how dramatic this is. I took my FitBit Charge HR OFF! And it's staying off until Wednesday morning when my break is over.

It's Tuesday night and I've stuck to my plan of 2 'rest' days. I must say, I feel SO much better than I did on Monday morning. Tomorrow I will be back at it with a 5k run and 40 minute bootcamp!