...and so it begins again!

passed out after my first 5k!  LOL...

Today is day one of my 10K training. I'm not sure if I'm happy about it or not, but I'm going to get out there. I just want to wait until it cools down a bit first. Am I scared to run today? Hell ya! I truly am afraid of the pain as each run is still brutal, but like I've said before, I've come to far to quit now. I will be a runner so help me god...you might have to pick me up off the ground after each run I do, but I'm going to get out there!

Ideally I'd love to be able to train with others at the running room and follow their programs, but with my schedule it just doesn't work out. They do have some public runs open for anyone on wednesdays and sundays though, so I'm thinking of going to the ones I can. It will be nice to run with others every once and awhile.

I found a podcast program online that I downloaded from itunes for free called Freeway to 10K . I think I've mentioned it before but for those who don't know it appears to be  very similar to the couch to 5K podcast program that I used to help train for the 5K I just did.  Hopefully it will be just a good and will keep me motivated. It's developed by different people, so fingers crossed. I'll let you know how it goes!

Foam Roller from the Running Room

I went to the running room today and did buy one of those form rollers I was telling you about. YAY!!!

When I bought it the sales clerk said..."now, if you aren't hurting when your using it, you're not doing it right!"Well ladies and Gents, let me assure you I am doing it right!  Dear god it hurts!!!! Holy crapy it hurts. Its amazing how one little form roller pressed up against a tight muscle can cause so much pain. With that being said though,  the pain is a good kind of hurt...I know it's working. Thank god! I have a feeling Mr. Foam Roller and I are going to become fast friends. The youtube guy was right though. You really do become a bit of a contortionist using it and you really do need killer arm muscles to hold yourself up. I don't have the arm muscles really but I tried my best. I manly worked on my calves tonight which is what is the most sore anyway. Apparently I have mega knots that need to be released! Here's hoping that Mr. Foam Roller can help me.


UPDATE
The freedom to 10K is not like the couch to 5K. The F210K is all about interval training. AHHHHHH!!!! I know I over use the word but can we say BRUTAL!!!!! I swear these programs are trying to kill me! The first week goes like this....... a 5 min warm-up followed by a 4 minute FAST run, followed by a 2 minute jog. You repeat that 5 times and then have a 3 minute cool down.

I did the warm up no problem...hello...it's walking!!!! Then I started into the first fast run. I felt okay so I did the jog and repeated a second time. After that I felt like I was dying a slow death.  I ended up  walk/fast running the next two and skipping the 5th fast run. I just couldn't do it guys. I was so tired and the demons in my head won this time. I'm not proud of quitting...but holy shit that was hard. Here's hoping it gets better next time!

5K to 10K?

So I know I haven't even graduated from the couch to 5K program, nor have I ran my first race, but I'm looking ahead anyway!

I know what works for me. I finally realized setting goals keeps me focused, motivated and determined. I'm not talking about goals like working out three times a week (although that might work for you), but I'm talking about actually setting a goal where I'm committed to something( aka - a race). I also know that following a training program has helped me. The fact I can now run for 25 minutes knowing that I found 90 seconds hard during the second week of training only 6 weeks ago is encouraging. It makes me think, if I've come this far in that short amount of time, where could the next 6 weeks take me? The possibilities are endless. I love that each week I continue to increase my running time. I know that once I've 'graduated' from the c25k program I'm going to miss the weekly advances. I fear I'll get bored running 30min 3x/week so I decided to think ahead a little.

Today I decided to search online for podcasts that I can use after I've completed the c25k podcasts I've been using to help me train.  With a little digging I found one! It's a 10 week program (c25k is a 9 week program) to help me train for a 10K race! How cool would that be to go from couch potato to 10k racer in 6 months! The podcast I found can be found here  if you are interested. You can also find them on itunes for free. Just search for 'Freeway to 10K' under podcasts at the itunes store. For myself I find podcasts training programs so much more helpful than just reading a website and attempting to time myself with a stop watch.

In food news, I made Kale Chips for the first time tonight! It was my first attempt at eating kale actually - ever. I had no idea what it was going to taste like or whether I was going to like it, but I've heard about the benefits to eating this wonderful green for awhile now and I thought I'd give it a shot. Like I've said in previous posts. I'm attempting to venture out of my comfort zone of peas, green beans and corn now that's I've converted to vegetarianism.

I used a bit of EVOO and salt on the kale and mixed it together and then put it on a cookie sheet. I then put it into the oven at 350 degrees until they looked crispy - 10 min maybe?  The end result was delicious. A bit salty (my fault - I had no idea how much to put so over did it a bit), but otherwise a very tasty healthy alternative to the potato chip!

I think next time I'll try adding some parmesan cheese into the mix. I just read a blog that added a little and that sounds tasty too!