Broad Street Run - Check!

I did it!!!!

I ran 10 miles at the Broad Street Run!! I accomplished one of my goals!!

A year ago I was struggling to run a 5k, and here I was today, braving a whooping 10 miles, and I did it!

I "blame" GFit for this accomplishment. For keeping me fit, my legs strong. I hadn't really trained (not saying this was wise or the right thing to do) for this run, so all my strength came from the exercises at GFit. It would of course have been easier if I had trained, and I probably would have been in less pain and ran faster, but for someone who hadn't really ran much in the past few months, this definitely felt amazing. 

The last time I had done a 5k was November of last year, and then on April 27th I decided to run again, for 5 miles! I broke my record and that was the last time I ran, until today!!!!

Funny thing is I wasn't even planning on doing this run.. It wasn't until 4 days before the race that my brother convinced me to try it, and I found someone who was selling their bib and I bought it. I never in my wildest dreams thought I would be running 5 miles, let alone 10, just 2 weeks ago!

This goes to show that you can do anything you want, no matter what people tell you. Mind over matter!!!

I will leave you with my stats below... That map is my favorite part! Can you believe I ran for that long??? Me neither!!

3 Months Progress

It's been a while since I have posted here. It was becoming more of a chore than anything, and I wanted this blog to be about my experience and journey, rather than a daily diary. So I decided not to post about all of my work outs here, since I have already been doing that on Fitocracy. If you are interested in following my work outs, you will need to join the site and follow through my profile. I will keep posting here anytime I want to share an experience or an interesting fact though, or even if I want to talk about a work out I did, but I just didn't want this to feel like a chore.

Anyway, it's been about 3 months since I started doing Crossfit. I have loved every second of it, even if I felt horrible or hated it during the workout, I never regreted it. I always love coming home all sweaty and feeling sore the next day. I also have been noticing progress in the amount of push-ups I can do, weights I can lift, burpees I can do, etc. I'm definitely getting stronger!

I haven't been running as much as I would like, but I'm still on for that 5k in October. I definitely want to be able to run a Marathon next year. I was running every week, and then I stopped for two weeks, so this Monday when I went running, it was definitely hard and my pace was slower. I figured I need to keep running at least once a week.

So, all this hard workout is finally paying off! I found out this week that I went down 2 sizes of clothing. Even thought I haven't gone past 146lbs, my clothes are definitely getting bigger and bigger and my waist smaller.

Here is my progress in measurements:

Bust: 40" - 37" ( 3 inches lost! )
Waist: 33" - 29" ( 2 inches lost!! )
High Hip: 40" - 35" ( 5 inches lost!!! )
Low Hip - 42" - 40" ( 2 inches lost! )
Thighs - 24" - 23" ( 1 inch lost :/ )

So yeah, I lost 5 inches around my belly button!! No wonder my clothes are fitting better :) I figured it was time to take some Before and After pictures. And here they are:

My "tight" jeans 

And there you have it! My goal now is just to keep at it and keep growing muscle and getting stronger. As far as size, I think if I lose one more size I will be happy. So maybe I don't have to go all the way down to 135lbs. Maybe just a couple more will be enough.

Anyway, thanks for reading!!!

Another 5k

So I decided to go out for a run again this evening, and try to do a 5k in a shorter time. Turns out I was EXHAUSTED and I could not beat my time. I only ran for 2.8 miles in 30 minutes, and my pace was 10:33, about 10 seconds more than last time. I don't know what it was, but those last 10 minutes were the hardest..especially the last 2 minutes, they took forever to end! But I was determined to run for 30 minutes, no matter if I did a 5k or not.

Maybe it was the heat, or my muscles, or the food I ate... All I know is I'm proud that I at least went out there and tried today :)

My FIRST 4 mile Run!

After a stressful day at work, I knew I couldn't just go home and sit and do nothing. I knew I had to go out and run, but I wanted to try something different. So I decided to run longer. I decided I would go all the way from my place to my brother's place, which is exactly 4 miles apart, including some very steep hills.

It was 90 degrees out, even though it was around 8:30pm, but I went anyway.

I decided to go with a slower pace, because I knew if I tried to do it fast, I wouldn't be able to do it because of the heat, the distance and also because I had a little pain in my thigh which I think I got from wearing high heels yesterday.

So I went, and ran all the way there, no walking!! The most difficult part was towards the end. There is a very steep hill near my brother's house, but luckily, my brother who is am ultra-marathon barefoot runner, met me halfway and helped me push through that hill. If it wasn't for him, I would probably have started walking right there.

So yeah, I ran 4 miles with no walking today! It was agreat achievement, even though it wasn't as fast as I have been running, but nonetheless, it was a personal record broken.

My Second 5k

Last time I tried going for a run, it was raining, dark and wet. I was only able to do 1 mile before having to walk.

But today I tried again, and I increased my pace from my last 5k! I did it with an average pace of 10:23 compared to last time's 10:50 :)

It was not easy, I'm still waiting for the day when running 5k will be easy. Here is hoping!!

C25K DONE! Ran my FIRST 5K!

Today is an unforgettable, amazing, ground breaking day for me...and not because of the horrible day I had at work. It is because after those 13 stressful hours I had at work, I came home, put on my running shoes, my heart monitor strap, my running watch, my calf sleeves and went out determined to run my first ever 5k. And I did it! I ran MY FIRST 5K!!!!!!! Exactly 8 weeks ago, I was doing the week 1 day 1 of Ease Into 5K, and could not even run one minute straight.

It took me 33 minutes but that's because I thought a 5k was 3.2 miles, so it probably really only took me 32 minutes :p

Here were my stats:

10:50 min/mile
Calories burned 319

Avg. HR: 181 bpm

I never thought I would be running a 5k this soon. It was not easy, but I was able to finish it and maintain the same speed I have been maintaining on the shorter distances.

Now my goal is to keep running and improve my pace each time.

Another Bad Week but I Finished W7D2

So this evening I ran six minutes longer than I did last Saturday, but for some reason, I wasn't completely happy with myself. I'm not sure if it's because I was super tired this time and my run pace increased in 20 seconds, or if I just had a bad week overall, only doing 2 days of Crossfit, and overindulging in Spicy Fries and Chipotle one of these days.. I feel bloated, achy and defeated. And no, unfortunately, it's not that time of the month, or near it. So I can't attribute this to mother nature. It's my fault and my fault only. I guess I have learned that in the world of becoming healthy, at least for me, it's two weeks forwards, one week back. Sometimes even two weeks back. I guess as far as number of pounds lost, I won't be reaching double digits this week after all. The best thing I can do right now is lift my head up, learn from my mistakes, and look forward!

But I did run for 26 minutes straight, which means I skipped from W6D2 to W7D2 and was able to finish it!I think that's pretty awesome for a girl who a little over a month ago couldn't even run for 1 minute straight :)

Milestone!! W6D2

I DID IT!!! I finished W6D2 of Ease Into 5K and I ran 20 minutes straight for the first time in my whole life!!!

I had been scared I wasn't going to be able to do it, but I went and did it! It's the best feeling in the world!!!

And on top of it all, I also improved my run pace by 20 seconds since last time!!

The last 5 minutes were the longest, but in the last 2 minutes I decided to speed up and finished with a smile on my face. I just wanted to jump and scream, but instead I did the cool down like a normal person.. :)

30 minutes, here I come!! You better be ready for me! :)

And for those of you who need a little motivation, here is something my brother told me today:

New Shoes and C25K Week 6

I got new shoes today!! My hubby took me out shopping to get new running shoes as an anniversary gift, and I got the Reebok Realflex Transition. They feel great and I love them! Plus they are super stylish :)

I couldn't wait until the sun went down to try them on and go for a run, so I went around 7pm. It was still hot out, and I definitely felt it. I did c25k week 6 day 1. I instantly noticed a difference in how my shins and calves weren't hurting as much. My only problem with the run was the heat. It affected my breathing and I was way more tired than usual. But I ran faster and with much less pain. I went down to a 10:22 run pace from 10:50 last Friday.

I'm ready for week 6 day 2: The big 20 minutes run!!!! I just hope I can do it!! :)

Progress! Progress! Progress!

Progress is always a good thing, right?

Today I was supposed to start week 6 day 1 of the c25k program, but because I rarely pay attention to anything, I mistakenly repeated w5d3 instead of doing w6d1. But  that's okay, because althought I did the exact same run from two days ago, I did it about 23 seconds faster! And compared to last Friday, I did it a whole minute faster!

My calves were hurting, and so was the side of my stomach, but I kept going and tried to go as fast I could. I definitely need to do something about my calves though...

Here is the summary of the last 3 days with Ease Into c25k:

So yeah, this is one of the things I've noticed progress on.

The other thing I'm starting to see are my clothes becoming more lose and people asking me if I lost weight.

That's DEFINITELY a good thing :)

c25k: Week 5 Day 3

I'm not proud to say I skipped Crossfit today and instead stayed home napping. Although it felt nice at the time to just sleep through when I was supposed to be working out, I
woke up feeling like a loser. This is the first time I skipped Crossfit for no good reason and did not feel good at all. It felt like I had cheated on myself.

So in order to try and make up for some of the loss, I decided to go and do the week 5 day 3 of c25k program.. It consisted of running 9 minutes, walking 2 minutes, running 4, walking 2, then running 2. I ended up running longer than 9 minutes in the first run because I didn't realize I had paused the app. I think I probably ran 11 or 12 minutes. My pace also improved from 11:58 from last week to 11:13 this week.

I was happy I got out and did it. I'm ready for the next week to be here and run 20 minutes straight very soon :)

And it is safe to say I won't be missing Crossfit anymore...

C25k - From W1D3 to W5D2

Last time I did the actual c25k program was 3 weeks ago. I had done week 1 day 3. Since then I had been doing crossfit and doing some runs here and there but not following the actual c25k program. Last Friday I was able to do 9 minutes straight before having to walk, so I thought if I was able to run 9 minutes, I could probably skip a couple weeks of the c25k and I did. I decided to skip all the way to week 5 day 2, since you run 6 minutes, walk 1 minute, run 4 minutes, walk 1 minute and run another 6 minutes. And I was able to complete it with no problems! The only thing bothering me were my calves, but apart from that I felt fine.

Four weeks ago I was not even able to run for 1 minute. That's just a reminder that ANYTHING is possible.

12 Minutes Mile

So this evening, for the first time, I decided to go for a run without following any programs, my heart rate, or any limits. I just wanted to run a 5k and see how long I could run and how long I had to walk. So I mapped a route from my place that was about 1.6 miles and decided to go all the way there and back, which would be 3.1 miles (5k). So I did, and started running, and was able to run for almost 10 minutes before I had to walk. I walked for about a minute and started running again. I didn't time my running after that but I know I ran way more than I expected. Unfortunately, I could not complete the last 0.1 mile because the road got very narrow and had no sidewalks, so I decided to turn around and go back.

I finished 3 miles in 36 minutes! That means I run a 12 minutes mile. I know this is not a lot, but for someone who could barely even run 2 minutes without being out of breath about 4 weeks ago, this is huge for me.

PS: My legs and feet don't like me right now, but I'm sure they will recover :)

C25k - Week 1 Day 3

One week down, 7 weeks to go! I'm starting to realize that I'm slowly but surely improving my endurance. Yesterday, after working for 13 hours from 7am until 8pm, I decided to go running and complete Day 3, even though I was exhausted, had a headache and it was very cold outside. The reason for forcing myself to do it, was that I don't want a huge gap in between the days of the program, since I'm only being able to complete 2 days a week as it is with Crossfit and all. Plus if I wited until today, I wouldn't have a day of rest before Crossfit tomorrow morning, and that would probably be worst. So I did it and my husband tagged along which definitely helped. He is way more fit than I me because his job requires him to be more physical. He is used to walking long distances and he also plays hockey, so doing Day 3 for him was a peace of cake. For me, on the other hand, although it felt easier than the two previous days, it was still difficult, especially towards the end. But I kept at it, and my breathing has become more steady, less heavy. Considering all the outside factors (cold air, headache, tiredness), I did very well. Even though when I was done my headache had become much worse, I was happy with myself for getting myself to complete it and for not having struggled so much. Now, onto Week 2!

Run For Your Lives

My brother just signed me up for a 5K in October. That will be my first 5K, but the funny thing is it's not just a regular 5k. It's the "Run For Your Lives" obstacle course race. Not only it's an obstacle course but it is infested with Zombies! I am super excited and I really hope I am able to do it. After all, I have 5 months to train right?

Here is an article from TheFW that pretty much summarizes what's involved in this crazy race as well shows a video from last year's race, if you are interested in learning more.

Nothing better to motivate my c25k then imagining a bunch of zombies running after me!

C25k - Week 1 Day 2

I didn't get to the day 2 of my c25k until today, but I thought I would be fine since I had done the introductory classes at Crossfit and I was eating healthy as well as taking some vitamins.

I was fine, but it was NOT easy. Just the warm up got me tired, and I had to keep pushing myself to run those 30 second, then those 45 seconds, then that minute. I was disappointed in myself but at the same time, I was happy I was able to push through each run. At the end I felt like stopping, but then it started to lightly rain and the song "Suddenly I See" came on my Ipod and that kept me going the last 4 minutes. 

It felt great to finish day 2 even if I got way more tired than I wanted to. At least I finished!

How It All Begun

As I write this, I'm in a lot of pain, everywhere! This week I started the Crossfit introductory 3 classes program, and these last 3 days gave me a taste of what Crossfit will be like; NOT EASY.

First, let me give you a bit of a background on where I am coming from... Before Sunday, I did nothing physical except for house chores. I was completely out of shape (still am) and would be winded just from going up a few stairs. My eating habit was nowhere near healthy. Then last Saturday, my brother ran a 60 miles marathon, when 2 years ago he was a couch potato just like me. I was so inspired I decided to do something for myself also.

On Wednesday, I started counting points with WW as well as calories with MyFitnessPal and starting reading a lot about healthy eating and fitness. I had heard a lot about Crossfit in the past so I decided to sign up as they were going to start an introductory class soon. My brother also had sent me a link for a 5K Zombie Run happening September 1st, which I really wanted to be able to do, so I decided to start c25K as well.

So last Sunday I did the first day of c25K. I felt so miserable on those 20 minutes, I just wanted to stop. My husband ran with me and kept me going. I then remembered last year when I had tried c25K for the first time, how I couldn't even run the whole 30 second without stopping. This time I was able to, and that kept me going until the end. Although I was feeling very tired and out of breath, it felt good to take my first step towards a healthier lifestyle.

I woke up the following day, Monday morning, a little bit sore. I wouldn't even call it sore. It was more like I was feeling a little pull on my thighs. I knew I had my first crossfit class that evening, so I decided to keep moving so that wouldn't feel stiff. I'm not going to lie; I was really scared. From what I had heard from other people, I though I was either going to vomit or die on my first class. But I decided to go anyway. It ended up very basic and very educational. There were a group of people that was just beginning there as well and that made me feel comfortable. We learned how to do squats, kettle bell swings, lift weight among other things. At the end of each class, we had a mini workout. That was enough to make me very sore the following days. But I kept going, even though each day the pain was worse and I could barely move. We finally finished our 3 introductory classes on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and I decided to sign up.

This is how I started my Crossfit journey. I hope it will be a great one.