To read this journey from the beginning, go to the first post.
Hi there, Mrs. 1500 today, giving an update to the 10k app and my progress.
The Couch to 10k app made some pretty big leaps. It reminded me of what climbers go through when acclimating to Mt. Everest altitude. They start off at base camp (17k feet) and then climb to base camp 2 (20k feet) then go back down again to base camp, then back to base camp 2 again.
At least, that’s what they did in Into Thin Air by John Krakauer. (Or at least that’s how I remember it. I read it 6 years ago, maybe I’m wrong.)
This week in Couch to 10k, I started off with an 8-min run, 3 min walk, 5 min run, 3 min walk, 8 min run, cool down. The very next day we ramped up to a 20 minute run and the following day was 25 minutes!
Spoiler Alert: I can’t run for 25 minutes straight!!!
Just for fun, we ran 3.5 miles on Saturday as part of a “Fun Run” for 100 Mile Club. We are SUPREMELY lucky that our 100 Mile Club teacher is there every day. My friend Angi’s 100 Mile Club teacher does it only twice a week. Kind of hard to get 100 miles by running twice a week for 40 weeks, so they have these bonus runs throughout the year.
For those of you keeping score at home, 3.5 miles is ANOTHER 5k – I can’t stop running 5k’s!
However, for all my running, progess is slow. As you can see at the bottom of this post, I continue my extremely slow weight loss with another 0.2 pound loss this week. I’ve focused on veggies and protein, I’m not starving myself, but in general just can’t seem to drop any weight.
Mr. 1500 saw me moping around last week and bought me flowers, but I didn’t take a picture before they died. It was a nice gesture though. I’m sad I didn’t take a picture, they were very pretty.
The Stats
- Weight: 178.4 (down 2.2 overall)
- Workouts Complete: 24
- Workouts Enjoyed: 0
Next Week
Next week is more of the same. Longer runs, focusing on protein consumption, lots of veggies, low or no sugar. I received an Instant Pot for Christmas, cooking in it is fabulous. Everything takes no time at all, and you use no oil so things are naturally low fat and healthier.
Sorry this wasn’t exciting. Who knew that running was boring?*
*Me, that’s who!
Join the 10s who have signed up already!
Subscribing will improve your life in incredible ways*.
*Only if your life is pretty bad to begin with.
Try to run faster on the shorter runs. Run slower (think long, slow) on the longer runs.
Rest days are important to let your body heal.
The 25 minute run makes the 10 minute run seem easier.
When you start to not breathe so hard, that is when you know you are making progress. Getting your wind will then translate to easier runs and/or a faster pace.
Thanks for keeping us updated. This time of year is a challenge for everyone trying to stay fit.
You might benefit from a light (read: not power lifting) kettlebell routine. There are plenty of them and when you work with light bells it helps endurance a TON. Kind of like aerobic strength training. Bells aren’t too pricey from Amazon (or really you could snag some from craigslist, etc.).
I’ve been suggesting the same thing! Maybe hearing it from someone else will encourage her to give them a swing!
Plus, you can pretend you are making an action movie montage, and you are the hero training to take down the evil opponent. (epic montage music is a must- recommend “Montage rock” channel on youtube, I play it when I lift weights- also maybe I’m not the best person to ask for fitness or weight loss advice as I’m pretty much 30 pounds overweight according to the bullsh*t mass index)
You just have to pay attention to which muscles you are using. Do not forget to tighten the core, I made the mistake of getting so tired (overdid it on weight, totally my fault) that I wrenched my back and had to sell my bells to appease the wife who was very concerned about further injury. Yoga, walking and general freeweights have replaced the bell for me but I remember how well that thing worked.
I LOVE kettlebells! I work out 5 days a week in a group exercise environment and the days vary between TRX, bodyweight/cardio, and kettlebells. The kettlebells are the best at getting my heart rate going.
What finally helped me lose and maintain the weight loss was intuitive eating and losing the scale and going by how I felt. There are some great blogs out there focusing on intuitive eating, fannetastic.com, imma eat that the real life rd. Deprivation is not healthy!
Mrs. 1500- I wouldn’t worry so much about the actual weight on the scale. Pretty sure the damn thing is broken (throw it out on your next minimalist challenge day). What matters is if your clothes are fitting better, and if your older workouts are easier. Color me impressed, I can’t run for 8 minutes. But I can shovel snow for 4 hours (thankfully don’t have to do that anymore). We are tanks, not vespas- remember that (hopefully you’re not offended with being compared with a Sherman or A1 Abrahms- my husband used to be a tanker, so I think that to him the sexiest thing to be is a tank). Ps: don’t look at my most recent post on my blog, it’s a recipe for French Chocolate cake.
I agree with this. Perhaps take measurements rather than weighing, or at least in addition to. You may be making progress that is not showing on the scale.
Mrs. 1500 –
1) I run when being chased, so I’ve got no useful pointers on technique. Just. Keep. Running.
2) Does Instant Pot mean the same thing in Colorado that it does in the rest of the country?
3) Celebrating your victories, large and small.
Impressed at your resolve, and cheering for you from California,
CD
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A general rule in running is to increase your distance by 10% per week. This will vary by the mileage, but for half marathon training it fits well since the increase is usually no more than a mile a week.
You may want to consider adding more walk intervals instead of trying to run for such long periods of time. What run/walk interval felt comfortable? Try repeating that to see if it helps with the longer distances. The long workouts are all about time on your feet. Pace and how much you run or walk doesn’t really matter as long as you can complete the workout without feeling like your dying. That feeling is for the short mid-week workouts.
The couch to 10k program is just a guide. It’s not a rule book.
Hey that pic is from me! Some credit is due! 😉 :p
I was determined to be able to do so. But it’s not easy.
Really appreciate your determination
Maybe take focus off the weight? It feels like it’s upsetting you (from these updates anyway)
Just think that six weeks ago you were doing 90second runs. Now you’re doing fun runs.
If you want to record numbers you could focus on other health metrics – heart rate is one 🙂
The weight will come off eventually, but bodies take a while to start that shift. And while you’re burning fat, you’re picking up muscle.
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