New Year = New Goal ... Couch to 5K

Had anyone told me this time last year that I would be planning to run a 5K in the spring, I'd have said you're freakin' crazy! Seriously. I would've laughed so hard that I may have peed a little. (oops - did I say that? LOL!)

But, that IS the case. It's February 13, 2014, and I have registered for the Color Run on May 4, 2014.

Holy crap! THAT'S 80 DAYS FROM TODAY!

While I'm a bit nervous, I realize that much of my nerves are based upon past memories. Memories of me being sick in the spring (good ol' bronchitis) and having issues breathing. Memories of trying to run and gasping for air (asthma) or being in so much pain in my knees or feet that another step would bring me to the ground in tears (if only I knew it wouldn't take so much to get back up!).

I'm confident that I can DO THIS! I've picked a super easy run - if there is a level of difficulty for the novice runner - since the Color Run is not timed. Whew! Thank goodness. And, it sounds like I'm going to be with an amazing group of people. My friend, Lisa, is the leader of the pack and she's an amazing inspiration for me when it comes to running.

I DREAM OF RUNNING...

Yup, you read that right. I have dreams that I'm running. And, no - not running away from a scary monster/zombie/vampire chasing after me! No. Running. Hitting the pavement. Feeling a sense of joy and solitude while I run. Clearing my mind while running. Kinda like I do when I'm swimming (oh that feels so good!).

So, in order to prepare my still quite overweight body for this event, I decided to do the C25K program. Also know as the Couch to 5K program. I've heard great things about this program via friends on Facebook so why not? It is a 9-week program of 3 workouts per week. You can stretch it out a bit longer if you need or wish; but it does NOT want you to speed it up. Each week, you are increasing the amount of time you're running so that by the end, you are running 3.1 miles - or 5K. There's a mobile app (Android & iOS) but I haven't sprung for that just yet. I'm tracking my progress the old fashioned way: via spreadsheet!

I'm on week one! So, my three workouts this week are all the same:

• Brisk five-minute warmup walk.


• Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

I have two workouts complete; the last one should be tonight. I'm shooting for Sunday/Tuesday/Thursday with my runs so that I can still have my swimming on Wednesday and then do boot camp Mon/Wed or make sure I'm doing some sort of weight/resistance training. (So important to build those muscles!)

Next week (#2), my workouts are as follows:

• Brisk five-minute warmup walk.


• Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

Weight Loss Update

Oh yes, how can I forget about this weight loss journey? Well, it's taking a new focus: FITNESS.

I cannot keep obsessing about how much weight I've lost, blah blah blah... I need to focus now on some really FUN stuff. I'm really looking forward to the spring when I can get on that beautiful bike I got for my birthday (remember?). And, when I don't have to run on a treadmill.

To me, that is PROGRESS! What the scale says is going to be a number. What I feel inside is what's important. Fit. Happy. Healthy. That's my focus for 2014.