i'm not keeping track of the week

Yesterday I started my running again at three minutes. I ran for three minutes and then walked for a minute and a half for a total of twenty minutes all together. It was much easier than running for five full minutes. I don’t know if I’ll ever work my way up to that. I like running for only a little bit and then walking. It’s much easier and I was told I will see more results if I do intervals. I need to give my muscles rest. I can’t push my body if it doesn’t want to be pushed. There is nothing I can do. I’ve tried to work out more than just running. I try to do sit ups and pushups every night and use resistance bands for stretching. My brother is really into working out and he knows everything you could about wanting to get into shape so he is trying to help me. I have to try to make more time for it but it is difficult with school. School comes before anything else.

                I stress out so easily with school. Trying to stay active really helps with my stress level. If my stress level is down, my anger level is down. People who lack common sense really make me angry. I don’t understand them. I try not to get angry but my stubbornness kicks in and I want everyone to think like I do. This is why I like to stay active and get really good night sleeps.

                Thank God the weekend is almost here.  

week four day two

I decided to run after school today, instead of at night. That probably wasn’t the best idea. I went out at four o’clock when it was still hot. It is much easier to breathe when I go out at seven o’clock and it’s much cooler out. I like to blame my breathing problems on my parents smoking but today I couldn’t keep going for a run. I finished three minutes of the run and walked for a minute and a half. That was fine. When it came to running for five minutes, I only ran three and a half minutes of it and had to stop. I began to feel very light headed and couldn’t breathe very well at all. It’s disgusting to me that I can’t even run for five minutes without feeling like I’m going to pass out because I can barely breathe.

I decided instead of going along with this program, I’m going to go at my own pace. Since my sister gave up on going with me, I’m going to continue week three’s program and get very comfortable with it and then move onto what should be week four so I can actually complete it. I was really disappointed in myself today. I wish I was able to finish it. I’m not going to let what happened today stop me all together. I like running and I like the way I feel when I’m done running. I like getting a good night sleep too.

week 4 day 1

Tonight I started week four day 1 of C25K. I started out with a five minute warm up walk to get ready for a three minute run followed by a minute and a half walk. This part wasn’t bad. I was ready for it because of last week. After the minute and a half walk, I had to run for five minutes. I’ve never been able to run for five minutes straight and it was really nice to say that I was able to do that. I finished the five minute walk feeling good about myself. After the five minute walk I had to walk for two and a half minutes, followed by the three minute run again. That was tough after the five minute run with only two minutes of walking. After the three minute run, instead of walking for a minute and a half before starting the five minute run again, I had to walk for three minutes to try and catch my breath. I was not ready for another five minute run. I started my five minute run and I thought it lasted a lifetime. It took forever to end but it did. I was really proud of myself. I didn’t think I would be able to run for five minutes. I was going to give up after running for three minutes the second time, but Scott made me run. He told me I should take the extra walking time because the running is what really matters so I listened to him and I’m glad I did. I’m glad its over.

week 3 day 3

I just completed week three day three. Today was the hardest out of all three days. I didn’t feel like running. My body is sore from it and completely weak. I hate the changes in weather. My allergies decide to take over my whole body and make me feel like complete crap. I had no energy to run, but I did. My sister and I weren’t even into it. We jogged as slow as we could without making it a fast walk. We just didn’t care. My knees also hurt more today than yesterday. I didn’t get enough rest. The walking I do at school isn’t easy on my knees either. I never thought that running and walking would do so much damage to my body. I never had a problem with walking before. I have always walked as much as I do now, but because of the running, the walking has become a problem on my knees too. I’m glad today was my last day of this week. I can finally rest until Sunday night when I start week four. I want to just give up, but I can’t. Running helps relieve stress from school. I never had this much work for school in my life. Running every day takes me to a different state of mind. I’m not thinking about the chemistry quiz I just bombed and how I have a test Friday. I just focus on finishing this run so I can get home and go to sleep. I just want my knees to not hurt and for mother nature to stop making me feel like crap.  

Week 3 Day 2

I just completed day two of week three. Tonight was a lot harder than Sunday night. My knees started hurting the minute I started running. I don’t know what is wrong and being stubborn, I probably won’t get it looked at until I’m in serious trouble. I know I need to take time off from running and walking a lot but I don’t want to. I set a goal and I want to finish it. I stopped running five days a week and cut it down to the three days it calls for. I don’t care anymore about trying to push myself to five days when I’m in this kind of pain with my knees. All together, my running was successful. It was easy at first like usual and a drag at the end but I was glad it was another day down. Tomorrow I will run for the third and final day and be able to rest again until Sunday.

I’m proud of my achievements. My sister and I push ourselves every time we run and it feels great after. I love running at night, coming home and relaxing, and then crashing. Since I started running, I’ve gotten the best sleep of my life. I usually have a hard time staying asleep because my mind wanders but I am usually just so tired so I pass out. I love running and hopefully I can continue after this program and find a new one to start to push me to run a 10k.

Week 3 Day 1

Well, tonight I completed week three day one of C25K! I really like this program the more and more I run. I was able to run the minute and a half and walk a minute and a half, without any problem. The three minute run went really well the first time, thankfully. I was so excited that I was able to run for three minutes straight without wanting to just stop, fall over, and die. I kept a good steady pace. After the three minute run was a three minute walk. That was a nice amount of time to cool down. The next minute and a half run wasn’t too bad either. I was able to do well with that. Sadly, though after the minute and a half run, I had to run for three minutes again and that was rough. My body is not used to running for three minutes straight. It’s not used to running at all. I made it through though. It took a total of eighteen minutes and it was enough for one day.

On the even more positive side, my knees did not hurt me when I was running! I definitely needed the rest and I needed to take it slower. I tried not to run at a really fast pace. I felt like I was slamming my feet into the ground before and that was not good on my knees. Tonight was a great night all together, but I’m glad day one is over and can’t wait to finish day two and three.

Week 2 day 3

Tonight I completed week two day three. It wasn’t too hard, thankfully. The first minute and a half run is the hardest and the last is just as hard. I don’t like starting and I just want to stop when I know I only have four minutes left out of twenty and I still need to run one more time to finish up.  My knees hurt in the beginning when I first started the minute and thirty second jog, but didn’t hurt as much as I kept going and finished the twenty minutes. I really hope my knees don’t stop me. I’m taking the next three days off from running and hoping that will help my knees recover. I can’t keep going on if I’m in pain and that really bothers me. It pushes me my limits and it isn’t fun anymore. I wish I could just get new knees and go back to not being in pain.

Right now I’m ready to go right to sleep after the run I just finished. I wish I could go in the morning and be wide awake for class in the morning but it won’t work out. My sister refuses to wake up any earlier than she has to now that her summer has been extended with the archdiocese being on strike. When she finally goes back to school, she isn’t going to want to wake up at five o’clock just to run with me. I can’t wait to start running in the cooler weather.

Week 2 Day 2

I just finished week two day two of C25K. My knees hurt so badly today when I was running. The pain wasn’t intense, but it was just in the way of doing what I wanted to do. I felt like stopping, but I didn’t and I hope that it won’t affect me negatively later. I really hope that it will get better. My sister and I have gotten faster with our running! I’m proud of the progress we made so far, even though it has only been two weeks. It’s better than nothing in my eyes. I enjoy running more and more every day, except tonight. I’m glad it’s over. I do not want to even think about next week’s run. I don’t even want to think about tomorrow’s run. I wish I could just be done, but I know I can’t.

Two boys from Hatboro Horsham died recently and there is a 5k in the beginning of October. I’m going to do it with my sister and hope we finish. I don’t care if we don’t finish but I’d like to see how far we can get. My cousins Niki and Alexis are going because they knew the boys. It will be fun to go with them. They are more athletic and run more than I ever would, so it’ll be a good challenge to try and keep up with them. Hopefully we can do it and its for a good cause so why not try and see what we can do.

Week two day one.. again

Eagles won today! It was great seeing a football game again. I really miss going to my brother’s games, but now I get to watch my little brother play in high school. It is really exciting. Those men out there that play have the kind of speed and agility I hope to have after the end of C25K. Tonight, my sister and I started week two day one again and to our surprise, we did really well with it. It went super fast. I recommended to her that we run the streets instead of that annoying track that has hills and an uneven path that has been wrecked from something, I don’t know what. We talked the whole time which really helped with our breathing and we listened to Eminem. His music is pretty real to me, so it helped push us. He had a rough life and he made it through and is still fighting. It was a great way to get ourselves fired up and ready to run again. It felt great to run, which is something I never thought I’d ever say! I hope that the weather cooperates this week and doesn’t stop us from running too much. I want to be done this program before it starts to snow! Hopefully, even when it does snow, we will be able to still run and keep up with it and maybe even push ourselves even further. I cannot wait to run again tomorrow!

running, what?

This week has absolutely sucked. There was nothing I could do about my running. I know I have the availability to use the gym at Penn State Abington but I chose not to. I cannot run on a treadmill for my life. It hurts every part of my body, and I feel super uneasy when I’m done. That is definitely not safe! I wish I could have done more this week with my running, but I’m not worried. On Sunday I am going to being Week two day one again of C25K. I know I can’t move onto week three unless I’m fully confident in how I did week two. I’ll be able to have a better hold of what I can do if I’m pushing myself all at once without giving up, and having to skip days because of the annoying weather. I hope it all works out this week!

I do have a goal now, and I am super excited about it! Last year, the boy’s gym teacher at Archbishop Wood passed away. This year right before their homecoming, they are having a 5k race, in his name. Because my mother, father, brother, sister, and cousins all knew him because he was such a big part of Wood, my sister and I are going to run for him. We won’t be done our nine weeks of the program yet, but we will be close. It will be nice to see how far we can push ourselves even if that means we need to walk for a few minutes. We will be ready for the challenge!

Rainy Tuesday

Yesterday I started week 2 day 2 of C25K. It was must easier than I expected. I changed up the scenery and ran around the neighborhood instead of the track I usually run with my sister. Instead of running with her, she took the day off and my boyfriend came with me. He helped me push myself and I was able to finish. I was completely out of breath when I walked in the door, but I know if I push myself I will only be helping myself in the long run. I do not want to end up having problems as an older adult. I want this and I want it bad.

I love the rain, but not when it stops me from running! I really look forward to my runs every day. Even though the running has been hard, I enjoy running because it relieves my stress from school, especially after my chemistry lab and lecture. Today should be week two day three. I should be gaining more stamina and endurance. It gives me energy to get through the rest of my day. After a long day at school, I want to come home and unwind. Running helps me do this. Sadly, I won’t be able to run, but there is always tomorrow. I just hope that it isn’t any tougher on my out of shape body.

C25K

One week ago I started a running program called C25K. It stands for couch to five k. This program is for people like me who do not exercise regularly and are not in shape. The program calls for three days a week, but my sister and I are doing five days instead. We enjoy going together and getting a nice run and walk in. The first week started with a five minute walk, with sixty seconds of running and then ninety seconds of walking for a total of twenty minutes. At first this was a lot for me. I really noticed how out of shape I was! By the fifth day I knew I could go for the nine weeks. Tonight, I started my second week, adding an extra thirty seconds to the walk and thirty seconds to the running. I thought it would be easier now that I finished the first week and was able to do that, but this was much harder. I finished it though. It helps that my sister is doing it with me. She gives me more motivation to push myself and go that extra step especially when I feel like giving up. I’m not looking forward to tomorrow, but I know all I want to do is make it to the end of the nine weeks and be able to say I completed this task. I want to be in better shape and I want to finally be able to run for thirty minutes straight or run 3 miles.