C25K Week 3 Day 2

It's a great day for running! I admit, some days it's difficult to get excited about actually going to the gym, but once I'm there and moving, I'm always glad I went. I didn't have too much trouble getting there this afternoon, but hey, I can always find something else to do if I really want to. I'm glad my wife is eager to go, too, so she can get some exercise in during these last few weeks of pregnancy...it's a great motivation for me.

Continuing on with the C25K program, here's how it all broke down today:


0.00-5.00 - 3.5 mph
5.00-6.30 - 6.6 mph
6.30-8.00 - 4.0 mph
8.00-11.00 - 6.6 mph
11.00-14.00 - 4.0 mph
14.00-15.30 - 6.6 mph
15.30-17.00 - 4.0 mph
17.00-20.00 - 6.6 mph
20.00-23.00 - 4.0 mph
23.00-28.00 - 3.5 mph

I squeaked out 2.17 miles for a 12:54 pace. Friday will likely see a bit of a break in the pattern from the last two weeks as I highly doubt I will be able to maintain 8.0 mph for 3 minutes at the end. However, I will do what I'm able to do, as I'm always looking to do better in the future.

Get out and get some activity in yourself if you're able today. I know you'll thank yourself for it!

C25K Week 3 Day 1

Back on track today with a nice afternoon run! It rained during the night and it's quite warm and humid now, especially for late October, and I wonder how much that affected the temps at the gym. I was feeling quite warm throughout my run, and now feel very sticky. A shower is going to be a big blessing.

Today's stats:

0.00-5.00 - 3.5 mph
5.00-6.30 - 6.5 mph
6.30-8.00 - 4.0 mph
8.00-11.00 - 6.5 mph
11.00-14.00 - 4.0 mph
14.00-15.30 - 6.5 mph
15.30-17.00 - 4.0 mph
17.00-20.00 - 6.5 mph
20.00-23.00 - 4.0 mph
23.00-28.00 - 3.5 mph

Total distance, 2.15 miles, which is a 13:01 pace. I was sure I'd have a little faster pace than that, but I obviously miscalculated. Oh well, Wednesday I'll break 13 minutes as I will be increasing the speed a little bit.

Be sure to make time for your own activity today!

C25K Week 2 Day 3

I'm on my way back to being on track with my MWF runs. It's a good feeling. I feel great after getting my run in this afternoon. I'm tired, but it's a good tired. Now I just have to stay awake through my shift at work tonight.

Stats for today:

0.00-5.00 - 3.5

5.00-6.30 - 6.7

6.30-8.30 - 4.0

8.30-10.00 - 6.7

10.00-12.00 - 4.0

12.00-13.30 - 6.7

13.30-15.30 - 4.0

15.30-17.00 - 6.7

17.00-19.00 - 4.0

19.00-20.30 - 6.7

20.30-22.30 - 4.0

22.30-24.00 - 8.0

24.00-26.00 - 4.0

26.00-31.00 - 3.5

I managed 2.42 miles today for a 12:48 pace. Definitely fun to see the speed increasing and the pace per mile decreasing.

I hope you can make time today to do a little something, too.

C25K Week 2 Day 2

A great day at the gym this morning! I'm so glad I have a place to run indoors because it was cold and rainy. I think there are actually about six days a year I find to be ideal for running outside, and I always seem to be working.

It's been fun seeing the change in distance compared to my first go-through of this program earlier in the year. I'm curious to see how things will go next week with increased speeds as I start getting longer running segments.

Breakdown for today:

0.00-5.00 - 3.5

5.00-6.30 - 6.6

6.30-8.30 - 4.0

8.30-10.00 - 6.6

10.00-12.00 - 4.0

12.00-13.30 - 6.6

13.30-15.30 - 4.0

15.30-17.00 - 6.6

17.00-19.00 - 4.0

19.00-20.30 - 6.6

20.30-22.30 - 4.0

22.30-24.00 - 6.6

24.00-26.00 - 4.0

26.00-31.00 - 3.5

Total distance, 2.37 miles, for a 13:04 pace. It's getting down there!

I hope you can make time today for a little exercise, too. Enjoy!

C25K Week 2 Day 1

I worked the overnight shift Saturday and Sunday nights, and by the time I got home at 8 AM on Monday, I was ready for bed. My plan had been to get up around 1:30 and head to the gym, but when I woke up my left leg was really bothering me so I figured it wouldn't do me much good to stress it out. Today, though, I felt great and my run went very well.

I can tell a significant difference between my running shoes and my regular shoes, and it has me thinking that I might need to look at getting some different shoes for everyday use (my regular shoes feel incredibly hard to my feet). Unfortunately, money is a bit tight, so I'll have to wait a while before I make any more shoe purchases, especially since I'm not expecting a $20 pair to do the trick.

Anyway, on to my stats for today:

0.00-5.00 - 3.5

5.00-6.30 - 6.5

6.30-8.30 - 4.0

8.30-10.00 - 6.5

10.00-12.00 - 4.0

12.00-13.30 - 6.5

13.30-15.30 - 4.0

15.30-17.00 - 6.5

17.00-19.00 - 4.0

19.00-20.30 - 6.5

20.30-22.30 - 4.0

22.30-24.00 - 6.5

24.00-26.00 - 4.0

26.00-31.00 - 3.5

I hit a total distance of 2.35 miles today, which comes out to an average 13:11 mile. Those sub-12-minute miles are looking quite a ways off, but I'll get there.

I hope you've been able to get some exercise in, even when I haven't. Feel free to leave comments about the things you are doing!

C25K Week 1 Day 3

It's a great day for running!

I enjoyed my time at the gym this afternoon. It's hard to believe it's already the end of the week. Two days off now and then back to it on Monday.

Breakdown today:

0.00-5.00 - 3.5 mph
5.00-6.00 - 6.7 mph
6.00-7.30 - 4.0 mph
7.30-8.30 - 6.7 mph
8.30-10.00 - 4.0 mph
10.00-11.00 - 6.7 mph
11.00-12.30 - 4.0 mph
12.30-13.30 - 6.7 mph
13.30-15.00 - 4.0 mph
15.00-16.00 - 6.7 mph
16.00-17.30 - 4.0 mph
17.30-18.30 - 6.7 mph
18.30-20.00 - 4.0 mph
20.00-21.00 - 6.7 mph
21.00-22.30 - 4.0 mph
22.30-23.30 - 8.0 mph
23.30-25.00 - 4.0 mph
25.00-30.00 - 3.5 mph

The sprint at the end was a lot of fun, and I handled it much better than I thought I might. Total distance today, 2.29 miles. Average pace, 13:06.

Hope you can get out and enjoy some exercise, too!

C25K Week 1 Day 2

Happy Wednesday! It's a magnificent day out there, and whether you're exercising indoors or out, I hope you're enjoying the weather. Fall is definitely here with the leaves turning brilliant colors and the air taking on a crisp chill.

Back to the gym today for another run. It was easier than Monday's run, and I'm feeling fantastic. I didn't make significant increases in either my speed or distance compared to Monday, but it's all baby steps. In a few more weeks, I'll practically be flying.

Workout breakdown for today:

0.00-5.00 - 3.5 mph
5.00-6.00 - 6.6 mph
6.00-7.30 - 4.0 mph
7.30-8.30 - 6.6 mph
8.30-10.00 - 4.0 mph
10.00-11.00 - 6.6 mph
11.00-12.30 - 4.0 mph
12.30-13.30 - 6.6 mph
13.30-15.00 - 4.0 mph
15.00-16.00 - 6.6 mph
16.00-17.30 - 4.0 mph
17.30-18.30 - 6.6 mph
18.30-20.00 - 4.0 mph
20.00-21.00 - 6.6 mph
21.00-22.30 - 4.0 mph
22.30-23.30 - 6.6 mph
23.30-25.00 - 4.0 mph
25.00-30.00 - 3.5 mph

Total distance, 2.26 miles. This comes out to a 13:16 mile. I'm looking forward to Friday when I blast through the last running interval at probably 7.5 mph. It always feels so good to open up the throttle at the end!

If you haven't been able to do anything yet today, find the time to do it. Your body will thank you!

C25K Week 1 Day 1

Well, as I said last time, I decided to start the C25K program over again. I know I've lost something in the running department and I'm looking forward to gaining it back. For the first few weeks, at least, I'm going to try and push the speed a bit so I can hopefully increase my pace in the last few weeks. I'll probably be fluctuating as I try to figure out just where my body is right now.

I feel great after my first workout this week, though, which is exciting. My new running shoes felt amazing the entire time. I'll give them another couple of workouts to be sure, but I'm thinking these are a great fit for me.

So, here's how it all broke down today:
0.00-5.00 - 3.5 mph
5.00-6.00 - 6.5 mph
6.00-7.30 - 4.0 mph
7.30-8.30 - 6.5 mph
8.30-10.00 - 4.0 mph
10.00-11.00 - 6.5 mph
11.00-12.30 - 4.0 mph
12.30-13.30 - 6.5 mph
13.30-15.00 - 4.0 mph
15.00-16.00 - 6.5 mph
16.00-17.30 - 4.0 mph
17.30-18.30 - 6.5 mph
18.30-20.00 - 4.0 mph
20.00-21.00 - 6.5 mph
21.00-22.30 - 4.0 mph
22.30-23.30 - 6.5 mph
23.30-25.00 - 4.0 mph
25.00-30.00 - 3.5 mph

Total distance, 2.25 miles. This comes out to a 13:20 mile. It'll be a few weeks before my running outweighs my walking enough to be hitting average paces below 12 minutes, but it's a goal I'm looking forward to meeting.

It's a nice day here, cool and windy, excellent for outdoor activities if one is so inclined. Wherever you are, I hope you are able to find a place indoors or out in which to be active.

Running workout

I didn't get around to posting this yesterday, but my workout was from yesterday, Friday, October 5th. Abi and I went to the gym for some walking and jogging and I really enjoyed it.

I tried some sprints and think they went well. After a five-minute warm-up, I jogged at 5.5 mph for 1 minute, then 7.5 mph for 1 minute. I did this four times. Then I alternated walking and jogging, ending with 3 minutes of a cooldown walk. Overall, I covered 2.04 miles in 25 minutes.

I am thinking to start the C25K program over again as I've definitely lost endurance, but this time around I'll hit some higher speeds for the first few weeks to hopefully increase my pace in the second half of the regimen.

Some exciting news is that I bought new running shoes today! I had purchased a pair from The Running Room in Rochester, MN last year in May or so. I think the shoes I bought today are going to serve me better as they seem to fit better and definitely have more cushion. I went to Kyle's Bikes in Ankeny, IA, and I think they did a better job of evaluating me before selecting a few shoes for me to try and ultimately sending me on my way. I'll have a better idea of how these shoes will work after I get a workout or two in. The nice thing is that if I run on the treadmill, I can get a few miles of use out of the shoes and then return them for something else if there's an issue.

Hopefully you've had a chance to get some exercising in recently. Have a great weekend!

Running workout

Made it back to the gym today for the first time in 6-8 weeks. I'd obviously lost something in the running department, but it felt great to be back at it.

Overall, I spent 22 minutes and 44 seconds on the treadmill and went 1.71 miles, which averages out to a 13:17 pace. But, that includes warm-up and cool-down. For actual running, I ran a full mile in 10 minutes and 44 seconds. It'll be nice to see that number go down and my endurance go up.

Hope you're able to get moving in some way today, too!

Time to change it up...again

Well, even though it's somewhat frustrating to do this, I'm going to be changing my exercise regimen once again. I've been experiencing a little more tweakiness in my legs and back, and I'm forced to conclude that it's probably due to P90X and my body not being quite ready for it. That's disappointing to me, but better to play it safe.

So, it's going to be back to running for a while, as well as working on abs and flexibility. As long as I'm still moving, it's all good.

For those of you who might also be struggling with various things exercisey, I hope this can be an encouragement to you. Don't be afraid to back off of something if it's proving too strenuous for your current level of health. Having to stop entirely because of an injury is no fun at all, and it really doesn't do you any good.