Well I’m done as far as the written program goes. I’m still going to try to get in 30 minute runs every other day until it’s too cold to run outside. I completed week 9 day 3 last night. I finished the program strong. I did a full 3 miles in 30:53. 10:18 per mile. My fastest pace yet. Very near my goal of 30 minutes or less.

I’ve also officially pushed back my “brick wall” moment. Previously it had been at about the 1.5 mile mark. The last 2 runs it’s been the 2.5-2.75 mile mark.

I still got a little pain in my side. That was the only distraction. It was a little over 50 degrees out. I debated whether or not to wear my Under Armour jacket. I ended up wearing it. It got a little hot towards the end of the run, but not too bad. I wore shorts this time, which made a big difference. I think I’ll be in shorts as long as I’m running outside.

I’m waiting on my P90X. I’m going to do mainly the cardio and stretching programs. I’ll alternate them in with runs until it’s too cold to run at all. Then it’ll be P90X all the time until the Spring. It’s kind of a good point to change up the routine a bit anyway. My weight loss has hit a little plateau. Plus I see cardio (jogging) as just one of the 3 exercise elements. The other two being resistance training (including interval) and flexibility.

Not that I’m writing, I’m debating to try to go all in with P90X (even for resistance) or do the 100 pushup, 200 situp, and 200 squat plans. I think I’ll like the guidance of the DVDs. I’ll have to give them a test run to see… Although the pullup bar is an issue. hmmmmm

After I abandoned my run yesterday at .5 miles due to dressing too warm, I hit the track again today for day 2 of the last week of couch to 5k.

I hit a new milestone. I made it the entire 3 miles. I finished in 30:20. I’m very happy.

Although my goal is to do this in 30 minutes, which I came very close, I want it to be almost effortless. I’m still not there. I made it well past my previous roadblock of 1.5 miles (where I’ve been hitting a brick wall on my runs). This time I made it a good 2.25 miles before I started to slow down. The last .25 mile was brutal. Still, most of the way I was battling some cramps/sidestitches. Don’t know what they are exactly, but I get one on my front mid left ribcage and one lower down on my back. They are not terribly painful, but they are a distraction.

I was well digested. I was well hydrated. I was well rested. It was cool and dry out. And I was well dressed. So at this point I know it’s my cardio fitness (and nothing else) that’s holding me back. And the 10-15 pounds that I still want to shave off. That said, I’m very happy with my progress.

Today was supposed to be day 2. Bad weather pushed this one back.

I bought a new Under Armour jacket for jogging. One that can keep me warm but not overheat me. I took it for a spin today, but guess what? It was a lot warmer out than I expected. Not only the jacket, but the long jogging pants I was wearing were much too hot. I should have been in short sleeves and shorts. So at .5 miles I decided just to cut the run off. I’ll do the true workout tomorrow. It’s supposed to be cooler and less humid tomorrow.

I did start my resistance training on Thursday. The 100 pushup training plan and some biceps and triceps with my Bodylastics bands. I am still pretty sore. I have to get in shoulders, back and abs.

I decided on these splits with resistance training:
- Bicep, Tricep, Chest
- Shoulders, Back
- Legs, Abs

With cardio/jogging in between.

I ordered P90X. I just went ahead and ordered the entire set. I really only wanted the cardio, yoga, stretching, and plyometrics, but I’ll take the Kempo, abs too. Plus besides the chin-up exercises, I’m covered on the rest of the movements with my Bodylastics bands. The chin-up bar is a no can do as no doorway is in a good spot to work out. Oh well. I’ll make do with what I can. It fits my new motto, “it’s all a lot better than nothing.”

Yeah, finally got a run in with just one day between. It’s been a while.

Tonight’s run was a little disappointing. I’m not going to let it bother me though. But the pace was way off. Like I said in my last post, I’m going to stick to 30 minutes rather than push for the 3 mile mark.

I made it 2.85 miles. With a 10:57 pace. 20 seconds off from my last run. Steps backwards after consecutive improvements. Oh well.

This time I purposely started out slow for the first 10 minutes. But it didn’t make a difference. I felt like I was pushing harder, but the app wasn’t lying I guess. The alerts kept telling me my pace was off.

The weather was perfect. I was hydrated. I was adequately digested. I wasn’t tired.

Well hopefully I rebound on Thursday. This is it though. I’m going to limit my cardio to 30 minutes–ideally every other day, but 2-3 times a week is fine.

I really need to find an indoor alternative for the winter. hmmmm. Maybe I’ll ask for P90X for Christmas…

After another prolonged break between my last run and this one, I finally got back to the track yesterday to finish out week 8. I had forgotten that this was the third run of the “week.” This time the delays were due to some lousy weather and a short weekend vacation. I can’t believe that I’m now on the final week.

I wanted to use the CardioTrainer app to track my time and distance even though I was on the track this time. So again, the first 30-40 seconds were spent fumbling around with the phone before the real jogging began. That said, the app recording said I ran 2.84 miles in a little over 30 minutes (10 minute, 38 second per mile pace). I wanted to complete out the entire 2.75 miles rather than calling it quits at 28 minutes. My pace was a one second improvement from my last one. Again, I hit a brick wall at 1.5 miles.

The weather was horrible. It was cold, windy, and there was a misty rain. I contemplated backing out when I got to the track, but then decided to just get it done.

This time I started out way too fast. The app’s first alert read off a little over 8 minute a mile pace. I tried to slow, but for a while I was still running faster than the target of 10 minutes per mile. For my next runs, I’m going to exaggerate a slower pace for the first 10 minutes. I want to see if that helps.

The final week is simple–30 minutes or 3 miles. I’m going to map out a true 3 mile start and finish on the street, but stick to 30 minutes only. And I’ll keep at it until I make the desired distance. This way I can rely less on the app for constant pace feedback and just concentrate on my running form more.

The weather is supposed to be better this week, so hopefully I can stick to every other day this week.

After a week rest due to a cold, I got back on the street tonight. My cold isn’t 100% gone, but I figured I’ve got it beat enough.

I tweaked the CardioTrainer app some more for my needs. It’s sweet. It tracks my run down to the second and tenth of a mile. Last time I had it set for audible updates every tenth of a mile, but that didn’t work. This time I had it give me a time, pace and total distance every minute. It worked. And I liked it.

Also, the new music I downloaded is enjoyable. It’s basically techno. A nice beat per minute tempo. I found that songs I know are more of a distraction than they are a motivator. So this new music worked out well.

I ended up going 2.78 miles in 29:41 (10:39 minute per mile). I sent the developer of the app a suggestion to build in a feature that would allow a countdown to start time (I would have liked to have a more accurate reading). They said they would (although they can’t promise it anytime soon). The time I just posted includes about 30 seconds of walking while getting my phone in sleep mode and in my waist strap. I figure I’m close enough to the desired pace, so I won’t fret so much about getting it 100% accurate. Hopefully with more consistent running, my pace will take care of itself.

The audible alarms really let me know when my pace started to fall off. Again I started to slow down at the 1.5 mile mark.

I’m happy with my progress so far. I just hope no more colds (or extremely cold weather) come before I hit my goal of 3 miles in 30 minutes.

I’m also happy to report that I’ve lost about 19 pounds since starting this program late July. I’ve really stuck to my laid back plan. I’m glad because I truly don’t feel like I’m sacrificing anything to accomplish this. Only better choices to eat. And exercise.

I’m going to post more about my new complete exercise, but now that I’ve got cardio down and have my Bodylastics bands ready, I’m also going to start the 200 situp, 200 squat, and 100 pushup programs. I’ve taken the initial tests for all three. I’m in great shape with the squats. I’m in ok shape with the pushups. I’m in terrible shape with the situps. These programs are progressive, like the C25K program. I love the structure. So I’m psyched to tackle these programs too.