Week Five!

Yes! I am officially at the halfway point. It feels great, but I am SO nervous for what's to come. This week I have been slacking a little bit - I'm still doing my runs but I'm not sticking to my schedule.

On Monday I finished up week 4, feeling a bit apprehensive considering how hard last week was for me. I was listening to The Used, thinking about the support I got from Melissa and Rosa, and the lyrics from one of their songs urged me on: "Today it felt, it felt better - just knowing this matters, I just feel stronger..." It's amazing what a little support from friends and music can do for you! I finished up the week coming in strong at 2.3 miles in 30 minutes. :)

This morning I got up ready and excited for my run, and this is what I saw out my window:
Seriously?? SNOW? Well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised because we DO live in Utah, and in the past 24 hours we've had sun, rain, hail, and lightning, so why not add snow to the mix? The snow outside my window was a major roadblock for me. It is SO hard to get motivated when you'd rather stay inside! One thing that has helped me when I'm lacking motivation is to just tell myself that the hardest part is getting dressed - once I get dressed it's that much easier to get out the door!

Also, another tidbit I wanted to insert was that last week when I had to stop because I couldn't breathe, I asked my doctor when I went in for my allergy shots if there is anything I could do to help that, and she said to just use my Albuterol inhaler about 15 mins before exercising - I thought to myself, "Well DUH," but I hadn't been doing it. It works WONDERS for my lungs. My endurance has doubled and I am so happy about it!

Okay, on to today's workout. Here's what it was:

Brisk 5 minute warm up walk, then:
Jog 1/2 mile (5 minutes)
Walk 1/4 mile (3 minutes)
Jog 1/2 mile (5 minutes)
Walk 1/4 mile (3 minutes)
Jog 1/2 mile (5 minutes)

I have discovered that my mind has a LOT to do with how well I do during my runs. If I start thinking about my lungs and worrying that I won't be able to finish my workout, guess what happens? My lungs start to close! Crazy phenomenon, but it's the truth. So today when I started to think about losing my breath, I focused on something else, like how good I will feel when I finish, how strong I feel when I run, etc. and it worked. I can't even begin to tell you what a firm believer I am in the mind's power. If I just focus my energy on my strength during my running, I feel stronger immediately, even if I'm doing the same thing.

Today was relatively easy. It sounds strange to say that, considering how hard last week was, but I really think that when I'm tougher mentally, I'm tougher physically. Of course I still listen to my body and I would stop if it started screaming, but the little things are just that.... they're little. I'm starting to believe that running is teaching me huge metaphorical lessons - what do you think?

So the results today are pretty much the same as last time - 2.31 in 31 minutes, but I am doing a harder workout. Next time I will increase my distance and I'm looking forward to it! This is what I came home to: It's like spring and winter are fighting with each other over who gets to stick around!!



Oh! I almost forgot.. I am registering for my first official 5K on June 12. It's to celebrate McKay-Dee Hospital's 100th year of Healing, and it starts at the park right by my house and goes clear down to the new McKay Dee Hospital. That gives me 6 weeks to get ready - so now I HAVE to stick to my schedule, no matter what. I am super excited and I can't wait to cross the finish line!!