WORKOUT WEDNESDAY

Would you say it is counterproductive to go the gym and then come home and indulge in Ben & Jerry's Phish Food? I'd like to justify this by saying it is my reward for getting back into the program after a nearly month hiatus, but who am I kidding. I just wanted some of those delicious chocolate fish pieces covered in chocolate ice cream, marshmallow and caramel!

I'm back up to 20 minutes and trying ever so hard to get over the bump to be back to 25 minutes. It's all mental and I just can't seem to convince myself that I really can make it those extra 5 minutes. Any advice on how to push through a difficult workout?

I'm still hesitant to send in the form for the 5K in September which was my goal first 5K. I feel like worst case scenario I could take a break and walk part of it, but at the same time I feel like I'd be failing myself if that is what I did.

Decisions, decisions...

WORKOUT WEDNESDAY

Hey look, it's me posting a "Workout Wednesday"...and I've actually worked out! July has been rough and I'm very disappointed in myself for getting so off track after going 6 weeks with no setbacks. The summer cold I had after the 4th of July was not only a lesson in how miserable summer colds are, but also in not milking a bout of sickness for all it's worth. I kept making the excuse that my breathing wasn't "normal" yet so how could I possibly expect to be able to run?! I think I used that excuse about a week past its expiration date.

I've about exhausted every possible excuse I could make. I should have just faced it that the idea of trying to hop back in on week 7 for 25 minutes of continuous running simply wasn't going to happen. I'd have to go back and repeat some days. After making a few bows this afternoon I took a break and headed to the gym ready to go back to the beginning of week 6...5 min. warmup, 5 min run, 3 min walk, 8 min. run, 5 min walk, 5 min run, 5 min cool-down. Was it easy? No. Did I finish it? Yes I did!

Tomorrow I'll try for day two of week 6 which will be two 10 minute runs. I'm not sure that the idea of running for 30 minutes continuously will ever be less daunting. I'm starting to feel like my 5k goal of running my first race in September may not be as obtainable as I thought. But once again, I think I'm just making excuses.

What kind of activities do you enjoy doing to get out and off the couch?

WORKOUT WEDNESDAY

As I had previously mentioned, I have been doing the Couch-to-5K workout. I had been booking right along keeping right on schedule...that is until it has come to Week 6 Day 3. It's not the first long run, but it's the longest yet, 25 minutes. Phew, and I thought that 20 minute run last week was long!

After a trip to the Under Armour store for a new pair of shorts and a couple of tank tops I had to figure that at least if I collapsed off the end of the treadmill, at least I'll look good while laying on the floor haha. Thankfully I did not make friends with the gym floor, but I also didn't make the full 25 minutes. I'd make excuses, but that doesn't get anyone anywhere, I simply need to go back and tackle it again.

My goal is to run my first 5K at the beginning of September. I'm optimistic that by then I will be able to complete a 3.1 mile run both on the treadmill and outside. There are 3 more weeks in this program once I get past the hurdle of this 25 minute run.

Do any of you have advice for long distance runs?

I'm wanting to become a more active blogger and am trying to figure out what I would like to feature. I have started blogs with the intent of having them be a standing feature, but failed horribly at keeping the post date consistent or at all.

Some ideas I am currently considering are as follows:

Music Monday: A "what I'm listening to post" to start everyone's week off with something, possibly new, to listen throughout the week.

Team Tuesday: BESTeam (Boosting Etsy Shops Team) feature.

Workout Wednesday: Notes on my progress with the Couch-to-5K workout as well as any other workout related stories.

Thankful Thursday: A list of the top 3 things I am thankful for that week. Perhaps this will be a way to reflect and realize that no matter how stressful work or the week in general may be, there is always something to be thankful for.

Friday Finds: I'm thinking this would be a mainly picture feature of things I have found and like. This could be anything from Etsy items to newly discovered restaurant. The sky is the limit :)

I'm going to think on Saturday and Sunday. I am thinking about perhaps starting with the weekday to get into a flow first and then adding the weekend.

What are your thoughts?