Day 30 -Month 1 review

W5 D3 of C25k - 5 min warmup at 3.5 mph, 20 min running at 4.5 mph, 5 min cool down at 3.5mph, total approx 2.2 miles in 30 min. Told GB and she said'what did you do after that?'. After that at the end of 30 min I was too exhausted to even move. Did look over my previous workouts and all have been just about 30 min. I think I will have to increase the length of the workouts to atleast 35 min next month.
Total 20/30 workout days.
Longest distance 4.6 miles.

Good beginning , I think.

Goals for Month 2 Dec 2007:
1- Finish C25k, be able to run 30 min continuous.Each workout 35 min.
2- Free weights 2 days a week.
3- Long run/walks 6, 7,8,and then 4miles.
4- 20/30 aerobic workouts this month.
So schedule:
Mon-C25k 35 min
Tues-easy walk/free weights.
Wed-C25k 35 min
Thurs- off/free weights
Fri- C25k 35min
Sat-long slow distance
Sun- off total
I may not be able to do all of the above because am going on vacation dec 19th onwards thru 1st week of jan but will try to atleast walk.
Cant believe did 20 min of continuous running, unimaginable previously. Did it at a regular 4.5 mph pace till the last 2 min which had to drag at 4.3 mph but still did it.

Day 29

Off day today, did 20 min of light yoga.

Read some interesting posts on coolrunning.com newbie discussions. A runner of 30 years experience urged all newbies to slowdown-first cover distance at slow speed and then increase speed gradually. Was talking to GB and it did work for her, she can run 10-15 min at a slower speed. I have to do 20 min tomorrow and am hoping to run at 4.5mph but if not may have to come down to 4.3mph. Most of the people agreed with his advice and shared their own experiences. So now I dont feel bad about going at a snails speed.

The challenge to not eat packaged foods ended even before it started. GB thought i meant packaged foods like breads etc also, whereas I only meant the processed snacks, so she did not take it up. We talked about it today and maybe she will join me. This is what happens to most of our challenges, they rarely see the light of the day because one or the other is not in the mood to make the effort. So actually this marathon preparation is doing pretty good, tomorrow will be 30 days completed.

Day 29

Ran for 15 mins at 4.1 m/h to complete a mile. Outer right ankle started hurting - walked for 5 min at 3m/h. Ran again for 10 min at 4.1m/h. Inner right ankle started hurting :), walked and ran to complete 3 m in 47 min.

I see some progress, let's see if I can improve on this or atleast sustain this.

Day 28 - Just walked

Didnt feel like running so just walked for 2 miles........

Day 28

W5D2 of C25k, 5 min warmup, 2 sets of 8 min at 4.5mph and 5 min at 3.7mph. That was the goal, but had to decrease speed in the second set by .2mph because of the shin splints. But i did finish the whole set, so that is good.
It doesnt get easier, atleast it hasnt in the last 4 weeks, but after the workout is great, I almost start smiling- must be the endorphins.
I want to do a survey- do the thinner unfit/deconditioned people who start running find it easier than the fitter heavier people. I keep thinking if I were 30 pounds lighter, I might not be panting at the end of each session, but then I also remember a walking session when I was 18 years old, being left behind eating the dust, by my middle aged , more active parents.
On the eating front, yay for me, did not touch the peanut butter Ritz bitz calling out to me. On the other hand did eat slivers of the brownie baked by the kids enough to equal a quarter pan but we will come to that later.
I am challenging GB to a week of not eating pre-packaged foods. Loser pays for the pedicures at the end of the month.

Day 27 - Sick Day :(

Had a sudden headache in the afternoon which did not get better in the evening. Slightly better but left me drained. After yesterday's workout, was looking forward to today's, but didn't happen. oh, health is so important in life - something we realise only when we are sick :(

Day 27

Easy 2 mile walk, 20 min free weights.

Did the weights in the AM, and walked in the afternoon. Smart move to do the walk at 3.30 pm while it was still sunny outside.

Moving is getting easier and I feel good after doing the exercise, but later on there is some stiffness and tired feeling.
Today on coolrunning forums somebody had posted 'A Joggers Manifesto' interesting discussion regarding joggers and runners, apparently speeds of less than 6mph are categorised as jogging, and covering 13 miles in 2hours was being considered slow. I did the math, 13 miles in 2 hours is what--6-7mph. Wow! then what are we?-the shufflers?coming in at 4-4.5mph.
I dont mind-call me by any name, runner,jogger,walker,shuffler,crawler, as long as I am moving towards my goal, I am fine.
The issue right now with me is the eating. Man! I eat a lot. Esp now that its cold, it seems as if my body wants to keep fillingitself to feel warm. So I eat everything in sight.And so I have gained weight.Running is supposed to be good for weight loss but I was calculating, 2 miles on the treadmill and I burn only 180 cal. which I can negate by eating one teeny snack. I always felt that I just cannot control my eating habits,that I am addicted to eating, which I guess I am, but now i have to take things in hand.The over-eating and the over weight is affecting my running, no one else can control it for me, running alone wont help me lose weight , I will have to work on this aspect too.
Will start with one small change- no packaged goods from tomorrow- no cookies,crackers, chips-my downfall, first thing I eat as I step into the house after work , easy to tear the pack open and hog.Will monitor for 1 week and see. Replace with hot green tea. Anti-oxidants will be good for me.

Day 26

According to NB, I don't work out or prepare scientifically enough. For me, working out, whether scientific or not, is a huge thing. I have literally been a couch potato for so long, most of the day passing with me laying on the couch, with a laptop on me watching tv. So working out, and on top of that scientifically, gets a little stressful ;)
Well, I did decide to give that a try, and actually it puts a little discipline in your workout. Did 5 rounds - Walking for 2.5 mins at 3.4m/h, then walking for 1.5 mins at 3.2m/h and then running for 6 mins at 4.1m/h. I was actually a little happy when I could run for 6 straight minutes at 4.1m/h 5 times. I remembered the days not so long ago when I could barely run for 2 mins straight, wow!!
I am trying to figure out why I felt pretty light and flexible today and did not struggle to finish the workout. Factors can be, lunch at 2 pm (pizza slice - I know, I know, bad!) and nothing after that till the workout at 7.30 pm, or an hour's sleep in the evening (had got up early today so had a slight headache). Don't know, but hope I feel like that at every workout :)

Day 26

W5D1 of C25k, 3 sets of 5min at 4.5 mph followed by 3 min of 3.7mph, 2.2 miles in 32 min.

Woke up at 5.30 AM to complete the workout, felt good after that. Now in the afternoon feeling so lethargic and sleepy.
Easy day tomorrow but the next session of C25k involves running for 8 min at a time. Lets see if I would be able to do it.

Day 25

Gym was closed. Went for a run outside. Was wheezing because of the cold (and ofcourse my fitness level). Ran and walked for about 4o minutes. Skipped gym yesterday. Day before yesterday weird aches cropped up as I was on the treadmill - back of right thigh, front of left thigh, right ankle ache etc, had to stop after 1.5 miles.
Things don't look very promising. It is said that it takes 21 days to form a habit, but didn't work for me - it's another thing that I missed quite a few of those 21 days.

Day 25

Easy 2 mile walk today in the PM , but the last 1/2 mile became a little hard by default.

I started walking at 5 pm and it was getting dark but I thought I would finish in good time. By the time I started walking back towards the house it was pitch dark and I had to pick up my speed. No traffic on the roads, no street lights, no other walkers/joggers/runners, I started moving faster and then had to stop because even the swishing of my own clothes was making me nervous.
Finished the walk today but made a note, no going out at night, am too scared to enjoy the walk then.

Day 24

W4D3 of C25k, 2 sets of 3min of 4.5 mph,2 min of 3.7, 5 min of 4.5mph,3 min of 3.7 mph, total 2.0 miles in 32 min.

Today was really tough. Dont know why since it was the 3rd time I was doing this session this week. Could be the heavy breakfast and lunch I had just 3 hours before the workout. Really, if the workouts could be done sitting in front of the computer or reading all the books and forums I would come out way ahead of anybody. But the actual putting into practice all that info is so hard.
What are the facts:
Food should be used as a fuel to make me run better, it will be there always till I throw it out, it will always be there in the stores, I donot have to finish it, I will not starve if I eat 2 less bites.
Workouts should be done in the AM so am done for the day and donot have to fight with the kids for uninterrupted time on the treadmill.
Have to do each workout to build up the endurance, missing a session once in a while is Ok but try not to make it a habit. For that have to follow the above. Was reading the coolrunning forums and people actually get up at 4AM to run- " get up from bed and feet go straight into running shoes."
Have to keep moving all the time, its no use doing the running and then sitting on the couch for 4 hours straight, have to make and effort to move some every hour.

Easy walk tomorrow along with some free weights.

Day 22 - Thanksgiving

Went to sleep at 2 am yesterday night. NB called at 7.30 am and then at 8.30 am pestering me to go for a walk with her. Relented and started at 9.15 am. Covered 3.2 miles in 50 minutes. NB covered 4.6 miles as she came to my apt first. For the first time I can say, the site she mentioned earlier IS a really cool site, it helps you map the distance you covered and many other things, haven't explored it fully yet. I'll try to put the link at someplace very noticeable on the blog http://www.mapmyrun.com/.

day 22

Went for a long walk today with GB interspersed with a few minutes of running. Approx. 5 miles. So this was the LSD for the week which I would have missed on Sat. because the husband is working through the weekend. Weather was beautiful, sunny, not cold, and we saw a blue jay which is supposed to be lucky. And it doesnt hurt that I can eat atleast one piece of the pumpkin pie without guilt.
Day off tomorrow.

Day 21

W4D2 of C25k, 2 sets of 3min at4.5mph ,2min at 3.7mph, 5min at 4.5mph, 3 min at 3.7mph , total 2.25 miles in 35 min inc.warmup and cool down.
Not a star workout, no just average, had to push myself at the end of each session of running due to the leg pain. Lets see how I do with the next one.

GB was reading my previous posts and she feels I write gibberish when I describe my workout as above. She has not read the very detailed reports of the experienced runners detailing the heart rates and the elevation , the daily,weekly and monthly mileage , the PR times for the 5k,10k,1/2 marathon and the marathons, the weather while running, the shoes and clothes they were wearing, what they ate and drank before, during and after the run, how they felt before during and after the run etc. The more I read about running and go on these various sites it seems as if the runners inhabit a world of their own with a different language and we still have to learn that.

Another thing I read yesterday-runners are not supposed to do yoga-they need some tension in their muscles and yoga stretches the muscles too well. This is as per Budd Coates marathoner quoted from The Complete Book of Running for Women. Dont really think that will affect me much as I am not regular with the yoga and when I do do it ,its minimal.

Planning a 3 mile run/walk tomorrow in the morning before gorging on the pumpkin pie whith whipped cream on top. Atleast I eat like a runner even tho I donot run like a runner ,YET.

Day 20 after 4 days of rest

After missing any walking or aerobic activity whatsoever for 4 days (no excuses for 3 days, headache on 4th day) I thankfully made it to the gym today.
Ran at 4.0/4.2 m/h, walked at 3.3/3.4 m/h for 5 mins each, warm up, cool down.....finally completed 3.5 or 3.65 m to be exact in 1 hr.....oh, howwwwww will I complete a marathon????????
Am thinking of running a 5 K in December, have to find one nearby.

Day 20

Weights and stretches for 30 min.

No running today but I found an awesome site http://www.mapmyrun.com/ I have to spend some time on it to use it more easily but I did map out a frequent route that I walked previously, I thought it was 3 and 1/2 miles or so, it is actually 5 miles!!. So this is another site I will be going to more often, Never knew it would be so easy to map my route. It is free registration so thats a bonus, I had thought I would have to buy one of those fancy gadgets to know how much I am running.They have a feature by which one can transport the map to the blog and hopefully this weekend I will have GB transport a few routes to our blog.

Day 19

W4D1 of C25k, 2 sets of 3 min at 4.5mph, 2min at 3.7mph,5min at 4.5mph,3min at 3.7mph. 2.25 miles, 34 min inc.warmup and cooldown

Was able to do it fairly easily, could be because have decreased the speed to almost a shuffle now. Or because took yesterday off,or because did the run not as soon as I woke up but 1 hour later, or because slept well last night. If I knew the reason I would have every workout a star one.Did get the tightness in the right leg but thankfully only at the end of the 30 min workout. Also I am giving myself atleast 5 min to warmup with a walk at a slow pace.
Then iced my legs again and feel so good.
Might have to add a couple of days of easy walking/elliptical/stationary bike to the program because with working out only 4 days a week, i am doing aerobic activity only 16 out of the 30 days in a month and my aim is to do atleast 20/30 days.
Today was a good day ,didnt feel heavy while running , no breathlessness etc. Should mark these days with a star or a happy face.

Day 17

4.2 miles, 64 min,LSD, some running, mainly walking.

The walking was Ok but again during the running felt the tightness in the right leg, slowed my speed to 4.5mph and was just thinking-Ok 20 more sec and will stop-when miraculously the tightness went away and I could actually run for 3-4 min. So that was good.By the end of the workout the legs were actually doing Ok but I was having trouble breathing smoothly.

Finished the walk/run early in the AM before starting the day. Feel good about that. Realised and maybe had read somewhere that these regular workouts are the building bricks for the marathon goal and each workout will help in some way to reach that goal. So no missing any.

Surfed the Jeff Galloway site for novice runners, so many calculations needed-magic mile, goal pace, speed workouts, pacing for the run/walk, for eg if goal is to run at 10 min/mile then workout should be 3min run and 1 min walk, but he didnt specify 3min run/1 min walk at what speed. Thoroughly confused, got some tips for novice runners and bookmarked the site for Jan 2008 when the actual 30 week training for the marathon according to his plan will begin.
The other thing learnt from his site is that the pace should always be at conversational level even at the end of the long walk-no huffing and puffing so as to finish strong. That means I shd be walking at 3mph!But I definately finished strong, I vacuumed and cleaned my house for 2 hours after the workout so must have done the right thing.

Off tomorrow, maybe will do some yoga/stretches.

Day 16

Today was off day according to old schedule so did some stretches and believe it or not did my weights at 9.30 at night. Dont know why had been feeling low for a couple of days, seemed not going anywhere with the program , feeling heavy. Why? its just been 15 days and we havent even started training yet. Then talked myself into moving, just for 10 min, and ultimately did the whole 30 min workout.
Tomorrow LSD 4 miles.

Day 15 - This is getting boring

Completed 3 miles in 49.5 minutes. Walked at 3.3, ran at 4 m/h. Warm up and cool down 5 minutes each.
Had been getting side stitches. Researched the web, things to be noted:
1. Raise your hands and stretch
2. I used to hold my tummy in and run and so couldn't breathe from the stomach (necessary to avoid side stitches). Stopped holding my tummy in, lo and behold, no side stitches since 2 days.
3. Don't eat or drink atleast 2-3 hrs before running. I never did, but still had the side stitches. So the above 2 steps worked for me.

Easy to understand description of side stitches at http://www.makeithappen.com/wis/readings/sidest.html

Day 15

W3D2 90 sec 4.7k,90 sec 3.5k,3min 4.7k,3min 3.7k, 33 min, 2.2 miles.

So the planning worked but at the middle of the last session got the tightness in the right lower leg again, but I just got the speed down to 4.5 and labored on. Read on the web:it can be either
1)exertion induced compartment syndrome
2)stress fracturs
3)shin splints.
Treatment is rest, ice, compression. I actually iced my legs today, man that felt sooo goood. I didnt know this. I stayed away from ice always because I just dont like being cold, my hands are ice cold in the ACed office, and no its not low thyroid, but wow this can become a habit.

So read more on all the above. If its shin splints then the above treatment should work.If its the other two then bye bye marathon and all the running glory, stay away from the symptom inducing activity unless you want surgery.

Also read on side stitches which GB seems to be having. Treatment is simple, try to avoid food atleast 1 hour before the workout, deep breathing, decrease the intensity of the workout for some time.

Reassessed my workouts, I cannot do back to back running workouts, not recommended.Also the fact that Nov 1st was a thursday set me off on the wrong schedule. So my schedule will change:
M:C25k
T: off/weights
W: C25k
Th: weights
F :C25K
S : LSD(long slow distance)
S: off.
Reassess in 2 more weeks.
But I need the rest days, just to let this old body recuperate the beating it gets on the treadmill.I was reading someones blog- he just took 15 days off in the whole YEAR. That makes me tired just to read. I like the coolrunning newbie discussion forums- there are others just like us and so one can get the encouragement needed.
'
And thanks Caroline, we have actually started looking forward to your comments, why dont you join us also?

Day 14

NB mentioned, it's also written in various marathon training blogs that while training, focus first on increasing the distance and then the speed. So completed 3 miles (in 52.5 mins) instead of the usual 1.5 or 2 I do today. That is the intention for the month of Nov - complete atleast 3 miles everyday going forward....walked at 3.2 , ran at 4 m/h
Left knee (my problem knee) started aching. Have to look into taking care of the knees. Don't want to have any problems with my knees. Health comes first.

Day 14

Missed today.
Woke up at 5 AM and then just could not make myself get out of the warm bed. Thought I would do the weights in the pm, after all its only 20 min, but then life took over. Had to go for the younger dtrs end of the year soccer party, ate too much pizza which was actually quite good and now am so stuffed that even lifting this small laptop upstairs made me short of breath.
And that brings into mind the other aspect, in the last 2 weeks havent lost an ounce, tho' havent gained an ounce either. Its been 2 weeks and I am losing my steam, for me this is the most dangerous part of any program, I lose interest around the 2-3 week period. The kid in me wants instant gratification-after 2 weeks I should be able to see some changes.The adult, patient, focussed me knows that changes in tone, stamina will begin to be noticeable around week 4-6. Do you think I can last till then?
Ok so recap of today--lesson learnt- those who fail to plan, plan to fail.
Plan for tomorrow--do the W3D2 of C25k.
Was surfing the web, there is a American River half marathon coming up in May , will have GB post the link, maybe that can be one of our small goals if it falls in the right time period.

Day 13

W3D2 of C25k,4.7mph for 90 sec with 90 sec at 3.7mph, then 4.7mph for 3min followed by 3.7 mph for 3min, repeated twice with a cool down of 5 min.
Wasnt able to do the last 3 min at 4.7mph,stopped because started feeling a tightness in the right lower leg, like a tourniquet and then felt as if I was dragging the right leg.Dont think its shin splints but its OK, will do it next time.
Stretching and strengthening tomorrow.

Day 12

Did W2D2 of C25K, i.e 90 sec of running at 4.7 mph with gaps of 2 min walking at 3.7mph repeated 4 times.Total 2.2 miles in 33 min.

Decreasing the speed from 5mph to 4.7mph really helped, I was able to repeat it 4 times nicely instead of dying by the end of the 3rd repeat.

Had a crick on the left side of my neck for 2 days, no, I dont think its a running injury, and its gone now. I am listening very carefully and intently to my body, any whisper of a twinge and I will back off the workouts. Dont know if am progressing at a good rate or too slow?

Day 11

Completed 2 miles in 33 mins with running at 4.2 m/h and walking at 3.2 m/h. Did a very slow extra half mile to start increasing the distance. Plan to jog/walk for 2.5 miles this week and then increase the distance to 3m.
Greg, you scared me here :). I have heard a lot about the injuries related to a marathon preparation or a marathon itself. I just keep reminding myself that my first priority here is health and then the marathon. As it is, I don't have very strong knees or a strong body for that matter.
But this is a 1 year goal for me. 20 years later I don't want to regret not doing this. If it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out, atleast I tried.

Day 11

Today did 20 min of strengthening with weights and 10 min of light stretches.

Was discussing with GB, strength training is required because we build the lower body with the run/walk and then there is an imbalance in the weaker upper body. But it is so BORING, just hate those dumbells.

Havent seen the SF marathon course, I am sure it will involve a lot of hills. Once we have built up a base of 30 min of continuous running in the next 2 months will start with the Jeff Galloway program for marathon preparation.

San Francisco marathon - Registration open

Was checking out the San Francisco marathon website. Registration is open. The site mentioned that slots fill up easily and that one should register early. Date - Aug 3rd 2008, registration fee - a steep 85$. Or maybe I am ignorant and all marathons cost something similar. I don't think I will register before February 2008, will come to know by then if I am serious about it. On second thoughts, I should register and then I will become serious :/
The website has all the details including the marathon course video and the marathon course map. I started watching the course video and my thoughts changed from 'Mile 1 - Oh, I can't do it, I am scared, it's a bad idea' to 'Mile 5 - I am already tired just watching it' to ' Mile 12 - Wow, if only I could do this' to 'Mile 22 - Doesn't look that difficult, and yes, I spot some short women like me in the race, I think I will be able to do this'
NB is the one looking into various websites and doing the research while lazy me is just maintaining the blog, but I think looking into the details of running a marathon helps - gets you mentally prepared - just look at the range of emotions I went through while watching the marathon course video.

Almost skipped day 10

Went for a movie yesterday - money well spent. Thanks for the encouraging comments Caroline. Helps keep us going.
Today, cleaned apartment. In the evening couldn't decide whether to vacuum the apartment or go for the daily jog/walk. So, I vacuumed, and then went to the gym (oh, me so good!!!). Found the right balance - walk at 3.3 m/h for 5 mins and jog at 4.2 m/h for 4 mins. Could complete this 4 times. Felt good. I agree with NB - If nothing else, atleast I have moved my body these past 10 days.
The other day my niece was jumping down from the stairs. Made me remember the days when I could jump down from the sixth step and used to compete with friends as to who could go till the 8th step (sigh!). I hesitantly tried jumping from the 2nd step which made me realise the bulk I carry :(.

Day 10

3.2 miles, 52 min, 3 sessions of 90 sec jogging with gaps of 2 min according to W2D2 of C25K program.
10th day of marathon preparation, if nothing else in the last 10 days I have moved 7 times, which is way way more than normal for me. And I am sorta kinda getting more concious of what I am eating, tho it could also be because I have run out of the halloween candy.
Surfed the web as usual, like the www.coolrunning.com newbie discussion forums. So many in the same boat doing the C25K program, finding each new level 'difficult' and 'unimaginable'.And then once they pass that level, the joy and exhilaration.
For me, today in the beginning did not want to do it, so even tho woke up at 5 AM just wasted the time away, day grew grey, decided to walk in the PM with GB, then it started raining in the evening, then the kids wanted to go to Borders, then I had to cook dinner, but in the end did do the workout. And feel so good after doing it-lighter.
Lessons learnt-finish the workout in the morning, or else life and the lazy part of my mind take over.I am the one who wants to run the marathon, so I am the one who will have to move-no one else can do it for me.And it always feels good afterwards.
Stretching and strengthening tomorrow.

Day 9

Day off from the marathon preparation. Not up to it - Going to watch a movie.

Day 8 - 2nd Week of marathon preparation

Today was the second week of the preparation for the marathon next year. Today I was supposed to walk for 5 mins and then run for 4 mins 3 times. I walked at 3.5 and then ran at 4.3 m/h easily, repeated this twice and started feeling proud of myself - wow GB what progress.....after that...I couldn't run for more than 2 mins the 3rd time, my body refused to..so walked at 3.1 for 5 mins and stopped.
I am 35 yrs old with a BMI of 31, almost inactive till last week when I started preparing. After today's workout, I feel I need to take it a little slow instead of trying to run at 4.3 mins. My advice - Take it slow - listen to your body.
I will be changing the table provided at the top of this blog to make it more feasible for real couch potatoes like me. Also, for people in northern California, I will attach the San Francisco marathon route to this blog so that we all know what we are aiming for.

Day 8

32 min, 3min 3 times at intervals of 2 min. Tried to do the 3 min 4th time and had to give up after 1 min of running. Total distance 2.10 miles. I might as well walk at 4mph and do a walkathon instead of a marathon.
The problems:
According to the C25K program I should actually be running 90 sec and walking 2 min and do this 3 times.What did I do-the above. As usual pushing too hard too soon. Now have the beginings of shin splints too.And havent actually made a schedule yet, so here goes:

Saturday-long run/walk
Sunday-weights and stretches
Monday-run/walk
Tuesday-easy walk
Wednesday-weights/stretches
Thursday-run/walk
Friday-rest day, nothing.

I hope this works, do not want to giveup,get burnt out or get injured.
Read a very nice thing yesterday-runners need to do regular progressive workouts and have patience with their bodies.
Didnt register that till after todays workout.

Day 7 of marathon preparation

Today is the 7th day of working out or should I say moving my body and I can see a difference. The first day it was very difficult for me to even complete 2 mins of running and I could not repeat that. Today, I could run for 3 mins after every 4 to 5 mins of walking. The improvement is not huge but atleast its there.
Some calculations - Let's say we want to complete a marathon in 6 hours i.e. 26.2 miles in 6 hours -->4.3 miles an hour. So either we run the whole marathon at a speed of 4.3 miles/hr or run at a higher speed and then walk for some time.....uhhhh......this does not seem very easy considering that today the speed at which I ran was 4.3 m/h and I was out of breath after every 3 mins I ran.....prospects of completing the marathon don't seem very bright considering my present height and weight :(
NB is taking this very seriously and would be very disappointed if this doesn't happen. Let's hope for the best and keep working on it.

Day 7

2 sets upper body with 5 pound weights, 2 sets stretches from www.familydoctor.org, 10 sun salutations, time 50 min.
Today will research shinsplints prevention and treatment. I start hurting when I am on the treadmill after 15-20 min.
GB is the gadget queen so she will find a way to 1) measure the distance for our long run/walks and 2) to measure the run/walk time sessions when on the road.
Feeling so good right now, why am I subjecting my 40 year old body to the rigors of running, I dont know, have 1 year to think about it.

Day 6

Ran 2 min 3 times with walking in between of 5 min each time, total workout 32 min.

Am soo tired today,its amazing, Didnt realise I was so out of shape. 6p.m and I just want to curl into a ball and sleep.Thankfully tomorrow is stretching and strengthening, i.e. easy day so will be able to feel better.
Keep thinking might not be able to do it. GB calculating-26 miles in 6 hours means a speed of atleast 12-13 min mile. That is too much. Just thinking about it makes me hurt.
But we can do it, we will. Today is just day 6 of the 300 days till SFmarathon. We will do it.
Almost finished 'The complete book of running' . Good pointers given on how to prepare for marathon if you are a beginner. They wrote a 18 week plan if you have been running a 15-20 mile week before starting the training. lets see, we have 2 months to start running and then 28 weeks to prepare.One step at a time, baby steps.

day5 pm

Feeling so sore today, just generalised tightness and lower legs are killing me. Had to take a nap in the afternoon to function in the evening.
Read about Katie Holmes finishing the NYC marathon in 5 hours,29 min. and then attending the premiere of some movie in high heels. As per the article she trained only for 2 months. 2 mths,I may be able to run 2 miles in 2 months if I keep at it.
Surfed the web and found this very helpful site www.familydoctor.org in which they have a section for injury prevention for runners with nice stretching and strengthening exercises. I read over all those and will do them on my days off-wednesday and sunday for strengthening.
Crosstraining is another thing to do along with running to build up muscles not used in running and to build endurance without the pounding effect of running on the joints.Maybe will incorporate some stationary biking later on, right now barely run 5 min total in a 30 min workout.

Day 5

Because of time change woke up at 5 AM and finished the walk/run program for today. Was watching a movie and the workout carried on for 40 min,followed by 15 min of stretching so can feel it now.But it feels good to be done for the day. Though I know that by evening I will be feeling sore and will have to stretch again.
Ate breakfast of cereal,milk and banana within 45 min of exercise . One has to eat within 30-60 min of the run to prepare the body for the next session. So protein,carbohydrate and vitamins done.
Love the daylight saving time. Now till april it will be easier waking up in the AM for the exercise,the marathon starts around 5 AM so this should help.
Will surf for more running info later and will post if find something good.

Day4 pm

We had our cousins over for lunch and it was GBs great idea to get a humungus Tiramisu cake for dessert. No prizes for guessing what happened, after gorging ourselves with the lunch, we then inhaled the cake. The couple kept looking at us in awe mixed with probably disgust as we ate plate after plate of the cake. Well, atleast it was good.
So for damage control we walked 2 miles at a snails pace and vowed, firstly not to have dinner tonite and then not to buy a dessert cake atleast till the end of this month. Notice I did not mention pies.
No, seriously, no more scarfing cakes and pies, try and decrease the intake of sugar. Research states that sugar ages you and affects the joints by making them stiff and weak.So TRY to eat right now.
NB.

Day 4

Today is off day, did 10 sun salutations for the stretching part, helped take care of the tightness and soreness my 40 year old body was feeling in the morning.
Then spent an hour surfing the web for running and strength training. Will have to incorporate upper body and lower body weights to strenghten and balance the running.Do NOT want to end up with a chronic injury because of this goal. Informative site found was http://www.completerunning.com/. They have an article'100 tips for begining runners' which is all the information one needs at the start of a running program.
The one point which I need right now is to limit my research on running and actually keep doing it. It is so much more easy and enjoyable to sit on the couch and let the fingers and the mind do the running.And that is the reason why we started off in the first place- to avoid the inactive state.OK time limit of 30 minutes each day on reading/surfing the web/blogging about the run.
So as far as strength training goes, have to get some ankle weights, I have 5 and 8 lb dumbells, and set up a training program.
Maybe later will go for a short walk today.
NB

Day 3

Went for a walk with NB. When we had got the idea of a marathon, I had thought ok, atleast it will help me lose weight. Today I walked the same path I had walked 2 months earlier when I was 10 pounds lighter. Revelation - I'll have to lose weight if I want to continue with the idea of running a marathon. With an extra 10 pounds on me, the same path almost killed me - I was totally out of breath. I don't know, sometimes the whole idea seems feasible and sometimes impossible.
News today - A glass of Beer after a run is absorbed faster than a glass of water and it replenishes the minerals and calories faster (yeahh!! for Beer lovers). A previous marathon winner Ryan Shay, 28 years old, died during Olympic marathon trials today in New York.

Did our "long" walk today approx 3 miles which did include a short hill in 50 minutes. Did run maybe 2 min in the whole duration but first have to build up the stamina.Apparently if you increase the duration of walking that helps the speed later on.
Again doubts of whether we will be able to do it, well, the goal is to finish, and even in the last 3 days we have moved twice which is good, so even if at the end of 1 year we have moved more, I will be happy.
I do yoga for 10-15 min in the morning to strtche but recently added the sun salutations, 12 of those are equivalent of 30 min of aerobic exercise, but I am more inteested in the flexibility benefits. Was surfing the web and came across nice site http://www.runnergirl.com/. Nice tips on injury prevention, nutrition and some hilarious quotes on running. That will be one site I will frequently visit.
As far as nutrition, will have to start reading on it-the only rules I am following are-eat some carb and protein within an hour of the workout, drink 8ozwater,2hours,1 hour and 30 min before workout, and once the Halloween candy is finished I will definately stop eating candy.
NB

Day 2

Day 2 of C25K, off day today, GB's b'day so had a lot of cake and totally forgot that we were actually on a challenge. GB is a year older and has become wiser, she told me -"we dont have to run to get slim, we will have to slim down to be able to run" Tomorrow will do a long walk of atleast 3 miles.Will try to do a bit of running in between. Yesterday's walk-run can be felt today but not as much as I had feared. NB.

Day 1

Ran/walked as per the schedule-5 min walk warmup,1 min running followed by 2 min walking repeated 3-4 times and cooldown walking of 5min.The dtrs were in soccer practice so I actually walked more than the stated 20 min, but the running took my breath away. I dont know wen in life I forgot how to do a basic function as running. My dtrs run with abandon and I envy them, with me even that 1 min duration was torture.

Today I learnt about 'camber'. Camber is the slope of a road.But its a bit confusing-if I am running on the road facing the traffic my left foot will be slightly lower than the right due to the way the road slopes, so when I turn back on the same side, my left foot will be higher and so balance the workout but now I will be running with the traffic . Which means I can only follow one rule of running-either always face the traffic but then risk injury since one foot will always be higher and the other lower or risk injury from the traffic-take your pick.
So have started, a marathon seems such a long distance and aug 2008 seems so far away, will take one day at a time.
NB