JogBlog: Week 3, Day 3

This morning was sunny, chilly, and dry… sounds like great conditions for a jog at the park! I know, right? So I put on my cool weather jogging stuff and headed over with high hopes for a great finish to the week.

I have little to say, other than that it went well! I’m still only covering about 2 miles of distance over all (seems low) and thinking that next week will be a tough one (jog intervals increase from 3 to 5 minutes for the longer runs), but today pretty much went off without a hitch.

I can see the mind games they are playing with you with this Couch to 5K thing. I mean… there was one point today when I finished one of the shorter (90 second) jog intervals and thought, was that it? Was it over already? So the longer (3 minute) intervals, while still a challenge, have suddenly — in only 3 workouts’ time — become more attainable. And now I think about next week when my minimum jog time will be 3 minutes, and the new thing will be the longer 5-minute intervals… and my brain is actually trying to convince the rest of me that it will be no big deal!

How did that happen?

Still, I look at next week and ponder a few other things I’ll have to deal with. Apart from  the unpredictable weather conditions in late November, I will also be dealing with the Thanksgiving holiday. You know, that holiday that involves a pretty good deal of eating, not to mention a lot of lying around? And pie.

But I’m ready to try it. Ready to see if the mind games will continue to do their magic. Ready to see if Monday morning’s workout will be as rough as this past Monday’s was. Ready to continue to try to put my feet one in front of the other and finish the workouts.

Forward, ho!

JogBlog: Week 3, Day 2

I was looking forward to doing another workout today, but was also apprehensive. Monday’s workout was not my best, and I have been concerned that I might already be pushing my limits with this jogging thing.

Woke up this morning to an overcast, chilly, drizzly day. I decided to go ahead to the park instead of doing the treadmill, though, because it wasn’t raining when I was getting ready.

In fact, it didn’t rain…

…until I got to the park, got out of the car, and was about 20 seconds into my warmup walk. I was listening to my podcast music but I kept hearing this light patter or crackling type of sound. The sound of rain drops hitting the leaves and the ground. Sigh.

But, I’d already started and didn’t want to stop. It was chilly but not too cold, so I kept on.

I started at a different point in the track today, and also went around “the wrong way” (opposite of how I usually go) again in order to avoid the steep uphill climb of Big Nasty Hill. You see, if you go clockwise around the track, you have to climb Big Nasty Hill and it can become a big obstacle, sometimes right when you are already thinking about throwing in the towel. But if you go counterclockwise, you get to go down that big hill, and the rest of the track is a mix of more level ground and then more gradual inclines, which are easier for me to deal with right now.

Anyway,  I think the direction and the different starting point made a difference, because today went MUCH more smoothly than Monday. Still challenging, still lots of things going through my head while I jog, like

• shouldn’t he be cuing me to walk yet?
• how far have I gone?
• where will I be on the track when this workout is finished?
• am I covering the same distance as my previous workout?
• what if I’m not?
• how will I ever jog an entire three miles?
• why don’t I just walk instead?
• isn’t walking good for you?
• what will I have for breakfast?… oh, there’s my cue to walk. Finally!

So I finished the workout, the whole thing totaling just about two miles. I am a little bummed right now because fast-walking 3 or 4 miles is really no big thing for me, and I feel like I ought to be covering more distance than I am… but I’m afraid to push too hard for fear of spoiling the magic formula that might actually get me to my goal in several more weeks.

Yes, if I am able to keep up the workouts on schedule, the theory is that I will be jogging a 5K right about the first week of January.

Ri-i-i-i-i-ght!

JogBlog: Week 3, Day 1

Another beautiful fall morning… not sure how many of these are left, but I’m enjoying them while I can. I decided to go in the opposite direction this morning because I could avoid the steepest uphill climb (aka “Big Nasty Hill) that way as I adjust to new, longer jog intervals.

So, Week Three consists of the typical 5-minute warm up and cool down, plus these intervals: jog 90 seconds, walk 90 seconds, jog 3 minutes, walk 3 minutes. Repeat all. Total interval training time, about 18 minutes. So the overall workout is actually a little bit shorter, time-wise, than previous weeks.

It was harder today.

I did it, but it was more difficult. By the end of the last jog interval I was ready to stop. I don’t think I did the best job pacing myself this time. Still, I did it.

Looking forward to the day when I can just say “I’m going for a jog” and then head out of the house and jog three miles. That’s my goal at this point.

LOTS of work to do before then.

JogBlog: Week 2, Day 3

Another day, another C25K workout.

This morning went pretty well. I had to push hard early, jogging up Big Nasty Hill on only my second jog interval… but after that, subsequent jogs were always on the more level parts of the track.

I am debating now whether I really, really will be able to move up to Week 3 level on Monday morning. The intervals will increase in length… half the jog intervals will double in time to three minutes. Three minutes!

You laugh, but for a jogging newbie like me with questionable knees, this is a big deal.

Ah, well… I suppose we will just see how I feel on Monday morning. I am allowed to repeat a week of training if I don’t feel ready to advance. But, I’d rather not!

On a side note, the podcast continues to be helpful. The music is mostly techno-sounding stuff, very light on vocals. Does a good job of getting the feet moving while also providing a nice background sound to whatever else your mind wants to ponder while you run. I do think it’s funny, though… at certain times when you are supposed to change your pace, the guy’s voice chimes in with some simple instructions or reminders about maintaining your form, and then a couple times he’ll also say “good job” or “you’re doing great.” Which makes me laugh since he has no idea how I am doing! But the casts are very helpful. If interested, you can locate and download them (free) here.

Hey! It’s not Monday, but here’s a recipe…

Sometimes when I don’t feel like preparing regular oatmeal, I make homemade granola.

Some other times, though, when I want something that isn’t crunchy and cold in a bowl, I make these oatmeal muffins. They are really delicious and handy to grab and heat up in the morning with a little butter. This recipe is a combination of a couple basic recipes I found online, along a few tweaks that I made to suit me. It makes about 24 muffins.

Oatmeal Muffins

2C old fashioned oats
2C buttermilk
2 eggs
1/2C sugar
1/2C granulated Splenda
2/3C canola oil
~1/2C natural applesauce (i.e. a single-serve cup like for school lunches)

Combine all the above and let sit a few minutes while the oats soften up a little. Meanwhile, combine…

2 1/2C flour (photo shows them made with all white flour, but I usually do half or more of the amount as whole wheat flour)
1t salt
1t baking soda
2t baking powder

Mix wet and dry ingredients until just moistened.

Taste the batter. You know you want to.

Fill muffin cups, should be able to make about 24. I use the paper liners but you can do whatever you want. I’m not going to tell.

Bake about 20 minutes.

Remove from oven, let cool.

Be sure to eat at least one right out of the oven, while it’s still warm. Put some butter (Smart Balance in our house) on it. Ponder how long it might take you to eat all of them. Figure out in your head how many days they should last if only you were to eat them. Subtract several days because of those pesky kids and husband who will also eat them. Frown a little (on the inside) when you realize that you can’t have them all. Plan to bake them again soon.

Enjoy!