Week 4 Completed!

I'm finally done week 4, also known as the drop out week, and I have to say I am starting to feel like a runner. My biggest improvement would have to be my breathing. It's amazing that the biggest problem I had with running, trouble breathing along with pain in the chest, lungs, and throat, has been cured in just 3 simple weeks of running! (remember i skipped week 1). However, I find that the one area of my body that I thought was strong enough to endure this exercise, my legs, is disappointing me. The pain today was almost immediate and I had to endure it for the entire run. During my walks I would try to stretch more because I felt cramps coming on. I don't feel as though I cheated because I kept the treadmill running. Although I stopped to stretch I lost time on my relaxing walks.

Anyway I avoided cramps so all was good...except not really. I need to find a way to rid myself of this pain. I don't know if I need to build up the muscle there, or if its my shoes, or if i need to stretch more and better, or maybe if I need to run at a slight incline like my daddy suggested. I'll try all of theses suggestions and hopefully this problem can be cured. If it is cured...these runs will be EASY! Theres no huffing and puffing! I'm so happy!

On another note I'm going on vacation I hope to run the day I leave and the day I get back. This will make week 5 four days long instead of 3 which is fine with me. This leaves 4 days in which I wont be doing nay running. But I will be walking, bike riding, and swimming every day so hopefully I don't loose to much progress.

One thing that I love about running, besides seeing the obvious progression of physical and mental strength, is that my lovely boyfriend, Mark, exercises with me over skype. He, however, works on the erg which is a machine that simulates rowing (crew). He did a 1 mile sprint today in 6:58 which blows my mind. He is so athletic and I'm proud of him!

Now on to my progress! I don't remember the time but I do remember that I ran everything at 5 MPH except the last 1/4 miles I ran at 5.7 MPH. I believe that is faster than W4D2 but I cant remember. I'm ready for week 5 and if this calf pain goes away I think that 20 minute run on W5D3 will be challenging but do able.

And lastly, on to the meaning of the picture! I have an Ipod touch which I have been running with but if I ever get off the treadmill and run outside I don't want to have to worry about the Ipod touch falling and breaking. So as a reward for myself I ordered the Ipod shuffle second generation. The 3rd generation requires specific headphones which I have head suck for running for I was happy enough to purchase the second gen. So this little baby will be given to my boyfriend until I feel I have earned it (maybe after that 20 minute run). I feel that rewarding myself throughout the process helps keep me motivated! 

Week 4 Day 2 and Asics

Boy this program goes by quickly! I am almost half way through it already and today I got one step closer by completing kicking week 4 day 2's ass! Heres a summary of my run...

I completed 2.25 miles in 33 minutes (this includes a 1/4 mile cool down but not the warm up walk. All of the runs, except the last 1/4 mile, were done at 5.0 MPH and the last 1/4 mile run was done at 5.7 MPH. The only modification made to the program was that I switched the second 1/4 mile run with the second 1/2 mile run. I did this because it is WAY to much suspense getting the 1/2 mile run done and then having to wait the rest of the session to complete the last 1/2 mile run. Also because I switched the runs I switched their recovery times. After my last 1/2 mile run I did less than 1/4 mile recovery and took up the 1/4 mile run sooner than I was supposed to. Confusing I know but it worked in tricking my mind into thinking I was doing less!

Now on to my physical progress. I weigh the same as always 111.8-112 pounds but this second run was AMAZING! Breathing was easy and not once did I have to suck air. My lungs and throat did not hurt and I didn't even have to breath in through my nose and out through my mouth like normal. I was just breathing through my nose-a little faster than normal! Side stitches were at a minimal, probably because I have succeeded in regulating my breathing, but also because when I felt one coming on I would massage my side while running. There were also no shin splints.The only problem I had was with soar calf muscles. They felt like I was working out which I supposed is a good thing because...I AM WORKING OUT! I had to remind myself of that when I started sweating and feeling hot in my cold basement, reassure myself that I wasn't having hot flashes I was exercising.So I'll have to do some kind of exercise to strengthen my calves. It's funny because I always had problems with breathing and chest pains when running and never got to actual leg pains because I would always quit. After the runs there was no dizziness or headache like the last run.

Its funny because on week 4 day 1 I was afraid I would have to repeat week 4. Now I am confident that if vacation doesn't mess me up, I will be able to continue on no problem. Also, I realized today that focusing on my reflection in the TV in front me and on the music while running helps me zone out everything. I don't look at the mileage because it makes the run longer. Week 4 day 2 session went by quickly and I hope I continue to have such success.

Lastly, my mom told me yesterday that my dad told her he was proud of me for getting up to run every other day. This literally made me beam with pride because if dad is proud of me for something than I did well. I decided to reward myself with a new pair of running shoes, compliments of daddy's credit card, because the shoes I have been running in are years old and were bought from Walmart. Let me say that running shoes are BUTT UGLY! I much prefer my Puma sneakers but those wont do for running. So I ordered myself a pair off Asics Cumulus 11(pictured above), last years version of the Cumulus shoe, in Paradise Pink. I love the paradise pink color and the shoe, originally 100$, only coast me 64$ because the Cumulus 12 recently came out. Great deal and I'm excited to run in them!

PS: After telling my mom of all the wonderful weight loss people have had she has decided to join the C25K program on August 1st. She ordered a pair of trainers, same color and model as mine, and will start her runs tomorrow! I'm excited for her even if she did steal my shoes!

Week 4 Day 1

Oh my God this was HARD not as bad as I thought it would be. Here is what I had to do:


Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes), Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds), Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes), Walk 1/4 mile (or 2-1/2 minutes), Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes), Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds), Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)

The tough part was deciding which set of directions I was going to follow, the times or the milage. Because if it takes you 3 minutes to jog 1/4 of a mile it is going to take you 6, not 5, minutes to jog half a mile. So if I followed the times I would not have completed the two miles that the program called for. So off course I decided to follow the mileage instead.

Surprisingly the hurdles were not the same as past runs, which probably means I'm improving! I lowered my speed to 5 mph and kept it pretty consistently there for the jogging segments (this is down from 5.6mph-6.0mph before). The only time I strayed was during the second half of the last 1/2 a mile run. First, I ran at 4.5 then raised it to 5.7 to compensate. So the average of the two means I never really slowed down! YAY!

My stats, although not great, ended up being pretty ok! I would have been happy with anything in the 20's so I wasent overly dissapointed. I jogged/ walked 2 miles in 28 minutes. If you include my warm up and cool down I did 2.42 miles in 35.5 minutes. And because my warm ups and cool downs are pretty slow I think I'll be able to complete the full 3 mile run in 30-something minutes since I wont be walking.

The only problems I had with this run were heavy feeling legs, a few side stitches mixed in with menstrual cramps, and dizziness and headache from probably not hydrating myself enough. There were no shin splints, and absolutely NO GASPING FOR BREATH!!!!! I'm pretty proud that my breathing was almost always consistent and not labored. Oh and I also suffer fro an acute case of boredom which I tried to cure by watching Mulan II. The movie minimized the boredom a little.

As for my weigh in I was 112 pounds before the run and curiously enough 111.8 pounds after the run. I guess I did loose water!

All in all I am happy with this day, I didn't think I would be able to complete the run but I'm glad I was able to do it and stay in the 5 mph range! Now I need to build some leg strength so that I can be more comfortable during the runs!

Pre-work out weigh in

I weighed in at 112 pounds today. Not bad considering I've actually been eating consistently and drinking for once! Not to mention exercising. But I feel better about myself even though I have lost only 2 pounds. I feel that maybe I have less fat...maybe lol.

Anyway I am about to run Week 4 Day 1 and I'm nervous. This run makes me feel like I cant do it but I know if I try my hardest and slow it down I definitely can!  So im anxious to prove it to myself. I'll post back later with the results.


PS: I'm following the milage and not the times so I'll be running 2.25 miles today instead of the usual 1.75!

Week 3 Completed!!!

I was feeling restless and kind of lazy and fat because I have just been laying in my bed all day doing absolutely nothing! So I decided I would run today and complete week 3! It was surprisingly a lot easier. There were no shin splints for the entire 20 minutes and I didn't get side pain until the last 1 1/2 minutes of the last run. Also, I ran 2 of my runs at 6mph! I felt so good and so confident I up-ed my pace!

At the beginning of each week I try the first day and say "no way, this is not going to work out for me, its to hard" and in just 3 days, I'm amazed, its much easier. I'm not going to say its easy by any means but it is not impossible. My breathing is also improving and staying consistent for almost the entire run-which seems much shorter than the week 2. I expressed to my boyfriend that although the runs are shorter I'm bored running on a treadmill in the basement of my parents house. He suggested I watch some TV but I opted for watching "Memoirs of a Geisha", one of my favorite movies, on my computer and this past run was probably the fastest for me.

I am thinking about tweaking the running schedule of the C25K so instead of running every other day I will run every day except Saturday and Sunday. That way when I go on vacation the first Wednesday of next month I will be 2 days into week 5. When I return from vacation on a Sunday I can restart week 5 and that way I have plenty of fortification for the dreaded 20 minute run! But we'll see how everything goes.

As for food for today I had a brownie for breakfast (I know I know but they are finished now so I'll go back to cheerios), I had some of the smoked pork for lunch, and Right now I think I'll have cheerios for lunch. Then maybe a salad for din din. I feel good about my diet and exercise lately-I'm very satisfied.

Oh and before I forget my parents are going to buy me some running shoes! I'm excited and my boyfriend and I will go looking for them soon. I LOVE shopping and it will probably inspire me to keep running!

Week 3 Day 2

It was HARD to get out of bed this morning! The electricity went out yesterday around 4:30 when a huge storm blew through and I guess knocked over a power line. In DC where my sister was for the afternoon a tree had fallen on a house nearby barely missing her boyfriends car so it was a pretty bad storm. My parents and I stood in the garage watching it and my dad thought we were in a tornado-he kept scanning the skies for a funnel.

So back to why this was a hard morning to wake up. With the electricity being out the air conditioning shut off-as if I wasn't miserable enough that the power went in the middle of a great James Bond episode! Lately the weather around here has been only one thing- hots- and yesterday was no exception (it was 96 degrees). Anyway, the house got so hot that I couldn't sleep. Not to mention I had to sleep with my sister because I was reading Dracula and was pretty scared lonely. We ended up sleeping on the hardwood floor in the hallway outside of the bedrooms and it was pretty...hard. So I didn't get much sleep last night. Luckily I'm on summer vacation and don't have a job so I could have slept in except I like to get my runs in early.

Which brings me to the subject of the post! I completed week 3 day 2!!!! I'm excited because it was a little easier. I kept reminding myself this wasn't hurting me. There were a few times towards the end on my last 3 minute run where I wanted to stop but there was nothing hurting! I was just breathing faster and instinctively when that happens I want to stop. But I worked through it. The shin splints didn't come until the second half of my run and they weren't as bad this time. On day one they were so painful I almost stopped. The side hurts weren't so bad either- probably because I've been working on breathing through my diaphragm. All in all the run was short and when I finished I didn't feel as though I over exerted myself. Also as a side note all leg muscle pains the day after are GONE after my first 2 runs they disappeared!

As for my eating I think I'm doing well. Yesterday I had Naan for breakfast- its an Indian flat bread- I love Indian food and I get my fill of it because my mother is half Indian. I had a chocolate chip Blondie for lunch which I made myself (probably not the best lunch but its low cal. enough) and I had a salad with pork in it that my dad smoked yesterday. It was all delicious and I don't feel as though I over ate.

On a happy note my boyfriend's father returned home yesterday. I visited him while he was in the hospital and he said he felt much better and his swollen leg had gone down considerable. I'll keep praying for his health because although the boyfriend wont admit it he really needs his father. He loves doing things with his dad and having his dad watch him show off, its cute so I need his dad around much much longer. Oh and on a side note I totally felt like part off the family! I know I've been dating Mark for almost 4 years but this incident I think brought us all closer.

Week 3 day 1

Today went great! I'm amazed, even though its small progress, that I can run for 3 minutes still at 5.6 mph. This week called for:

90 seconds of walking, 90 seconds of jogging, 3 minutes of walking 3 minutes of jogging.

And all of this was repeated twice. First off the run went QUICKLY. There are 2 less jogs this week than last week because these jogs are longer. I started off doing the 90 minute run and decided my music needed to be louder so I exited the timer app on my ipod-turns out by doing this I reset the timer. This caused me to run three 3-minute miles and only one 90-minute mile! I over extended myself this day and it felt awesome! My breathing for the most was not to labored and it was steady. I'm trying to breath through my diaphragm and I'm trying to step down correctly. This all helped me to run longer I think. The only problem is shin splints! They got really bad during the last 3 minute run and I almost had to give up. Thank god they aren't so bad that I have to stop running for a few weeks. I get them only on my right shin and it makes running pretty difficult. Soooooo I'm thinking of buying new shoes instead of the cheap old one's I've been running with.

Also I got a new pair of headphones today so I don't have to run with the crappy Apple ones. They are cute and pink and wont fall out of my ears!!! And I hope my ipod shuffle doesn't get lost in the mail since I did not get it shipped to the right address.

After my run I felt tired but great. Took a shower, relaxed, ate breakfast, it was great! I haven't seen weight or body changes but I feel healthier. my endurance is clearly building and that is all the improvement I need to see-although a slimmer waist would be nice! 

Lastly, my boyfriends father is in the hospital. He'll be coming home on Monday. I wish him and his wife all the best luck! He is quickly getting better and I'm thankful for that.

Good luck to anyone who is building their fitness!

Week 2 Completed!

I'm still doing the C25K (couch to 5k) program! I', surprised I have stuck with the program almost exactly. The last time I attempted it I felt as though I wasn't being worked out enough so I opted to do more mileage on my days off. This lead to me being extra soar and eventually quitting. However, this time I decided to skip week one so that the workout would be tougher and I wouldn't feel the need to exercise on my days off. And although I have felt the need to do some running or biking on those days in between my training I have resisted!

This week the C25K calls for:
Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

In total that is 6 jogs which is about 9 minutes jogging and 10 minutes walking. I jogged this week at 5.6 MPH and walked at 3.3-3.5 mph. The program says if you feel like you want to quit you should reduce your pace and after this week I think I'll have to do that! I wanted to beable to finish my 3 mile jog in 30-35 minutes but I don't know if that is going to happen right away. Next week I think I'll try pacing myself at  5 MPH on the jogs and see how I feel after that.

On the bright side I do feel great! I havent really lost any weight I'm still around 112-114 but I feel better about myself already knowing I am taking my health into my own hands! During the runs I get a side stitch on my right side but I am trying new breathing techniques to cure that. My boyfriend helps me with stretching and I have to say it makes a WORLD of difference the next day! My goal is to finish this program just around when school begins so I can go to the gym without being embarrassed! I'm not fat but when I step into a gym knowing I'm unfit I feel like everyone stares at me. They probably think because I am skinny that I should be pushing myself more but in reality I can't and I know there are many bigger people who are more fit than I am. So I'll just keep tyring and eventually I'll be where I want to me!

Now I'm going to go eat breakfast/ lunch. I don't like eating before a run and I accidentally skipped breakfast. Steak salad here I come! Oh and before I forget I found a balsamic dressing that has 35 calories per two tablespoons and my previous Italian dressing had 80! Considering how much dressing I literally DRINK this is a huge cut in calories for me! YAY!

Week 2 Day 1 (First Finish)!

I ran the C25K (couch to 5k) for the first time today! I started with week 2 which was jogging for 90 seconds and walking for 2 minutes. I jogged at 5.6 and walked at 3.5 on my treadmill and I must have gotten a work out because I was sweaty, which I never am! Before the run I had orange juice and cheerios because I am trying to eat 3 meals every day. I feel good about my run and just hope I can stick with it. I cant imagine running a 5k (3 miles) in 30 minutes without stopping or walking! So I'm very very excited to get to that point. I've never stuck with anything in my life, even if I loved doing it- like playing the piano- because people always came around who were better than me and I felt intimidated. But not this time!

On another note, yesterday I visited my baby cousin for the first time, he is 2 1/2 months and just the cutest thing EVER! It made me want to have a baby right now-kinda weird! Sometimes I wish it were the 1920's because at 19 I'd probably be married and starting my family. But I also probably wouldn't have gotten a great education or have the chance to be a physician soooooo nvm! Babies can wait, even if they are super cute!

My Motivation

My boyfriend suggested I print out my workout schedule and think of motivations for exercising! What A great idea! So here goes. I need to exercise because...

1.) I'm tired of being "the fat twin"

2.) I want to feel healthier and more active, ie I don't want to be winded after walking up stairs. I'm only 19 for god's sake! 

3.) I want to be in shape and look good for my boyfriend. Being next to mark in a flabby body is deflating to say the least lol. He has muscles and back dimples and is so hard and sexy! I know he wants a hard and sexy girl friend ^.^ even if he does say I'm perfect.

4.) In 10 years I'll want to start a family! And we all know baby weight is hard to get rid of so I'd like to get into a routine now so that when I need to drop the baby weight it'll be easier. 

5.) I never want to be a diabetic like my mum- God bless her she has way more restraint in her eating habits then I could ever have!

6.) Lastly, I'm buying a cute ipod shuffle just for exercising! I don't want to invest in shoes and equipment and have the money be wasted.

Every month after I start attending the gym at my university I will post improvement pictures. If I have evidence of improvement that will motivate me to continue.

On a separate note I have been trying to exercise! Yesterday my Mark and I ran/ power walked 4 miles! Then we went to the beach! Tomorrow is more tennis and soccer! We get bored so we like to mix it up. But my leg muscles hurt...hm, perfect excuse for a massage from the boyfriend tomorrow! I'll have to remember to ask!

Oh and before I forget the birth control has gone splendidly! No symptoms and I just started the third phase of Ortho Tri Cyclen. After this next week I 'll have my first pill period!

Planned Parenthood

I was pleasantly surprised! Planned Parenthood was AMAZING! the doctors and nurses were friendly and warm. The building wasn't sketchy like I thought it would be! Most importantly though I felt safe and taken care of. No one judged me. Most of the women there were in their late teens or 20's-30's and some even brought their husbands and children! I'll admit I was scared of going to the clinic. But after this visit I will advocate for the cause that Planned Parenthood supports! I even gave a donation to the surprise of the lady behind the desk lol! I was charged 12$ for my appointment and received free birth control for two months. I have to return to get my 3rd month's worth soon and after the third month I have a check up to make sure everything is alright. After that I get birth control for a year! I will take my first pill tomorrow at 8:00 and I'm still excited! Hopefully there is no weight gain or bad side effects! Oh and I'd like to keep my sex drive!

The best part of the appointment however was when the doctor told me I could receive my birth control without ever getting a pelvic exam! This was great news to me. I've never had a pelvic exam and probably wont have one until I'm pregnant.

Onto more exciting things! I did a 10 mile bike ride with the parents and boyfriend today! part of my fitness plan but really I was guilt-ed into it! I weighed myself today and I was 113 pounds so no significant losses yet. I haven't followed my food plan much but I'll try more tomorrow! I played soccer and took a walk yesterday at the park near my house so I got a little exercise. I'm in pain all over though, maybe that means I'm doing a good job!

I hit a moody patch this afternoon. Got very touchy and sensitive (hoping the pill cures this). I doubted myself completely, lost all of my self confidence. Fortunately Mark pulled me out and I'm all better. Anyway I'm exhausted. Off to bed with me!

Calorie Conscious

Well after being called fat by my twin sister, whose probably 10 pounds lighter than me, for the second time in two days I've decided I need to go on a diet and get exercising as soon as possible. I've struggled with an eating disorder since 8th grade. I'll still throw up on occasion when the guilt is a bit to much to bare. The worse thing is my parents don't stop her from yelling at me and calling me fat, they just say "oh sorry about that"...I don't know what that's supposed to solve... I wont be coming home next year. I don't have to put up with the insults as I'm perfectly happy shacking up in the dorms with my lovely Mark.

Anyway! On to something more optimistic. The great weather here for the next week will be the perfect kick in the butt! Tomorrow my boyfriend and I will go play tennis I think, maybe even take a run although I completely suck at running. Also, I'll work on planting my fish tank. It's really coming along and when I'm happy with it I'll post pictures. So without adieu here's my new Calorie Conscious menu!

Breakfast-8:00
1 cup of halved Strawberries (49 calories)

Lunch-12:00
4 cups Romaine lettuce (32 calories),  5tbsp Wishbone Italian dressing (200 calories), 4 cherry tomatoes (12 calories), 2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes (10 calories)

Dinner-6:00
10 Ritz whole wheat crackers(140 calories), Kraft Cheese blocks (100 calories)

Total: 553 calories

Lets see how this goes!

Birth control pills

I have been in a loving monogamous relationship for almost 4 years now. (wow how time flies)! His name is Mark and he is a beautiful Filipino guy, adopted and brought to the states 18 years ago, and he'll be 20 soon. He is my best friend and my greatest fan, always supporting me in my endeavors and cheering me on. I look up to him partially because he reminds me of my father and is studying to be an engineer just like my father!

Which brings me to the reason for this post. I'm getting on birth control! We've been having sex for 3 years now, started 8 months into the relationship, and it really is time to protect my sexual health more. We couldn't handle a pregnancy at 19 and 20, especially with me planning on attending medical school and him wanting to go to graduate school. So I've set up an appointment with planned parenthood on Friday! I'm a little nervous about ti though, mainly about the side effects. I can deal with nausea, headaches, spotting etc. but I can not deal with blood clots and stroke. But those aren't common in my family...actually I cant think of anyone who has had them, so as usually I'm probably blowing it out of proportion, the whole reason I skipped my first planned parenthood appointment 6 months ago.

You may be wondering why I'm going to a clinic instead of my doctor? Well first off I go to a pediatrician and it would be weird bringing it up to her. Also, I've only seen her twice-again awkward. And lastly, and the most pressing issue, my parents CAN'T find out. They were against acne pills they aren't going to go for birth control. I haven't told them I'm even having sex although after almost 4 years with the same guy you'd think they'd know. I'm excited because i see this as a new start for me; I hope the pill will alleviate some pre-period symptoms like acne, migraines, and most of all my moodiness!

Mostly though I want to start the process of renewing myself this Friday with my first pill. I did not do well in school last semester, got a 2.3 OUCH! and it really brought down my GPA. It was my first year away from my family and my boyfriend who has now decided to transfer to my university!!! But my freshman year is behind me and i'm determined to do better! Mark, being the amazing guy he is, is going to help me with these changes! So with my first pill on Friday I plan make the following changes:

1) Do amazing in school- I'll have to study more and cut out some internet time but It's worth it
2) Loose some weight, go to the gym on campus, and eat better- I am 114 pounds and 5' 1'', I need to loose 10 pounds
3) Stop trying to compete with and pathetically loose to my twin sister. This will hopefully boost my self esteem and maybe I'll even gain some confidence
4) Do all of the aformentioned things for ME and not for my parents or to be better than other people.
5) Get at least one job that will help me get into medical school- SCRIBE job and/or lab work
6) Most importantly...focus on MYSELF, MARK, and SCHOOL no one else and nothing else

I hope this blog will help me with all of these things. The changes are for a better future for myself and my boyfriend, the man I'll most likely spend the rest of my life with! So I have a few more days, I've been doing a countdown for the last two weeks, and these changes are soon to come! If anyone reads this wish me luck! I'm going to need a lot of it and I'm not a very lucky person. 

Goal

I am 5 foot 1 and 107 pounds currently. My goal is to loose weight the healthy way! I am excited to count my calories and soon I will begin to exercise.