Week 1 - Day 1 in Training

I decided today that I would make my own training program using a combination of the two training methods I mentioned in my last post. I will run on Tuesdays and Thursdays for 30 minutes, then run long runs on Saturday. The long runs will increase gradually the next 17 weeks, working up to the half marathon. I chose to do it this way because I don't have a whole lot of time during the week to do 4 or 5 miles and 30 minutes can be done over lunch if it needs to be. On Sundays and Mondays I am still planning on walking so I have more calories to eat on those days, and of course Zumba on Wednesdays. Did I mention that I LOVE Zumba? The class is great and it burns 700-800 calories in an hour session!

I bought a jogger stroller yesterday - YAY! Lexi is very excited about it, and although she didn't come with me tonight, she enjoyed sitting in it! I didn't want to bring her because it was pretty dark by the time I went out to run.

Tonight we arrived at my mother-in-law's house for dinner and I was very happy to know that Jim would be cooking on the grill. This was great for two reasons - it gave me time to get my run in and my husband is a master at using the grill! I went out tonight and although it was a little chilly, I got used to it quickly. I started out feeling really good and didn't get as tired as I was getting in my previous runs. I went for 13 minutes straight, then walked for two minutes, and finished off being able to run the last 15 minutes! The interesting part about this is that I'm pretty sure I had a better time per mile when I was doing the intervals. According to the jeffgalloway.com website, runners get a better time if they run with the walking intervals because they don't tire as easily. I dismissed that idea at first, but perhaps it is true? I'm going to run the intervals on Thursday instead of straight through and see if there is any difference in the pace. I will plan on following the advice on the website and do a 3:1 run/walk.

On Sunday when I ran my long run, I used the free version app on the iphone of RunKeeper Pro. It definately did the job as far as tracking my pace, miles, time, etc. What I missed having, that C25K did for me, was give me audio cues to tell me when to run and when to walk. I was constantly having to look to see what time it was. It was pretty distracting. I am contemplating buying the paid version because it says it will give you audio cues on your time, distance, etc. It also says you can set it up so it will give you interval cues. Anyone else use this app? Anyone know of any other programs that are cheaper?

WEIGHT LOSS TIP: You have probably heard this one before, but I swear it makes a difference! When going out to eat at a restaurant, I usually ask for the waitress to bring me a box right away when I get my meal. I then put half of my meal in the box. For me, if I "see" that I have eaten everything on my plate and can't "see" the extra food, I feel full and satisfied. Before, I would know I was full, but keep eating because it was there. Try it and let me know if it worked for you. =)