Easin' Down the Road...or Treadmill!

As I mentioned in my last post, I've gotten back onto the workout train. Earlier this year, I was using The Biggest Loser for Kinect in addition to early morning walks. I was very committed and definitely saw results. It felt great. Overall, it pushed me to consistently work harder than I have in probably 4-5 years. I liked that it made me accountable.

I stopped using it due to life getting crazy. At this point, I could pick it back up. There are two beefs I have with this program. The first being that it couldn't always read my movements; therefore, not counting reps or calorie burn. Due to the size of our living room, I can't necessarily blame the program. Perhaps it's because we don't have adequate space between the workout space and the sensor. The second reason being that it doesn't allow you, or at least I can't find how, to customize the calendar. It sets the workout calendar for you; if you miss the day, it won't let you make up the workout, it just counts it against you. This was difficult because there would be nights that I would end up having to stay late at school and could have made it up the next day, but it doesn't let you!

So, when I picked this consistently-working-out stuff back up after a few month hiatus, I wanted something different. After a rough attempt at running with my girlfriends, the Ease into 5K app was a suggestion offered for getting into running in a manageable way. So, I checked it out.

I love it! It motivates me and does literally ease you into running. I started with running outdoors. This is tough for me, as I am a terrible pacer. In addition to having no way of pacing myself,  I don't have anything to gauge my speed.

*Enter my old digs*

My parents have a treadmill in their basement that I used to use often. I asked if they wouldn't mind if I use it every other day or so to workout. They were happy to oblige and I was lucky to not have to pay them a membership fee! My brother Joe is also on a workout plan so he and I often have to coordinate who is using it when...which in its own way is motivating. It's just nice knowing that both of us are working hard at running.

One of the things I'm most proud about is that I have not "quit". I have it in my calendar to make sure I do it! And I do. This is the first time I've felt really out to prove something to myself. It's been a long time! I don't end a run early. I don't every walk unless I'm supposed to be walking. I push myself. I like seeing if I can handle increasing my speed by a tenth with each run. I was up to 6.5 mph for the running portion and 4.5 mph for the walking; and although I thought I would die often, I made it through! Keep in mind though I was only running about 5 minutes at a time.

This week I surprised myself. I had my first 9 minute stint, followed with shorter bursts of walking and running. I sailed through it and felt great. I brought my speed back to 6.0 mph and am glad I did.

Today's workout starts Week 6 of the program. It's a 9 min run, 3 min walk, 9 min run and I'm scared, but determined. I can't wait to see how it goes!

I even considered, the other day, purchasing the Bridge into 5K. The other thought I had was to repeat the whole Ease into 5K but trying them all at faster speeds. Either way, it's got me thinking about keep on keeping on!

Thanks for the recommendation, Stef!

Up next: A few thoughts on the Boot Camp app