I completed Couch to 5K!!!

Remember back in March when I started the Couch to 5K running program with my friend, Laura, and I was really not looking forward to it because I hated to run?

Well, as of this morning, I have officially completed Couch to 5K!

Woo hoo!

This morning was my 3rd run of week 9, the last week of the official program.

So I'm done with Couch to 5K!

However, I am certainly not done running.  Running is really hard some days but for some weird reason, I'm really enjoying it.  Almost craving it on days I don't run.  Is that strange?

The plan for now is to continue to run 3.1 miles three times a week in order to increase my speed.  I can easily do a 12 minute mile (5.0 mph) or even a 10.9 minute mile (5.5 mph), but I'd like to get to the point where I can easily do a 10 minute mile (6.0 mph).  I can run 6.0 mph but not for a great length of time (at least not if I wish to breathe).  :)  I usually do the last lap or two at 6.0, like I'm racing for the finish line.

I think I already mentioned that I will be running in a 5K race on May 22, so I've got three weeks to build up my endurance.

I ran outside this morning.  A few miles from my home is a Rails to Trails trail (say that 3 times fast!).  I don't have a pedometer yet (gotta write that on my list!), so I ran based on time.  I figured about 20 minutes one direction, then turn around and come back. 

I threw a little walking in there because it is really different running outside, with all the bugs (I didn't swallow any!) and different smells (I have to run past several farms - ick), and the slight uphill grade, and the dirt/gravel trail.  Plus I was wearing a zippered hoodie so I could carry my cell phone and car keys (next time I'll remember my fanny pack), and I was carrying my water bottle because I knew I couldn't run all that distance without water.  All of these things made the run so much different than running on the treadmill inside the air conditioned gym with a place to hold my water (and leaving my phone and keys in a locker).

When I got home I told Doug where I turned around and asked him how far I had run, since he rides his bike on that trail all the time and it has an odometer on it.  He said I ran about 1.5 miles one direction, which put me just under 3 miles running, since I walked some at the beginning and at the end.

Then since I was already hot and sweaty, I decided to go push mow some of the back yard - about 45 minutes later I ran out of gas, so I quit.

But I burned 771 calories between running and mowing ... according to my handy little heart rate monitor.

And I weighed myself afterward and I'm down another 1/2 pound!  Go me!

Plus I haven't eaten any sweet junky food (chocolate, candy, cookies, cake, etc.) since April 11.  I have had some sugar since I'm not avoiding it completely.  In fact, I drank a lemonade at Auntie Anne's today (Keira and I went shopping), but, you know, it tasted really really sweet.  Almost too sweet.  But I'm very proud of myself for resisting the junk, because the cravings are still there and strong as ever, but I'm not giving in to them.  That is HUGE for me!

So even though I'm all done with Cto5K, this is certainly not the end.  In fact, it is just the opposite.

It is a great beginning to an active, healthy lifestyle which I plan to continue for years and years to come.

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