Sarah’s Fitness Journal

I took yesterday off and then today I ran my first 5K since I started running again! Sure, it took me about 45 minutes, but hey, NEW PR as a 50 year old, LOL. And next time, it shouldn’t be too hard to beat that, I think, so that’s good too. 😉 I felt pretty good. My breathing felt good the whole time, but my legs were pretty tired at the end.

A big victory for me this week was waiting to step on the scale until today. It was hard to wait after last week’s weight loss disappointment. I worked to understand the reasons behind it, built myself up for staying diligent with my exercise and diet, and kept reminding myself of all of the reasons I am on this health journey besides weight loss. So,  in the end, I was ok with last week. I promised myself that I would only step on the scale once a week, and I am holding to that. Again, I think it helps me see the big picture and not drive myself crazy. This morning, I stepped on the scale and saw that I had lost... 5 POUNDS!!!  I now weigh 177 lbs. I’ll take it. About the same in measurements...39 1/2 inch waist, 12 inch arm, but same 25 inch thigh...last week was waist 40, thigh 25, arm 12, two weeks ago waist 40.5, thigh 25, arm 12.25, 3  weeks ago...waist 42 inches, thigh 25 inches, arm 14 inches. Good run today...stretching, 5 minute warm up, 35 minute building run w...

Last night I had a fantastic night of sleep and am feeling pretty good today. So this morning I decided to run Nike’s “Breaking Through Barriers” run. I’ve been wondering for a while if I have what it takes to go a little faster, to increase my pace. My son and his friends will often say that sometimes the slower pace is harder to maintain than a faster pace. It’s an interesting idea, but one that seems counterintuitive. Another idea that I have been toying with is what they always talk about on Nike Run Club. They always say start at a slower pace and often times your body will naturally build to a faster pace, sometimes without you even knowing that you’re putting in more effort. Well that’s not something that you can do on a treadmill. You have to intentionally push a button to make yourself go a faster pace. (That’s why I am very drawn to the idea of running outside again so that I can see if my pace does build again like it did when I was really in shape and running before.) Anywa...

Last night I didn’t sleep well. I tend to do my best worrying at night, starting at about 12 or 1, and then have a hard time falling back asleep. I’m hoping that this is temporary because for the most part during this last month, I’ve been sleeping well. So I got up this morning kind of dragging. When I was looking for a Nike guided run for today, I decided to do the “Running On Empty” run. I think it was good to slow this run down a bit (although I ran 2 minutes longer) to help me psychologically and physically get through this run. All of the coaches from Nike talk about starting every run slow, and then naturally your body will often build to a faster pace as it is ready and warmed up. I’ve definitely found that to be the case, although today I kept everything on the slow side except for the last 2 minutes. I’m hoping that tonight I get more rest and am not as emotionally exhausted tomorrow, and that because I respected my body and held back a little today, I’ll have more to give to...

Today’s 30 minutes felt ok. I increased the pace a little, so I might have felt a little more tired because of that. Lately, I’ve been dreaming about running outside and running with friends. I prefer both of those to running indoor on the treadmill for sure. Can’t wait until all of the snow is off the ground! I definitely can feel and see a difference in myself between Friday, when I got my period, to today. I feel and look a lot less bloated. I’m really looking forward to stepping on the scale on Friday. Today I listened to Mo Farrah’s recording on Nike Run Club. Lots of inspiring stories to listen to there! And here I am on January 1 vs. January 26! I’m happy with the changes I’m seeing and feeling. 😊❤️

 Look! ⬇️⬇️⬇️ That’s right! I finished the Couch to 5K program today! Now, that statement might lead you to believe that I can run a 5K right now, but in truth I am only up to running about 2.5 miles right now. My pace at this point in my training might be a little slower than what would allow me to run 3.1 in 30 minutes. But that’s ok. I can still run for 30 minutes straight, and I am slowly improving my pace, and I’m super proud to have accomplished that in 3 1/2 weeks. I’ll take it, and feel confident that soon I’ll be able to run a 5K as well as longer distances than that. Today I listened to Lopez Lomong on Nike Run Club. It was so inspiring to hear him tell his story of his run to freedom. I’m looking forward to parts 2 and 3, as well as listening to other professional athletes’ stories. Where do I go from here? I’m not sure yet. I think I’ll focus on timed runs with Nike Run Club while I work to lengthen the distance I run as well as improving my pace. Maybe increasing dista...

Ran 30 minutes, half of it at my top pace for now. I did all of my core, and am so excited that I can do 10 full push-ups and a full minute wall sit. 24 days ago, I couldn’t imagine doing this. It makes me really excited for the future and thinking about what I’ll be able to do in the next 24 days!  And by the way, my dog, Rocky, is such a loyal supporter of my health journey. (Either that or he’s just patiently waiting so that we can play or go on a walk!) You can spot him in many of my pictures because, without fail, he is there. 😄 Love him!! My friend, Karen, sent me this recipe for Moroccan Chicken and I made it tonight. Omg, I’m OBSESSED. This might be one of my new favorite foods. ❤️❤️❤️

How can you beat a day that you get to sleep in, get to go on a 50 minute walk while having a stimulating and fun conversation with my friends, Tina, Scott and Sandy, and then run the farthest you have in a while (30 whole minutes) and you feel great while doing it? Maybe you can beat it, but nonetheless, it was a pretty good day. 😊 Oh, and today I increased what I am doing for core to 10 full push ups (Yay!!), 40 modified push ups, 1 minute wall sit, and 100 sit ups.      

It’s very easy to get discouraged when you are working on losing weight. And if I were to get discouraged, today would be the day to do it. I stepped in the scale this morning for my weekly weigh in, and saw that I had lost one pound. 1 pound. And I’m not even sure that it was a full pound because I have only been recording the whole numbers, not the decimals. However, some loss in measurements...40 inch waist, 12 inch arm, but same 25 inch thigh...last week was waist 40.5, thigh 25, arm 12.25 (two weeks ago...waist 42 inches, thigh 25 inches, arm 14 inches). But truthfully, I felt a little gypped. Ok, a lot gypped. I have been faithful to my diet and exercise. I have been drinking lots of water. I’ve been trying my best to get my sleep. I’ve been cooking healthy meals. I’ve walked extra miles with my friends and my dogs. And I only lost (maybe) 1 pound. So then I started thinking of why this might be since I’ve been faithful to my diet and exercise.  -Maybe I haven’t been drinking...

Just need to be honest...sometimes the hardest part of my run each day is getting myself motivated to start. Even before I put on my workout clothes, I’m questioning if I’d rather just do it later. Do I have enough energy now? A lot of these thoughts started when the runs prescribed by my Couch to 5K program were longer and continuous. Truthfully, running 25 minutes was scaring me. So today I chose to run Coach Bennett’s podcast, “I don’t want to run”. And again, he got me thinking. He first had me think of all of the reasons I don’t want to run after giving a few examples. This is what I came up with: -I’m tired. -Maybe I’ll have more energy to complete this big of a run later today. -I’m old. -I’ve let myself get so far out of shape. -I have a long way to go. After I got all of that negativity out there and acknowledged it, I had already completed a lot of my run. Despite feeling this way sometimes, I am still getting myself on the treadmill and I’m still doing it. During the run, Co...

Today’s workout...another 25 minute run with a 5 minute warmup and 5 minute cool down. It felt pretty good! Once I work through the phase at the beginning where the front of my lower legs stop feeling tired and I relax my body and my breathing, I’m generally feeling like I can do this. 😊 Something that has really been helping is when I listen to Coach Bennett’s podcasts on Nike Run. He encourages and inspires me as well as keeping me focused on the positives instead of the discomforts that I feel during the run. He makes me think while I run and that definitely helps pass the time more quickly. One of the things that he talks about today was setting all kinds of different goals...short term and long term. So here goes: Short term: Stay faithful and regular with my running Eat well Work on form Stretch and core regularly to stay injury free Go to bed early and sleep well Cook in a healthy way with new recipes for myself and my family Shower regularly and take better care of myself and ...

I’ve been toying with the idea of taking a rest day, but oftentimes that’s a hard thing for a runner to do. I kept thinking, well I’m building up slowly enough, so maybe I don’t need one. But most running experts say that people need a rest day on occasion, that sometimes they are as important as the days you run. So I made myself take one yesterday after 17 days of straight running. It’s hard to do because it kind of plays with your head...what if I lose momentum?? Well, I just finished running today, and ran 3 minutes longer than I was supposed to, and I actually felt pretty good! 25 minutes! That’s the longest I’ve run in a few years. I’m proud of myself!  So maybe that rest day was a good idea. 😊 Something else I’m excited about is the Nike Run app that my friend Courtney shared with me. I love it! They have professional runners and coaches talking you through various runs. I'm really enjoying it and am feeling inspired! Also, you can use Spotify while you use the Nike run app...

Today was another big day. I took the dogs for a long walk. Then I walked for about 45 minutes in my heavy boots in the snow at Rocky’s social group. (See video below to see my cute dog and hear my heavy breathing. 😉) Then I did my workout...warm up, 10 minute run, 3 minute jog, 10 minute run. All things considered, I felt relatively good. Maybe not as good as I will in a few weeks when I do all of that. But we’ll get there. So that’s all the good news. The bad news is that this couch to 5K app is trying to kill me. 22 minutes tomorrow.    

Today I walked for a good 40 minutes with my friend, Courtney. (It went fast because we always have a lot to talk about and she is so funny!) Then tonight I did my workout...5 min warmup, 5 minute run, 3 minute walk, 8 minute run, 3 minute walk, 5 minute run, 5 minute cool down) and then core. I felt pretty good tonight, not as tired as I was yesterday when I ran 20 minutes straight.

I lost 3 pounds this week! So all together I’m down 10 pounds! I now weigh 182 lbs. I'm very proud of myself that I’m exercising everyday and have stayed true to the diet.  Waist 40.5, thigh 25, arm 12.25 (last week...waist 42 inches, thigh 25 inches, arm 14 inches) The workout was again very hard for me. The program went from running 2 intervals of 8 minutes all the way to running 20 minutes straight. But I did it! And then I did my core.  Got to find new recipes. Maybe I’ll find a couple tonight that I can make this weekend.