Week 8 of Run/Walk program

Today I ran 1.7-ish miles in 21:31. I didn't have a lot of time which is why my run was short, but I am really proud and pleasantly surprised that I managed to pull off a run, especially because I am currently out of town. My average speed comes out to 12:31/mi which is lower than my usual (though I bet that if I'd kept going I would have slowed waaay down to bring the average to around normal).

I've been run/walking pretty consistently for about 8 weeks now and I have come pretty darn far considering (Which really says a lot about where I started haha...) I was just thinking this morning how much I had to struggle to do 1 min intervals back in December! I am now running 5 minutes at a time with a 1 minute walking break. I actually did a 6 minute interval today so I could finish off the first mile. I'm planning on adding a minute to the run interval every week until I get to 10 minutes. Then I think I'm going to start working on my speed so I can finally achieve a 10 minute mile. But that's still five weeks away.

My long(er) term running goals -

1) Run 10 minute intervals comfortably. (soon!)
2) Run a 10 minute mile.
3) Run 3 miles in 30 minutes without a break.

After that, then I'll get to set some new goals!

I've actually been trying to convince some friends to join me in a 5K next month as extra motivation. It was actually participating in a 5K that got me interested in the idea of trying a run/walk program in the first place so it'd be fun to revisit that experience! So far, no luck. I have some very, very athletic friends (the kind that think nothing of biking 8 miles to a hot yoga studio in the morning and then doing Crossfit in the evening) and apparently some couch-potato-y friends (I guess I was in that category haha). Neither group wants to do a dinky (or way too hard) 5K...

I'm sneezing a little excessively right now so I am going to head to bed with a cup of tea to see if I can stave off these allergies (hopefully not a cold!). Tomorrow is my 3 mile run!

Where have I been?

It's been a long time since I set this blog up... clearly I wasn't sticking to my blogging plan. I think I'm just going to start writing again without too much preamble and fill in the blanks as I go on.

Since my last post (and really the last time I cared about fitness) I graduated college, traveled around China, started grad school, got a personal trainer and lost a lot of weight, gained it all back and some, lived on the east coast, moved back home (and kept moving - 3 apartments in less than 2 years), and ended and started a serious relationship.

It doesn't sound like my life when I write it like that!

But it kinda makes sense that my initial enthusiasm for starting a healthy life might have fallen to the wayside. I'm here to get that back.

Just some thoughts -

It’s not like I haven’t tried to be healthy or get fit before. I have actually been moderately successful before, but something would always happen and I would just run out of motivation. Getting to the gym got harder and harder until not going was a treat and then a habit.

Why this time is different:

1) I’m doing this for the right reasons. In the past, when I started a new health kick I was focusing on how I looked, like fitting into a dress or something. The problem with that kind of goal is that it suggests that once you meet it, you’re done. And, it has nothing to do with your health. I’m not saying that the way I look has nothing to do with my motivations now – no, I have very specific goals in that area! It’s that fundamentally, I want to be healthy. I don’t want below average lung function anymore and there will be no heart attacks in my future. And I want to be strong too. It’s the little things, like not struggling to put my carry-on in the overhead compartment, and bigger things – being able run a mile and enjoy it, actually doing one (or several!) proper push up. Not to be dramatic, but if I ever had to, I want to be strong enough to defend myself.

2) I’m going to fix my eating problems AND exercise effectively. Before, I amped up my exercise routine or I targeted my diet, but to do this right I’ll have to handle both.

3) I’m going to follow a plan. Whether this means I hire a personal trainer or follow a popular program, I won’t be haphazardly approaching my workout like I have before. At the very least, I will plan what I’ll be up to at the gym before I get there.

4) I’ll be writing everything down – what I eat, what exercises I do, my stats, how I’m feeling, everything. Part of the reason I would lose my motivation in the past was because I would stop seeing results. But if nothing is written down, how do you know if you are progressing? And if you’re not, how can you decide what changes need to be made if nothing is written down?

5) I’m realistic about the timeline. I know now that seeing the changes in my body that I’m hoping for isn’t a one month or three month thing. As annoying as it might seem, if I reach my goals after nine months or a year, that’s ok. So, I have staying power.

6) Last, but not least: I have time and no excuse. I have about 4 months of downtime in which I’m not expected to do much. At the very least, making workouts a priority is the one thing I should expect from myself.

Hey anyone who has managed to find this post -

I'm writing this blog for many reasons, but mainly to help me keep track of my progress towards my fitness goals and to keep myself motivated. I guess a quick introduction wouldn't be amiss:

1. I'm Maya.

2. I'm in my twenties and have somehow managed to have 32% body fat and high cholesterol (but not for long!)

3. I'm not athletic in anyway.

4. I want to be stronger, healthier, look and feel better.