Run... or Dye Trying!

Since the loss of our baby I've been struggling with my health. The first few weeks were the toughest. I wasn't allowed to work out due to the D&C surgery and all I wanted to do was eat and sleep. I wish I was one of those people who loses their appetite when stressed... but nope I'm an emotional eater. Lucky me. After realizing that I'd gained 5lbs in those first 2 weeks (after not gaining anything the 12 wks I was pregnant!) I wanted to make a new commitment to my health.

I've decided to dedicate my time to getting healthier, losing weight and changing my lifestyle. I didn't want to just diet or go to the gym, I really wanted to change my whole lifestyle. I'm consciously trying to make better eating choices and get a better handle on portion control. I also wanted to get my workouts back on track so I decided to take up running!

Those of you who follow me on facebook know that I recently signed up for my first 5k. On August 10th I'll be running the Color Me Rad 5k. Anytime I start a new workout I have a hard time sticking to it and I've definitely never been a runner. To make sure I stuck with my training I decided to start my own team for the race and I cleverly (if I don't say so myself) titled it "Run... or Dye Trying!" I'm super excited to run with a bunch of my friends, get bombed with color every kilometer and have a huge color fight at the finish line!

Doesn't this look freakin awesome!?

The only problem with running this 5k is that I've never been a runner. In high school I always had to run a mile or two at cheer practice but that's the extent of my running experience. Not exactly a lot. When I started running a month ago I thought I was going to die. It. Was. Torture. My first run was with my friend Stephanie and we thought we'd start with "interval training"... but our idea of intervals was run half mile, walk half a mile. So during our 3 mile "workout" we only actually ran 1.5 miles. Ummm, not exactly a ton of running. But after that first run I felt so great. The agony was totally worth it!

Right!?

Our friend Kate starting running about a week before we did and she suggested timed running. So that's what I've been doing. 4 minutes of running, 1 minute of walking. Over and over and over and over. We've since increased to a 5:1 ratio and soon are moving to a 6:1. Anybody have any thoughts on this training style?

I usually do between 2 and 4 miles, which doesn't sound like a lot, but it is for me! Building endurance is tough but I'm so proud of my progress. Rather than focusing on my pace (which at 11-12 min/mile is pretty awful), I'm trying to focus on my distance. I don't run everyday or anything, but I do run 2 to 5 times a week and I try to run with Stephanie or Kate at least once a week. I'd love another running buddy (who runs as slow as me...) to keep me motivated!

Running has ended up being so much better than I expected.

1) I'm getting healthier.
2) I get to spend more time with my besties.
3) I've found a new therapy.

Running allows me to detach from what's going on in my life. The 20 to 50 minutes I'm hitting the pavement I don't have to do anything but focus on putting one foot in front of the other. And that is really all I could ask for right now.