I ran 16 minutes today...OK per plan there were a couple of walking breaks in there but the longest runs were 5 minutes and I survived them!!!

Plus a pair of pants and a skirt that were once a bit snug are noticeably looser..so what if the silly scale refuses to budge??! Yeah, I got on the scale...nowhere made it near to staying off of it until my birthday...but I can still put it up and try again...birthday is still a month off...a gift to myself!

OK, made it through the week...barely! I think I will take my neighbors' suggestion and try next week outside...who cares what others think when they see fat ole me running along!

Did another boot camp this morning. I can't believe I allowed myself to get in such a shape but I'm doing something to get it back.

And it may be just my imagination but the pants I bought a couple of weeks ago seem looser....

I will not stop, I will not quit! I will remember the joy on my daughter's face as she rode her bike down the hill for the first time yesterday without training wheels...she fell several times and had many a scraped knee but she persevered and she did it! Her chant "I'm a perseverer...I'm not a quitter!"

Week 3 Day 1...90 sec running, 90 sec walking...3 min running, 3 min walking...repeat. I can hardly get through the three minute segments...slowed my speed down...read that one of the mistakes beginner runners do is go too fast...got through the intervals but barely. Right now I think I really need to focus on getting my endurance up and then work on speed.

New shoes aren't so comfortable but I'm got giving up on them yet...I have a 30 day return policy as long as I only use them on the treadmill. Maybe the other shoes were so out of whack it's going to take a bit for my legs and feet to get used to these shoes.

Nutrition: Reading Body for Life for women...looking at the meal plan suggestions. I need something that fits into our life and is not a total overhaul, though some things need to be overhauled around here!

So I had a little trip to the ER last night...a fib...frustrating. Doing a good thing here by getting back in shape and this is how my body rewards me?? Arg!

But I've been symptom free all day...MT and I went out and got me a new pair of shoes...I love how she is so willing to mentor me through this...I hope I'm not being too clingy! She wants to show me her bike path Tuesday...just went bike riding with Child 2 and Child 4...actually she rode part of the way in the trailer with Child 5 since she had a hard time keeping up...gave me quite the workout!

Goal for the week...get some menu ideas written down....re3ally want to get teh diet end of this cleaned up!

OK, so a few days have passed with no post...I completed Week 2 of the running plan...seriously doubting if I will make it through this...knees are hurting...really need to get new shoes...

Did my own mini boot camp this morning as MN was out of town. A bunch of runners kept going by...I kept telling myself some day I will be like them...hurting knees will be a thing of the past...

Eating Cream of Wheat with PB for breakfast...except the cereal is really lumpy...nothing I hate to eat more than lumpy cereal..

Week 2 Day one of couch to 5 K has started...90 seconds of running followed by 2 minutes of walking...I tried to up the speed today...maybe I should wait until the end of the week to do that!

Worked out with MN Saturday...I can not believe how out of shape I am...I can really get disgusted with myself...sometimes I even want to choose not to go places with my husband because I don't like how I look in anything I wear. Negative self talk gets me down a lot so each time one of those thoughts creep in I will choose to turn it into a positive one...each day I run I am getting stronger...each time I work out with MN I will go a bit farther and a bit harder than the last time...like finish each rep she gives me not matter how long it takes to accomplish it. I give up too quickly. Today I really wanted to quit running on the treadmill but I pushed through, finished the workout and even did some Pilates (following suggestion of MN) after that...


What's my goal for today? Drink 3L H20. I told MN how crabby I'm getting in the middle of the afternoon...she said I'm probably not drinking enough water. She also suggested eating an apple sprinkled with cinnamon and 10 nuts as a snack. I fall completely apart food wise between 4 and 6 PM...children are restless, Daddy's not home and I'm exhausted...and the food choices I make in those 2 hours can reek havoc on an otherwise good day food wise. Since we have no nuts in the house, I'm going to sub a tablespoon of peanut butter...

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Breakfast: 2 pieces of toast, 1 piece of ham, coffee
Lunch: one cup barley soup, 1 container yogurt...shared it with the little man


water: 32 oz during exercise; 16 oz with lunch

Finished is Week One of the Couch to 5 K program...I was even upping the speed today...I looked ahead to upcoming weeks...it seems a bit daunting. However in the past I started some pretty scary knitting projects that ended up well...follow the directions, take a stitch or a step at a time and I may be amazed at the outcome! Funny how I can tie knitting in to about anything! Too bad I can't knit and run at the same time!

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Food has gone better today...
Breakfast: Cream of Wheat with 1/2 T peanut butter, coffe with 1/4 c skim milk
Lunch: Ham sandwich, 1/2 avocado, tomato,
Snack: 2 cheese sticks
Dinner: grilled chicken, couscous, a grain salad whose name escapes me right now, and the not so good stuff: beer and boston creme pie...not together..yuck!

Then I took the children, including the neighbor for a walk...at least 45 min...with the baby in a back pack...up some decent sized hills...