5K!!!! Only 1 Week Away

Hey guys,

Well my first 5K is only one week away!! By this time next week I will have finished the race - I hope!!

I will be registering on Friday. I am still quite nervous and really don't feel that I am as ready as I should be. I must be honest and say that I have NOT been as diligent as I should have been with the training. I have been working out regularly (weight training and cardio) but just not so regular with the running training. I'm not sure if I will be able to RUN the entire 5k but I am going to try. Thankfully, I have the option of walking it as well. Realistically, I think it will be a combination of running/walking...my goal is to FINISH (first and foremost), but also to do more running than walking.

At this point, I'm not too concerned about my time. I am hoping that I finish under an hour though!! Even if it's 59.9 minutes, I will be thrilled. Just the thought of being able to FINISH a 5k race, something I'd only dreamed about just a short while ago will be great.

I will take pictures and post them for sure. So that's it for now. I will more than likely post again prior to the race. Start praying for me people!!

Until next time...
Joania (2KMINE!!!!)

Confessions of a soon-to-be-runner

Hi guys,

Well here we go.....

This past week was a total wash for me where the 5K training is concerned. I did my strength training and a few cardio sessions (on the elliptical) but I did not do week 3 of the C25K program.

I will however be back on track. I will be going for a run tomorrow and just continue on. Life does get in the way at times, but what's important is that you keep going strong and that's just what I intend on doing!!

I want to send a special "thank you" to Veg Next Door (VND) for that previous post...very informative and quite a few people have been asking about proper form when running...so THANK YOU!!

Until next time...
Joania (2KMINE!!!)

C25K...WEEK 1...DAY 1

Couch to 5K: Week One

Week one is designed to get us gradually started on a running routine and slowly build our running abilities without burning us out from starting too fast. This program is designed to be run three times our first week with a resting day between each run. We'll have a brisk five minute walking warm-up followed by eight sets of 60 second interval runs. A 90 second recovery will follow each interval and we'll finish up with a 5 minute cool down.

Total Duration: 30mins

OH MY JESUS!!!! WHAT HAVE I GOT MYSELF INTO?????

Well Day 1 of the first week is done and behind me...thank goodness!!! Everything hurts!!! That was very hard for me. I went into it thinking that it wouldn't be so bad because I have been doing 30 mins of high intensity cardio (HIIT) for the past month on a daily basis (mostly the bike - spinning and elliptical). My cardio wasn't the problem. I found that I was breathing just fine, even better than I thought I would, especially during the "jogs" but boy were my legs hurting...it was the good hurt, the hurt that told me how hard I was working!!! Wow!! Those 60 seconds of running seemed like an hour, especially towards the end. I'm so proud of myself for making it through.

My feet felt amazing...my toes weren't sore or burning...my heels didn't hurt, these shoes are awesome!! I felt like I was running on clouds! The muscles in my legs hurt with every step but my feet felt phenomenal. I anticipate (more like, hope desperately) that it will get better with time! LOL!!

I didn't get a chance to download the podcast I mentioned in my last post, but I will in time for the next run. I think it will help me to stay more focused on the actual running and my techniques instead of checking my watch every 60 and 90 seconds to change from run to walk and the music will help as well - at least it should!

I'm going out of town on business again and should return on Friday. I have all intentions of doing my runs! I will take my laptop so I could keep you all posted.

A few of you have written to me letting me know how your first day went...GREAT JOB!! Keep it up!! Let's all compare notes at the end of week 1 - if we're alive LOL!!!!

Until next time...

Joania (2KMINE!!!)

Stop Thinking About It and BE ABOUT IT!!!

I'M GONNA DO IT!!!!! I WILL BE CROSSING THIS ITEM OFF MY BUCKET LIST THIS YEAR! I WILL RUN A 5K!!!


Starting in June (exact date to be determined), I WILL start training for my very first 5K. That will give me about 4 months of training for my very first 5K race. I have decided to run the CIBC Run For the Cure on October 4, 2009 (website). I chose this particular race for a couple of reasons. One, it gives me enough time to properly train and two, the cause is near and dear to my heart because of my history with this disease. I will post more on this race in the upcoming weeks/months.

I wanted to ensure that training for this 5K works with my current training plan so I ran this by my trainer. He gave me his blessing, so I'm good to go!! Right now, I'm working out twice a day, 6 days a week. About an hour of strength training and 30 miniutes of HIIT Cardio (sometimes I workout once a day for and hour and the half - combining the cardio and strength). Incorporating the 5K training plan will not be an issue.

I've done some research (good old internet) and found a 5K training plan that I think will work for me. I used http://www.coolrunning.com/ as my website of reference. Rob (my trainer) took a look at it and gave me the green light. YAY!! This program will replace some of my regular cardio trainnng sessions.

I want to do my best to not get turned off of running simply by trying to start off too fast. I am a total BEGINNER when it comes to running, so I know I will need a good beginner's running program that I can ease into. Nothing too fancy. I chose this training plan because it is less of a running regimen than a walking and jogging program and it somewhat mirrors the cardio training I'm currently doing. The idea is to transform yours truly from a couch potato (when it comes to running) into a runner (well, jogger). The program will get me running 5K on a regular basis in just about two months - I plan to extend the program to 4 months.

Each session should take about 20 or 30 minutes, three times a week, making sure to precede each session with a five-minute warmup walk or jog. It's a 9 week progressive running training program that should have me jogging for 30 continuous minutes at the beginning of week 9, providing I stick with the program! So that's it. I will be training on Mondays, Wednesdays and Friday for the next 4 months.


It's official. I'm excited again. Getting back that feeling that I had at the beginning of this journey - you know, that nervous, anxious, excited feeling!! Loving it!! :)

The 5K training program that I plan on using is called (appropriately for me), "From Couch-to-5K Training Program". I will lay it out in my next post!

If anyone wants to do this with me, I would love it if you'd join me. My girlfriend Janet already agreed to run the race with me! Thanks Jan! Let me know, maybe on race day, we could have a group of runners - would be cool!!

Until next time....


Joania (2KMINE!!!)