I DID IT!!!!!!!!!! MY FIRST 5K in 43:48!!!!!!!!!

ME!!! After running my first 5K!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!43:48!!!!!!!!! Click on the pix to enlargen!! My hair was messy but who cares, I JUST RAN A 5K!! :D


Wow!!! What a moment!! Crossing that finish line today was simply one of the best and most amazing moments of my life!! Tears ran down my cheeks as I saw that finish line and it was within my reach and I felt amazing, full of energy, no aches!! My legs felt strong and I felt like I could run forever! It was amazing!!! I was thinking of my mom and my son, my husband, and my friends and family and my trainer whipping me into shape and the blog and readers/supporters!! I just wanted to run!! There were so many people running for the cure!! All these people (strangers) cheering me on as I got closer and closer to that finish line!

"I'm running!! I'm running and about to cross the finish line of a 5K race", I thought to myself!! I was in disbelief and juiced up on adrenaline!! It was incredible. I looked up at the clock and it said 43:48 as I crossed. WHAT!!!!??? How the heck did I do that??In all the weeks of training, the fastest I ran the 5K was 59minutes. I did not run the entire thing either...there were moments when I walked..but the walks were brisk and short, I REALLY JUST WANTED TO RUN!!! I felt such happiness and pride finishing that race...truly awesome moment!

Okay, so you can tell that I am still on an incredible high here!! Let me back up a bit!! I woke up this morning feeling nervous and anxious about the run but determined non-the-less!! I put on my "runfit" (run + outfit = runfit) and headed to the run site. I took my iPod with me, seeing that I was running by myself, I figured it would help me to stay focussed. I was listening to Robert Ullrey's podcast (the C25K program). I was accustomed to the music so it was great! It really did help as I found that I zoned everything else out and focussed on the run, my form and my breathing!

A little past the halfway point, I felt myself getting tired and quickly gave myself a little pep talk (in my head!!) which went something like this, "you're running a 5K, you registered and actually showed up, you didn't chicken out!! you're doing it, YOU CAN DO THIS, you told everybody you're going to do this so DO IT, NO PAIN, NO TIRED, NO EXCUSES!!!" It was amazing, I felt the energy racing through me. I just can't find the right words to explain the feeling!!

Throughout my 5K training, I truly felt that running was not for me. I didn't find it enjoyable and usually was spent after each training session so I was really worried about how I would perform today!! After today's race, the way I felt - and I don't know if it was a combination of nerves, excitement, adrenaline and determination, but I liked it!! I LIKED IT!! I felt strong and fit!! It was just great!! That "running switch" finally went on!!So will I continue running?? YEAH!! I WILL!! I will definitely continue running because I LOVED the way I felt today!! So to all my runner friends/bloggers who kept encouraging me to keep at it...YOU WERE RIGHT!! If this is the feeling you were referring to , I can definitely get used to it!!Incredible!!

Anyway, today was an awesome day!! I've just completed one of the items on my bucket list!! This gives me great hope that I can achieve so much more. 9 months ago prior to setting out on this incredible journey, I could barely walk to my car, muchless dream of ever running a 5K race. The possibilities are endless! I'm so excited for the future!! AMAZING

Oh, the only bad thing (not really bad, bad), but because of the amount of people participating in CIBC Run for the Cure race, it was difficult to get pix and impossible to get one of me crossing the finish line... WHO CARES??? I JUST RAN A 5K RACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YEAH BABY!!!!!!!!!!


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

My First 5K ~ IT's TIME!!!

Well here we are!! Time sure flies.

This morning I woke up and took a nice long walk - it wasn't too strenuous, just enough to get the heart going and blood flowing!! Tomorrow morning, I will attempt to run my very first 5 K race and I must tell you, as I sit here reflecting on the past 9 months of my life, I'm a bit emotional and a little anxious. I CANNOT believe that I am about to embark on this part of my journey.

For years, I've watched people jogging, running and used to just wish that I would be able to do it!! Well now, I know I can and I have been doing it!! I'm about to run a 5K race!! Now I'm not sure that I will be able to RUN the entire distance, however the sheer thought of me being able to finish this race is enough to amaze me!!

I went to the Running Room this morning to register for the race. I was given a "Run Kit" which consists of a T-shirt and 2 bibs; 1 with my race number (which is 2358) and the other bib is for me to write down the name of the person/people that I am running for. This is the CIBC RUN For the CURE. All proceeds raised will go to breast cancer research! My mom passed away 17 years ago from Ovarian cancer, so I will be running in her honor and for myself!

I will of course be back tomorrow evening to post pictures and an update of my day tomorrow!! I want to take this time to sincerely thank The Veg Next Door for guest writing on this blog. The information you provided was extremely helpful and very much appreciated - THANK YOU :)

That's it for today...
Until next time...

Joania (2KMINE!!)

Registration for 5K...:)

Hey guys,

The running is coming along....it's still not my favourite thing, but slowly but surely, I'm seeing improvements and that's always reassuring. Well, October 4th (CIBC RUN FOR THE CURE - RACE DAY!!) is fast approaching and I want to get registered. My girlfriend Alison (she's awesome) volunteered to help with coordinating the registration for the race. I will be getting in touch with her shortly and just wanted to get as much information as I can before hand.

When I mentioned this run a few months ago, a few of you expressed interest in running it with me and/or as part of a team! Well it's time...if you were serious and if any of you are interested or still interested, please send me an email to journey2kmine@live.com or leave a comment on this post with your contact (email address) info. I just want to get as much info as possible before setting things up (registration etc.) with my girlfriend. PLEASE LET ME KNOW BY FRIDAY AUGUST 28, 2009!! Thanks!!

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

C25K...WEEK 1... DAY 2!!

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

WOW!!! I got through Day 2.

Today was a bit different because I trained on the treadmill. I'm out of town on business so it's more convenient to use the hotel's fitness center before going to work. I found that I depended a lot on the glide of the treadmill. Don't get me wrong, it was still hard but I found training outside a bit more challenging. I had to remind myself to change the incline every now and then, otherwise it would have been just a straight, flat run/walk.

My legs are still very sore and thigh muscles were burning but I got through it. I'm still finding it hard so I think I may repeat Week 1 because I don't think I'm ready to move on to Week 2. Running for 60 seconds is still a very challenging task and I want to feel a bit more comfortable before increasing that duration.

I read somewhere that when training for a race/run and just training in general, it is very important to listen to your body (my trainer Rob also tells me that - proper form and doing the exercise correctly is more important and more effective than the the number of repititions or the length of time it takes to complete).

After Friday's session, I will decide if I will move on to Week 2 or just repeat Week 1. The C25K training program is a 9 week plan, but we do have about 13/14 weeks before the October 4th CIBC Run For The Cure race.

Off to work....

Until next time...

Joania (2KMINE!!!)

Couch to 5K Training Program

Hi guys,

There are podcasts created to assist in the C25K training program. Robert Ullrey has recorded nine podcasts to accompany us on our runs. Some great music, plus Robert will tell you when to run, and when to walk...a must have. Note both Podcast and MP3 versions are available by clicking the top menu on his site here.

He's summarized each week's program as follows:

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.

Couch to 5K: Week Two
Week two is designed to continue our easy progression from couch potato to runner, getting us running 5 kilometres (or 3 miles) on a regular basis in just two months. We'll have a brisk five-minute warm-up walk. We will then have 6 intervals alternating 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of about 20 minutes. We'll finish up with a 5 minute cool down.

Couch to 5K: Week Three
Week three is designed to continue our easy progression from couch potato to runner, getting us running 5K on a regular basis in just 9 weeks. This week we'll have a Brisk five-minute warm-up walk. We will then have 2 repetitions of the following: Jog for 90 seconds, walk for 90 seconds, then jog for 3 minutes, and walk for three minutes. Then we will repeat the intervals jogging and walking for a total of about 15 minutes. We'll finish up with a 5 minute cool down. This routine totals about 26 minutes.

Couch to 5K: Week Four
In week four we will be further extending our running times. This week will push us into 5 minute runs, but don't worry, we are more then prepared by the work we did last week. We'll start with a Brisk five-minute warm-up walk. We will then have 2 repetitions of the following: jog for 3 minutes, walk for 90 seconds, then jog for 5 minutes, and recover with a 2 1/2 minute walk. Then we will repeat the intervals jogging and walking for a total of about 18 minutes. We'll finish up with a 5 minute cool down. This weeks routine lasts a total of 32 minutes.

Couch to 5K: Week Five
This is week Five and we will continue to extend our running times. This week is a little different in that each day is a different running program. After they all start with a Brisk five-minute warm-up walk, Day one then has three intervals of 5 minute runs and 3 minute walks. Day 2 has 2 intervals of 8 minute runs and 5 minute walks, and day 3 has one long 20 minute run with no walks. This weeks program lasts about 32 minutes total.

Couch to 5K: Week Six
This is Week Six and it will again be another week of mixed running times. After each day's run begins with a Brisk five-minute warm-up walk, Day one has a 5 minute run interval followed by 3 minutes of walking, an 8 minute run followed by 5 minutes walking, and a final 5 minute run. Day 2 has 2 intervals of 10 minute runs and a 3 minute walk between them, and Day 3 has one long 25 minute run with no walks. Each days runs end with a 5 minute cool down brisk walk. This weeks program lasts about 36 minutes total.

Couch to 5K: Week Seven
This is week Seven and we now really begin to stretch our running towards our goal of running a 5 K. After we start with our usual Brisk five-minute warm-up walk, we will then jog for 25 minutes, or about 2 and a half miles. This week's program lasts about 36 minutes total.

Couch to 5K: Week Eight
This is week Eight and we continue to stretch our running towards our goal of running a 5 K. After we start with our usual Brisk five-minute warm-up walk, we will then jog for 28 minutes, or about 2 and 3/4 miles. This week's program lasts about 37 minutes total.

Couch to 5K: Week Nine
This is our last week of the program. We begin with our brisk 5 minute warm-up walk and then run for 30 minutes or about 5K. We end with a brisk 5 cool down walk making this run about 41 minutes.

Since we have more than nine weeks until the CIBC Run for the Cure race in October, I plan to just continue repeating Week Nine until race day (October 4th, 2009)!! I think this is a great cardio program that will assist in my overall weight loss and fitness journey.

For more information on the podcasts and downloading them, please go to this site.

Hope this helps.

Until next time...

Joania(2KMINE!!!)

Who Wants to Run the 5K with Me??

Hi all...

I have been very busy researching information on running, training, 5K's etc...There truly is a lot of very useful information out there.

First off, I received quite a few emails/messages from people taking me up on my offer to run this 5 K with me!! I'm THRILLED!! I found out we could have teams running in this race!! WE COULD FORM A TEAM!!! YAY!!!

I spoke to my girlfriend Allison today!! She's fabulous! She has volunteered to organize all the particulars of coordinating a running team for all of those interested in doing this run with me in October. She's ran quite a few races herself including this one (CIBC Run for the Cure). She said that there is also an option to walk the 5k as well. Over the upcoming months, I will be posting more information/details on the race.

We will have team t-shirts with our team name on it! Oh yeah, we will need to pick a team name. Any suggestions?? Please leave your suggestions in the comments and I will pick the top 3/4 and create a final poll.

More importantly, if anyone wants to run this race with me this Fall, please let me know, or if you'd prefer to email me, send an email to journey2KMINE@live.com.

Very excited about getting this started...

NEXT STEP: Buying new shoes!!

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!!!)