From My Couch To A 5K... And Beyond!

Birthday cake, yummmm...

My birthday is this Saturday, and James and I started the celebration tonight! :)

But no worries, we did it responsibly! I have been researching the cakes at TCBY (I LOVE TCBY!), and I decided on one of those. I picked the smallest one to limit the damage done. It is chocolate/vanilla swirl frozen yogurt with vanilla frosting and chocolate crunchies. It is sooo good! And thank goodness, they put the calorie information on their cakes! 1/8 is 250 calories, so I cut the cake into eighths for us. We are each going to have one slice for the next 3 days, and then my cake will sadly come to an end. But I will be enjoying it everyday until then! :D I have planned my meals around the cake to be sure I can afford the 250 calories for dessert. 250 calories for dessert is waaaay more than usual, but it's totally worth it!

And just to show how far James and I have come, for my birthday last year he bought one of the biggest cakes from Cold Stone Creamery, and we ate the entire thing in less than 24 hours. Seriously! Less than 24 hours. And it was at least 4 times as big as the one he bought for me this year.

Can you tell I LOVE ice cream cakes?!
 
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It's just a meal replacement, literally sold at supermarkets... (I'm in SA, the brand won't help you!) 125 cals per 35 gram serving... you mix it with milk and the container call s it a meal replacement... one serving has 6 grams protein, excluding the milk... the rest is carbs.... and it comes in choc or vanilla :)

Wow, the cake sounds devine.... and talk about a birthday plan of action :) Enjoy!
 
Ice cream cake is big in my family. Every birthday it's ice cream cake. On Saturday my sister got married and had ice cream cake as her wedding cake. I had two pieces and didn't even care. :drool5:
 
Wow, the cake sounds devine.... and talk about a birthday plan of action :) Enjoy!

Ice cream cake is big in my family. Every birthday it's ice cream cake. On Saturday my sister got married and had ice cream cake as her wedding cake. I had two pieces and didn't even care. :drool5:

Ice cream wedding cake... I'm so surprised I hadn't thought of that! I've been having birthday ice cream cake for years now; I love it so much! This is the first time I have ever shown some restraint. I avoided the one that has the two layers of cake with a thick layer of frozen yogurt in the middle... that one has more calories (go figure! :) ). The one I did pick is perfect for just James and I. There's no cake... it's pretty much just a thick layer of frozen yogurt with frosting and chocolate crunchies. So good! Although James is planning to pick the higher calorie one for his birthday in September! I'm sure I'll be forced to eat a slice or two... or three... :D

I'm proud of us for showing so much restraint! The cake is sitting the freezer, but neither one of us has touched it. I can't wait until after dinner for cake! :biggrinjester:
 
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We don't go the normal route in my family. This is the second ice cream cake for a wedding and my wedding cake was a cheese cake. That was real good. Decorates nicely, too.
 
How many calories do you eat during training? What and when do you eat before & after running? Thanks! :)

Hey girlie, I'm finally getting around to getting caught up on the forum. I wanted to reply to this earlier question. I don't count calories unfortunately. I probably should but I'm so lazy!! I really do need to focus more on this area though because after I run I tend to be so hungry and I eat w/out remorse. LOL

This weekend I ran a total of 20miles and I think I ate as if I ran 50 miles!!
 
A before/after picture of your cakes would be interesting, then a before/after picture of you a long with it, lol, JK. It's amazing sometimes when I think of what I used to binge on... Back when I made pizzas in high school and the first couple years of college, I would eat a whole 16'' X-Large pizza to myself, within like 3-4 hours... Then sleep for like 12, lol... It just blows my mind...

It's fun to schedule in cheats and actually look forward to eating them. In the past, when I've been really really good and done that, it feels awesome. It's guilt free eating, which I don't think many people have anymore. Guilt is such a wasted emotion, imo...

Glad to hear your going to give the Whey Protein a try. I think it can be very helpful in trying to get the extra protein in your diet. I had a protein shake yesterday that I put some Psyllium Husk in and it definitely did the trick ;)

-Sam
 
Running Reflections:

There are sooo many times that I don't want to go run. Sometimes I don't want to go at all!! But it's one of those things where I'm damned if I do, and I'm damned if I don't, because I know that if I don't go, I will be really mad at myself. So I always pick the lesser of two evils and run. At least that way I can be pissed while burning calories instead of being pissed while sitting on the couch! :)

In the beginning of the run I am miserable and desperate to finish. I hate feeling that way, and lately I have been trying to figure out how to make it more bearable.

I have two routes that I can take. I can run a track that's right across the street, and that's what I used to do. But after a while, I got really bored of running the same lap over and over and over. :willy_nilly: So lately I have started taking a different route that I have been finding more interesting. Instead of running the same lap, this route takes me on a sidewalk parallel to a busy street. This has been a really good thing for a few reasons: 1. I don't want to look like a fool in front of the drivers, so that motivates me to pick up the pace, and 2. I am actually traveling to places along this sidewalk. I often pick a store and get there as quick as I can. After I get there, I'll pick a new spot to go to, and so on. It keeps things a lot more interesting.

Normally I still start my run with a crappy attitude, but it's getting better. Lately I find that about halfway through my run, my attitude changes completely. I start out cursing the run and hating it, but then midway through I begin to challenge myself. I start wondering how fast I can go, how much farther I can go, etc.

Today I ran 3.5 miles, which is my longest run to date. I can't believe I am going to say this, but I didn't want to stop! For me, running is 90% mental. My body can take it, but my mind tears me down. When running, once I get past the crappy attitude, my body does the rest for me. When I stop, it's not because my body physically gave out, it's because my inner wimp convinced my legs to give up. I convince myself that I'm too tired, I don't feel like it, or I'll run more tomorrow, etc.

Well today, I pushed passed the crappy attitude, and my body carried me well. It wasn't hard to run the 3.5 miles, and like I said, I didn't want to stop! The only reason I did is because it was almost 9:00 and really dark out. I was a chicken! There were a bunch of guys out playing basketball, and the streets in my neighborhood aren't very well lit.

I am now intrigued. I wonder just how far I can go before my body gives out on me. How many miles can my legs take? Can I finish an entire 10K if I pace myself? One day this week I am going to run until I can't run any more. I'm curious to see how that will go.
 
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Glad you're having your cake and eating it, too. :D

Most things in life are 90% mental I have found. A positive, can-do attitude makes the impossible possible. Of course, this is coming from someone who is fairly negative. :p Keep up the great running. You CAN do it if you think you can. :)
 
Wow about the running rant! I feel the same!!!

But I really don't want to do exercise that I don't like, so I WILL like it damnit!

Just trick your mind into liking it by brainwashing yourself with positivity... works, really does... even cooler when you do it to yourself as opposed to a super-oppressive government brainwashing you... erm, ye.
 
I found it!!! :D

In the beginning of the run I am miserable and desperate to finish. I hate feeling that way, and lately I have been trying to figure out how to make it more bearable.

But after a while, I got really bored of running the same lap over and over and over. :willy_nilly: So lately I have started taking a different route that I have been finding more interesting.

Normally I still start my run with a crappy attitude, but it's getting better. Lately I find that about halfway through my run, my attitude changes completely. I start out cursing the run and hating it, but then midway through I begin to challenge myself. I start wondering how fast I can go, how much farther I can go, etc.

Today I ran 3.5 miles, which is my longest run to date. I can't believe I am going to say this, but I didn't want to stop! For me, running is 90% mental. My body can take it, but my mind tears me down.

Well today, I pushed passed the crappy attitude, and my body carried me well. It wasn't hard to run the 3.5 miles, and like I said, I didn't want to stop! The only reason I did is because it was almost 9:00 and really dark out. I was a chicken! There were a bunch of guys out playing basketball, and the streets in my neighborhood aren't very well lit.

I am now intrigued. I wonder just how far I can go before my body gives out on me. How many miles can my legs take? Can I finish an entire 10K if I pace myself? One day this week I am going to run until I can't run any more. I'm curious to see how that will go.

Right up my alley.

Ok, first off, I hate the first .75 mile of any run. But the first .75 of a RACE is the shittiest thing in the world. You can look me up on Athlinks.com and see that I tend to place 1st or 2nd in my age/sex group in nearly every race. But in every race, I was miserable in the first mile and worried I'd just stop and walk. I never did.

Trust me, if you are starting to LOVE running, you will only get to love it more and more. Never give up, and soon you'll be running those 6.2 miles. I guarantee it :biggrinjester:

Be careful in yo hood. Be safe, wear reflectors at night and carry a cell phone. Avoid headphones. I don't do any of that, but I run in the daylight in the woods in one of the safest places in the world for women to run. Well, except for cougars :p

You are absolutely capable of 26.2 miles (a marathon) eventually. Start small, but don't be afraid to push yourself. I'm reading and re-reading The Runner's Guide for Women and it has all sorts of information on increasing mileage safely.

I have never ran more than 8 miles straight in my life. I'm gonna, though. I'm running my first half marathon (13.1 miles) on October 5th. Wish me luck!

Happy Birthday in advance, I won't be online this weekend. Mine is Monday. I love ice cream cake!
 
Building on what Curvie said, it normally takes up to 3 miles for your body to "warm up". Because you are mostly running in the 3 mile range you are in the worst part of the run. After you start to increase your distances you will find after the 3rd mile things become more automated and your legs just move on their own and your heart rate and breathing will steady. In the beginning of the run though you will always feel the initial discomfort and struggle as your body warms up. You are right on track and feeling what you should feel.

If you feel like you can push yourself past the 3 miles I say go for it. I would not go further than 2 additional miles at a time though. Try to go up to 5 first and see how you feel.

Good luck to you!!
 
Right up my alley.

Ok, first off, I hate the first .75 mile of any run. But the first .75 of a RACE is the shittiest thing in the world. You can look me up on Athlinks.com and see that I tend to place 1st or 2nd in my age/sex group in nearly every race. But in every race, I was miserable in the first mile and worried I'd just stop and walk. I never did.

Trust me, if you are starting to LOVE running, you will only get to love it more and more. Never give up, and soon you'll be running those 6.2 miles. I guarantee it :biggrinjester:

Be careful in yo hood. Be safe, wear reflectors at night and carry a cell phone. Avoid headphones. I don't do any of that, but I run in the daylight in the woods in one of the safest places in the world for women to run. Well, except for cougars :p

You are absolutely capable of 26.2 miles (a marathon) eventually. Start small, but don't be afraid to push yourself. I'm reading and re-reading The Runner's Guide for Women and it has all sorts of information on increasing mileage safely.

I have never ran more than 8 miles straight in my life. I'm gonna, though. I'm running my first half marathon (13.1 miles) on October 5th. Wish me luck!

Happy Birthday in advance, I won't be online this weekend. Mine is Monday. I love ice cream cake!

Building on what Curvie said, it normally takes up to 3 miles for your body to "warm up". Because you are mostly running in the 3 mile range you are in the worst part of the run. After you start to increase your distances you will find after the 3rd mile things become more automated and your legs just move on their own and your heart rate and breathing will steady. In the beginning of the run though you will always feel the initial discomfort and struggle as your body warms up. You are right on track and feeling what you should feel.

If you feel like you can push yourself past the 3 miles I say go for it. I would not go further than 2 additional miles at a time though. Try to go up to 5 first and see how you feel.

Good luck to you!!

So uplifting ladies, really! I'm glad to find out I'm pretty much supposed to be miserable for the first 3 miles! It makes sense LLH that it takes about 3 miles to warm up, because I always find it gets easier with distance!

I'm going to stick with it and see what happens!

Can you believe my next race is on my birthday (this Saturday!)?! This also shows how far I have come. I signed up (and paid!) to run a race at 7 am on my freakin' birthday!!!!!

And another happy note:

Finally!

After 3 weeks of being 147/148/149, my scale finally rewarded my hard work!!! This morning I was 145.8! YESSS!!!! I weighed myself 3 times just to be sure, and the number never changed! Now let's just hope it lasts. On July 7th, I was 146.8, and I never saw 146 again after that day. Let's hope this isn't a one day thing, too!
 
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Kudos for running at all! I can't bring myself to even go there unless I'm running away from something scary or deadly. And usually thats a short sprint. I can do a few miles on the elliptical, but thats not anything like real running. I think its all mindset and motivation. I love the idea of cardio, but once I'm there its hard to get going, but once I'm going I might as well finish. I figure, if I at least get there and start I've won the battle. Keep it up, soon you'll be competing in the Boston Marathon and we'll be cheering you on!
 

Thank you, my handsome beefcake! :)

Kudos for running at all! I can't bring myself to even go there unless I'm running away from something scary or deadly. And usually thats a short sprint. I can do a few miles on the elliptical, but thats not anything like real running. I think its all mindset and motivation. I love the idea of cardio, but once I'm there its hard to get going, but once I'm going I might as well finish. I figure, if I at least get there and start I've won the battle. Keep it up, soon you'll be competing in the Boston Marathon and we'll be cheering you on!

Thanks!!!! I was the exact same way. I started out very small. I began the Couch - 5K program, and that is what has prepared me! I'm not fast at all, but I am able to do over 3 miles now, and that is HUGE for me! Trust me, I was the anti-runner for years and years!

Hell yes, we are the same weight!!!! WOW!!

And a race on your birthday, holy shit!

Well....in actuality, I'd do it too....;)

Oh I know you would, but the difference is that you would WIN the race! :D

We may be the same weight, but I know you're a million times stronger. But it's still nice to know that we are the same weight. :) Now if only I had your endurance, stamina, strength, etc... :D
 
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