C25K: W1D2&3 and The Scary Scale

Well, I'm done with Week 1! My primary goal for this week was to run the recommended three days, keeping moving for the full thirty minutes. And I did it! Judging by how great I felt after today's run, I'm going to move onto Week 2 starting Tuesday.

Thursday (W1D2) was really gross out (humid with thunderstorms), so I ended up running at my new gym, Planet Fitness. I find its "no lunks!" and "judgement free zone" slogans to be extremely gimmicky (and contradictory, as it's clear that "lunks" are being judged), but it's affordable, the equipment is in great condition, and it's open 24 hours. Running on the treadmill was a lot easier than running in the park and I got to watch 30 Rock with no sound.

Today (W1D3) I went running on the "secret path" at Mill Creek Park. It's not really a secret, but it's unpaved. Because I want to run the Indian Run 5k in September, I thought it might be a good idea to run on an actual trail. It was so gorgeous outside that I decided to run out as far as I could and walk back.

After my run, I was feeling great.

This part of the park is really gorgeous.

This was the only area I was nervous about running on; it's so narrow and the water is really high this year!

Also, FYI: when your scale instructs you to not use it on a carpeted surface, do not use it on a carpeted surface! I bought a little scale with the intention of keeping it in my bedroom. When I stepped on it, it read 180 lbs. I just about died. Once I could breathe again, though, my first thought was, "Well, Nicky, your hard work has made you smaller than me!"

I moved the scale to the bathroom and the reading dropped back to my expected 150. Phew!

Recovery Day and The Internship

So, today was my recovery day for C25K. I woke up a little sore, but only in places where I expected it. Honestly, I've felt worse after my first days of ballet class. I'm calling this a win in that so far, I haven't pushed too hard or injured myself.

Getting ready for my internship was a little tricky (no time for a long, hot shower) and I made a point of wearing flats today. This was my fourth day working at my dad's law firm. He's put me and one other intern in charge of drafting letters to people and companies that owe the state money. Thus far the pros of this internship are:

• great resume-building experience
• significant wages
• decent hours
• proof that I don't want to be a lawyer

I've only found two cons to the experience. The first is that it is so quiet at the office--nearly silent! At the HTC office, we always had NPR on and chatted. At MBPU, people are much, much quieter. I'm slowly getting used to it--mostly by humming Lady Gaga songs while I file.

The other problem I have is the fact that I only have this job because my dad is in charge of the project. I'm all for networking and getting your foot in the door, but this feels a bit like nepotism. I feel that I can't make any mistakes because I'm trying to prove that I could've gotten this position on my own merits. It's also difficult to talk about Dad to the other employees:

"Where did you put those files?"

"Oh, I gave them to...wait, what do I call him? Joe? Mr. Young? Dad?...my dad..."

No matter what I say, it feels awkward.

Then again, if that's my biggest problem with this internship, I think that this summer will work out well for me. And train me to deal with awkwardness.

C25K: An Intro and W1D1

I've always had a weird relationship with my weight. I've never really thought that I was the "right size." Until I turned 17 and got some curves, I felt too small (5'2" and 100ish lbs). Since then, I've felt too big (same height, weights shifting from 125-155). I've been lucky that these issues have always remained at the "minor discomfort" level. I have struggled with a form of anorexia, but that stemmed from my bipolar lows, rather than body image issues (I was horrified by how skinny I was becoming, but it didn't matter--in my sick mind, I believed that only "worthy" people were allowed to eat).

As a kid, I was one of those "eat an entire cow and maybe gain an ounce" body types. So I ate pretty much anything that wasn't nailed down. When I was 16 and 17, though, I worked in a Dairy Queen and quickly put on 25 pounds. At the time, I felt huge, but looking back, I think of that as my "happy weight." College brought me another thirty pounds, largely because my eating habits never changed.

Now, I'm pretty okay with my current weight (150). At 140, I decided that I could stay that weight forever, and I'd be satisfied. There's just one problem. Well, two.

I'm getting married. And I'm vain.

My gut response is "crash diet until you're 100 lbs!!!" My feminist retort is "Don't do a damn thing, and own those 150 lbs!"

After listening to both sides (and gaining a lot of inspiration from my best friend, Nicky) I've decided to do neither. My eating habits need to change. I need to be more active. I need to be healthy. So my plan is:

1. Train to run a 5K by September, then progress to longer distances.
2. Start a healthier eating plan.
3. Focus on Non Scale Victories (NSV)

Along the way, I'll monitor my weight, but those are the three goals I want to emphasize. I probably will lose, but above all, I want to be comfortable in my own skin--regardless of how much fat it's carrying.

So anyway, after that rambling introduction, I went for my first Couch to 5K run through Mill Creek Park. To keep me on track (I'm terrible at timing things, especially intervals), I downloaded Richard Ullrey's C25K podcasts. My asthma attempted to be an issue for me during the run, but I tried my best to keep my breathing deep and regulated. Granted, my brisk walks were a long way from brisk, but I didn't stop. I ignored distance for this run and focused on staying in motion for the full 30 minutes. When I got home and tracked my run, though, I was pleasantly surprised:

2.44 miles? I'll take that!

Why?

Why another blog?

Because my life is more than my wedding (believe it or not).

Because every therapist I've ever spoken to has suggested more journaling.

Because I want to write down the crazy/insightful/quotidian thoughts I have.