If you’re wondering what Week 1, Day 1 of the Couch to 5K workout consists of, it starts with a 5 minute warm up, then 60 seconds of jogging, followed by 90 minutes of walking for 20 minutes.  After 20 minutes you do the 5 minute walking cooldown.  I started the app when I walked out the door of my apt to the gym, which is almost a 5 minute walk.  Got to the gym and jogged/walked on the treadmill followed by walking back home as my cooldown.  It worked out perfectly!

Here was my result from the Nike + app.  I know my mileage has yet to improve but after a long while of not training I had to start from the beginning, which I think is best for someone just getting back into working out.  You just don’t want to dive right in and eventually hurt yourself!  I could definitely handle the workout, but I didn’t want to overdo it.

I’m super excited though.  I am so happy to be back to working out.  It is true:  working out gives you endorphins and endorphins make you happy!

Here was my meal yesterday -

Coffee and oatmeal with Panda Puffs and some Vanilla Rice Milk

Lunch was some rotisserie chicken, potato salad and some Panda Puffs for a snack.

Dinner was some pasta with broccoli and chicken breast in alfredo sauce.

This morning I had some oatmeal with Agave Nectar, a small portion of potato salad, and a cup of coffee with creamer and Agave Nectar.

I STILL haven’t finished packing, and although I’m only going to be there until Sunday, I’m just being laggy.  I gotta leave the house by 11am to catch my 1pm flight, so I better get off the computer.  I won’t be posting until I get back since I’m not going to bring my computer.  But I’ll definitely bring my camera! Have a good weekend everyone!

Here’s today’s workout which started with a 5 minute walk, which was spent walking to the community gym, followed by alternating 1 minute runs and 1.5 minute walking for 20 minutes.  Then I walked all the way back home.

I don’t know about you, but I have to have music when I run. I really wanted to make my own Couch to 5k playlist with cues to run and walk but I was having a hard time with this program I used called Audacity. It just wasn’t working the way I wanted. Then I was thinking, maybe it wasn’t worth it because I’ll probably change my playlists. If you’re interested, here is the playlist of songs I ran to:

As soon as I got home I was starving! My mom made a pretty yummy dinner, which is pictured below:

I had: A baked potato with a small dollop of sour cream, grilled chicken drumstick, 2 pieces of fried tofu and a salad with red peppers and tomatoes with Tony Wu Soy Garden dressing.  This dressing is so good! Yummy dinner!

I usually have a cup of coffee with a splash of hazelnut cream and some organic cane sugar (I took the picture before putting those in so you just see black coffee).  I also had some oatmeal with some flax seeds and honey.  I really like this combo, but I wish I had some fruit on the side.

For lunch I packed some Campbell’s Tomato with Basil soup with a whole wheat pita and Barney Butter.  Barney Butter is the best, and I was lucky enough to get some samples to try (thanks!).  Barney Butter is pure almond butter and completely not made around any peanuts whatsoever.  I think it’s a better alternative to those who are allergic to peanuts. I also packed some Kashi Roasted Garlic and Thyme crackers (which I’m giving a try again, wasn’t too fond of at first bite) and Chocolate and Vanilla Soy Pudding for my in between snacks. I really need to get some fruit to snack on! I feel like this might not be enough.

Today I am going to start running again, and since I haven’t for a few months, I’m going back to the Couch to 5K training program.  I really wanted to make my own mix of songs to run to with cues and everything but Audacity, the program I was using was not being cooperative.  But then again I had just downloaded it and really new to it.  I still have the mix, so I will use it and just watch for when I have to run and walk.  I’m doing week 1, which is a 5 minute warm up walk followed by 1 minute runs and 1.5 walking for 20 minutes.

Also, I’m trying to find a good deal on a Polar Heart Rate monitor and have my sights on the F6, which is $99 on Amazon.  So I ask my readers:  Do you have a heart rate monitor?  If so please share your experience in the comments.

Off to work!  Short work week since I’m going to NYC on Thursday for the weekend! Yay!

The Nike Women’s Marathon and Half Marathon is on October 19, 2008 and in San Francisco. It is so popular that in order to be eligible, you have to sign up and hopefully be randomly picked. This one is appealing to women as the finisher necklaces are designed by Tiffany & Co. and have pedi care stations along the way. And of course, it’s run by Nike and in San Francisco, so you know its going to be nice.

Then, there’s the Disney Marathon and Half Marathon in January 2009. This event seems more doable for me and it’s a lot closer. The course is along the Disney property, which is the happiest place on earth! The Half Marathon is already 85% full, and it’s only February, so I probably have to decide soon!

If anyone has ran these races in the past, let me know your experience!