Did it!!

I actually ran (jogged) 3.2 miles without stopping last Friday, then 3.4 miles Monday, and 3.4 miles yesterday!!!

Thank you Couch25k!!! You helped me get to this point! I never would have believed it at the beginning. I couldn’t even jog 1/4 of the way around the school track without feeling like I was going to puke! 🙂

I am loving life!!! I LOVE TO RUN!!

Today I walked 5 miles to sort of rest before my 1st 5k this Saturday! Yippee!!

Oh yeah, I have lost 20 pounds so far-hope to lose many more! I feel so good!

This week would have been week 8 of the 9 week program, but stopped the program and am now just running the whole time! 🙂

Bad to the bone planking

I’m on my 4th day in a row of #plankaday!! How long can I keep it up? Just follow me on twitter and find out!

@shannonclark7

#plankaday

And now for some inspiration for planking-check out this video!

http://www.fudiet.com/2012/01/plankaday-hard-as-a-rock-video/

Runner’s Creed

Today was not a good training day. I tried to train on the dirt road be my house, but it ended up being a jog/walk/jog thing! There couldn’t be 2 more DIFFERENT things in this world:

School track (flat) VS. regular road (hilly)

OMG! 🙂 So I ended up walking/jogging 3 miles in 53 minutes. That’s not too bad is it? 🙂

I found some inspiration over at My Dirt Road Anthem-a youtube video with a runner’s creed. Just what the doctor ordered for today! 🙂

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJkN27qvMNQ&feature=player_embedded

Got lost AGAIN!!

So I got lost AGAIN! 🙂 I went to walk/jog the 5k route for the race that is coming up in 2 weeks. It’s a trail run down near Lake Martin in Alex. City, AL. I looked at the map before I left the house (live about 40 minutes from it), but must NOT have studied the map good enough! Whew! My step-son works at the horse stables down there so I called him and he just took me in his truck and showed me! LOL! Now I know where to go! So I’ll try to get back down there sometime this week! The part that I did jog/walk (and mostly jog!) was pretty and pretty hilly. 🙂

BUT the good part is that the last 1/2 of the race will be FLAT LAND AND DOWNHILL!!! 🙂 So if I can just make it through the 1st half. 🙂

Treadmill vs. Outside

I have only been on a treadmill about umm… 4 times in my entire life. And I just found out last night that it is SOOOOOOOOOOOO much easier than training outside!!! And I’m not talking about weather really-just endurance and strength. I’m wondering why? Is it because I don’t have to actually propel my body forward to get somewhere?

Anyway-I did a 25 minute jog last night and this morning on the treadmill at the hotel (I had a committee meeting last night in Montgomery, AL). Those 25 minute jogs were a breeze on the treadmill compared to my 8 or 10 minute jogs around the school track. And I was jogging at a faster rate on the treadmill than outside. Definitely faster on the treadmill. 🙂

So I’m thinking my hubby needs to buy me a treadmill. 🙂

Now I’m off to get ready to drive home 1 1/2 hours. Oh, and if I have time I might stop by the 5k route and walk it. 🙂

HAPPY SATURDAY!

Couch25k-Week 6-Day 2

Had to do 2 10 minute jogs with a 3 minute walk in between. The 1st jog was A LOT easier than the 2nd one! Tomorrow is a straight 25 minute jog! Oh, my! 🙂

Here are some in progress pictures from last summer and tonight. YIKES! I still need to shed at least 17 more pounds if not more! 🙂

July 2011                                                                     February 2012

July 2011                                                                        February 2012

July 2011                                                                   February 2012

I can honestly say that the only real difference I see between last summer and now (I have lost 14 pounds) is:

1. under my chin     2. BUTT from the sideview     3. I see my shoulder

From the way I feel and the way some of my pants fit now, I really would have thought there would have been a more visible difference in the pictures. My co-workers are telling me that they can see that I have lost weight so why is it not showing up with the camera? Stupid camera! 🙂

Anyway, I’m trying to remember that my goal for this year is to run a 5k, not lose weight. I was just hoping that the weight would be a side benefit!

So I’ll keep on training. I did day 1 of the Jillian Michaels 30 day shred on Monday and haven’t done it since. Time to kick it into high gear!!

Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred Workout

I just started doing the 30 day shred video with Jillian Michaels today. It was intense to me! I guess because I am not used to doing any strength training. It was a great workout. I think I’ll try to do 30 days of Level 1, then 30 days of Level 2, then 30 days of Level 3. So maybe by summer I might fit into a bikini! 🙂

Today was Week 6-Day 1 for Couch25k, and I swear it felt harder than the 20 minute jog from Friday. Maybe because I’m sore from zumba? Not drinking enough water? I ate light so that’s not it, but my legs literally felt like lead today!

Tomorrow will be a cross training day-I might just get on the stationary bike. Haven’t decided. My legs are pretty tired right now. 🙂

Oh yeah, the 20 minute jog

COUCH25K-Week 5-DAY 3

CHECK!

DONE!

ACCOMPLISHED!

This was the day of the 20 minute jog (without stopping) that had butterflies in my stomach all day leading up to it! 🙂 I knew that if I couldn’t do it I would just reattempt it until I could. It’s not like the Couch25k Police were going to come and get me! But I REALLY wanted to be able to do it! AND I DID!!! I’m super pumped now and feel as if I am on top of the world! 🙂

Now I can’t wait to start week 6!

And after that 20 minute jog, I still went to a 2 hour zumba master class!!! It was a great Friday!

I am the 1st one on the back row. The one who’s head looks like  a football helmet because of the sweat! 🙂

Couch25k-Week 5-Day 2

I did it. I jogged for 8 minutes WITHOUT stopping! 🙂 So the training today looked like this:

1. 5 minute warmup walk

2. 8 minute jog

3. 5 minute walk

4. 8 minute jog

5. 5 minute cool down

 

That 2nd interval of 8 minutes was a teensy tiny bit difficult. 🙂 But I did it. Then I kept walking around the track to get to a total of 3 miles in 43 minutes.

So tomorrow will be where the big dogs get separated from the puppies. A 20 minute jog without stopping. Hmmmm. Not sure about this yet. 🙂

If you don’t hear from me in a few days you might need to send out the search and rescue team!!! To find my body!! 🙂

I admit-I covet!

Yes, I know that coveting is a sin, and I try not to do too much of it. But there is something that I have been coveting for the last 5 weeks that I have been following my couch25k training program. Take a look at this picture and guess what I covet.

 You guessed it! Collarbones!! 🙂

Seriously. I know what you were thinking, but noooooo-don’t want them. 🙂

I have missed my collarbones and didn’t even realize it until I started exercising recently. I WANT THEM BACK! So this is my promise to you. You better believe that when I find them again, I WILL POST A PICTURE OF THEM! 🙂