It’s a pretty rare weekend that I get to post on a Sunday. Since Memorial Day, I’ve had approximately 6 whole days spent in my apartment/Providence during the weekend. It’s all been fun stuff, but I’m officially pooped. This was the first weekend in July that we spent in at home, so we took full advantage of it. I forgot how nice it is to sleep past 7am!
I’ve also been about a week or so into my summer workout routine. I was doing really well in the beginning of the summer, but a very painful digestive issue sidetracked me for about a month. When you can’t even really walk for 2 weeks, riding your bike seems insane. And as we all know, once the momentum stops, it’s harder to find it again.
(Where I wish I could practice yoga!)
After my surgery in November, I started running again in late December and continued for a few months. I stopped around the time of my treatments, moving into our new apartment and craziness of the end of the school year. I have two goals for the rest of the summer: incorporate yoga back into my routine and begin running again. These two types of exercise are the best for my brain, body, releasing stress and being kinder to myself.
I’ve mainly been swimming the past few weeks, with a sprinkle of walking and playing soccer mixed in (not organized, just in the park with Duder). I’d like to have a more formal routine to follow, especially because August will provide me with a little more time and structure for working out.
Whenever I want to get back into running again, I go back to what worked for me in the first place: Couch to 5K. For those that might not be familiar, C25K is a gradual running/walking plan, designed with beginner’s in mind. The plan is 9 weeks long and will take you from not running at all to running 3 miles (or 30 minutes).
(Me and Dad, 2009, before running our annual 5K).
It works. Trust me. In 2008, I went from not being able to run AT ALL in May to finishing a 5K in September. Granted, I almost hurled all over the Brown men’s hockey team at the finish line, but that’s a story for another blog post.
I also like the plan because while it’s structured, but it’s also very flexible. You can always repeat a workout if you miss it or a week if you feel like you need more training time. It can be broken down into distance or time, depending on how you want to follow along. I followed along by time, because it made me feel successful when I could go from running 3 minutes to 5 to 10 and so on. I had a harder time tracker distance if I ran outside vs. the treadmill as well.
I’m excited to get back to running (really excited) and yoga in a way that works for me and allows my body to gradually get used to the exercise. I’ve done the whole “throw yourself into a routine and act surprised when you a) get injured b) get sick or c) constantly compare yourself to where you used to be. All of them are no fun).
Since we all know that announcing something on the internet makes you more accountable to go through with it, I’m letting you know of my training plan for the week. :
Monday: C25K workout 1 (AM)
Tuesday: Swim (PM)
Wednesday: C25K workout 2 (AM)
Thursday: Yoga (AM)
Friday: Dancing at Beck’s wedding!
Saturday: C25K workout 3 (PM)
Sunday: Rest/Swim/People watch/Folk Festival!
It’s going to be a very busy and fun filled week, including one of my very best friend’s wedding and a Sunday spent on the water. I am determined to get these workouts in, though, so please expect me to report back on how it’s going.
What are your goals for the rest of the summer?!
I’d also like to stay relatively on track. Like you, I’m spending a whopping seven days at home in a matter of three and a half weeks. It’s a little bit hard to stay on a workout schedule when you’re all over the place! I’m trying to go easy on myself, especially when I go back to RI to visit my friends. I’ll be happy to count a long walk on the beach as a workout by that point ; )
Yay RI visit! If you have some time in your schedule, we should grab coffee!
My goals for the rest of the summer overall are to run 7-8 miles outside & do a yoga headstand without the wall. I made them at the beginning of the summer and while I still like the yoga one, I kind of hate the running one. I love running, but running for longer than an hour is like the worst thing ever for me. Running 3 miles is my perfect distance. I might still try to complete it just because, but I might not!
My August fitness goals are:
1. 12 miles of running a week
2. Yoga 4 times a week
3. Strength training 2 times a week.
I would also LOVE to ride my bike here and I haven’t yet!
You are a machine!
bahahaha. I would assume that the hockey boys deserved it. My goal is really to just keep my running base up to get ready to swing into half marathon training with Colin in September.
I will definitely tell the story at some point. It was pretty funny (they were totally unprepared).
Hi Erin! I’m a new reader, and I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed this summer goal-setting post. I’m training for my first sprint triathlon (I’m just trying to avoid getting kicked in the head while in the water) and hope (plan) to make time to climb Mt. Washington before the summer concludes.
Best of luck with your C2K training plan!!
Hey Erin! (great name
) – thanks for reading and commenting! Good luck on your tri and climbing Mt. Washington! That’s awesome.
I love that wedding dancing is incorporated into your training plan. I know that if the DJ kicks ass, I will surely be getting a great cardiovascular workout!
Yes! We went to a wedding with a live band in April and I was sore for two days after. I love the dancing!
Do you, in your expert opinion, consider 30-40 mins of brisk walking to/from work/around the city to be exercise?
Haha! My expert opinion
I would think if the brisk walking gets your heart rate up then yes! (If anyone else is reading this, please keep in mind I am NOT an expert!).
haha, i meant expert in the… ironic way. expert as in you had a blog entry that talks about exercise and you are clearly interested in the topic. thanks for the input.
btw- met a friend of friend recently dx w/ thyca. currently waiting on rai and this thyrogen shortage is totally out of control! her docs don’t they will be able to get it until JANUARY. wtf?! ugh.
You almost barfing on the Brown hockey team is up there for top memories. Gramma’s “special” Christmas gift as a direct result was one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen. Do you want to run the PC 5k too? I think it’s in October. I promised Mike I’d do it.