Locked out!

Week Three - Day Two
5 minute walk
(90 second run, 90 second walk + 3 minute run, 3 minute walk) X 2
2 minute walk

I usually have a debate in my head right before I get out of the truck to run about what to do with my stuff. I usually have a phone, keys, license, an ipod shuffle and a water bottle. Lately I've put the water bottle in the shade in the back of the truck so that it stays a bit cooler. I don't mind leaving my phone and license somewhere in the cab but the truck is one of those trucks that don't have keyless entry so I usually take my keys with me. On this particular day I was wearing pants that didn't have pockets. I usually just tie my keys in with my shoe lace on pocketless days but today I didn't have laces in my shoes. I was at the track and decided that because no one else was at there and it was raining again so there probably wouldn't be anyone else coming, that I would leave the keys in a hidden spot inside the truck and just be aware as I ran. I hid it safely and got out to run. I was getting my podcast set up and realized I had probably locked the door in my usual manner. You know, when I don't purposefully leave my keys in there. I didn't even step onto the track and I went back to the truck to see. Sure enough: locked. With my phone also in there, I started my podcast and headed for home. When I got there, I had to ring the doorbell because I didn't have keys to get in. It was nap time for the kids and I hate when people ring the doorbell during that time. There I was, on the other side of the door... My husband quickly tried to find another set of keys and I headed back to the truck. The interesting thing is that I got back to the truck as the workout finished. What a tidy little workout! I unlocked the door, climbed in the truck and went home.

She's mine, she's mine, she's mine...

Week Three - Day One
Five minute walk
(90 second run, 90 second walk + 3 minute run, 3 minute walk) X 2
Two minute walk

I really enjoyed this run. I got to run in the rain. I love that. The workout was also interesting and seemed to go by faster than the others have. And as an extra bonus: I got to have a burst of laughter during the middle of the workout because of the music.

Robert Likes His Techno

Week Two - Day Three
Five minute walk
90 second run then 2 minute recovery six times
Five minute walk

The music that the man chose for the Couch to 5K podcasts have a good tempo. They are not songs I have ever heard or would probably choose on my own but this week's songs made me smile because midway through the workout, I got to think about Ross from Friends and his "Sound".

Running is Nice

Week Two - Day Two
Five minute walk
90 second run then 2 minute recovery six times
Five minute walk

It was a nice hot day. No one was at the track - except the black mummy-lady. As I was getting out of the truck and was wondering what to do with my keys and phone, I looked up and saw a figure dressed all in black. She had on a black coat hood, a piece of something black draped over her face leaving only a small gap to look through, a navy sweatshirt and the fluffiest black cargo sweatpants I have ever seen. It was really hot - hot enough that I left my water bottle in the back of the truck in the shade instead of in the oven, I mean cab. Should I take the phone so when this lady passes out I can call for help? I left it in the car thinking it might be exciting to add a little adrenalin to my workout if I had to sprint to the truck to summon an ambulance. I should have been paying more attention to my own doings. On the first warm-up lap I noticed I had left the truck headlights on. Headlights? It was 5:00 p.m. I don't know. I turned them off before the second lap. I liked the running. It felt nice to be doing it. I can tell that gradually building up the stamina had actually worked. The first workout for this week was done in a reasonable time after the first week. This workout, however, was not and it was harder than it had been the first time. This probably really is the program for me. I was relieved to see the black mummy lady doing her cool down - with a bottle of water. That's good. As she walked away from the track I noticed she wasn't getting into a car. I hoped she lived close. When I was headed home, I saw her across the street from the track in her garage. I bet someone was keeping an eye on her. Whew.

I'm a Rule-Follower Down Deep in my Bones

I was all ready for my run yesterday. Well, all ready except I couldn't find my iPod. I had the headphones and the charger but that little white Shuffle was nowhere to be seen. That is where the magic of Couch to 5K comes from. So, because of this, (cue dramatic music) I didn't follow the Couch to 5K program yesterday. My husband said he was taking the kids for a walk. After a reasonable amount of time, they came home - but not really. They hadn't even left yet. They had been cleaning dog poop up out of the backyard and my man was just coming in to tell me they were just now heading out. That's when the free-spirited idea struck me: no music to tell me when to walk, no kids that would need assistance, no poop in the back yard...no need to drive to a track. I had everything I needed at home! I decided to just run around my yard. Wouldn't that be fantastic if I could do that successfully?! I could get my runs in any time! I checked the clock before I went outside so I would be sure I got a decent amount of time in and headed out. Now, you might think it would be a no-brainer that if the kids and husband had gone on a walk right after cleaning up after the dog, that they probably took the dog too. After all, walks usually include the dog. I was still surprised to see the gate open. I panicked a bit and then realized I might be the no-brainer. But the missing dog excited me because that opened the yard WAY up. Because I didn't have the program telling me what to do, I forgot there was such thing as a warm-up and I started running. It was really liking it and thinking about how many ups there were to running in my own yard. As I was running next to the trail where the dog had worn the grass down to nubs, I realized that if I did it often enough, I wouldn't have to mow the lawn either. Could this get any better?! And then, my rule-following bones said that "Yes, indeed, it could." The terrain of my yard isn't exactly flat and my knee and ankle could tell -- and were telling me that it just wasn't working out. Having been in and out of physical therapy throughout my high school years, I realized it was because of the slant so I turned around and ran the other direction to even out the wear on my joints. Then, the 11 year old neighbor came out and asked "What are you doing?" And I, feeling self-conscious anyway, responded in the voice of an 8th grade boy that got caught in the middle of doing something that he knows is the nerdiest thing he could be doing and is trying to pretend it's not but knows that he and everyone else knows that it is. I said "Runnin'." That was enough to make her back down. Then I started to feel guilty because I was supposed to be following the program and not jumping ahead. I was having a good 15 minute run straight, no walking intervals every 90 seconds. And, honestly it was a little more than my body was ready for and this morning, my knee still is reminding me that I'm a rule-follower and that I know why. It just makes more sense. That is why there are rules - to keep the universe olderly and functioning properly. It's true what they say: small mistakes can snowball into big mistakes. Why didn't I just keep my things neat and in order so I could find my iPod when I needed it? It just makes more sense.

Race Number Two?

I'm thinking about signing up for this race. Does anyone want to do it with me?

Salt Lake Run for Congo Women 5K Run/Walk

On Saturday, June 19 we will be holding a 5K run/walk to raise money for women affected by conflict in Democratic Republic of the Congo. The run/walk will take place at Wheeler Farm in Murray, Utah.

8:00-9:00 a.m.: Sign-in and registration

9:00 a.m.: Race begins, followed by an awards ceremony, speakers, and entertainment.


Run for Congo Women raises funds to benefit Women for Women International's programs in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Women for Women International supports women in war and post-war regions--like our sisters in DRC--with financial assistance, job skills training, rights awareness education, trauma counseling, and small business assistance so they can rebuild their lives.


Seriously, does anyone want to do it with me?

It's so nice to not see you again!

Week Two - Day One
Five minute walk
90 second run then 2 minute recovery six times
Five minute walk


It has been bad weather here. I almost didn't go running but thought about how no one in their right mind would be out at the track on a day like that so I headed out the door. I was right too. There were no baseball players, no fellow run/walkers and, best of all, no dogs. Yay! The bad thing about running for time instead of distance is that on a cold day, you can't just run faster to be done quicker. After the second running interval I warmed up enough that I just enjoyed it. My lungs didn't like the cold and neither did my ears, however. I used to have long hair that I'd just leave down and that was enough to keep them warm. My short hair did not do this. I started to have an earache from the cold but I realized that was the price I was willing to pay to be running alone. I wasn't even quite done with the realization sentence in my head when I looked up and saw a couple of guys getting out of a car with, yep, 3, ope nope, 4 weiner dogs - none of them were leashed. Are you kidding me?! Don't they know how cold it is and for that alone I deserved to run alone?! I must have had some sort of a look on my face that portrayed that sentiment because they chose to walk a lap around the school unstead of the track and then they left. I smiled with my too-cold-to-talk lips and ran like/despite the wind.