Another post so soon!

I know what you're thinking. What's going on? I usually only post once every couple months. Haha! I actually don't have anything specific to write about today, but felt like posting again to stay on the right track. So I'm just going to free associate this blog posting and write whatever comes to my mind.

Today I completed Day 1 of Week 2 from the Couch to 5K program. I felt pretty good at the end of it. There wasn't much of a difference going from running 60 seconds at a time to 90 seconds at a time, so that was a pleasant surprise. I'm a little worried about week 3, where you have to run for 3 minutes at a time, but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. There are so many things in life that seem like overwhelming tasks that make you want to curl up in a ball and give up, and running a 5K ranks up there for me. I've learned over the years to just look at things one step at a time, one day at a time, one task at a time. This way, that super-scary, want-to-make-me-give-up, overwhelming task all of a sudden is doable. So for today, I'm only looking ahead to Day 2 of Week 2 from the C25K program, which is the exact same as what I accomplished successfully today, so I know I'll be able to do it.

It's pretty exciting to see progress. I'm only in my second week of the C25K program and I've already noticed that running at 4.0 on my treadmill isn't as difficult as it was at the beginning of the program. Even my heart rate is a little bit lower. I know I'm not breaking any speed records, but I'm just focused on completing the C25K program before I work on increasing my speed. And besides, I'm carrying 279 lbs with me throughout the run, which is a hell of a lot of work! It must be so much easier 100 lbs lighter, 50 lbs lighter...I can't wait!

I'm secretly hoping to run a 5K this fall. There was one I wanted to do in September, but I don't think I'll be ready for it. I'm going to wait until the last minute to see how I'm doing by that point. I haven't really talked about this goal with too many people. I guess I don't want to say it out loud in case I don't reach the goal. I have talked to my husband about it though...I really can talk to him about anything. He even knows exactly how much I weigh, as I share it with him every time I step on the scale. I know a lot of people don't share this with their hubby, but I honestly don't feel like he would judge me for my weight...and it's not like he thinks I weigh 120lbs. I mean, he has eyes! But seriously. I would encourage everyone to share their weight with a person close to them. It's not a number to be afraid of. Once you talk about it, it seems less intimidating or scary. There's no point running away from it. It's the reality of who we are, and if we can truly look at ourselves without distorting anything and work on accepting that reality, then this will make it easier to work on self-improvement. Sharing the truth about ourselves is one step in the right direction towards self-acceptance.

So I thought I would end this post with some pictures of myself and my wee pup Sully. He just turned 2 this past July and he's my workout buddy (when I'm not on my treadmill of course). Sully gets me out of the house for walks, to play some catch at the park, and to explore new places and trails. He's such a good little motivator and he never declines the opportunity for some exercise.

These are pictures of Sully and I on one of our trail walks while we were up in Muskoka. We ventured a little off the trail to get closer to the water.

The next photos are from the same trail walk. While walking along the path, we came upon a dam in the river. The trail continued over the dam, but when we got there, Sully was too afraid at first to cross. Instead of following me, he chose to stubbornly stand at the edge and bark obnoxiously.

Thankfully with a little coaxing, Sully was able to venture out over the falls and join me. What a brave little pup! He was quite intrigued by the water running underneath us. I do admit though, it was a kind of unnerving at first to walk over the water while seeing it rush so fast underneath. It sort of gives you vertigo.

Lots of fun to be had in the summer! :)