Day 6- Afterburn

Well I was definitely burnt out Friday by the time I hopped in bed.

First of all, I have never really gone shopping before for "quality" running clothes, so when I showed up at Dick's all I knew was that I wanted some running tights/pants, some long sleeve shirts, some gloves, and that it all needed to be Dri-Fit. Wow- was I unprepared! Things were organized more by brand than type of garment, so I spent an hour wondering around trying to sort out who had what for how much, what the difference was between cold-compression and hot-compression, whether I needed relaxed or regular fit, and a million other choices I didn't know I had until then. I tried calling my friends that are more experienced runners, but didn't reach anyone. In the end I dropped quite a bit on a pair of Nike regular fit Dri-Fit running pants that were "specifically designed to keep me warm," 2 Reebok Dri-Fit long sleeve shirts, Under Armour gloves and ear warmers, as well as various new undergarments. Hopefully that's all I'll need for a while!

After running by Publix and stocking up on healthy options for the coming weeks, I got home and got right to that day's workout. The cardio routine turned out to be much more enjoyable than the core workout the day before, if for no other reason than I was actually able to perform all of the moves, and therefore felt like I was getting more out it. My supplements were waiting on my doorstep when I got home, so I had my first P90X Recovery drink after that workout. It was better than I expected! Tasted just like those Flintstones orange flavored push-up pops I used to get from the ice cream truck when I was younger.

I was in bed by about 10 to try and get a good night's sleep before my first run in the morning. I had started feeling a little sore earlier in the day (a good sign that I actually did get more out of the core workout that I had thought) but that night every time I went to roll over I was in agony. lol. Hopefully my body will get used to it fairly quickly.

Yesterday turn out well. Got up at 7 and threw on my new running gear. Grabbed a protein bar, banana and water for after my run and was out the door by 7:30. The first several minutes at our meeting spot were spent introducing all the leads and going through a brief overview of the program. We broke down into pace groups ranging from 10-15 minutes (we're talking about 10K mile times). My friends and I decided to be ambitious and joined the small number of people in the 10 minute group. Our first day's run was only a mile, and I made it to end ok, if a little winded by the last hill. But I'll have to seriously think about whether that's a realistic goal for me long term. We're allowed to move up or down a group depending on if we're having a good or off day each weekend, but I'm assuming I'll make more consistent progress if I pick a target time and stick to it. Each group did a run/walk ratio depending on their training target. Our group was 3min/1min. I'd love to have a 10min mile for a 10K by the end of this program. That'd have me finished with the full thing in a little over an hour. I'll keep yall updated once I decide what I really want to aim for. Unfortunately I'll be missing next week's "magic mile" cuz I'll be out of town. This is a timed mile run that they use to help you decide what you should be aiming for. I'll see if I can time myself where I'll be and talk to them about it afterward.

They gave us a schedule of the program, and we work up to a full 6.2 mile run eventually. It also included our homework runs. We're expected to run/walk for 30 min every Mon-Thursday, with Sundays and Fridays off. Like I expected, I'm going to be busy these next 3 months!

(By the way- my new running gear worked out well. I was wondering when I first showed up if I needed a second layer, but by the end I was glad I wasn't wearing one!)

Next I headed over to my parent's place. We've been trying to see Avatar in the 3-D IMAX version for a few weekends now and keep having bad luck. First time it was sold out, the next time my mom was too sick to go, and Friday night when they tried to get tickets the IMAX machine was broken! But they fixed it and we were the first people to show up for the 11:30 showing yesterday, so we got the best seats in the house! And for anyone who hasn't seen it yet, I agree with my friends- it's definitely worth seeing in that format. The new 3-D image was very cool. And again- like my friends told me, the plot's pretty predictable, but it's still very enjoyable and the visual effects are well worth it, in my opinion.

After all that I headed up to my boyfriend's place. Got in a short nap on the couch before doing my Saturday P90X- Arms/Shoulders and Ab Ripper X. Though I didn't sweat as much during this workout, I could definitely feel it in my muscles. Still waiting to see when I'm going to start feeling the after effects!

Today I start my 2-day fast. Had my first chocolate shake this morning. That and water's all I get for the next 48 hours, and hopefully that will help kick start my weight loss goals! The instructions for the fast suggest you take it easy while on the program. No exercising, or at least be prepared to stop when you feel your blood sugar level running too low. So I'm going to attempt today's Yoga X later this evening and see how it goes. Luckily I've got tomorrow off for MLK day, so I'll be able to take it easy through the end of the fast. Might try and go see another movie- Mom said 2012 was worth seeing on the big screen, so if it's still playing anywhere I might try for that.

Welp- that's all caught up. I'll check in later and let you know how the fast went!