Accountability...
Here's what it means to me. I can't really keep a secret. Not someone else's dirty little secret, but my own stuff. So when I do something that makes me proud it's pretty much impossible for me NOT to share! I've got to tell someone.
So accountability is really important for me in this Fit By Forty journey. I need to set goals and then tell someone about those goals. Then I feel a responsibility to those that I've told to MEET the goals in order to not "let them down". Oh yeah...I'm a pleaser. That can be a really bad character trait. But, that's me, so that's that.
I have a group on Facebook of friends that we call Workout Accountability. We check in periodically, set monthly goals, talk about what we're doing well with working out and eating, etc. We cheer one another on and remind each other on occasion when a goal has been tossed out there and then not readdressed!
So here's my Accountability blab for now. I have been looking at the "Couch To 5K" training for a while. Liz, a friend, is doing it and I was really intrigued by it. So I googled it, read up on it a bit, and even downloaded a podcast for the first 3-4 weeks. Then I thought about it and thought about it.
...could I run?
...me...245 pounds....surely not...I can't RUN.
...but wait....those contestants on BL run on the treadmill sometimes and they're way more than 245....maybe it's possible.....
...no way...running....this is ME we're talking about....I strongly object to running.....
...but wait....those BL folks do it, and I bet you'd burn a LOT more if you did interval runs.....
....no way....H E L L O.....RUNNING....you're thinking about RUNNING....YOU....she-who-doth-not-run....
....this might be a good way to try it....hell, even if I could just get a mile in, it's mile I could run that I couldn't run before.....
So Sunday I went to the gym...I had 30 minutes and then I was heading for groceries. At the end of my time on the treadmill I figured I'd give it a little try...time to find out if I can run for 60 seconds w/out dying on the spot.
Guess what? I did...and I did it a few times...I think I did 3 intervals total (run 60 seconds, walk 90 seconds = 1 interval)
Monday...Monday was the DAY! I went to the gym, got my iPod to the Week 1 C25K podcast and started up. I honestly figured I'd never be able to get all the way thru. I walked at 3.5 mph and then did my runs at 4.0 - 4.2 mph. God LOVE the man that did the podcast, because when he said "You're down to your final 2 intervals" I KNEW I could make it....the end was in sight and I WAS GONNA MAKE IT!
That's right people...I RAN. I'm sure it wasn't particularly pretty or graceful, but I RAN. I did the complete Week 1 Day 1 C25K and I did not die. I didn't fall off the treadmill...I wasn't begging for mercy. I was breathing hard, my heart rate was up there, and I was burning some cals. But I did not DIE! Yee Haw!
I love the trip meter on my BB Digital Display. I reset that meter when I started and then would periodically glance at it to see what my cals per minute were...the Digital Display told me I had gotten up to 10.x per minute. When I uploaded last night it showed that I got into the 12's at times. That's my highest burn per minute EVER.
Today...today is the true test right? If you really push yourself over you're going to feel it the next day. Well, the good news is, I am feeling NO soreness today. Nothing. The warm up and cool down 5 minute walks are built into the podcast so there's no skipping that.
I am really jazzed about this. Will I be able to run a 5K at the end of this training? Who knows...maybe...maybe not. But, by the end of it I will be more fit, and that's the whole point for ME. I find it amazing to type this, but I am honestly and truly looking forward to tomorrow's Week 1 Day 2 C25K workout. That's just unbelievable!
Find your accountability...whether it's a friend, a facebook group, a message board, a blog, or your friends/family. Find it and USE it! If accountability keeps you motivated, DO IT! Accountability is a HUGE motivator for me so I use all of the above! Twenty pounds in 2 months...something's working for me!
Lori
3 comments:
I've never done a podcast...is it music, is it talking? What exactly do they have on it that keeps you motivated??
It's both, actually. There is music and then the guy talks. So, he prompts you that it's time to start the 5 minute warm up walk....then tells you it's time for the first 60 second running interval. Then he will say that it's time to slow back down to a brisk walk for 90 seconds of recovery...and so on. I like it because you don't have to watch the clock to know when to run, when to walk, etc. You just listen to him and that makes me able to focus on my body and how it's responding more than focusing on the time. Also when he says to start a run interval I look at the time on the treadmill so that I have an idea of how much longer I have to run. If I'm getting tired but see I only have 20 more seconds I think to myself...I can DO 20 seconds.
That's great. I am also just starting the c25k program. The first time I tried running on the treadmill I did have trouble with the 60 seconds because my shins would start to ache. However, this past weekend I felt much better so now I think I'm ready to start officially. Thanks for the tip on the podcast!
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