Day 4 - One thing at a time...

As I've been trying to get into the habit of walking/running with the Couch to 5K program, I also downloaded an app to my phone called MyFitnessPal. It's a way to keep track of what I'm eating and where my calories are coming from, and also a weight loss management tool. It tells you how you'd do in 5 weeks if every day were like today.

Well...while I'm doing well on the walking/running part so far, the food part is not coming together. I'm doing fine for a 2,000 calorie diet, but not so much for the target 1,600 they have me at.

But, I'm ok with that. I've decided I can only focus on creating one habit at a time.

Now, I just need to figure out how to get music on my phone...

Day 3 - Leaving the apartment complex

So, today was Day 3 of my Couch to 5K. Yesterday was a rest day.

Days 3, 5 and 7 call for 1.5 miles running. Unfortunately, I don't think I am quite ready for running that much yet, so I mostly walked and alternated some jogging (though minimal and more like "plodding"). I actually went 2.1 miles today and LEFT THE APARTMENT COMPLEX!

Today's stats:

2.11 miles

31:45 minutes

15:03 minutes/mile

197 calories

4.0 miles/hr

I noticed on the first workout I had, I logged it wrong, and the calories should have been lower. I'm testing a few different apps on my phone to keep track of stuff and hopefully will settle on one soon.

I have a feeling Thursday is going to be tough. I'm hoping to make my comeback to yoga tomorrow night (barring any issues). But after sitting down after tonight's workout, I could feel how tired I was. But, that's two days from now...

It's been awhile...

So, it's been almost a year since the last time I wrote on this blog. Lots of things have happened between then and now (like getting a job, getting a new to me car and other stuff). But I come back today because I'm starting a new adventure.

Today was the first day of my "Couch to 5K" effort.

This was the first week schedule I've been given:

Week 1 Dist /Time Training Effort
Day 1 20-50 min Walk Easy
Day 2 Rest or short walk Walk Easy
Day 3 1.5 miles / 2.4k Run Easy
Day 4 Rest or short walk Walk Easy
Day 5 1.5 miles / 2.4k Run Easy
Day 6 Rest None None
Day 7 1.5 miles / 2.4k Run Easy

I decided to start today because it works well with my schedule for the week. Things have been crazy at work and I've been working a lot of hours, and in addition, have lot of other stuff going on. I need to somehow remember to take time out for me.

I downloaded an app called Endomondo to my phone, and it keeps track of distance, time, calories, avg. pace and the like. So, for today's results from my walk:

2.10 miles

34:19 minutes

16:20 minutes/mile

258 calories

Book List Update...

Not much of an update, except I'm removing one book, and swapping out 1776 by David McCullough for John Adams. I'm still trudging through Jane Eyre, and making good progress. I've been quite sidetracked this year though, so I'm not sure I'll even make it to 25 books...

() The Fall (Camus)
() American Creation (Ellis)
(X) Man Gone Down (Thomas)
()World Without End (Follett)
()The Pillars of the Earth - re-read (Follett)
(X)Gentlemen of the Road (Chabon)
()The Yiddish Policemen's Union (Chabon)
(X)The Other Boleyn Girl (Gregory)
()Team of Rivals (Kearns)
()The Mascot (Kurzem)
(X)Then We Came to the End (Ferris)
()The Russian Concubine (Furnivall)
(X)Jane Eyre (Bronte)
()Thunderstruck (Larson)
()Schulz and Peanuts (Michaelis)
(X)A Thousand Splendid Suns (Hosseini)
()Tree of Smoke (Johnson)
()On the Road (Kerouac)
()The Savage Detectives (Bolano)
()Midnight's Children (Rushdie)
()The Fortress of Solitude (Lethem)
()A People's History of the United States (Zinn)
()The World is Flat (Friedman)
()Kabul Beauty School (Rodriguez)
()John Adams (McCullough)
()My Life (Clinton)
()The Myth of the Rational Voter (Caplan)
()A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
(X)Eat Pray Love (Gilbert)
()The End of Poverty (Sachs)
()The Plot Against America (Roth)
()Ragtime (Doctorow)
()Parting the Waters (Branch)
()From Beirut to Jerusalem (Friedman)
(X)Clapton: The Autobiography (Clapton)
()What is the What (Eggers)
()White Teeth (Smith)
()Breakfast of Champions (Vonnegut)
()The Inheritence of Loss (Desai)
()The Good Earth (Buck)
(X)Daughter of Fortune (Allende)
()The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao (Diaz)
()Manhunt: The 12 Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer (Swanson)
()The Guns of August (Tuchman)
()Catch-22 (Heller)
()The Sun Also Rises (Hemingway)
()Marie Antoinette (Fraser)
()The Crimson Petal and the White (Faber)
()Emma (Austen)
(X)A Free Life (Jin)