Couch to 5K–Week One Report!

Maybe I should have called this “How I am getting out of Moo Moo Land.”   I dealt with my son’s illness by grazing on food like a cow.  He cried because he had a headache, I cried and ate a Little Debbie Swiss Roll.  He threw up all over the carpet in the living room; I cleaned it and him up and then polished off a bag of BBQ potato chips.  So, in turn, he lost 6 pounds and I gained 20. 
Getting back on the scale was not a fun thing for me.  So, this new year has brought about the resolution to lose that 20 pounds.  I decided that, since I don’t want to look like I am ready to be slaughtered and served with lettuce and mayo, I should probably not eat like that.  I have taken appropriate steps to take back the better food habits I had prior to October and have started to Couch to 5K running program.  You will recall I tried jogging with a friend/torturer before, but that fizzled out as her busy time of the year came around.  If the world must know, I own a really nice treadmill.  It is not even a clothes rack.  My DH uses it with such frequency, the tread belt needs to be lubricated.  His dedication to fitness both fascinates and disgusts me, but that is a new post altogether.
Anyway, an online friend suggested the Couch to 5K running program.  The idea is to start slowly and build my way up from running o ne minute at a time to a 30 minute run.  I printed off the schedule for my treadmill made the conscious decision to follow through.  I put on some running shoes, some workout clothes, and hit the treadmill.  After the 5 minute warm up walk, I thought about rethinking the plan.  But, I pressed on.  At the 12 minute mark, I was ready to throw in the towel and just make a will and order the extra large casket.  Humiliation at the thought of people attending my funeral just so they could see “just how big” the lady was, whose pallbearer was Mr. Forklift, kept me going.  I stayed on until the 32 minute mark.  I had to get off 3 minutes before the end because I literally got too bored to stay on. 
The week carried on and did the walk/run program twice more as it prescribed.  I am happy to report, that at the end of the week, I felt like I could keep going.  YAY!  I also did not get shin splints, which normally plague any kind of running or walking program I start.  I learned that the reason I have gotten these in the past is because I am starting too fast.  I would start the walking part walking as fast as I could without running; and then would basically be sprinting for the running part.  So I was walking at 4 MPH and running at 5.5 or 6 MPH.  This time I am walking at (DO. NOT. LAUGH.) 2 MPH and running at 4 MPH.  I will pick up speed as I strengthen my body and build endurance. 
So that is week one.  I am oddly excited about beginning week two!