Monday, June 10, 2013

Week One....COMPLETE!!

After what seemed like a LOOOOOONG day at work on Friday, I finished my work week with ZUMBA!! (Love ya Lo!! But that squat song...Holy Moly!!) I was finally really run down and tired by 3:45 that I really felt that I wasn't completely into it. But, I made it through, and I was super glad that I did.

Well, I was bummed earlier, though. We were suppose to go to the Nationals game that evening, but since it had literally been raining since Thursday evening, it was postponed until Sunday evening.

So, that night after dinner, I sat on my very-comfy couch, and it decided to sing me a lullaby. This is becoming a regular for me if we have nothing planned on Fridays....probably not a good thing. However, after working and working out all week, it is probably my body saying, "Rest up, lady!"

Saturday....I had to get up relatively early to take my PRAXIS exam. For those of you who don't know, I am a special ed teacher, and I have been for 13 years now. And I figured that I need to try a different path...so I am taking my PRAXIS in math to be certified as a middle school math teacher. I know right??? What the heck am I thinking? No matter what, I know I am definitely going to heaven. :) At the testing site, I just happen to be in the same testing room as my former Director of Schools. He is leaving to be a superintendent out of state, and I have worked closely with him for the last 2 and a half years through our intramural sports program. He made me feel really good by telling me how much he has seen me grow as a leader and really encouraged me to move on with my plans of becoming a school principal.

So, after sitting a testing for TWO HOURS and having a short and meaningful conversation with my former "boss," I walked out of the testing center on cloud 9! I was totally feeling good about the test AND I was totally feeling good about the choices that I have made in my life up to this point.
There have been many times that I have felt and wondered, "What the hell am I doing?" And, "How the heck did I end up here?" I have been lying to myself for years I believe that I was truly happy with my choices. Don't get me wrong...I have the best husband ever, and I don't regret a single choice that we have made together. But I now realize that I was probably fooling myself! And now I have finally decided that I am going to be truly happy...and not just tell myself that I am.

Well, from this feeling of realization, I was finishing up our Saturday chilling out night by surfing the Internet and found a 10K race in July...The Biggest Loser Run/Walk.


And guess what?? Yup!! I signed up for it!! OMG!! What am I thinking?!?!? Middle of July...in the heat and humidity!! I must really want to do this. Never in a million years would I ever be caught dead outside in the hear in the summer....much less actually running in it. HA!! Well, I am finally here to prove myself wrong!

So before bed, Craig and I agreed to run first thing Sunday morning. I had already decided not to work out on Saturday since I had gone to the gym every day this week, so I had to do my day three run...it was only a mile run...but I knew it was important to get it done before the end of the week.

Well, old Jessica would have told Craig to leave her alone when he asked her if she still wanted to go running first thing Sunday morning.....BUT NEW and IMPROVED Jessica got out of bed when Craig asked her. Now granted, I didn't jump right up when he asked me....I did get about 15 more minutes of sleep in...LOL!
Needless to day, with the weather we have been having here in DC, it was actually a beautiful morning.
SO I started my run/walk with a nice walking warm up, I have kinda conditioned myself to start to matter what after this slight hill on the trail. It is all psychological...I know...but it is just something that I have been doing since my first outside run in March. Anyways, I started running and low and behold, my ankle started killing me!! Seriously?? I was so annoyed! It was kinda giving me trouble during Zumba on Friday but that was 2 days ago. I worked through it for the first interval, and by the time I was on interval 3, the pain kinda magically disappeared.That's a good thing.

Have I to say....I was using my new Garmin watch. And I really liked the notifications letting me know that it was time to change up during my interval...What I didn't like is that I had set the intervals based on my 10 mile run in 17 weeks at Disney so I wasn't able to stop it after I was done with the first mile. Guess I need to read more on it before trying again. Plus, I wasn't able to upload data from today onto my computer. That is a job for Craig to help me with. He's been using his Garmin for years now....so he's an expert. Maybe??

Always as a back up, I do have my phone recording as well. And to make me feel even better, I realized that this Jeff Galloway program that I started on Monday, ACTUALLY WORKS!!! According to my RunKeeper app on my phone, I did a 12.01 min mile!! OMG!! Are you kidding me?!?!?
YAY ME!! 

To make a long story short....I ended up run/walk a mile but ended up putting in a total of 3.1 in 37 minutes. WOW!! YAY ME AGAIN!! My first 5K was on St Patrick's Day and I completed it with A LOT less running in 54 minutes. In 12 weeks, I have been able to take off 17 minutes off my time. Now I am really not worried about this 10K in July!!

To sum up the week....I ran/walked a total of 7 miles....worked out 6 days this week (I know too much...but I really enjoy going to Zumba on Wednesdays and Fridays)...and lost 3 pounds. (Now time to get my diet in check...) Not bad for my first week of making it real!

Off to bed to start Week 2!! Only 9 days left of school....I know I can do it!!!

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