Week 1, Day 4 - one more for some confidence

As I mentioned last time, I felt I needed one more week one workout before moving on.  I'm very glad I did it because I ran strong the entire time and I never really felt like I was running out of steam during any of my intervals!  So now, with a new sense of confidence and some newly acquired wind in my sails, I will move on to week 2.

I got up this morning with unusual gusto that I attribute to my new bedtime pep talk.  As I lay in bed falling asleep, I kept telling myself that I was going to sleep well and that I was going to feel good and be ready to run in the morning.  I told myself I that I wanted to do it and that I could do it  and that everything was going to be great.  I swear that it helped because I did feel good and ready.

I had a new friend with me on my run today.  I discovered The Chubby Jones Podcast on iTunes and am so happy I did.  The woman's name is Mia and she is a 30 year old woman with lifelong weight struggles who did this Couch to 5K thing and created her podcast to help others out there do it too.  There was some great music to go with the run and a lot of great and funny encouragement from Mia as I went along.  In the middle of the first 60 seconds, playing the Joy Division song, "Love will tear us apart", Mia breaks in to say that you may feel like this run is going to tear you apart, but it won't, you can do this!  The comic encouragement was great! 

Best of all for me though was the fact that I could clip my iPod on and just run.  I didn't need to hold it.  I didn't need to watch the stopwatch.  When it was time to run, she told me.  When it was almost time to walk she chimed in and counted down the last few seconds.  It was nice to just listen and look and enjoy.  I think that when you hold that stopwatch in your hand and you're running and getting tired, waiting for that 60 seconds to expire is a lot like watching for a pot of water to boil:  seems like it is never going to happen.  But it did happen.  I finished my run with great ease - in fact, I was so blissfully unaware of how close to finishing I was, I ended up about a mile from home when she came on to congratulate me on completing my workout.  I trotted a bit more and then finished with a good walk. 

As I move on, I am feeling like the struggles I have had to control what I eat are getting easier too.  The better I feel about myself the less I want to eat what I shouldn't.  It is all so connected and I really see that now.  I know that as I continue on in this journey, my sense of accomplishment is going to keep making me strong in my body and mind.  I know that one day soon, I'll be able to sit down and enjoy a cookie or a bowl of ice cream without the guilt that usually accompanies them.  I am one week into this program and I already feel light years away from where I was 7 days ago.  I am so excited to see where this all leads me.  Each day, each night, and all the hours in between, I am feeling ever confidant that I CAN DO IT!