I’ve been more or less consistent with my vow to regularly exercise. I’ve set a running goal for myself by running my first race in a few weeks and here’s how I’ve been doing:

• November 17, 2009, Tuesday – The day I started running again. I ran a total of 3k: 1k running, 1k brisk walking, 0.5k running, 0.5k walking. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to take note of my time.
• November 18, 2009, Wednesday – I ran a total of 4k: 1k running, 1k brisk walking, 1k running, 1k walking. Total time is around 20 minutes. I  must remember to be more accurate in taking note of my time. Aside from the usual stretching before and after a run, I did 30 crunches which just goes to show how flabby my middle is
• November 19, 2009, Thursday – Rest day imposed by Ramil
• November 20, 2009, Friday – I was set on trying a tempo run but it was a date night for my sister so Ramil and I ended up bringing along Mateo. It ruined my mood even while we were just getting dressed to run. To make me feel better, Ramil offered to be the one to run with Mateo so I can go through with my plan. It turned out that our little boy had it in him because he excitedly ran with so much fervor, I couldn’t help but slow down a little and make it a family affair. The three of us were able to cover 2k while mostly running. Needless to say, I was pretty amazed with my two-year-old that I decided to just think of that day as my easy run.

• November 21, 2009, Saturday – We had to attend a birthday party, got home late and pretty much tired to run. We did a lot of walking that day though so I still had some light exercise.
• November 22, 2009, Sunday – Again, my sister had plans which means no one could look after Mateo. Even though I would have loved to bring Mateo along, Ramil was tired already. Instead of running by myself outside, I settled for running inside the house for 20 minutes. I was able to work up quite a sweat because I was doing sprints every 4 minutes. Again, aside from the usual stretching before and after, I was able to finish my exercise off with 50 crunches.

So there, I think I’m doing pretty okay. However, I hope to run my first 5k race in three weeks’ time so I need to train myself harder if I want to make decent time. Although I’m not looking at placing, I don’t want to be among the last ones in the 5k race. To hype up my running routine, these are my plans for the week:

• November 23, 2009, Monday – Cross-training by biking for 30 to 40 minutes, depending on how I fare. The ultimate goal is to do moderate biking for an hour.
• November 24, 2009, Tuesday – Run 5k: 1k running, 1k brisk walking, 1k running, 1k brisk walking, 0.5k running, 0.5k brisk walking.
• November 25, 2009, Wednesday – Rest day
• November 26, 2009, Thursday – Run 5k: 1k running, 1k brisk walking, 1k running, 1k brisk walking, 0.5k running, 0.5k brisk walking.
• November 27, 2009, Friday – Another attempt at a tempo run.
• November 26, 2009, Saturday – Easy run
• November 27, 2009, Sunday – Rest day

Please take note that the schedule  I’ve set above is not a schedule taken from any program. It’s just my own running recipe based on how I’ve been doing so far. Please also take note that I’m not a PE teacher or a graduate of any course related to sports so if there’s anything I’m doing incorrectly, I would appreciate some feedback.

Whew, I feel tired just looking back on what I’ve been doing and giving a rundown of what I plan to do. I’m just hoping I’d be able to write a good post about my running progress  in the next few days.

Last August, me and my husband found out we were pregnant so whatever irregular jogging/running schedule I had needed to be put on hold. My doctor advised me to take it easy and to limit myself to brisk walks. I had a miscarriage last October which also revealed that I had placenta accreta. I was again told by my doctor to rest and not do anything that would strain myself.

I haven’t been bleeding for more than a week already and have therefore been given the permission to exercise but to take it slowly. So I excitedly planned to go back to running since last week. Unfortunately, my two-month pregnant lifestyle has taken its roots on me. My mind and I guess my body as well refused to get into the groove. However, I couldn’t use pregnancy anymore as an excuse for my bulging tummy and I relented to starting my running routine once again.

So yesterday, after finishing our nightly chores and having dinner, my husband and I asked my sister to look after our son. We stepped into our running shoes and headed outside. We worked up to a run and continued running. After a kilometer, we slowed down to a brisk walk for another kilometer. Our last kilometer consisted of running for half a kilometer and brisk walking the rest of the way. All in all, we covered only a total of three kilometers which I think is good enough for a first run.

I was pleasantly surprised that I wasn’t as out of shape as I thought I was. The short run was not a struggle for me. I was able to keep a good rhythm even while straining during the uphill portions of the road.

I originally intended to run around our subdivision thrice a week to start it off but with how my run went yesterday, I can’t wait to do it again later today.