I ran my first ever 5K this weekend—and, I’m still a little surprised by that sentence. It isn’t like that was ever a 40×40“>life goal or anything. You’ll notice a lack of fitness goals on my 40×40 list. The only reason it was in my sights is because completing a 5K is part of the Mamavation Mom contract.

I registered for Outrun the Sun the same week I applied—because I wanted to lock myself into something, in case I wasn’t selected. So, even though I wasn’t contractually obligated to participate in a training program, exercise daily or complete a 5K, that’s exactly what I did.

Originally, I just wanted to finish it. I thought I’d walk 5K and call it a day. Then, I decided I should set a goal for myself and wanted to walk it in under an hour. Somewhere along the way, though, I made the choice to start running—okay, jogging—a bit. So, I thought I might try to finish in under 45 minutes.

I never quite got there in my training, not that I knew what I was doing with all that anyway, but I came pretty close & hoped race day adrenaline would give me a little extra boost. And, then I saw the massive pack I had to work through to even start running. Not to mention the hills. Holy crap, the hills!

I honestly thought I’d be lucky to finish in under an hour, even with the running. I run intervals, actually, with a whole lot of walking breaks in between. I did learn to pick up the pace on my walking from pre-walks with my long-legged friend, Michelle. And, I have worked on running more & more of the distance. Plus, Angie & Emily really pushed me to run more than I had planned.

It really helped to have friends long for the journey. When I first mentioned the 5K requirement, Michelle volunteered to walk with me for support. Then, Julie jumped on board for a walk—always the supportive friend, though I think she’s cursing me after those hills.

They walked together while I ran ahead with Chris for a bit, though I wish we would have had more time to enjoy the evening together. Alas, Outrun the Sun became Outrun the Storm, and everyone rushed home. I definitely enjoyed our “training” chats walks. We’ll have to keep those up. Especially since many of us have decided to make this a regular thing.

We’re eying 5Ks throughout the year—Greek Festival, Wine at the Line and the Underground Railroad are the current front runners. I can’t say I’m in love with running, but it’s such a fast, easy way to burn lots of calories—which is how I lost 2.5 pounds this week, even though my nutrition could have been better.

I definitely made better choices than last week. Weekdays go pretty well, but there were a few moments of weakness over the weekend. Yesterday’s turtle pecan cluster blizzard definitely ranks at the top of that list. You know, because I totally earned it after finishing my first 5K in 44:11!

I’m living off salads & veggie filled sandwiches for lunch and George Foreman grilled dinners at night. Although, I did cave and make myself a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch once. They’ve been so hard to make since going gluten free—the bread is crumbly & difficult to flip. So, I’ve resorted to cooking them in my toaster oven. It is just not the same.

Since the George Foreman grill cooks both sides at once, I can easily make yummy, gluten free grilled cheese sandwiches—hooray! I’m going to really miss my GF this week. I’ve used it daily since it arrived 4 weeks ago, and the other day it just went out. They’re sending a new one, I believe, but I really hope this was a fluke.

Because cooking my dinner in half the usual time and watching the fat drain right off has really kinda grown on me.

I’m all set with what to cook—Alysa has armed me us with the right tools & knowledge to plan healthy, balanced meals. It’s the random treats along the way that really throw me off.

I’m totally not willing to give them up altogether. It’s simply not realistic. I just need to get better about exchanging and planning around the extras. ‘m going to watch my exchanges a little better this week, so when I hit the sweets it will be within my meal plan.

I’m also going to start the Couch to 5K program. Yes, I know, I just finished a 5K, but I want to build up to running one. I think. Either way, the training should help knock off the rest of my 40 pounds.

I’ve lost 15 so far, and I’d love to pickup the pace on the other 25.

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Starting Weigh-In: 195 pounds
Today’s Weigh-In: 180 pounds
This Week’s Weight Loss: 2.5 pounds
Total Mamavation Weight Loss: 15 pounds
Total Knockout The Fat Weight Loss: 8 pounds
BMI: 25.8

Mamavation Topic: What gaps in your nutrition knowledge do you want to fill?

This post is sponsored by Omron Healthcare, and I’m writing this to be entered into a Omron Go Smart Pedometer giveaway hosted by Mamavation.

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Disclosure: The George Foreman Knock out the Fat Weight Loss Challenge is a compensated program. As an ambassador for George Foreman, I received a George Foreman grill and will be paid for my time at the end of the 90 day challenge. All opinions are, as always, 100% mine!

6 Responses to “Mamavation Monday: First 5K Edition”

1. 

   Heather @ Not a DIY Life on June 06, 2011 @6:08PM

   Way to go, Heather!!! On a fabulous first 5k and the weight loss this week! Follow the 80/20 rule with treats. If you eat well 80% of the time, you can allow yourself a less-than-stellar 20%.

   You’re doing great!!
2. 

   Andrea Kruse (@notimeMom) on June 06, 2011 @6:38PM

   Look at you! You have come so far since you joined Mamavation and applied to be a Mom. Good for you!!!

   And that weight loss? You are rockin’ it. Keep up the good work. My 5K is coming up in 2 weeks and one way or another I am not walking that sucker. It might be a shuffle, but I am doing it. Have a great week!
3. 

   Grace on June 06, 2011 @7:54PM

   Good For You! You look awesome! You should be so proud of yourself.
4. 

   Angie @ Just Like The Number on June 06, 2011 @10:23PM

   So proud of you! You look awesome in your sparkly skirt and you kicked booty on that 5k. I think you’re going to love Couch to 5k. It’s my favorite training program ever and I’ve been through a bunch. Looking forward to a fall 5k with you!
5. 

   MIchelle@Gotchababy on June 06, 2011 @11:03PM

   Woot! Way to go, Heather! Thanks for rallying all of us– while it’s fun to eat queso together, burning calories is probably a better lifestyle choice. Looking forward to more 5ks with this crew 🙂