Repeating Week Two – C25k program Run 90 secs walk 2 minutes (31 minutes)

This week has been soooooo stressful! Conflict and emotions running high at work, trying to get ongoing projects finished up before my holiday on Wednesday (Yippee!!), old friends back in town, meeting new friends, celebrating Bastille Day – or Fête Nationale as it’s known in France – and trying to squeeze the running in between all of this.

This third week has been the hardest on me physically for some unknown reason. At the end of last week I had managed the 90 seconds running quite easily and when I looked at the programme for the official Week 3, which involves running for three minutes, I felt in no way ready and so repeated Week 2.  Now, looking back, I wish I had just pushed on and gone for it.

But there has been some small successes J. I got weighed and have lost another 3lbs which actually made me scream I was so happy! Which brings the weight loss to 5lbs in total in just over three weeks.  I have been aiming for 1lb per week so I am more than happy with that. I hadn’t taken my measurements before I started this programme, but I definitely feel as though I have lost inches from under my boobs, belly and waist. I have now recorded my measurements and am going to check every four weeks if they have changed – I will keep you updated!

Two further little feel-good moments:

1) Not having to breathe in anymore to fasten my black work trousers.

2) I had stopped wearing a pair of brown trousers as I could no longer get any buttons on the outside fastened.  There is also a little button on the inside, which hasn’t fastened since the day I bought them. Now all three outside buttons AND the inside one fasten and aren’t tight around my waist at all, just a nice comfortable fit!

As I mentioned, I am on holiday from Wednesday 18^th for a week in the sun. I can’t wait to get some sun on my bones and relax with my books, get some swimming done and also I am hoping to still continue running – don’t quote me on that though!

Week Two – C25k program Run 90 secs walk 2 minutes (31 minutes)

What a busy, busy week this one has been!!! We came back from the beautiful cathedral town of Chartres on Sunday evening. For those of you living in the Paris region I highly recommend a visit, it is like stepping back in time a thousand years in the ‘Quartier Historique’ with the beautiful winding lanes and riverside. After nightfall all of the old buildings, including the amazing cathedral have light shows projected onto their facades, it’s absolutely stunning and so, so peaceful. It truly is a haven, so far removed from the hustle and bustle of Paris yet just over an hour away by train.

There wasn’t any running involved over the weekend but loads and loads of walking. We also went to Europe’s largest swimming centre in Chartres called L’Odyssee. If you love the water like I do then you will absolutely adore this place. Its facilities include an Olympic sized swimming pool, a 25-metre pool, leisure pool, lazy river and outdoor pool. We spent a couple of hours there doing some lengths in the Olympic pool then 

mucking about in the lazy river and outdoor pool – great fun!

As I mentioned earlier I’ve had a mega busy week  –  working, celebrating a friend’s birthday, French lessons. It’s just been non-stop!   

On Monday I repeated the last day of Week 1, as I didn’t feel ready to jump up to 90 seconds. It was so difficult after a weekend off but slow and steady wins the race!!!

When Wednesday morning came around I was feeling slightly hungover from far too much vin blanc consumed the night before after celebrating a friend’s birthday. My head was pounding and needless to say I didn’t run. When I made it into work I was feeling restless and soon regretted not doing it as I’ve realised doing the running makes me feel great and ready to tackle the day, but because I didn’t run I was groggy, really sluggish and tired. On top of that I ended up staying late at work – not a good day at all!

Thursday morning when the alarm went off I really didn’t feel like doing it because I knew it would hurt. I was awake before the alarm went off and was lying there for about ten minutes arguing with myself about whether I should go or not.  There really was a battle of wills between the lazy, unhealthy Denise and the lovely, slim, healthy Denise I want to be. I’m glad to say the Denise I want to be kicked my butt out of bed and off I went to start the Week Two program (run 90 seconds walk two minutes). Oh my god it was awful! I could just about manage 75 seconds at a time but I completed the 31-minute program and just about crawled back home. 

So when Saturday morning came around I was dreading it cos I knew it was going to be hard – it was, although not as difficult as Thursday and I managed the full 90 seconds each time. I was quite emotional by the end as I genuinely thought I wasn’t going to be able to do it. I was just finishing my cool down when on my iPod a fantastic and most fitting tune came blasting through the earphones –  ‘Another One Bites The Dust’ by Queen. I felt victorious, mighty and flipping fantastic. It really was the perfect tune for the end of Week Two – another run truly had bitten MY dust!!!!