5K Training - Week 2

In case you're just tuning in, my wonderful husband convinced me to run in a Rugged Maniac™ this coming September. You can read about my first week of fun in my last blog.

For my first run of week two, I took it out to nature. Which is quite a feat in itself in a household with two kids. As much as I love to run in one flat spot never getting anyplace (except tired) while the kids sit watching a TV which is turned up so loud as to drown out the din of my treadmill...I forced myself to go out into the world where I would be challenged in another way. Week two consists of intervals of jogging for 90 seconds and walking for two minutes. It makes the three workouts go by fairly quickly.

The mother-in-law (aka MIL) forced me to give up my two babies on Saturday night so that I could be dragged off to my best buddy's birthday dinner. But before our night out feasting on sushi, Thai food and brews...the husband and I decided to get a real workout by doing what any right minded couple would do who had just been blessed with time without the kids. We went for a run....with the dog...in the snow.  Let me tell you, it was more than just a bit nice to be able to listen to the Killers without Dr. Doofenshmirtz in the background.  

I surprisingly realized that running with a five month old puppy is perfect training for running an obstacle course. She zigs and zags wherever her nose takes her, either tripping me or forcing me to hurdle her at least every twenty steps. She runs on opposite sides of telephone polls and then follows me as I try to unwrap the leash, effectively wrapping me around the pole like a trussed roast. Stopping short to smell poop piles, while pulling my arm out of it's socket is another important training technique....only to come up behind me on my non-leash-holding side forcing me to do in-stride pirouettes. But being clotheslined by my very own arm as she crosses in front of me and then stops short to sniff a pee soaked branch is my personal favorite. 

I eventually handed her over to the husband just as he started to hit a good stride and didn't seem nearly challenged enough. He needs to train too!

I took the second workout back outside, just me and my four legged running/jumping/walking/sniffing companion. Followed by a treadmill run to close out the week. Feeling good except for an aching knee on occasion and trying to remember to stretch beforehand. 

On to week three.