Podrunner Review 9-’09

So, it’s Monday again.  Day to mop.  It’s 1:15 and I finally got the kitchen clean after making three batches of decorated cookies to try to assist my daughter in her quest for the presidency.  Of 4-H.  And, apparently, there needed to be FOUR H’s on the clover cookies decked in almost kelly green (more like lime), rather than one big H.  On the part at 9:45 where I was scraping H’s off…the fun turned to  cranky and I had to send the kids to bed before cookies.  They did get one for breakfast.  I have one, too.  And one for lunch.  BAD GIRL!

On the upswing, I did get a sort of workable saran-tent made for them and had them delivered by 7:15 this AM.  Did isolations for arms and abs today, dropped off my son, went yard-saling and found a great deal on some Mary Kay makeup I’ll enjoy playing with (no green…the hubby insists I never wear green eyeshadow).

Reviewing the Podrunner:  Interval website and other logged entries on it for inspiration:

I’m starting Week 3 this week.  I was amazed that I didn’t struggle with the second run of Week 2 as I’d feared after not doing well on Day 1.  I went back to week one and repeated it a couple times before trying again.  To make up for having to back down, I fit in four runs rather than three last week, to try to keep building endurance.  I added hills on two of the runs.

It went like this:

Two weeks of walking hard 45 minutes, 2 miles, 5 days a week.

Week 1: Switch to podrunner (10 wks to 5K): 30 minutes, 2 miles, flat track. Walked one min/ran one min with 5 min warmup and cooldowns on the end…it was all I could do.

Week 2: 90 sec/90 second intervals (a 5 min warmup and 5 min cooldown)=all i could do.   (Wore two different running shoes by accident…realized I liked one better than the other, and that I had found GREAT New Balance shoes at a yard sale, like new, before I knew I’d be running this fall.  ELATED.)

Looked for ice pack solutions for achy knees after runs.  Helped.

Week 3: 3 min running spurts…and 3 min walking, with 2 90 second intervals thrown in.  I did well, but I don’t know how.  I added a stopwatch to help me make it to the end of the intervals, it helped.

Week 4:  looks like it will kill me.

I hope not.

Meds: To help repair my knees from over-bicyling in ‘05, I am taking Triflex Sport supplements by GNC…about 4-5 of those a day, and 1-2 Alleve a day until I build up some muscle strength and stamina.  I noticed a change in the first few days at how much easier it is for me to squat without thinking about it.  I really think it’s helping my joints.

Water: hard to get enough in yet.

How Podrunner Interval works: tones alert you when you switch from walking to running and vice versa.  After the first week, musical tones go up to run and down to walk, down, down, down to cool down.  Music switches to help you transition from walk to run and back.

Where you get it: They have a website, but I couldn’t right click to download from there.  I did a search actually for Couch to 5K (marked explic*t), and found it there for download.

Recommend? Absolutely.  I hate to run, always have, and love it.  It’s not just making me run until my legs cramp and my sides hurt…I’m building up slowly so I’m not hurting or getting frustrated.  I miss my days off running and love days when I run.

I like it.  I didn’t care for week 2 music because I was running in the woods and the metal clanging sounds made me feel like I was in a psycho-thriller movie, but I just thought “Nike Rebok step” music and got over it.  Loved Week 3 music, though I was concerned initially about the increase in two bpms on the same week I was increasing distance.  I didn’t seem to notice it in the actual run, however.  Liked the “major tones” of week three.

Someone said they wished he’d talk during the warmup instead of before you start.  I disagree!  I like turning it on while I’m in the van walking to the trail, stretching.  I wouldn’t like talking over the music.

Also did “8 Minute Abs” and “8 Minute Arms” DVD sets today to try to keep myself motivated on my off running days.  LOVE the quick and isolated area workouts–my arms were shaking when I got done.  However, HATE workout tapes that cheer-lead based on physical results instead of health. Hoping it will help me not over-run.  Dying to run today, though.  (Mop, or run.  Mop, or run…?)

UPDATE:  Mopped super fast AND ran Week 3…gotta get ready for Week 4!  Anyone know why there are 3 Week 5 mixes in Podrunner Interval?  I need to listen in and find out…has me curious!