Mission Accomplished!

According to my "5K Coach" (an app on my iPhone), yesterday was supposed to be a day of rest.  I feel I actually followed the recommendation, but I DID get in a nice walk as I pushed Coop around the neighborhood in his stroller and he seemed to have a good time, humming for part of the way - presumably to try to stay awake.  I must admit that I was impressed that he actually kept his cap and glasses on the whole time.

When I woke up this morning... well perhaps the 5th and final time I woke up this morning because evidentally I drank entirely TOO much water before I went to bed last night...  I felt fresh and ready to tackle the walk/run goal set by my coach.  Since my first attempt on Monday, I've been taking in all kinds of digital material about breathing exercises, general running tips, common mistakes beginners make, etc.  As a result, when I laced up this morning, I felt like I was better prepared to take on the challenge ahead of me. 

Goal: For a total of 15 minutes - Walk 1 minute, Run 3 minutes  

Result: Surprisingly, I was able to handle the task quite easily.  When I first quickened my pace to a run, my lungs attempted to freak me out again as they had on Monday, but then I consciously slowed my pace and suddenly breathing was rather natural again.  The most amazing thing to me?  That when I slowed up, I was still faster than I typically "run" on the treadmill, even though I felt like I was dragging behind my normal walk.  Brad pointed out that I'm actually able to realize my full stride length outside, which would account for the speed difference.  Honestly, that gives me hope... 

Of course, I have a potential temporary stride-breaker...  Either as a result of a pedicure gone bad or shoes that were too tight when I was preggers, I have two big toenails that need to be dealt with... well I HAD two. 

From Be a 10 in 2010

Now I have one.  And just part of it will have to go.  I might need to take a break from my normal morning walk tomorrow morning, so I can instead allow my toe to heal, but I should be able to manage to do some sort of cross-training as recommended by my coach.  Reckon we'll see when morning comes...