Day One! Baby Steps

Today is the first day of training!

I haven't actually done anything yet, but I'm about to head out to the Y and hop on a treadmill to do my walking/jogging intervals. Even though it's just the first day, I feel really pumped up and excited. A lot of it has to do with the goody bag that the folks at LLS sent - it contained my race day shirt, a water bottle, pens, stickers, and best of all, 2 bracelets. One is a purple bracelet, similar to the Lance Armstrong "Livestrong" yellow bracelets. It says "Train - Endure- Achieve - Matter". That's going to be my mantra for the next two months. I like it so much I even made it the title of this blog! I will train and endure to achieve a fundraising goal that will matter, and make a difference, to a person with leukemia or lymphoma. The LLS also sent a hospital type bracelet on which I can write down the names of my heroes.

These are the best gifts of all. If I feel tired and want a break, or feel like I don't want to drag myself out of bed to train, I am reminded by these bracelets that leukemia and lymphoma sufferers don't get a break from their disease. It's a great motivator.

I'll update when I get back!
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Update: 9:46pm

Good news!! I haven't broken any more machines at the Y! Hooray! I think the staff are a little wary of me - in the past year I have broken the chain on a rowing machine, and caused the wheel casing of an elliptical machine to fly off mid work-out.

I'm an elliptical machine rat. I love the aerobic workout - sans damage and pounding to my knees and hips. So, it was with a little trepidation that I climbed onto the treadmill for today's training run/walk. When I saw what the training program had in store for me (5 min brisk walk warm up, alternating 1.5 min jogs and 2 min walks for a total of 20 minutes) I was tempted to scoff. Easy peasy, right?

Sort of.

I'd say the first 10 minutes were fine. Then my stride got a little wooden. I found myself glancing down at the stopwatch a little too much. Counting seconds until I could walk again. Muttering expletives at my whiny back and knees. The middle 5 minutes were a fight. The last 4 minutes felt better, only because I knew it would be over soon!

Stats:
total time: 30:00
mileage: 2.1 miles.

Ouch. But it's only the first day!