2011/100: Bonus – The Official wwwp5k
What: Worldwide WordPress 5k
When: Sunday, April 10, 2011
Time: Long before the crack of dawn
Where: A 24-Hour Fitness somewhere north of Dallas, TX
What a week this has been! I found out Monday morning that WordPress was organizing a worldwide 5k, and wanted their bloggers to participate. The official day for this is today, but you could walk/run any day this week. I thought this would be fun, and got my start on Monday, walking an extra mile, and having the (slightly out of focus and shaky) pictures to prove it.
Tuesday I took it a step further and walked 5 miles instead of 5 kilometers, and I challenged my couch potato readers to get off the couch and walk just one mile any day this week. In turn I would walk a 10k one day this week, and dedicate that second 5k to the couch potatoes Only ONE of my readers said that she would take me up on the challenge, hopefully she was able to do it 🙂
Wednesday was the day for my 5k times two, and again, I had the cell phone pictures to prove it.
On Thursday I went to the gym armed with my favorite magazine to help make those miles go by faster. One of the nice things about walking on a treadmill, you can prop up a magazine or book and read while you walk. I would not try this outdoors on a track, jogging track, etc.! I stopped my walk at 5k…. no motivation to walk extra.
Friday was my toughest day. I did not.want.to.be.there! I thought about quitting after every step I took, which makes for a very loooong 3.1 miles (aka. 5k). It didn’t help that I had to wait for a treadmill, and then got one in a less desirable location (no breeze from the air conditioning!). At least I still had my magazine to read, which helped just a little.
That day, Greg walked one mile on the treadmill, taking me up on my challenge, but his walk doesn’t really count, since he makes it to the gym almost every day to work out. He’s only a week-end couch potato 😉
I woke up bright and early on Saturday, and headed to the gym after a quick cup of coffee. It was so early that I had time to walk another 10k and still made it back home before everyone woke up.
This brings us to today, Sunday, April 10, 2011 and the official day for the wwwp5k.
I was up early again, and was at the gym at about 5:20 am. This early on a Sunday is really my favorite time to go, because the place is deserted. You could count the number of cars in the parking lot on one hand! I have my choice of treadmills, and chances are, there won’t be anyone annoying (like popping-bubblegum-bubbles-while-she-walks) next to me.
Today I walked 5k (3.1 miles) at an 18% incline at 3.8 mph….. bringing the GRAND TOTAL of miles walked this week to 30.8!
This was really fun (OK, except maybe on Friday! 😉 ) and just what I needed to get back to the gym regularly again, like I used to. I think WordPress should make this an annual event.
2011/098: Bonus – wwwp5k… Just Do It!
Friday…. six days in a row that I made it to the gym! I honestly don’t remember the last time THAT happened! Today I went at my usual time, which is right after I drop Melissa off at school. When I walked into the gym, all the treadmills were taken!! Well, not all of them, but the FreeMotion ones that I like, and there are only six of those, compared to probably about 15-20 of the other ones. I’d rather wait than get on one of those!
I go and put my bag, keys and glasses into a locker, and when I came back, saw that there were two other people sitting on the little bench, waiting, and still no open treadmills. Within a few minutes, one opens up and guy #1 snatches it up. I sit down on the bench, trying not to listen to myself talk myself into going home, because who knows how long I will have to wait? I didn’t really want to go to the gym today anyway. I ignore this inner voice and thankfully a few minutes later, another treadmill opens up, and guy #2 wasn’t waiting for one, so this one was mine. Unfortunately it wasn’t one of the two “good” ones (I already knew that), and there was no breeze from the air conditioner whatsoever. I wasn’t about to wait any longer, because then that inner voice would have won for sure!
I started out at the usual speed and incline, but quickly decided that nope, can’t do it today and lowered the incline and raised the speed to get this 5k over with asap. I had my magazine to read, but finished it before I reached that 3.1 miles, and stared at the distance display, just waiting for it to say 3.1 so I could press the stop button and go back home.
I’m glad I stuck it out and waited for the treadmill…. and walked the full distance, because going to the gym every day and pushing myself certainly has its perks. I admit that I really slacked off lately. In December I didn’t go to the gym at all, then only a few days in January. February looked a little better, but any excuse was a good enough reason not to go. March was looking much better, and I walked more in March than January and February combined. This month, WordPress gave me the kick in the pants I needed to get myself back to the gym regularly (thank you!!) and just this week, I lost a little over 2 lbs (but less than 3), bringing me back down to that 50 lbs lost milestone. Maybe, just maybe I’ll be able to lose another 6 or 7 lbs by summer.
I have an appointment with a personal trainer on Monday (earned a free session by working out a certain number of times – I think you only had to work out twice? I did more than that of course – in February). I’m hoping he can give me some tips on how to lose those last few pounds, and tell me which machines will be best for toning that flab!
2011/097: Bonus – wwwp5k, Thursday Edition
Today I went to the gym, not only armed with my iPod, but a magazine, too! Reading while walking (please do not try this outside!) really makes the miles go by faster.
Today’s numbers:
Distance: 3.1 miles (aka 5k)
Time elapsed: 49 minutes
Speed: 3.8 mph
Incline: 18%
Calories burned: 956
2011/096: Bonus – wwwp5k Times Two
Whew! I did it! I walked two 5ks today. The first 5k wasn’t too bad…. scored the best treadmill again…. and you should have seen the hill I found! 20% incline! I was in a hurry and walked to the top as fast as possible. I knew I was going to be there for 10k, and I wanted to get it over with.
At the first 5k finish line. Not sure what happened to the time display. The time and calorie displays blink when the treadmill is paused, I guess I caught it between blinks. Took just under 45 minutes to finish. Because I walked faster than the last couple of times, the calories burned (850) were less than at the slower speed, even with the higher incline.
The second 5k were a lot tougher. I wanted to quit every step of the way. I lowered the incline to between 15% and 18% and walked most of it at 16%. I increased the speed from 4.1 mph to 4.2 mph and finished in 90 minutes and 11 seconds. The calories display should read 1627, since it starts over after reaching 1000. One mistake I made was to only bring one bottle of water. It was just enough, but it would have been nice to have two.
OK, I held up my end of the deal, now it’s up to you (pointing at all couch potatoes reading this) to get up and get walking. One mile is easy, I promise! Oh, another great place to walk, is an indoor mall before the stores open, if the weather doesn’t cooperate, or you can’t make it to a gym. Maybe you can get a friend to join you and then go shopping afterwards 😉
2011/095: Bonus – wwwp5k, A Typo And A Challenge
5k? “K” is supposed to stand for kilometers? That can’t be, because the correct abbreviation for kilometers is km, so this must be a typo and should be an “m”, especially since this is the U.S. and they use miles here. Right? So I didn’t walk 5 kilometers today, I walked 5 miles.
Same hill as yesterday, but when I reached the 4 mile mark, it became less steep and I was able to increase my speed and get to my destination a little sooner 😉
This time I smuggled my camera into the gym, and took some pictures in the changing room. There are several private ones in the hallway, across from the lockers where I lock up my gym bag while I work out. I might talk with the club manager tomorrow and see if I can get permission to take a few pictures on Sunday morning.
And here is my challenge:
I’m going to walk a 10k sometime this week (by Sunday), so if any of my blog readers are couch potatoes, I challenge you to get off the couch and walk just one mile between now and Sunday and I will dedicate that second 5k to you. After your 1-mile-walk, e-mail me and tell me about it (contact info is in side bar), you can even send a picture, and you get to be a guest blogger on my blog. You do not have to have your own blog.
One mile is easy, it’s 15-20 minutes of brisk walking, or 4 laps around the track. Junior highschools and highschools usually have a track that you can use during non-school hours. Can’t get outside? Ask your local gym if they offer free trial memberships.
So, couch potatoes, get off the couch and get walking! One mile is a great start, and I know you can do it!
2011/094: Bonus – wwwp5k And The Extra Mile
My fellow WordPress bloggers may have heard about the Worldwide WordPress 5k run/walk. Some of you may have gotten an e-mail from them. I didn’t, but read about it on Karma’s blog. Lucky for me, it was this morning before I headed to the gym, and even luckier for me, the rules state that you can do this inside, on a treadmill. With allergy season in full swing here in the Dallas, TX area, it’s so much more pleasant to walk at the gym.
I scored the best treadmill, too, because you can feel the breeze when the air conditioning kicks in.
You’ll have to excuse the terrible quality of the pictures, because photography is not allowed at 24-Hour Fitness, and I had to sneak a couple of pictures with the cellphone. Had to of course have the flash turned off, so the pictures are a little blurry. Too bad I didn’t know about the 5k yesterday, because I was at the gym so early, I may have been able to get permission for a couple of pictures, since there was almost no one else there. Oh well.
So, here is my “finish line”. Not only did I walk 5k, I did it all at an 18% incline!
To explain the numbers you see: 18.0 is the incline, 47:25 is the time in minutes/seconds, 3.10 is distance in miles, 875 is calories burned, and 3.8 is speed in mph.
I didn’t stop there, though, and walked an extra mile. I kept the incline setting the same, but varied the speed. Again, the numbers you see are incline (18.0%), time elapsed (62 min, 30 seconds), distance (4.11 miles) and calories burned. The counter starts over when you reach 1000, so this should actually read 1160
This was fun, and just what I needed to get me to the gym today (thought about skipping it).
2009/256: Glimpse Of The Future
I can just see her fifteen years from now, walking down the street just like this, but her shorts are replaced by a long, flowing skirt, and her socks and tennis shoes are replaced by 3″ heels.
The Daily Click 