Pumpkin to Princess ~ Week Two

From Pumpkin to Princess

The Road to Fit and Fabulous

One Week Down!

Well here we are. One week of training down...only 36 to go! As I mentioned last week, every Saturday we will not only be giving you the training plan for the upcoming week but we will be discussing our progress thus far. And since runDisney pushed back the race one more week, that's one more week we have to get ready!

If I'm being completely honest, I had a rough week. As most of you know (or are experiencing yourself) the temperatures dropped considerably this week making the first official week of training even more difficult. In 2010, I trained for the Princess 1/2 marathon during the winter so I am definitely used to running in the cold but the frigid temperatures and sub-zero wind chill kept me indoors this time around.

We've had some questions about what to do in this weather and our recommendations all pretty much come back to this: Keep moving! At this point in the training, we are just trying to get you from sitting on the couch to moving and elevating your heart rate. So if that means walking your stairs, turning on a workout video, playing Just Dance or Wii Fit, playing ball with your kids or dog, dusting off your old piece of exercise equipment and actually using it, joining a gym, or braving the cold you are making progress!

Week Two

Week Two is going to be much of the same but we are now aiming to decrease the amount of walk time to 1:30 instead of 2:00. So, remember that last week we were running for one minute then walking for two? This week, we would like to to try to run for one minute then walk for 1:30. We will continue with the length of time being a minimum of 10-15 minutes (plus a 5 minute warm-up) but now we are aiming to complete one mile. The walk/run times are mere guidelines and are to be altered depending on your fitness level. If you can only run for 30 seconds and walk for 2 minutes, that's fine too! If the answer to the question, "Are you doing more for your health this week than you did last week?" is "YES" then good for you!!

Walkers this is also your week to try and complete one mile. Continue more of what you did last week but your goal is to be able to complete a mile by your final session this week.

That's it! We'll meet back up next Saturday to discuss our goals for week three and talk about how we did on week two. Also, don't forget to check out Didi's website :DisTherapy for more beginner tips every Tuesday!

Now, for The Disney Gal Confessional. Here's how we did:

Disney Gal Tricia:

Well, the last thing I want to do is start off my entry with an excuse but here it is: As stated above, I am a big wimp and it was WAY too cold outside for me this week. I do not have a gym membership or a treadmill so I had to improvise. My workout this week consisted of a workout video (50 minutes) on Tuesday and using the elliptical on Thursday and Friday (20 minutes) staying consistent with the high speed for 1 minute, slow speed for 2 minutes, and so on. So did I follow The Disney Gals plan? Nope, but I did stay on track with moving three days this week so I have to still be happy with myself. It's better then I did last week, right?

Tip: I also wanted to add one of my favorite "tips" and it doesn't really have anything to do with the running. It more so has to do with the fashion ;) If anyone is in the market for new running gear, do yourself a favor and stay away from buying original price items at places like Sports Authority or Dick's. Instead, try out your luck at your local discount stores like TJ Maxx or Marshall's. I had bought tons of high quality, name-brand clothes for half or sometimes less-than-half price!!


Disney Gal Judy:

Okay like Tricia it really has been too cold here in the "Windy City" to be outside walking anywhere, even to our cars.  I too had to improvise a little (I do have an elliptical and a new Pilate's reformer for my knee, which I cannot use unless my husband is home to help get up off the floor and he has been working every other day at the Fire Department this week so that went out the window), so instead I used my stairs, we have a two story home and I took advantage of those stairs, up and down them a few times just for the exercise (yes my dogs think I am crazy), but better than nothing at all. 

Tip:  One of my tips from my physical therapists is too lay on your stomach on your bed with your leg dangling off just past your knee for 20 second counts and lift your leg back up (folding it at the knee), this strengthens your calf muscles.  If it gets too easy you can always add your purse for weight.


Disney Gal Kelly:

Seems the Gals like warmer weather, as I also did my workouts indoors. I started on an indoor track using a stopwatch app on my phone. Just to be totally clear, my warm up walk was at a 3.5 mph pace, training walk was at 3.8 mph and my "run" was at 4.3 mph. I'd have to say the run was more of a race walk, arms pumping and all, but after 15 minutes of going back and forth I was pretty darn sweaty.  On my off days I've been doing Zumba and The Biggest Loser walking DVD. All was going well until I slipped down my stairs Wednesday morning. My knee and hip are not very happy with me at the moment so I've been taking it a little easier these past couple days. 

Tip: Keep your stairs clear and always turn a light on :)


**These tips and plans will not be a perfect fit to every runner/walker and we encourage everyone to consult their doctor before beginning any training plan.**

For more information about joining our FREE running Team, click here.

For more information about meeting up with the Team for an unforgettable Meet and Greet, click here.