couch to 5k - week 2 review

I did this this for Week 1, and here is Week 2! I had said I might re-do week 2, but Jenny told me to just give it a try, and it went really well! I'm enjoying getting out in the fresh air (even though it's freezing most days) and I think the extra cardio in my fitness routine is doing me good. Anyway, here is the run down...

RUN 1: 25/01/2015, 9am, frozen ground, a bit cloudy, a bit windy, brightening up towards end of run.
As I said in my last post, I had my concerns about being able to do week 2, if I hadn't run for the whole 8 minutes. However, I attempted it and did really well! I think I actually quite enjoyed today's run, weirdly. Missed one of the intervals because I was fiddling with my headphones, so actually replayed it instead of just cheating myself and giving up, so feel really proud of myself for that. Had a bit of an ache in my hip from the previous runs, but I made sure to do a good few stretches when I got home and hopefully that will help.

RUN 2: 01/02/2015, 9.45am, 2.36 miles, cloudy with a bit of sun, two degrees and very windy.
I was actually really looking forward to todays run, I'm annoyed that I didn't manage to go at all this week because it's been snowing. It was SO cold out and very windy but I'm proud of myself for running the whole 9 minutes. I was actually really getting into it, even though I felt kind of sick at the end, I didn't look to see how far through I was until I was on the very last run, so obviously my stamina is improving! Breathed better this week, and had less muscle pain (none in my hamstrings!), just the same ache in my hip, that I need to work on stretching out.

RUN 3: 04/02/2015, 8.30am, 2.32 miles, very cold and cloudy, icy ground with some snow. 
The ground was very icy and I slipped several times (no falls though, my balance is improving!) so I had to go very slow. My time per mile was awful, but at least I went! I ran through all 9 minutes of it with a lot more ease this morning. Hip still ached post-run, no hamstring problems anymore.

Thoughts at the end of the week?
Need to research some better stretches for my hip, as nothing seems to be helping it. I also have a reoccurring pain in my knee that I've had for years (and attributed to be overweight) that I want to get seen too, as it feels like I've got a lump of cartilage or something where I shouldn't have... Also worried about being able to do week 3, but my lovely friend Tara is encouraging me on Instagram, so are my friends and family, so hopefully I can keep on going!

Weight lost?
A tentative 3lbs, that I'm mostly attributing to last week when I ate better. I feel like I look thinner though in the mirror, particularly around my hips/bum/lower stomach where I hold a lot of weight. I posted a little picture of my progress over on my Instagram, if you're interested! 

Well I feel like I'm making some progress, even if my last run was painfully slow. Finally got my GPS tracker working, so I can see the sort of miles and speed that I'm doing. Got myself some new tops and stuff to run in, invested in an Under-Armour t-shirt and an Addidas vest, so now I've got some options. I'm also thinking about getting myself some better shoes, still, going to check out a running shop this week or next to look into it.

Are you doing couch to 5k?! How is it going? Please share your story below, I need inspiration and motivation!