Reflections

Sounds like a spiritual book...and I guess, in my mind, it is, so to speak. This morning I went on an "easy run" per my runnersworld training guide. It says run 2 miles at a 13:55 minute per mile pace. Only 2 miles....easy peasy morning. Got it done nice and early and I have the exact to the hundreth of a mile 2-mile route. As I was coming upon my 1-mile marker to turn around, I realized that I hit it in 12:56. A little more than a full minute LESS THAN what I was supposed to do. So, I slowed it down the second mile and felt like my feet were dragging. Literally, I was sometimes scuffing the toes on the pavement. I was, in one sense, really proud of myself (hence the Reflections title). As I reflected upon the journey, even since April 18, and choosing to train for a 1/2 marathon...I realized how far I have come. I would have never thought that running any kind of pace could be considered slow!

But speaking of proud, I have to say that I am so so so proud of my sister, Joanna. She ran her first 5K (since beginning training for the 1/2) on Saturday and I couldn't have been more proud of her accomplishment. I was more impressed that she went at it all by herself. She CHOSE to run a 5K with no support running with her and she kicked running booty! She had written on her blog about being competitive with me about this running thing and at first, I was a little hurt. But after further "reflection :)" I was also very flattered. We are, in one way, using each other to be the best motivation for each other and I guess I feel the same way- especially since I know that driving each other to be the best we can be and pushing each other that little extra step is ultimately driving us to each the exact same goal- to run a 1/2 marathon together!

Hallelujah!

I am singing at the top of my lungs....well, in my head anyway. I was a little nervous to start my new training schedule today, but ready for a challenge again. So, I look at my schedule last night to mentally prepare myself for what Friday's workout was going to entail. Oh no....optimism gone....it was a speedwork day!!! I have notrun 3 miles consecutively since April 18 (the day of the 5K). I have been doing so much interval training that not only am I now supposed to run 3 miles with ny breaks, but I am also supposed to do it in a faster mile per minute time than my goal time is! Holy crow.....this is disheartening.

However....I told myself to do one mile. I got to 1 mile in 12:06, exactly what I was supposed to do. Whew...this is getting hard. I keep telling myself, just make it to mile 2. Mile 2 done and am shaving some time off my "training guide" time. Run to 2.5, oh man, this is getting really hard. Downhill slope now....just have to make it another 1/2 mile. I finished!!! With about 25 seconds to spare! I did it! My body did it!! My body did everything I asked of it and while I was drenched with sweat, having a difficult time catching my breath, and inhaling water by the gallons- I did it! I ran like a girl :)

Pushing it to the limits

Today I did my longest run to date. I ran for 52 minutes! How crazy is that? However, I was pretty much dragging my legs on the last 5 minutes or so and thought I was going to fall off the back of the treadmill.

Changes are in the works though as I try to decide how I am going to change up the next however many weeks until I start serious training for the marathon. I need to increase endurance. I am still struggling to finish 3-3.5 miles and that is not good enough if I want to start reaching towards the places I want to be when marathon training get underway.

Besides my workouts, I am also going to start a running log. I want to see how far I am coming, making sure I am making progress and improving. It'll also be really great to look back every few weeks as motivation.

Here we go again

I know it's been awhile since I updated the running blog. We have been so busy with company that I haven't had the time to update, not to mention that I feel soooooo defeated right now. I am having so many breathing problems. I get into my run and can't breath in through my nose. I get myself worked up and am truly struggling my the time I round into the driveway.

I did run on Friday. Saturday, our 1-mile race was cancelled due to the terrible weather. Sunday, I took a day off because of terrible weather. Monday, Ben and I went for a 30 minute run. It's not distance I am ever concerned about, it is always 30 minutes and recently, I have been trying to push myself really hard and and 30 minutes as fast as I can. I thought I was going to die, literally, with as hard as I was moving out trying to keep pace with Ben. We were running at 6.5-7 miles an hour.

Tomorrow, my plan is to run for 1 hour at the gym. Hopefully, with no humidity, I will be able to maintain a better pace and I can finish feeling confident.

Running in the rain

I have found that the best therapy is to run in the rain. It feels like such a cleansing and it really reinvigorated my training.

Thursday, I went to water aerobics and it went well. I felt good but once Ben got home I felt like my soul needed a cleansing and I went for a run. I was just curious to see how I did. I took longer than I intended but in all fairness, it was raining and I ran through so many puddles my shoes were soaking wet and weighed about 5 pounds each. I ran 2.38 miles in 28:50. Not too bad and I felt awesome when I got home.

Today, I went for my normal Friday run. It's typically a 5X1, followed by as much time as I can possibly do and then finished with two 5x1's. I did 2.92 miles in 38:35. I ran 32 minutes of it. Pretty proud of myself, but unfortunately, my thighs are feeling every minute of these last two runs. Tomorrow we are running the Savannah Miler. Even though it is only a mile, all the proceeds benefit the dependents of fallen firefighters, a cause I am certainly going to support. I wish I could say I had a goal for finish time, but honestly I want to shoot for less than a 10-minute mile.

Been awhile, old friend

I pretty much feel like I was on a workout vacation the last few days. It hasn't been good either and it feels awesome to get back out there again.

Saturday was my off day, as always. Off day in terms of exercise and off day in terms of dieting too. Holy moly....it feels like I ate in one weekend what I took off in one week. Sunday, I knew I really needed to get out there and do a timed distance run because I always slack on my Sunday runs and I know I have to figure out where I'm at and how I'm doing. Unfortunately, my husband had alternate ideas and we had gotten into a horrific fight that day. I thought a run would do me good and help clear my head, but 2 miles in and I was fuming and steaming. I couldn't concentrate on what was going on, I lost my focus and had to just stop. I felt lousy. It felt lousy walking home. (On a side note, we are going to be fine....we have a lot to work on, but it's going to be okay.)

I thought to myself, no worries, Monday is a new day, a new week and I can pick back up again and I'll be fine. Someone forgot to tell the weather. I woke up and it was raining and cold, and it didn't let up. It rained all day long, there goes my excitment for starting over with new motivation.

Tuesday I went to water aerobics and it felt good to stretch my muscles, but again, because of the weather, we were home bound in terms of our 3-mile walk. Today I ran, and again, the weather cut it short. I ran for 42 minutes and in the 6th set of my 5x1, it started raining. I was afraid of the skies opening up and pouring on Connor, so we turned around and high tailed it out of there.

I have to say, that I am mildly disappointed in myself. I am getting discouraged that I may not be able to do this. I haven't run a timed 3-mile in so long....and the marathon is 4 times longer than that!!! I really need to put my focus and motivation in the right places and really take this seriously. I won't be able to do it if I don't let myself believe that I can do it. I will be defeated before I even give it an honest attempt.

Extra work=Extra dessert

I have lost 2 pounds so far this week between my new runner's diet and the hard work I have been putting in with my workouts. I am hoping this means when I FINALLY have a date night with my husband tomorrow, I can have a fabulous dessert!!

I went to water aerobics this morning and had a fairly good workout. It felt good because it we focused on legs, which doesn't happen very often. I didn't get a 3-mile walk in this afternoon, but it was pretty hot out!! I did almost two miles and was sweating to death, mostly because of the humidity. It's going to be a hot summer!

Post-Birthday Workout

Yesterday was my birthday and it was another day. I went to the gym and did water aerobics in the morning. I was actually really proud of myself because when I got home, I did an additional leg workout as well as a 2 mile walk with the kids.

Today, I was going to forego my run because stress levels have been so high lately that I didn't feel like I was able to function enough to make a run. I did force myself out there and did really well. I was happy with myself! I also felt so much better. I needed the run to clear my head and think clearly. Bonus, I did more than my 3-mile goal and maintained a 5.5 mile/hour pace. Not too bad for not even wanting to go!

Try and Try again

This morning I went out for my morning run. I had a pre-run snack (from the Runner's Diet that I started today) and it, surprisingly, held me over for the entire run. I didn't feel hungry at all, but energized! Unfortunately, I felt so energized that I was cookin' on my 5 min. interval runs and was running an average of 5.5 miles per hour! I guess what I get for pushing so hard is being unable to finish the entire run. I finished 4 of my 5 min. intervals and walked the remainder of my workout. Also, unfortunately I came no where near my 3-mile daily goal. I am going to have to find one solid 3-mile route to run on Mondays. Wednesdays are going to be at the gym now, so I don't need to worry about that and I can't figure out what I am going to do about Friday's yet. Those may be at the gym as well.

Awesome frustration leads to awesome workout

The frustration from all the work situation going on with Ben has pushed me to work hard. I went on a run this morning and did things a little differently from our normal running morning schedule. I waited until Connor had his breakfast before we left. We went and as I started I knew I was feeling good but I didn't know how good and motivated I was feeling until I picked up for my long stretch. I did my first 5X1 then planned on running for a straight 15. As I got near the 13.5 mark, I decided I would keep going until 20 and see how I felt then. I got to 20 and still felt awesome but decided to switch back to 5x1's because I knew I had a few more of those and needed to have enough energy to finish. I did my first 5x1 after the 20 and was getting tired but knew I wanted to finish strong. I walked 2 minutes and then ran the rest of the way home...more than 5 minutes!!! Total time out was 46:24 but the exciting news was that I ran 38:11 of it!!!! I was more than happy with that and feel awesome about my acheivement today!

A Walking Fool

The day did not go as planned today. Typical day in our home, really. I wanted to go to water aerobics this morning, but Connor had other plans. He was such a wreck....acting sleepy , not wanting a nap. Walking, weebling and falling down, screaming and still not wanting to go to bed. We finally had some breakfast and then he went down for nap...only 20 minutes before we were going to have to leave to get to the pool on time. So much for water aerobics. I didn't have enough motivation to do a strength training routine here at the house either, but I did walk for almost 50 minutes, which is better than nothing. It was REALLY hot out though. I am going to need to remember to take a water bottle with me on walks from now on!

Are you kidding me?

This morning I will be more than willing to admit that I had no desire to run. I woke up with Connor at 6:00am. and was so tired I went right back to sleep. I got up with him at 7:00am. and we were out the door by 7:10am. Today was going to be long....7 5X1's. I got through my first 3 and needed to get back home for a pit-stop. That must have been my downfall because I headed out for the last 4 and was dying through each 5 minutes section.

It really could have been any number of things. I was getting incredibly hungry, my pit-stop at home broke my rhythm, Dakota had to go to the bathroom and then sniff every blade of grass at every telephone pole so I was pulling at her leash. Regardless, when I got home, I made the decision that there will be no more long runs outdoors with Connor and Dakota. The jogger is getting too heavy for that type of longer run and Connor is getting irritated because he doesn't want to sit there for that long when he is starting to get hungry as well. And I'm not even going to start with my dog issues and running!

Needless to say, I didn't complete. I did 5.5 of my 7 5X1's. I can't dwell on it though, only put away and remember that tomorrow is another day.

Just another manic...tuesday?!?

This morning I didn't get to go to water aerobics like I normally do. Connor had his 1-yr. doctor's appointment, so went there instead but I was determined to still get a strength training session in. It worked out perfectly because I waited for Connor to wake up, let him play in the playroom and I used my ball to do my workout in the playroom with him. The storm is moving in so I don't know if I am going to get a walk in before the rains come.

I have come to realize there is a lot I need to work on. I am just gliding my right now, but to really reach my goals, I need to get better at pushing myself and being diligent on "non-run" days to follow through with the plan I have set for myself. The other thing I am desperately working on is diet.

I have mentioned this time and time again in my blogging about my need to control and monitor caloric intake. I am in the process of researching dieting (even though I don't believe in the word) for runners. I have begun to read The Runner's Diet from Runner's World. I am finding it so interesting how delusional I have been about food. What I need and certainly DO NOT need as I run. Because I am organizational central and being organized through lists is how I function, tonight, I will be making lists of foods that I can eat as well as a strict menu for the next two weeks. I want to see if I can follow a regime for two weeks. I really need to change my overall eating habits anyway, this is a great springboard. Another one of my problems is being a bored eater and I need to have a little more self control and not shove something in my mouth because I have nothing better to do.

Like everything else, I am learning to never make tons of drastic changes but a few I can live with and start there.

Another week begins

A new week starts. This weekend we celebrated Connor's first birthday....all weekend long. Family was visitng from out of town and while we love having company and spending time with family it, inevitably, screws with my diet, workouts, etc. I always want to spend more time with family than watching what I am eating or making time for a run or workout.

Despite all that, I was looking at the pictures from the birthday party and while my shirt was billowy, I was VERY unhappy with what I saw. I knew then I needed to change my eating habits dramatically. Running is NOT enough. I got a book in the mail on Saturday, "The Runner's Diet." I haven't been able to get through much of it, but what I have has reminded me that I am completely ignorant of what and how much I should be eating for the type and level of activity I am doing. I guess this is a process.....

Anyway, I ran this morning and was pretty proud of myself. I ran 3.16 miles in 38:42. It seems like a lot but I know I was cooking while I was running because my average moving time was 5.1 miles per hour. If I could keep up that pace, I would make my goal of running the half marathon in 2.5 hours. Now, granted, its going to take a lot of work and time to get there...but it's a start and a motivational boost that I really needed.

Emotional Days

This morning we went on a run.....however, let me backtrack and fill you in on yesterday. I love running, but I always look forward to Tuesdays and Thursdays because it is water aerobics days. Connor and I were up, out the door and to the pool, only to find out that it was temporarily closed. GREAT! That is the perfect start to the day. I pretended to tell myself that it was fine, I could use the time out productively by running a few errands in the morning and then get a strength training workout in later in the day. Let me tell you how that plan went....two thumbs way down! I did get the errands run but started getting a migrane and didn't want to deal with that, so I basically just tried to take care of myself the rest of the day.

Today, I woke up feeling incredibly refreshed and ready to take on my new challenging run. I guess my head was ready but my body was still waking up. My legs were sooo heavy, but in all fairness I haven't pushed myself like that in quite some time. I did a brief warm-up, did one 5X1, ran for 15 minutes straight, walked for 2min. and then ran the rest of the way to the house for a total of 7:30 minutes. After looking at the Garmin, I had to remind myself that I can't be concerned with my miles/minute right now, but that I am focusing on completing the workout and building endurance.

I finished 2.58 miles in 34:32.