brief, tired.

Saturday's eight miles... oh boy. It was tough. I was at a slower pace than I've been in a while but I don't give a shit because I still ran eight miles. It took me an hour and a half. Over an 11:00 min/mile pace. Whatevz.

Running my first official 10K this weekend! It'll be nice to have an easier long run day (although the race is on the beach, which may prove more difficult than I'm anticipating). I'm going to enjoy the mileage cut back because the following week is 9.5 miles. HOLY. SHIT. How am I going to do it? My brain is my worst enemy on these runs. Boredom is brutal. Must find entertainment. But even though it seems unfathomable, I know I'll manage, even if I want to die and sleep in a lawn before finishing.

Early to bed tonight and for the rest of the week. I've got some serious sleep to catch up on.

i'm back!

I feel like I haven't posted here in forever, but it turns out it's only been a week. Since my last post, I've been keeping up with my runs and on Saturday I ran the longest run I have ever run in my entire life - 7.17 miles. I seriously feel like such a badass. Me? Run 7 miles? Straight? Yep, that's right. I celebrated the achievement thoroughly at our homemade pizza party that night. Now every Saturday is going to boost my confidence even more as I continue to beat my own records.

Today for my 4 mile run, I ran a route that I used when I had my four mile 'long' run. I remember running it back then and stopping RIGHT when I hit the four mile mark, even though I usually just make it back to the house before stopping, regardless of if I go a little over on the scheduled miles. That day, though, I didn't even make it back to the house. I did what I had to do and not a bit more. I basically gave up. Today I made it back to the house and felt good. It totaled 4.32 miles and I ran it in 46:27. My progress is clear and it is awesome.

My mood has been a little weird lately. I've been feeling a little out of place in my world. Running is my therapy.

feelin' like a badass.

Not gonna lie, this morning has been pretty awesome. My alarm went off at 6:45AM, and I'll admit I hit snooze once or twice, but I was out of bed by 7AM. I grabbed a pre-run snack, got dressed, and started my run. Six miles. One of the longest runs, if not THE longest run, I've done in my life. With the way my 5.5 mile run went last week, I was a bit concerned, but holy shit this run was amazing. I felt strong the whole time. I did 6.04 miles in 63:29. So I'm still keeping a sub-11:00 min/mile pace. According to the HRM, I burned 857 calories. Daaaaaaaaaamn. I'm ready to eat pasta tonight!

I bought a new pair of running shoes and a running belt yesterday. The shoes are the Mizuno Wave Runners. I'm not sure how I feel about them yet. I took them for a short test run yesterday and I felt like my legs were tweaking a little more than normal, but if I remember correctly my old Asics did the same when I first got them and now I love them. They have certainly been good to me. I'll keep them around for the long runs until I break in the new shoes with the short runs. I wore the running belt for the first time today and I kind of love it. It wasn't remotely uncomfortable and I liked being able to carry the water bottles around and stay hydrated during the run. I feel like that may have been a contributing factor to my terrific run today.

The folks are coming into town soon. Our pasta dinner will be made with homemade tomato sauce (from homegrown tomatoes) and homegrown eggplant. Did I mention I can't wait to eat pasta?

take that, holidays!

There's something so very satisfying about knowing that you kicked ass this week on the fitness front. I did all my scheduled runs PLUS some. Thursday was a travel day for me so there was no working out. Friday I made it to a zumba class at my favorite studio here in town and it totally kicked my ass. I wore my heart rate monitor and found that I burned 672 calories during the hour!

Saturday I was a little too sore from zumba to get my five mile run in, so instead I went to the gym with my mom and did an easy 45 minute elliptical work out. I only burned about 350 calories but I figured it was better than doing nothing at all.

This morning, even with some congestion and the feelings of a head cold, I got my ass out there and ran my five miles! I'm not going to say it felt good, because it was hard and I was fighting the wind and some achy legs, but I did get a second wind as I was finishing up my last mile and I completed the run in 53:22. Still at a sub-11:00 min/mile. I need to do some serious stretching today. In fact, I will do that as soon as I hop off the computer.

Since I have a temporary guest pass for my mom's gym until I leave town, I think tomorrow morning I'll get one last visit in before I hit the road. I'm definitely just going to walk on the treadmill. I need something very light! I haven't been sore from working out in so long, so I want to get some active recovery in.

My feet stink, that means it's time to shower. But first - a damn good stretching session! Merry Christmas, y'all!

getting my head back in the game.

It was a close call, but I did get my run done yesterday. I almost bailed again due to a post-work nap, but I got myself moving and did 4.06 miles in 44:38. Just under an 11:00 min/mile. I'm seeing an improvement in my pace trends. It used to be over an 11:00 pace every time, and lately it's all been below. Progress! Aiming for a three mile run tonight to catch up and get back on my schedule.

My eating has been bad and I think I'm realizing it's because I was getting bored with my diet. I eat generally the same things every day for lunch and my boredom was causing me to go down to the food court and get something different than what I had brought. So rather than bringing the same old salad every day I am trying to find different ways to get the fruits and veggies into my lunch. Today I brought a little bit of pasta with homemade tomato sauce and some leftover asparagus and butternut squash. I brought an apple and some carrots as a snack.

I just registered for a 10K in January, too! Just a little something to keep me motivated through the winter. It's the Surf N Turf 10K on the island. So far I'm going it alone, but I'll see if I can't recruit some buddies.

BRRRRRRRR.

IT. IS. COLD.

3.63 miles tonight, 37:49. I'm always happy with a sub 11:00 min/mile and my times seem to be improving significantly in the past week or two. I've been around 10:30-ish. I don't feel like writing a lot, but I did the scheduled run and that's all that matters.

Hot shower time.

P.S.

Mini success: my heart rate monitor was falling down a lot today during the run. Time to tighten it up! Good thing? I certainly think so.

recaps.

I'll start with the recap of today's run. I did the 3.11 mile route and finished in 32:50. That set me at a 10:33 min/mile pace. Better than most lately. I definitely pushed harder and was more tired, but I was able to keep that pace up consistently throughout the entire run so I wasn't pushing TOO hard. I'm glad I forced myself to go right after work, I was feeling really tired and wanted to chill out. I know if I had plopped down on the couch I'd still be there right now, though.

Since it is December 1st, I suppose that means I have officially completed my first month of training. It's been good so far. I only missed one 2.5 mile run, but I added two extra runs throughout the month, one of which was a 3.74 mile run a few days after the missed run, so I more than made up for it. So far, I'm injury free. No sign of shin splints, minimal knee pain/discomfort. I've been icing my knees after runs as needed. I should probably start stretching more, though, so there's a goal I can have for the upcoming months. I'm feeling strong, seeing some progress in different forms, and am excited about continuing training - I'd say month #1 was a success!

Well, it's time to shower and raid the fridge. Maybe I'll head out for a beer later..

extra run

Yesterday I decided to pop in an extra run for the week. Since I indulged so much over Thanksgiving I figured it would do me some good. I planned on doing a short, leisurely run of maybe two miles or so. Well, Roommate hadn't done his long run on Saturday so I ended up tagging along while he did it. So it was a 3.72 mile run and we finished in 41:44, making it an 11:13 min/mile. I felt great throughout the whole run. The pace was perfect and I didn't have any leg pain and my breathing was easier than it has been. The run just felt like a breeze.

Since I did two long runs two days in a row, I'm debating how to approach the rest of the week. I do feel that I can still manage my normal scheduled runs, even with that extra 3.72 in there, but I fear injury. So I might switch Tuesday's three miler out for a two miler and call it even. I've got a three mile run scheduled for Thursday and a four miler on Saturday. The four mile run will be the longest I've done in about a year.

So far so good (nay, GREAT) with training.

my first '5K'.

This afternoon was the Turkey Trot on campus. It claimed to be a three mile run, costing only a canned good donation to participate. We were on our marks and started the race at 5PM and I started my HRM. This was a tough one. It was more inclines than I was used to and I could feel myself going faster than normal just because I was running with other people. But I was really disappointed when I got to the 'half-mile' marker and checked my timer - 6:30. Wait.. what? Really? There's no way I'm running at a 13:00 min/mile pace when I'm pushing super hard and my HRM is telling me my heart rate is at like 90%. No. Freaking. Way. Plus a bunch of children were kicking my ass, it was very disheartening. So I just continued on my way and continued to be confused as to how my time was so shitty when I was working so hard.

My final time was 38:00 min/mile - a far cry from the 30 minute goal that I had set for myself. I truly felt that there was absolutely no way that I took that long to run three miles. Even at my slowest I'm sitting at a 12:00 min/mile. And this definitely wasn't my slowest. Roommate and I cooled down a bit and drank some water while I bitched about how something was fishy. So we get home and I pull up MapMyRun and... sure enough...

The freaking route was 3.74 miles! I feel much better about a time of 38:00 minutes for that distance. And it makes much more sense. Running a 10:09 pace is good for me, and sustaining it for almost four miles would explain why I was pooped.

So I'll consider my first race a win. Now for a shower and a turkey burger.

11.12.2011

Had my second 'long run' of training today. It was just another three miles. I did the 5K loop that I'm familiar with around the neighborhood. The weather was terrific. Nice and breezy and cool. So I did 3.11 miles in 33:20, putting me at a 10:43 min/mile pace. I know my first mile was done in about 10 minutes, but it tired me out and I slowed down for the last two. Boyfriend rode alongside me on the bike and we brought the pup.

So week 2 of training is DONE. I even got an extra run in this week. I'll call that a success. Roommate and I are already planning out our longer routes for when we get up to the five mile-ish mark. Still have a couple of weeks to go until then, though.

We are running a Turkey Trot on campus on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. My tentative goal is to do it in 30 minutes. We'll see what happens.

11.10.2011

Did my second 2.5 miler of the week today. I did the same route as on Tuesday, so it was really 2.57 miles. On Tuesday, my time was 28:30, today it was 26:25! Shaved two minutes off. I partially blame the dog because he was pulling me a bit but, hey, whatever works! No knee issues today, even though I forgot to wear my brace. So all in all a good run. I've got a three mile 'long' run on Saturday and that will complete Week 2 of half-marathon training. Lovin' it.

The boy gets in tonight at midnight! Woohoo!

catching up.

I have neglected this thing for the past week or so! Things have been crazy with work and my mom came into town. I've been keeping up with training, though, don't worry! I did my 3 mile long run on Saturday (which ended up being 3.3 miles) in about 36 minutes. I wasn't supposed to run again until today, but after a stressful day at work yesterday I needed a release. I set out and did a very slow 1.68 mile jog. I was at about a 12 min/mile pace. I think I was going too slow and I ended up causing some knee discomfort.

Today I wore my knee brace for my scheduled 2.5 mile run. Roommate and I did a route around the 'hood and it ended up being 2.57 miles in 28:30, setting us at an 11:05 min/mile pace. It felt really good. It's a good sign that a) my heart rate isn't getting up into the crazy percentages nearly as much during my runs so my fitness is improving and b) we can have short conversations while we run. While I might not be seeing major improvements in my times, these are definitely minor victories for me.

I iced my knee after the run today with some frozen onions. I think I'll take a shower and eat some beans for dinner and then hit the hay early. I worked an eleven hour day today in preparation for our big donor event tomorrow, and I'm sure tomorrow will be almost the same. BUT it will all be over and done with in less than 24 hours and the boy gets into town on Thursday and all will be good.

11.2.2011 workout.

Today was day 2 of half marathon training. Roommate and I went to a local high school track to do this run. We wanted the springiness of the track versus the ouchiness of the road and sidewalks. We did ten laps, 2.5 mile, in 26 minutes. That set us at an average of 10:24 min/mile pace. Not too shabby! We did a few laps harder than others with easier laps in between. It was a challenge but nothing too awful. We walked another half a mile after our run.

So track runs... not awful. But definitely not something that I'd want to do all the time or for more than three mile runs. But now that I know it's there, I might make use of it for some intervals or something.

My eating has been atrocious this past week. Like.. sitting on the couch eating out of a bag of Doritos atrocious. I've gotta work on that.

My momma is coming to visit this weekend, I'm super excited about it. I'm going to show her around work, take her to lunch, make her walk around downtown with me, and cook bread with her!

11.1.2011 workout.

I took yesterday off from working out and as soon as I got home from work, I showered and got ready to hand out candy! We brought the fire pit and chairs out into the front yard and had a fire, some red wine, and our guitars. It was divine. I probably had a little too much wine but I was still in bed at a reasonable hour. I didn't wake up in time to take a shower this morning so my hair smelled of bonfire all day. I secretly didn't really mind too much.

Today is the first day of half-marathon training. I'm starting small and slowly working my mileages up. This first week consists of miles that I have been running for the past few weeks anyways. Today was a two miler (it ended up being 2.08 miles) and I did it in 21:00 mins. THAT PUTS ME AT A 10:05 min/mile. Much, much better than where I have been. So hooray for that. I did a five minute cool down walk afterward, and when I got home I did some squats, planks, and leg lift donkey kick lookin' things (I have no idea what the hell they're called, but it worked my ass).

The rest of the week looks something like this:

• Wednesday: nice, leisurely bike ride
  
• Thursday: 2.5 mile run
• Friday: nice, leisurely walk
  
• Saturday: 3 mile long run

My mom is coming to visit this weekend, as well, so I think I will recruit her for my walk on Saturday! She has been getting more active, as well, and I'm really proud of her! Momma has been tearin' up the gym 4x a week!

I ate a cupcake today.

10.21.2011 workout

I took yesterday as a rest day. I just didn't have time to run. When I got home from work, I had to run to the grocery store to get food and pumpkin carving supplies. Then we came home and had the girls over for the carving! I carved a dinosaur. It was really fun. We went to see Jared play afterward and I got pretty silly.

I woke up early today and cleaned most of the day. When Dave got home from work we embarked on our run. We did 2.9 miles in 30:53. That put us at about a 10:40min/mile pace. It felt pretty good. I can feel it in my legs now, they're tired! And I guess I am, too.

I made a pot of vegetable soup today but it's missing something. I don't know what... It's chock full of veggies, though, so I'll munch on it for the rest of the week!

10.17.2011 workout

I was exhausted when I got home from work and I passed out for about an hour and a half. Luckily, I forced myself to get up and go out for a run. I told myself I'd only do a mile or so, but I ended up doing my longest run since picking running back up - 2.26 miles! I did it in 23:40, which put my pace at 10:30/mile. Not too shabby! And that's not accounting for the short little breaks I had to take for the pup to stop and sniff things and pee and run after cats. Overall it was a good run, I felt pretty strong!

10.15.2011 workout

I had so much motivation after work today. I got home and immediately donned my running clothes. I ended up doing 1.86 miles in about 20 minutes, putting me at a 10:45min/mile pace. While I wasn't going faster, I felt so much stronger today and my breathing was much easier and more controlled. So that's some progress right there.

Roommate & I are doing pizza and The Walking Dead tonight. I bought some frozen Kashi pizza that wasn't nearly as shitty seeming as the other standard ones. We'll see how it is!

I'm sleepy.