Back at 3.1 Miles & a Butt Injury

Oy!

I went down for my run today feeling good.  My food was relatively in check, running the past 2 days got me feeling better and more prepared for the 3.1 mile attempt today, and I've been able to get a decent amount of sleep over the past few days as well.  I was ready to take on this run!

Lucky for me, Superbad happened to be on, and if you're going to be watching TV while running, comedy is definitely the way to go.  I did the first mile at a slower pace and came in at 10:54.  Not too happy about that so I bumped my speed up a little bit so as to be faster but not wear myself out too soon.  At about 1.5 or 1.6 miles I started noticing some cramping & pain going from my lower back into my right glute and hip.  "Not again!" I thought to myself.  After my last injury, which I discovered was to a hip flexor, I started doing exercises to strengthen my flexor muscles so that I don't strain/pull/whatever them again.  And as I ran tonight I realized that this was different; while I felt a little bit of strain in my hip, the pain was mostly in my lower back & glute. 

I started to worry if I was even going to be able to make it to 2 miles, let alone 3.1!  But I hit 2 miles at 21:28.  Better, but still not great.  I didn't want to push it too hard right now and hurt myself further, but I also didn't want to give up too early, so I pushed on.  The whole last 1.1 mile I was wondering if I should stop or not, was I doing more harm than good, will I have to take off more days for rest now and throw a wrench into everything?  Ugh, it was so frustrating!

So the good news is that I finished at 32:50, which isn't too shabby for being lazy for a while.  Also, after the run I got to stretch and I stretched quite a bit.  I even looked up stretches for the glutes and lower back and added those in as well.  I also had wifey rub some of the kinks out and there will be another massage session with ET later too.  After all of that and some time relaxing, I am happy to report that most of the pain has subsided.  Something has definitely been strained though and I am not 100% out of the woods.  Since tomorrow is Monday I am resting.  If I have to rest again on Tuesday I will, but I HAVE TO be able to go on Wednesday & Thursday for me to feel even remotely ready for Saturday.  So I'm taking it one day at a time & keeping my fingers crossed!

Anyone have any ideas why this is happening?

Time to Buckle Down!

I felt pretty good going into yesterday's run.  I knew my distance wouldn't be wonderful but I planned on working on speed too so I was OK with it. 

I ran my first mile in 11:15, and kept running for another 3/4 mile.  As I felt myself giving out, somewhere around 1.6 miles, I pushed it pretty far with the speed and ran at a 9 for 0.15 miles.  It might not sound like a lot, but I felt it!  I went to a walk for a little bit but then pushed the speed really hard for as long as I could take it.  There were a few times I had to jump onto the sides of the treadmill (something I never do because I'm not coordinated enough!) because I was struggling so much I couldn't even push the speed button to slow myself down!  I kept up with this until I hit 2.75 miles and then walked it out to 3.

My goal for Sunday is to try to run the full 3.1 miles and then call it a day.  If I have it in me when I'm done to work on speed as well, I'll give it a whirl, but I don't want to overdo it.  I'm only taking Monday off and then I'm in it Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday.  Thursday I will take it easy, and maybe work on the speed more than distance, and then Friday is my rest day before the race on Saturday!  It's still a week away, but I am nervous that I will not be back up to snuff by then and I'm kicking myself for letting me get this far off track.  Ugh.  But no sense in dwelling, the only thing I can do now is work hard and do the best I can.  I know I am capable of it it's just a matter of getting myself there again.

Staycation Killing My Run!

I've been lazy.

This past week was our annual "Staycation" week, and I have let it get the best of my running.  Friday night was the first time I ran since my botched attempt in the rain.  Why?  Because we got busy, because I was tired, because I was LAZY!

I hear real runners talk about how they feel awful if they don't run.  I'm not totally there yet.  I feel guilty if I don't run, and after three days of it I felt sluggish and loaf-like but I don't automatically notice it as being from not running right away yet.  Every day that I put off running I felt like it was OK.  I know that it's not, I have a race next weekend!  And after I ran last night I felt totally better so I do see that it is making a difference in how I feel. 

But it is still sort of a chore for me.  I'm not at the point where it's a break, or my escape or something I totally look forward to.  Yes, I look forward to how I feel when I achieve something I didn't think was possible.  Yes, I like how I feel after a run.  And I think that part of the problem is lack of a structured schedule.  This week was overtaken with our staycation activities and I never really planned a run schedule.  And although I have a race next weekend, there's no formal training plan that I'm following so I'm a bit lost with what I should be doing.  I do very well with following instructions and when I have a deadline and when someone or something tells me what to do and how.  I don't fare well left up to my own devices, lol.

So I came up with a formal plan for myself.  I don't know if it's a sound one, I don't know if it will work, but it's a plan & I'm going to follow it.  Since I skipped 3 days in a row, when I went to run on Friday night I was not at my best.  I knew going into it that I wasn't going to have 3 miles in me.  So I went down with a goal of 1 mile and if I could push the speed a little, I would.  I didn't do anything great, and to be honest I don't even remember what the first mile's time was (this is what happens when I wait another 3 days to write about it!).  But I ran the first mile straight through, and then walked for 0.15.  And for another mile and a half and worked on fartleks.  Many times I pushed it up to a 9.0 on the speed.  So while I didn't do great with distance, I did push myself a lot with the speed. 

My plan heading into Saturday was to do more of the same and work my way up to the 3.1 miles by Tuesday, of course with taking Monday off.  After the race next weekend, I need to come up with a plan to keep myself on track.  Without a plan I am lost - this week just proves that!

Running In The Rain

Things got hectic this morning, but I was able to squeeze in a run outside!  Yay!

Since I don't have one of those nifty runners' GPS watches, I went out ahead of time & drove around the neighborhood to clock what 3.1 miles would be.  It's a lot longer than I had realized!  LOL.  I made a few loops, but it was pretty simple to remember.  The sky was a little shifty looking but I set out anyway and figured that if it got really bad I'd just head back.  Since I plotted it out in several loops, I was never going to be more than about 0.75 miles away from the house at any given time.

I set my iPod and the stopwatch on my phone and off I went!  It was CRAZY humid out so I found breathing to be a bit different than I am used to, a little harder but I adjusted.  It started to sprinkle pretty much the second I got out there, but I have to say that it felt pretty good!  Cool little droplets of water randomly misting me made the heat & humidity not only bearable but I was actually enjoying the feeling of the rain on me!

Again, I noticed the effort in my legs.  I have to say that I'm actually still a little sore from Saturday's run!  So I did feel it a lot today.  Other than the tight hamstrings & achy calves I felt really good!  And it was cool to run through our neighborhood!  Each section that I hit had a different smell to it and it was wonderful to soak it all in.  I had to pay attention to my footing because some of the sidewalk I was running on had those little smooth rocks in the cement which were quite slick in the rain.  I still had a hard time setting a pace & sticking with it, but I felt like I did a better job of it today.  There were no hoards of people to maneuver around but there was also nobody else to keep pace with, so it was all up to me.

Unfortunately, I had to cut the run short because the skies opened up on me which was quite the experience!  It was fun to get caught in the rain, but I didn't want to ruin my new sneaks or my beloved iPod so I headed back home.  I will guesstimate that I did somewhere between a mile & a mile and a half in about 15 minutes which I am more than OK with.  If there is a nicer day this week I will hope to get back out there again, especially now that I know my route.

Who'd have thought it would take me this long to get outside??!!

Discovering New Muscles

Since beginning this journey 10 weeks ago I have noticed some changes in my body.  Some I figured were coming and others were complete surprises.  I expected (and hoped!) that my legs would put on some muscle - Lord knows I needed it!  They definitely look better now with some meat on my stems!

What I didn't expect was the change in my waist.  After having kids my mid-section was drastically changed forever.  My once prominent abs were buried beneath a layer of fat and excess skin.  I knew that it would never go back to the way it was but I was hopeful that I could at least make it look better!  After the boy was born I did work at losing the extra weight and was able to successfully get back to my pre-baby number.  However it looked different - MUCH different.  I assumed that there was a little bit of fat in there but since it moved around so much, I assumed it was mostly skin.  Until I started running!  Apparently there was more fat there than I knew because that lovely skin belt is getting looser and looser and more and more wrinkled!  When I go into a push-up or plank position, if I happen to grab a glance at my mid-section, the skin droops down to a point in the middle.  Ewww.  While amusing, I never expected to see a difference in my waist, so that's a pleasant surprise!

And since I've been doing exercises to strengthen my core (push-ups, a number of plank variations, crunches, leg lifts) I am noticing changes in my arms as well - I'm starting to have some definition and they are definitely more toned than before.  I knew the strength would increase, but I didn't expect to actually be able to see a difference, so that's another welcomed unexpected change! 

And after one day of running outside I am feeling that different muscles were worked than when I am on the treadmill.  As usual, my calves and shins have the ache going on, but my hamstrings, hips & quads are tender as well.  I wonder what other changes I'd see if I ran outside more?  Since this is our annual staycation week I'm hoping I have some opportunities to get some outside running in.  I know that once fall/winter hits and the daylight hours lessen so will my chances for running outside, so I want to get some in while I have the chance.  If it weren't raining today, I'd be out there right now!

I figured I'd share the new discoveries I'm making, but there are still more training blogs to come.  Thanks for sticking with me!

The Color Run NJ Recap / My Second First 5K

I know you're all anxiously awaiting this post, so I'm just going to get right to it.

Since I decided to do this run kind of last-minute, I didn't really have much of a plan.  I knew that a few of my friends were running in this one, so I reached out to my friend Anna & we planned on meeting up.  I knew that she would be walking, so I figured I'd start with her and then I'd run and she would walk, and I'd wait for her at the finish line.  No pressure for me to walk with her since I was a last-minute add-on, and I didn't feel guilty about running ahead.  Perfect.

Getting Started

The whole day started out with a completely different feel than the NYC run.  Last week started out bittersweet & sentimental and then I was super excited & full of energy.  I felt great, I felt strong, I was ready to go!  Today, however, was much different.

I woke up not well rested and I was stressed out.  Reilly didn't sleep well the night before and he finally settled into a position that was very uncomfortable for me.  I had also wanted to run last night for a bit but it just got too late & I had to leave for my mom's house or else I would have gotten even less sleep than I did.  So even though I got to wake up almost 2 hours later than last weekend, I rose feeling groggy, stiff, achy & unprepared.  I ate exactly the same thing for breakfast I did the the week before (and most mornings now) but it just wasn't sitting right & I started having an unsettled stomach before I even left the house.  I'm pretty sure it was just nerves.  But I was unsettled and shaky, even as we got to the start line I was concerned as to how I would hold up because I was not confident in how I felt.  But I'll get to that later.

This time I got to drive through a different part of the town I grew up in, and instead of having great memories of times past, I noticed how much things had changed and how run down it all looked.  The roads & houses were surprisingly unkept, there was trash in the street and on lawns - it was kind of depressing!  When I got to the venue I found out that Anna had hit a lot more traffic on her way in than I did so I had about a half an hour to kill before she got there.  Being a lone wolf amidst a sea of groups of people for something like the color run is kind of intimidating!  At first I was a little nervous and awkward; it has been a long long time since I've really dome anything by myself, let alone something like this!  But after a few minutes I made up my mind to just go with it and have a great time.  And I did.  There were tons of great outfits - a group of people wore snorkels & water wings, another girl wore a white prom dress, and another group had duck tubes around their waists.  Most of these people were interacting with everyone and cheering anyway so I started to feel more comfortable as the morning went on, and I found that if you look like you're looking for someone you feel less out of place as well.  I also ran into my friend Donna who was working EMS, and I bumped into the kids' pediatrician as well.  Weird.  But I was definitely happy to meet up with Anna, and the day got much better once she got there :)  We made our way to the start line and off we went!

I wanted to try to time myself just to get an idea of how I run outside, especially since this was my first time!  My phone has a stopwatch on it so I started it once I crossed the start line and kept my fingers crossed that nothing disturbed it while I ran.  Last time I kept the phone in a pouch on my waist and all sorts of buttons were pushed.  This time I kept it in a pouch in my water bottle holder and it worked out much much better.

This is Different

Once we got started it was easy to see that there was a big difference between these participants and the NYC ones.  Last week, most people ran or jogged.  A decent amount walked, but we were definitely in the minority with that.  And as we approached each color station everyone collectively started running through it.  This was much different.  I would say that most of the people were walkers and the runners were the minority.  I did my best to run around the walkers, but there were plenty of times where they spanned from end to end with no way around until the path opened up.  I did my best to keep even a slow jog, but there were points where I had no choice but to walk just because there was nowhere else to go.  Some runners expressed annoyance at this, which I thought was a bit uncalled for.  It's the color run people, not the Boston Marathon!  I found the course itself to be odd; It started on pavement and moved to what appeared to be gravel.  There were points where it was a lot of sand, and in my attempts to run around people I ran over grass as well. 


The biggest difference between the two runs were the color stations.  Every time we approached one we came to a standstill because there were lines formed to get doused with color.  I don't know if it was lack of volunteers or if the people in the NJ run just approached this differently, but it was difficult to navigate through the color stations because everyone was stopped.  Also, the method of color distribution was much much different - where NY had tons of volunteers with condiment bottles filled with color and they would chase you down to make sure you got covered, NJ had only a few people at each station who were stationary at giant barrels of color.  They would reach into the barrel with what appeared to be a cup (not 100% sure because it was hard to see) and just toss it on to the people who passed them.  There was no cat and mouse chase, and if you were able to make it through the middle at all, you just didn't get colored.  I really only got hit with one color since I tried to keep running as much as I could and opted for the free and clear center as opposed to waiting on line to have color dumped over my head. 

And because of the way this color was being tossed, every color station was nothing more than a giant cloud of color dust & it was really hard to see & breathe.  After most sections the jogging slowed waaayyy down just because it was too dangerous to keep going fast - I really couldn't see more than maybe an arm's length in front of me!  Like I said, I'm not sure if everything boils down to lack of volunteers/staff, but I feel like this run was much less organized than the NYC one and more difficult to navigate.

Running

So enough about the comparisons between the two races.  This one was a run for me so let's talk about that.  Since this was my first time running outside, I was finally able to tell the difference between treadmill running & street running!  So my legs definitely felt this much more than I normally do.  Overall, I'd say that running on the road is both easier and harder than running on a treadmill.  I think I have to do more running outside to determine which one I like more though.  My legs felt this more, but if I got tired it was easier to slow it down to where I was comfortable without having to try to figure out which pre-programmed speed worked best.  I just go with what my body tells me.  Also, I am apparently awful at picking a pace & sticking to it!  I started off running pretty hard. I knew it was faster than I normally run, but I went with it for as long as I could and eventually fell back a little only to get passed by people I had already passed.  I found it easier if I kept with a group of people.  For most of the run I was behind a girl with eyes drawn on the back of her butt.  She was running with two guys and they all kept a pace that I was fairly comfortable with.  I followed them around groups of people and through the color zones.  At some point they lost one of the guys and stopped and I pushed forward, but I found another group to stay behind.

I went into today's run just hoping to beat 35 minutes, and wasn't sure how I would do because I felt so shaky and unprepared this morning.  The heat also took a little bit of a toll on me because when I put the handkerchief up over my nose and mouth through the color zones, I felt like I was suffocating!  The air was thick and soupy so that took some time to adjust to.  Add all of the time times I was forced to walk and the few complete stops we had, I figured I'd be in the high 30's if not the 40's.

After I crossed the finish line I had to make sure I was able to get to a place where I could stop & check my time without being right in the middle of people.  And when I did, I was very pleasantly surprised to see 33:15!!  I couldn't believe it!!  To me, this means one of two things...either my treadmill at home is not calibrated right and I am actually running faster than it's telling me I am, or the course was not a complete 3.1 miles.  I don't know.  So let's just go with I'm running faster than the treadmill says I am for now, haha.  We'll know more once I do the run on September 15th anyway, so let me be delusional and happy for now :)

Conclusion

Overall this was not a bad second first 5K experience, lol.  I am very happy that I did it and took on the challenge of not only running in general, but the whole lone wolf social aspect of it as well.  I'm also pretty happy with my time too, all things considered.  Now I really can't wait for the next time!

So there you have it, mission complete.  I ran my first 5K race and survived. 

Volunteering & Pre-Race Jitters!

Today I did my volunteering for the NJ Color Run so that I can run in the race tomorrow!  I helped with the packet pick-up and assigning times for people to start the race.  I had a great group of people to work with, and it was a really fun day.  The runners are just as colorful as the participants and I got to interact with all kinds of people today which is always fantastic for me.

But on my way home tonight it hit me that the run is TOMORROW (!!!) and I haven't run since Tuesday!!  The week had totally gotten away from me between visits to farms & friends' houses, football games, laundry & cleaning, and here it is, Friday and I have no idea how I'll do tomorrow and so I start to panic! 

Then I rationalized that I will run for a little while tonight.  Maybe a mile and a half, just to get a workout in but not the whole 3.1 so that I'm not worn out.  OK, I was OK with that.  I had a plan, that made me feel better.

Since this run is not far from my mom's house, I will be once again staying over there tonight with the little guy, and the rest of the fam will join us tomorrow for some fun in Grandma's pool.  But now I'm starting to run out of time!  I had to cook dinner, I still have to pack everything for everyone, get my gear in order, make sure I have enough food for everyone, get everyone's swim gear in order, and now get a run in as well and still make the hour drive to my mom's with enough time to get a good night's sleep before I have to wake up!!  AaaaahhhhHHHHH!!!  I'm starting to freak out!!

(Naturally, the smart thing to do is blog about it instead of get my ass in gear.)

I'm sure all will work itself out and I just need to breathe.  Fingers crossed it all goes smoothly!!!!

3.5 Miles

I took some time off after the NYC Color Run 1. Because I was exhausted & sore after covering a total of 6.2 miles in one day, even if I only ran 3.1 of them, my body was still feeling it!  So I took off Sunday & Monday and it was back to the grind on Tuesday.

I started at my 5.3 pace and honestly got lost in a TV show that I was watching (Abby & Brittany - LOVE them!)  So I stayed on this for I think two miles, so I went up to 5.7.  When I got to the 3 mile mark, I wasn't happy with my time at all (totally my fault for not paying attention!  I guess the downfall to watching TV while running) so I decided to go further.  I only added half a mile because it was about 10:00pm when I started and I couldn't be up for much longer.  So I ran 3.5 miles in 38:15.  Not great, but oh well.  Next time!

The Color Run, Take 2!! Bring it on NJ!

I am SOOOO excited!!  Today I got an e-mail from the organizers of the Color Run, and apparently they need volunteers for packet pick-up on Thursday & Friday, as well as color throwers the day of the race.  Anyone who signs-up to help with packet pick-up gets free entrance into the race on Saturday!  So thanks to the super awesome, wonderfully fantastic Liz who will watch my children while I volunteer, I get to RUN the NJ Color Run this Saturday!!!  Woo hoo!!!

The Color Run NYC Recap - 2 5K's in 1 Day

OK, so there's a lot to cover.  The question is, where to begin?

Let me start with what started this whole journey.  A friend of mine, LM, posted a link to the NYC Color Run and asked who would run it with her.  I looked it over and thought it sounded fun, but I wasn't 100% sold; I was not a runner so I wouldn't be able to keep up, it was NYC which is so far away, blah blah blah.  And then I saw the date:  August 25th.  My father's birthday.

Without getting into too much detail, my father suffered from a disease called Ankylosing Spondylitis (I will let you look this up) and passed away in 2009 from sort-of related complications.  For much of his life he had severe physical limitations.  I know this bothered him but he never complained about it.  I know there were things he wish he could have done, things that he used to be able to do but could no longer do because his body started failing him.  If given the opportunity, I'm sure there are about a million things my father would have done had he a healthy body. All of this went through my mind as I came up with mere excuses as to why I couldn't participate in a 5K with my friend.  There was no real reason not to do it, other than I wasn't in shape.  But there was plenty of time to get in shape and so my journey (and this blog) began.  All of this led up to today, the culmination of my training, the reason I started running. (no pressure!)

A few weeks ago, LM told me that our group would probably not be "running" the 5K. She told me that herself and a few other people had not been able to prepare to run the full 3.1 miles.  The intention was to run some of it but not everyone would be able to run the entire race.  This left me torn.  On the one hand, this is what I've been working towards, the goal I have been reaching for.  How could I not run it?  But it's the color run, not a marathon.  It's supposed to be fun and it's not even timed.  Am I really going to be selfish and run ahead of the group? I thought about this all morning.

The Ride

The alarm went off at 4:45am.  Holy crap is that early!  I spent the night at my mother's house to shave some time off of my drive in to Brooklyn.  The commute was absolutely beautiful and emotional.  I drove through the town I grew up in in the early hours of the morning and watched the sun rise as I passed the familiar places of my youth.  There was a low fog sitting over the farm we go pumpkin picking in and a pink-ish purple sky above.  I watched the red sun peek out above the clouds as I navigated the series of bridges to get me to my destination.  I drove along the water and watched boats floating in the surrounding fog while the sky turned a bright blue.  I thought of my father and what he would think of all of this, of how far I have come in only a few short weeks.  I think he would be proud and happy for me.  He would think the color run was absolutely ridiculous, and he would laugh at me, but I think he would see the fun in it as well.  This commute was bittersweet and had me in tears for a lot of it as I got lost in my thoughts.  But as I got closer to the complex I started listening to some happy music and got myself pumped for the day.  I still hadn't made up my mind if I was going to run ahead or stay with the group, but I was leaning towards running ahead.

The Race Begins

The run started at 8am and they sent us out in waves every 5 minutes.  We were in the 4th wave and spent some time waiting in line, dancing and laughing and having a good time.  It's hard not to be happy at this event!  When they announced our start everyone in our group started running and cheering.  This made me happy, thinking that I wouldn't have to be the one that abandoned everyone to run.  But within a few minutes, everyone got split up seemingly in pairs, and I was paired with LM.  We kept running, but it was obvious that she was not going to keep it up for the 3.1 miles and I could tell that she felt bad about it.  The rest of the group took off, and there was no way I was going to leave her.  She's the one who planned all of this & got everyone together.  She's kind of the reason I even started running in an indirect way.  There was just no way I was going to take off and have her finish the race by herself.  Not a chance.

So I resigned myself to the fact that this was not going to be my first 5K race.  The Spotswood 5K in September will be my first "real" race.  That will pop my 5K cherry, that will be timed, I will run that from start to finish either with a friend or on my own.  Today I will have fun.  Today is about something bigger, and I am more than OK with that.  So we walked for a while, then ran for a while, and walked for a while again and ran again.  We talked, we laughed, we reminisced.  We had a great time people watching.  We planned our team uniforms for next year.  When we ran I felt strong and I could feel the change my body had made; I didn't get winded, I didn't feel tired, I felt awesome.  I guess since I'm doing all of my running in a basement on a treadmill not in front of other people, and it's only been about 2 months, I still feel like it's not real.  Like I'm doing something wrong or that I'm not really capable of running or that the treadmill is tricking me into thinking that I'm doing better than I am.  So it was good to feel so good while doing something that would have made me feel bad just a few weeks ago.  Does that make any sense?

Colors, Colors Everywhere!

The biggest question I've gotten is how does this all work?  There are 4 color stations on the road to the finish line, each one is a different color.  At each station there are a dozen or so crazy volunteers who stand there with clear plastic condiment containers full of powdered color (corn starch and coloring) and they toss the color on you as you run by.  All of them had their own technique; some just squeezed the bottle in your general direction, some poured it over your head, some followed you and made sure your back was covered.  And you always got sprayed by multiple people - they are a dedicated bunch these volunteers!  We made it a point to run through all of these stations.  After the 4th station, we were doused with Yellow, Orange, Pink & Blue.  We ran across the finish line, reunited with the rest of our group and proceeded to the most ridiculous, fun, crazy, awesome finale I've ever been a part of.  Everyone was given a color packet and the event emcee counts down and everyone throws their color in the air at the same time!  There is a crazy rainbow shower all over you and all around you!  After a few moments, the dust settles a bit and we can (sort-of) see each other, and everyone is just a giant, powder-ey rainbow of happy mess.  It was so much fun!  I have no idea why - it's ridiculous, silly, perhaps childish, but it is SO MUCH FUN!

Our team, The Prizmatics (aka, the Pink Bandits, lol)

Unsettled

As we neared the finish line, we noticed some people who had gone back to the start and were running again.  I did contemplate doing this for a few seconds so that I could actually run the race, but I was worried about time and I really didn't want to add another 30+ minutes to my outing so I decided against it.  However, throughout the day it was really nagging at me.  I hadn't run since Tuesday due to my hip injury, and I was still reeling from the fun of the day and ready to go!  It felt wrong to do a 5K in the morning without actually running a 5K.  I felt like I was cheating or faking it or something, or like I was letting myself down.  So at 8pm I decided I was going to go for it, and I headed down to my basement for the 2nd 5K of the day.

The 2nd 5K

I didn't really have a choice but to wash all of my clothes at my mom's house before returning home because I had no other way to get them to my house without covering everything else that I own in color!  So in the spirit of the day, I donned my color-stained running gear, complete with sweat band, and headed down to the basement.  Since it was the second of the day and my first real run in a while, I was prepared to take it somewhat easy on myself.  Really, I just wanted to finish, even if that meant I stayed at a 5.3 the whole time. But who are we kidding?!  I stayed at a 5.3 for the first 1.5 miles.  The next mile I ran at a 5.5.  The next 1/2 mile I ran at a 5.7, and then the final 0.1 mile I ran at a 6.0.  Total time 34:11.  Not my best, but not my worst.  I am definitely happy that I decided to run tonight!

Onward

Saturday, September 15th will be my first official 5K.  Once I complete that I can say, "mission complete".  Until then, back to trying to increase my speed!  Stay tuned!

It's Like Butta', Camel Toe & Failure

Well.  I'm not too sure what happened today.  Given the odd start to things, I should have known the rest of my run would be odd as well.

Let's start with the good.  My shoes!!  My shoes are awesomely fantabulous!  They're like butta'.  It felt like I was running in a river of butter.  The knee twinges I usually feel were gone within the first 5 minutes of running today; usually they're with me for much more of the run.  The lower back pain that I normally feel a few minutes in didn't show up until after the hip fiasco, but we'll get to that.  I didn't even notice any discomfort with my toes, blister and all.  It was like my foot was sinking into a cloud every time I stepped.  So the sneaks were a total success so far - money very well spent!

I mentioned before that my sister, MFC, sent me a big package of running gear, some pre-loved & some new.  Today I decided to try running in some pre-loved spandex shorts.  Thank God I was at home, I must have looked ridiculous!  I don't know how these are supposed to fit - I have never contemplated wearing spandex shorts a day in my life, other than in 1988 ala DJ Tanner under a skirt, and those were less spandex, more fluff.  Anyway, they reminded me of my maternity pants because they went all the way over my stomach & up to my boobs!  And then there was the camel toe...best not to get into detail about that.  But I wore them nonetheless.  They were absolutely fine for comfort, but there is no way I can ever wear them around humans not in Wal-Mart.

And now onto the not so good.  I am definitely dealing with some kind of injury in my hip, but I don't know what and I don't know how/when I got it.  The last time I ran was on Sunday, and I was totally fine.  I was short on time because we had company coming so I didn't do all of the stretches/exercises I normally do after I run, but I did stretch and I felt like it was enough at the time.  Maybe it wasn't?  Also I had run a number of sprints at an 8 which I had only done for a bit before Sunday, so maybe since the faster you go, the further your legs stretch and maybe I pulled something?  But I felt fine during and for a while after the run.  When I got to the running store later in the evening, I did notice some discomfort in my hip while I was running about the store trying out the shoes, but nothing I was worried about and definitely not anything I would consider an injury.  Plus I was paying attention to my feet & Johnny Damon, not my hip.  Later that night though, I did notice the soreness just in normal body movements.  Again, mostly soreness and nothing I would be all that alarmed about.  Then yesterday it really kicked in and today is the same.

It feels muscular and it is sore to the touch, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's a ligament or tendon or some other attachment-type thingie in there.  Clearly I'm a master at anatomy terminology.  It's in the front of my right hip towards the side of my body and I feel it mostly while lifting or moving my leg upwards.  Or forwards.  Or when I stretch it in any other direction.  Basically, it gets worse when I move it.  I can bear weight on it fine, and weight doesn't seem to make it any worse.  But running was brutal!

While I was reveling in the sweet delight of new running shoes, I was fighting a battle with myself to keep moving.  Every time I took a step I felt pain.  I tried to run through it, hoping it would subside as I ran, like my knee pain usually does.  But it didn't.  And the faster I ran the worse it got, so early on I realized I wasn't going to beat my previous time.  I (stupidly) attempted to run at a 9 and that triggered the worst of the pain.  I slowed down to a 5.3, and then a 5.0, and then a walk.  It did ease up for a bit and I was hopeful that I could finish the 3.1 miles at a slow pace (either 5.3 or 5.0 if need be).  I did keep that up for a while and tried some more sprinting again at a 7, but when I sped up and my legs moved faster & stretched further it was too painful.  I forced myself to finish out 2 miles but felt I had to stop there.  I did the 2 miles in 21:11 which isn't too shabby, all things considered.  I'm upset that I didn't make the 3.1 miles, and a little worried about what's going on with my hip. 

The Color Run is this Saturday!  I don't know what the best thing to do is...Do I rest completely until then & hope that all is resolved and risk not being in the best condition for the run?  Do I take tomorrow and/or Thursday off and run on Friday?  Do I try to run again tomorrow?  Right now I'm having a hard time when I start walking - I have no idea how I'm supposed to run...I think I definitely need to rest tomorrow.  It's more Thursday & Friday that are in question.  Oy.  Decisions...

32:21 & The Running Store

Wow.  50 seconds off!  50 seconds!!  I did a bunch of sprints at a 7.5 and a lot at an 8 as well.  I also bumped my "slow" speed to 5.5 for a bit of the run in the beginning, but eventually had to go back to the 5.3 because it was proving to be too much.  I'm OK with that though because I ran a 5K in 32:21!!

I didn't get to run outside today, but I did make it to Fleet Feet in Marlton.  I bought my first pair of REAL running sneakers today.  The whole fitting process was fun too - I don't think I've even been measured for shoes since I was about 11!  The guy helping me reminded me of a young Johnny Damon and tried not to make fun of the shoes I am currently running in, which are youth sized Nike's that I got for $25 about 5 years ago.  No wonder I had blisters!  He pretty much predicted the aches & pains that I'm feeling and agreed that new sneaks should help out.  He said that there were many problems with the shoes I've been wearing: 

1.  They are Nike's, which apparently aren't good running sneakers.
2.  They were designed to be worn by 14 year old boys, not an adult woman.
3.  They are the wrong size for me.

As it turns out, there is almost a half-size difference between my two feet!  Who knew?! 

So for the fitting process...He measured both feet, sitting down & standing up.  He watched me walk.  He watched me run.  He watched me balance on one foot.  He watched me hop from foot to foot.  He decided that I had a "sturdy base", to use his words, and informed me that I have a "normal" arch and am a "normal pronator".  So much vocabulary to learn!  Go here to read more - they explain it better anyway!  So he recommended that since I'm only aiming to do 5K's and not marathons that I get a neutral shoe with some cushioning.  I tried on some New Balance's and wasn't a fan.  Second up were a pair of Saucony's and these felt fantastic.  The last pair were Brooks' and they had more cushioning and a higher heel than the others.  At first I didn't like how they felt when I stood in them.  But when I ran I felt like they gave me some pretty good spring action so I started to like them.  I went back & forth between the Saucony's & Brooks' for a while.  I'm really happy that since it was so close to closing there weren't any other people in the store, because he had me running throughout it and I felt a little silly!  But it was just another day of work for everyone who worked there, so after about the 5th lap around the store I was comfortable.  I ultimately decided on the Saucony's, even though they are pink.  They felt the best and were $20 cheaper than the Brooks'.  So I am the proud new owner of the Saucony Ride 5.

These is my new runnin' shoes...Jennyyyy...

My Color Run is this upcoming weekend, and I think I will use the Nike's and possibly bid them adieu afterwords as well.  I spent too much money on these new sneakers to have them covered in color one week in!

I'd say this was a pretty fantastic running day for me!  A new fastest time and new kicks recommended by Johnny Damon!  What will tomorrow bring?!

33:11. I Am Awesome. I Need New Sneakers.

I shaved 30 seconds off today and that makes me happy :)  I started the sprints at 7's, increased to 7.5's, 7.7's and finally 8's.  8 is FAST!  But I think I can do more of those next time.  If I get to run outside tomorrow my goal will be simply to reach 3.1 miles, outside, in the heat, with hills and whatnot.  Fingers crossed I get to do this!

Another thing I need to do is get to a running store & get fitted for some real sneakers.  The ones I've been running in are taking a toll on my body, and it's getting pretty sad.  I am now missing part of a toe due to a blister incident.  The short of it is:  There was a blister.  It popped.  There was a flap of skin.  I went to remove said flap of skin.  There is now a gaping hole in my toe.  Very painful.  And I'm having some aches and pains in my feet, knees and back, all of which I am sure are related to the $20 sneakers I am wearing.  So to Fleet Feet in Marlton I go!  Hopefully!  I've been saying this for over a week now, and every day it just gets too late to go.  But I NEED new sneakers and I have to get something that can hold my inhaler and a cell phone while I run, preferably on a wrist or anywhere else besides a fanny pack-ish thing.

So, to recap this fantastically long blog entry:  I am awesome.  I need new sneakers.

33:41 - The Lost Run

I almost didn't run last night because it got to be so late, and we all know what happens when I try to run late at night.  But I figured, what the heck, and decided that if I struggled too much, I would surrender and resume today.  And I am so glad that I did!!

Since it was a night run, I didn't have either child with me and I opted to watch a little TV while getting my run on.  Lately I've been straining to hear my music over Pippi Longstocking, and I get reprimanded if my music gets too loud.  And while I adore Pippilotta and her music, it's not the most inspiring or distracting while running.  So last night I savored an episode of The Big Bang Theory.

Initially, my plan was to do my speed sprints at the top & bottom of every commercial break.  I went for the 7's right out of the gate and resolved to my 5.3 in-between.  But then the unexpected happened.  My leg nudged the safety key and it fell out of place, shutting off the treadmill, and losing whatever progress I had made.  Ugh!  I knew I had gone at least 0.3 miles, definitely more, but that was the last number I looked at, and I have NO IDEA what my time was because I had been covering it with a towel so as not to psych myself out.  Having to be omnipotent, I decided I couldn't just run 2.8 more miles and ignore the time.  So I started over.  Knowing how I feel after I run 3.1 miles, I didn't expect too much as far as time goes since I knew I'd be running further than I have ever run before.  It was also at this point that I decided to change my strategy.

Instead of sprinting at the top & bottom of every commercial break, which was proving to have too much down time, I decided I was going to just listen to my body.  When I felt ready to sprint I would sprint.  When sprinting felt like it was too much, I would slow down and stay there until I felt OK enough to sprint again.  I would not pay attention to any distance or time as far as the sprints go, I was just going to do it.  And let me tell you, this was the best idea in the whole world!  I let myself get worn out a little bit, but I never pushed to the point where I had to slow down to a 5.0 to recover.  And I didn't sprint before I was ready to, so I felt like I got more out of the sprints and the more I did, the more I was able to do.  At some point I do want to time them to see how far/long I can sprint for, but I think I'm going to stick with this for quite some time because it worked really well!  I lifted the towel every now & then just to see if I was nearing the 3 mile mark so I could pay attention to what my actual time was, but I never really looked at the numbers, just watched TV and followed what my body told me to do. 

When I saw the 3 mile mark coming up, I lifted the towel and was shocked to see that I was only nearing 33 minutes!  I could TOTALLY hit my fastest time if not beat it, but I would have to work for it.  So I prepared myself for it and pushed it all the way to 7 for the rest of the run.  I was just racing the clock now.  I started to doubt that I'd  meet the 33:48, and it came really close, but I was running pretty fast and the 0.1 mile went by pretty quickly.  I hit 3.1 miles at 33:41!!  I only beat it by 7 seconds, but I did it!!  Super proud of myself for this :) 

I'm hoping I can get it under 30 minutes, but I'm not sure I can do that by the 25th.  I am signing up to run the Spotswood 5K on September 15th, so maybe I can be under 30 minutes by then!  And if I'm not, I'm OK with that.  I'm very happy with what I'm doing now, it's more than I ever imagined I could do!  When I started this, my goal was to beat 45 minutes, and I did that the first time I ran it.  What more can I really ask for?!

Bad T-Shirt! Bad!

So I got a little out of the swing of things.  Life got in the way and I didn't run for 3 days, ack!!  And let me tell you, I was feeling it!  Especially when I got back on the treadmill yesterday! Like my last run, I had a plan to work the fartlek.  (Hee hee, fartlek.  OK, I'm done with that now.)  But since it had been so long, the 6.0 sprint had a little more kick to it than last time!  So I stuck with that for the first two sprints and then went up to the 6.5.  The 6.5 kicked my butt & needless to say, after I hit 7.0 I had to slow to a 5.0 jog to catch my breath again.  I am not happy about that speed, but I kept moving and didn't go to a walk.  A case of shooting for too much & not listening to my body.  It didn't horribly effect my time, but I was not able to beat Saturday's 33:48.  I came in at 34:33 so that's not too shabby!  Second best time so far, so I'm OK with it :)

I guess this is my learning curve - when you let too much time pass between runs, don't expect to come back at exactly the same level you left!  The point of the fartlek is to NOT overdo it, but I didn't listen to my body and made assumptions based on what I have been able to do, and not what I am able to do right now.  I must admit that I do not like this.  When I achieve something, I feel like I should always be able to achieve that something every time I try because I have already done it.  But that is not the case with running, and it's taking me a while to learn and accept that and adjust accordingly.

Another thing I am learning is appropriate running attire...I already discovered the importance of the right shorts, and yesterday I learned about tops.  My wonderful little sister (MFC) sent me a bunch of running gear - some of her old shorts & pants, and some new tops that she bought me as a gift in support of my efforts (you're the best!).  Why I didn't just wear one of those tops is beyond me, and I will never make this mistake again! 

Until yesterday I have only been running in tank tops.  But I decided to run in a plain old run-of-the-mill Hanes white v-neck t-shirt.  You know, the kind you buy in a package at Target?  I was trying to create less laundry & had been wearing that shirt around the house and thought, "Why dirty another shirt?" and went with it.  About 20 seconds into the run I regretted my decision.  The only reason I didn't immediately take off the shirt & run in my sports bra is because I had the girl in the basement with me and I didn't want her to think it's OK to run around in your underwear.  We already have enough of a problem keeping clothes on her, I didn't want to send mixed signals by taking my clothes off.

I have mentioned before the discovery that I sweat a lot.  Like, a LOT.  Like, the treadmill now has stains on it from drips of sweat that flew off of me to the belt below.  It's gross.  So when I got that wonderful first layer of sweat - you know, the introductory sweat that coats your body and lets you know you've hit your stride - the t-shirt stuck to me like white on rice.  The more time passed, the more I sweat, the worse it got.  I started to feel like I couldn't breathe because the t-shirt was strangling me; it's soggy tentacles wrapped around my body and were suffocating me as I struggled to breathe and move through it's soupy clutches. OK, so that's a bit dramatic, but you get the idea.  By the end of the run it was like I went swimming in a t-shirt and continued to wear it.  It wasn't just uncomfortable and heavy as it hung off of my body, it actually caused a little bit of a rash on the insides of my arms!  You can be sure I am never making that mistake again!  Tank tops only for this girl please!

So what am I going to do in the winter?  Running in the basement won't matter - I'll still be able to tank top it.  But what if I run outside?  Or sign up for a winter race?  (There is one in my town on Dec. 1st that I'm thinking of doing to support a local food bank)  I can't run outside in a tank top in December!  Any and all suggestions welcome!

3.1 Miles in 33:48 Minutes!

I haven't had much time to blog about this since we had some weekend guests followed by some lovely food poisoning, but here's the scoop from Saturday's run...

I had a plan.  I've been doing some reading on the Runner's World website about how to pick up some speed.  One of the articles talked about fartleks (haha, I know...fartlek.), which is pretty much the Swedish way of saying what I had in mind anyway.  Run fast while it feels OK, slow down when you need to.  Bottom line, listen to your body and do what it tells you.  There are various breakdowns of this and I decided that since I am going to attempt to ignore the clock until the end of my runs by blocking it out with a towel, I will go based on mileage, breaking everything down into half-miles.  At the top of the mile, I would run for speed with a goal of 0.1 miles or as long as I could do so comfortably, then give myself 0.4 miles to recover and at 0.5 miles resume the higher speed.  Rinse & repeat for 3 miles, with the intention being to finish the last 0.1 mile strong and fast.

My "slow" jogging speed was 5.3, and I had a backup ICE pace of 5.0 so that I could really slow down without walking, but I never resorted to that.  My first two "sprints" were at a 6.0.  I knew right away that I could do better and that I wasn't doing myself any favors by holding back, especially since I was able to maintain it for almost 0.2 miles.  So I upped the next few to a 6.5 and 0.1 miles were becoming more difficult but I thought that I could still do a little faster.  So the last few sprints were done at 7.0.  That's where I probably should have gone to from the beginning.  Those were the struggling-to-catch-your-breath sprints that hurt a little to get to the 0.1 miles.  So I know for next time, go right to the 7.

I didn't have any lofty goals as far as time was concerned - I was more focused on conditioning and just wanted to push myself to go faster but continue to hit the 3.1 miles.  I was pleasantly surprised to see that I hit the 3.1 miles at 33:48 minutes!  I shaved 0:48 off of my last run without really trying to beat the clock!  This made me feel very good :)

The plan for my next run is to start at the 7.0 and see how it goes.  If I'm feeling brave, I will increase the speed for the last two sprints if I can handle it.  I don't know if I really have a long-term goal as far as speed goes...I wanted to be able to finish a 5K in 35:00 or less, and I am able to do that now so I'm not 100% sure about how far I want to push the speed.  I'm not even really sure what a "good" speed is!  Haha!  And every time I run I say this - I HAVE TO get outside!  The powers that be seem to meddle every time there is a chance of that, so we'll see if I can make that happen anytime soon!

Training Day 27 - Program Complete!

This is the face of happiness after completing my 2nd 5K

So I did it!  I made it to the end, though I am by no means finished.  I am at the end of the Couch to 5K training program, but my journey is just beginning.  I still have my Color Run on the 25th in NYC and I am attempting to plan another run for sometime in September.  After that, who knows?  

But I'm not going to stop.  I've worked too hard and made so much progress in such a short time!!  I started this project on June 20th - That was 7 weeks ago yesterday.  7 WEEKS!!  In 7 weeks I was able to condition my body from a lazy sack of potatoes who never ran anything in her life, to someone who is capable of running a 5K.  Who knows what else I can do?!  

Today's run went really well.  I felt good through its entirety.  My plan of attack was to break it down into 10 minute sessions, at least for the first 30 minutes.  For the first 6:00 of each session I was going to run at a 5.3, then from 6:00-9:00 at a 5.5, and the last minute at a 5.7 and keep it there for as long as I felt OK with no great expectations.  It worked beautifully.  As soon as I felt it becoming too hard, I slowed back down to my 5.3 comfort zone to avoid pooping out before I made it to 3.1 miles.  After 30 minutes, I was only at about 2.7 miles so I kept at it.  I was hoping to make at least my last time of 34:58 and I beat it.  My final time was 34:36.  Hopefully it just gets better from here - and I NEED to get outside!!

Hopefully you'll stick with me through the rest of this, whatever it may be - my two readers, haha!  Thank you for your support through this, it really has meant a lot :)

Training Day 26 - 5K!

Today had kind of a rocky start but a rockstar finish.  As I have mentioned, wifey is on a business trip for the majority of this week so I am flying solo day & night and need to squeeze in runs wherever I can.  Since I was hoping not to have to try to run after 9pm, when the boy took a nap after lunch I jumped on the chance to knock a run out.

I thought I felt fine.  Sleep hasn't been the easiest, especially when you spend the majority of a night in a twin bed with a child pinning you down on either side, but I didn't feel exhausted.  I fueled well the past few days and I was also well hydrated.  However, nearing 10:00 in I started cramping in my right side.  I slowed down to a slow jog and hoped that it would subside.  I am happy that I never stopped running, but disappointed that I had to go so slow and for quite a bit of time.  I picked it back up again, but the cramp wouldn't go away.  I resigned myself to dealing with the cramp for as long as possible and staying at a slow pace.  I figured I wouldn't get very far but I would finish out my 30:00.  As I approached 20:00, the cramp eased a little bit and I was able to pick up some more speed, but my distance was a joke.  20:00 in and I was barely over 1.6 miles!

I decided then and there that I was tired of this BS!  I grabbed my towel and threw it over the clock on the treadmill so I could not see the time, but I left the mileage visible.  I should mention here that since wifey was gone, the iPad was gone as well so I had to keep track of my time myself, which I already proved I am horrible at when my 5:00 warm-up walked turned into an 8:00 warm-up walk because there was no voice to tell me to run.  Yes, I have the attention span of a goldfish.  Especially when the girl is next to me watching Beauty & The Beast.  Anyway...up until this point, the furthest I have run was 2.71 miles.  I have one more training day left on this program.  I will not stop this program until I have completed a 5K!  I think the idea is that I'm supposed to be running faster, but since this doesn't seem to be happening for me, I am throwing caution to the wind and ignoring the time and completing the friggin' 3.1 miles already!!  So I brought my speed back up to a 5.5 and hunkered down.  "I am going to DO this!" 

I don't know at what point, but I sped up to a 5.7 for a bit and was ready to finish this!  At 3.04 miles I removed the towel and was actually pretty happy with my time!  I sped up to a 6.5 just to finish with that extra oomph, and I hit 3.1 miles just shy of 35:00!  34:58 to be exact!

I did it.  I ran a 5K.  I ran a 5K.  I RAN a 5K.  I RAN A 5K!!!  In my basement on a treadmill.  But I did it nonetheless.  I will have a similar game plan the next time I run as well, which will probably not be until Thursday, though if I am able to fit it in tomorrow I will give it a shot!  One more run to go until my program is complete, though I think I will continue to blog about my running experiences on here.  Especially the day of the race since I can't really say I've met my goal until I actually run a 5K race outside with other people present!  lol.

Training Day 25 - 30 Minutes

It's good to be back in the swing of things!  Today was my first 30 minute run and it went pretty well.  I had it in my head that I needed to take it easier, just to keep me able to complete the run, so I started running at a 5.3.  At about 5:00, I thought about trying to beat my previous time of 1 mile in 10:10.  It would be close, but I knew I had to go faster.  So I kicked it up to 5.5 for a bit and then up to a 5.7, and finally in the last 2 minutes, a 6.0.  By that time though, I was fairly sure I wasn't going to beat 10:10.  And I didn't - I did a 10:32.  Still not bad, but I was annoyed that I didn't try to run faster sooner.  But I remembered that there was a reason I didn't.  Even my 10:10 mile proved to be too fast and I had to slow down quite a bit.  So I went back to my comfort zone of 5.3 for a while, until I could catch my breath.

Went back to 5.5 for most of this run.  Breezed past 2 miles.  I was secretly hoping I could pass the 3 mile mark today, since the runs don't get any longer than 30 minutes, but I knew it was a long shot, especially for today.  With 5:00 to go, I went up to a 5.7, 2:00 up to a 6.0, and the final minute I did at a 6.5.  I was fairly happy with my performance.  My total distance was 2.71 miles.  I was hoping for more, but I will have to go faster from the start if I want to hit the 3 mile mark.

With only 2 more training days left in this program, I'm unsure about how to attack each run to increase my distance.  Do I keep myself in my comfort zone of 5.3 - 5.5 and do spurts of 6.0's & 7.0's with longer intervals than 1:00?  Or do I aim to stay at a 5.7 for longer?

Training Day 24 - I'm back! 2.5 Miles

Finally, back to normal and it feels good!

I was a little apprehensive about running today.  The family had some tummy troubles yesterday and we're not sure if it was some tainted fish or just a little virus.  Needless to say, last night & this morning were rough, and I wasn't 100% sure I would try running today.  But as the day went on I felt better & strong enough to run, though not enough to do anything crazy with speed.  Yesterday I said I would go for 25 minutes today, even though the app I'm using wants me to do 28, and I was planning on just sticking with that at a normal pace.  Let's get me back in the swing of things before I shoot for speed!

I ended up falling into place at a 5.3.  Not too happy about that, but I was more concerned with longevity and that felt comfortable to me.  Nothing major to report for most of the run.  I took advantage of the TV again, which was a fun distraction to help pass the time.  Can you guess what movie I was watching?  "First, is the path of God: Only the penitent man shall pass."

As I got closer to the 25 minute mark, I was still feeling pretty good, so I said what the heck and went for 28 minutes.  And as I got closer to the 28 minute mark, I saw that I was very close to reaching 2.5 miles, my other goal that eluded me in the last run but seemed totally possible during this run.  So I kicked it into high gear, went up to a 6.0 for the last minute, and hit 2.5 miles by 28 minutes!  2.517 to be exact, but who's counting, right?  lol.  Then as I went into cool-down, I was kind of annoyed that I hadn't pushed myself to go faster because I could have gotten a further distance.  So instead of cooling down, I pushed it up to a 6.5 and ran for 15 seconds.  When I didn't die, I pushed it up to 7.0 and did that for 20 seconds.  I still didn't die, but that was pretty intense!  So I think I might try to do that at the end of the app workout - work on speed by doing small stints at a really fast pace.  I feel like that might help gain some speed, but I don't really know...anyone have any suggestions?

Tomorrow starts my 30:00 runs and I think I'm going to go for it.  As of yesterday it was only supposed to be 28:00, but if I'm feeling like I do today, I don't see any reason to hold back.  I only have 3 programmed workouts left!!!  But I still have to get to 3.1 miles before August 25th.  Let's see how far I go in 30:00 and hopefully I'll be able to get outside!  This week is going to be rough though since wifey will be gone all week on a business trip.  So it will be a struggle to get a run in at a decent hour but I HAVE TO do it!  I really hope the boy decides to nap this week!!  Haha!

Training Day 23 - Consequences

I kinda suck, and I am REALLY disappointed with myself.  But I'm hoping to make up for it.

So, we know that Monday was awful, as Mondays are trending to be for me.  The plan was to take Tuesday off to get my food situation in order, run on Wednesday, off Thursday, run Friday.  Well, I never got to the run on Wednesday.  It wasn't happening in the morning and I had plans with a friend that day, but I was hopeful for an after-dinner run that wifey was more than willing to help accommodate.  However, due to the stupid amounts of traffic in north Jersey and on the Turnpike in general, it took me FOREVER to get home!  I actually had to stop halfway down at my mom's house so that the kids could eat dinner at a normal hour!  I didn't get home until after 10pm (left my friend's house before 6!) so I knew I wasn't running that night.

Flash to Thursday.  More of the same BS.  Everyday life getting in the way of running.  Again, when I realized that it was 10pm, I knew it wasn't going to happen.  I was more than aggravated about this.  Sure, I could have attempted a run at 10:00 at night, but we all know how that would have ended for me.  I wouldn't have reached my goal & I would have considered it another failure.  So I got it in my head last night that I was going to run early in the morning, before the kids woke up, before wifey left for work. 

I had done this one other time and it went pretty well, despite me not being a morning person.  And I'm really not; I don't wake up easily or well at all.  I need to take my time with it all, and I have a bit of a ritual when it comes to waking up.  However, these two times that I have run in the early hours of the morning have actually worked out pretty well for me.

So this morning I woke up at 6am.  Ate a very tiny bowl of granola with soymilk - didn't want to overdo it & make myself sick, so it was literally less than a handful.  I accompanied that with half of a sandwich flat with a tiny bit of peanut butter on it, and drank some green iced tea with citrus to make sure I had some sugar in me.  I wanted enough to fuel the run but definitely didn't want to overdo it with the food.

I headed down to the basement with groggy eyes, still not fully awake.  But as soon as you get on that treadmill you are forced to wake up & pay attention, otherwise you might fall down!  So I woke up real fast!  We also set up a TV down there as well now, so I was able to watch part of a morning news show that I sometimes like to watch (when I am awake & alert enough in the morning that is!).  And I must admit that having the TV was a pleasant distraction from the clock and mile counter! 

The first 10 minutes went by without any huge hiccups, but that changed soon after.  I was expecting this to not go so well since I had troubles on Monday and then took 3 days off.  So I went in with little expectation of myself.  So I said to myself, "Forget the timer, forget about speed, just finish the 28 minutes."  But after 10 minutes, I really started to struggle.  I felt the asthma kicking in (I should probably mention that for the past few days I've been waking up with dry, itchy, somewhat swollen eyes, so there is definitely some kind of allergy kicking in here), and I felt my energy waning. I don't know if I psyched myself out or if I just lost the momentum I had built for myself, but I knew I wasn't going to make it the 28 minutes. 

After 10 minutes I was almost at 1 mile.  I  decided I would make it to 2 miles and then see where I was.  I made it to 2 miles at about 22 minutes and I knew I had nothing left.  I tried to bargain myself through it, saying, "Just make it to 25 minutes" and then when I got to 25 minutes there would just be 3 minutes left and I'd be able to talk myself through it probably.  But I couldn't make it to 25 minutes.  I really, really tried and I couldn't do it.  And I HATE that!  I hate not being able to do something, especially when I think I should be able to do it!  It wasn't even a fully voluntary surrender; I found myself lessening my speed before I had fully agreed with myself, or gave myself permission to do it!  It was automatic. 

So I didn't finish the 28 minutes...AGAIN.  I didn't even finish 25 minutes!  I'm trying not to beat myself up too much.  There's nothing I can do about it now anyway, so why dwell?  And I have a plan.  A plan to help get myself back on track.  I think the falter on Monday combined with 3 accidental days off kind of set me up for failure.  So I ran today, Friday.  I am going to run again on Saturday for 25 minutes and then on Sunday for 28 minutes.  I am taking Monday off simply because I am going to avoid Mondays like the plague from now on!  The bad news is that wifey is going on a business trip and will be gone all of next week, so I HAVE TO fit my runs in in the morning or afternoon.  If I have to do the bedtime routine with both kids by myself, I won't get to running until about 9:30pm, and I don't want to set myself up for failure.  So I will run again on either Tuesday or Wednesaday morning for 30 minutes, and that will bring me back up to speed (hopefully) and I'll be sure to get two more runs in by Sunday. 

I think I can still hit my mark before the run on the 25th.  If I don't, I have no one to be upset with but myself because I made excuses & let too much get in the way of my goal.  Finding the time during the day amid the craziness of a 1 year old and a 3 year old is proving to be quite the challenge, but I have to do it.  It's the only way I'm going to meet my goal, and I don't like to fail.  Once wifey gets back from her trip, I think I might make the early morning runs a regular thing since they seem to work the best for me.  I just can't let the early hour and my difficulty getting out of bed hinder me.

Training Day 22 - Another Monday Defeat

Yesterday was one of those days that I just shouldn't have gotten out of bed.  I am not surprised by how awful last night's run was.

From the moment we all woke up (about 6am) until the moment he went to bed, the boy screamed.  And screamed.  And screamed.  Inconsolably screamed.  (He's OK - more tummy troubles).  There's only so much of this you can take before you go bat shit crazy.  I guess the girl was affected by this as well because she was super clingy (and whiny) too and required the remainder of my attention and energy for the whole day.

Couple this with some bad news about a business venture, lack of food throughout the day, bad choices from the weekend and an AWFUL decision for dinner...yeah, I was feeling pretty lousy. Needless to say, by the time I was able to run, I was done for the day.  I had zero energy left.  I was mentally & physically exhausted.

I should have skipped it and run on Tuesday instead.  But I am stubborn, and I don't like being told I can't do something, even if it's by my own body.  So I headed down to the basement with the last ounces of energy I could muster. I didn't bother aiming for speed, I knew I couldn't do it.  I just wanted to finish my run, I didn't care how fast I was or how far I ram, I just wanted to finish.  So I started at a 6 and seconds into it slowed down to a 5.8.  And then periodically slowed down to a 5.3, which is where I stayed for most of the run.

I was supposed to run for 28 minutes on Monday night.  I was looking forward to this because I was hoping to break the 2.5 mile mark, which would be totally do-able under normal circumstances - I've been doing pretty well!  I pushed for as long as I could, but I only made it through 20 minutes and 1.79 miles.  I'm disappointed, and I feel like I'm making excuses, but I couldn't move any more.  I didn't even do a full cool-down walk, I stopped the treadmill after 2:00 of walking and sat down for a few minutes.  And I only partly stopped the treadmill myself; I was going over it in my head, trying to convince myself that I could walk for 5:00, but I couldn't even keep up with my walking pace and the safety key got pulled from the treadmill which caused it to stop and I just went with it and sat right down.  Usually I do a ton of stretches and recently I have added on some core strengthening exercises as well.  Not last night.  There was no stretching, no exercises, just plopping on the couch in the basement for a few minutes and then trying to find the energy to climb the stairs back up into the house.

I go back and forth with, "I should have just pushed myself a little bit more." and "You did the right thing, you can't beat yourself up about it."  Part of me feels like I gave in too easily to defeat.  I should be stronger than that, I am stronger than that!  The other part is telling me that it's not defeat if you're trying your hardest, it's accepting limitations and we all have them.  It's just frustrating.

I am debating a "No Run Mondays" policy since Mondays are the only days I seem to struggle with.

Now the debate is, do I attempt to run today to make up for last night's failure, or do I take the day off and just run on Wednesday as planned?

Training Day 21 - Clenching & Squeezing

On Wednesday I set a goal for today - to break an 11:00 mile.

I am happy to report that not only did I break it, I KICKED...IT'S...ASS!  Woo hoo!!

I was feeling really good this morning.  Ate some granola. got my coffee in early, slept mostly OK-ish.  Then the boy decided to take a morning nap (YAY!) so I brought the girl with me.  As she puts it we were, "goin' runnin'".

I was feeling kinda balls-ey so I started running at a 6 right out of the gate.  After 5:00, I realized that I may not be ready to run for 25:00 at 6, lol.  But the good news is that I only slowed down to a 5.8, which was higher than where I had been aiming for, and after I hit 8:00, I brought it back up to a 6 anyway so I was pleased. For the first time since I started this, I was paying attention to my distance instead of the time - it actually helped a lot since I don't have a feel for how quickly the distance goes by yet so there was nothing to really to trip me up like the last minutes do.  When I saw the mileage hit 1:000, I looked over at the clock and was shocked to see it read 10:10!!  I couldn't believe it!  I thought that I was going to have to fight to eke a mile out within the 11:00, I was SO happy!!

Again, running at a 6 for this long was proving to be too much and I had to slow down for a little bit.  This time I brought it to a 5.7 but I was still having trouble breathing so I brought it to a 5.5.  When that didn't help me either I went to a 5.2, which I was upset at but I said to myself, "I'm still moving, I'm still jogging and not walking, so it's OK".  I would vary my speed naturally if I were running outside anyway, and more easily than on a treadmill so I'm not going to beat myself up over this.  Once I caught my breath a little I went back up to a 5.5, and as I approached the 2 mile mark I sped up again.  I was still hoping to make a good time, and I hit 2 miles at 20:50, so the second mile I did in 10:40 despite my little breathing blip!  Definitely not going to beat myself up over that! I finished out the rest of the time at a 5.7 and that put me at 2.395 miles, so I was happy.

A few things I am noticing....

1. I am clenching my jaw while I run.  I don't know why, but I have to pay attention to it because it's starting to hurt!  Every few minutes I have to remind myself to ease up and open my mouth.
2. A little bit of a sore neck.  Not sure if that's related to the jaw clenching, but it might be.
3. I am squeezing my hands into fists.  I don't think this is too much of a problem, other than my fingers start to feel funny, but I'm trying to keep any eye on it and make sure I loosen them up every few minutes.

Are these normal things or am I a freaky runner?  I almost don't care because I'm so happy right now!  And I know I can't get too hung up on times or speeds, that I need to go at my own pace and make sure I'm taking care of myself.  And I will, but I am competitive and I like having a next goal to beat.  But the next run is for 28 minutes, so we'll see how I do with that.  I think my next goal will be to run 2.5 miles, unless I beat that within the 28 minutes...we shall see!

Training Day 20 - 11 Minute Mile (Well, Almost...11:03)

Tonight was a night of breakthroughs for me!  I went into this run feeling really good.  I was somewhat rested, at the very least better rested than I have been.  I was able to eat carbs again (yay!) since we found out that the boy does not have Celiac Disease so I felt well fueled also.  And I started running a little after 8:00pm instead of 9:00 or 10:00.  Also, it wasn't Monday.  So I had a lot going for me tonight!

I started off running at my normal speed, which has been between 5.3 & 5.5.  A few minutes into it I decided, what the heck, I'm going to push it a little bit - it's what I'm supposed to be doing anyway, right?  My goal is to run somewhere between a 6.0 & a 6.5 and I'm never going to get there if I don't up my game.  So I went to a 5.7.  It doesn't sound like a huge increase in speed, but I definitely felt it!!  I felt it most in my lungs and for a moment I thought my asthma was kicking in, but I never actually started wheezing so it was all good.  But I had to force myself to keep my breath steady.

I made a deal with myself - I said I wanted to run at a 5.7 for 10:00.  That should be a good amount of time for a new speed.  At 10:00, I was approaching running a mile, so I set the new goal of running at the new speed to the 1 mile mark.  I amazed myself and ran a mile in 11:32!!  Heck yeah!!  Keep in mind that when I started running, it was at a 5.3 and then a 5.5.  I wanted to see how fast I could actually run a mile if I kept it at a 5.7 the whole time.  So I hunkered down and kept the speed at 5.7.  And I RAN A MILE IN ELEVEN MINUTES!!!!  OK, so technically it was 11:03.  Either way, I am happy with that achievement!  I'm happy to break a 12 minute mile!!  I had no idea I could do that!!

Now that I had run 2 miles, I was ready to slow down a little bit, and I tried to bring it back to the 5.5 and I found it nearly impossible to keep it there!  I felt like the slow-down, even though it was slight, took my breath away.  It was harder to breathe at the 5.5 than it was at the 5.7!  I figured I'd give it a few minutes, try to settle into it for a bit, and I did but it was agony!  What's with that?!  But I only had a few minutes left so I kept at the 5.5 until the last minute - I wanted to see if I could run at a 6.0 for 1 minute.  And I did!!  Yay for meeting goals!  In total, I ran 2.39 miles and I am one happy camper :)

Just to re-cap, here are my accomplishments for the night:

• 1.  I ran at a speed of 5.7
• 2.  I ran a mile in 11:32
• 3.  I ran a mile in 11:03
• 4.  I ran at a speed of 6.0 for 1:00

 I'm feeling pretty good right now!!

So my goal for Friday is to beat the actual 11:00 mile, so I'll have to go up to probably a 5.8 or 5.9 to do that, at least for part of it.  And I'm going to try to run at a 6.0 for 2 minutes or more - we'll see how it goes!

Training Day 19 - Depleted

Mondays have seemed cursed when it comes to running at night.  The late hour, coming off of a busy weekend & an even busier day all catch up with me by Monday night and I have had to cut off my runs twice now for fear of passing out.  So when I decided to run at 10:00pm this Monday, I went downstairs determined to finish the workout in its entirety.  I couldn't skip Monday.  I already had Sunday off and I need to get in as many runs as I can for the week.  Skipping was just a bad idea.  So I got it in my head that I wouldn't give up no matter how hard my 25 minutes got.

And it got HARD!

I should back up a second and explain why my Mondays, and in particular THIS Monday, was so hard.  The girl has swimming lessons on Mondays in the afternoon.  An hour away from where we live.  And for the first 3 weeks, we would go to our friend's house for lunch and play in her pool for a few hours before the swimming lesson.  So I have to pack up 2 kids, their lunches, swimming clothes and gear, changes of clothes, etc. (basically an armada of crap) and schlepp it to and from my car.  Enter the swimming lesson, the girl immediately freaks out and we spend half an hour in a pool with her clinging to me and screaming.  Another hour drive home where the boy screams the whole way without a break. 

And about the boy...we are in the process of finding out if he has Celiac Disease or not.  He has been up from about midnight until 5:45 every night for over a week now, screaming and thrashing while I try to soothe him in any way possible.  And since we wake up around 6:30, I'm averaging about an hour and a half of sleep a night on a GOOD night.  Oh, and we cut gluten out of both his and my diets, along with a myriad of other foods that he is allergic to (milk, rice, legumes), so I am extremely carb deprived right now and I'm FEELING it! 

Soooo.....I was drained going into the run and I was determined not to let it get the best of me.  I was going to finish!  I knew it would be hard from the beginning, but when I started to feel my energy depleting and I looked down and had only been running for 2:30, I knew I was going to have to dig deeper.

I found myself bargaining with my end time.  "Just run for 5:00, you can do that".  So I made it to 5:00.  "Well, you made it this far, might as well go for 10:00, right?  Do 10:00 and then call it a night".  So I ran for 10:00.  "Your first big leap was to 20:00, so you have to make it that far.  You did that over a week ago, you can do it again!"  So I ran to 20:00.  And at that point, with 5:00 left, you finish running 25:00.

The key, I am finding, is to simultaneously get lost in the moment and distract yourself from it.  I know it doesn't make any sense, but follow me on this...When you start to feel depleted, you feel your breath catching as though you're about to be short of it, you can see your heartbeat in the edges of your vision, a heat is creeping up on the back of your neck, you're fighting the urge to just sit down right there on the treadmill, and one second on that clock feels like an eternity...you have to surrender to it.  Get lost in your breath, make sure it's deep and not too quick, this will also help keep your heartbeat under control.  Feel that heat on the back of your neck envelop your entire body and go with it - it will turn into the sweat that will cool you off.  Feel what your body is doing with each breath, with each step.  Give in to it, accept it, and let your mind wander to wherever it takes you so you are able to put one foot in front of the other.  And that's where the distract yourself portion comes into play; Don't pay attention to the clock or anything else you're using to keep track of how long/far you've gone.  I will psych myself out every time I see I only have a few minutes left!  I can be doing fine, have enough stamina to run for another 10-20 minutes, but if I see the end time coming up I start to crumble!

So I have to distract myself.  Usually my mind wanders plenty on its own and to quite interesting places.  But in those moments where I draw a blank, where nothing comes organically, I find myself looking for inspiration to keep moving.  This Monday I thought of a friend of a friend who recently ran 50 miles.  FIFTY MILES!!  I kept telling myself, if she can run 50 miles in 10 hours, you can run for 25 minutes!  It got me through those mind-numbing moments of silence where my thoughts ran dry.  So, thank you Kashi, for the inspiration :)

When all was said & done I ran 2.28 miles in 25 minutes!  Slightly faster than last time and I'm hoping it continues to move in that direction, especially if I can find time for a nice morning run :)

Training Day 18 - 25 Minutes in Underwear

I ran for 25 minutes today!  I ran a total of 2.26 miles in 25 minutes and I couldn't be more proud :)

Today I also discovered the importance of proper running attire.  More like what happens if you're NOT wearing the proper attire.  Since I don't have any "real" running clothes I've been running in tank tops & whatever shorts I happen to have in my wardrobe already, which is quite limited.  Actually it's 3 pairs of shorts in total.  OK, so it's 2.  And only one is really mine.  The other belongs to wifey and were a hand-me-down from my sister.  This 3rd pair that I put on today I actually bought last summer while I was pregnant with the boy.  Nothing spectacular, just regular mesh shorts I picked up at Target to wear for the end of my pregnancy & postpartum.  Needless to say, they are little on the loose side, and the legs are longer than I have been running in. 

The second I started moving in them I regretted the decision to wear them.  I could not stand the feeling of having shorts that low on my thighs while I was moving!  I was actually surprised by how bothered I was!  I kept trying to hike them up, thinking that this would somehow help or that they would even stay there.  Of course, they didn't.  The waistband was already rolled over twice and there was no way I could go for a third without the waist becoming uncomfortable as well.  And it wasn't the waist that was the problem, it was the legs bothering me.  I knew that there was no way I was going to make it running 25 minutes like this. 

Since I was still in the warm-up walk, I stopped everything, took the shorts off & proceeded to run in my underwear.  Thank God I run in my basement because I don't know what I would have done if I were at a gym or running outside!  Yes, I ran in my underwear and an tank top.

So I think it's safe to say that I need to buy some running gear!  Haha!

And at this point in the program, I have hit the straight running portion, woo hoo!!  Next week it's 3 days of 25 minute runs, the week after is 28 minutes, and the week after is 30 minutes.  We're not that far from completion!!  I'm hoping I can work on my speed a little bit starting next week!  I've been keeping my runs between 5.3 and 5.5, and by the time this is all over I want to be at about a 6.0.  I can't believe we're here already!

Training Day 17 - Running Thoughts

Luckily I was able to get my run in early on Wednesday, probably around 10:00am.  The boy took his morning nap, and the girl was more than excited to put on her own "runnin' shoes" and join me in the basement while she watched The Lion King.  Today's workout was Run 10 minutes, Walk 5, Run 10.  The 5 minute walk in-between was brutal; I could feel myself losing steam because of it, and getting back into the second 10:00 was harder than had I just run for 20 straight minutes.  Part of me wants to start straying from this program and just run on my own until I am able to reach the 3.1 miles, but I don't know how to ensure that I'd get there by my deadline.  So I'm just going to stick with it, even though I'm getting annoyed.  It's not that much longer anyway, and soon enough it switches to that anyway.

Even though I had the girl with me, she was very well behaved & engrossed in her movie so I was able to get lost in my own thoughts for a while.  I'm finding that that's really important to do in order to avoid staring at the clock.  It's really easy to psych yourself out when you do that too, because I would be doing fine, and then I'd see that only had 1 minute left and all of a sudden it's the hardest thing in the world to run for 1 minute.  But before I looked, I could have run for another 10 minutes.  So I got lost in my thoughts and some of them were odd.

It started first with working out aggression because of a stupid situation that happened earlier in the morning.  I don't want to delve into that too much here because this is a running blog, but if you want to read more about it and me working my anger out, you can read here.  So that lasted a while.

Then I decided to increase my speed to 5.5 and I found it a little difficult.  My brain went to, "What would Jillian Michaels have me do if I was on The Biggest Loser and I was having a hard time with 5.5?  She'd push me to a 6!"  Which of course leads to, "They should have a show like The Biggest Loser but for people who aren't morbidly obese.  You know, for people who want to get in shape but don't need to lose a ton of weight.  I'd do that.  I'd train with Jillian."  And then I plan out the whole format of the show.  And I see myself being trained by Jillian Michaels.  And of course winning the show because I'm awesome like that.

You would think that all of this would take more time, but no.  It happened in my head in about 1:30.

So where does my head go to next?  The lyrics to "Ice Ice Baby".  There is a whole verse of it missing from the PS2 game Singstar, and it bothers me.  So I tried to think of the lyrics to that verse, but I couldn't remember all of them.  And then I got annoyed at that, but fascinated by the amount of lyrics a human brain can retain.  I mean, just THINK about all of the songs you know ALL of the words to?!  Pretty frickin' ridiculous, huh?

Anyway, there were many more ridiculous thoughts floating around in my head, and I'm sure there will be many more. Hopefully I'll be able to share some with you, my 2 readers :)

I have a 25 minute run on Thursday - I'm just hoping I can get it in early!