Time to Run Again

The weather is still hot, but it's just starting to cool down enough later in the day for me to run outside. I haven't done a good run outside in months,  so when I got a small taste of it at the Survivor mud run on Saturday, I wanted more.

I have appeared nonexistent on here but I assure you,  I have been alive and well. During the summer, I was working out or doing some kind of active sport about 5 times a week. I would love to be able to boast that I have completely transformed my body; slimmed down and toned up. Unfortunately, this is not the case. The past couple months, I have remained the exact same size and shape. I can feel the muscles and I feel stronger but it's all remaining under this shell of fat, so to speak. To keep myself from going insane, I've simply chosen to not step on the scale. I wish this was good enough, but what's really bringing me down is my lack of energy. I want to sleep all the time and there are moments in my day that I have found myself completely checked out, going through the motions but having no real excitement or feelings for it is I am experiencing. 

This is why I finally made a dr appointment. I went in today and he said I should do some blood work. I hope I can get that done soon and figure out what the heck is wrong with me. Even if I don't start loosing weight, I just want to have energy and feel alive again. 

So tired and much homework to do, so I shall post more later in regards to pictures from the mud run and (possibly?) results from the blood work. 

Til then...

Update on the 10k

So I made a decision not to do the Run through Redlands because a more exciting (at least I think so) opportunity presented itself. I received an email from Angels Baseball about their 5k. The race included a shirt, a free ticket to a game, and most importantly, the chance to run on the field! Since I hadn’t signed up for the 10k Run Through Redlands yet, this was perfect. It was like everything was set just right for me to do the Angels run. The only thing was that the Angels run was only a 5k and I still wanted to prove to myself that I could do a 10k.

So on Saturday the 14^th, I routed out what the Run Through Redlands would entail and… I ran it. I ran the whole way and I felt really good until about the last mile or so. I started to get tired (and a little bored, I have to say). I decided to run past where the finish line would be and continued home, making the total run about 6.5 miles. The longest run I have done yet! Not to mention, this accomplishes one of my goals for the year. The next day, however, I was having a little pain in my hips. The next Monday I was sick, but feeling antsy at night, so I did some squats. I was starting to really feel my right hip by then. The rest of that week, I took a break from running so that I could be prepared for the 5k on Sunday. All the way up until the race my leg (I discovered the pain wasn’t actually coming from my hip), was still there. I ran through it and as soon as I was done, I knew that maybe running wasn’t the best idea.

I am still in pain and still taking a break. I hope to be back to normal soon, because I really want to focus in on one of my other goals, and that was to do a 5k in 30 minutes. My time on this one was 32.08, which is pretty decent, considering where I started. On April 4^th of last year, I had recorded that my fastest 5k was 37 minutes (and some-odd seconds), so I have shaved over 5 minutes off! Keeping my fingers crossed that this recovery time is speedy.

Until then!

Feels Like I am Starting From Scratch

The Run Through Redlands is quickly approaching. I have wanted to do the 10k for the last couple months now, but got side tracked with other obligations and responsibilities (and well, laziness). Now it is about 3 weeks away and I need to get on it. I ran with Kale on Monday for 3 miles and I struggled the whole way. Getting back into running is not easy, but luckily the miles add up fairly quickly. I ran yesterday too and that was more work. With an insane work/school schedule, just finding the energy to expend is difficult enough. Every minute of my day is accounted for and it’s these school quarters where my planner quickly fills up with things to do. Finding the time for exercise is not an option though; I have to keep it a priority like I do with work and school.

In order to “train” for this run, I am going to have Nicholas help me with running 6 miles this Saturday and next Saturday. If I can accomplish it by next Saturday, then I should be good to go on the 22^nd  (day of the run). We used to be able to run about 5 miles and if I would have kept on that pace, this would be a piece of cake but we all know that other things get in the way. To be honest, I started doing other exercises besides running and with all my daylight being used at work and school the last couple months, I didn’t try to run in the dark. Instead, I went to the gym and started doing the elliptical and bike (and weights). Running on a treadmill is always a choice but it’s awfully boring. I can only make it a couple miles on the treadmill before I get bored and move on.

I will try not to put too much pressure on myself, because running should still be fun for me and it is, as long as I don’t stress myself out about it. I would like to do this 10k and be able to consistently run 6 miles. In a couple months, once I have that down, I will start on my speedwork for a 5k. This will come in perfect time for the hot weather that is approaching. If I am only running 5ks and working to increase my speed, then I won’t be out in the sun as long. See, it’s a win/win situation!

More to come later (including pictures) about the recent mud run I did.

Another Year, Another Competition

It’s the beginning of the year, so people like to make new years resolutions and start fresh with a clean slate. Many people have a common goal of wanting to get in shape and/or lose weight during the new year. This is no different at work, so we have decided to do another “Biggest Loser” competition. This one will be slightly shorter (6 weeks rather than 8), from Jan 3^rd to Feb 14^th. I made it through the holidays without gaining weight, so now I will jumpstart the new year with a good kick in the butt from my competitive side. Without the temptations from all the good foods that the holidays bring, this should make it a little easier to eat better.

Because I set my health goals last year, I would like to do a re-cap of those and see where I am at and make new ones or extend the goals I had previously.

Previous Goals:

-          Lose 30 pounds (done and done! I have lost 55 so far)

-          Run a full mile (the most I have ran without stopping is about 5 miles)

-          Try a new healthy recipe at least once a month (this was very difficult to maintain due to lack of time.)

-          Activate Gym membership (done!)

-          Get magazine and start taking advantage of the great tips they have to offer. (done but I could probably read this magazine a little more)

-          Continue to do my work-out video on Thursdays and find new ones (I believe this was a video I found on Netflix. I did not continue that one but I have found lots of other work-outs, including games on my Wii console)

-          Look at getting new running shoes (this has been done and I love them. However, with how much I run, I will probably need new ones in a couple months)

-          Buy an alarm clock (this is done but I think the purpose of this was to get up in the morning to run. This has proven to be difficult because the sun isn’t rising early enough for me to run. I might need to come up with another game plan for morning work-outs).

New Goals:

-          Lose 35 pounds by the end of the year

-          For Distance- be able to run a 10k without stopping.

-          For Speed- be able to run a 5k in 30 minutes

-          Try a new healthy recipe once a month (I am putting this one back on here and hope I can do it this time)

-          Get new running shoes by June 1^st

-          Schedule and accomplish 4 races (either a 5k, 10k, or mud run. I am doing a mud run at the end of March so far)

I think these are all doable and I am proud that I accomplished and exceeded most of my goals last year. 2012 is going to be just as good, if not better, than 2011!

Wrapping up 2011

My favorite thing about running is that there isn’t anyone or anything around to judge me. Not that I am paranoid and people are staring at me or anything, but running is the most selfish, raw form of workout. It is just me and the street and nothing else. I don’t have to worry about waiting for a treadmill or some kind of machine to do my work out; no numbers staring me in the face on screen, tracking every move I make. Running doesn’t require me to have music in my ears to keep me distracted. The sound of my feet against the pavement and my panting (I mean, heavy breathing :P), is enough to create a kind of music of my own. The visual stimuli can keep me entertained forever, as long as I keep moving and changing my scenery. The soreness in my legs after a run is testament to myself that I will continue to challenge my body and mold it into a healthier me. Although the holidays have been a challenge as far as my diet goes, my exercising has not ceased and that is something I am more than happy to celebrate.

This year has been quite a success for me, health wise. I have lost 55 pounds, am able to run more than 3 miles at a time, and have consumed more healthy foods than ever before. I have gained so much more respect for myself and my body. I am more excited about my future and happy to live a healthy life. I hope to build upon my goals in 2012 but more importantly, continue to carry the things I have learned this year.

Goals Being Met and Moving Forward

I knew I wouldn’t be able to update this very much since school started, but I had to take the time to do so after this weekend. I will first give an update from about a month ago:

I was running around the block and after getting past the first mile I thought I could keep going and so I was able to run 2 miles. I slowed down to a walk but I felt good and I wasn’t completely out of breath like I have been before. After the weather started getting more drizzly and it got darker after my classes let out, I had to start running more at the gym on the treadmill. A couple weeks ago I finally was able to run 3.1 miles straight on the treadmill. Being able to run the full 5k straight, has been a goal of mine for a long time so I knew starting it on the treadmill was one step closer. I only did that twice on the treadmill before the Lighting the Way run I did Sunday in Redlands.

The run started at 8am and all I wanted from it was to be able to run the full thing. I didn’t care how long it would take me; I didn’t even care if it took me longer than my first 5k (37 min 37 sec). The race started and everyone seemed to bolt off. That was the first mistake I was not going to make- not to start off too fast and tire myself out. I tried to keep a nice, slow pace and as I did so, many people passed me. Every bit of me wanted to go faster and get in front of people, but I knew what my ultimate goal was and I had to keep focused on that. At around mile 1, I saw my friend Tory right next to me and she indicated that it had only been 10 minutes. A 10 minute mile!? I couldn’t believe with how slow I felt like I was going, I had just finished my fastest mile to date. It started to also make more sense why that first mile seemed so difficult to get through. Things only got easier and more empowering from there on out, though. Not only did I start to pass up all those people who outran me in the beginning, but I felt amazing. My breath had steadied and I had a nice pace going. It was extremely cold outside so as I ran, my body started to warm up and the only indication that it was cold was the breath I could see right in front of me and the tips of my fingers feeling like ice. They didn’t have the second mile marker out, so I wasn’t sure how long we had gone until I met back up with Tory at around 30 minutes. When she told me it had been 30 minutes, I knew we hadn’t only passed mile two, but we were getting close to the end. Sure enough, around the corner, I could see a crowd of people and balloons with the finish line. I thought “you just have to sprint this last part and you will be done!” As I went to sprint, I quickly noticed that the last stretch was a hill. Sprinting up that hill was one of the most exhausting things ever and I thought for sure I was going to puke if I didn’t focus on the ground in front of me. One step at a time, I thought.

My time ended up being 34 minutes and 45 seconds. I didn’t just meet my goal of running the entire thing in under 40, but I surpassed it and ran it even faster than my first 5k! The inspiration I get from other people, is the greatest motivator ever. Being able to run it in with one of my best friends, Tory, and seeing how excited she was as well, motivated me to continue doing these runs with her. Seeing my friend Kale do the 10k and how hard she pushed to run the whole thing, was inspiring and just plain incredible. Having my amazing boyfriend there to kiss me and tell me what a great job I did, made me glow with excitement and having Kale’s entire family there to support her and to even have them give me words of encouragement was extremely touching. The whole experience was moving and I couldn’t be happier as we stood there, having had our amazing results, while waiting for Kale to rock our socks off with her sprint to the end as well.

I cannot wait for the next run and I know I will only do even better. My love for running, especially outside in the cold, was definitely renewed that day.

Endurance vs Speed

I decided to take a step back and re-evaluate what I want with my running. I enjoy doing 5Ks and mud runs and little activities that make me push myself but what I want most during these activities is to last through the whole thing. I would love to be able to run a full 5K straight through. Once I am able to do something like that, I will then focus on my speed and improve my time. With this in mind, I went running last Tuesday (since my professor lets us out late, I may not be able to do body pump on these days anymore), and was able to run a mile and a half without stopping. Even when I stopped to take a break and walk, I only did so because I wanted to cool down before going inside. Since my days are so long now, I cannot do 3 mile runs as often because of the time it takes up that I now lack. I was stoked about the distance. It was a very slow run and I probably averaged a 12-13 mile but I didn't let that bother me because I need to keep my main goal in focus now. On Friday I woke up early to do another quick 2 mile run and, this time, I was able to go 1.75 miles! I thought, "oh I will be at 2 miles in no time."

Tonight, I went with Kale and we ran about 1.5 miles and most of that is up-hill and by far the most difficult part. After we got to a corner before turning, we had to stop for a couple seconds to drink some water. After maybe 7 seconds of stopping, we continued on for about another mile. Besides that 7 seconds or so, we ran almost 2.5 miles. I couldn't believe it. I felt fantastic and I tried to keep my breath steady the whole time and not make myself sick or anything too intense. It was just a steady, nice, cool run. Absolutely perfect.

I believe that by Nov 6th, I will be able to run my whole 5K. I don't think I mentioned that before but there is another 5K in Redlands on that date that I would like to sign up for. So that is my newest goal- run the whole 5K without stopping. I will not worry too much about my time, but I am thinking that if I am able to run at a slow speed, that I still may beat my first time of 37 minutes and 37 seconds. Even if I don't though, I will still be able to say that I ran the whole thing and that alone will be amazing.