Sunday, August 28, 2011
Exciting News!
****Attention fellow readers, here's an update for you. No, I have yet to register for any new 5k's like I mentioned in my last post but I do any exciting news. No fears about me ending my "ONE CRAZY DREAM" with this half marathon. No, yours truly has decided to start training for a TRIATHLON! Granted, this tri will be a sprint but it's still a tri regardless! Training starts Monday morning.....wish me luck.****
Making Progress....
First off I need to come clean...I haven't been a good girl, once again I didn't get in my other runs like I should have.
Last week, I only got in that one outside run, which was a good thing for me and I did do a few runs on the treadmill but I'm telling you, getting up early to do my runs is tough and by the time I've finished work, running was the last thing on my mind and then, I went away for the weekend.
But this week, well that's a different story....kinda. The plus side to this week was that I'm back at the Y full-time, no more traveling 30+ minutes to make it to work. The down side, with a new walk way being put in that meant we had to have an alternative entrance where one of us would be stationed from open to close. Guess who was the lucky one to get the first opening shift...yep, yours truly! Normally I wouldn't mind this but I wasn't feeling 100% this day, so after my am 5 hour shift was done, I went home for 6 hours before I was back at the Y for the closing shift (another 5 hours), needless to say no workouts were done.
Tuesday I knew was going to be another long day, so if I was going to do anything it was going to have to be early. So off I went for my morning run with another fellow classmate. This time here we ran the same 5k route in 37 minutes!
Wednesday...Oh Wednesday, for the second week in a row how I've grown to loathe you so! I had all the intention to get in another early morning workout, whether it be a run or something at the gym but my body thought different. You see, for the second week I've woken up with the worst charlie horse ever! After discussing this issue with 2 people, one being a Personal Trainer and the other a fellow runner who's currently training for a FULL marathon, the following 2 things have been decided: A) I need to remember to stretch after ALL my runs and B) I need to add banana's to my diet (who knew!).
Thursday, once again the night before I had everything all planned out and ready for my morning workout but when that alarm went off, I felt like I'd been run over with a mack truck! My arms were sore and my abs felt like they went through one of Jane's killer Pilate's classes! So, I opted out of any early morning stuff but no worries, I still got something in. After work, I joined one of my friends for a really nice 35 minute walk...despite the rain!
Friday, what a day....needless to say, no early morning workouts this day. Decided to take that time and actually make a homemade healthy lunch instead of just grabbing something quick and easy. After a long day at work where I kept having projects thrown at me for left to right (I do believe at one point I was working on 5 different things, guess it's a good thing I can multi-task!), I still managed to get in a very intense quick workout. You see, at the end of my shift I received some very surprising news that just motivated me to push it as hard as I could in the fitness center (that and my co-worker/friend telling my I should go and work what I was feeling out on the treadmill). So tonight's workout consisted of a one mile run on the treadmill which took my 13 minutes, then off to the assisted pull-ups and dips (which only went to prove that after not doing strength training for a few months...you loose it!) and I wrapped up with 30 chest presses with 12lb weights on a stability ball and then 50 sit-ups. Yep, I'm pretty sure I'm going to feel those tomorrow.
Saturday.......OMG!!!!!! Not only did I managed to get myself up and going before 7am on my one and only day off but I managed to get in an early morning workout. No, I didn't drag myself to Y for any fitness classes or workout in the fitness center. No, yours truly went for a run....but not just any run, no we decided to go big and big we went! After lacing up my shoes and stepping out into the morning air...away I went for a 6 MILE RUN! Today was the day I was going to push myself and see if this was something I could do without killing myself. As soon as I made it past the one mile point, as was starting to get into a good groove (even though I had to stop listening to my music do to the fact my ear buds wouldn't stay in...got to get me some new one's). By the time I was coming down the 3rd big hill and getting ready for the next one which may I say just seemed to keep going, I came to the conclusion that when I do this again I need to remember the following: wear camel pack (need water!), don't wear my glasses (kept fogging up do to my sweat!) and lastly...I need a new sports bra! As I was getting to the near end of my run (and passed by a really nice police office who'd just pulled someone over for speeding and then I do believe later passed by me to make sure I wasn't lying dead some where along the side of the road), I kept thinking to myself that I can do this...just a little bit more, you've got this! Once I round the last corner and say my place, I made that last push (don't ask me where in the world I found that extra speed but I sure as heck glad it was there!) and sprinted to my make believe finish line! When I went to check my stopwatch to see how long it took my to run 6 miles, I couldn't believe my eye's. Here I was, thinking that I'd been out there for at least 2 hours but nope, I was completely wrong. I managed to run 6 miles in......1 HOUR 20 MINUTES!
All that's left to say...Half Marathon, you my friend are going down!
Days left till Koman Race for the Cure 5k: 21
Days left till Half Marathon: 34 (that's only 5 weeks left for me to train, ahh!)
Last week, I only got in that one outside run, which was a good thing for me and I did do a few runs on the treadmill but I'm telling you, getting up early to do my runs is tough and by the time I've finished work, running was the last thing on my mind and then, I went away for the weekend.
But this week, well that's a different story....kinda. The plus side to this week was that I'm back at the Y full-time, no more traveling 30+ minutes to make it to work. The down side, with a new walk way being put in that meant we had to have an alternative entrance where one of us would be stationed from open to close. Guess who was the lucky one to get the first opening shift...yep, yours truly! Normally I wouldn't mind this but I wasn't feeling 100% this day, so after my am 5 hour shift was done, I went home for 6 hours before I was back at the Y for the closing shift (another 5 hours), needless to say no workouts were done.
Tuesday I knew was going to be another long day, so if I was going to do anything it was going to have to be early. So off I went for my morning run with another fellow classmate. This time here we ran the same 5k route in 37 minutes!
Wednesday...Oh Wednesday, for the second week in a row how I've grown to loathe you so! I had all the intention to get in another early morning workout, whether it be a run or something at the gym but my body thought different. You see, for the second week I've woken up with the worst charlie horse ever! After discussing this issue with 2 people, one being a Personal Trainer and the other a fellow runner who's currently training for a FULL marathon, the following 2 things have been decided: A) I need to remember to stretch after ALL my runs and B) I need to add banana's to my diet (who knew!).
Thursday, once again the night before I had everything all planned out and ready for my morning workout but when that alarm went off, I felt like I'd been run over with a mack truck! My arms were sore and my abs felt like they went through one of Jane's killer Pilate's classes! So, I opted out of any early morning stuff but no worries, I still got something in. After work, I joined one of my friends for a really nice 35 minute walk...despite the rain!
Friday, what a day....needless to say, no early morning workouts this day. Decided to take that time and actually make a homemade healthy lunch instead of just grabbing something quick and easy. After a long day at work where I kept having projects thrown at me for left to right (I do believe at one point I was working on 5 different things, guess it's a good thing I can multi-task!), I still managed to get in a very intense quick workout. You see, at the end of my shift I received some very surprising news that just motivated me to push it as hard as I could in the fitness center (that and my co-worker/friend telling my I should go and work what I was feeling out on the treadmill). So tonight's workout consisted of a one mile run on the treadmill which took my 13 minutes, then off to the assisted pull-ups and dips (which only went to prove that after not doing strength training for a few months...you loose it!) and I wrapped up with 30 chest presses with 12lb weights on a stability ball and then 50 sit-ups. Yep, I'm pretty sure I'm going to feel those tomorrow.
Saturday.......OMG!!!!!! Not only did I managed to get myself up and going before 7am on my one and only day off but I managed to get in an early morning workout. No, I didn't drag myself to Y for any fitness classes or workout in the fitness center. No, yours truly went for a run....but not just any run, no we decided to go big and big we went! After lacing up my shoes and stepping out into the morning air...away I went for a 6 MILE RUN! Today was the day I was going to push myself and see if this was something I could do without killing myself. As soon as I made it past the one mile point, as was starting to get into a good groove (even though I had to stop listening to my music do to the fact my ear buds wouldn't stay in...got to get me some new one's). By the time I was coming down the 3rd big hill and getting ready for the next one which may I say just seemed to keep going, I came to the conclusion that when I do this again I need to remember the following: wear camel pack (need water!), don't wear my glasses (kept fogging up do to my sweat!) and lastly...I need a new sports bra! As I was getting to the near end of my run (and passed by a really nice police office who'd just pulled someone over for speeding and then I do believe later passed by me to make sure I wasn't lying dead some where along the side of the road), I kept thinking to myself that I can do this...just a little bit more, you've got this! Once I round the last corner and say my place, I made that last push (don't ask me where in the world I found that extra speed but I sure as heck glad it was there!) and sprinted to my make believe finish line! When I went to check my stopwatch to see how long it took my to run 6 miles, I couldn't believe my eye's. Here I was, thinking that I'd been out there for at least 2 hours but nope, I was completely wrong. I managed to run 6 miles in......1 HOUR 20 MINUTES!
All that's left to say...Half Marathon, you my friend are going down!
Days left till Koman Race for the Cure 5k: 21
Days left till Half Marathon: 34 (that's only 5 weeks left for me to train, ahh!)
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
One Step At A Time....
Okay, okay...I know that I promised to keep you updated on a much more regular basis but it's been tough. Summer and blogging just do not seem to be going hand and hand for me....hopefully when things calm back down, I can be on a much more regular basis!
Training for this half marathon has been going some what okay. Granted, one has not been keeping up with her training schedule like they should be and with the race fast approaching...I REALLY do need to kick it into high gear, if it wasn't for the fact my bed is sooo warm and comfy in the mornings those early morning runs would be a breeze.
My training runs with the running group I joined back at the beginning of the summer has been paying off big time though. Two weeks ago we decided to change things up a little bit, between the route we run and how we run. You see, this time here we added in TWO hills and decided to run 2 miles straight before we took any walk/water breaks! By the time we hit that 2 mile mark...I was ready for some water, re-hydration is definitely the key people!!!!
Last week we changed things again! This time here we met at the waterfront to run the Komen Race for the Cure route which equals out to be a 5k and one that we, the Mainely Running class/group will be participating in on September 18th. We started off with a quick 5 minute walking warm up and then we were off in our run. As we started out, my goal was to run for 2 miles straight and then walk for a little bit...but as I conquered the most dreaded hill this race has, stopping was NOT an option for me. So on I trekked, I rounded that corner and started running my little heart out down that hill! As I was passing some of my fellow classmates waiting at the top of the hill, the instructor who was running with me told them that I wasn't stopping...so away they went to join me. As we were running the last 1/2 mile...it dawned on me...I'm actually doing this, I am running this whole thing without stopping...who in their right mind (or who've known me forever) thought this would ever be possible...surely not I! As we reached the 5k mark (3.1miles), I couldn't of been more happy with myself and just how much progress I'd made in just 2 months...I managed to complete the run in 37 minutes (and to think, if I'd been doing my "running" schedule like a good girl I probably could of shaded off some more time)!
This week, myself and a fellow classmate couldn't make our regular scheduled class time, so we decided to meet up 1/2 hour before everyone else and trek out on our own. We did the same route as last week but this time I decided that I wasn't going to push her like I've been pushing myself and let her set the tone and pace for our run. We managed to complete our run in 45 minutes...not too shabby if I do say so myself, especially with the fact it was raining and by the time we made it back to our car's, I was soaked! But don't think that just because we weren't able to join our fellow classmates and instructor's that they forgot all about us because that wasn't the case....they found us at the Y afterwards and asked us if we did our run.....guess that means we can't get away with anything now does it?!?!?!?!?! Today was also the last day of our Mainely Running class but no worries, we still plan on meeting when we get a chance before the next session starts in September (hey, some of still have with a 5k or half marathon to train for...or for those of us who are crazy, both!).
Days left till Koman Race for the Cure 5k: 33
Days left till Half Marathon: 46
Days left till I go completely insane: 0
****Stay tuned, I may be added in two more 5k's to my roster after I run this half marathon. Yes people, I am just that crazy.*****
Training for this half marathon has been going some what okay. Granted, one has not been keeping up with her training schedule like they should be and with the race fast approaching...I REALLY do need to kick it into high gear, if it wasn't for the fact my bed is sooo warm and comfy in the mornings those early morning runs would be a breeze.
My training runs with the running group I joined back at the beginning of the summer has been paying off big time though. Two weeks ago we decided to change things up a little bit, between the route we run and how we run. You see, this time here we added in TWO hills and decided to run 2 miles straight before we took any walk/water breaks! By the time we hit that 2 mile mark...I was ready for some water, re-hydration is definitely the key people!!!!
Last week we changed things again! This time here we met at the waterfront to run the Komen Race for the Cure route which equals out to be a 5k and one that we, the Mainely Running class/group will be participating in on September 18th. We started off with a quick 5 minute walking warm up and then we were off in our run. As we started out, my goal was to run for 2 miles straight and then walk for a little bit...but as I conquered the most dreaded hill this race has, stopping was NOT an option for me. So on I trekked, I rounded that corner and started running my little heart out down that hill! As I was passing some of my fellow classmates waiting at the top of the hill, the instructor who was running with me told them that I wasn't stopping...so away they went to join me. As we were running the last 1/2 mile...it dawned on me...I'm actually doing this, I am running this whole thing without stopping...who in their right mind (or who've known me forever) thought this would ever be possible...surely not I! As we reached the 5k mark (3.1miles), I couldn't of been more happy with myself and just how much progress I'd made in just 2 months...I managed to complete the run in 37 minutes (and to think, if I'd been doing my "running" schedule like a good girl I probably could of shaded off some more time)!
This week, myself and a fellow classmate couldn't make our regular scheduled class time, so we decided to meet up 1/2 hour before everyone else and trek out on our own. We did the same route as last week but this time I decided that I wasn't going to push her like I've been pushing myself and let her set the tone and pace for our run. We managed to complete our run in 45 minutes...not too shabby if I do say so myself, especially with the fact it was raining and by the time we made it back to our car's, I was soaked! But don't think that just because we weren't able to join our fellow classmates and instructor's that they forgot all about us because that wasn't the case....they found us at the Y afterwards and asked us if we did our run.....guess that means we can't get away with anything now does it?!?!?!?!?! Today was also the last day of our Mainely Running class but no worries, we still plan on meeting when we get a chance before the next session starts in September (hey, some of still have with a 5k or half marathon to train for...or for those of us who are crazy, both!).
Days left till Koman Race for the Cure 5k: 33
Days left till Half Marathon: 46
Days left till I go completely insane: 0
****Stay tuned, I may be added in two more 5k's to my roster after I run this half marathon. Yes people, I am just that crazy.*****
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Two More Weeks Have Come and Gone...
Wow, where has the time gone! I can't believe two more weeks have gone by since the last time I wrote, it just doesn't seem possible. I guess before I know it, this half marathon will be right on top of me!
Things in my life haven't slowed down, in fact if I didn't know any better I'd think they'd picked up! I've been trying my best to get in my extra runs during the week like I should but with the weather we've been having (some day's it's been in the high 90's with the triple H factor going on or most recently raining cats and dogs) it's just really hard.
I wouldn't say that I've been slacking though, because that's not the case for sure. On the day's that I'm not going for a run (either with my classmates or on my own), I've been trekking myself over to the Y for my workouts on the treadmill or elliptical. Occasionally I've been hitting a few group fitness classes but unlike before, those too have become a hit and miss with me.
The past two weeks in my running class we've really step things up! Last week, we attempted to run for one mile straight without stopping for our walk breaks (previously we were either doing a run for 2 minutes then walk for 1 minute, then it became run for 3 minutes then walk for 1 minute). It was amazing on how quickly this felt natural to me, so when it was decided that maybe the following week we'd try to run 1.5 miles without stopping...I was like, okay I think I can do that.
So, that brings me to this weeks class...only 2 other classmates showed up to join me but we were all ready for our first "long" run. As we set out with our 5 minute warm up, our "teachers" decided to try to keep everyone together throughout the whole run and instead of doing the usual route, we were going to change it up a little bit. You see, since some of the girls are doing the Koman Race for the Cure in September, they thought that maybe we should try to run some of the course...but no one besides myself knew what the course was. As we started our run, we did the usual beginning loop and then I ended up near the front of the group and took the lead in directions and I apologize now to my fellow classmates for the last part of our run being all up hill! In the end, we managed to run 3.3 miles (a little more than a 5k) with 2 miles of that being non-stop around 37 minutes! Next week, we're going to try to run the whole entire route (yes, that means we have to hit that oh-so-lovely hill again!)....wish us luck.
Half Marathon countdown: 58 day 2 hours and 59 minutes to go!
***Update, I completely forgot to mention this in my last post....but I am now currently at 70lbs lost!***
Things in my life haven't slowed down, in fact if I didn't know any better I'd think they'd picked up! I've been trying my best to get in my extra runs during the week like I should but with the weather we've been having (some day's it's been in the high 90's with the triple H factor going on or most recently raining cats and dogs) it's just really hard.
I wouldn't say that I've been slacking though, because that's not the case for sure. On the day's that I'm not going for a run (either with my classmates or on my own), I've been trekking myself over to the Y for my workouts on the treadmill or elliptical. Occasionally I've been hitting a few group fitness classes but unlike before, those too have become a hit and miss with me.
The past two weeks in my running class we've really step things up! Last week, we attempted to run for one mile straight without stopping for our walk breaks (previously we were either doing a run for 2 minutes then walk for 1 minute, then it became run for 3 minutes then walk for 1 minute). It was amazing on how quickly this felt natural to me, so when it was decided that maybe the following week we'd try to run 1.5 miles without stopping...I was like, okay I think I can do that.
So, that brings me to this weeks class...only 2 other classmates showed up to join me but we were all ready for our first "long" run. As we set out with our 5 minute warm up, our "teachers" decided to try to keep everyone together throughout the whole run and instead of doing the usual route, we were going to change it up a little bit. You see, since some of the girls are doing the Koman Race for the Cure in September, they thought that maybe we should try to run some of the course...but no one besides myself knew what the course was. As we started our run, we did the usual beginning loop and then I ended up near the front of the group and took the lead in directions and I apologize now to my fellow classmates for the last part of our run being all up hill! In the end, we managed to run 3.3 miles (a little more than a 5k) with 2 miles of that being non-stop around 37 minutes! Next week, we're going to try to run the whole entire route (yes, that means we have to hit that oh-so-lovely hill again!)....wish us luck.
Half Marathon countdown: 58 day 2 hours and 59 minutes to go!
***Update, I completely forgot to mention this in my last post....but I am now currently at 70lbs lost!***
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