I think my body is starting to catch on to what is happening. The first week I felt great and I'm sure my body thought it was one of my sporadic episodes of healthy eating, less caffeine and exercise (they usually occur about once a month for 2 or 3 days). Not this time body. We have a long way to go.
Fortunately, I'm going away this weekend so I'm going to have a couple of mandatory rest days. Today was supposed to be cross training but I've decided chasing children around definitely adds up to at least 30 minutes :)
106 days to go.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Conquering Fears
Last week: 19 miles...success :)
I've reached my goals so far this week too, and I'm in the process of conquering one of my big fears: treadmills. Most people I talk to dislike treadmills because the run is boring. Running for any length of time staring at the same spot on the wall can understandably make anyone crazy. Personally, I think treadmills are terrifying. I trace it back to childhood, when my friend won a treadmill from a cereal box (lucky!) and I decided to try to run on the treadmill as fast as it could go. I quickly wiped out, skinned my knees and (this is no surprise for those who knew me as a child) cried. I have had an irrationally strong fear of them ever since.
Yesterday it was cold and dark and I had to run 4 miles so I decided it was time to face my fear. Not gonna lie, it was one of the worst 4 miles of my life, but I finished it and kept my pace. I definitely wasn't bored because as soon as I was in a groove I remembered that I was on a treadmill and fear crept in. I'm sure I looked awesome, as I was fighting hyperventilation and continuously knocked my mp3 player on the ground and had to fumble to get it back (fortunately it was still attached to my headphones, which was great except for the time when I managed to get the cords tangled in cords on the treadmill). Also, when a woman got on the elliptical beside me, my only thought was "I wonder if she can sense my fear." Paranoia is apparently a side effect of treadmills :) But I did it.
I ran 5 miles on a treadmill today and it was already so much better. The only moment to note was that I tried to walk away with the 'emergency stop' clip still attached to my shirt. After I freed myself from the machine, a beautiful man runner and I locked eyes and he smiled. So he either thought I was beautiful or just saw me get literally jerked back when I attempted to walk away from the treadmill. I'm going with the latter.
108 days to go.
I've reached my goals so far this week too, and I'm in the process of conquering one of my big fears: treadmills. Most people I talk to dislike treadmills because the run is boring. Running for any length of time staring at the same spot on the wall can understandably make anyone crazy. Personally, I think treadmills are terrifying. I trace it back to childhood, when my friend won a treadmill from a cereal box (lucky!) and I decided to try to run on the treadmill as fast as it could go. I quickly wiped out, skinned my knees and (this is no surprise for those who knew me as a child) cried. I have had an irrationally strong fear of them ever since.
Yesterday it was cold and dark and I had to run 4 miles so I decided it was time to face my fear. Not gonna lie, it was one of the worst 4 miles of my life, but I finished it and kept my pace. I definitely wasn't bored because as soon as I was in a groove I remembered that I was on a treadmill and fear crept in. I'm sure I looked awesome, as I was fighting hyperventilation and continuously knocked my mp3 player on the ground and had to fumble to get it back (fortunately it was still attached to my headphones, which was great except for the time when I managed to get the cords tangled in cords on the treadmill). Also, when a woman got on the elliptical beside me, my only thought was "I wonder if she can sense my fear." Paranoia is apparently a side effect of treadmills :) But I did it.
I ran 5 miles on a treadmill today and it was already so much better. The only moment to note was that I tried to walk away with the 'emergency stop' clip still attached to my shirt. After I freed myself from the machine, a beautiful man runner and I locked eyes and he smiled. So he either thought I was beautiful or just saw me get literally jerked back when I attempted to walk away from the treadmill. I'm going with the latter.
108 days to go.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Feeling Good
Things I love:
Running with a friend (yay Brynna)
The feeling of completing runs 3 days in a row (6 miles yesterday!)
A hot bath after a cold run
Things I do not love:
Cold
Running up a hill that has absolutely no traction because of the snow
Since yesterday was my long run, I was given the choice of resting or light cross-training today. This morning I briefly debated between going to the store to buy a yoga video and making brownies. Wonder what I chose? (hint: my lunch consisted entirely of baked chocolate-y goodness) I did end up walking for about an hour (still love that walking counts as cross-training...score) and I've been fueling myself with brownies all day so I'm feeling pretty much awesome :)
Running with a friend (yay Brynna)
The feeling of completing runs 3 days in a row (6 miles yesterday!)
A hot bath after a cold run
Things I do not love:
Cold
Running up a hill that has absolutely no traction because of the snow
Since yesterday was my long run, I was given the choice of resting or light cross-training today. This morning I briefly debated between going to the store to buy a yoga video and making brownies. Wonder what I chose? (hint: my lunch consisted entirely of baked chocolate-y goodness) I did end up walking for about an hour (still love that walking counts as cross-training...score) and I've been fueling myself with brownies all day so I'm feeling pretty much awesome :)
Thursday, January 20, 2011
A reminder of why I'm still single ;)
4 miles today. According to my schedule, today was 4 miles of "easy to moderate" running. I wasn't aware of any other options.
I've found that while I run, my mind tends to wander. I have music, but today my mind was occupied daydreaming about meeting a beautiful man runner (who, obviously, runs at the same pace I do and is mesmerized by my wind chapped face and non-color coordinated running gear) and we would decide to train together and fall deeply in love. Then my dreams were shattered. This next part is an overshare, sorry. In the middle of my run, I was practicing what my dad refers to as a "snot rocket." (plug one nostril and blow forcefully out the other, it's pretty disgusting but helpful when you don't have any tissues and you're in the middle of the woods...not recommended indoors or when any people are around) When I was done I looked up and saw the only other person crazy enough to run outside today running straight towards me. And of course, he was a beautiful man runner.
On a happier note, it was absolutely beautiful out today. The snow was falling lightly enough to be beautiful but not annoying to run through. I've had a lot of "I feel like I'm in a Christmas card" moments lately, and there's something to be said about enjoying winter by being outside instead of watching it all out the window. I remember feeling that way when I was younger but I think I forgot when I started pretending to be an adult. Though there is also that "but it's cold" argument that I completely understand.
114 days to go.
I've found that while I run, my mind tends to wander. I have music, but today my mind was occupied daydreaming about meeting a beautiful man runner (who, obviously, runs at the same pace I do and is mesmerized by my wind chapped face and non-color coordinated running gear) and we would decide to train together and fall deeply in love. Then my dreams were shattered. This next part is an overshare, sorry. In the middle of my run, I was practicing what my dad refers to as a "snot rocket." (plug one nostril and blow forcefully out the other, it's pretty disgusting but helpful when you don't have any tissues and you're in the middle of the woods...not recommended indoors or when any people are around) When I was done I looked up and saw the only other person crazy enough to run outside today running straight towards me. And of course, he was a beautiful man runner.
On a happier note, it was absolutely beautiful out today. The snow was falling lightly enough to be beautiful but not annoying to run through. I've had a lot of "I feel like I'm in a Christmas card" moments lately, and there's something to be said about enjoying winter by being outside instead of watching it all out the window. I remember feeling that way when I was younger but I think I forgot when I started pretending to be an adult. Though there is also that "but it's cold" argument that I completely understand.
114 days to go.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Day 3 (well, technically, Day 1)
The Pittsburgh Marathon is 17 weeks away. According to the training schedule I'm using, the beginner runner should "have been running 3-4 times per week (3-5 miles per run) for several months." huh. What about the people who run on average about once per week? I think I would be listed as the "you probably shouldn't be running a marathon" runner.
This blog is kind of a way to keep me accountable and on track. Also, I really hope some fun stories come out of it :) And in the end, I will have the ultimate prize: the ability to put a 26.2 bumper sticker on my car.
Today it began. I was supposed to start on Monday but I'm pretty sure there's a rule against starting marathon training on a holiday. For yesterday, I'm counting a game of piggy back tag as my cross-training (imagine playing tag with a 50 lb backpack on, except that the backpack is an 8-year old boy). If walking can be counted as cross-training, I'm definitely counting piggy back tag. Today I ran 5 miles in the park. At first I thought it was going to be miserable, but it was actually a good run and there were a few other runners out so we were able to share smiles and sympathetic glances.
One day down, 115 to go.
http://www.pittsburghmarathon.com/
This blog is kind of a way to keep me accountable and on track. Also, I really hope some fun stories come out of it :) And in the end, I will have the ultimate prize: the ability to put a 26.2 bumper sticker on my car.
Today it began. I was supposed to start on Monday but I'm pretty sure there's a rule against starting marathon training on a holiday. For yesterday, I'm counting a game of piggy back tag as my cross-training (imagine playing tag with a 50 lb backpack on, except that the backpack is an 8-year old boy). If walking can be counted as cross-training, I'm definitely counting piggy back tag. Today I ran 5 miles in the park. At first I thought it was going to be miserable, but it was actually a good run and there were a few other runners out so we were able to share smiles and sympathetic glances.
One day down, 115 to go.
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