I went for a run yesterday, which I was hoping would be 11 miles, but which only ended up being 4.5. I wasn't too disappointed by it because of the long run earlier in the week, but I hated not having a higher weekly mileage.
My leg pains were bothering me again at the start and it took over 3 miles to get them shaken out. I was also having a lot of trouble getting into a comfortable pace. When I looked at my graph afterwards I was all over the place. My husband had gone out for the running too, but lately we kind of go our own way because we have different paces and strategies. I let him go off on his own, but after I had gone 3.5 miles and was thinking about stopping I decided to go just a little further and catch up with him for the last leg of his lap by our house. After I met up with him I easily fell into his pace and was able to stay there, so I ran another mile feeling much better. I was still tired, though, and not wanting to push it since I'm running an 8K race next Saturday, I decided to be done for the day.
I am so proud of my husband, who went on to run 10 miles that day! His longest run of our training and ever in his life! He used to run a lot in high school, but has never run distances farther than 5 miles at a time. When I started talking about doing a half marathon he told me he had no desire to run that far, so it's so inspiring to see him get out there and do it...especially since I know he's doing it for me! :)
Today my husband and I headed to the Charlotte Running Company in Mooresville to get him fitted for new running shoes. After trying 4 or 5 different pairs and running on a treadmill with each, he decided on Mizuno Wave Inspires. I got myself a foam roller to see if that will help with my leg problems. I've already used it this afternoon, and it is painful! But I can tell it loosens up my muscles a lot. Hopefully it will make a difference with my leg pains.
When we got home, Pete met up with his law partner for a 10 mile bike ride. I decided to take a rest day and got a few little things done around the house while he was gone. All in all, it was a pretty great Sunday! Back to work tomorrow, boo.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Blah
My goal for tonight's run was a slow 5 miles. It's ambitious, but for some reason I just really want to hit 30 miles this week. I don't think it's going to happen, but I really wanted it. Oh well, if I can get in 11 miles on Saturday like I want to then I'll definitely be over 20 and that's still awesome!
My shins hurt right from the start tonight and no matter what I did, I just could not shake them out. I stretched before running, did some warm up exercises, and started running slow. Then I took a walk break, then I tried running fast. I tried running uphill and I tried running downhill. Nothing worked!!! And it was just so uncomfortable, so I decided to just come home. I ended up doing 2.39 miles in 30:13. Boo.
Fun fact: On my very first day of the half marathon training plan, I ran for 30 minutes without stopping for the first time ever. I completed 2.33 miles in 30 minutes. And tonight I went farther (albeit not by much) even though there was LOTS of walking involved!
When I got home I did a lot of stretching and then slapped the ice packs on for an hour. I'm hoping I'll feel better tomorrow and be able to get a 5-miler in. Honestly, my legs were still noticeably sore and tired from the 9.5 miles on Tuesday, so I think they just weren't ready for it yet. Guess I got a little too greedy with the mileage!
My shins hurt right from the start tonight and no matter what I did, I just could not shake them out. I stretched before running, did some warm up exercises, and started running slow. Then I took a walk break, then I tried running fast. I tried running uphill and I tried running downhill. Nothing worked!!! And it was just so uncomfortable, so I decided to just come home. I ended up doing 2.39 miles in 30:13. Boo.
Fun fact: On my very first day of the half marathon training plan, I ran for 30 minutes without stopping for the first time ever. I completed 2.33 miles in 30 minutes. And tonight I went farther (albeit not by much) even though there was LOTS of walking involved!
When I got home I did a lot of stretching and then slapped the ice packs on for an hour. I'm hoping I'll feel better tomorrow and be able to get a 5-miler in. Honestly, my legs were still noticeably sore and tired from the 9.5 miles on Tuesday, so I think they just weren't ready for it yet. Guess I got a little too greedy with the mileage!
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
A super duper awesome run!
Tonight I had, as the title suggests, a super duper awesome run! I really wanted to run 9.5 miles because that was the next long run on my schedule and I was feeling lousy for being behind and not fitting in the long runs like I should. So I worked all day, came home and threw on my running clothes, and headed out the door.
The first 3 miles sucked. My shin pains were back, I think due to not icing for a couple of weeks, and I wasn't enjoying myself. At 3.1 I seriously considered stopping, but instead I just ducked in the house really quick and changed to a tanktop because it was really warm out. Then I got back out there to see what I could do.
I focused on keeping my pace slow and comfortable so I could maintain it for the whole run. Miraculously, my shins weren't hurting anymore! So I plodded along at about a 12:00 pace, sometimes a few seconds slower, and planned to take a walk break at 4 miles. At 4 miles I was feeling good, so I thought I'd try to get to 5. Still feeling good at 5, maybe I can make it all the way to 6? Rocking it out at 6, let's push through to 7! Holy cow, I'm still running...7.5 miles, let's take a little walk break. 2 minutes of walking, back to running. Feeling tired now, but I'm gonna make it through. I'll just run to 8.5, but at 8.5, why not just run the last mile? So I run the last mile, even pick up the pace, and finish this long run at 1:57:43!
Pretty slow overall...average pace of 12:28. But, um, I just ran 4.5 miles without stopping!!!! And it was EASY! It felt good, I wasn't out of breath, I was just going! I was in the zone, the miles were flying by, it was everything I've wanted out of running since I started in the summer!
Afterwards I was so tired and so sore! I've been plodding around the house like a little old lady and pretty soon I will be heading to bed!
Did I mention that I ran 4.5 miles without stopping???!?!?!?!!?!?
The first 3 miles sucked. My shin pains were back, I think due to not icing for a couple of weeks, and I wasn't enjoying myself. At 3.1 I seriously considered stopping, but instead I just ducked in the house really quick and changed to a tanktop because it was really warm out. Then I got back out there to see what I could do.
I focused on keeping my pace slow and comfortable so I could maintain it for the whole run. Miraculously, my shins weren't hurting anymore! So I plodded along at about a 12:00 pace, sometimes a few seconds slower, and planned to take a walk break at 4 miles. At 4 miles I was feeling good, so I thought I'd try to get to 5. Still feeling good at 5, maybe I can make it all the way to 6? Rocking it out at 6, let's push through to 7! Holy cow, I'm still running...7.5 miles, let's take a little walk break. 2 minutes of walking, back to running. Feeling tired now, but I'm gonna make it through. I'll just run to 8.5, but at 8.5, why not just run the last mile? So I run the last mile, even pick up the pace, and finish this long run at 1:57:43!
Pretty slow overall...average pace of 12:28. But, um, I just ran 4.5 miles without stopping!!!! And it was EASY! It felt good, I wasn't out of breath, I was just going! I was in the zone, the miles were flying by, it was everything I've wanted out of running since I started in the summer!
Afterwards I was so tired and so sore! I've been plodding around the house like a little old lady and pretty soon I will be heading to bed!
Did I mention that I ran 4.5 miles without stopping???!?!?!?!!?!?
Friday, January 13, 2012
Sidelined
After a wonderful high mileage week last week, this week I have been totally sidelined by bronchitis. It started on Sunday and by Monday was kicking my butt. I went to the doctor and got some antibiotics, but I'm still not feeling up to running...or doing much else, for that matter.
On top of the bronchitis, my pregnancy issues also became more complicated this week. I learned that I did not miscarry a couple of weeks ago, but that my pregnancy still wasn't normal, and I was diagnosed as having an ectopic or tubal pregnancy. That means that instead of attaching itself to my uterus, the little embryo implanted in one of my fallopian tubes. Since there is no room for it to grow there, if it gets too big it could cause my tube to rupture. This would lead to dangerous internal bleeding, surgery, and the loss of one tube. Since the doctors felt like they caught it early enough to avoid surgery, they gave me an injection of methotrexate, which is supposed to dissolve the pregnancy naturally. It's been a very emotional week. The whole idea of a shot that ends my pregnancy is rather disturbing to me, but it was also hard to learn that yes, I was still pregnant but no, I would not be having a baby in 8 months. I have to keep getting my blood drawn every week to make sure my pregnancy hormones are going down. Once they hit zero, I will really be not pregnant anymore and I'll be able to resume having a normal life. I wish this baby could just be safe and healthy, but now I want more than anything else for this ordeal to be over.
So with all of these medical issues, I haven't run or been to yoga. I'm really missing yoga and I'm ready to get back to it. After all I've been through, I think my body needs a good hot detox practice to really cleanse and get back on track. Running gave me such peace of mind last week and I'm really missing it this week. But next week we're doing a little traveling and I think I'm going to get in some excellent runs!
On top of the bronchitis, my pregnancy issues also became more complicated this week. I learned that I did not miscarry a couple of weeks ago, but that my pregnancy still wasn't normal, and I was diagnosed as having an ectopic or tubal pregnancy. That means that instead of attaching itself to my uterus, the little embryo implanted in one of my fallopian tubes. Since there is no room for it to grow there, if it gets too big it could cause my tube to rupture. This would lead to dangerous internal bleeding, surgery, and the loss of one tube. Since the doctors felt like they caught it early enough to avoid surgery, they gave me an injection of methotrexate, which is supposed to dissolve the pregnancy naturally. It's been a very emotional week. The whole idea of a shot that ends my pregnancy is rather disturbing to me, but it was also hard to learn that yes, I was still pregnant but no, I would not be having a baby in 8 months. I have to keep getting my blood drawn every week to make sure my pregnancy hormones are going down. Once they hit zero, I will really be not pregnant anymore and I'll be able to resume having a normal life. I wish this baby could just be safe and healthy, but now I want more than anything else for this ordeal to be over.
So with all of these medical issues, I haven't run or been to yoga. I'm really missing yoga and I'm ready to get back to it. After all I've been through, I think my body needs a good hot detox practice to really cleanse and get back on track. Running gave me such peace of mind last week and I'm really missing it this week. But next week we're doing a little traveling and I think I'm going to get in some excellent runs!
Sunday, January 8, 2012
High Mileage Week
I haven't blogged much this week, but I've run a lot! This week has been my highest mileage week ever at 25 miles. Woohoo! 3.1 on New Years Day, 4 on the 2nd, 5 on the 3rd, 5 on the 5th, and 8 on the 7th! Both of the 5-milers were done on the treadmill. My legs felt fantastic on all of them, no problems with cramping or seizing up! My problem lately seems to be that I want to get speedy! If I just let my body go without concentrating on pace I'll move at about a 9:30 pace. I'm thrilled I can do that, but I can't keep it up for much longer than a mile. I could probably go 1.5, maybe 2 miles, but I'll be severely winded afterwards.
During the 8 mile run I had a secret goal of finishing in 1:30:00. I didn't quite make it, coming in at 1:31:17. But that's still 4 minutes faster than my last 8 mile run! I've seen leaps and bounds of progress in my runs this week, so I'm reminding myself to be happy about that.
I probably upped my mileage a little more than advisable this week. I went back to work and found that I was thinking about the miscarriage or getting pregnant again all the time. I would come home feeling sad and drained, but if I pushed myself hard in a run I felt clearer and calmer. So I ran. A lot. I'll probably continue coping that way in the upcoming week as well, but as long as I remind myself to back off when necessary to avoid injury, I'm going to run to my heart's content because it makes me feel so much better.
During the 8 mile run I had a secret goal of finishing in 1:30:00. I didn't quite make it, coming in at 1:31:17. But that's still 4 minutes faster than my last 8 mile run! I've seen leaps and bounds of progress in my runs this week, so I'm reminding myself to be happy about that.
I probably upped my mileage a little more than advisable this week. I went back to work and found that I was thinking about the miscarriage or getting pregnant again all the time. I would come home feeling sad and drained, but if I pushed myself hard in a run I felt clearer and calmer. So I ran. A lot. I'll probably continue coping that way in the upcoming week as well, but as long as I remind myself to back off when necessary to avoid injury, I'm going to run to my heart's content because it makes me feel so much better.
Monday, January 2, 2012
Feeling better
I set out to run 4 miles today, and I accomplished that goal! In fact, I accomplished that goal 33 seconds faster than the last time I ran 4 miles! I'm really excited about that considering I took more walk breaks than I wanted. My body appears to now want to run at a pace below 10:00, which I'm happy about, but it's also tiring me out quicker than I want. Gotta slow myself down to somewhere between 10:30-11:00 on longer runs.
I started off wanted to do 10min/2min run/walk intervals. I succeeded in doing that for the first two sets, but then I needed a little 2-3 minute break of just sitting on the front porch after set two. When I felt recovered I set out for the next leg, but I was struggling and decided to walk after 2 minutes of running. I gave myself a nice long 4 minute walk break and then for .5 mile. The another 2 minute walk break, and I ran the final .63 mile to get to my 4 mile total! I averaged about a 9:35 pace during the running portions...crazy! I definitely need to slow it down on the long run coming up on Saturday.
Post-run I made myself a Green Monster...although it turned out a little more orange than green because I added some frozen strawberries. This one contained a handful of spinach, a couple spoonfuls of vanilla greek yogurt, a frozen banana, frozen strawberries, frozen blueberries, 1/2 cup of almond milk, and 1 scoop of vanilla protein powder. It was yummy, but I wish it had a little more sweetness. I think I'll try adding honey next time I fix one. It was also thicker than usual and I had a little more than would fit in my cup!
Sunday, January 1, 2012
A New Year
I must say, 2012 has been wonderful so far! The hubby and I decided a quiet New Years Eve would be best for us so we went out to dinner and then had a Dexter marathon on the couch. We took a little break to have champagne and watch the ball drop, but we ended up staying awake until 3am watching Dexter! We watched all but the last 2 episodes of season 6 and finished those this morning. My parents came over for a little while to see Pete's new basketball goal and we played around outside for awhile, then Pete and I went for a run to get the year started off on a positive fitness note!
In my head I wanted to start out really strong and go 5 miles today, but my body just isn't quite there yet. I can tell, though, that each run this week has gotten easier. I ran 1.25 miles today before taking a walk break, then did a .75 mile run, walk break, and ended with a .6 mile run to make it a nice even 5K. My total time was 33:38, which is actually a super 5K time for me (especially considering that I walked for .5 mile), but I just expected more of myself today. I'm still really happy because I know my body has been and is still going through a lot, but I want to be back in the zone and training hard! My average paces for the running segments were 9:49, 9:30, and 9:27. I'm so close to 3 miles in 30 minutes...possibly even a sub-30:00 5K time! Since I've been feeling progressively better on my runs, I'm going to try to run for a few more consecutive days and increase my mileage by 1 mile each day. 2 miles yesterday, 3 miles today, so hopefully 4 tomorrow!
I've been thinking a lot about what I want to accomplish in 2012. I haven't come up with any career goals because I feel so lost in that area, but I'm very clear on what I want to accomplish personally and for my health. My main focuses will be to spend less and save more, continue pushing myself in my running and yoga, to have a healthy pregnancy, and to make this year even better than the one before.
In my head I wanted to start out really strong and go 5 miles today, but my body just isn't quite there yet. I can tell, though, that each run this week has gotten easier. I ran 1.25 miles today before taking a walk break, then did a .75 mile run, walk break, and ended with a .6 mile run to make it a nice even 5K. My total time was 33:38, which is actually a super 5K time for me (especially considering that I walked for .5 mile), but I just expected more of myself today. I'm still really happy because I know my body has been and is still going through a lot, but I want to be back in the zone and training hard! My average paces for the running segments were 9:49, 9:30, and 9:27. I'm so close to 3 miles in 30 minutes...possibly even a sub-30:00 5K time! Since I've been feeling progressively better on my runs, I'm going to try to run for a few more consecutive days and increase my mileage by 1 mile each day. 2 miles yesterday, 3 miles today, so hopefully 4 tomorrow!
I've been thinking a lot about what I want to accomplish in 2012. I haven't come up with any career goals because I feel so lost in that area, but I'm very clear on what I want to accomplish personally and for my health. My main focuses will be to spend less and save more, continue pushing myself in my running and yoga, to have a healthy pregnancy, and to make this year even better than the one before.
- Finish the Disney Princess Half Marathon in 2:30 or less
- Cook dinner at least twice a week
- Practice yoga twice a week
- Go to church at least twice a month
- Run a 5K in under 30:00
- Save $100-$200 every week of working
- Spend less time on Facebook
- Follow $200 per month budget for shopping
- Keep the credit card bill under $2,000 per month
- Get (and stay) pregnant
Of course, if I do get pregnant that will alter some of my running time goals. Once pregnant, I'll just want to keep running while still feeling good throughout the pregnancy. I really feel like I've moved on from the miscarriage now. 2012 seems full of hope and opportunity and I'm ready to seize it!
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