That Running High!

I must say, I am incredibly proud of myself today! I haven't had a good long run in about a week because of various events that got in my way, so today's run I jumped from an 11 minute run to a 14 minute run! A cold front came though so the weather got a little chilly, plus I had just eaten a large-ish dinner and had a fully belly, and my gym buddy bailed so I had a bit less motivation. None of that stopped me though! I ended up doing a 17 minute run and I felt fantastic, I even considered going a little bit longer but I didn't want to get too far ahead of myself. 

It say's 20, but that's because it
includes a couple minutes
of walking before I remembered
to turn it off.

Rather than the cooler weather making it harder to breath, it actually just felt fantastic! I am getting better about breathing the right way so I'm not huffing and puffing 3 minutes in, so that may have helped too. This makes me really excited about the 5k being in December! In the daylight I assume the December weather will be much like tonight's weather and it felt amazing the whole time. The only problem tonight was the wind; I use MapMyRun to track my speed and distance and I noticed my over all speed was about 4 mph rather than my usual 5 - 5.5 mph (I know I'm slow, but I'm getting there!) and I think it was because for about half of the run I was going against the wind.

When I got home from my run I was on a total running high! I felt awesome...better than awesome! I ripped through my circuit workout and I planned on vacuuming my room when I got back... which turned into cleaning my entire apartment! I didn't want to loose my high by sitting at my computer (like right now...) so I just decided to go, go, go and put my energy to good use. It's funny to think that about an hour before I ran I was considering not running because I was so tired, and then I stayed up even longer for spontaneous cleaning. All in all, this was a very successful run! I hope I will get some more like this and the weather will stay beautiful for me to take advantage of it! 

        

Night Running

My plan was to go to the gym to run again because of how dark it would be at 8 o'clock at this time of year, but my gym buddy didn't feel go so we decided not to go. For a brief moment I thought, "Yes, Excuse not to run!" Then I quickly realized that I would just be letting myself down. So instead I ran outside, despite the darkness. 

Much to my surprise, it was actually quite pleasant running at night with just the street lights and my little flash light. I still ran with music, but without the distraction of the busy world it really gave me a chance to enjoy the run and clear my mind. Not to mention the lack of heat and humidity now that the weather is starting to cool off, so the night breeze felt fantastic. I'm really glad I didn't fall into the temptation and not run, because it ended up being a very satisfying. I'm realizing the all the right muscles are still there, it's just a matter of waking them up. I was really worried about being sore after the first run, but I wasn't at all and the second run felt even better. 

Tomorrow is a 10 minute run which will hopefully come easy to me again, but I really don't know what to expect. What I do know is  that I am REALLY looking forward to the color run and this training will all be worth it on that day! 

Count down to the Color Run: 57 Days!   



Random side note: I finally got on an intramural volleyball team! I am so excited to start playing again. I have a class until 8:30 on Monday nights and I have to be at the gym for volleyball at 9:30 so it conveniently gives me plenty of time to go right after class and finish my run before playing. Yay!   

Back in the Game

So it's been a while...life has been a bit busy and some how running became less and less of a priority. The good news is I'm back in the game! With my 5k in just a couple months I decided it was time to get serious again. Rather than starting at square one with a 2 minute jog I started at a 9 minute jog, which was not as easy as I thought it would be, but I still completed it making it a successful starting point.I put the run times in my calender again so I would have a reminder to run and feel more guilty if I skipped one. For what ever reason having it in my calender makes it more serious to me and having a schedule to follow helps me continue to push myself. Anytime I randomly ran without a timer during the break I took I found myself giving up too soon, which was disappointing and prevented progress.

I ran with my roommate so we ran on the treadmills at the gym, but I didn't want to let myself off too easy so I set it on an incline. When I finished the 9 minute run I did a power walk with various inclines for about 20 minutes to help build up my endurance again. Eventually, I plan to get back into the circuit workouts too, but that will probably be when I start running outside again so I can do them as soon as I come back in.

But, I'm back in the game and hopefully I will hold myself accountable for a successful 5k! I think I will finish the training this time knowing that the 5k is just a couple months away.

Count Down to Race Day: 61 Days

Falling Behind, but NOT Quitting

   Last time I hadn't blogged in a while it was because I was running, but didn't have the time to blog. Since that blog... I just haven't ran, sort of (I'll explain later). I've been falling way behind on this training schedule because I've picked up some side jobs dog sitting and babysitting and what not and it's thrown my entire schedule off. It really sucks because I know getting back into it is going to be difficult. My biggest road block is finding out I couldn't use my school's indoor track over the summer semester and it's kind of put a damper on my plans. I wish I could keep going to my friends gym, but I think after a couple weeks they wouldn't consider me a "guest" anymore, and I don't want to buy a membership.

   I'm still working to keep in shape though!! I may not be able to use an actual gym, run at night, or run 2 miles in the heat of the day, BUT I got an offer yesterday to join a friend of mine with a trainer they've been working with. Best of all it's FREE! Way better than a gym member ship and I'm probably going to make more progress doing this then those 2 minute circuit work outs. I feel like this opportunity is God's way of saying "Don't you dare give up! Just try something new for now!" I'm not doing the distance as much, but I decided I can pick back up with that once I can get on the indoor track and then in November, when it's cooler I'll start training long distance outside again. 

   Now there's only one downfall to this trainer, we workout outside, in the HEAT. You know... what I've been trying to avoid. So you're probably thinking, if you're willing to do that in the heat then why not just suck it up and run, what's the difference? Well, there's two big differences for me:

1. I feel like I haven't built up the endurance to run long distance in the heat, and with this trainer everything is done in intervals and we switch back and forth between cardio and strength each for about a minute at a time  and supposedly we'll gradually increase our time for each a little bit at a time. We also get 30 second breaks after cardio to catch our breath and grab some water. It also lasts about an hour and a half so it's a longer, but less intense.

2. I'm doing this with a friend. Having someone commit to it with me makes me more accountable. Once I tell her I'm going with her, I'm much more likely to actually do it. I wont make excuses for myself. Also having someone else to work out with takes your mind off of how much it sucks working out in the heat. 

    Hopefully this works out for me I'd really like to stick with it and then add the running back in as I tone up and increase my endurance. I'm technically still running, it's just for shorter amounts of time in warm ups, and suicide sprints. I'm interested in seeing how much of a difference it will make. Strength wise I'm really not looking to get "ripped" doing this.. because I personally think that looks gross on females, but to get a toned body can't hurt right? At the very least it'll keep me from gaining any extra flab. We shall see :) 

P.S.- Shout out to Meagan for inviting me to work out with her family's trainer, thanks girlie! :D 

Past 2 Runs

I seem to be "running" a bit behind on blogging, but I am still doing my best to keep up with my runs. 


So first I have a little bit of a funny story to share. I'm just warning you before you get let down, that you probably wont be rolling-on-the-floor-laughing-your-butt-off (also know as ROFLMBO), but it's likely you'll give a little chuckle at the irony. Anyway, when I ran on Wednesday I got impatient waiting for 8:30pm so I decided that 7:45pm was close enough and I went ahead and ran. It was cooler outside, but still pretty sticky so about 10 minutes into my run I really wanted to just quit, but I kept telling myself I'll never improve if I don't keep pushing myself. I  kept setting goals to go a little bit further for a little bit longer (this corner, that sign, one more song, etc.). My last goal was to make it to the corner before turning on to my street. It was my last two minute push when I was so ready to be done. Then, like a God send with the most perfect timing ever "The Final Count Down" started playing. It felt like the most epic end to a run ever! The only thing that could have made it any better is if "I Made It" played after. I am so glad I stuck it out through that run just to feel that awesome at the end. It was a 16 minute run and I ran about a mile and a half so I was pretty impressed with myself. While I'm running I'm always thinking "Why do I even do this!?" but then I finish and I'm like "THAT'S WHY!" 


Now, on to my more recent run. I was determined to go to the gym to squeeze in a mid day run just to get it out of the way since I knew I'd be busy in the evening and too tired in the morning. My first plan was to ask a friend to go with me, because I knew I was more likely to go if I made a commitment to go with someone else, otherwise I'd say 'oh it can wait'and further behind I'd fall. So I got a friend to go with me and it was all fine and dandy until I tried to get into my schools gym and they told me if I wasn't taking any classes over the summer semester then my membership was inactive. (Stupid. As if I don't pay enough in the fall and spring -_-) Luckily the friend I was with also had a shapes membership so we decided to try going in there and she'd use a guest pass. She didn't have any, but they were much nicer there and let me in anyway. The only bummer is that they only have treadmills, no indoor track. So it was probably the easiest mile and a half I've ever ran, I was even able to hold a conversation with my friend the entire 17 minute run. I'm actually really glad that when I started running I started on pavement, because if I trained for a 5k on a treadmill, I would have been in for a rude awaking on race day!      

Great Run!

   FINALLY! I had another run that made me feel fantastic when I finished. I ran around 8:30pm after it rained on and off all day so it was nice and cool outside and I think I've gotten back into my normal rhythm after skipping so many runs. I even felt incredible doing the circuits and then the much needed shower was fantastic. 
  My run today was a great reminder of why I run. Even though some times it can really suck and I feel like I can't do it, the runs that make me feel fantastic are what makes the hard days worth it. My only issue with today's run was a tight cramp, but I assume it's from running about an hour after a big meal. I pushed though it though and stretched it out while I walked. 
   All in all no real complaints today, hopefully the next run will be the same! ...wow this is a short blog when I have nothing to complain about ;) 

Too HOT!

   So my last run SUCKED! I lost track of time on Friday and before I knew it to was too dark to run. I decided, so I don't further put myself behind, I would get up at 8 this morning and run. I forgot how hot it already was as early as 8am! Now I remember why I started running in the evenings. If anything, how I felt running in the heat was an incentive not to take a week off, but I'm pretty sure it had more to do with the heat than my endurance. It wasn't so bad in the shade, but once I was in the sun I thought I was going to die! I'm a little worried because my 5k is at 9am, it's in December so it SHOULD be cooler, but that means nothing in Florida. 
   I'm thinking I might start spoiling myself during this training period and running in the gym on the indoor track at least until the weather cools down a little more. For tomorrows run I plan to run at night around the neighborhood, but if I ever miss a night run again and decide to make it up the next morning, I'm going to the gym, it's just too hot!  
   On a much better note, yesterday I looked at a picture of me in a bathing suit before I started running and then a recent one. The results are already showing in the mid section! I didn't even realize it from looking day to day, but after comparing the two pictures there is definitely a difference. I have a feeling combining the circuit work out with running is whats really helping tone my mid section. It was a fantastic incentive to see some results! It's nothing drastic, but definitely looks nice.    

Off Schedule

   So I went of vacation and it kind of threw off the entire schedule. I only ran two days the week I was on vacation, one was a 13 minute run and the other a 15 minute run and including the walk time they were both about two miles. Then when I got back I skipped two days trying to catch back up with life and I decided rather than messing everything up trying to make it work I would just push the schedule back to make up the runs I missed. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be because it only put me a week off, it just feels like I've missed a lot because I've gotten in the habit of running and then stopped for like 4 days. Luckily I've been really active both on vacation and when I got back home so I think I can still successfully do a 15 minute run without too much trouble. 
   Knowing I have things going on the next couple of days I decided to be realistic with myself and not schedule my next run until Friday. Now if I stay on track from here on out I should be able to do a 30 minute run by Aug. 4th. WOW! That means I will be doubling the time I run in four weeks! Hopefully it's not too hard to keep up with without the schedule to follow once I complete it. My 5k is in December so that means I will have another five months to keep myself in running shape with out any track to follow. In the next 4 weeks I think I'm going to really need to make a regular running schedule/time so I don't let myself down. I might even try to involve gym time after classes since I'll already be on campus by the gym.  


      On another subject, running on the beach is wayyy harder that on a side walk. Not just the sand was hard on me but the salty air made it very hard to breathe and when I ran right before sun it was still super hot without any shade. That ocean breeze doesn't exist when you run. I must admit though, the view and atmosphere is so much nicer, I think I could get used to it. 

Heat!

   It's summer, which means it's been getting really hot outside when the sun is up. After all that rain the sky is nearly cloudless now, which is fantastic... unless your working out. For a while I would get up around 8 and go for a run, but then just once I ran later in the day because I didn't want to get up early and realized how much cooler it was outside at 8pm rather than am. So now I run in the evenings so I can sleep in. It almost always works out better anyway. Except for this past run. 

   It had been a while since I ran when the sun was still high in the sky, but I had to leave to go some where at 8pm so I decided to run at 7pm. I honestly didn't think it would make that much of a difference, but I REALLY think it did. I was nearly BEAT DOWN by the heat about half way though my run which is pretty unusual here lately. I've heard it's better to run in the heat while training because your body learns how to cool itself down better. Yeah, not so sure that's worth it. I'm about 90% sure I was completely red faced by the time I was done. I finished my 11 minutes, but I didn't do the circuit more so because of the lack of time I had than lack of energy.
  
   I know not every run is going to be my best, but I really thought I was reaching a break through when I had a fantastic run the other day. I guess I just have to continue pushing through the difficult patches to get to my goal! My next run is tomorrow and it increase by two minutes (13mins) rather than just one like it has been. Then two days later it increases another  two minutes (15mins). I REALLY hope I get through them successfully, I usually don't quit on myself but I feel like a two minute increase twice in a row is going to be rough. What I do have to look forward to is the mile and a half I should be able to run in the 15 minute run! Which is half of a 5k! Half way to completing my goal!  

Debby & The Color Run

   First of all I have to admit that I had to skip a day, which really sucked. I missed the 5,10,5 day and running 11 minutes today was killer. I was thinking "psh I got this" until about 9 minutes into the run when I thought  "why did I let myself skip!" I think I stopped like 20 seconds early because I set one of those "I'm going to at least make it to that corner!" goals, and then I couldn't push myself anymore. Although I am proud to say that I can run a full mile now and after completing the circuit and showering I feel fantastic now! 

Where's Florida? 

    To the left is my excuse. Tropical storm Debby decided to send lots of wind and rain and I was not about to run through streets covered in puddles and broken branches, just not worth it. I debated going to the gym and doing the indoor track or treadmill, but something about going to the gym alone just bothers me. I feel like people stare or judge me, if someone else is with me I don't think about it as much. plus I didn't want to drive in the unpredictable weather. So I skipped a day, but I'll catch up. 

   On a better note, I now have a reason to run and complete this 5k training thing and I am extremely excited about it! I found a link to The Color Run and decided I had to do it! A couple of my friends are going to sign up with me as a team and I am so excited! The best part is that this 5k isn't all about speed so coming in first or last doesn't really matter. It's just one of those things you can say you did, plus it donates to a charity. Once I pay to register there's no turning back so I will be even more committed to training. It's not until December so I have plenty of time to get in super running shape and finish that 5k with my friends! Hopefully I can talk them into going on some runs with me while training, it's always nice to have a running buddy! 

Circuit Work Outs

   I decided that just running wasn't enough. Even though I've read and been told that running is one of those exercises that gives your entire body a good work out (which is why I decided to do it), I've also read that it doesn't do much for belly fat. So I decided to some what cross train and add some short circuit work outs that include ab exercises to my run, which I also found on pinterest. I'm not so sure about how much of a difference they're going to make, but I figured it's worth a try and at least a start. 

    Today's run was different from what it usually  is. It started with a 6 minute jog, then a 5 minute walk, another 6 minute jog, and then another 5 minute walk. When I used to have to run for P.E. in high school and what not this run, walk, run again, walk again method was usually what I would do. Now that I've started training myself for long distance I've realized that messing with my pace makes it a lot harder to pick back up and run again. Plus in the second jog I started getting shin splits even though I did my usual stretches to avoid them. I have a feeling who ever made the training schedule did it to show how hard it was to get going again after you quit. I finished the whole thing though and the jogging part ended up being a mile! It's been a long time since I've been able to run a mile with out feeling like I'm going to die when I'm done, actually I'm pretty sure that's never happened. This time I felt on top of the world! Pushing myself a little further and completing the run without giving up each time is such a reward in itself! 

    After my run I did one of the circuit work outs which went well but after wearing myself out from running it becomes more of a challenge even though it is pretty short. At first I started doing the circuits before I ran but then I realized it was making me not want to run so I switched and ran first and then did a circuit. Ultimately, once I get in a little bit better shape, I'd like to be able to stretch, do one of these circuits, run, and rest for a bit and then do a longer more challenging circuit. We'll see. 

    Oh, and in my last blog I talked about having an upset stomach before and after I ran. An update on that: I don't regret that run at all because the next morning I woke up and felt fine and haven't had any tummy troubles since then. Yay :)      

Upset Tummy

   I have been trying very veryyy VERY hard to stick to this running schedule. I've only skipped two days and one was a day that I walked all over Disney so I don't really think that counts and the other I made it up on one of the two rest days in a row. 


   The last couple days my stomach has been bothering me on and off and I wasn't very sure about running tonight or not. But like I said earlier I really hate skipping days. I'm realizing now that I should have ran this morning when I was feeling fine and it wasn't raining but instead I decided to be lazy and sleep a little longer and wait until it was cooler at night. As later hit and it started to cool off outside my stomach started acting up again. I went back and forth with myself and decided to wait for it to settle down a bit and then run. My next issue was the rain, luckily it was only sprinkling when I decided to run so the ran wasn't much of a problem except for the slippery sidewalks that made me a little worried that I was going to slip and twist an ankle. I survived. 


   I started my run with a mind set of - I'll quit running and walk home if my stomach upsets me, something is better than nothing - great quitter attitude, right? Much to my own surprise I completed the run without even a cramp, and even more to my own surprise I didn't even look at my stopwatch to see how much longer I had until the last two minutes of my run. That usually happens within the first three minutes of my run. 


   Now when I settled back down at home was a different story. I was feeling on top of the world with my success from not letting the upset tummy get in my way, and then the uncomfortable bubbles came back and I was so sure I was going to throw up. After taking a cold/hot/cold/hot/cold shower (I couldn't stand one or the other for very long) and taking a few tums I started to feel better and thankfully didn't throw up. I'm not quite sure yet if I regret running tonight, if I feel fine tomorrow I probably wont. If I feel worse I probably will, but maybe not because I'm still kind of proud of myself for not quitting. Meh "/ we'll see. 

The Starting Line

    If you ask anyone who has ever worked out with me they will tell you I [used to] absolutely HATE running! Before I started training I could barely make it from the front door to the street. (Okay maybe that's a little bit of an exaggeration...but it didn't make it far before I started huffing and puffing and quit). 

I feel it is necessary to make it clear that I am in no way taking
credit for creating this training plan, just sharing the exact
one I used. 

   Pinterest. Where it all began. Now I'll admit I'm a little bit of pinterest junkie. While I'm guilty of planing my futuristic wedding and future home decor on an unrealistic budget, contrary to the pinterest stigma, my main reason to explore pinterest is for all kinds of things that I actually CAN do. When baking became my favorite category I realized I was in serious need of an exercise plan. I came across a lot of home work outs, but many I knew at first glance I'd never have the motivation, therefore they were not 'repin' worthy. I even bought Zumba fitness for the Wii, which is fun but it began to feel weird dancing alone in my living room. When I came across this running schedule I thought it just might be do able...some day, when someone is willing to do it with me. I repinned and forgot about it for a while.

   Finally summer hit, no more classes, lots of extra free time. I decided it was finally time to get exercising (bikini season was a big motivation). I wasn't really in any need to loose weight so I wasn't looking for anything too extreme, but I needed something to get a little toned and stay/get into shape. I tried to get some people to workout with me but it never seemed to "work out" (pun!). Then while going through my pinterest boards looking for a new project I came across this running schedule and thought, "I'm doing it! Tomorrow!" (I tend to start things spontaneously) that night I wrote all of the run times into my calender and believe it or not, I did it and I still am. I could barley get through that first two minute run, but I carried on. I just finished week 4 and I'm going extremely strong. 

      I've honestly surprised myself with how well it's working. Some may say I'm taking it very slow, but it's what works for me and this is probably the most I have ever committed to running without quitting. I hope to go beyond this training schedule, maybe a 10k or a marathon someday! I've begun researching tips for better running and such and one of the things I found was to start a blog about your running, write about your trials and accomplishments share it with your family and friends for encouragement. I'm always looking for something good to blog about and my previous subjects have failed. So here I am, writing. I am combining something I love with something I [used to] hate. Ironic?   

My pinterest link just in case you're interested: pinterest.com/aleist3