3 Miles
I went into todays run a little nervous but pretty confident. After all, the last time I ran, which was 2 miles, I was sprinting to the finish. Obviously I had more in me so 3 miles shouldn't be to bad, right? WRONG! I don't know if it was because I had yesterday off, or if it was because I waited until after work to run. But from the start, today was tough! I did everything I could think of to take my mind off the fact that my legs were burning 20 yards in. I sang, played the air drums (which by the way I'm convinced I missed my calling as a rock star) and did my best to clear my mind. We mothers don't get those moments very often and when we do, we need to take advantage of it. If we don't ever get a chance to clear our heads they start to spin around and we start speaking in tongues...not a pretty sight for anyone! Anyway, I was just about to get lost in my own happy, childless, chore-less, free thinking thoughts when it happened........side cramp. UGH!!! As if this is not hard enough, I'm running in melted snow so my feet are getting soaked and every time I take a step the water comes up and splashes me on the back of the legs....now I have a side cramp. But that's not it.....wait for it......Ear aches....BOTH ears. Greg and I did a little research a while back and figured out that I have some kind of "short canal:" or something and that I should keep my ears covered because cold weather and vigorous activity cause it to flair up causing EXTREME PAIN that can last for about 15 mins after I stop running. Well, me being the genius that I am decided not to cover my ears today because I thought it was "warm". Considering what it has been, it was warm. So, I walked off the side cramp. I was halfway finished by this point. Lol....yes, all of that happened withing the first mile and a half. I wont bore you with the second half because it wasn't much different from the first. Just alot more of me complaining to myself. The important thing is....I FINISHED. And guess what? I finished with a 12:19 pace!!! 3 miles in 36:57. The moral of the story.....it was hard work, mentally and physically. But I have a new personal record or "PR". And I'm glad I did it.
Each day is a new challenge that I overcome. Some days are harder then others but in the end....I conquered and I take pride in that. I DID IT FOR ME just like you should do it for YOU!
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Training Links
Hey ladies,
Below is a list of links that should help you with your training. I don't want you to think that you have to do what I am doing. Remember, I am doing my first 5K June 1st but I am also training for a half marathon. My training schedule will be different from someone who is only interested in a 5K. Keep in mind everybody's fitness level is different. So find what works for you. Please don't hesitate to ask questions. That's why I am here.
The second website has a training schedule for everyone from the walker to the super advanced athlete.
I am adding these websites to the blog so that ANYONE CAN JOIN THE JOURNEY AT ANY TIME!
http://www.active.com/mobile/c25k
http://halhigdon.com/training/
http://www.active.com/mobile/c25k
http://www.jogtracker.com/
Monday, March 25, 2013
Week 1...Day 2.....Music is my time machine
Day 2: 2 miles
The most snow accumulation in St. Louis since 1982. REALLY??
I seriously doubt I would have ran today had it not been for my readers. There are 500 school closing in St. Louis today and I'm going to be running in this crap. JOY! I have 2 people who have already committed to running a 5K with me. If I quit, I'm not just letting myself down, I'm letting them down too.
I pulled my clothes on and went out the door. Thankfully MO DOT does a pretty good job, the roads were decent. I tiptoed across the driveway trying not to get my shoes wet and made it to the road, hit the watch and started the jog. Thankfully Greg had mapped out a perfect mile for me so all I had to do was loop it twice. About 1/4 of a mile in, my hands were freezing. The gloves weren't cutting it. I thought to myself after the first loop, I'll run back inside, this is just ridiculous. I HATE BEING COLD. Snow is pretty.....on a postcard!
I was about to the 1/2 mile mark, where I needed to circle this cul-de-sac and loop back in the direction I had just come from. Up until this point I had kept my eyes on the road. (Remember, I'm super clumsy). I was looking ahead to see if the road had been cleared when my right foot hit a pot hole filled with water and I twisted my ankle. So much for keeping my feet dry. But I recovered and walked the cul-de-sac. It could have been much worse and I was lucky. Something small like that can take you out of the game, so lesson learned. Watch where you're going ding-dong!!
Today's theme song...Cinderella Man.....Eminem. (MUSIC IS MY TIME MACHINE is a line in the song) This song came on right after the ankle twist. I forgot about the initial pain in my ankle. I forgot I was cold and I forgot I still had a mile and a half to go. Surprisingly after that start, the next mile flew by. So much so that I sprinted the last 100 yards with a finishing time of 26:21 or a 13:11 pace per mile (PACE is runners "lingo") I'll teach you as I learn!
If anyone has any suggestions on music I would love to hear them. Right now I am listening to Greg's Ipod and we don't necessarily have the same taste in music. He's a peaceful person and can listen to Michael Buble while he's training where I have to listen to something angry. I need someone yelling in my ear to keep me moving!
Here are some pictures of what it looked like outside today. The last one is of me, yesterday
Tomorrow is my first day off..WOOHOO. Wednesday...3 miles!
The most snow accumulation in St. Louis since 1982. REALLY??
I seriously doubt I would have ran today had it not been for my readers. There are 500 school closing in St. Louis today and I'm going to be running in this crap. JOY! I have 2 people who have already committed to running a 5K with me. If I quit, I'm not just letting myself down, I'm letting them down too.
I pulled my clothes on and went out the door. Thankfully MO DOT does a pretty good job, the roads were decent. I tiptoed across the driveway trying not to get my shoes wet and made it to the road, hit the watch and started the jog. Thankfully Greg had mapped out a perfect mile for me so all I had to do was loop it twice. About 1/4 of a mile in, my hands were freezing. The gloves weren't cutting it. I thought to myself after the first loop, I'll run back inside, this is just ridiculous. I HATE BEING COLD. Snow is pretty.....on a postcard!
I was about to the 1/2 mile mark, where I needed to circle this cul-de-sac and loop back in the direction I had just come from. Up until this point I had kept my eyes on the road. (Remember, I'm super clumsy). I was looking ahead to see if the road had been cleared when my right foot hit a pot hole filled with water and I twisted my ankle. So much for keeping my feet dry. But I recovered and walked the cul-de-sac. It could have been much worse and I was lucky. Something small like that can take you out of the game, so lesson learned. Watch where you're going ding-dong!!
Today's theme song...Cinderella Man.....Eminem. (MUSIC IS MY TIME MACHINE is a line in the song) This song came on right after the ankle twist. I forgot about the initial pain in my ankle. I forgot I was cold and I forgot I still had a mile and a half to go. Surprisingly after that start, the next mile flew by. So much so that I sprinted the last 100 yards with a finishing time of 26:21 or a 13:11 pace per mile (PACE is runners "lingo") I'll teach you as I learn!
If anyone has any suggestions on music I would love to hear them. Right now I am listening to Greg's Ipod and we don't necessarily have the same taste in music. He's a peaceful person and can listen to Michael Buble while he's training where I have to listen to something angry. I need someone yelling in my ear to keep me moving!
Here are some pictures of what it looked like outside today. The last one is of me, yesterday
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Official training.....Day 1
Today was officially the first day of training. And it just so happened to be the worst snow day of the year. Go figure! Greg woke me up first thing this morning and said " if you're gonna go on your run, you better get up and go now because its starting to snow". Me: I don't wanna run in the snow....that SUCKS ( as if RUNNING isn't bad enough, the Lord had to throw snow in too) Greg: it's only snowing a little, it'll be fun. Yes people, this is what I'm dealing with. He said "fun". Ugh!!!
Like a good little girl, I got out of bed and put my running clothes on, got the watch ready, gloves on and headed out the door. I opened the garage and what did I see........SLEET! So, I turned back around, walked back in the house and said to Greg, "it's sleeting out there, I can't run in that. It'll hurt". Why I thought he would agree is beyond me. He went to the closet and got out a water resistant jacket and sent me on my way. Typical! I can already tell he isn't going to be on my side throughout my en devour.
Day 1: 20 mins walk/jog/run. Whatever I want as long as I am moving for 20 minutes.
Since the roads were already covered I decided to stay around the house. I didn't need my clumsy self slipping in the snow and busting my head open with nobody to save me. Did I mention it was snowing/sleeting and most people were staying in. NOT driving. Yet, there I was, walking and jogging in it. Today was the first day that I was okay knowing people were talking about me and saying how crazy I was... because I agreed with them.
So, I started out jogging, SLOWLY. I didn't need long strides today. Not in this stuff. I have a hard enough time walking on dry level ground. I'm that person that you can be standing still talking to who hits the ground as if someone pulled my feet out from under me. Graceful to say the least! I've got Eminem playing on the Ipod. He keeps me moving pretty well. I start getting tired, legs are burning and I decide to look at my watch, surely this is almost over....5:31.......YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING ME!!!
At that moment I finally looked up. Greg was right. Its pretty. And very peaceful. There has only been one car out so I get to enjoy this beauty and most importantly peace and quiet (minus the music in my ears) all by myself. The schedule called for 20 minutes. I don't have to run or be in pain. I can skip for all that matters. WTP (white trash party) is my JAMM!! I survived the 20 minutes by walking, jogging and playing the air drums. Yes, I was!! I was alone out there people. Don't judge me!!
We now have almost 6 inches of snow and the training schedule calls for 2 miles tomorrow. We'll see how that goes.
Like a good little girl, I got out of bed and put my running clothes on, got the watch ready, gloves on and headed out the door. I opened the garage and what did I see........SLEET! So, I turned back around, walked back in the house and said to Greg, "it's sleeting out there, I can't run in that. It'll hurt". Why I thought he would agree is beyond me. He went to the closet and got out a water resistant jacket and sent me on my way. Typical! I can already tell he isn't going to be on my side throughout my en devour.
Day 1: 20 mins walk/jog/run. Whatever I want as long as I am moving for 20 minutes.
Since the roads were already covered I decided to stay around the house. I didn't need my clumsy self slipping in the snow and busting my head open with nobody to save me. Did I mention it was snowing/sleeting and most people were staying in. NOT driving. Yet, there I was, walking and jogging in it. Today was the first day that I was okay knowing people were talking about me and saying how crazy I was... because I agreed with them.
So, I started out jogging, SLOWLY. I didn't need long strides today. Not in this stuff. I have a hard enough time walking on dry level ground. I'm that person that you can be standing still talking to who hits the ground as if someone pulled my feet out from under me. Graceful to say the least! I've got Eminem playing on the Ipod. He keeps me moving pretty well. I start getting tired, legs are burning and I decide to look at my watch, surely this is almost over....5:31.......YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING ME!!!
At that moment I finally looked up. Greg was right. Its pretty. And very peaceful. There has only been one car out so I get to enjoy this beauty and most importantly peace and quiet (minus the music in my ears) all by myself. The schedule called for 20 minutes. I don't have to run or be in pain. I can skip for all that matters. WTP (white trash party) is my JAMM!! I survived the 20 minutes by walking, jogging and playing the air drums. Yes, I was!! I was alone out there people. Don't judge me!!
We now have almost 6 inches of snow and the training schedule calls for 2 miles tomorrow. We'll see how that goes.
Background check
Like I said before, I am NOT a runner. Never have been and never wanted to be. Before I decided to run a half marathon, I had approximately ran 10 times. Before I had my oldest daughter, who is now 3 1/2, I was in fantastic shape. I loved going to the gym. But I always despised cardio. I avoided it like the plaque. I have never believed in dieting. Its not for me. I exercise so I can eat whatever I want. But with that being said, I do eat pretty healthy. I don't eat fast food. But by God, if I want to cook up some country fried steak, I'm gonna fry it up and enjoy every morsel. I won't feel guilty because I don't eat like that very often. My guiltiest pleasures are Diet Coke and my WINE.
Like I said, I am 17 weeks postpartum and need to get rid of the jiggle. Lets be honest, it's not pretty and thank God for clothes!! The first time I ran was 3/2/2013. I walked/jogged/staggered 1.25 miles in 16:43 mins. By the time I made it home, I was dizzy and pretty sure I was going to vomit everywhere. My head felt like it was going to explode. Immediately after walking in the house from the "run", I had to walk back out and sit down on the steps. A little worried I was going to pass out and fall down them head first. I was finally able to gain my composure enough to return inside but to walk straight to the couch to continue sitting, where I remained for about a half hour. I thought I was going to die. I was in PAIN and I DID NOT like it. But can you believe it.....the next day I did it again. And it took even longer, 16:47 mins. But it didn't hurt as bad. 8 runs later and my best time is 14:45 min. The reason I decided to start running was because of my lack of time. I have P90X and INSANITY but lets be honest, who the hell has that kind of time? So running became my best option to lose the baby weight and to tone up. I could handle 15 mins a day. Sounds pathetic, doesn't it? My ultimate goal is to cross the finish line....conscious!
Like I said, I am 17 weeks postpartum and need to get rid of the jiggle. Lets be honest, it's not pretty and thank God for clothes!! The first time I ran was 3/2/2013. I walked/jogged/staggered 1.25 miles in 16:43 mins. By the time I made it home, I was dizzy and pretty sure I was going to vomit everywhere. My head felt like it was going to explode. Immediately after walking in the house from the "run", I had to walk back out and sit down on the steps. A little worried I was going to pass out and fall down them head first. I was finally able to gain my composure enough to return inside but to walk straight to the couch to continue sitting, where I remained for about a half hour. I thought I was going to die. I was in PAIN and I DID NOT like it. But can you believe it.....the next day I did it again. And it took even longer, 16:47 mins. But it didn't hurt as bad. 8 runs later and my best time is 14:45 min. The reason I decided to start running was because of my lack of time. I have P90X and INSANITY but lets be honest, who the hell has that kind of time? So running became my best option to lose the baby weight and to tone up. I could handle 15 mins a day. Sounds pathetic, doesn't it? My ultimate goal is to cross the finish line....conscious!
The reason behind the madness
Hey everyone,
Thanks so much for taking the time to go through this journey with me. For those of you who don't know, I HATE TO RUN!!! I have never been one to run, it's not natural. It's for creature that have 4 legs. I am a mammal. I am meant for the water (meaning laying on the beach, next to the water, with a drink in my hand) But before I squeeze my out of shape body into a bathing suit, I better get my running shoes on.
Now lets get down to the real reason I have decided to torture my body in this way. Its not something that has ever been on my "bucket list". My fiance, Greg is a personal trainer, endurance coach and Ironman finisher. No, I do not want to be like him!!! The truth, I WANT A CAMERA. If you know me at all, you know I LOVE photography and I have always wanted a DSLR camera but am way to cheap to buy one myself. Greg, being the motivator that he is, challenged me. He said if I crossed the finish line of a half marathon (13.1 miles) he would buy me one! my first thought, "he's lost his damn mind". But after I stopped laughing I thought, "I really want that camera". If Greg can finish 140.6 miles, I can survive 13.1. So here I am. 17 weeks postpartum with my second child and nothing to lose but the dimples in my butt, I figured, why the hell not!
I decided to write this blog for 2 reason. The first, to stay motivated. If I have people reading my blog, some hoping to see me fail and others looking for motivation, I would be more likely to stay on track. For some reason it's harder to let others down then it is yourself. I guess it's because you only have yourself telling you negative things instead of the entire world wide web. The second reason, to motivate. I am your average, out of shape, 32 year old, time restrained mother. If I can do it, anyone can. Yes, I live with a trainer but he's not doing the work for me but he is giving me the training schedule. All you need is a good pair of running shoes. I would love it if anyone of you wanted to take this journey with me. Even if you decide to get off the couch once or twice, share your experience with me as I am with you. We can do it together. What do we have to lose??? I will post my schedule so you can keep track of my progress or so you can do it right along with me. PLEASE LEAVE ME COMMENTS so I know you are reading my posts. If there is anything in particular you want me to blog about, just let me know! Let the fun begin!!!
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