I'm horrible. Clearly horrible at blogging. So a quick update is necesasry.
I had been doing extremely well with training. Lost 2 more inches from my waist (HURRAH) and 1 more inch from my thighs (take THAT fat!). The scale is going nowhere, but my clothes are fitting much better and looser so I know something is working.
I finishe the Couch to 5k program and have started using my Nike + Ipod to train for a 10k. I liked doing a longer run and focusing on time rather than stressing over distance. I also like that the Nike + app has programs that help with speed training and cross training activities. I need that. Running on a treadmill is getting so boring, especially when it is getting so nice out.
Last Saturday I had my longest run to date- 4.67 miles with no stopping. I ran this in approximately 42 minutes. I say approximately because on the last stretch up the hill to my apartment complex i tripped over a tree root and sprained my right ankle. LAMMME. So I rested it on Sunday. Monday came along and I thought (in typical coach's daughter fashion- "oh i'll just tape it, it will be fine"). FALSE. I got a mile into the run and was in so much pain I had to call it quits.
I've rested it and done some ab and arm work for the last few days. I tried the bike but got so bored that I literally dread getting on that machine again. I'm like a child sometimes, with my constant need to be entertained or find something to occupy my mind. It just makes no sense for me to be cycling and going no. where.
I'm planning on getting back out there this weekened. Can't wait. Bought an ankle brace to help me and hopefully will avoid this in the future. I've also planned to start biking to work. I've only trail biked and never biked in the city, but it will save me almost $200 a month in commuting fees and gas fees- so that alone is worth it. Anybody bike into the city from Alexandria? Want to give me some tips on trails, areas to avoid?
Friday, April 22, 2011
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Bad Blogger
I am a horrible blogger- this we know. I do however, have an excuse. This time of the year just sucks epically in this household. Why? Well it's this lovely little thing called TAX SEASON.
My boyfriend love of my life significant other is a tax accountant/attorney. I probably haven't seen him for more the 2-3 hrs at a time since the beginning of April. It sucks. Monday (the 11th) was my birthday - so now i'm an ancient 28! AHHH
Running has been going surprisingly well. I've been getting in at least 3-4 runs a week so i've been pretty happy with that. My time isn't improving as much as I want it to and my shins have been killing me, but i've found that a rest day in between and lovely ice baths have been helping considerably.
I started the bride to 10K program. The first run was on a treadmill and I got bored by the third mile. Today I took it outside and found this lovely little path by the apartment. Running outside is so much harder- but i'd rather have a harder run than be bored to tears.
On a side note- i will be so happy when the pollen departs. I forgot to take claratin this am and now i have that dreaded allergy eye look. :(
My boyfriend love of my life significant other is a tax accountant/attorney. I probably haven't seen him for more the 2-3 hrs at a time since the beginning of April. It sucks. Monday (the 11th) was my birthday - so now i'm an ancient 28! AHHH
Running has been going surprisingly well. I've been getting in at least 3-4 runs a week so i've been pretty happy with that. My time isn't improving as much as I want it to and my shins have been killing me, but i've found that a rest day in between and lovely ice baths have been helping considerably.
I started the bride to 10K program. The first run was on a treadmill and I got bored by the third mile. Today I took it outside and found this lovely little path by the apartment. Running outside is so much harder- but i'd rather have a harder run than be bored to tears.
On a side note- i will be so happy when the pollen departs. I forgot to take claratin this am and now i have that dreaded allergy eye look. :(
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Ouch
Shin splints suck. They just do.
Today i got home with a plan of doing nothing, then i felt bad about it. I ended up doing a couple of 10 and 20 minute workouts on demand and feel a little better. I really want to rest up my legs for tomorrow, it is supposed to be almost 70 and beautiful so i definitely plan on getting a good run in on the mall.
Had no idea that hot baths after a run were a no-no, but the concept of ice baths terrifies me.
Bah.
Just a quick entry for today. I've lost two inches from my waist but my legs have added an inch. Grrrrr. This calls for some interval training this weekend.
Today i got home with a plan of doing nothing, then i felt bad about it. I ended up doing a couple of 10 and 20 minute workouts on demand and feel a little better. I really want to rest up my legs for tomorrow, it is supposed to be almost 70 and beautiful so i definitely plan on getting a good run in on the mall.
Had no idea that hot baths after a run were a no-no, but the concept of ice baths terrifies me.
Bah.
Just a quick entry for today. I've lost two inches from my waist but my legs have added an inch. Grrrrr. This calls for some interval training this weekend.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Accept and appreciate the fact that not every single run can be a good one
Seriously truer words have never been spoken (or typed).
I'm frustrated on so many levels. Today's run was just awful. I guess I thought that after my first 5k if would be easy to bust out another one on the treadmill today. WRONG. Although i made the best out of it and burned a ton of calories- it still makes me angry. I'm not seeing the results of all this hard work on my body which is even more frustrating. I thought I would be further along right now.
I know losing weight and getting in shape is a process. I accept that. I never thought that it would be so. darn. hard. to lose this excess weight. The thought of lipo seems so awesome because running with 10-20 lbs less fat on this body would be so much easier.
I have two more runs scheduled for this week, three probably counting the weekend. I just have to suck it up and move on.
I'm also not sure why i'm not losing more weight. I've hit a wall and the lbs are just not coming off. I've cut my calories to around 1200-1250 a day and am being very vigilant about keeping my food journal and documenting everything- but the scale isn't going down at all.
So frustrating. Oh well. It's still early in the week and I do have my birthday to look forward to! The runs will get better, the weight will come off. It just takes time. I know that (but that doesn't mean I have to like it!)
Eyes on the prize.
I'm frustrated on so many levels. Today's run was just awful. I guess I thought that after my first 5k if would be easy to bust out another one on the treadmill today. WRONG. Although i made the best out of it and burned a ton of calories- it still makes me angry. I'm not seeing the results of all this hard work on my body which is even more frustrating. I thought I would be further along right now.
I know losing weight and getting in shape is a process. I accept that. I never thought that it would be so. darn. hard. to lose this excess weight. The thought of lipo seems so awesome because running with 10-20 lbs less fat on this body would be so much easier.
I have two more runs scheduled for this week, three probably counting the weekend. I just have to suck it up and move on.
I'm also not sure why i'm not losing more weight. I've hit a wall and the lbs are just not coming off. I've cut my calories to around 1200-1250 a day and am being very vigilant about keeping my food journal and documenting everything- but the scale isn't going down at all.
So frustrating. Oh well. It's still early in the week and I do have my birthday to look forward to! The runs will get better, the weight will come off. It just takes time. I know that (but that doesn't mean I have to like it!)
Eyes on the prize.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
I Did It
Yes you read that correctly.
Today I finished my first 5K race and beat my treadmill time by more than a full minute!
Even though I was only on week 8 of Couch to 5K i was talked into entering the Cherry Blossom 5K race/walk by a friend. Actually I had originally singed up for the 10 mile race but life intervened three weeks into training for it (pulled my hamstring, long hours at the job) so about a month ago I transferred to the 5k run/walk. I really was disappointed in myself- but though "hey everyone has to start somewhere".
So since then I've been putting most of my effort into form, breath and trying to improve my time. Anyone in the DC area knows that the temperatures haven't been the best for running outside, so i've been logging the hours on the treadmill. I haven't been able to finish the 3.1 miles in under 34 minutes, no matter what I tried (although I have discovered that chewing gum helps me pace myself- what can I say, i'm a weird-o). So this morning my goal was to run the entire course, no walking and to finish with my head held high in under 35 minutes. Since this was my first time really running outside and my first race, I really had no clue what to expect.
Thankfully a majority of the runners this morning were super helpful and encouraging. I got up at the crack of - no wait, it wasn't even dawn yet to get ready. The boyfriend got up and drove me into town b/c we got word that metro wasn't cooperating this morning (shocking, right!?) and I arrived just as the 10 mile runners began their run. After watching them for a bit (and being slightly envious- i'm not going to lie) I made my way over to the 5K run/walk starting line and began warming up.
The first mile was tough, I couldn't pace myself in the large crowd- actually it was tough to do more than just jog. Thankfully around 1.5 miles the crowds started to thin out and i could just run. When I hit the Memorial Bridge, I was shocked at just.how.long.it.was. The length combined with the wind hitting me from both sides was something i've never experienced and SUPER intimidated me- but thankfully the AWESOME volunteers cheering us along made all the difference in the world. I slowed myself down a bit and lengthened my stride, which seemed to help combat the fatigue and the effects of the wind and just got down to business.
I didn't hit me until halfway through the race that - I was doing it! Me, the woman who 8 weeks ago couldn't run 2 minutes without being out of breath was running an actual 5k! The trip back was smooth and then I saw it- THE FINISH LINE- and the competitive side of me took over, I dug in and changed to a sprint and crossed the finish line at 32.11 (unofficial time). Now to the more advanced runner that time seems super slow and doesn't seem like much to celebrate, but for my first race outside, my first time in that atmosphere- it was an awesome feeling. 2 minutes and 40 seconds off my best treadmill time.
I immediately came home and downloaded Bridge to 10k - and hopefully will sign up for one of those soon. For awhile I want to stick to smaller races that don't draw the "elite" runners that I come into contact with in the DC area. To have someone snub their nose up at my accomplishments doesn't go over easy- but i'm excited to run more races, improve my pace, and next year that 10 miler finishers medal will be mine!
P.S. In probably my dumbest move yet- I felt bad about taking yesterday off just for a 5k- so I did Jillian Michaels 6 weeks 6 pack. I felt like I ran this race with a corset on. OUCH, but in a good way.
EDIT: Just got my official time- 31:12. Finished 278 out of 1270! Much happier now!
Today I finished my first 5K race and beat my treadmill time by more than a full minute!
Even though I was only on week 8 of Couch to 5K i was talked into entering the Cherry Blossom 5K race/walk by a friend. Actually I had originally singed up for the 10 mile race but life intervened three weeks into training for it (pulled my hamstring, long hours at the job) so about a month ago I transferred to the 5k run/walk. I really was disappointed in myself- but though "hey everyone has to start somewhere".
So since then I've been putting most of my effort into form, breath and trying to improve my time. Anyone in the DC area knows that the temperatures haven't been the best for running outside, so i've been logging the hours on the treadmill. I haven't been able to finish the 3.1 miles in under 34 minutes, no matter what I tried (although I have discovered that chewing gum helps me pace myself- what can I say, i'm a weird-o). So this morning my goal was to run the entire course, no walking and to finish with my head held high in under 35 minutes. Since this was my first time really running outside and my first race, I really had no clue what to expect.
Thankfully a majority of the runners this morning were super helpful and encouraging. I got up at the crack of - no wait, it wasn't even dawn yet to get ready. The boyfriend got up and drove me into town b/c we got word that metro wasn't cooperating this morning (shocking, right!?) and I arrived just as the 10 mile runners began their run. After watching them for a bit (and being slightly envious- i'm not going to lie) I made my way over to the 5K run/walk starting line and began warming up.
The first mile was tough, I couldn't pace myself in the large crowd- actually it was tough to do more than just jog. Thankfully around 1.5 miles the crowds started to thin out and i could just run. When I hit the Memorial Bridge, I was shocked at just.how.long.it.was. The length combined with the wind hitting me from both sides was something i've never experienced and SUPER intimidated me- but thankfully the AWESOME volunteers cheering us along made all the difference in the world. I slowed myself down a bit and lengthened my stride, which seemed to help combat the fatigue and the effects of the wind and just got down to business.
I didn't hit me until halfway through the race that - I was doing it! Me, the woman who 8 weeks ago couldn't run 2 minutes without being out of breath was running an actual 5k! The trip back was smooth and then I saw it- THE FINISH LINE- and the competitive side of me took over, I dug in and changed to a sprint and crossed the finish line at 32.11 (unofficial time). Now to the more advanced runner that time seems super slow and doesn't seem like much to celebrate, but for my first race outside, my first time in that atmosphere- it was an awesome feeling. 2 minutes and 40 seconds off my best treadmill time.
I immediately came home and downloaded Bridge to 10k - and hopefully will sign up for one of those soon. For awhile I want to stick to smaller races that don't draw the "elite" runners that I come into contact with in the DC area. To have someone snub their nose up at my accomplishments doesn't go over easy- but i'm excited to run more races, improve my pace, and next year that 10 miler finishers medal will be mine!
P.S. In probably my dumbest move yet- I felt bad about taking yesterday off just for a 5k- so I did Jillian Michaels 6 weeks 6 pack. I felt like I ran this race with a corset on. OUCH, but in a good way.
EDIT: Just got my official time- 31:12. Finished 278 out of 1270! Much happier now!
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