Not About Running

So, I'm taking que from from of the bloggers that I read... Here are 5 things that make me happy right now:


1. Getting to catch up with my dear friends.  I hate talking on the phone, but sometimes it just feels really nice to hear that familiar voice. It warms my heart.


2. Putting Mumford and Sons Radio on on Pandora and reading my newest addiction.  

If you haven't read this trilogy yet, DO!  It's erotic, and naughty, but SUCH a good read!  

3. Going into work and having my coworkers greet me because they are happy I'm there.  It's a good feeling.

4. Going to the gym for my group strength class.  I'm noticing a difference and I'm only going once a week.  This class makes me feel strong and good about myself.

I have a butt!!!!

5. Snuggling on the couch with my fiance after eating dinner and watching some tv.  I love to snuggle.

Do you have a fab 5 right now?

balance

So now that I've started my cross-training with weights, strengthening my core, and trying things outside of running, I've lost my balance.  I am now so focused on my "other", that I've left no time or energy for running.  I think the best thing I can do right now is to make a schedule (I know, I know, this isn't rocket science).  I need to put it on my calendars which days I'm going to run and which will be for "other".  Maybe if I put in there, I will MAKE myself stick to a balanced schedule.

My other balance problem is knowing when enough is enough.  I went to an hour-long weights class this last week, and the next day, I didn't really feel any pain or soreness from the class, so in my not-so-smart state of mind, I decided to go work out again.  Not a nice run, but weights, again... NO SMART!!!!  It's all about balancing.  Why didn't I just run you ask? Because.... I don't know...

So, now that I've *hopefully* learned my lesson, again, I'm going to be better about my scheduling of things.

Good luck to you!

missing

So I know I've been off the radar for while, and I don't know when I'm going to get back on.  I've been doing ok with my running/exercising, but work has been dragging me down, big-time.  I KNOW I can't use excuses to not work out or run. I know that I'm doing just that.

Does anyone have any ideas of how to motivate myself when I'm not feeling it, or when it's raining, or when I'm tired?

What is the line between too tired and will hurt myself if I push and just feeling tired, but should still go out and run?

Anyone?

Cross Training

Yesterday was my first day of cross training, and I decided to join a friend at the gym for a body pump class. That wasn't the technical name for the class, but that's what it was.  We started off with some squats, then lunges (around the entire parking lot), then some abs, and finished with some arms/shoulders/back.  This was an hour of weights.  I was shaking after about 15 minutes of this class.  Think you are in shape?  Take a pump class, you'll learn better.

Today, I'm sore.  Not like last night though.  Last night after the class, I didn't have the strength to lift my fork, or my cup of water.  I was on the floor, and tried to stand up, but fell over.  My lovely fiance just laughed and shook his head.  Today, I feel sore, but not fatigued, which is good.  I'm going to do an easy run today and not push too hard.  Tomorrow, I pick it up a bit.  I don't want to over-do it and hurt myself, but I want to keep working out.  

I swear I can already see a difference in my core (ok, in reality, probably not, but I like to tell myself I can).

So here's to a perky ass, tight abs, and beautiful arms and toned back! *clink*

D

Back

This last weekend was a roller-coaster of emotions.  Matt's grandma passed away a few weeks ago, and May 5th was her birthday, so they decided to celebrate her life on that special day.  Family and friends gathered and we had a wonderful celebration of Virginia.  We all drank margaritas (her favorite), and had Mexican food (yay for it also being cinqo de mayo).   She loved life, and lived a very good one.  It is sad that she is gone, but she left an amazing legacy behind.  She will be very missed.  It was so wonderful to see family, and get together, but the circumstances weren't choice.  Sunday, we got to spend about 4 hours going through storage units, moving stuff around and helping Matt's parents with all of the really crappy parts of taking care of Virginia's belongings.  I'm glad that I was able to meet her, and some more of her family, and that I was there to help, but I'm also glad that weekend is over.


On a little bit more positive note: I'm back!  I feel like a runner again, finally.  I kicked some butt today on hills, and felt so good afterwards, that I kept going.  I kept a really good pace for every part of my run except for the hill, but that's ok.  My new shoes are amazing, and they are so much easier to run in.  I don't feel clumsy anymore (most of the time, the other times are just because I AM clumsy).  I don't feel like I'm being weighed-down and I don't feel as heavy I was feeling.  This is good.


The plan is: I will run when I can.  On Tuesdays (when I'm not working), I'll go to a group fit class, and then Thursdays, I'll go to spinning.  I'll go to Zumba when I can.  I'm going to take this runner, and turn her into an athlete.  I know that this will only help me become a better runner, and I'll be a lot healthier too.  I think the hardest part of this is going to slowing down when I need to.  I tend to get carried away sometimes.  


Here is to running, and being healthy and happy, and to getting married in 3 months!  


Favorite song of my run today? Dog Days by Florence and the Machines.


D

Ghost Ninja

I got new shooooooes!!!!!!!!!!!  I had to take time off running because I was kicking my own a$$ by running in shoes that didn't fit right.  SOOOoooo, Saturday morning, Matt and I went to the local shoes store and got fitted for some kicks.  I decided to go with a different brand this time, and after my first run in them, I'm noticing a HUGE difference.  

ooooh, sooo prettyyyy

Those are my new Ghost Brooks.  Yes, they do make me run as fast as the wind, and they do make me even MORE cool that I already am :)  JK. But I do love them.  They are super light weight and they have extra cushion for the pushin (not in the naughty way).  I feel like I'm rolling off my toes and not dragging my heels.  I hit the ground soft in the middle of my foot instead of having a heavy heel strike.  I'm really hoping that after a few runs in them to break them in, I'm still completely in love with them.

Today I went for my first run in a week, and we made it a shorty, but pushed hard.  I ran a 7:17 mile bi***es!!!  It was only 2.33 miles, but I felt great running and it's made me excited to get back to it.  

Whelp.  I need to go shower and eat dinner.  Early and long day tomorrow.  

Peace

D

I Work Out!

I joined a gym! I've known that cross-training is vital to getting to my best with running.  I'm not a huge fan of weights, in fact, they kind of scare the shit outta me.  Part of the problem is that I am not comfortable using them in public because I don't want to look like a wuss, or idiot for not knowing what the H-E-doublehockeyssticks I am doing.  I know everyone has a starting point, I just feel like this is one area I'm slacking, big time!


So... I'm going to go to some fun classes with a gal from work, and I'm going to take advantage of the free 30 min intro with a trainer. I'm not bringing in enough dough to be able to pay for a fun trainer, and several reoccurring sessions, so I'll have to take what I can get.  I'm excited to have someone that I can take classes with so I won't feel so silly all alone... I'll someone else to laugh at me :)


So that's the latest.  I'm not going running until I get new shoes, because every time I've run in the last month, my shins and ankles have hurt quite bad.  I'm going to listen to my body and make the changes I need to make in order to keep myself from injury.


Here's to hoping the gym works for me, and that soon, I'll be rocking the weights (I promise that I won't point and laugh at the others that are starting out and totally not knowing what they are doing).


D

Possible worst

I got out to run.  That's about the only positive part of today's attempt.  I can't figure out what's going on, but I feel like every time I go out for a run, I am getting worse and worse.  I'm hurting which means I need to change something, but what? I can't seem to find my breath or feet.  I've been feeling clumsy and heavy.  I know this isn't the first time I've said that, and I do apologize for being repetitive.  I'm extremely frustrated with myself.  I have motivation right now (three pretty big things for myself), and the weather is kind of getting nicer, so it's not like I have to bundle up to run.  I've been eating more protein, and drinking more water.  I'm cutting back on my caffeine (ok, last week not so much, but I NEEDED that boost. What a loooong week).  


So today's run? I ran/walked the smallest of my runs.  It's a 2 mile loop around my 'hood.  Flat.  Nothing challenging about this route at all.  I still struggled.  There were times that I was getting such bad side-aches that I had to walk, and my ankles are hurting, so I really don't want to push too hard when my body is flipping the bird.  WHAT IS GOING ON?!?!?!  


Shouldn't I been getting better?  Shouldn't this be getting easier?  I could really use some positive thinking right now.


D

Shorty

Went for a nice 4.2 mile run today after working 8.5 hrs at work... Not too shabby!  I feel great and after resting for a few days, this run was really good for me.  

these are my AMAZING new racing shorts :)  (don't mind the awkward pose)

beautimus cherry blossom trees on my run 

That's all for now.


I'm still alive.


D

long time

So I know it's been a while since I've been on here.  I haven't even been reading my regular blogs :/  So how have you all been?  These last few weeks have been kind of crazy.  Matt's grandma passed away right before Easter, and the next day he found out that he passed his board exams (HUGE relief).  I was working extra hours at work, and most of my shifts were starting at 3:30, or 4 am so by the time I got home, I was exhausted.  Not to mention that I basically worked 18 days straight. Last week we had to drive down the PDX (about 2.5 hrs) to meed out caterer for the wedding, and drive back in one afternoon, the same afternoon that Matt's car decided to not work properly.  THEN... (pause for dramatic effect)  WE BOTH HAD A WHOLE WEEKEND OFF!!!!!!!!!!  It was AMAZING!!!!!  AND the weather was beautiful!  We got to go to Seattle and spoil my beautiful niece, and then Matt spoiled me by taking me on a picnic and getting a pedicure :)  Such a well deserved weekend.  Then we ran.


I've kind of stepped back on my running, which means I stepped off of my writing, like a negative draws down a negative.  But, I'm back!  I think I needed to take a break and relax when I had the chance, otherwise I was going to run myself into the ground, and then keep going.  

See, blue skies!

Matt and I have also decided that no-matter-what, we are going to do something active each night/morning.  Whether it is biking, walking, RUNNING, or even going to the gym, which we ARE going to join.  Matt's started doing the P90X, which I refuse to do, but I do know that I need to work on my core, and do more (read: any) cross training.  Any ideas?


Whelp, I'm going to sign-off, I just wanted to re-cap.

my prettied-up summer toes :)

D

Woot!

My baby sister FINALLY agreed to run the You Go Girl half with me!!!!!!  I'm SO excited for this race!!!!  Two reasons: First and foremost, I get to run it with TWO of my sisters!!!  This will be their first half marathons, and I'm so very excited for them to have that feeling of finishing such a HUGE accomplishment!  Not that they don't already have huge accomplishments and succeed at so much in their lives, but running 13.1 miles... that's something different.  


Second: This will be my second half.


I'm going to make sure that we have matching running outfits (well, Andi and I will... Heather is a Husky, so that won't work).  I convinced Matt to help me get WSU Cougar running shorts and tanks for the run for Andi and I.  We'll have to find some Husky crap for Heather to wear.  I love her dearly, but wrong team...

Silly Heather <3

See!  Hard core Cougars!!!!!!

Anyway...  So I've taken a few days off of running because when I pushed myself last time, it felt really good, but left me exhausted for two days.  I was super grumpy yesterday and I've just felt really off lately.  Last night I got some very much needed sleep and woke up feeling rested for the first time in a few weeks.  I'm still going to skip my run today, but tomorrow after work I think I'll be back.  I'm tired of feeling disappointed with how I ran.  I had a nice talk with a friend who made me realize that I'm not eating enough protein, and not listening to my body telling me I'm too tired to push the way I've been pushing.  So I listened, and am working on my nutritional intake, and drinking more water, and not pushing my body when it telling me to slow the Ef down.

So that's all for now.  I think I'm going to get new running shoes soon.  That makes me excited as well :)

D

Tirppin, and Stumblin...

So I went for a short "run" the day after my 10K, and only made it about 1.5 miles.  I walked the rest of the 3 mile loop because I was just plain pooped (I didn't poop, I WAS pooped).  I didn't run yesterday because I worked all day, and frankly, I'm exhausted.  I've worked 8 days in a row (I worked both of my days off because a co-worker has the flu).  Today, somehow, I had a burst of energy at work, and still had it when I got home, so I rushed into my running gear and went for a run.  


Welll, I couldn't find my concentration.  I felt super clumsy and heavy-footed.  I figured I'd just had too much coffee today and would eventually warm up.  Nope.  The entire run I was struggling.  At one point I decided to make it a nice slow run, stretch out, relax... Nope.  My body kept pushing (I'm sure it had nothing to do with the fact that I have an AMAZING running playlist and new running socks that are oh-so cushy).  So I decided to push it, heavy feet and all.  I added a small, but steep hill and put my distance at 4 miles today.  I had to stop once to catch my breath because I got a side-ache.  


Why do we have runs like this?  Where you WANT to go out and run, and you are totally in that zone, but as soon as you hit the pavement, you feel off?  

Happy feet in their new socks :)

Oh well, at least I got out there today, and I feel pretty damn good even tho I struggled with my run.


Favorite song of my run?  "Drunk Girl" by Something Corporate.  


G'night Yall




D

10k

Well hello there :)


So today was my 10K for the Jelly Bean Race.  Matt and I ran this one together and I was nervous.  I haven't done 6 miles in quite a while (I've done 5, but for some reason the term 10K freaks me out).  Well, it was a lot easier than I anticipated, and the sun was out and WARM!  It was AMAZING!!!  I am loving this spring weather!  


I'm happy also that I can comfortably run 6 miles.  I can now step-up my game and push myself harder.  


Here are some photos from today's run (ok, well actually after the run... I don't like using my phone and stopping during my run).

First time in the sunshine (that bright, warm ball in the sky) for a while.  :)

My running partner and fiance (he didn't want me to take his picture)

Me running away

Enjoy!  Happy Spring Everyone :D

I must have had my Frosted Flakes, 'cause I feel GRRRRREAT!!!

So today I went for a short, hill-filled run with T.  I like running with her because I'm competitive and I feel that if I'm running "against" her, I will push myself harder.  Well today as we ran (and yes, we walked some, that hill is HUGE)  She commented that she sees me as mentally stronger than she is.  Anyone that knows me knows that I find this to be one of the BEST compliments ever!  I don't think she even knows.  I've always been a part of leadership positions, and I've always wanted to know that I have an affect on people, in a positive way.  Well, knowing that someone sees me as mentally strong, especially concerning something I am so passionate about.  So yeah, I am feeling pretty awesome right now.


After my run, I went for a nice walk with my best friend who is visiting me right now.  I was able to stop to get coffee and this made my already feel-good morning even better!  I didn't know that it was possible.  


Anyway, I DID run today, and tomorrow I think Matt and I are going to do the 10K for the Jelly Bean run.  


I LOVE RUNNING!!!!!!!!


D


PS:  Oh yeah, AND I was voted Partner of the month at work!  

This is the board they made for me :)

It's What I Do

So I'm sitting here reading blogs trying to convince myself this foggy 35 degrees is ideal for running.  My friend tried to convince me this is "perfect" running weather.  Yeesh!

So I'm signed up to run the Jelly Bean Run 5K today with my friend T from work.  We are meeting in an hour, and I will post pics after the run.

Meanwhile, you should check this out.  It's a Champion sports bra give-a-way.  My favorite blogger, Shut Up + Run, is doing a give-a-way, so ya'll should check it out (and read her blog because it's always good).

I'll update this when my run is over.

This is my pre-run picture

Until then
Peace.


So here are the pics from the 5K we did this morning.  We kept it a nice easy pace since we've both been bad about running, but we did finish in 34 min.

We are at the half-way point

Ugh.

Yes, it's been a while since I've written.  Thankfully, it has not been that long since I've run!  I haven't been as good as I'd like, but I'm still out there.  I haven't given up.  This week I am planning on running in the Jelly Bean run, and 5K and a 10K.  I may be pushing a little hard, but I need to pull myself back up.  My last few runs have been in the rain, and even tho I ran hard, and got some distance in, I still feel disappointed.  Like maybe I should have run further.  I know compared to a half, 4.5 miles is nothing, but in general it's not a bad distance!  Even knowing how hard I ran, and how tired I was after my run, I don't understand why I'm so disappointed with the distance... Any thoughts?


My sister-in-law is running the You Go Girl half with me, and I think I've convinced my little sister to join as well.  This should be a lot of fun!


I'm missing FL an awful lot lately (more than usual), and when I'm feeling down, I lose the drive to run.  Hopefully this will be kicked outta me with running this week.  I was going through some photos last night getting ready to print some for my Partner of the Month (woohoo!) board, and came across my WDW half photos.  SIGH.  That day was one of the BEST days of my life.  For realz. I felt SO awesome after crossing that finish line.  I ran the whole thing (my best before that race was 8 miles), and I still had energy after!  Matt said that he would do it with me next time... I'm hoping maybe 2013?


Well, I just wanted to check-in.


D

Motivation

I'm having a hard time finding motivation to run in bad weather...  Anything helps.

Getting Ready

First day running in 8 days.  I felt like a newbie at first.  I was stiff and felt like it'd been a lot longer of a break.  Why does being sick knock you back so hard?!  Next week I know I'm going to have a little bit of a delay again because medical issues, so this week I'm going to kick my own a$$ in the running arena.  Anyway, I made Matt run with me which helped me to push myself a little harder.  We made it just over 3 miles (with our Starbucks stop).  I love stopping into the coffee shop, it's like we have out own little cheering squad :D 


I also have a running partner for the You Go Girl half marathon!  My sister is going to run with me, which makes me super happy!  Now if I could just convince my little sister to join, this would be even more legendary.  Next week is also the  Jelly Bean virtual race which Matt and I will be participating in.  This will be a challenge because I've never done a race without all of the ropes and groups and what-not.  I'm pretty excited.  Hopefully I'm feeling up to it :0

So this last weekend I got to spend with some very important people in my life.  My dad made an Irish dinner for us so we met up at his house with one of my sisters, her husband, and my oh-so-adorable nephew.    Needless to say, he has his Aunt Di Di wrapped quite tight around all of his little fingers.  I had such a great time seeing my family.


Well, I'm going to sign off and get ready for work.  It feels good to be back.


D

Sickies

So the running is on a halt right now because I'm sick... and I'm super bummed because I was finally at that place where I wanted to be.  I'm itching to get back out there, and every day I feel like I'm losing muscle (I know I'm not, but still).


Stupid colds, and people who spread them. :(


D

I Think I Can

I had to work all day yesterday, so I wasn't able to join the world in running a Shamrock Run, and I didn't think I minded, especially after all of the stupid snow, until a runner came through for coffee after the race.  She was decked out and said that she wasn't feeling well this morning, but pushed anyway, and now she feels great!  I was genuinely happy for her!  Then it hit me how much I wish I'd been able to run.  Now, I've had my moments of getting choked up over half marathon stories, and wishing I could do another one, but hit was hard.  It's like I Finally have my "runner" back!  All I wanted to do was go home and do a long run.  Pound it out.  


Well, when I got home (STOKED to have my favorite dinner ever, Corned beef) I was truly disappointed to find out the meet never cooked because the crock-pot stopped working 1/2 way through.  Matt offered to go find take-out from an Irish Pub in Kent, or make me anything.  We ended up driving around until we decided to go to Red Robin (yumm) and do our own St Patty's Day dinner later.  I still didn't get my run in.


This morning I woke up and jumped to the window to check the weather.  Rain.  Oh well, for the first time I don't feel held back by the rain... again, my "runner" is BACK!!!!!!!!!!!


YEEHAAWWW!!!!  (I don't know, that seemed like the thing to say)

A pretty dose of Sunshine from Matt to make me feel better with all this crappy weather <3

Enjoy your day!


D


PS: I just got back from my run, and I ran THE Hill!  First time getting the whole hill running :)  AND I'm trying Nuun for the first time.  I was skeptical, but it's actually pretty good.  Thanks "other bloggers" for the suggestion.

Nothing Like A Quicky

I wasn't going to run today because I'm pretty sore from yesterday.  I got to work and T, another runner chick I work with, asked me to run with her tonight.  She said it would be a short run because she's trying to pick up her pace.  I figured it wouldn't hurt me to get out for a short, fast run. I feel GREAT!!!  According to her device (I've never run with a pacer), we started at a slow 10:13, but ended with an 8:39.  It FELT like we were doing the 8:39 the whole time, I'm going to blame the wind we were running into at the start of our run.  My competitive spirit came out strong tonight when I noticed that I wasn't breathing as hard, and I still felt like going, at the end of our run.  I was actually feeling pretty damn awesome.  This means I'm actually getting INTO SHAPE!!!!!!!!


What a wonderful way to end my day.


Tomorrow?  Maybe a nice, slow, long run with the fiance.  In the mean time, ice for my knees.

Oh yeah, Matt's posing ;)

D

My Hips Don't Lie

As I got up this morning I was extra determined to run today.  This week has been pretty pathetic on the distance side of things.  About the time I was going to get ready, I looked out side as it was starting to pour.  I don't mind running in rain, but showers are another thing, especially when the wind is blowing.  That's when I gave the weather the bird (yes, actually flipped the rain off).  I decided that today would be a good day to run some errands. This means I had to drive around to find the Target all on my own (scary!).  I managed ok, even found some back roads home, which I'm claiming was on purpose, and got home about... 3 hours before I expected to.  Shit.  I've been very tired of sitting at home on my days off.  That's the worst part of moving in my opinion.  You don't have friends yet that you can call/text up and say hey, lets hang.  I digress.  Anyway, I was about to give in to the day and put on some chick flicks (this has been my activity of choice since moving here) when I glanced out the window.  THE RAIN HAD STOPPED!!! I threw on my running stuff and hit the road.  I was determined to make it further than the 3 miles I've been stuck on.  During my run I saw pretty flowers, lots of birds, (sigh) and LOTS of RAIN!  Yeah, as soon as I got about 1 mile into the run, it started to rain, and the wind picked up again.  I pushed on (I'm so strong).  I ran until I was too tired to go further, and my stomach hurt (don't eat lunch then run, do it the other way around).  I gave up and went home.  


You'll never guess how far I ran...


5 MILES!!!!!!!!!!  This is the first time since my half marathon Jan '11 that I've run this distance.  I know it's not much, but I feel great knowing that once again, I'm on track!!!  This has definitely given me the momentum I've needed to keep pushing myself!


Best song of my run?  "Hips Don't Lie" by Shakira
What's your favorite song to workout to?


:)


D

What I Learned This Morning

So I didn't run yesterday and I was all ready to run today, pumped up, long run... YAAAYYY!!!   Then I opened the window....


SNOW?!?!?!    


So on my "run" today I learned some things:


1. No matter how cool I think I may look running in the snow (oh yeah, I just know people are thinking "wow! such determination", not "what an idiot!") I'm terrified!  I'm pretty sure with every step that I'm going to fall on my ass and it will be in front of a group of high school boys, and the world will laugh.  


2. I don't like HS boys... They do stupid things like spin the tires as you run by and scare the living daylights outta me.  And they smell.


3. How much I hate snow.  I really, really, really do. I hate it.


4. No matter how much I hate snow... I still think it is beautiful.  Not where I live, in pictures and on mountains.

My Porch @ 8 am (after said run)

The Hood

So now that I'm done being a debby downer, my run wasn't long, and I did stop at my local Starbucks for my coffee (which always makes me happy), but I feel good for getting out.


I've also found a few girly half marathons this year that I am going to register for as soon as I convince my baby sister to do them with me.  I'm pretty stoked for that!  I even pulled out my old half technical shirt to wear running (I've kept it hidden out of shame from not keeping-up my runningness.  I didn't want it to judge me).


So that's all for today.  If anyone has any tips for running in the snow, or really any running tips at all, please share.  I'm always up for running ideas.


D

Don't Drink and Run

Oye.  Last night we went to an anniversary dinner for Matt's fraternity alum.  Needless to say there was beer, and wine... 

Mmmm. Beeer.

We were out "late" for us old folk and when I woke up this morning, knowing that I needed to get a run in, I wanted to cry.  I don't drink as well as I used to (read: as often, therefore I can't drink as much and be ok the next day).  My run this morning was only 2.5 miles. WOOO!   

I feel like crap.  I need bacon.

D

Running with Friends

So today was a great running day!  Matt and I ran together (always a treat) and ran almost the whole hill (599ft elevation)!!!  Before this, I'd only been able to run off-and-on about 1/3 of the hill.  I had to stop about 50ft from the top because I'm pretty sure my lungs were going to climb out of my chest.  To make up for the walking-of-the-hill that I did do, I made us run longer/further than we usually do :)  (I'm very proud of this because Matt, who can run farther and faster than me anytime, was lagging behind)!!!


This morning the sun was out, the sky was clear and there was no wind at all, AND it was the first time since moving here that I did NOT have to wear a jacket!  Super yay!!!


I'm feeling very pumped up about today and I just might commit to a half :)


Running just makes me feel so good!


D


PS:  I just mapped my run, because I don't use a Garmin or anything, and it was 4 miles!!!  EEEE!  I haven't done that is quite a while :)

Blurg

Blurg.  After two days off from running (yes, only two), I ran this morning.  It was clear and beautiful, but I couldn't warm up for some reason.  I was tight and felt like I was tripping the whole run...

At least I got out to do it.

I've decided that I'm going to start training again for a second half :)

Any pointers for getting past that feeling of running in wet pavement?

D

Is it weird that reading blogs about people running motivates me to get off my A$$ and run?  I think there is a little irony in that.  Anyway, I didn't run yesterday because Matt had this brilliant idea to go for a bike ride.  When I ride a bike, I like a nice, leisurely ride.  This is why I adore my cruiser bike.  I hate bike races and I'm terrified of going fast down a paved hill. I'll go somewhat fast down a dirt/grass trail, but if it's paved, I'd rather walk or run.  Anyway, so we go for this "fun" bike ride which involves a steep downhill on pavement.  I made it alive knowing that at the bottom would be that flat and safe trail to ride on.  One glitch... that trail didn't go very far.  We couldn't figure out where it started!  We've seen bits of this trail on different roads, and knew it had to be there somewhere, but we couldn't find it.  So back UP that hill. Stupid hill.  I made it about 100 ft, and had to walk.  


So yeah, I got my workout, kinda, but now the butt trauma that I'm experiencing is making me not want to run today, which I really, really, really need to do.  


Does anyone else have problems like this?  Am I alone in my feel of paved trails going downhill?  


Ok, getting up to go for my run... We'll see how long this one is.


D

"Long" run

So I went for a longer run today (3.16 miles)!  Ok, so I know it's not that long, but for me, that's huge right now.  At first, I knew I that I wasn't going to make it very far because I'm still feeling crappy from yesterday and I was just feeling really heavy.  The more I ran, the l more I started to stretch out, and the more I decided to make it "just to that next post".  I ran all but 1/4 mile (up a VERY steep hill, and I did intervals to keep me going).


Normally at the top of this hill (I call it the butt lifter), I usually stop for coffee at my local Starbucks, and then walk home.  I tell myself it's my cool down, but I think we all know I've just decided to be done, and my coffee if quite important to me.  Not today!  I ran right past my coffee, and kept on going.  By the time I hit the top of the hill, I hit that point where I felt like I could just keep running forever.  I haven't had that feeling in a Loooooong time.  Talk about motivation to keep going.  Unfortunately, about a block before I hit home, my bladder decided I would not do another lap :(  Oh well, better to not push too hard.


Well, not much else for today...  I did decide after reading a blog yesterday that I need to try compression socks.


That is all.


D

Welcome?

So I guess I'll just start this... I've never been much of a blogger, or writer for that matter.  I've been inspired to start blogging about my running adventures in hopes that it will keep me from the inevitable "quit" after a race.


I started running when I was about 12, and have run off-and-on since then.  I took a couple year break after high school, met a runner, fell in love, and started running again.  We got into a rut and both of us stopped running... This "quit" lasted for about 3 years.  We moved to FL and I watched with jealousy as he got back into running.  I watched, but refused to get out there and start... again.  Finally, I decided I would run my first ever 1/2 marathon, and what better run than the WDW Half?!?!  I convinced my dear friend to run with me, even tho she had never ever run before, so we started together, and it is one of my favorite memories since.


Needless to say, I "quit" after that race.  I ran occasionally, but not enough to stay in my awesome runners shape.  Let me back up a bit.. right before the race last Jan, Matt proposed to me.. YAY!!!!!!!  We'd dated for 6 years at that point and it was about damn time! ... Fast forward... So after the race, I was still trying to not gain my "quit" weight, and was doing ok, but this is the time that I purchased my wedding dress.  Now it's been a year, and I'm JUST starting to run again.  I feel like I'm getting beat up.  


I'm about to turn 30, I HAVE to fit back into my wedding dress, and I just really feel good and like running, so why shouldn't I?  So this is here to help me be accountable to myself... any pointes, ideas, thoughts are welcome... but again, I'll warn, I'm NOT a writer.


I moved to Auburn about a week ago, and Matt and I have since really started running.  We have 3, yes 3, LARGE hills by our place, and we've both taken the challenge to run the hills.  My hips hurt, my butt hurts, my back hurts, but it all feels so good after I run.  I'm making sure to either walk or run at least a mile every day.  I'm not wanting to kill myself at first so hopefully taking it slow at first will help.  So far, I've done well.  I usually run a 3 mile loop.  I'm making sure that i walk when I go to the grocery, and once this horrible cold weather eases up, I'll hopefully be walking to work, and then running home, up the hill.


Wish me luck!


D