After a highly valiant attempt at talking myself out of it, I did go for my promised run yesterday. It was an absolutely gorgeous day, so I was excited to be outside running. The pond was sparkling, the air was warm...and my legs were tight.
Ever since my 5K race my calves, which normally give me few problems, have not felt great. I'm also noticing that I'm somehow running even slower than normal. It's taking me about 30 minutes to run two miles...how?! Why?! I know that in my running infancy I should be focused on building up my endurance, not speed, but it's hard not to beat myself up about it as I poke around my trail at the pace of sloth.
Also, since my pavement run last Tuesday, my knees have started bothering me just a bit while running. I'm thinking that all of this adds up to Take A Break, Woman! I'm going to hold off on running until Wednesday and see how I'm feeling. I don't feel that I've been overdoing it (three runs per week is hardly extreme), but my body is adjusting to the new schedule and I don't want to mess it up by aggravating a potential injury.
So in a nutshell, yesterday's run kind of sucked, but I'm proud of myself for going. As I said, my effort to convince myself otherwise was heroic, but I pounded it out and I'm happy for that. I'm finding that it's becoming a bit harder for me to talk myself into running since my race, which is to be expected. Maybe I'll try adding a bike or other workout or two to my weekly routine and see if that helps keep my motivation high.
Finally emptying my fridge of the last of the apple pie and assorted other Thanksgiving treats should also help!
November 30, 2009
November 29, 2009
Taking It Easy
Friday was an official day to rest and recover after the flurry of Thanksgiving activity. I had hoped to squeeze in an extra run (calories, I shall conquer you!), but decided to take it easy. Instead, my husband and I walked a mile into town and browsed the library for an hour before walking back home. Walking two miles when I've become used to running the same distance felt like cheating, but it was a nice way to fit in some activity without straining myself too much. Plus it was a beautiful fall day and it was great to be outside relaxing.
I'm trying to pump myself up for a run today, but I am again feeling lazy. We'll see what happens!
I'm trying to pump myself up for a run today, but I am again feeling lazy. We'll see what happens!
November 27, 2009
A Day of Thanks
Yesterday was a thoroughly enjoyable Thanksgiving. I managed to cook, go for a run and spend a delightful afternoon and evening with close friends.
I had planned to sleep in a bit and wake up at 9am, bake two pies, go for a run, shower, pack up and head over to my friends' home by 2pm. Well. I woke up at 9:30am.
I then had breakfast, drank coffee and lazed around watching football highlights until 10:30am. I finally started preparing the apple pie at 11am, so I'm a few hours behind at this point. Sigh. Peeling, coring and dicing apples is a huge pain in the neck, I quickly learned, but it was enjoyable to know I was making something by hand and I had fun during the process. I didn't get the pies in the oven until close to 1pm, so I knew my 2pm deadline wasn't going to happen. I then had a decision: Go for my planned run and accept the fact that I was going to be an hour late for Thanksgiving, or stay home and get dressed, pack up the food and make it to my friends' house on time. I decided to run and hope that my friends would forgive me.
Even though it made for a late dinner, I'm so glad I went running. It was a beautiful, crisp day, and my body felt great. I decided to chance it and run on my trail, even though it had been foggy and damp that morning. Luckily the trail was in much better shape than Monday, even with a couple of muddy patches. There was a young family walking along the trail when I arrived, and they really made my run.
I did seven laps around the pond, and the first five of them took me past this family in various states of adorableness. I really enjoyed each lap as I came upon the two children either throwing leaves in the air, drawing smiley faces in the dirt, or feeding the ducks. I was sad on my sixth lap to see that they had left to go home, likely to a similarly endearing home with Thanksgiving traditions. On what would have been my eighth lap I headed home to jog back in order to reduce the amount of time I'd be out since I was already late.
As I was running, and especially as I was encountering this family, I felt really happy. This was the first time in my life that I've made a conscious decision to be active on a holiday in order to combat the onslaught of upcoming calories. Ever since my 5K race I've been very aware of the fact that I'm no longer running to train for a race. I'm running because I want to take care of my body. I'm running because I love being outside and challenging myself. I'm running because I can't quite believe that I've stuck with it this long and I want to see where this journey will take me. I want to make a refreshing run part of all my holiday traditions going forward. I want to be that young family going out and doing something active with my children while we're all together for a holiday. I want my children to see their mother making healthy and active choices in her life so that they will do the same once they're adults.
For now I'll just have to take solace in being a role model for my cats. Oh well.
I had planned to sleep in a bit and wake up at 9am, bake two pies, go for a run, shower, pack up and head over to my friends' home by 2pm. Well. I woke up at 9:30am.
I then had breakfast, drank coffee and lazed around watching football highlights until 10:30am. I finally started preparing the apple pie at 11am, so I'm a few hours behind at this point. Sigh. Peeling, coring and dicing apples is a huge pain in the neck, I quickly learned, but it was enjoyable to know I was making something by hand and I had fun during the process. I didn't get the pies in the oven until close to 1pm, so I knew my 2pm deadline wasn't going to happen. I then had a decision: Go for my planned run and accept the fact that I was going to be an hour late for Thanksgiving, or stay home and get dressed, pack up the food and make it to my friends' house on time. I decided to run and hope that my friends would forgive me.
Even though it made for a late dinner, I'm so glad I went running. It was a beautiful, crisp day, and my body felt great. I decided to chance it and run on my trail, even though it had been foggy and damp that morning. Luckily the trail was in much better shape than Monday, even with a couple of muddy patches. There was a young family walking along the trail when I arrived, and they really made my run.
I did seven laps around the pond, and the first five of them took me past this family in various states of adorableness. I really enjoyed each lap as I came upon the two children either throwing leaves in the air, drawing smiley faces in the dirt, or feeding the ducks. I was sad on my sixth lap to see that they had left to go home, likely to a similarly endearing home with Thanksgiving traditions. On what would have been my eighth lap I headed home to jog back in order to reduce the amount of time I'd be out since I was already late.
As I was running, and especially as I was encountering this family, I felt really happy. This was the first time in my life that I've made a conscious decision to be active on a holiday in order to combat the onslaught of upcoming calories. Ever since my 5K race I've been very aware of the fact that I'm no longer running to train for a race. I'm running because I want to take care of my body. I'm running because I love being outside and challenging myself. I'm running because I can't quite believe that I've stuck with it this long and I want to see where this journey will take me. I want to make a refreshing run part of all my holiday traditions going forward. I want to be that young family going out and doing something active with my children while we're all together for a holiday. I want my children to see their mother making healthy and active choices in her life so that they will do the same once they're adults.
For now I'll just have to take solace in being a role model for my cats. Oh well.
November 25, 2009
Working out the kinks
Last night I went for my first run since my 5K race on Saturday. My legs felt rested and I was anxious to get back into it.
Oh let's be honest: I was only supposed to rest on Sunday, but Monday I felt lazy and figured I'd "treat myself" (read: excuse for laziness) to another rest day since I worked hard on Saturday. Well Tuesday flew by and I was thinking up yet more excuses for putting off my run another day. Around 4:30 I had an inspiring talk with my sister and decided it was the kick in the pants I needed to get back on the wagon. So I headed home, changed into the first remotely-athletic clothes I could find in my living room (brand-new running pants from weekend shopping, wrinkled t-shirt and mismatched socks) and headed out the door.
It felt amazing to be back outside, the wind in my face, as I got my Couch to 5K iPhone app going. After walking for about 3 minutes I realized my shins were incredibly tight. This is fairly remarkable considering I had not one iota of shin pain during my race, but I suppose the strain was there and an extra day off didn't help matters.
I kick into high gear and start my run section, which was 28 minutes (this would have been im-freaking-possible back when I started the program). I run on a gorgeous trail around a wooded pond in my neighborhood, and it brings me such joy. Last night, however, the trail was a mess. Ever since the leaves fell off the trees a couple weeks ago, they have collected in dense patches and kept the ground damp after rain showers. This makes for a muddy trail in sections.
Picture the scene: Here I am, happily bobbing along in my new running pants, jamming to my music, and *SQUISH* go my sneakers into a muddy patch. I hike up my pants and tip toe through that section, and resume running. Run run run *SQUISH* You get the picture.
After about a mile I realized I could not keep this up. Between dodging the mud (which was rapidly collecting on the bottoms of my new pants, curses) and navigating in increasingly diminished light, I had to abandon ship for safety reasons. I dislike running on pavement because it's harder on my knees, but my only option was to head off the trail and jog on the sidewalks back home. Also, my neighborhood is HILLY. But I ran every single blessed hill, because if I was going to give up my much-loved trail I was going to embrace the cursed sidewalk. It was slow going but I ran out the duration of my 28 minutes that way. My shins were absolutely killing me by the end. Hopefully now that I've worked them out my legs will be better for the next run.
On a positive note, my lungs were workhorses and felt super strong the whole run. The first time I checked my timer was 17 minutes into the run when I had to head off the trail, which is a vast improvement over my usual 8 minute check (and then subsequent, mildly panicked 3-5 minute checks after). Even though I still run slow as molasses, I'm happy with my progress so far in terms of strength and endurance.
I'm planning on a nice, crisp run tomorrow morning in a fruitless attempt to launch a preemptive strike against Thanksgiving calories.
Oh let's be honest: I was only supposed to rest on Sunday, but Monday I felt lazy and figured I'd "treat myself" (read: excuse for laziness) to another rest day since I worked hard on Saturday. Well Tuesday flew by and I was thinking up yet more excuses for putting off my run another day. Around 4:30 I had an inspiring talk with my sister and decided it was the kick in the pants I needed to get back on the wagon. So I headed home, changed into the first remotely-athletic clothes I could find in my living room (brand-new running pants from weekend shopping, wrinkled t-shirt and mismatched socks) and headed out the door.
It felt amazing to be back outside, the wind in my face, as I got my Couch to 5K iPhone app going. After walking for about 3 minutes I realized my shins were incredibly tight. This is fairly remarkable considering I had not one iota of shin pain during my race, but I suppose the strain was there and an extra day off didn't help matters.
I kick into high gear and start my run section, which was 28 minutes (this would have been im-freaking-possible back when I started the program). I run on a gorgeous trail around a wooded pond in my neighborhood, and it brings me such joy. Last night, however, the trail was a mess. Ever since the leaves fell off the trees a couple weeks ago, they have collected in dense patches and kept the ground damp after rain showers. This makes for a muddy trail in sections.
Picture the scene: Here I am, happily bobbing along in my new running pants, jamming to my music, and *SQUISH* go my sneakers into a muddy patch. I hike up my pants and tip toe through that section, and resume running. Run run run *SQUISH* You get the picture.
After about a mile I realized I could not keep this up. Between dodging the mud (which was rapidly collecting on the bottoms of my new pants, curses) and navigating in increasingly diminished light, I had to abandon ship for safety reasons. I dislike running on pavement because it's harder on my knees, but my only option was to head off the trail and jog on the sidewalks back home. Also, my neighborhood is HILLY. But I ran every single blessed hill, because if I was going to give up my much-loved trail I was going to embrace the cursed sidewalk. It was slow going but I ran out the duration of my 28 minutes that way. My shins were absolutely killing me by the end. Hopefully now that I've worked them out my legs will be better for the next run.
On a positive note, my lungs were workhorses and felt super strong the whole run. The first time I checked my timer was 17 minutes into the run when I had to head off the trail, which is a vast improvement over my usual 8 minute check (and then subsequent, mildly panicked 3-5 minute checks after). Even though I still run slow as molasses, I'm happy with my progress so far in terms of strength and endurance.
I'm planning on a nice, crisp run tomorrow morning in a fruitless attempt to launch a preemptive strike against Thanksgiving calories.
Opening Remarks
Over the past three months or so, I've realized something about myself:
I think I'm becoming a runner.
It pains me to even say that out loud, because my mind does not believe it to be true. Runners are those lithe, muscular creatures I see lapping me on the track. They run fast and hard and often. They have fancy running gear (heart rate monitors, moisture wicking clothing, etc.) and are a breed of people I was not born into.
I've never liked running. Ever. I found it boring, difficult and painful. I have an old dance injury (tilted kneecaps) aggravated by a car accident a few years back, and for many moons I have believed wholeheartedly that I could not run. It put undue stress on my knees and, save for a surgery I'm not yet willing to have, I was going to have to live with a lifetime of knee pain. So I've always seen running as something I couldn't (shouldn't) do, and I wasn't much interested in it anyway.
Back in college I lost some weight by running at the gym, and I liked how efficient it was. My heart wasn't in it, however, and running fell by the wayside for many years. Last winter I decided to get back into a healthy lifestyle and wanted to give running another try. I was able to run/walk a 5K fairly easily on a treadmill, so I laced up my sneakers and confidently took off for a run around my block. 20 seconds later, gasping for air and shins burning, I realized that I had underestimated running. It has many forms and this particular one had thoroughly trounced me.
In an attempt to slay the beast, I started the Couch to 5K program in February to overcome my inability to run outdoors. I immediately began looking forward to my runs around the college campus where I work, even though it was very challenging for me. I started doing things like running at 7am in 28 degree weather to fit in my runs, or heading out after work in a drizzle and loving every minute. I planned on running a 5K that April and was excited to be working towards a goal.
Five or six months later...eh hem...*shifty eyes*
So I fell off the running bandwagon soon after my initial foray, but I never forgot how much I enjoyed it. In August I made another ambitious plan: I wanted to train for a sprint triathlon. If/when I actually complete one I will feel like a complete rock star. There are none scheduled in my area until the spring, so for now I've been casually training but mostly running. In that time I've run my first 5K and am on the cusp of formally graduating from Couch to 5K.
My journey is long, and more often than not it's a mental journey, as opposed to physical. I'm looking forward to talking about my workouts and sharing the effect this has had on my life. Stay tuned.
I think I'm becoming a runner.
It pains me to even say that out loud, because my mind does not believe it to be true. Runners are those lithe, muscular creatures I see lapping me on the track. They run fast and hard and often. They have fancy running gear (heart rate monitors, moisture wicking clothing, etc.) and are a breed of people I was not born into.
I've never liked running. Ever. I found it boring, difficult and painful. I have an old dance injury (tilted kneecaps) aggravated by a car accident a few years back, and for many moons I have believed wholeheartedly that I could not run. It put undue stress on my knees and, save for a surgery I'm not yet willing to have, I was going to have to live with a lifetime of knee pain. So I've always seen running as something I couldn't (shouldn't) do, and I wasn't much interested in it anyway.
Back in college I lost some weight by running at the gym, and I liked how efficient it was. My heart wasn't in it, however, and running fell by the wayside for many years. Last winter I decided to get back into a healthy lifestyle and wanted to give running another try. I was able to run/walk a 5K fairly easily on a treadmill, so I laced up my sneakers and confidently took off for a run around my block. 20 seconds later, gasping for air and shins burning, I realized that I had underestimated running. It has many forms and this particular one had thoroughly trounced me.
In an attempt to slay the beast, I started the Couch to 5K program in February to overcome my inability to run outdoors. I immediately began looking forward to my runs around the college campus where I work, even though it was very challenging for me. I started doing things like running at 7am in 28 degree weather to fit in my runs, or heading out after work in a drizzle and loving every minute. I planned on running a 5K that April and was excited to be working towards a goal.
Five or six months later...eh hem...*shifty eyes*
So I fell off the running bandwagon soon after my initial foray, but I never forgot how much I enjoyed it. In August I made another ambitious plan: I wanted to train for a sprint triathlon. If/when I actually complete one I will feel like a complete rock star. There are none scheduled in my area until the spring, so for now I've been casually training but mostly running. In that time I've run my first 5K and am on the cusp of formally graduating from Couch to 5K.
My journey is long, and more often than not it's a mental journey, as opposed to physical. I'm looking forward to talking about my workouts and sharing the effect this has had on my life. Stay tuned.
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