Monday, October 10, 2011
Day 47 (10/9): 5 miles / 45:53
Wow - that was hard. After running only 3 miles for each training day for the last two weeks, this run felt like an eternity. Mile 1 felt just about the same as it always does - it takes almost the entire mile to loosen up my muscles and joints and get geared up for the remainder of my run. Mile 2 felt pretty good, but I was worried I was maybe going a little too fast considering the fact that I was going to be running so much further than I had in the past few weeks. Miles 3 and 4 actually felt really good (mile 3 slightly better than mile 4, of course). The longer distance finally gave me an opportunity to venture out of my neighborhood for a one-mile out-and-back route. This also made it easy to time myself for those miles - 9:00 out and 8:57 back - not too shabby. Unfortunately, I probably should have slowed my pace just a bit. That last mile was a real killer. All in all, however, I have to say that I'm pretty impressed with my time. I'm certainly not shattering any records, but I love that I ran five miles at just over a 9:10 pace. That being said, there's a lot of work to be done if I'm hoping to run the marathon anywhere near a 10:00 mile pace. I'm realizing this goal might be a bit lofty for me, but with so much time left to train, I don't feel it's right to start lowering my expectations just yet :)
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Day 46 (10/8): 3 miles / 26:27
Today's run felt great. We're having amazing weather for this time of year and it feels good to get back outdoors in the sunshine. I must admit that I had no idea I was running as fast as I was, so either this whole thing is getting a lot easier or I just happened to have a good day... either way, I'll take it.
I did, however, spend a good deal of my run thinking about tomorrow's run... the training schedule finally has me increasing my miles, so I'm pretty excited! I've got 5 miles on the schedule for tomorrow and I can't wait to see how it goes. Wish me luck...
I did, however, spend a good deal of my run thinking about tomorrow's run... the training schedule finally has me increasing my miles, so I'm pretty excited! I've got 5 miles on the schedule for tomorrow and I can't wait to see how it goes. Wish me luck...
Friday, October 7, 2011
Day 45 (10/7): 3 miles / 28:53
Everything about this evening's run felt wrong. My joints ache, my muscles are tight and my breathing labored. I feel all around sluggish and, as much as I hate to admit it, I'm guessing it has something to do with my diet. Let's take today, for example: I started out with a sensible granola bar for breakfast and a V-8 Fusion drink on my way to work. Then it's all downhill from there. Lunch was a ginormous bowl of chili with cheese and fritos and dinner was a large helping of beef stroganoff and too many slices of asiago pepperoni bread. Did I seriously think my body was going to feel good after that?!? I suppose it's time to start adding more fruits and veggies to my diet and maybe laying off the fatty foods a bit. Of course, I'm sure last night's martinis, appetizers and cupcakes didn't help, and the box of chocolates the night before might have been pushing it just a bit. All in all, I think my diet needs a serious makeover.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Day 44 (10/5): 3 miles / 28:48
Maybe what I really needed before yesterday's post was an attitude adjustment... and a little bit of chocolate.
Okay, okay... a lot of chocolate. But that's not really the point.
Anyway, today's run was much better than yesterday's and I'm feeling re-energized concerning my marathon goal. I'm also thrilled that this week marks an increase in the number of running days per week from 4 to 5, so even though the distance won't change for a few more days, at least I feel like I'm doing something more than last week.
My first 2 miles were at a 10:00 mile pace and, when that got to feeling a little too easy, I went ahead and increased the pace continuously over the course of the last mile, going from 6.0 mph to 7.5 mph as I crossed my imaginary finish line. It felt great to finish strong and I was encouraged by the fact that, after yesterday's minor meltdown, I was able to bounce back today with a better attitude. It might have a little something to do with the second song on today's mix of my running playlist: Eye of the Tiger by Survivor. That song gets me every damn time...
(Side note - this video just makes me laugh! 1-these guys could not look any less comfortable, 2-not impressed by the garbage bag background flapping in the wind and, 3-the lead singer looks super sweaty in those tight black leather pants. Pure genius I tell you!)
Okay, okay... a lot of chocolate. But that's not really the point.
Anyway, today's run was much better than yesterday's and I'm feeling re-energized concerning my marathon goal. I'm also thrilled that this week marks an increase in the number of running days per week from 4 to 5, so even though the distance won't change for a few more days, at least I feel like I'm doing something more than last week.
My first 2 miles were at a 10:00 mile pace and, when that got to feeling a little too easy, I went ahead and increased the pace continuously over the course of the last mile, going from 6.0 mph to 7.5 mph as I crossed my imaginary finish line. It felt great to finish strong and I was encouraged by the fact that, after yesterday's minor meltdown, I was able to bounce back today with a better attitude. It might have a little something to do with the second song on today's mix of my running playlist: Eye of the Tiger by Survivor. That song gets me every damn time...
(Side note - this video just makes me laugh! 1-these guys could not look any less comfortable, 2-not impressed by the garbage bag background flapping in the wind and, 3-the lead singer looks super sweaty in those tight black leather pants. Pure genius I tell you!)
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Day 43 (10/4): 3 miles / 30:03
Today's disjointed run left me feeling frustrated and wondering if I should be trying to do this right now. I'm not doubting my physical ability... I'm simply questioning whether I should be committing this kind of time to a personal goal when there seem to be a million other things I should be doing instead. I fully acknowledged that this process would take about a year, assuming my body could withstand the beating and evade injury, but I never bothered to consider the amount of time this would require out of that twelve month period.
I'm guessing that, looking at today's time, you're wondering why in the world I'm so overwhelmed by 30 minutes. If that's an issue, I'm seriously going to have a problem when I start running 10-12 miles or, even worse, 15-20 miles. But it's not really the half hour that's a problem. Add another 15 minutes beforehand to stretch and what should be at least another 20 afterward for more stretching. Then, assuming I have anywhere else to be, there's a shower that really should follow. Of course, showering is part of my normal day, but isn't necessarily part of my afternoon. Any time I have somewhere to take my son, I wake up early and shower before he gets out of bed. Now, I have to fit stretching, running, stretching and showering into his sometimes too-short nap time.
Take today, for instance. The first 20 minutes of my run I spend making a mental list of all of the things I want to do this afternoon. I need to finish my run, have lunch, take a shower, get dinner started (my first homemade dinner in some time), get a few emails out and, as if there would be enough time left after that, I'd love to read a little. After 2 miles on the treadmill, my son woke up from his nap. Being that I found a way to multi-task and did my stretching while we played on the floor before his nap time, this meant that he'd only be asleep for 20 minutes... only about 2 hours shorter than his nap might normally be. I gave him a minute hoping he'd go right back to sleep, but no luck. So, I run upstairs to calm him down, which takes a good ten minutes to do, in just enough time for the dogs to bark at the invisible people that obviously taunt them from the front door, and the whole process begins again. By the time I get back downstairs to finish my run, it's been at least 15 minutes. Now I'm wondering... should I start over? Clearly that would be putting too many miles on these legs of mine. Should I just call it a day? Then I would just feel like a quitter. But will he stay asleep long enough for me to finish? There was no way to know for sure, but certainly I was going to try.
This left my last mile to reconsider my list of things I had wanted to accomplish and think about how to re-order them since I doubted there was any chance of getting all of them done. I finished my run and stretched a little less than I probably should have, then warmed up my leftover chinese while I sent out my emails. I did allow myself a break long enough to finish my lunch on the couch, but before I finished, my son was once again awake... still about an hour short of his usual nap time.
I suddenly felt very overwhelmed by all of the things I'd love to be accomplishing at this point in my life. With my husband's schooling taking so much of his time, I would love to say I've been able to take the reins and do all of the things he hasn't had time for. But all I've managed in the last three weeks is to cook one meal and wipe down a few counter tops. The grass could use some serious attention and I don't want to be the kind of wife and mother that serves her family fast food and frozen dinners every night. I can't help but feel that my hobbies are starting to take up all of the time I should be devoting to my family. Between running, reading for my book club (that, for some stupid reason, I thought would be a good thing to start earlier this year) and trying to keep up with my initial goal for the year of reading one non-fiction book every month, I can't seem to get anything else done.
I spent the rest of the afternoon feeling inundated by all of the things I need and want to do in the very little time I seem to have. I'm just beginning to wonder if this is really what I should be doing right now...
I'm guessing that, looking at today's time, you're wondering why in the world I'm so overwhelmed by 30 minutes. If that's an issue, I'm seriously going to have a problem when I start running 10-12 miles or, even worse, 15-20 miles. But it's not really the half hour that's a problem. Add another 15 minutes beforehand to stretch and what should be at least another 20 afterward for more stretching. Then, assuming I have anywhere else to be, there's a shower that really should follow. Of course, showering is part of my normal day, but isn't necessarily part of my afternoon. Any time I have somewhere to take my son, I wake up early and shower before he gets out of bed. Now, I have to fit stretching, running, stretching and showering into his sometimes too-short nap time.
Take today, for instance. The first 20 minutes of my run I spend making a mental list of all of the things I want to do this afternoon. I need to finish my run, have lunch, take a shower, get dinner started (my first homemade dinner in some time), get a few emails out and, as if there would be enough time left after that, I'd love to read a little. After 2 miles on the treadmill, my son woke up from his nap. Being that I found a way to multi-task and did my stretching while we played on the floor before his nap time, this meant that he'd only be asleep for 20 minutes... only about 2 hours shorter than his nap might normally be. I gave him a minute hoping he'd go right back to sleep, but no luck. So, I run upstairs to calm him down, which takes a good ten minutes to do, in just enough time for the dogs to bark at the invisible people that obviously taunt them from the front door, and the whole process begins again. By the time I get back downstairs to finish my run, it's been at least 15 minutes. Now I'm wondering... should I start over? Clearly that would be putting too many miles on these legs of mine. Should I just call it a day? Then I would just feel like a quitter. But will he stay asleep long enough for me to finish? There was no way to know for sure, but certainly I was going to try.
This left my last mile to reconsider my list of things I had wanted to accomplish and think about how to re-order them since I doubted there was any chance of getting all of them done. I finished my run and stretched a little less than I probably should have, then warmed up my leftover chinese while I sent out my emails. I did allow myself a break long enough to finish my lunch on the couch, but before I finished, my son was once again awake... still about an hour short of his usual nap time.
I suddenly felt very overwhelmed by all of the things I'd love to be accomplishing at this point in my life. With my husband's schooling taking so much of his time, I would love to say I've been able to take the reins and do all of the things he hasn't had time for. But all I've managed in the last three weeks is to cook one meal and wipe down a few counter tops. The grass could use some serious attention and I don't want to be the kind of wife and mother that serves her family fast food and frozen dinners every night. I can't help but feel that my hobbies are starting to take up all of the time I should be devoting to my family. Between running, reading for my book club (that, for some stupid reason, I thought would be a good thing to start earlier this year) and trying to keep up with my initial goal for the year of reading one non-fiction book every month, I can't seem to get anything else done.
I spent the rest of the afternoon feeling inundated by all of the things I need and want to do in the very little time I seem to have. I'm just beginning to wonder if this is really what I should be doing right now...
Monday, October 3, 2011
Day 42 (10/2): 3 miles / 30:30
Today's crappy weather meant a treadmill day for me today and I decided to take it easy. Unfortunately, much like I always do, I started with a first mile much slower than I should have, picked up the pace for my second, then realized that I had far too much energy left for the last mile, which I should have considering I was running at a 12:00 pace for mile 1 and a 10:00 pace for mile 2. This forced me to really pick up my speed for the last mile in order to keep my time somewhat reasonable. This just seems silly since I can set the pace at anything I want and know that I won't accidentally slow down or speed up because the belt moves at whatever rate I set it for. And yet I manage to do this every time I'm on it. My goal for future treadmill runs is to set the speed at a 10:00 pace and just leave it there for the entire run. We'll see how that goes for me this week :)
I did, however, find my first two miles relaxing enough to spend a little time thinking... mostly about my goals and aspirations. First and foremost, I really need to start cooking more. My husband and I don't eat particularly well to begin with and my son is certainly not learning any good eating habits from us. I'd love to start eating well and, in the process, take better care of my family. This alone sounds like a lot of work. I wonder how I'll find the time...
This thought led me back to my goal of running a marathon. I still wonder sometimes what I'm thinking. I have moments when I don't doubt for a second that I can do this. I really feel I'm capable of it. Then I do something stupid, like announce to the world on facebook that I've signed up for the Cleveland Marathon. Part of my reason for this is to keep myself motivated to do it. More friends aware of this plan means more people asking me about my progress... I find this keeps me accountable. But then there's this crazy side effect... lots of people congratulating me on signing up to run the marathon... What's that all about? It's a heck of a lot easier to register than it is to actually run it. I don't know what to say when people congratulate me just for saying I'm going to do it. I can only imagine how impressed they might be if I actually finish it :)
But, until then, the song Under Pressure by Queen & David Bowie seems to be on repeat in my head... Maybe it wasn't the best addition to my running play list... :)
I did, however, find my first two miles relaxing enough to spend a little time thinking... mostly about my goals and aspirations. First and foremost, I really need to start cooking more. My husband and I don't eat particularly well to begin with and my son is certainly not learning any good eating habits from us. I'd love to start eating well and, in the process, take better care of my family. This alone sounds like a lot of work. I wonder how I'll find the time...
This thought led me back to my goal of running a marathon. I still wonder sometimes what I'm thinking. I have moments when I don't doubt for a second that I can do this. I really feel I'm capable of it. Then I do something stupid, like announce to the world on facebook that I've signed up for the Cleveland Marathon. Part of my reason for this is to keep myself motivated to do it. More friends aware of this plan means more people asking me about my progress... I find this keeps me accountable. But then there's this crazy side effect... lots of people congratulating me on signing up to run the marathon... What's that all about? It's a heck of a lot easier to register than it is to actually run it. I don't know what to say when people congratulate me just for saying I'm going to do it. I can only imagine how impressed they might be if I actually finish it :)
But, until then, the song Under Pressure by Queen & David Bowie seems to be on repeat in my head... Maybe it wasn't the best addition to my running play list... :)
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Day 41 (10/1): 3 miles / 25:15
Not too much to report as far as today's run is concerned. The day was a little cooler than I would have liked, but fresh air is always appreciated, so I can't complain. I did attempt to push myself to see where I was physically and how well I could pace myself when shooting for a faster time. With a per mile pace of 8:25, I feel really good about where I am physically right now. And, although I'm not exactly certain where each mile marker is, I'm pretty sure my first mile was somewhere around 8:30, so it would appear I didn't do too badly in the pacing department either.
I still haven't signed up for the 10k race I've been considering, which is on October 15th, but I'm fairly confident I could handle it at this point. Now it's just a matter of committing to it. It's funny how I'm able to commit to a marathon but not a 10k. I'm sure it has something to do with the marathon being 8 months away and the 10k being only 2 weeks away, but still...
I still haven't signed up for the 10k race I've been considering, which is on October 15th, but I'm fairly confident I could handle it at this point. Now it's just a matter of committing to it. It's funny how I'm able to commit to a marathon but not a 10k. I'm sure it has something to do with the marathon being 8 months away and the 10k being only 2 weeks away, but still...
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