C25K 8.3 and 9.1

MW: 138
Days to Race: 270
Distance/Time:
8.3: 2.44 mi/38 min
9.1: 2.81 mi/42 min

I was at the beach for the weekend. Regrettably, I did not take advantage of the opportunity to run by the ocean, instead opting for the flat road running parallel. Still, there is something about being at the beach that makes life just a little better. I was amazed at how many fit people were on the road at all times there. In my little town, you'll sometimes see a person here and there but not with the same frequency. And the dogs. So many delightful dogs.

I'd planned to run twice on my trip, but two nights ago, my body gave me a big f-you and I decided to put my plan on hold for a day. Even today, I was a bit worried about going full out 30 minutes, but I'm glad I did. As always, the first 5 minutes were the worst, but after that first mile, magic happens. I find my rhythm and feel like I could go on forever. Luckily, my calf muscles keep me in line.

I couldn't help but think, however, that this is only a quarter of my goal distance. I'm doing well. Running on track and constantly improving, but it's hard to imagine running for 13.1 miles, let alone 10K. Every week, I'm going further and faster than ever before and the victories are small. Today, I'm bringing in a cake for a co-worker's birthday so maybe I'll consider my slice a celebration of how far I've come.

C25K 8.2

MW: 140.8
Days to Race: 276
Distance/Time: 2.52 mi/39.42 min

A good run done.

C25K 8.1

MW: ---
Days to race: 278
Distance/Time: 2.5 mi/40 min

I usually run on Mondays, but I had a good friend staying over and that not only meant a busy morning, but also an unhealthy night before (all my own fault, mind you). So instead, I scheduled my run for Tuesday and that extra day really made a difference. Or maybe it was the whole grain toast with natural peanut butter (a common entry of recommended pre-run breakfasts).

As I started out, everything seemed to be in order right down to the same point in my run that I have to pee and how I have to give myself the biggest pep talks the first five minutes in. For some reason, they always seem to be the most difficult as I huff and puff and struggle to find my rhythm. But then, disaster struck. And by disaster, I mean I accidentally restarted my podcast. The music vanished and instead, my co-pilot began talking to be about talking back to my negative self-comments. And of course, I'd forgotten to wear my watch so I had no idea how long I'd been running and since it was the first run of the week, about how far I would get.

I tried to do the math, but if you've tried to run, keeping those numbers aligned in a bouncing brain is not easy. Instead, I knew I had about 3 extra minutes of running to go so I took the point that I think I'd gotten to last week and then extended it to give myself a ballpark. And then I surpassed it. I definitely ran over 30 minutes today and felt like I could have done more. Just knowing this gives me a great deal more chutzpah for the rest of the program. I just have to stay smart about it.

C25K 7.3

MW: 138.6
Days to race: 281
Distance/Time: 2.25 mi/35 min.

I was supposed to have finished this run yesterday. I had every intention of doing so. After work, I laced up, put on my hat and started to run. And when my friendly co-pilot in the MP3 Player told me I was halfway done, my body decided that I was completely done. I ended up walking the rest of the way. My legs down to my feet ached and my form was all over the place. So, I called that session and gave myself a re-do for today. Sometimes, you've just got to listen to your body and not your ambition.

Today's run went much better. I also did the course backwards, which I think helped shake things up a bit. I was still a little twingey, but my form stayed true and the aches passed. Next week is a little bit further, a little bit longer.

C25K 7.2

MW: 137.6
Days to Race: 284
Distance/Time: 2.3 mi/35 min.

Woke up early this morning thanks to a forgotten eye dr. appointment which had me moving my usual schedule up an hour. Happily, I managed to get up and out according to schedule and as I was running, I realized that this early wake-up would become more common the further I go. Of course I always thought that being up by 5:30 would come much later. When it was dark outside. And bitterly cold. And ideally I won't have as much fat on me to stay warm...

Anyways!

I finished my run feeling good. My left calf had been a bit tight the night before so I took the time to go through some stretches/poses that I learned from my Pilates and yoga DVDs and the next morning, it all went fantastically. In the future, I think I'll make a point of doing yoga the day before as a pre-warm-up.

C25K 7.1

MW: 137.8
Days to Race: 286
Distance/Time: 2.4 mi/36.52 min

Finished this run pretty well. Happily, I've stopped feeling twinges in my knees. I think it's because I've been taking the time to stretch before I go out and I've spent a fair amount of attention on my running form. My left calf always feels a little tight and now my right ankle is starting to make some noise. I'll have to looking into what I can do to make those run smoothly.

All in all, I feel great about this run. I even got to meet the woman who keeps waving to me on the road. Apparently she'd always thought I was someone else. Her dog, Andre, however, quickly realized that I was not worth the effort. As I was going through a neighborhood by a field, I saw a bi-level plane swooping low overhead. That's a new sight. :-).

C25K 6.3

MW: 138.2
Days to Race: 289
Distance/Time: 2.25 mi/36 min.

I needed this. A concise victory that proved to myself that I can in fact improve and succeed. You might have noticed I've been a little cranky about some weight gain. I don't know if it's been the new pill I'm taking, or the fact that I've been overcompensating a little exercise with a lot of extra calories (I know I have a sugar problem), or just random water retention but it's been a bit of a blow to get on the scale every morning. It's also been a bit more difficult to complete my runs. Today though, I hit it and I hit it hard.

I might have wanted to cry at a point or two in the middle. I might have had to play games with myself to keep going (okay, I can get excited when I see the Acme, OMG how cool would it be if I reached PNC?, etc., the woman just told me we'd finished the 5 minute run which means I have x much time left). The point is, though, that I finished the longest run yet and cleared that hurdle. Just three more weeks to go of this program!

C25K 6.2

MW: I don't want to talk about it
Days to Race: 291
Distance/Time: 2.25 mi/35 min.

I feel good about this run. It was definitely a push to get through it, but I completed it. My body is now weaker than my endurance, so I want to work a bit more on strength training. I'm not so sure about Friday's session, however. Running for 25 minutes is a lot and I no longer have the burst of energy that comes with starting a project. I do believe, however, that once I get past this hurdle, the rest of the C25K will go more smoothly.

C25K 6.1

MW: 136.6 (ugh)
Days to race: 293
Distance/Time: 2.22 mi/36.5 min

Ugh. Rolled out of bed and I did it. Not much more to say. Oh, and I ended up going further than I originally thought and had to add an "oops" extension to the run. Tomorrow, I'll put in a second annex to my route. This does make me happy. Two things I need to work on, though: diet (as always, I need to start putting better things into my body) and getting to bed earlier. It's supposed to rain today, though, so I'm happy I pushed myself through the crappy-feeling morning and got the run done.

Longer Run

mw: 136
days to race: 294
distance/time: 4.2 miles/ 70 min

Here's a little secret. I am a huge sucker for comic book movies, especially the Marvel ones. Iron Man 3's premier has been on my calendar for the past 6 months, so I decided to roll that trip into a chance to try a different town/running route as there are no movie theaters where I live. I rolled out of bed and was out of the house early. The temperature had dropped quite a bit overnight and as I started off, I wish I'd remembered some gloves. My hands were bright red and achey, though the rest of me was fine in short sleeves and running capris.

I did 3 10 minute runs punctuated by periods of walking and felt good about it. Friday's 20 minuter was hard so it was nice to push myself without trying to actually kill myself. During my run a very friendly boy paced alongside me as he roller-bladed to church. He told me that I was not running, I was jogging, and then showed off how fast he could go. I'm happy to say that I was able to keep up a conversation with him while jogging, a sign that I'm running a good pace.

After my run, I hit up Target and the the movies! All I can say is it was great. A bit more cartoonishly comic than the others, but still very enjoyable. Gwyneth Paltrow is totally ripped and Ben Kingsley is really the bees knees. Can't wait for the rest of Phase 2! And Man of Steel. And Guardians of the Galaxy. Geeze, it's no wonder that Gmail thinks I'm an 18 year old boy.

C25K 5.3

5/2/2013
mw: 136.0
days to race: 296
distance/time: 2.05 mi/ 32 min

I was worried about today. I hadn't run 20 minutes straight since the last time I did this (two years ago?!). Even then, it was because I was angry. Rage can make a great motivator and today, I wasn't angry. But still I did it! About 5 minutes in I started plotting when I could take a short break and for how long, but it wasn't necessary. I feel like I've cleared a hurdle and now it's time to keep working toward the other ones. This little dumpling can run!