Today I did a 5k. I had fun. Do I really need to say more? I peed like 20 times before the start, I collected a bunch of freebies (my favorite being the Aquafina hydrating lip oil!), had my hubby & kids with me to send me off and cheer me on and congratulate when I finished (run-on sentence, I know), beat my time, gained some confidence at getting to the start line alone, conquered a major hill (I swear this thing was VERTICAL!), etc, etc, etc.
Seriously - I had a great day. My digestive system has been a little weird lately thanks to stress...but I didn't really have any jitters so all was good. One thing that was slightly annoying was the confusion over the start line but whatever - eventually, we all started. So - the clock read exactly 38 minutes when I crossed the finish line. MY time was probably more like 34 minutes by the time I personally crossed the confusing start line. I also attempted to calibrate my watch again but I think that didn't work so well - will do it on the treadmill at the gym.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Friday, April 9, 2010
The gym
I joined the gym.
In my past life (that would be life before kids), I enjoyed going to the gym. I was relatively consistent too. I was a big fan of Body For Life/Bill Phillips - I entered a couple of challenges yet never submitted my completed package since I really didn't feel I made big progress.
Then came the kids. And the fat. Not that I have EVER been thin but I've always been pretty healthy.
So now that I've bitten off more then I can chew with the marathon - I'm going full force. I want to do a bit of weight training and with the summer coming up I'll have some time on my hands so maybe I can take a few classes here & there.
Step one at the gym is to have a nurse check you out - Hey! I'm not fat anymore! And my BMI is all good..and my body is hydrated well (thank you coconut water).
Step two - meet with a trainer. Apparently I have excellent balance, good core strength, great flexibility....but my neck is tight. Ummm - if you lived my life wouldn't your neck be tight too?
I'm meeting with him again tomorrow morning - he's coming up with a 6 week plan for me. And he's excited to match it up with my marathon training. I'm guessing that 2-3 days a week I will do weight training and the rest I will run...with a day of rest of course.
This is all part of joining this gym - he's not MY personal trainer. I figured what the hell - if I have to shell out $$ for the registration fee I should take everything they offer.
He suggested I think about HIIT - High intensity interval training. I could do this 1-2 days a week. Told him I would think about it for summer time. Of course, that's another $250. But then again - in the summer I'll be looking for things to do so maybe it's worth a try. I could do my weekday runs EARLY to beat the heat, then head to the gym with the kids (there is a play room) - the HIIT program is only 20-30 minutes.
OH - and there is no treadmill time limit so on those stupid humid days when you can't even breathe, I can run there.
There is also a pool but I probably won't use it. Although surviving the marathon could lead to triathlons. Yeah right. Well really, who knows. I could be turning into a whole new person here.
Treat your body with respect!
PS - Every time I type the word "Marathon" I accidentally put a "g" on the end. Does that mean that my subconscious thinks one day I will be walking along a beach in a thong? Ha - it makes me laugh every time.
In my past life (that would be life before kids), I enjoyed going to the gym. I was relatively consistent too. I was a big fan of Body For Life/Bill Phillips - I entered a couple of challenges yet never submitted my completed package since I really didn't feel I made big progress.
Then came the kids. And the fat. Not that I have EVER been thin but I've always been pretty healthy.
So now that I've bitten off more then I can chew with the marathon - I'm going full force. I want to do a bit of weight training and with the summer coming up I'll have some time on my hands so maybe I can take a few classes here & there.
Step one at the gym is to have a nurse check you out - Hey! I'm not fat anymore! And my BMI is all good..and my body is hydrated well (thank you coconut water).
Step two - meet with a trainer. Apparently I have excellent balance, good core strength, great flexibility....but my neck is tight. Ummm - if you lived my life wouldn't your neck be tight too?
I'm meeting with him again tomorrow morning - he's coming up with a 6 week plan for me. And he's excited to match it up with my marathon training. I'm guessing that 2-3 days a week I will do weight training and the rest I will run...with a day of rest of course.
This is all part of joining this gym - he's not MY personal trainer. I figured what the hell - if I have to shell out $$ for the registration fee I should take everything they offer.
He suggested I think about HIIT - High intensity interval training. I could do this 1-2 days a week. Told him I would think about it for summer time. Of course, that's another $250. But then again - in the summer I'll be looking for things to do so maybe it's worth a try. I could do my weekday runs EARLY to beat the heat, then head to the gym with the kids (there is a play room) - the HIIT program is only 20-30 minutes.
OH - and there is no treadmill time limit so on those stupid humid days when you can't even breathe, I can run there.
There is also a pool but I probably won't use it. Although surviving the marathon could lead to triathlons. Yeah right. Well really, who knows. I could be turning into a whole new person here.
Treat your body with respect!
PS - Every time I type the word "Marathon" I accidentally put a "g" on the end. Does that mean that my subconscious thinks one day I will be walking along a beach in a thong? Ha - it makes me laugh every time.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Hurdle
This morning I set out to overcome a mental hurdle. After last weekend's bullshit with me freaking myself out so much that I couldn't even think about doing the 15k - I was determined to conquer it this weekend.
One minor road block was that I hadn't been able to put much time into my weekly runs - not because I didn't want to but because I had the nasty cough/chest cold my kids had the week before. Still, I was determined.
I set out around 10am this morning. My spibelt filled with GU, tissues, & chapstick. My ipod sort of charged. 2 miles in and I thought, "This is a mistake. You've barely run this week. You're coughing like crazy still...finish the first 3+ miles then call it quits". But then my multiple personality disorder kicked in and I said, "Fuck it. There is always going to be something that COULD hold you back." So I "manned up" and just kept going. I had to make a pit stop at home real quick to pee after about 3.5 miles but I went right back to it. The GU wasn't nasty this time and it defnitely gave me the energy I needed. I kept checking my watch. I knew I was taking more frequent walk breaks but really, who cares? I was doing the best I could even though I was coughing a lot.
I'm happy to say that I completed a little over 9 miles in just over 2 hours. My average pace was a 13.5 min/mile....my runs were around 12 ish my walks were around 14 ish. My alarm only went "ding, ding, ding" twice and that was when I tried to pull a tissue out without ripping it.
There were no tears and no limping. My leg hurts a bit now but now too bad.
Now for the big decision. Do I run the Rutgers half with my Team McGraw teammate on April 18th or is that pushing it too far, too fast?? I don't want to set myself up for failure but I also don't want to be a wuss. And it would be a HUGE confidence booster.
What are your thoughts???
One minor road block was that I hadn't been able to put much time into my weekly runs - not because I didn't want to but because I had the nasty cough/chest cold my kids had the week before. Still, I was determined.
I set out around 10am this morning. My spibelt filled with GU, tissues, & chapstick. My ipod sort of charged. 2 miles in and I thought, "This is a mistake. You've barely run this week. You're coughing like crazy still...finish the first 3+ miles then call it quits". But then my multiple personality disorder kicked in and I said, "Fuck it. There is always going to be something that COULD hold you back." So I "manned up" and just kept going. I had to make a pit stop at home real quick to pee after about 3.5 miles but I went right back to it. The GU wasn't nasty this time and it defnitely gave me the energy I needed. I kept checking my watch. I knew I was taking more frequent walk breaks but really, who cares? I was doing the best I could even though I was coughing a lot.
I'm happy to say that I completed a little over 9 miles in just over 2 hours. My average pace was a 13.5 min/mile....my runs were around 12 ish my walks were around 14 ish. My alarm only went "ding, ding, ding" twice and that was when I tried to pull a tissue out without ripping it.
There were no tears and no limping. My leg hurts a bit now but now too bad.
Now for the big decision. Do I run the Rutgers half with my Team McGraw teammate on April 18th or is that pushing it too far, too fast?? I don't want to set myself up for failure but I also don't want to be a wuss. And it would be a HUGE confidence booster.
What are your thoughts???
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