I hit a running slump for the past couple weeks.
And I beat it!
I spent the weekend reading a ton of stuff about marathons...training tips, gear, injury avoidance, how to fuel, blogs of other first timers like me, and did some major reflecting.
I spent a lot of time this weekend talking to my friend Kelly, who ran her first marathon in Hawaii when she was 13...yes I said 13 YEARS OLD! Can you believe it?! That is amzaing.
Anyway, she has been running marathons ever since and in 4 weeks this 40-something is running Boston...her lifelong goal. Just last Thursday she ran 20 miles to prepare...which was a whopping three hour tour for her (did I mention it's winter...and she does all of her runs outside...and she lives in Cascade where it's freezing!?) She is the bomb.
And my spirit is renewed!
This is something I totally want to do. And I was letting my busy schedule get in the way and not making running a priority. While some days it totally sucks to have to lace up the old shoes and go run, I would definitely rather do that then run through 4 hours of pure torture come race day. So I am a newly-motivated-meg for now...and for good.
Here is my training schedule for the week:
Monday: 30 min. cross train
Tuesday: Rest
Wednesday: 4 miles. Post run: hip strength routine
Thursday: 6 miles. Post run: back strength routine
Friday: 30 min. cross train (I am thinking I'll hit the pool this day)
Saturday: Same as Wednesday
Sunday: 8 miles. Post run: Back strength routine
...and I mix hot yoga in when I can make a class with my crazy schedule. Did I mention I LOVE hot yoga?...it rocks.
:-)
Peace.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Love me...love me not.
Most days I LIKE running. I enjoy getting my workouts in, and especially enjoy the way I feel after the run is done. My mind is clear, my body is the right amount of tired, and I am definitely in a better mood. Ask my roommates...when I don't workout regularly, I am not fun to live with...a certain b-word comes to mind!!
If I am lucky, once a week I LOVE running. I'll turn my IPOD to Train or Cee Lo Green, find my groove, and chug along like I could run for hours. I'll look around and admire pretty lil' Boise and smile at people that pass...and I can't think of anything I'd rather be doing.
Then there are days like today...ones where I absolutely hate running (did I accentuate that hate enough?). I know if I am having one of these days right when I wake up. I battle with myself all day, really not wanting to go run, and kicking myself and feeling guilty that I am being such a sissy.
I'd be lying if I said I loved running all the time. Some days I dread it. There are even days where I would rather CLEAN than run (and for those that know me know that I am as messy as they come).
Today I laid out every excuse in the book not to do my 6-mile run. "I had to coach...I was hungry...it's cold...gotta catch up on homework...I'll just run tomorrow instead." And here I am tonight, with no run under my belt, and...well shucks...now it's too dark to go! ha.
Though I loved LOVED LOVED running track in college (it's really true, I did), I finally, for the first time I can remember, feel totally free. and it feels good :-)
For the first time in my WHOLE LIFE I get to pick the days I want to run. And I listen. If I am totally not down to run one day, I just won't. It's important to me that running never becomes a chore. If it's a chore, I'll end up hating it more than I like it, and that's no good for my mood (or my pant size)!
That way, when I am 85 years old I will still (hopefully) be chugging along to "Hey Soul Sister" on my iPOD doing something I truly like (and somedays love) to do.
Tomorrow I will run.
Tomorrow I will run.
Peace :-)...and adios to Paige, who is in Spain.
P.S...last Monday...longest run of my life so far! 12.44 miles in 1 hour 41 minutes. Hurt like heck but I did it and kept pace. High five :-)
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
I'll miss you Dairy Queen.
I have officially been training for my FIRST marathon for a whopping three weeks now. And I love it!
I have missed the regular routine of workouts since track ended last June, and haven't been able to motivate myself without a goal in mind. I did yoga and kickboxing once a week, I'd run a couple times a week, never lift weights anymore, and it just wasn't the same. And my pants didn't lie...
Who am I kidding, I kind of missed working out like a crazy woman, but what I really missed was being able to eat anything I want! Let's just say I am quite fond of dessert. I LOVE it! I crave it, I covet it, and look forward to my almost weekly trips to Dairy Queen.
And with 25 miles a week and counting, I am determined to make my whole lifestyle healthy like it used to be.
My boyfriend bet me I couldn't give up blizzards for one month. but I CAN, and I WILL.
but I am NOT happy about it :-(
Bye bye blizzards.
.
I have missed the regular routine of workouts since track ended last June, and haven't been able to motivate myself without a goal in mind. I did yoga and kickboxing once a week, I'd run a couple times a week, never lift weights anymore, and it just wasn't the same. And my pants didn't lie...
Who am I kidding, I kind of missed working out like a crazy woman, but what I really missed was being able to eat anything I want! Let's just say I am quite fond of dessert. I LOVE it! I crave it, I covet it, and look forward to my almost weekly trips to Dairy Queen.
And with 25 miles a week and counting, I am determined to make my whole lifestyle healthy like it used to be.
My boyfriend bet me I couldn't give up blizzards for one month. but I CAN, and I WILL.
but I am NOT happy about it :-(
Bye bye blizzards.
.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Marathon Wannabe
There are two new truths in my life. 1. I can no longer eat whatever I want and 2. My workout mojo is easily lost when I don't have a goal in mind. Can you believe it?! I was shocked, too!
Ihave had this image of myself. I was a totally dedicated runner that would eat, sleep, and breathe track and all included, including healthy eating.
Correction: I used to be a totally dedicated runner.
Well now track is over, and what's left is the admittance (and SHOCK) that I LOVE desserts (and would really have a hard time giving up...so I refuse!), no longer have the metabolism of my former 19 year old self, and often choose to watch reruns of Glee over going for a run. Uhh...Who have I turned into?
So this is me trying to get my mojo back. I spent the fall after my track "retirement" running many 5k and 10k races, that I found I could do with little training, so I would. Can you say slacker?! Yes, that is me. And that was my Fall:
Monday: Yoga
Tuesday: 20 minute jog
Wednesday: Dairy Queen and oops...too late to go to the gym.
Thursday: Grey's Anatomy and pizza.
Friday: Too tired, so I'll do some push-ups.
Saturday: 10K
Sunday: burger and fries! What? I ran a 10k yesterday, don't I deserve this?
Hence, the pitfall.
I was in complete denial, telling myself I was still serious about running. Oh, Megan...you make me laugh.
Well, 10 pounds later, I realized I needed a change.
Hence #2, the marathon!
Why a marathon you might ask?
First, I needed a BIG challenge. I learned about myself that I need a race or something to look forward to to motivate myself to be in any kind of shape at all. And 5ks or 10ks once a month just wasn't cutting it. A marathon is scary...and so far has been scaring me enough to get my running shoes (and running pants that are a bit too tight these days) on everyday, whether Glee is on or not, and just go run.
Second, I never thought I would run a marathon, so I just upped and signed up. I was a sprinter in college, and rarely ran a race that was longer than a minute. For myself I want to do this, to say that I did and I can, and to show others around me that I did, and maybe they can do something they never thought they could.
And third, I still LOVE to run. Plain and simple. (And now I do...a lot).
So this is my journey. And new focus of my blog.
The countdown begins: 165 days until my first 26.2.
I
Correction: I used to be a totally dedicated runner.
Well now track is over, and what's left is the admittance (and SHOCK) that I LOVE desserts (and would really have a hard time giving up...so I refuse!), no longer have the metabolism of my former 19 year old self, and often choose to watch reruns of Glee over going for a run. Uhh...Who have I turned into?
So this is me trying to get my mojo back. I spent the fall after my track "retirement" running many 5k and 10k races, that I found I could do with little training, so I would. Can you say slacker?! Yes, that is me. And that was my Fall:
Monday: Yoga
Tuesday: 20 minute jog
Wednesday: Dairy Queen and oops...too late to go to the gym.
Thursday: Grey's Anatomy and pizza.
Friday: Too tired, so I'll do some push-ups.
Saturday: 10K
Sunday: burger and fries! What? I ran a 10k yesterday, don't I deserve this?
Hence, the pitfall.
I was in complete denial, telling myself I was still serious about running. Oh, Megan...you make me laugh.
Well, 10 pounds later, I realized I needed a change.
Hence #2, the marathon!
Why a marathon you might ask?
First, I needed a BIG challenge. I learned about myself that I need a race or something to look forward to to motivate myself to be in any kind of shape at all. And 5ks or 10ks once a month just wasn't cutting it. A marathon is scary...and so far has been scaring me enough to get my running shoes (and running pants that are a bit too tight these days) on everyday, whether Glee is on or not, and just go run.
Second, I never thought I would run a marathon, so I just upped and signed up. I was a sprinter in college, and rarely ran a race that was longer than a minute. For myself I want to do this, to say that I did and I can, and to show others around me that I did, and maybe they can do something they never thought they could.
And third, I still LOVE to run. Plain and simple. (And now I do...a lot).
So this is my journey. And new focus of my blog.
The countdown begins: 165 days until my first 26.2.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Monday, January 31, 2011
26.2
I made a list!
On it are tons of different things I want to do, go see, learn, etc.
One item in particular is to run a marathon...and hopefully eventually run lots of 'em.
I was a sprinter in college, though I like to run long distances. (Ha did I say run? I call it running, my boyfriend says 9 minute miles is more like jogging, but I beg to differ!)
July 31st I am running my first full marathon in good ol' San Francisco-my favorite city in the whole wide world. One day I will live there, even if just for a little while. That, too, is an item on my list.
I have been "officially" training for a week now, and yesterday I ran 11.5 miles. Not too shabby for these retired sprinter legs.
Today I feel like I have the knees of an 80 year old.
I'll publish my list in the days to come. My goal is to do at least 100 of these things in the next 1000 days.
"100 in 1000" has a nice ring to it!
...and now 99 to go. :-)
Peace!
On it are tons of different things I want to do, go see, learn, etc.
One item in particular is to run a marathon...and hopefully eventually run lots of 'em.
I was a sprinter in college, though I like to run long distances. (Ha did I say run? I call it running, my boyfriend says 9 minute miles is more like jogging, but I beg to differ!)
July 31st I am running my first full marathon in good ol' San Francisco-my favorite city in the whole wide world. One day I will live there, even if just for a little while. That, too, is an item on my list.
I have been "officially" training for a week now, and yesterday I ran 11.5 miles. Not too shabby for these retired sprinter legs.
Today I feel like I have the knees of an 80 year old.
I'll publish my list in the days to come. My goal is to do at least 100 of these things in the next 1000 days.
"100 in 1000" has a nice ring to it!
...and now 99 to go. :-)
Peace!
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