Back in the Saddle Again

Aint that the truth?

Okay, so the important thing is that I'm starting back up. What prompted this?

Well, a few months ago, Steve approached me about doing a 5k walk/run with his work in memory of their co-worker that died from brain cancer. I said sure, and we got a double-jogging-stroller. We used it in MI and IN and it's perfect (I like it better than my single). Anyway, we're doing the 5k on October 5th.

I'll be 37 on October 2nd. I think there's no better time to run my first 5k than just after my birthday. I stopped running last year because it started getting hot and I was afraid to run by myself early in the morning. Then the summer came and went, and then it was fall and we were in the middle of preparing for Hugh's adoption and I just had no motivation and no one to run with me anymore.

Fast forward to this past week. I'm not sure what got me motivated, but I decided that it's going into fall, cooler weather, and there are a lot of 5k races coming up. Why not?

I asked a few friends in my MOMS Club if anyone wanted to train with me. To my utter surprise and delight, I've got four other friends who will be training with me and we're going to do 5ks. We are the 5k Crew.

We have a FB private group and we've been discussing races that we want to run and what ones look fun. We found one on October 19th that's a Color Run (not an official part of The Color Run, but a knock-off race). I signed up today and I am registered for this race.

I am so excited and hopeful. I CAN do this. I WILL do this. I will run my first "real" 5k and I can 't wait to start preparing.

We will start training on Monday and do MWF mornings. I am aware of how hard it's going to be to start all over, but it will only get easier.

So be looking forward to more updates from me. I have been watching what I eat and using my FitBit and I've lost a total of 8.5 pounds. I'm happy to see numbers going down and with more exercise it can only help things.

I emailed my family to see if anyone wanted to run the Turkey Trot which happens before the Detroit Thanksgiving Day Parade. My cousin Jessica, she is so awesome and supportive, wants to run it with me. So if no one else wants to do it, she and I can do it together. I am so excited for that one. Ever since I went to the parade for the first time, I wanted to do it. I'm really excited to think that I might get to make a dream come true.

Admit it, you missed me!

Guess what? I think I'm ready to register for my very first 5K!! Don't get too excited yet, I haven't been running in quite a while (it's been so frigging hot here, and Steve's morning routine changed and I'd have to get up extra early or run with Gus mid-morning- neither were options I was willing to do). However, it's cooling off and once Steve gets back from London, we've talked about training for a 5K after dinner/before bed.

So this morning I was looking through my email and I saw something about registration opening today for the Johns Creek "Night of the Running Zombies 5K Run." I immediately got excited about it and looked at the website to see more information. Here's the cool part: it takes place at 7pm. I think it sounds so fun!

I've sent an email to a few of my friends to see if they'd be interested in joining me and hopefully some will. Lesley said she'll think about it and she said she's not up for running it, but she'd walk it. I emailed Steve to see if he wanted to do it with me and maybe we could bring Gus. I don't know if it'd be too scary for him (probably not). We can put him in the jogging stroller and he won't even notice what's going on around him.

So that's the latest. I am excited about it and hoping that at least one other person will want to run it with me. I am not ready to run the full 5K, but I know I can do the run/walk combo for sure. It might take me an hour to do it, but I know I can do it. All my training runs were over 1.5 miles and it took me about 30 minutes to do them. I'm pretty certain I can double it.

The best part of this race is you have to specify if you'll be running as a zombie or as a human. The humans start the race and two minutes later, the zombies begin (as if the zombies are chasing the humans). You're not allowed to touch anyone (thankfully) so there's no real chase happening, but it seems like a lot of fun. I will be running as a zombie. What fun is it to run as a human??? LOL

I'll keep everyone posted on things... it's less than a month away, and I've got until the 15th to register and pay the lowest registration fee. Hopefully Steve will want to do it too and we can do our first 5K together!!

Back on the Horse

There are a couple of things that happened today before/during my run. I'd like to share.


1) I woke up numerous times last night (I was literally tossing and turning) because I was trying to decide if I was actually going to get up and run or not. When I had decided that I would, indeed run, I then had to think of my route.


2) When 5:20 arrived, I was in a DEEP sleep cycle and did NOT want to wake up. This is what kept going though my head (seriously):

So I got myself up and stretched and then headed out the door. The minute I stepped outside, I felt a raindrop. I had just mustered up motivation to run (it's been over a week since my last run), so I wasn't about to go back inside. However... I had no idea that I was about to embark on a run that would be 90% in the rain.


3) I learned that I DO enjoy running in the rain. It's actually kinda nice to have the rain to cool me off while I'm sweating and hot. What I DON'T like is running in the rain for the majority of my run, and then having it stop raining and become REALLY humid and hot for the last portion of my run.


4) I chose a new route today. I didn't think it through and I never even drove it to see if it'd be do-able. I just decided to go for it. Which, normally would be great. Today, was just stupid on my part.


5) I also started (unbeknown to myself) the DREADED week four of C25K. This takes you from running three minutes, to running FIVE minutes. It felt like I was running longer than usual, but I didn't intend on doing this week yet. I wanted to do another round of week three.


6) I RAN FIVE MINUTES. I didn't stop. 

7) My new route took me out to Sargent and then it was flat for about a second and then it went downhill. It took me five minutes of running and I was still running downhill (yes, it's a MONSTER hill). So I was doing great and feeling pumped... until I had to start running uphill. The uphill part wasn't too bad on Sargent. I tuned into my sub's other entrance, and it was flat for a bit so it was good.


8) Then it stopped raining. 


9) It was ALL uphill from that point to my house.


10) I was not prepared for such an incline and so much uphill running. I'm still very out of shape and carrying a LOT of extra weight... it was really hard. I had to stop because my heart monitor watch started beeping at me (it alarms me when my heart-rate is too high). I don't want to stroke-out or have a heart-attack, so I stopped running and walked.


Now, let's be real. My walking was really no slower/faster than my running at this point. LOL. But I was able to bring my heart rate back down to a normal range.


I stopped my run at 1.35 miles and didn't finish the 5 minute cool-down. I was out of space and didn't want to go a little only to turn around.


11) I realized how much I really enjoy the Greenway for running. Running through my neighborhood will have to do until the fall when it's cooler, but once we're back in cooler temps, I fully intend on going back to running around 8/9 am at the Greenway with Gus.


Before I cut my run off short-- I was averaging a 17.45 minute mile. My fastest yet!! I believe in the running world, this is called a PB. :-)

So now I'm done and just finished eating a whole wheat bagel and some strawberries. I'm ready to get in the shower and then Gus and I have morning plans at a sunflower farm!! My parents should be here in about 10 hours or so and I'm glad my morning run is over. It's going to be a high of 103 here today!!!

A Week Off

This week I didn't run at all.


I had all intentions of running on Tuesday morning, and then on Monday, Steve found out that he had an awesome opportunity at work, but it would mean he'd have to leave here by 5:30 instead of his usual 6:15/6:30.


This would mean that I'd have to wake at 4:45 so I could be back for sure by 5:30. I have my limits. Anything with a four at the beginning... not going to happen for this chick. So instead, I didn't run.


Now before I start getting hate comments... let me say that I was active with Gus. I made sure to run around with him and I was extra careful about that I ate this week.


So let me tell you what happened. I lost another pound!


YEAH!!!


One more pound makes my total 10 pounds lost so far!!


And to remind me that I didn't run this week Steve said, "And that's without running. Imagine what it would have been if you had run!" 


Thanks dude.  :-/


Anyway, I am very proud of myself and glad that I was able to lose, especially since I didn't run.


I fully intend of running this week. I'm going to run on Monday and then again on Thursday. Maybe my dad will want to get up with me on Thursday and run. Maybe. I'm sure he has his limits too.


And to top everything off, we're in the middle of the hottest heat-wave in Atlanta! Record-breaking heat... like 105-110. CRAZY hot. So, next week it's supposed to cool off. I don't know how cool it'll be at 5:30am, but it has to be cooler than it will be at 8am.


See ya Monday. I promise.

Tired!!

This morning when Steve woke me, I was in a DEEP sleep. I did NOT want to wake up. He said, "Do you want to get up and run?" I said, "NO." He then said, "Are you going to get up and run?" With that, I got up and got myself ready and headed out the door.


I used Songza today and I was so glad that I did. Not only did it save me from having to shuffle through my iPod, but there's a station specifically for exercising and the music was incredible. I didn't fastforward once and found myself really motivated to keep going because of my music.


My run wasn't horrible, but it wasn't great either. My calves and shins were on fire today. And if that wasn't bad enough, I found myself in desperate need of a bathroom... and I was only 1/2 way done. So instead of focusing on my surroundings and trying to enjoy my run, I was trying my best not to go while running. 


NO.
FUN.

I think I might go back to trying MWF for working out. I might run Monday and Friday and then walk on Wednesday, or do something around the house-- but going from Tuesday to Friday was almost too much time off. I weigh-in today, and I don't want to be too disappointed. 


I don't think I posted it on this blog, but my Charlotte Color Run date was announced and it's the Saturday that we're at Disney. I can't even begin to say how totally disappointed I was. Not just because I really wanted to do The Color Run, but because my dad and two cousins were going to be meeting us in Charlotte, AND Steve even said he'd maybe run it with me. 


Yes, there are other 5ks. Yes, I will keep training and will be running one this fall (that's my goal). But Charlotte was going to be special because it was going to be a meeting spot for us (me and Steve and Gus from ATL, Jes and my dad from MI and Mary from DC). Now we're trying to figure out a plan B.


I'm hoping that when my brother knows when he'll be in MI (he's in DC currently), we can find a 5k and my dad and Jes and I can do it together, and maybe Mary will be able to come up for it too. It's just hard because we can't come up to MI more than once this fall. And the main reason we're going to MI is to spend the week with Dave and the kids and Scott and his family. It'll be the first time in YEARS that we'll all be in MI at the same time for more than a day. I'm excited about it.


So... yes I ran today. I'm tired right now. It was hot today (already 70 when I started at 5:30) and I am a sweaty, stinky mess. I've got to get in the shower. Have a good weekend and I'll be back Monday or Tuesday. I haven't decided if I'm for sure doing MWF again (Monday is garbage day around here and it's GROSS to be running through the neighborhood and smelling hot garbage).

Blah.

This picture is my current motivation. I don't want to die young and I want to live a healthy, productive life. I want Gus to see that I'm active and exercising.


This morning was hard. I did NOT want to wake up. While getting up at 5:15 for a 5:30 run has so many more advantages than running at 9:00, it's still REALLY HARD to get up so early. 


I didn't want to wake up and Steve was so supportive and really pushed me/motivated me to get up and get going. As I headed out the door, I was still 1/2 asleep, which led to me not "feeling it" today.


I guess some days are good and some are bad. My knees started to hurt while I was running today, and I missed the first 1.5 minute run so it screwed up my entire morning run. I was sluggish and slow and had a lot of negative thoughts going through my head.


I've said it before, 99% of running is mental. Today wasn't a good day mentally. 


I'm now super tired and just want to crawl back into bed. Fortunately, today we have no plans and I can just loaf around if I want. I think I will. 

A Hard Run

Today was rough.

Instead of waking around 5:15 and having some time to stretch, get ready, WAKE UP... Steve's alarm woke both of us from a deep sleep at 5:30. By the time I actually knew what was going on, it was 5:35 and I needed to get out of bed.

My iPhone running band came yesterday, so I was excited to have it this morning for my run. I loaded my phone and headed out. 

I was pleasantly surprised at how cool it was when I started my warm-up. I think it was like 62 or something like that, which is so much better than 80.  :-)

I had to change my route a bit to make sure that I was getting enough distance in, but this morning it didn't matter. I was going so slow... and it's a miracle that I was able to complete the whole workout without cheating or stopping. 

I know that 99% of what I face is mental. However, my legs were like cement again and when this happens, it's so hard to push through the pain. It's days like today that I feel discouraged and upset with my weight and curse myself for not losing more and not dropping the weight faster.

But a few things happened during my run that actually made me proud of myself. First, When I got to the first 1.5 minute run, it seemed like it was over in a blink. Now, you might not think this is a big deal, but not too long ago, I was DYING trying to run 1.5 minutes. This morning, it was cake. I felt like I was just getting started and then it was time to walk.

I was able to run all morning without looking at my phone to see how much I had left to endure. This is a milestone for me. I was just running and trying to enjoy it.  ;-)

I found myself able to focus on my breathing today and it helped with keeping me going. I tried to push myself to go faster today as well. It didn't pan out too well, but I tried. It was so hard though.

I was able to get home and had a few minutes to spare before Steve had to leave. I was so worried that I'd make him late for leaving for work because I didn't get started with my run until 5:40.

I got in the shower and then laid down and I fell asleep. It was an hour of peace and tranquility and it made my whole day better. As someone who is NOT a morning person, the nap after my run and shower was the best thing ever.

When I woke up to Gus talking to himself, I decided to bite the bullet and do my weigh-in. To my utter surprise, I lost another pound! I'm now down nine pounds!! I'm very excited about it AND today was my cheat day (not calorie counting today). Not only did I not have to worry about calories at Christy's when we had a potluck lunch (always so hard), but we went to Outback to celebrate Father's Day... AND we went to DQ after for dessert!! So many good things in one day!!

I'm eager to take the weekend off and relax, and then I'll be back to running on Monday. I'll be finishing week 3 day 3, and then I'll be repeating again until I feel comfortable running three minutes. I'm scared for week 4-- it's running for 3 minutes, walking for 1.5, running for 5 minutes, walking for 2.5, running for 3 minutes, walking for 1.5 minutes, running for 5 minutes and the 5 minute cool-down.