So Proud

I just want to start off by saying that I am so incredibly blessed. I feel so supported and surrounded by truly remarkable people, and I know how fortunate I am to have this.

On Wednesday night, we finished running and we weren't sure what was going to happen for Friday. It's been this way since we started. Monday and Wednesday is a pretty set thing, but Friday is up in the air. I'm a planner and I don't like things to be up in the air, so of course, I try to figure out what I'm going to do about my Friday run.

I posted on our 5k Crew FB group that I was going to run tonight at Ocee, and if anyone wanted to join me, to let me know.

Lesley texted me yesterday to say that she was pretty sure she could run with me tonight, and then this afternoon, Meaghan called me to say that her husband has his monthly poker night, but she was willing to come with her boys and run. Then Ann texted me around 6 and said that she was going to come to Ocee to run with me.

Tonight we met at 8pm and ran together. It was so awesome to not have to run alone, and made me feel so lucky to have such wonderful people in my life. I feel like they are just as invested in this as I am and it's awesome.

On Monday, Ann and I had been talking about the Turkey Trot and she was inspired by me and decided to see if there was a Thanksgiving Day run close to us. There is one in Johns Creek! So she shared it with our FB group and asked if anyone wanted to run it with her, and Leigh Anne, Stacey, and Ann are all registered and will be running it together!! So while I'm running my Turkey Trot in Michigan, they'll be running one here.

 
Stacey just started running with us this week and she signed up to run the 5k with us on October 19th. That means that it'll be: me, Jo, Lesley, Leigh Anne, Jackie, Stacey, maybe Meaghan and possibly Ann. I am so excited and really hope that Meaghan and Ann  are able to sign up. It's going to be so incredible to run our first 5k together as a group.

My run tonight was good. It seemed to really go by fast tonight, for whatever reason. I was tired at the end, and my knees were hurting, but I felt good. Each time that I've run has gotten better (not easier, but better). It's been two full weeks and I am thinking about starting W3D1 on Monday.


Week 3 Day 1 is: 5 minute warm-up, two repetitions of jog for 1.5 and walk for 1.5 then jog for 3 and walk for 3 then 5 minute cool-down.


I think I will try it and see how it goes, and if it's too much, I will repeat week 2 again until I'm ready. If I remember correctly, I think I liked week 3 when I ran last year. I never made it past week 4 last year, but I also took a month just to get out of week 1. I'm already running more this year than I ever did last year.

Speaking of running... so far I've run 9.9 total miles and spent 3 hours and 1 minute running. Today I ran 1.82 miles. My average walking pace was a 17:51 mile, and I walked 1.25 miles tonight. My average running pace was a 15:43 mile (MY FASTEST YET!!!) and I ran 0.57 miles. 

I am really proud of myself. I weighed myself this morning and it said I had gained three pounds. Talk about a downer. I told Steve and he said not to worry about it. I know he's right and the scale isn't what matters. What matters is that I'm feeling better, stronger, and more active than ever. I feel good, I just wish the scale reflected my effort.

I'm excited to relax this weekend and rest my muscles. I'm resting up so that Monday I can tackle week 3. It's cooling off at night (tonight was incredible-- low 70s) and it'll make running at night even more awesome. Bring on the fall!!

I'm a Turkey Trotter!

When I was younger, we would get up on Thanksgiving morning and turn on the television. We were always excited to watch the parade. No, not the Macy's (which I actually wrote a letter to complain one year and boycotted each year after), but the Detroit Thanksgiving Parade (also known as "America's Thanksgiving Day Parade).

There was nothing like watching the parade, sipping cocoa, and breathing in the aromas of my mom's cooking and baking. It really made me love Thanksgiving and I consider it one of my favorite holidays.

While watching the pre-parade programming, they'd show the runners on the parade route. I asked my dad what they were doing one year, and he told me about the Turkey Trot. He said that people that go down to watch the parade get there really early (like 6am). While the parade watchers are gathering, there's a lot of pre-parade festivities and one of the things is a race called the Turkey Trot. 

I was amazed and loved the costumes that the runners would wear while running. They always had a Christmas theme to them and it was fun to see.

When I was older, but still living in MI, I started going down to watch the parade. The first few times I went with my cousin Brandon, and then once I went down with a guy that I had just started dating, and then the last time I went was the best. It was my dad, Steve, myself, and my twin brother's best friend, Dan. 

We went down and had breakfast at Comerica Park and had Grand Stand seats to watch the parade. We took the bus from Fairlane Mall and it was all free because my mom worked with someone who was a Macy's VIP shopper. Apparently, Macy's rewards their top shoppers with passes to a special breakfast and special seating to watch the parade.

 The Turkey Trot float

 Santa

I had always thought it would be so awesome to run in the Turkey Trot, but I wasn't a runner and it never crossed my mind that I could be one. We moved in June of 2007, and the above pictures are of my last Thanksgiving in Michigan.

I honestly thought that we'd never be back north for Thanksgiving ever again. Steve's dad got married in December of 2007, so we headed north for his wedding and we were there for Christmas. We had just moved to NC and I was homesick and so going home for Christmas and his dad's wedding was perfect timing.

I was teaching and couldn't take off time to head north for major holidays, so we just never went back. When Gus arrived, I stayed home with him and we had more flexibility, but wanted to be in our own home for the holidays. We had Steve's dad and Sue Ann come for Thanksgiving a couple years while we lived in NC, but we never went north.

So my dreams of ever running in the Detroit Turkey Trot just didn't seem like something that would ever happen.

Fast-forward to present day. I've started running and I'm building up endurance and I was looking at local 5ks. Then it hit me. This year, we ARE going back home for Thanksgiving. My oldest brother and his family are making the trek from AZ to MI and we'll all be together for Thanksgiving.

It'll be the first time that we've all been together for Thanksgiving in years and years. Like... easily 20 years. It will be so incredible and awesome and I'm so excited.

I thought to myself, hey, maybe we could run the Turkey Trot together! I sent an email to everyone in my family (mom, dad, Scott, Christie, Dave, Heather, Jessica, and Steve) and asked if anyone was interested. 

My cousin Jessica was the first to respond and she was immediately a yes. She rocks and is amazing and so supportive. The chance to run such an awesome race with her is a dream come true. Then my SIL said that she and/or Dave are interested. I asked my dad and he's considering it, but leaning toward yes. Steve is not interested, but he's going to take the boys and cheer us on and then we'll meet up after to watch the parade together.

I cannot wait. I mean, I can, because I'm not ready for it yet, but I am beyond excited.

I am going to be a Turkey Trotter. 

I am going to be running with family and will have my husband and children to cheer for me on the side as I make a dream a reality.

I'm going to get my first running medal (all finishers get a medal).

I am so emotional about it. I officially paid for my registration yesterday and then sent Jessica an email copy of it... it's official. She registered too and sent me an email copy of hers. We are for sure running and hopefully, my oldest brother and SIL and my dad will be joining us. 

W2D2 C25K

 

Did I tell you that the 5k Crew keeps growing?

We met at Ocee to run last night. I was a little sore and my right calf was really tight. I should have stretched more, but the evening just came up on me and I didn't have time to do much.

Our group is growing and I love it. We have added Meaghan to run with us on Wednesday nights (she can't do Mondays or Fridays). She is thinking about doing the Color Run with us on October 19th, but isn't sure yet if she's ready for that commitment.

Everyone did week 2, but I'm on day 2 and Lesley is on day 1. The routine is the same, so we synced our phones and started at the same time. She and Jo ran together and then Stacey and Meaghan ran with me.

I felt bad because I was huffing and puffing and trying to focus on my breathing, and they were going slow (for my sake). I told them to go ahead without me and not to hold back on my account, but they said it was fine and they engaged in conversations while I did my best to breathe and stay alive.

We started right around 8 and finished at 8:35. I was really shocked to see that I head set a new personal best! Best pace and best distance! According to my C25K app, my total distance was 1.82. My walk distance was 1.26 with my walking pace at 17:34 and then my run distance was 0.56 with my average run pace at 16:03.

The app also gave me my total that I've run so far and it's 8 miles. Not too shabby!!

While we were running we talked about how hard running is on the body and how hard it is to do. Stacey shared that she had trained for a 1/2 marathon, but never had the chance to run it. She's hoping that maybe by running with us, it'll give her the push needed to train for it and really do it this time.

It's so inspiring to know that I am surrounded by people who have the drive and determination to keep runnning. My cousin Jessica is running in Michigan and training with C25K as well. She is doing it alone and yet is so determined to push through the "I can'ts" and just do it.

As much as I wasn't sure about running at night, it's now my preferred time to run. I like that I can come home and shower and just crash. It gives me time to think about my day and to just focus on me after having to focus on the boys. 

This morning I am sore. My right calf is really hurting. I've been doing stretches to help it. When I was running last night it felt like a cramp... so I don't know what I did, but as they say, sore muscles is happy pain.

So my Monday and Wednesday routine is pretty established. Not sure what will happen when Steve travels next month... but for now, it's good. I'm just trying to figure out Fridays. I don't want to skip my run because I love the two days off that the weekend provides. Not running on Friday gives too much time off between (four days). So I can't do that. 

I thought about getting up at 5:15ish and running from 5:15-6:00. It would only be once a week and would allow me to shower before getting Gus up at 6:30. I just hate getting up any earlier than I need to... and it's DARK at 5:30am. And my neighborhood is so hilly-- I like the flatness of Ocee.

I thought about going to the park to run with Hugh (I hate my single jogger though) on Fridays at 8:30am. If I had the Schwinn Tourismo that I want, I could do that on the Fridays that he doesn't have PT. However, his PT has been scheduling him on Thursdays or Fridays and for the rest of September, it's Fridays.

Another option is to go as a family to the park after dinner and run. Steve could walk with the boys and I could run. My running isn't much faster than his walk anyway. It would be good exercise for all of us, but then that makes Steve have to go and I know after a long week, he likes to just relax at home on a Friday.


My final option is to take Ned with me at 7:30pm. I don't really want to run with him, but I don't want to go alone and he's big enough that someone would (hopefully) think twice about attacking me with him next to me. 


So, I have some choices to make for sure. I'm just glad that my M/W routine is set and works well for me.

I definitely don't want to run at 5:30am.

A GOOD Run

Sometimes when I start to blog about my running, I ask myself, "Does anyone read this?" Not that it matters, since I'm writing this blog as a collection of thoughts for me. I am introspective and like to go back and re-read entries to see how far I've come. I learn a lot about myself through the words that I type, but it just crossed my mind and made me wonder.

Anywho-- yesterday was Day 1 Week 2 of Couch to 5K. The description of W2D1 is: Brisk 5-minute warmup walk. Alternate 1.5 minutes of jogging with 2 minutes of walking for a total of 21 minutes. 5-minute cool-down. Workout time 31 minutes.

I wasn't sure how this would go since it's an additional 30 seconds of running on top of the minute that I was struggling with last week. However, it was the allure of the two-minutes of walking that drew me in. :-)

The 5K Crew met at 8pm and Stacey joined us as well. I think I was the only one that ran on Friday, but no one else is really following the C25K app, except for Lesley, so she and Jo and Stacey set off to do W1D3, and Ann and I did W2D1. We all finished at roughly the same time.

I don't know what it was about last night, but I felt really good while running. I felt hot, sweaty, and a little tired at the end, but I didn't have pain with every step. My muscles weren't hurting as I ran, and I didn't have an inner voice telling me to stop.

According to my app, I ran 1.70 miles total. 1.16 was walking and 0.54 was running. My average pace for walking was 19:15 and my average pace for running was 16:42.

I think it also helped that this weekend I went through my music and made a running playlist to listen to. I was eager to hear which song would be next, and I think it helped push me.

I wore my Polar (finally got batteries) and it said I was in the zone 45 minutes (which is awesome) and I burned 600+ calories over the course of putting my watch on and taking it off. Not too shabby!

I'm so glad I spent the money on my Polar. I love that it keeps me safe (by telling me if my heart rate is too high) and it accurately calculates the number of calories I've burned. :-)

When I had finished my run, my body was on fire from being really hot, but I felt really GOOD. I felt accomplished, and happy, and really glad that I had successfully completed W2D1. I think I may double W2, we'll see. Week 3 involves running 1.5 minutes, walking 1.5 minutes and then running 3 minutes and walking 3 minutes. We'll see how I'm feeling on Friday.

I got home around 9pm last night (we finished our cool-down and still had 1/2 a lap to complete). I got in the shower and stretched and then I crashed into bed. I don't think I woke at all last night. 

When I woke up this morning, I wasn't as sore as I had anticipated (which is a great thing) and I feel good. Overall, I say that yesterday was a great run and I've learned from doing this before, you've got to really enjoy the great days when they happen, because the bad runs are a bitch.

 

Horrible Run

Friday morning was rough. I had asked everyone if they wanted to run with me and everyone had a reason that they couldn't. So I had a choice to make. I could stay home or find the motivation and go. 

I loaded the single jogging stroller into the car, loaded Hugh, and we headed to Ocee Park. It's now my favorite place to go and run.

We got to the park after fighting hellish traffic. I had stretched for about 20 minutes at home prior to leaving, so I felt good. I loaded Hugh into the stroller, got my music set up on my phone, and we set off.

Hugh wasn't sure what to think, but he seemed really happy. I was two cycles into my run when I noticed that my stroller was wobbly. Three cycles in and I started to hear a weird dragging sound, and when I looked, I noticed that not only did I have ONE flat tire, but I had TWO flat tires.

I had to continue, but it was brutal. Not only was it making a really horrible noise, but it was heavy and hard to push and steer. I made it around once, and stopped at my car to put Hugh back into his infant carrier and put him into the frame stroller.

He was quite unhappy to leave the jogger and head into the carrier. He screamed and screamed, and all the while, I was sweating, and tired, and sore.

I could have just called it a morning right then and there, but I decided to keep going and finish my run. Well, Hugh was not happy about my choice. I got 1/2 way around the loop and he was done. So I had to cut my run short and head back to the car as quickly as I could.

I finished by 9 and I had run just over a mile. I was exhausted from having to push Hugh and then change strollers and then deal with his screaming. It wasn't the best run, but as I drove home, I was happy that I at least tried. I am now free to relax until Monday night. 

I woke up this morning SO SORE. My arms really hurt from pushing the stroller. I guess muscle pain is a good thing because it means I'm doing something right!!

Pooped

I wasn't sure how it would feel to run at night. Usually by 8pm, I am relaxing before bed and playing Candy Crush or Hay Day. We decided to run tonight since Wednesday mornings are just too hectic for everyone.

After spending quite some time trying to determine the time and location, we settled on Ocee Park because they have a well-lit path and it's flat. PERFECT. I also like that there are a TON of people there for baseball games, soccer, and walking/running the path. So it's not like there's no one there and it's scary.

We picked 8pm and it was me, Ann, Lesley, and Jo. I told them that I was sore still from Monday, and I couldn't promise how fast I'd be able to go, but at least I was there to run.

I did pretty well. I had to walk one cycle because my heart-rate was too high (didn't want to die today). But I did 1.73 miles and spent 32:23 exercising. I walked 1.22 and ran .51 and my average walking pace was 18:12 and my average run pace was 15:50. It's not perfect, but I am so proud of myself for going and doing it.

I kinda feel bad for the others because they would run ahead of me and then when it was the walking cycle, they walked back to where I was. I told them to go ahead, but they kept coming back. At the end, when we were doing the five minute cool down walk, Ann and Jo ran ahead.:-)

I finished and I was a hot, sweaty mess. I am now home and ready to get in the shower.

I'm so thankful to have people to motivate me and keep me going. It would be so easy to skip out and not go, but I'm really glad I went tonight. We had Arby's for dinner and I felt like it was too heavy before a run. Next time I'll be sure to eat something a little better for me before a night run.

I'm praying that I'm not horribly sore tomorrow. I did stretch tonight, but I don't know if it was enough. I will say that my body didn't hurt like it did on Monday (I was hurting at the 1/2 way point). Today I started to feel sore at the cool down walk. 

Making progress maybe?

I'm not sure what the plan is for Friday. No one wanted to run at night (can't blame them), but maybe we can do Friday at 9am. I don't want to miss Friday, so I need to make sure it happens. Gotta keep at it!!

Nite!!