Week 3, Run 2
Distance: 3.2 miles
Speed: 6.3 for first 10 minutes, up to 6.4 for the next 5 minutes, 6.5 for the next five minutes, then up to 6.6 for 3 minutes, and 7.0 for last 2 minutes.
Time: 30:10
Pain: overall feeling good. A few twinges in my hip, but nothing that I was concerned about. did apply some icy hot just to be safe
Notes: Thank god this run went well, after Monday I needed that. I tried to start cautiously and then slowly ramped it up. I was definitely struggling towards the end, but not because of any pain, I'm just still building my cardio. I'm going to keep stretching my hip throughout the rest of the day as a precaution. Hopefully my hip episode was a one time occurrence. No more racing with other treadmill patrons. Also, Eminem was my hero today, Lose Yourself came on my shuffle at the perfect time. Gave me the strength and illusion of being a badass I needed to push through the tough part of my run!
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Week 3 Run 1
Week 3, Run 1
Distance: 3 miles
Speed:6.3 for first 10 minutes, then up to 6.5 for about 5, down to 4.0 for a minute, then back to 6.5
Time: 28:42
Pain: EXCRUCIATING HIP PAIN
Notes: After my successful bonus run last saturday I cam out of the gate thinking I could really rack up the speed on this run. That was a mistake! I got a little caught up in a competition in my head with the girl on the treadmill in front of me, she was running faster than I was, so I used her as motivation to push myself. Unfortunately this was a bad bad decision. My hip, which I had problems with during crew because I have a week hip flexor, began hurting me about half way into my run, but instead of slowing down I sped up thinking I could push through it and it would go away. Boy was I wrong. I got home and iced my hip forever, then hit it with the heat pad. I'll have to be sure to go easier next time.. or to just not. so bad. ugh.
Distance: 3 miles
Speed:6.3 for first 10 minutes, then up to 6.5 for about 5, down to 4.0 for a minute, then back to 6.5
Time: 28:42
Pain: EXCRUCIATING HIP PAIN
Notes: After my successful bonus run last saturday I cam out of the gate thinking I could really rack up the speed on this run. That was a mistake! I got a little caught up in a competition in my head with the girl on the treadmill in front of me, she was running faster than I was, so I used her as motivation to push myself. Unfortunately this was a bad bad decision. My hip, which I had problems with during crew because I have a week hip flexor, began hurting me about half way into my run, but instead of slowing down I sped up thinking I could push through it and it would go away. Boy was I wrong. I got home and iced my hip forever, then hit it with the heat pad. I'll have to be sure to go easier next time.. or to just not. so bad. ugh.
Week 2 Wrap Up!
Week 2, Run 3
Distance: 3 miles
Speed: 6.1
Time:29:32
Pain: Abs a little sore, but feeling pretty good otherwise
Notes: Run went as well as it could! felt great the entire time, probably could have gone longer. I'm starting to get used to pacing myself. The sports I have done in the past have (by which I mean sport, and by sport i mean crew) have been about sprinting, so It has been an adjustment for me mentally. I am used to trying to finish the distance as quickly as possible, and emptying every bit of my energy doing so. That isn't what running long distance is about. I'm learning to find a pace that works and stick to it so I can make my energy last. In other news, I AM STARVING.. and eating everything in sight... not great news for my weight loss goals...
BONUS RUN
Distance: 4.1 miles (farthest I have ever run!)
Speed: 6.1
Time: 40:32
Pain: nothing out of the ordinary, just the usual soreness.
Notes: Woke up this morning, and after my massive pig out last night, I just felt like going for a run. This in it self is weird, I have never just wanted to exercise cause I felt like it before. I ended up running the three miles I planned to at 6.1 and feeling pretty good, so I kept on going to 4.1 miles. I honestly felt like I could have gone longer, even up to 5 miles, but I had to get home and shower before an appointment. I may try to hit 5 miles for my long run next friday, depending on how I feel. Overall, I am pretty excited that I was able to do that, and do it comfortably!
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Week 2, Run 2
Distance: 3.0 miles
Speed: 6.0, escalating to 6.5 for last half mile
Time: 29:49
Pain: Back is a little sore, but my right calf is killing me
Notes: I think I have finally found my speed. Running at 6.0 felt comfortable, but not like I was taking it too easy. I increased the speed to 6.5 at the end in order to finish in under 30 minutes, which worked out but I was DEAD by time I hit the 3 mile mark. On Friday I am going to stick with my 3 mile distance, and shoot to hold a steady 6.1 and ignore the time it takes. I'm finding it hard to remind myself that I'm training for a long distance run, not a timed sprint. I've also had my first encounter with the annoying gym goer. First I got to the gym and almost every treadmill was taken, then someone cut me off on the way to my usual treadmill (under the fan, in view of a mirror so I can watch my form). I ended up on a corner treadmill that faced a white wall, which was a problem for me because generally I like to find something to stare at so I can zone out for my run. I ended up making that work by focusing on an exit sign... which was promptly blocked by another annoying gym goer who picked the oddest possible spot to do some light stretching for about 20 minutes. So I get just far enough into my run to begin to accept my predicament, when the girl who cut me off from my usual treadmill finishes her 5 minute slow walk warm up and leaves. I mean I have nothing against warming up, but don't take the only good treadmill left when you don't really plan on using it... I'm just saying. In other news- I'm very excited for my new shoes and iPod to arrive, cause I just can't take my current ones (both the broken down shoes and the iPod I keep dropping) anymore.
Speed: 6.0, escalating to 6.5 for last half mile
Time: 29:49
Pain: Back is a little sore, but my right calf is killing me
Notes: I think I have finally found my speed. Running at 6.0 felt comfortable, but not like I was taking it too easy. I increased the speed to 6.5 at the end in order to finish in under 30 minutes, which worked out but I was DEAD by time I hit the 3 mile mark. On Friday I am going to stick with my 3 mile distance, and shoot to hold a steady 6.1 and ignore the time it takes. I'm finding it hard to remind myself that I'm training for a long distance run, not a timed sprint. I've also had my first encounter with the annoying gym goer. First I got to the gym and almost every treadmill was taken, then someone cut me off on the way to my usual treadmill (under the fan, in view of a mirror so I can watch my form). I ended up on a corner treadmill that faced a white wall, which was a problem for me because generally I like to find something to stare at so I can zone out for my run. I ended up making that work by focusing on an exit sign... which was promptly blocked by another annoying gym goer who picked the oddest possible spot to do some light stretching for about 20 minutes. So I get just far enough into my run to begin to accept my predicament, when the girl who cut me off from my usual treadmill finishes her 5 minute slow walk warm up and leaves. I mean I have nothing against warming up, but don't take the only good treadmill left when you don't really plan on using it... I'm just saying. In other news- I'm very excited for my new shoes and iPod to arrive, cause I just can't take my current ones (both the broken down shoes and the iPod I keep dropping) anymore.
First Victory: Week 2 Run 1
Week 2, Run 1
Distance: 3.2 running, .5 cool down and warm up
Treadmill Speed: 5.7, up to 6.0 for final .5
Time: 32:30
Pain: Not too bad... just sore calves as usual
Notes: Finally feeling like I've accomplished something. I covered the distance monitor, and listening to Avicii's "Fade into Darkness" on repeat. The time flew by and I had no idea how far I had gone. I knocked my iPod off the treadmill at one point- proving I need an armband or an iPod shuffle. The time I spent retrieving it didn't break my focus, which was good, and it was the only time I checked the distance monitor- I felt like I was about halfway done, but I was actually only .5 from completing my three miles. That felt amazing. When I finished my run I was at 3.2 miles and had to resist the temptation to continue to 4.0. I want to make sure I don't push myself too much too early, I'm still new to this running thing. I think Wednesday I will attempt to do the entire run at 6.0 speed. This Friday I may go for the 4 mile run, but I'm not sure. Might stick with my original plan and just slightly increase my speed to see how it feels. I also need to find more music like "Fade into Darkness" which has the right beat for a well paced run, and seems like one long continuous song on repeat.
Distance: 3.2 running, .5 cool down and warm up
Treadmill Speed: 5.7, up to 6.0 for final .5
Time: 32:30
Pain: Not too bad... just sore calves as usual
Notes: Finally feeling like I've accomplished something. I covered the distance monitor, and listening to Avicii's "Fade into Darkness" on repeat. The time flew by and I had no idea how far I had gone. I knocked my iPod off the treadmill at one point- proving I need an armband or an iPod shuffle. The time I spent retrieving it didn't break my focus, which was good, and it was the only time I checked the distance monitor- I felt like I was about halfway done, but I was actually only .5 from completing my three miles. That felt amazing. When I finished my run I was at 3.2 miles and had to resist the temptation to continue to 4.0. I want to make sure I don't push myself too much too early, I'm still new to this running thing. I think Wednesday I will attempt to do the entire run at 6.0 speed. This Friday I may go for the 4 mile run, but I'm not sure. Might stick with my original plan and just slightly increase my speed to see how it feels. I also need to find more music like "Fade into Darkness" which has the right beat for a well paced run, and seems like one long continuous song on repeat.
Week 1
So I've waited until completing a full week to do any writing on here. I have been keeping a record in my notebook. so I'll transcribe and use my memory to describe my first three runs.
Run 1
Distance: 3.0 miles
Speed (on treadmill): 5.3/5.4, with a .1 mile break at 3.5
Time:36:00
Pain Level: DEAD. DYING. DEAD.
Notes: Need to commit to completing a run without taking a break, I know I could have finished this one without taking a break. I also need to work on my music selection. Taking time to pick songs (since I didn't have a playlist) took my focus away from running and made it seem longer. Also, need to warm up/ cool down and run at least 3.1 (3.0 miles isn't quite a 5k). SO UNGODLY SORE.
Run 2
Distance: 3.2
Treadmill speed: 5.5, ran the whole way through
Time: 34:30
Pain: Legs sore, Calves ready to fall off and die.
Notes: Felt awesome completing the run without taking a break. Could have gone longer or faster, need to figure out what my limits are without pushing myself too far and getting injured. I'm definitely calling the spa and scheduling a massage for this weekend- my birthday is on friday so its totally justified.
Run 3
Distance: 3.25
Treadmill speed: 5.7
Pain: Feeling good, sore in calves
Notes: Warm up and cool down definitely made a difference in my pain levels. Felt great finishing, again I think I can do more- will increase speed for next run. Can't wait for my massage- I hope she can make my calves feel tolerable again.
Run 1
Distance: 3.0 miles
Speed (on treadmill): 5.3/5.4, with a .1 mile break at 3.5
Time:36:00
Pain Level: DEAD. DYING. DEAD.
Notes: Need to commit to completing a run without taking a break, I know I could have finished this one without taking a break. I also need to work on my music selection. Taking time to pick songs (since I didn't have a playlist) took my focus away from running and made it seem longer. Also, need to warm up/ cool down and run at least 3.1 (3.0 miles isn't quite a 5k). SO UNGODLY SORE.
Run 2
Distance: 3.2
Treadmill speed: 5.5, ran the whole way through
Time: 34:30
Pain: Legs sore, Calves ready to fall off and die.
Notes: Felt awesome completing the run without taking a break. Could have gone longer or faster, need to figure out what my limits are without pushing myself too far and getting injured. I'm definitely calling the spa and scheduling a massage for this weekend- my birthday is on friday so its totally justified.
Run 3
Distance: 3.25
Treadmill speed: 5.7
Pain: Feeling good, sore in calves
Notes: Warm up and cool down definitely made a difference in my pain levels. Felt great finishing, again I think I can do more- will increase speed for next run. Can't wait for my massage- I hope she can make my calves feel tolerable again.
Why now?
So, for some reason I've decided it is time for me to get back in shape. After graduating college, I was almost fifty pounds heavier than when I started college. In high school I was a Varsity athlete, and in college I was more of a varsity drinker and eater. I loved every second of college, and had more fun than anyone ever should, but I'm in the real world now and I should probably start acting like it.
Okay, maybe 'real world' is an understatement. I'm in law school, not quite on my own yet. But law school isn't college, its more like a job, and it's totally unacceptable to sleep through your tuesday morning class cause you're hungover from Magic Monday. Over the summer I was living in DC with my boyfriend where both of us were interning on capitol hill. It was interesting some time, boring most of the time and hot all of the time. I realized that my size was only making dealing with the heat worse. I was out of shape and sweating 24/7. I made the decision to go on weight watchers and try to shed some weight. I told myself I didn't have time for exercise, when in reality I just didn't want to be embarrassed at a gym. Regardless, I lost 40 lbs on weight watchers and felt better about myself and my body than I ever had before, including my high school years. I didn't see a need to start working out as well, I had lost the weight and looked great, no reason to add torture to that. On spring break I went down to Florida to visit my parents. My sister was also down before leaving for her spring training trip for her high school crew team. I volunteered to go to a personal trainer with her. She had made a few appointments with one nearby to get ready for her training trip. In those few hours we spent at the gym that week I remembered all the things I enjoyed about being active in high school; the competition, the feeling of accomplishment, the strength, the power. When I got home my boyfriend suggested joining a gym. I was a little taken aback by his suggestion at first, immediately going into defense mode at the mere suggestion that I should get in shape, but he explained that he simply meant that I liked being active. It seemed like a weird statement, of course I don't like being active. It hurts, its hard, its sweaty and it makes me sore for days. But.. I do like being active. I felt so good coming home from the gym after working out. I felt like I had done something important, I felt healthy, I felt strong and I felt accomplished. So I took his advice and joined a local planet fitness. Despite my new smaller size, I still felt like that fat girl, so I wanted a no frills gym, and was drawn in by their "judgment free zone" policy. I knew that paying for a gym membership would be enough to motivate me to get there a few times a week, but wasn't convinced I would make proper use of my visits while actually in the gym. I know myself well enough to know that if there is a challenge, I'll work to meet it, especially if there is someone else depending on me. If I'm just going into something alone with no defined goal, I quickly get bored, lazy and quit. So I called up my best friend Dom, who unlike me remained a committed athlete after high school, rowing through college and then joining a local team after graduating back in her hometown of Montreal. She said she would be up for signing up for some races with me. So we did some searching and compared our schedules and ended up signing up for a 10k in Montreal this coming September. We also planned on registering for the ultimate prize- The Disney Princess Half-Marathon in Orlando in February 2014- once registration opened up in June. Between her rowing schedule, and the distance between us, it would be hard to plan on anything more. So I called my brother- by no means a serious athlete- and convinced him to commit to a 5k this coming June with me. Harry and I have similar athletic histories- we were athletic through high school, then went to college, stopped working out, and gained weight. Harry has the same bug I do- we both need a kick in the ass to get moving, but love being active once we get back into it. So we made this commitment together, knowing that if we didn't train seriously we would be letting each other down when race day came. I got online, did some research on typical training plans, and came up with a 22 week half marathon training schedule for beginner runners. I put it into my schedule leading up to the Disney marathon I would be taking on with Dom, then filled in the remaining time between now and that 22 week mark with a 5k training plan to get me ready for the race with Harry. My schedule basically has me running Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I run three miles on Monday and Wednesday (which is approximately a 5k) and then do a longer distance run on Friday. For now, Fridays are limited to three miles as well, but I plan on slowly increasing the distance of my Friday runs as I get further into my training. Until I know what I can really do, and how fast I should be running I can't really make any judgment calls about where my fitness level is and what I should be pushing for. I'll be recording my thoughts and progress after each run so that when I have a bad one I can compare it to a good one (if any of those exist). I hope forcing myself to record my progress and think about what I am doing will keep me on track- especially over the summer when I will spend two months working full time at the PA Department of Revenue, and one month studying abroad in Florence. I want to make sure that I keep on my training- even when the temptations of italy and its glorious cuisine are surrounding me. So, thats my story, this is my plan, and we will see just how long I can stick to it... or if I fail miserably and end up drowning my sorrows in a pint of Ben and Jerry's half-baked... or cannoli... or phish food.. or Americone Dream... I always did appreciate variety
Okay, maybe 'real world' is an understatement. I'm in law school, not quite on my own yet. But law school isn't college, its more like a job, and it's totally unacceptable to sleep through your tuesday morning class cause you're hungover from Magic Monday. Over the summer I was living in DC with my boyfriend where both of us were interning on capitol hill. It was interesting some time, boring most of the time and hot all of the time. I realized that my size was only making dealing with the heat worse. I was out of shape and sweating 24/7. I made the decision to go on weight watchers and try to shed some weight. I told myself I didn't have time for exercise, when in reality I just didn't want to be embarrassed at a gym. Regardless, I lost 40 lbs on weight watchers and felt better about myself and my body than I ever had before, including my high school years. I didn't see a need to start working out as well, I had lost the weight and looked great, no reason to add torture to that. On spring break I went down to Florida to visit my parents. My sister was also down before leaving for her spring training trip for her high school crew team. I volunteered to go to a personal trainer with her. She had made a few appointments with one nearby to get ready for her training trip. In those few hours we spent at the gym that week I remembered all the things I enjoyed about being active in high school; the competition, the feeling of accomplishment, the strength, the power. When I got home my boyfriend suggested joining a gym. I was a little taken aback by his suggestion at first, immediately going into defense mode at the mere suggestion that I should get in shape, but he explained that he simply meant that I liked being active. It seemed like a weird statement, of course I don't like being active. It hurts, its hard, its sweaty and it makes me sore for days. But.. I do like being active. I felt so good coming home from the gym after working out. I felt like I had done something important, I felt healthy, I felt strong and I felt accomplished. So I took his advice and joined a local planet fitness. Despite my new smaller size, I still felt like that fat girl, so I wanted a no frills gym, and was drawn in by their "judgment free zone" policy. I knew that paying for a gym membership would be enough to motivate me to get there a few times a week, but wasn't convinced I would make proper use of my visits while actually in the gym. I know myself well enough to know that if there is a challenge, I'll work to meet it, especially if there is someone else depending on me. If I'm just going into something alone with no defined goal, I quickly get bored, lazy and quit. So I called up my best friend Dom, who unlike me remained a committed athlete after high school, rowing through college and then joining a local team after graduating back in her hometown of Montreal. She said she would be up for signing up for some races with me. So we did some searching and compared our schedules and ended up signing up for a 10k in Montreal this coming September. We also planned on registering for the ultimate prize- The Disney Princess Half-Marathon in Orlando in February 2014- once registration opened up in June. Between her rowing schedule, and the distance between us, it would be hard to plan on anything more. So I called my brother- by no means a serious athlete- and convinced him to commit to a 5k this coming June with me. Harry and I have similar athletic histories- we were athletic through high school, then went to college, stopped working out, and gained weight. Harry has the same bug I do- we both need a kick in the ass to get moving, but love being active once we get back into it. So we made this commitment together, knowing that if we didn't train seriously we would be letting each other down when race day came. I got online, did some research on typical training plans, and came up with a 22 week half marathon training schedule for beginner runners. I put it into my schedule leading up to the Disney marathon I would be taking on with Dom, then filled in the remaining time between now and that 22 week mark with a 5k training plan to get me ready for the race with Harry. My schedule basically has me running Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I run three miles on Monday and Wednesday (which is approximately a 5k) and then do a longer distance run on Friday. For now, Fridays are limited to three miles as well, but I plan on slowly increasing the distance of my Friday runs as I get further into my training. Until I know what I can really do, and how fast I should be running I can't really make any judgment calls about where my fitness level is and what I should be pushing for. I'll be recording my thoughts and progress after each run so that when I have a bad one I can compare it to a good one (if any of those exist). I hope forcing myself to record my progress and think about what I am doing will keep me on track- especially over the summer when I will spend two months working full time at the PA Department of Revenue, and one month studying abroad in Florence. I want to make sure that I keep on my training- even when the temptations of italy and its glorious cuisine are surrounding me. So, thats my story, this is my plan, and we will see just how long I can stick to it... or if I fail miserably and end up drowning my sorrows in a pint of Ben and Jerry's half-baked... or cannoli... or phish food.. or Americone Dream... I always did appreciate variety
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