way behind!!

I've had a few runs since my last epic post! Right now I'm in 5K training mode...my goal is to run at least 4 miles so I keep building up the endurance. I've had mixed results.

Thurs 18th
I ran in the morning exactly 3 miles in 30 minutes so my pace was the "slower" 10 minute miles...it's really hard to run quickly in the morning, that's for sure. My legs were pretty sluggish.

Sun 21st
This run went surprisingly well as I had been eating massive amounts of food and drinking massive amounts of alcohol all Dad's day! I ran 3.5 miles in 33 minutes (9.5 min miles) in the refreshing rain.

Wed 24th
UGH!!! I ran first thing in the morning, at 6:30am, and it was already 81 degrees and muggy as hell. I REALLY wanted to go 40 minutes, and halfway through, I was like 30?? And then I reached the Jefferson hill and had to stop at 25. This was the first time I've had to stop running when I had a different goal in mind. It was just too hot and the air was so stifling after that hill I couldn't breath! So I did 2.5 miles in 25...really not bad for an 80 degree day. And I actually ran three more minutes on the walk home because I was bored with walking haha!

Mon 29th
I took a loooooong hiatus because I was in Peru, IL all weekend, and FINALLY did my 4 miles! 4.2 in 43 minutes though, so a little slowish. My legs weren't feeling that great and something's up because they hurt pretty bad all night post-run and into this morning. I think I just had too long of a hiatus. I'm hoping to run again Wednesday morning even though I'm starting to loath morning runs with the cold muscles and all that.

In any case, my run yesterday OFFICIALLY clocked me in at 100 miles since March 15th!!! SUPER stoked about that! Meanwhile, I signed up for the Storm the Bastille 5K Fun Run that's next week Thursday! It'll be my first 5K although not as much pressure because it's a pretty tight race in the streets of downtown...so it's not like you can get a very quick start or anything packed amongst a zillion people. GOOD though since in a normal 5K I'd probably start of way too fast anyway! I expect a lot of weavin and bobbin! I'm really excited though! Especially since I know I can run 5K without too much trouble nowadays. Good stuff!!

I still have to purchase my Nike+ iPod guy...I was going to buy it once I completed Stage One, but then I thought I'd buy it after my first race. I actually started out this whole thing anti-iPod. I liked listening to the 'sounds of the city' and all that rub. But after my runs started getting longer, I kind of like the distraction of music. To each his own I suppose. So yeah...I'll give it some thought after the race next week. I'm really not supposed to be spending extraneous moneys on stuffs....

Week 7

I finally got back on track this Wednesday after a week and a half hiatus! I was mostly worried about how my legs would take it, but apparently that was NOT a problem! My legs barely felt tired at all, but within the first ten steps, I developed this crazy cramp/side stitch horrific pain from my diaphragm to my lower abdomen. And it didn't go away the entire 32 minutes!! It had nothing to do with my pace (I think I ran just shy of 13 minute miles YIKES). I'm hoping it was just a fluke, like my body couldn't remember how to process the oxygen I was breathing in or something?? My lungs have been a little sketch since the virus. I'm going again tonight after work hopefully, so fingers crossed that it's much better!

End of Week 6

WHAT a good run this morning!!! Well first, I'll catch up with my last run on Wednesday. Like I said, I forced myself to take it really crazy slow...so my breathing was great the whole time, maybe a little labored toward the end, but my legs were awful! They hurt so bad the entire time, especially my upper inner thighs and my FEET for crying out loud! So I wasn't too excited about it, but I was happy that I didn't feel like crap at the end, due to the slower pace. The funny thing was that my minutes/mi time was only FOUR SECONDS longer!!! Four seconds longer than the run where I went "crazy fast" at the beginning. That just goes to show you that slow and steady really do win the race!

Now onto my run from this morning!! Once again, I started off really slow...my calf muscles still hurt from the Killers concert on Thursday haha! Too much thrashing around I guess. I thought it might be a problem, but I stopped after the first six minutes to stretch them out and it was just fine. After that, my legs were pretty good! AND my breathing was perfect...the entire time!! Even up to the end! Which is totally impressive because, get this, I almost ran a 5K!! I got to the 28th minute and I was way down by the lakefront. I really didn't feel like walking all the way back, so I turned my timer back on and did an other six minute interval which took me to 35 minutes!! It felt great!! After mapping it out and entering my time, turns out it was only 3.09 miles...so if I had gone a measly three more blocks, it would've been 3.3mi. But it feels really good to know that I could actually do it! Sure I'd have four 1 minute walking stops, but hopefully by the time the first 5K rolls around in a month and a half, I'll be way more ready. I've been running for a month and a half so far and look how far I've come!

Ok so here and the stats for Side A and Side B (the B sides are always better aren't they? haha!)

Week 6 Stats:
Walk 1 Min/Run 6 Min (28 mins total)
Total Distance: 12.59 mi (A 4.76 | B 7.83)
Ave Distance: 2.52 mi/day
Ave Time: ~11:47 min mi

I'm definitely glad I repeated Week 6...I needed the confidence booster for sure! Onto Week 7, walk 1/run 7 for 32 minutes!

Week 6 Side A

First of all, I was only able to do two runs this week as my good pal Casey was in town visiting (and I was too lazy and wanted to sleep in all three days I was off work!) Both runs were really tough. The first was Thursday afternoon...my breathing was actually very good, but my legs were pretty sluggish. I had also walked three miles that day, so that might've had something to do with it. The second run was Saturday through the streets of Hoffman Estates, IL visiting my good pals Monica and Tim! I took the run right away immediately after getting up...which I've done before of course...but it was also the first "warm" run at 75 and humid. Again, my breathing was good, no stitches or anything, but my legs were even MORE sluggish than usual and I felt like I was running through mud every single step I took the whole 28 minutes :\ Halfway through the run I decided the following: I failed Week 6 and I definitely need to repeat it. While I got plenty of exercise throughout the week (the aforementioned 3 mi walk Thurs, another probably 6mi walk on Wed, and an hour of ice skating with 2-3 hours walking around a library and the Public Museum Tues), running was just rough. And I realize it's getting harder now, but still...I gotta get back on track. Especially now that my knee isn't bothering me...it's just sluggish leg feeling where I feel like I can't pick up my feet. Don't like it!

So starting tomorrow, I'm going to actually try for four runs this next week! AND I'm going to try to eat better too because that's definitely fallen by the wayside.

End of Week 5

I am officially half way through the first 10 Week stage! And today's run actually made me a little fearful of my weeks to come. It was pretty hard! I don't know if it was because I had used up all my energy cleaning the apartment all afternoon, or perhaps the not-that-light rainstorm I was running in, or leftover dehydration from the drunken shenanigans on Friday night...but it was hard. And made me wonder if I can run for six minutes straight. I mean I know I can, but is it going to be completely awful?? I can't psyche myself out, I just can't.

In any case, I ran with a new pair of insoles that my stepdad bought me!!! I'm not sure if they worked for my knee just yet?? I'll have to see how I feel tomorrow. Although if anything ruined my knees it was the giant hill I had to run up from Water St up to Van Buren OUCH!!! David you were right about that spot in Al's Run!! I'm really going to have to keep it seriously slow at the beginning of that race in order to get up that thing.

Anyway STATS:

Week 5 Stats:
Walk 1 Min/Run 5 Min (24 mins total)
Total Distance: 6.75 mi
Ave Distance: 2.25 mi/day
Ave Time: ~10:50 min mi

Good stuff! This week I run/walk for 28 minutes...that's quite awhile! But I think I'm ready :)