Ugh! Before I go into why my ankle's getting me down, I guess I'll start off talking about my week.
After my terrible speed session, I thought I'd go the distance (5 miles to be exact) on Wednesday. Since it was yucky and wet out, I decided the treadmill would have to do. I used to run on the treadmill all the time and have no problems. I could be on it for an hour and not think twice about it. But getting on there and running for 50 minutes was a constant battle. I hated it. The entire time I wanted to stop and just get on the elliptical machine since it was at least somewhat more fun than the treadmill. But I knew that if I did that, I wouldn't run anymore that week and my long run on Saturday would be a beating. So I stuck it out. My routine went like this:
2 minute warm up.
.25 miles 5.8
.25 miles 5.9
.25 miles 6.0 (equals a 10 minute mile pace)
.25 miles 6.1
.25 miles 6.2
.25 miles 6.2
.25 miles 6.1
.25 miles 6.0
.25 miles 5.9
.25 miles 5.8
Then I repeated the cycle. For some of it I had the incline at a 1 or a 2, and then about 2.5 miles in I didn't like the inclines anymore and just kept it at a 0. :) I think what made me feel like I was on it forever was the timer. When I'm running outside, I completely lose track of time and just enjoy the feeling of the wind in my face, the way my heartbeats in my chest, and the way the air fills my lungs. When I'm running, I feel free.
It was a pretty good run, though. After the run I did shoulders and chest and then decided I was done for the day.
Thursday we didn't get to work out. But Friday I hit the gym after work and did 30 minutes on the elliptical machine. I should invest in an elliptical machine. It really is fun to do and I feel like I get a great workout out of it. After the elliptical I was going to do arms and back, but naturally in a small, limited gym that is my apartment gym, someone was on the back machine (I felt like he was on that for-ev-er) and then right when I was going to reach for the 10 lb hand weights (I know, I know..I'm a wuss...but I also just want to tone) an old man grabbed them. Oh well. I was hungry anyway :)
Saturday was my long run. I set out to do 11 miles. It was COLD Saturday morning. But I don't think I've ever been more excited and more nervous about setting out to do a run than I was that day. I think I get these mixed emotions of dread and nervousness and excitement to push myself farther than I've ever been.
The great thing about Saturday? I got to wear my running belt for the first time and my Clif bar shot blocks (in the flavorful black cherry). I decided to wear my long pants and my Nike jacket since it was pretty chilly and ended up wearing the jacket the whole time. While it was cold out, the wind kept me from sweating too much and the temperature was absolutely perfect for running. When we started our run, I don't think I was ready. My heart rate increased considerably and my legs felt like lead. This time it took me about 2 miles or so to finally hit my stride. I think doing the elliptical machine the night before didn't do me any favors... Steve and I kept a pretty good pace for the whole run. When we got all the way around, I turned back to go another 2 miles to complete my 11 mile goal and Steve went to go get Anna so we could take her on a walk. Here's where my problem occurred:
I was literally less than a quarter mile from the mile marker. I was so close to being done, I could taste it. And then all of a sudden I landed wrong on my foot and my ankle turned. Luckily, I was right by a tree where I could grab on and collect myself. I almost started to hyperventilate. The pain from it was probably not that bad, but I think I was caught off guard and also completely pissed at myself for not paying attention and running sloppy that while trying to catch my breath, I was freaking out. I could barely breathe and of course Steve was nowhere to be seen, which also worried me. I managed to continue walking/hobbling and finally I see Steve coming with Anna...Of course, we didn't really get to walk Anna at all, we just walked back to the apartment. I think it's a good sign I could walk on my ankle, but of course it really sucks that it happened...
I don't think I sprained my ankle. I think I just bruised it. I have limited use of it when I rotate it, but it's not painful to walk on anymore. So I just need to take it easy. Elliptical machine for the rest of the week, that's for sure.
On another topic, it looks like we're still set to close this Thursday on our home! Sunday we spent most of the day packing and getting things ready to go. I took Thursday and Friday off from work and I'm about to take Monday off as well to give us another day of rest/unpacking. I'm so excited to be getting out of our apartment and into something we can call our own. I really hope everything works out and that our closing is not delayed. I think I may cry if that happens! Keep your fingers crossed!!
Monday, October 12, 2009
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Speed Session
So my initial goal yesterday was to make it to the gym to do some cross training, but that didn't really happen...here's why:
I got home from work yesterday and immediately got dressed to take the dog for a walk. I took her on a mile walk and then met up with Steve to go to the gym. I THOUGHT and I'm actually pretty positive that I DID tell Steve that I wanted to do 30 minutes of cardio and then do weights for my arms and chest. Upon walking into the gym, I decided, "You know what, I don't want to do the elliptical machine today, I want to do speed work". So I hopped up onto the treadmill and started my workout. About 20 minutes in, I see Steve staring me down. Why? Because he's done. So then I feel rushed to finish. I was hoping to go 5k in distance, but because of the impatient look on his face, I stopped just shy of 3 miles. I was still hoping to get to my arms and chest so instead of a cool down, I immediately started doing bicep curls. Steve motions to me when I start on my first rep for my left arm and says, "I'm done. You can do push ups at home". Ok, so that seriously pissed me off. Look, I don't know why he doesn't know this about me...maybe we haven't worked out together enough for him to realize this (not possible)...but when I'm in workout mode, do NOT mess with me and do NOT rush me. I'm in the zone. I put the weights back on the holder, grabbed my things, and walked out the doors.
Maybe I'm a little pissy right now in the first place, but I'm telling you what-last night, I was a force to be reckoned with. I was fighting mad that he rushed me though my workout and that I didn't get to do what I had set out to do last night. How do explain to my husband enough that I'm training for a flippin' half marathon-with a possible goal of running a full marathon in months to come? Seriously? I can't have my workouts cut short and he won't let me work out in our apartment gym by myself because he's "worried about me". Hopefully, after a few months when we move into this new house (::cross fingers::), I'll be able to afford going back to 24 Hour Fitness. I need my workouts. I need do to cardio AND weights. Not just one of the two. So frustrating. Someone out there has to know how I feel. I seriously hate being rushed, it just doesn't make me happy at all.
On the plus side, I managed to run a 9 minute mile. It took everything I had to finish it, but with some good tunes (Boston, Queen, The Beatles, Journey) I was able to keep on truckin'. I ran the rest, after some walking breaks, at about a 9.3 minute-9.45 minute mile. Not bad, not bad. I just need to keep that up. I also need to start doing some work on my legs with weights to help me get the speed up.
Today is supposed to be our 5 mile run. I'll be wearing my belt to try it out :) I'm pretty excited.
I got home from work yesterday and immediately got dressed to take the dog for a walk. I took her on a mile walk and then met up with Steve to go to the gym. I THOUGHT and I'm actually pretty positive that I DID tell Steve that I wanted to do 30 minutes of cardio and then do weights for my arms and chest. Upon walking into the gym, I decided, "You know what, I don't want to do the elliptical machine today, I want to do speed work". So I hopped up onto the treadmill and started my workout. About 20 minutes in, I see Steve staring me down. Why? Because he's done. So then I feel rushed to finish. I was hoping to go 5k in distance, but because of the impatient look on his face, I stopped just shy of 3 miles. I was still hoping to get to my arms and chest so instead of a cool down, I immediately started doing bicep curls. Steve motions to me when I start on my first rep for my left arm and says, "I'm done. You can do push ups at home". Ok, so that seriously pissed me off. Look, I don't know why he doesn't know this about me...maybe we haven't worked out together enough for him to realize this (not possible)...but when I'm in workout mode, do NOT mess with me and do NOT rush me. I'm in the zone. I put the weights back on the holder, grabbed my things, and walked out the doors.
Maybe I'm a little pissy right now in the first place, but I'm telling you what-last night, I was a force to be reckoned with. I was fighting mad that he rushed me though my workout and that I didn't get to do what I had set out to do last night. How do explain to my husband enough that I'm training for a flippin' half marathon-with a possible goal of running a full marathon in months to come? Seriously? I can't have my workouts cut short and he won't let me work out in our apartment gym by myself because he's "worried about me". Hopefully, after a few months when we move into this new house (::cross fingers::), I'll be able to afford going back to 24 Hour Fitness. I need my workouts. I need do to cardio AND weights. Not just one of the two. So frustrating. Someone out there has to know how I feel. I seriously hate being rushed, it just doesn't make me happy at all.
On the plus side, I managed to run a 9 minute mile. It took everything I had to finish it, but with some good tunes (Boston, Queen, The Beatles, Journey) I was able to keep on truckin'. I ran the rest, after some walking breaks, at about a 9.3 minute-9.45 minute mile. Not bad, not bad. I just need to keep that up. I also need to start doing some work on my legs with weights to help me get the speed up.
Today is supposed to be our 5 mile run. I'll be wearing my belt to try it out :) I'm pretty excited.
Monday, October 5, 2009
9.2 miles!
I'll admit it, I'm lazy. I'm a slacker. And I am not training like I should be. I should be running 3 days a week. Last week, I managed 2 runs. My Tuesday run of 3.2 miles and then my long run on Saturday.
Saturday morning was perfect. The weather was phenomenal, I felt great, and I was determined to run all the way around White Rock. Steve and I had breakfast, got dressed, and headed out the door (sans puppy-dog) to get our run on. I wore my Nike jacket to begin with since it was pretty cool outside, so it was great to see what it felt like to run with it on. I was hoping to get started around 7:30, but no sooner had we gotten down to the first gate, when Steve decided he wasn't ready yet and we had to go back up to the apartment. Ugh. I know it wasn't a big deal, but when I'm ready to go, I'm ready to go. You know what I mean? We finally headed back out a little after 7:45. And so began our trip. The Dallas Cross Country Club was having a 5k and a 15k race, so we had to avoid all the people around the quarter mile mark, but other than that it was a great day to run. It took me about a mile and a half to finally get in the swing of things. And about that long to warm up enough to be comfortable with taking off my jacket. I stopped only 2 times. Once about 3 miles in to grab a sip of water at a water fountain and the second time to get another sip of water about 6 miles in to get some water and walk for about 15 seconds. I'm not exactly sure how long and far I ran because my Nike iPod adapter is not working correctly and then my iPod died at the very end. But I'm thinking we ran the course in about 1 hour and 40 minutes.
I'm really proud of us. I honestly didn't feel like I struggled at all to continue running. My breathing was calm and my legs felt great up until about a mile left to go. At that last mile I knew if I stopped running, I wouldn't be able to start again. But to know that I can run 9 miles is so encouraging. I feel so confident that in 3 weeks I'll be able to run the half marathon.
Saturday, Steve even took me to Run On! in Richardson to get my first running belt!! I feel like a real runner!! I'm going to try it out some time this week, when we go for a run to see how it feels, but it's pretty cool :)
That's what I got. It holds 4 8 oz. bottles of water and has a tiny pouch for keys, food, etc. We also bought some Clif bar shots. I'll definitely need those about half way into my runs. They're 100 calories and they're equivalent to a cup of coffee. And hey, when has caffeine ever done me wrong? :)
I guess my goal for this week is to just work out more often. Tonight I want to do 30 minutes of cardio and some arm/chest weights. Tuesday, I'm hoping to run 4-5 miles at a faster pace. Wednesday is another cross training day. 30 minutes on the eliptical back and legs for weights. Thursday, I'd like to run a 5k at about a 9 minute mile pace. We'll see how that goes. Friday is either my day off or just a weights and cardio (probably bike). Saturday of course is my long run. Since I went over 9 miles Saturday, I'm hoping to run 10.5-11 miles.
You know what would be really nice? If I could stop eating a bunch of crap and start really losing some weight. I need to really start watching what I eat.
Saturday morning was perfect. The weather was phenomenal, I felt great, and I was determined to run all the way around White Rock. Steve and I had breakfast, got dressed, and headed out the door (sans puppy-dog) to get our run on. I wore my Nike jacket to begin with since it was pretty cool outside, so it was great to see what it felt like to run with it on. I was hoping to get started around 7:30, but no sooner had we gotten down to the first gate, when Steve decided he wasn't ready yet and we had to go back up to the apartment. Ugh. I know it wasn't a big deal, but when I'm ready to go, I'm ready to go. You know what I mean? We finally headed back out a little after 7:45. And so began our trip. The Dallas Cross Country Club was having a 5k and a 15k race, so we had to avoid all the people around the quarter mile mark, but other than that it was a great day to run. It took me about a mile and a half to finally get in the swing of things. And about that long to warm up enough to be comfortable with taking off my jacket. I stopped only 2 times. Once about 3 miles in to grab a sip of water at a water fountain and the second time to get another sip of water about 6 miles in to get some water and walk for about 15 seconds. I'm not exactly sure how long and far I ran because my Nike iPod adapter is not working correctly and then my iPod died at the very end. But I'm thinking we ran the course in about 1 hour and 40 minutes.
I'm really proud of us. I honestly didn't feel like I struggled at all to continue running. My breathing was calm and my legs felt great up until about a mile left to go. At that last mile I knew if I stopped running, I wouldn't be able to start again. But to know that I can run 9 miles is so encouraging. I feel so confident that in 3 weeks I'll be able to run the half marathon.
Saturday, Steve even took me to Run On! in Richardson to get my first running belt!! I feel like a real runner!! I'm going to try it out some time this week, when we go for a run to see how it feels, but it's pretty cool :)
That's what I got. It holds 4 8 oz. bottles of water and has a tiny pouch for keys, food, etc. We also bought some Clif bar shots. I'll definitely need those about half way into my runs. They're 100 calories and they're equivalent to a cup of coffee. And hey, when has caffeine ever done me wrong? :)
I guess my goal for this week is to just work out more often. Tonight I want to do 30 minutes of cardio and some arm/chest weights. Tuesday, I'm hoping to run 4-5 miles at a faster pace. Wednesday is another cross training day. 30 minutes on the eliptical back and legs for weights. Thursday, I'd like to run a 5k at about a 9 minute mile pace. We'll see how that goes. Friday is either my day off or just a weights and cardio (probably bike). Saturday of course is my long run. Since I went over 9 miles Saturday, I'm hoping to run 10.5-11 miles.
You know what would be really nice? If I could stop eating a bunch of crap and start really losing some weight. I need to really start watching what I eat.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
New Races!
So in a total attack of lunacy earlier this week, I signed up for 2 more races! I decided somehow I'd be able to complete the Dallas Running Club's Half Marathon on November 1st. EEEK! That's like 31 days from now!! Yikes!
The other run I signed up for was the 2009 Dallas Turkey Trot 8 mile run. I decided to do the unchipped run because I figured I'd just use my phone or some other device to calculate my total time. Plus, saving the $5 extra it costs for the chip, doesn't hurt either.
So now I've got these races:
1. DRC half marathon - November 1st.
2. Turkey Trot 8 mile- November 26th.
3. White Rock Marathon-half marathon- December 13th.
I'm contemplating doing the Race for the Cure 5k with a few girls from a message board I frequent in a few weeks. But it's the weekend of closing on our house, so I'm not sure if I want to commit myself to that. It's for a good cause though, so I'm definitely considering it. I keep looking at Luke's Locker and Run On! for more races and I want to sign up for everything! But it costs a lot of money to run these races, so I probably shouldn't. :)
So as for training-I'm a slacker. I should be doing cross training but I haven't been doing that at all. Tonight though, I'm going to run on the treadmill in our gym because it looks like it may be raining by the time the evening rolls around. I plan to go about 5-6 miles. Maybe do a little speed work. The other people in the gym are going to think I'm crazy...but a girl's got to do what a girl's got to do. I'd like to go to the gym again on Friday after work-but I know how I feel on a Friday after work, and I just don't see it happening.
Saturday I'm determined to run the whole way around White Rock Lake. That's a staggering 9 miles. Seriously. 9. Miles. 2 months ago I was running 3-4 miles and those were my "long" runs. I'm pretty proud of myself for being consistant and continuing to go farther than the weekend before.
That's it for now. I wish I could be this motivated in every area of my life!
The other run I signed up for was the 2009 Dallas Turkey Trot 8 mile run. I decided to do the unchipped run because I figured I'd just use my phone or some other device to calculate my total time. Plus, saving the $5 extra it costs for the chip, doesn't hurt either.
So now I've got these races:
1. DRC half marathon - November 1st.
2. Turkey Trot 8 mile- November 26th.
3. White Rock Marathon-half marathon- December 13th.
I'm contemplating doing the Race for the Cure 5k with a few girls from a message board I frequent in a few weeks. But it's the weekend of closing on our house, so I'm not sure if I want to commit myself to that. It's for a good cause though, so I'm definitely considering it. I keep looking at Luke's Locker and Run On! for more races and I want to sign up for everything! But it costs a lot of money to run these races, so I probably shouldn't. :)
So as for training-I'm a slacker. I should be doing cross training but I haven't been doing that at all. Tonight though, I'm going to run on the treadmill in our gym because it looks like it may be raining by the time the evening rolls around. I plan to go about 5-6 miles. Maybe do a little speed work. The other people in the gym are going to think I'm crazy...but a girl's got to do what a girl's got to do. I'd like to go to the gym again on Friday after work-but I know how I feel on a Friday after work, and I just don't see it happening.
Saturday I'm determined to run the whole way around White Rock Lake. That's a staggering 9 miles. Seriously. 9. Miles. 2 months ago I was running 3-4 miles and those were my "long" runs. I'm pretty proud of myself for being consistant and continuing to go farther than the weekend before.
That's it for now. I wish I could be this motivated in every area of my life!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
