So that is all there is to it. I'm a runner. This not-running thing is NOT an option. I can't stand it. How else can I say how much I hate NOT running? I guess I could go on complaining for a while.
Nursing school is a whole new ballgame. Last I really ran was week 1. Haha, if I could see myself then...it has been a crazy, amazing, challenging 10 weeks! Next week is final exams and I plan on heading out right after my last final and going for a nice run. I'm sure it will be an eye-opener. It might actually suck. But in my mind I am looking forward to whatever it will be.
Over my break I am going to formulate a plan to work school into my need to run. Getting up early isn't really an option. I don't do running outside in the dark. The treadmill will have to suffice and I will have to make myself get up early one day or so. Other than that I'm just going to have to go the old-fashioned way and schedule it like I do everything else in my life. And I am going to have to not make excuses.
I don't feel bad. Nursing school is hard. I don't care what classes you are taking in school, nursing school is a whole new breed of hard. People will say, well if it is important to you, you will make time for it. Ha! How does one make time when you have no time to make? Or you are at a deficit for time already and at a loss for sleep? Well I don't know, but what I know is that I really need my runs. I mean I REALLY need them!
Good news...I haven't gained any weight ;) I guess I will have to look on the bright side. Then you will hear from me next week.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
A Wet Walk
Today I got out and went for a nice powerwalk. I realized it has been 5 WEEKS since I last really worked out! It's amazing how nursing school and juggling a family has utterly consumed my whole life. Before you know it, weeks have gone by and things you did on a daily basis have completely fallen by the wayside. It's worth it, but it's shocking at the same time!
I realize I have probably lost readers' interest because I'm so inconsistent these days. But hey, that's life. I have goals, but running just can't be in my top 3 priorities. It is not realistic at all! Even with a treadmill, my hours are crazy (I am NOT getting up at 3am to run, no thanks!) my workload is insane and I barely have time to spend with my precious family. So...I don't get to be a gung-ho runner right now :( I miss that so much I will tell ya!
So here is my realistic goal: Look for times that I have even 30 minutes to carve out a little exercise time and just get going. If I can't be all-out running, oh well. The key is to get out, get the body moving, and get some fresh air if possible. It's more for stress-relief at this point than anything else!
I realize I have probably lost readers' interest because I'm so inconsistent these days. But hey, that's life. I have goals, but running just can't be in my top 3 priorities. It is not realistic at all! Even with a treadmill, my hours are crazy (I am NOT getting up at 3am to run, no thanks!) my workload is insane and I barely have time to spend with my precious family. So...I don't get to be a gung-ho runner right now :( I miss that so much I will tell ya!
So here is my realistic goal: Look for times that I have even 30 minutes to carve out a little exercise time and just get going. If I can't be all-out running, oh well. The key is to get out, get the body moving, and get some fresh air if possible. It's more for stress-relief at this point than anything else!
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Runs By Feel
I have very little blogging time these days but I wanted to keep up so I didn't get behind! This week I have been ditching my apps and such and just enjoying familiar routes.
Monday: 4 miles
Tuesday: 4.5 miles
It has been great to not have the pressure of a particular pace or whatnot, it has really helped me relax and just enjoy my runs. I will time myself again later, but I figure that as I get really back into running from a pretty inactive summer, I need to give my body to get back into the swing before I start puting pressure on it. That being said, I'm just impressed I have gotten 2 runs in this week so far. School is super busy!
Monday: 4 miles
Tuesday: 4.5 miles
It has been great to not have the pressure of a particular pace or whatnot, it has really helped me relax and just enjoy my runs. I will time myself again later, but I figure that as I get really back into running from a pretty inactive summer, I need to give my body to get back into the swing before I start puting pressure on it. That being said, I'm just impressed I have gotten 2 runs in this week so far. School is super busy!
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
A Much-Better 3 1/2 Miles!
I am a textbook shotgun runner. The race starts and I blow out of there way too fast, pooping out when I still have 3/4 of my race left. Worst case scenario, I get a horrible gut-wrenching side-ache that has me walking most of the rest of the race. It is a living nightmare. So...in the interest of running more efficiently, and more intelligently, I'm working hard to pace myself and focus on earning negative splits. Until just recently I didn't have a clue what that meant. Here is my definition:
Negative Split: Running subsequent mile splits faster than previous mile splits.
It is your basic acceleration run. You start out slow, as slow as you need to be able to run each mile a tad faster than the previous. In the end you finish strong, building stamina and confidence as you go.
I tried this out today. I still started out too fast, even though I felt like I was taking it easy. The challenge is that everything feels easy at mile 1! So I think what I will try to do (while it can be annoying) is check my pace every block or so for now, to learn how to keep it slower. I really need to learn this badly.
So after my first mile, I felt myself pooping around mile 1 1/2. I literally felt the glycogen stores being used up and my muscles starting to feel weak. So I slowed it down. I just didn't want to stop. Around mile 2 I felt a bit of a burst as I took a slightly different, more scenic route. I blasted the last straight-stretch and earned a negative split for mile 3! Yay!!
So I am getting this gradual thing figured out. Moral of the story...there is always something to learn in the sport of running!! Always!
** By the way, I updated my Nike+ app and today I had Tim Tebow congratulating me on my run. I can't wait to see what other athletes they added! It's kind of cool that some are athletes besides elite runners.
Negative Split: Running subsequent mile splits faster than previous mile splits.
It is your basic acceleration run. You start out slow, as slow as you need to be able to run each mile a tad faster than the previous. In the end you finish strong, building stamina and confidence as you go.
I tried this out today. I still started out too fast, even though I felt like I was taking it easy. The challenge is that everything feels easy at mile 1! So I think what I will try to do (while it can be annoying) is check my pace every block or so for now, to learn how to keep it slower. I really need to learn this badly.
So after my first mile, I felt myself pooping around mile 1 1/2. I literally felt the glycogen stores being used up and my muscles starting to feel weak. So I slowed it down. I just didn't want to stop. Around mile 2 I felt a bit of a burst as I took a slightly different, more scenic route. I blasted the last straight-stretch and earned a negative split for mile 3! Yay!!
So I am getting this gradual thing figured out. Moral of the story...there is always something to learn in the sport of running!! Always!
** By the way, I updated my Nike+ app and today I had Tim Tebow congratulating me on my run. I can't wait to see what other athletes they added! It's kind of cool that some are athletes besides elite runners.
Monday, September 17, 2012
Melanee's 10 Running Answers
I'm playing along with Run Like a Mother's 10-question game started last week
1. Best Run Ever:
Dimity was right, this is a tough question, especially if you have been running for a pretty long time. I think I have to say a 10-mile training run I did up near Sequim, WA on the Olympic Discovery Trail. Everything was just right: Perfect Temperature, Beautiful ever-changing scenery, 10 miles that seemed effortless...and oh did I mention it was my 31st birthday?
2. Three words that describe my running: Exhilarating. Challenging. Gradual
3. My go-to running outfit is: Nike dri-fit running capris and older Nike sports bra, Bright blue Portland Rock n Roll Brooks dri-fit t-shirt, thin Nike running socks, black LunarGlides and last-but-certainly-not-least: Hair in a pony braid, otherwise the underside balls up into a horrible rats nest by the end of my run
4. Quirky habit while running: checking my reflection in the shop windows I pass. This is mostly because I'm constantly checking my form but I probably look like I'm just checking out how fly I am ;)
5. Morning, midday, evening: My running sweet spot of the day is around 8:30, but in reality I am trying to be flexible and run on my lunch break and maybe in the evenings. If I want to run in the morning with my upcoming schedule it is going to have to be somewhere between 5-6 o'clock and I don't like running outdoors in the dark!
6. I won't run outside when it's: Like I said, I hate running when it is dark and I will most likely turn around if I walk outside into Oregon's sideways rain.
7. Worst injury-and how I got over it: Over a year ago I was into a great training mojo and feeling like Superwoman as a runner. Well as fate would have it, I had kissed my kids goodnight and while walking out of their room, I stepped on a Hot Wheels car and turned my foot-not my ankle-my foot. So I totally messed up the bones and tendons in the top of my foot which led to tendinitis, which seemed to linger on forever. All I could do to get over it was baby my foot and take good care of it. I stayed in decent shape by utilizing the elliptical at school. Needless to say, that was the last time the kids didn't pick up their room before bed. They felt almost as bad as I did about it!
8. I felt most like a badass mother runner when: I broke 2 hours in my first half marathon (1:57:04). I had wished I would have been wearing a shirt that said, "Mom of 3" on the back.
9. Next race is: Barefoot on the Beach 5K in Gearhart, OR
10. Potential Running Goal for 2013: Reach the 1,000 miles I have been working toward. Keep running in general! I am starting nursing school so just keeping running a part of my life will be a huge accomplishment!
1. Best Run Ever:
Dimity was right, this is a tough question, especially if you have been running for a pretty long time. I think I have to say a 10-mile training run I did up near Sequim, WA on the Olympic Discovery Trail. Everything was just right: Perfect Temperature, Beautiful ever-changing scenery, 10 miles that seemed effortless...and oh did I mention it was my 31st birthday?
2. Three words that describe my running: Exhilarating. Challenging. Gradual
3. My go-to running outfit is: Nike dri-fit running capris and older Nike sports bra, Bright blue Portland Rock n Roll Brooks dri-fit t-shirt, thin Nike running socks, black LunarGlides and last-but-certainly-not-least: Hair in a pony braid, otherwise the underside balls up into a horrible rats nest by the end of my run
4. Quirky habit while running: checking my reflection in the shop windows I pass. This is mostly because I'm constantly checking my form but I probably look like I'm just checking out how fly I am ;)
5. Morning, midday, evening: My running sweet spot of the day is around 8:30, but in reality I am trying to be flexible and run on my lunch break and maybe in the evenings. If I want to run in the morning with my upcoming schedule it is going to have to be somewhere between 5-6 o'clock and I don't like running outdoors in the dark!
6. I won't run outside when it's: Like I said, I hate running when it is dark and I will most likely turn around if I walk outside into Oregon's sideways rain.
7. Worst injury-and how I got over it: Over a year ago I was into a great training mojo and feeling like Superwoman as a runner. Well as fate would have it, I had kissed my kids goodnight and while walking out of their room, I stepped on a Hot Wheels car and turned my foot-not my ankle-my foot. So I totally messed up the bones and tendons in the top of my foot which led to tendinitis, which seemed to linger on forever. All I could do to get over it was baby my foot and take good care of it. I stayed in decent shape by utilizing the elliptical at school. Needless to say, that was the last time the kids didn't pick up their room before bed. They felt almost as bad as I did about it!
8. I felt most like a badass mother runner when: I broke 2 hours in my first half marathon (1:57:04). I had wished I would have been wearing a shirt that said, "Mom of 3" on the back.
9. Next race is: Barefoot on the Beach 5K in Gearhart, OR
10. Potential Running Goal for 2013: Reach the 1,000 miles I have been working toward. Keep running in general! I am starting nursing school so just keeping running a part of my life will be a huge accomplishment!
A Better 5K
This morning I got out there and made myself proud! I ran a simple 5K, and took it easy. I consider myself re-training after my summer of lacking. My body has backtracked a bit and I'm not quite in the shape I was back in May. But the key is increasing the number of days I am running, and getting out there regularly!
I wore my Disneyland half SWAG t-shirt and it really doesn't fit very well. I still love it though!
I wore my Disneyland half SWAG t-shirt and it really doesn't fit very well. I still love it though!
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