Long and short run

  My instructor asked me to start coming in 30 minutes before Jess arrives so I can get my long run in and then I can still run with her.  I guess that way I won't lose where I am in distance and speed.  I like that though - because then I can have my cool down when she arrives and she won't be running alone (plus I get more run time in so... good deal in the end).  It also allows me to get back to my office and work a bit before the day ends and dinner time arrives. :)
  Yesterday was his birthday so he skipped class (I didn't know until last minute).  Thankfully I took my shuffle (I never run to music in class) so I wasn't at a complete loss when running.  I switched it up a bit with my run again since Monday worked so well.  I started at 20 laps and worked down to 2 miles.  I had 4 more laps but I started later than I wanted so I didn't want to be running when Jessica arrived.
  I have also realized that switching up my playlist has actually helped me this week.  I think I became so dependent on what song was coming next and where I stood vs. that song and it started to bring me down if I wasn't on the lap I wanted to be at.  Now I just run, get lost in the music and I'm good.
  When Jessica arrived we started with her warm up and stretching.  I've realized this week that stretching is one of my favorite things to do at the gym.  I love the feeling of my muscles being pulled/pushed to their brink and how great it feels.  Odd, I know but it's true.  I don't know that I will ever be as flexible and September or Danielle, but we'll see.
  I told Jessica that if Eddie arrives, we'll follow his routine for the day but if he skips out, we're going to shoot for a mile.  She kept hoping he would come but he didn't.  Lucky her! ha ha
  I didn't want to overwhelm her so we did a 3-2-1 day.  I haven't done one of those in forever so it was weird but nice to have the breaks.  I was very proud of her - I told her on the last lap if she wanted to go further and try to make the mile we could.  She pushed herself and we ended up doing a 3-2-2.5 before she had to stop and walk.
  I explained that how Eddie got me to raise my distance was through this process - to keep building your numbers up and then reduce the walking.  Before I started running straight miles I was up to something like a 5-4-3-2-1 and then I just started cutting out the walks and just ran and ran.
  It's an interesting process because it reminds me of where I was in January and how far I've come.  I don't think Jessica believes me when I tell her I was in her place almost a year ago.  Yes, I ran campus all the time but for some reason the track was different and when I started running again in January I hadn't run in months so it was hard to start again and it took me a while to bring myself back to where I was (and surpass it now).
  Running lately has also gotten me excited to attempt Western when I go home for Homecoming.  I plan to run campus at least once if not twice (or more) just to see if I can still do it and if so, how far I can get before I have to stop.  I used to be able to get about a mile and a half or so in before having to walk.  I also want to see if I get the "runner's high" when I attempt our hills there again.  I miss that feeling so much - the total euphoria of making it to the top of a huge hill and knowing you kicked your butt doing it is a great feeling.  I need to find some intense hills around here so I can keep up my pace.
  I'm also hoping to run at the river at least once this weekend if not twice.  I need to get back to running outside - especially since the weather this weekend is dropping to the 70's - I need to make good use of that!  Maybe I can even convince Joey to run with me... :)

I found this really interesting...


Via: WeightLoss.org

Ladies First Skirt Chaser 5k

  So this weekend was interesting.  I was on duty so I had a few late night issues to deal with which left my sleeping schedule very messed up.  Not good before a race. :(
  I had to deal with a situation Sat morning from 4.30 - 5.30 am so I didn't fall back to sleep until around 6am (or a little later) and spent most of my day resting on the couch.  Because of this, I didn't properly stretch or hydrate myself.  Not very smart before a 5k in 93 degree weather (with no breeze). Ugh!
  I made the first 1/2 in no problem but as soon as I made the turn, my head started pounding really bad and I got dizzy.  I looked at my HR and it was 188.  I never get that high on a run - usually my peak is around 177 or 180 at most.  I walked more than usual this race but did manage to finish with a semi-decent time - 36.37 (according to their time - mine said 36.15).

  I am proud of myself for making it to the end.  I was like 126 out of around 200 to cross the line so I'm still proud of that.  Here's me in my cute lil skirt after the race.

  One of my wonderful staff members made me an Operation Beautiful sign to wear during my race.  What's funny is no one said anything about it except a guy who passed me out near the finish line.  He ran by and looked back and said "you're pretty hot too" and kept running.  It made me smile and laugh.
  Of course today when I got into the gym to run, I managed to run 2.5 miles straight, which both frustrated me and made me happy.  I know that I can run 3 miles - I've done it numerous times now but on race days I just can't seem to get my stuff together and do it.  I don't know - I'm hoping October goes better when it's cooler weather.
  I've also made the decision to push back my 10k.  I'm not ready for it by any means and this past race showed me that.  I'm going to wait until I have a few more races under my belt before I attempt that mileage.
  I also learned today that I need to trick my mind when I want to run long distances in the gym.  I tend to mentally hit a wall when I get past 2 miles and end up stopping so today I started at 20 laps and counted down.  It really helped and when I was ready to give up with 4 laps left I kept saying to myself "really?  4 laps and you want to give up?" and I kept going.  I was so proud!
  I think that each Monday I'm going to add about 2 laps to my total until I'm working my way up in miles.  It's the only way I'm going to continue to grow as a runner.  And I'm so excited to go back to NC for the weekend and run on my campus!  I want to see how far I can get now as opposed to how far I could get back when I was just running a mile before having to stop and walk. :)
  I'm hoping this week continues on a high note.  Things to look forward to:  Zumba (Tues/Thurs), Running class (I'm going in 30min before Jess to work on my time/distance and then running with her after) and hopefully getting a weekend run by the river in with Joey if she feels better.
  This is going to be a great week!

Back to class

  So Jessica kept her promise and enrolled in my running class.  Silly girl thought there would be more than just us... nope.  I am very proud of her though - she did almost a mile today on the inside track.  Eddie told me to take an easy day so I ran with her and helped her keep pace. She kicked butt.
  One thing Eddie encourages is for you to set a race goal so you have something to actually train for.  When I started in Jan. I set a race goal for May but ended up racing in March to set my PR for that point in time and again in April just for fun.  For Jess we chose the Route 66 Marathon 5k on the 21st of November.  I'm excited for her to set her first PR and then attempt to break it later.
  I'm hoping for a nice run tonight - last night was super rain-filled and didn't really allow for anything.  Not sure if I will try the track tonight or outside.  I have Zumba so it will also depend on class and how exhausted I feel afterward.
  We shall see...

Zumba! Zumba!

  So I accomplished a great deal exercise-wise today.  Always a good feeling after spending my 3-day weekend sick on the couch.  I went to one of my staff's rooms to play some Scrabble and my nose started to run.  It got progressively worse that night and I could barely move on Sunday.  I am not exaggerating when I say that I walked less than 2 miles between Sun and Monday.  I literally slept non-stop all weekend and only moved from the couch to the kitchen to get more water or snacks.  But, I've made up for it today alone with my walking.  I feel like I ran all over campus (in my heels! woot woot!) so I'm almost back on track with my steps.
  I registered for Zumba again this semester as well as continued my running class.  Put me back $65 total but well worth keeping in shape.  I also registered for my 5k in 2 weekends.  Apparently I'll receive a cute little skirt that says "Catch me if you can!" - how exciting!
  I also had my first Zumba class this afternoon.  It was so exhausting!  I forgot how much of a workout this is going to be!  I'll be going every Tues/Thurs after work and running each Wed. from 4-5pm.  Pretty excited about running class as one of my staff promised to sign up and run with me (in class only).  I hate being the only person in the class - esp. because I feel bad that he does the class and I'm the only person who does it.
  So with luck this semester will continue to go well.  The goal is to lose the last 3-5lbs and maintain after that.  I think I will be able to do it.  And past the weight goals, I just want to continue adding mileage to my runs and run more nights.  I'm still hoping to get up to 5 times a week.  I don't want to push too much this week since I'm just starting Zumba again but we'll see.
  Hope everyone reading is having a great week! :D

Thank you.

  I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who reads my insane ramblings. :)  I have 2 actual followers (aside from my staff who enjoy reading this blog) so to see that I have jumped to over 400 views from this summer is pretty amazing.  Either Jessica is getting worse and checking my blog more than 3 times a day or I actually have people who follow me.
  Please feel free to "friend" my blog and become a follower as well as leave comments.  I appreciate any/all feedback, questions and support.
  And most of all, thank you for making my blog a part of your day. :)

Pain, pain

  So I accomplished one of my goals last night - I ran 3 straight miles.  I've only done this once before - with Eryn a while back.  We were in a "zone" running by the river and just kept going.  Last night was the first time I actually made the conscious decision to run 3 miles and nothing less.
  I have worked out harder than usual in short bursts of time after work - pushing myself on the elliptical, weight machines and the track and I can already feel the change.  I miss this feeling - the muscle ache reminding me that I'm making an adjustment in my body.
  My first race for the fall season is only 16 days away.  More than enough time to keep pushing myself and setting up a new training schedule.  Although I love the schedules on Runner's World I am going to slightly adjust the one my instructor gave me for a race he wanted me to run in August (I couldn't due to move-in/training).  I am contemplating setting the self goal of either running the entire thing (and not worrying about time) or setting a new time goal.  Not sure yet - will probably decide as the gun goes off. ha ha
  I've also been loading up on veggies on a daily basis.  When I student taught (many years ago) my head teacher taught be a great "trick" - if you want more energy during the day, a feeling of actually being full and the ability to lose weight, you really should eat your fill of veggies.  Thankfully we have stir fry here most days of the week so I get pasta or rice and a ton of veggies.  Very filling and not too many calories.
  I'm still on the downward path on the scale - down to 144.6 with the goal of losing only 5lbs more and staying somewhere in between 139-144lbs.  I'm finally happy when I look in the mirror and that's what matters most to me - that I'm happy with how I look.  Of course, I'm also excited to go back home in a few weeks and look the same as when I left so that's always nice too. :)
  Planning on taking tonight off to rest my body and then a nice run this weekend (or maybe 2 runs).  We'll see how it goes. :)

Race and Gym Time

  The race I've chosen is the Skirt Chaser 5k.  Sadly, I will be running by myself but thankfully I have some wonderful friends on staff who promised to "hold the phone" for me while I race. :)
  I'm pretty nervous and excited.  The race is on the 18th and it's the first once since I took a brief break after June.  I have my goals set and hope to achieve them.
  I've also been hitting the gym as much as possible.  I pushed myself extremely hard Monday and Tuesday as well as last week and I can feel it already.  My legs are so sore and it has stopped me from running the past few days.  I really need to learn how to work out and run during the week.  I tend to have a problem with balancing both.  I tend to fixate on one or the other.  My weekends will probably be focused on weights and training and maybe a run when I can. I want my weeks to focus more on runs and some weights/training.  We'll see how this goes.