Oh my! For some reason eight miles today was way more difficult than eight miles two weeks ago. Perhaps it has something to do with the location. I hear running on the west side of the state is easier because of elevation or something of the sort. So... there is good new then! I will train hard over here and then when I run the half it will be a breeze!.... right?
Okay.... realistically it will probably still kick my butt from every angle. I just hope and pray and beg to God that running gets better at the 10 mile mark, but I think my poor planning may also have contributed to my rather humiliating eight miles. I was later in the morning, nearing afternoon and that day was pretty hot. I was under hydrated and probably didn't have the right fuel in my body. I made it about 7 miles before I started to slow down, and I even walked a couple of times. Not to mention, the Moscow/Pullman trail is so straight that it seems to drag on and on. I just don't think that my body likes runs that are so flat and long like that. I need variety!
My hydration pack is probably another culprit to my lagging because it just was not cooperating with me. It just kept loosening up and moving around on my hips. "Stay still will ya?"
Between thinking to myself "oh my gosh, I'm going to die. When will this be over?" and actually enjoying my jog to Katy Perry's ET, I did notice to myself how green the Palouse is getting and how every time I run, I am getting a little stronger, NOT FASTER THOUGH! This is the most irritating part. My speed pretty much stays the same. Any pointers you're willing to dish out I'd gladly scoop up and digest.
Once again, thanks for reading and remember to keep on running! :)
Monday, June 6, 2011
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Week 4-Thursday-3 miles "Motivation"
Hello again,
I'm happy to see that you have returned once again to hear more about my running experiences even though quite possibly you'd rather be doing almost anything else. But hey! I rejoice in the little glories and victories remember? Well on with it!
Today my alarm went off at a cringing time of 5am. And me, being the dedicated person that I am, hit the snooze butter. Okay, okay, don't judge. The day before was a rough one and the sleep was needed. At around 5:3oam, I begin an inter-dialogue debating whether or not I "needed" to actually get up and get my 3 mile run in today. As I lay there I made up reasons and excuses and promises that I knew I wouldn't keep. You hear me on this one I'm sure. Always telling ourselves that we will do it tomorrow or that I'll workout really hard the next time to make up for it. Believe me. I've pretty much created every reason and excuse known to man in order to justify my laziness or lack of motivation. It all sounds kind of silly when we actually admit this to ourselves doesn't it? As we lay in bed or sit in front of the tv, or are just relaxing, we could already be up and moving. So today, my inner self actually won. I dragged my lazy, good for nothing butt out of bed and as I groggily brushed my teeth and got dressed, I was still considering not going! Mind you, this is when I'm already to the point of having my shoes on and my hair in a pony tail!
Eventually, I made it outdoors. Ugh... that made me regret the decision even more. But!!! Some how, by some miracle of mother earth and God Almightly, I forced my legs to move to the sound of Lady Gaga coming from my headphones. In that moment... I still felt half asleep-or half awake depending on what type of person you are. Yet, I kept going as I hoped and prayed that eventually I'd wake up a little because at the moment I felt as if the top half of my body was simply floating above my legs and somehow was able to keep up. I envision it looked something like in the movies when a rain cloud follows the main character as he or she doesn't understand why two feet away it isn't raining.
My body carried on this way for about a mile and a half. No matter how I screamed at it (in my head of course) to carry it's own weight. But eventually I think it sense that I meant business when we came to the bottom of a large hill and I said "look, body, you better do this or else." And of course it obliged because in reality I call the shots. By the end of my run I was sprinting to get back to the building I live in for the summer, and I even ended up going longer than my goal. Throughout the run there were a few hard times where I definitely wanted to just stop, curl up on the sidewalk, and sleep. But I persevered! And you know what else? I felt way better tackling the day as if I was a giant male athlete ready to bring down the opposing team. Okay, okay, I know sometimes I get dramatic and use by analogies. But who really cares? I finished my run and overall had a better day because of it. So... when it takes a little bit longer to get up in the morning, remember that you have a choice, and the excuses are no longer fooling anyone but yourself.
I'm happy to see that you have returned once again to hear more about my running experiences even though quite possibly you'd rather be doing almost anything else. But hey! I rejoice in the little glories and victories remember? Well on with it!
Today my alarm went off at a cringing time of 5am. And me, being the dedicated person that I am, hit the snooze butter. Okay, okay, don't judge. The day before was a rough one and the sleep was needed. At around 5:3oam, I begin an inter-dialogue debating whether or not I "needed" to actually get up and get my 3 mile run in today. As I lay there I made up reasons and excuses and promises that I knew I wouldn't keep. You hear me on this one I'm sure. Always telling ourselves that we will do it tomorrow or that I'll workout really hard the next time to make up for it. Believe me. I've pretty much created every reason and excuse known to man in order to justify my laziness or lack of motivation. It all sounds kind of silly when we actually admit this to ourselves doesn't it? As we lay in bed or sit in front of the tv, or are just relaxing, we could already be up and moving. So today, my inner self actually won. I dragged my lazy, good for nothing butt out of bed and as I groggily brushed my teeth and got dressed, I was still considering not going! Mind you, this is when I'm already to the point of having my shoes on and my hair in a pony tail!
Eventually, I made it outdoors. Ugh... that made me regret the decision even more. But!!! Some how, by some miracle of mother earth and God Almightly, I forced my legs to move to the sound of Lady Gaga coming from my headphones. In that moment... I still felt half asleep-or half awake depending on what type of person you are. Yet, I kept going as I hoped and prayed that eventually I'd wake up a little because at the moment I felt as if the top half of my body was simply floating above my legs and somehow was able to keep up. I envision it looked something like in the movies when a rain cloud follows the main character as he or she doesn't understand why two feet away it isn't raining.
My body carried on this way for about a mile and a half. No matter how I screamed at it (in my head of course) to carry it's own weight. But eventually I think it sense that I meant business when we came to the bottom of a large hill and I said "look, body, you better do this or else." And of course it obliged because in reality I call the shots. By the end of my run I was sprinting to get back to the building I live in for the summer, and I even ended up going longer than my goal. Throughout the run there were a few hard times where I definitely wanted to just stop, curl up on the sidewalk, and sleep. But I persevered! And you know what else? I felt way better tackling the day as if I was a giant male athlete ready to bring down the opposing team. Okay, okay, I know sometimes I get dramatic and use by analogies. But who really cares? I finished my run and overall had a better day because of it. So... when it takes a little bit longer to get up in the morning, remember that you have a choice, and the excuses are no longer fooling anyone but yourself.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Week 4-Wednesday-5 miles
So the title of this post is "Week 4," however, I've actually been training for this half marathon for longer. In the beginning I still had a lot of build up to do. Also, along the way I have a few bad weeks and in order to feel like I was ready to move on to the next level of adding miles, sometimes I lived a week twice, so to speak. But enough about all that catch up, let's get into the nitty-gritty of today's run.
Currently am in training for my summer job which begins at 8am and goes until 5pm. That being said, I wake up around 5 or 5:30am each morning in order to get in a good run first thing in the morning. Yes, I've been called crazy, yes I go to bed early, (around 10 or 11pm) and yes, I run even when it is raining outside.
Today, I faced a 5 mile run. Now I will tell you right now that I am not a fast runner. At all. It is something I'm working on, but most of the time I just seem to be glad to finish my mileage for that day. If you have ever ran in Pullman, WA, you will also note that every route is uphill. Therefore, my body is struggling a bit to adjust to this new terrain. However, I'm up to the challenge. While on route today, I stopped at the track on campus and ran for a bit on that which was a nice break for my legs. It also helped me increase my speed in different intervals. I'm not going to lie, 5 miles were hard today, even though I've gotten up to 8 miles, 5 is still sometimes intimidating. Before running, I didn't eat anything, mostly because every time I do without significant time in between, I get sick. I haven't quite figured out what fuel to give my body that works.
As for the running part, I was happy with the fact that I at no point had to stop and walk. I even conquered a giant hill going up Stadium way! I've learned to rejoice in the little glories. It keeps a runner motivated.
Currently am in training for my summer job which begins at 8am and goes until 5pm. That being said, I wake up around 5 or 5:30am each morning in order to get in a good run first thing in the morning. Yes, I've been called crazy, yes I go to bed early, (around 10 or 11pm) and yes, I run even when it is raining outside.
Today, I faced a 5 mile run. Now I will tell you right now that I am not a fast runner. At all. It is something I'm working on, but most of the time I just seem to be glad to finish my mileage for that day. If you have ever ran in Pullman, WA, you will also note that every route is uphill. Therefore, my body is struggling a bit to adjust to this new terrain. However, I'm up to the challenge. While on route today, I stopped at the track on campus and ran for a bit on that which was a nice break for my legs. It also helped me increase my speed in different intervals. I'm not going to lie, 5 miles were hard today, even though I've gotten up to 8 miles, 5 is still sometimes intimidating. Before running, I didn't eat anything, mostly because every time I do without significant time in between, I get sick. I haven't quite figured out what fuel to give my body that works.
As for the running part, I was happy with the fact that I at no point had to stop and walk. I even conquered a giant hill going up Stadium way! I've learned to rejoice in the little glories. It keeps a runner motivated.
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