Would someone please explain to me why I'm doing this to myself? This running thing is what I'm referring to. I'm sorry that I haven't posted in awhile, but I didn't have much encouragement or anything positive to offer. I still don't. The last 2 weeks of training have been challenging to say the least. Today was the last day of week 8 of my program. It sucked. Things seem to be getting harder everytime I go out and I'm not sure why. I thought by now things would be getting easier. I had a small taste of "easy" and it was fleeting. Is this normal? Is this kind of struggle typical? I don't know, but it's getting old. It seems that every run has started out a bit stressful too. Most recently, before 2 of my last 3 runs I couldn't get my GPS program to find a satellite! Are you kidding me?!? There hasn't been a cloud in the sky and the flippin' thing can't find a satellite...it must be floating over Australia or something. Good grief.
The one word that keeps floating through my mind is "perseverance". I just looked it up the definition on dictionary.com and this what it says:
1. Steady persistance in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., esp. in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement.
Wow, that describes a lot of my life right now, not just running. So, I guess the answer for the running is to take each one, difficulties and all, one day at a time and to keep going.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Why does running make me want to swear like a sailor?
Today's run was one of the most frustrating yet! And yes, during and after I wanted to swear like a sailor! I'm following the 5k walk/run training plan from Running for Mortals and darn it all, today they changed things up! Just when I was starting to feel strong and increasing my time and mileage...I feel like a beginner again. I struggled, I huffed, I puffed, I almost swore out loud, and frankly didn't enjoy it at all. As I think back over the run, I realize I made a three significant mistakes:
FIRST MISTAKE: My daughter, Sarah, had a slumber party last night to celebrate her 10th birthday, which is Sunday. Instead of getting up and running early like I usually do, I waited until everyone left and THEN I went! BIG mistake...the temp was cool, about 75 degrees to begin with, but good grief that sun was still HOT. Lesson learned...even when I have company, I need to get my butt out of bed and do my run EARLY, in the coolness of the morning, without the blazing sun beating down on me.
SECOND MISTAKE: My darling, supportive hubby suggested that we do the neighborhood trail. Foolishly I agreed. I've been curious about running on a trail, but today was NOT the day to try it. As I said in my last post, I can twist my ankle over thin air ...and now, I'm running on a dirt and leaf covered trail, with tree roots everywhere! Can you say stupid?!? Oh, and yes, let's not forget that I'm running LONGER now! Again, can you say REALLY STUPID?!? Lesson learned...stick to the streets, ESPECIALLY when your program is changing! Duh!
THIRD MISTAKE: Thursday and Friday's are supposed to be crosstraining days. I have been going to a place called 9 Round since March and it's what I do on those days. 9 Round is a boxing/kickboxing 30 minute high-intensity workout. Thursday, I worked upper body. Friday, I worked on lower body. As a result, my quads and calfs were sore and tight, which of course, made running a little harder at the beginning. Lesson learned...Thursday is lower body, Friday is upper body and make sure I'm stretching after EVERY workout...running or crosstraining.
Needless to say, I felt awful after today's run. Scott told me he was proud of me for sticking it out and finishing. That helped, because there were MANY times I wanted to just quit and didn't. So, not only was today a physical battle, but a mental one and I WAS victorious and didn't quit. While I've been working on this post, I've been texting with Bethany. I have to tell you, that my little sister is one great encourager! Bethany, being an encourager like that is most definitely a gift from God. She told me that I did awesome today and that I gave myself some new challenges and learned some lessons along the way and especially learned how many new things I can throw in on any given run. So, I am feeling better about things thanks to Scott and Bethany. BUT, it's not a run that I want to repeat. This one will go down as a learning experience. I will enjoy my day of rest tomorrow and be back out there Monday morning. This time I will go early and stick to the streets!!!
FIRST MISTAKE: My daughter, Sarah, had a slumber party last night to celebrate her 10th birthday, which is Sunday. Instead of getting up and running early like I usually do, I waited until everyone left and THEN I went! BIG mistake...the temp was cool, about 75 degrees to begin with, but good grief that sun was still HOT. Lesson learned...even when I have company, I need to get my butt out of bed and do my run EARLY, in the coolness of the morning, without the blazing sun beating down on me.
SECOND MISTAKE: My darling, supportive hubby suggested that we do the neighborhood trail. Foolishly I agreed. I've been curious about running on a trail, but today was NOT the day to try it. As I said in my last post, I can twist my ankle over thin air ...and now, I'm running on a dirt and leaf covered trail, with tree roots everywhere! Can you say stupid?!? Oh, and yes, let's not forget that I'm running LONGER now! Again, can you say REALLY STUPID?!? Lesson learned...stick to the streets, ESPECIALLY when your program is changing! Duh!
THIRD MISTAKE: Thursday and Friday's are supposed to be crosstraining days. I have been going to a place called 9 Round since March and it's what I do on those days. 9 Round is a boxing/kickboxing 30 minute high-intensity workout. Thursday, I worked upper body. Friday, I worked on lower body. As a result, my quads and calfs were sore and tight, which of course, made running a little harder at the beginning. Lesson learned...Thursday is lower body, Friday is upper body and make sure I'm stretching after EVERY workout...running or crosstraining.
Needless to say, I felt awful after today's run. Scott told me he was proud of me for sticking it out and finishing. That helped, because there were MANY times I wanted to just quit and didn't. So, not only was today a physical battle, but a mental one and I WAS victorious and didn't quit. While I've been working on this post, I've been texting with Bethany. I have to tell you, that my little sister is one great encourager! Bethany, being an encourager like that is most definitely a gift from God. She told me that I did awesome today and that I gave myself some new challenges and learned some lessons along the way and especially learned how many new things I can throw in on any given run. So, I am feeling better about things thanks to Scott and Bethany. BUT, it's not a run that I want to repeat. This one will go down as a learning experience. I will enjoy my day of rest tomorrow and be back out there Monday morning. This time I will go early and stick to the streets!!!
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Holy Crap! What have I gotten myself into?
Those were the first thoughts I had after Bethany and I officially signed up for the Disney Princess Half Marathon. I'm committed. There is no backing out now! So, this forty-something Mom of 3, wife to an amazingly supportive man, has decided to run 13.1 miles. This from a person who has NEVER been athletic, has always hated running, and can twist her ankle on thin air, is going to now run a half-marathon. I think I've lost it. Maybe I'll attribute it to a mid-life crisis.
When my darling, sweet little sister approached me with the idea, I laughed at the idea. But secretly, I liked it. Maybe this was the push I needed to accomplish something I NEVER thought I could do. Over the last couple of years I have become a Biggest Loser fan. I have been totally amazed by the transformation the contestants make on the show and then to finish up by running a marathon. WOW! Forget Couch to 5k, try couch to marathon! How inspiring it is to see them fight for their health. Now, let me just say to my sweet sister Bethany, I have no desire sign up for a marathon! Anyway, I couldn't help but think that if these people who were over 250 pounds can lose weight and finish a marathon, why can't I do something like that? So, I looked at all the information that Bethany bombarded me with. Let me just say that she can be very persuasive when she wants something and painted a pretty picture of what it would be like. I have to confess, I too am a sap, and got teary eyed thinking of finishing the race with my sister and what a neat memory that would be for us to have. The question then became, can I actually do it? Can I run/walk a mile in under 15 minutes so I can just FINISH the race, because that is my goal at this point, to just finish.
Bethany told me about a great book called Running for Mortals by Jenny Hadfield and John Bingham. I had to start somewhere so I bought the book, friended Jenny on Facebook, and started reading. I love how approachable Jenny has been on Facebook. I have asked for help from her more than once and she is quick and willing to respond. I love that. Anyway, there was a quote from John Bingham on the first page of the first chapter of the book that described how I felt perfectly. He said, "The miracle isn't that I finished, the miracle is that I had the courage to start." Isn't that statement so true? How many times do we give up before we even start? So, I started. I read the book and started training for a 5k. I'm in week 5 of my training and I can feel myself getting stronger and that my friends, is very motivating.
My first goal is to walk/run my neigborhoods 5k on Saturday, October 9th. Finishing that race/event will just be confirmation to me that I can tackle the bigger challenge of the half-marathon. I can be a runner, even in my forties!
When my darling, sweet little sister approached me with the idea, I laughed at the idea. But secretly, I liked it. Maybe this was the push I needed to accomplish something I NEVER thought I could do. Over the last couple of years I have become a Biggest Loser fan. I have been totally amazed by the transformation the contestants make on the show and then to finish up by running a marathon. WOW! Forget Couch to 5k, try couch to marathon! How inspiring it is to see them fight for their health. Now, let me just say to my sweet sister Bethany, I have no desire sign up for a marathon! Anyway, I couldn't help but think that if these people who were over 250 pounds can lose weight and finish a marathon, why can't I do something like that? So, I looked at all the information that Bethany bombarded me with. Let me just say that she can be very persuasive when she wants something and painted a pretty picture of what it would be like. I have to confess, I too am a sap, and got teary eyed thinking of finishing the race with my sister and what a neat memory that would be for us to have. The question then became, can I actually do it? Can I run/walk a mile in under 15 minutes so I can just FINISH the race, because that is my goal at this point, to just finish.
Bethany told me about a great book called Running for Mortals by Jenny Hadfield and John Bingham. I had to start somewhere so I bought the book, friended Jenny on Facebook, and started reading. I love how approachable Jenny has been on Facebook. I have asked for help from her more than once and she is quick and willing to respond. I love that. Anyway, there was a quote from John Bingham on the first page of the first chapter of the book that described how I felt perfectly. He said, "The miracle isn't that I finished, the miracle is that I had the courage to start." Isn't that statement so true? How many times do we give up before we even start? So, I started. I read the book and started training for a 5k. I'm in week 5 of my training and I can feel myself getting stronger and that my friends, is very motivating.
My first goal is to walk/run my neigborhoods 5k on Saturday, October 9th. Finishing that race/event will just be confirmation to me that I can tackle the bigger challenge of the half-marathon. I can be a runner, even in my forties!
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