I'm running for my life...

W1D2

pearljen — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 14:40:30 +0000

It went well overall. I had some serious cramps in my left calf muscle/achilles tendon, but it wasn’t enough to make me stop, and after I stretched it out fully when I got home it felt a ton better. Sore again today but that’s not really a surprise. I have a lot to do today, so we’ll see how I feel by the end of the day!!

I used the Garmin yesterday, so here are the totals:

Distance: 1.74 miles
Time: 32m 52s
Pace: 18:56/mi
Calories: 276

C25K… Version 2.0

pearljen — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 18:16:20 +0000

Back in the saddle again. A friend of mine has started C25K and it inspired me to lace up those shoes once again and get back out there. It’s been far too long since I last ran, but I’m glad to start over from the beginning and work my way up once again. I really love this program, and found that once I had no training plan to follow, I quickly fell back into old habits. Hopefully I’ll be more mindful of that this time around and can anticipate the euphoria crash after the end of the 13 week program.

My Garmin was totally dead, so no stats for me today… just did the normal loop, W1D1 program of C25K and walked a bit extra at the end to get home.

I made a PR!!!

pearljen — Sun, 02 May 2010 02:00:26 +0000

Okay, so yes… it was my first race ever. And yes, I did end up walking half the race. But I walked it as fast as I possibly could, and I ran as much as I expected to, I finished under the time I was hoping for, and I didn’t come in last!!!

My official time was 51:04. I walked the course two weeks ago and did it in 53 minutes, so anything under that was a success in my book. Next race: the Parker Family 5k.

Overall, I’d say that the race itself was a lot of fun. The nerves and anticipation leading up to it was a little crazy, but perhaps that was just because it was my first and I felt entirely unprepared for the race. I have an 8-week training schedule starting off approximately where I am now, bringing me to a full 5k run at the end, so I’m hoping that I’ll be able to fully run the race next time. As a bonus, this race has a kids’ fun run, so we can all participate! It is local (just a few miles from my house), so I’m hoping that I can get hubby interested as well… who knows! He is an avid ultimate frisbee player during the summers, so I’ve been trying to get him to run with me so he can increase his endurance on the field.

And hey, being a Cinco de Mayo 5k, they had mexican food, beer, and margaritas at the after party! At 9:30am!! LOL! I think those two beers I had gave me a wicked headache afterwards. Not sure I’d do that again!

Last pre-race run

pearljen — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 16:06:22 +0000

Conditions were cold and gloomy, but it’s likely to be like this on race day so I figured I’d get out there and go since it would be approximate race conditions. Did a nice easy 1.5 miles — total 2.2 miles. I made it around to the bridge, which was my goal. Then I walked a little ways further, and did a sprint (for me, 10:00/mi) as far as I could. I’m thinking once this race is over I may go back to the C25k program and try to do it all over again except using it as interval training to increase my overall speed. Fast/slow intervals instead of walk/run intervals. Hmm… that might work.

But for now… race in two days!

WW + C25K = ♥

pearljen — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 13:53:45 +0000

So my second week of Weight Watchers is over, and since I started it two weeks ago I have lost 8 lbs. That is definitely a success, and I’m so happy to see the scale moving in the right direction! I’ve been losing all along, but very, very slowly (5lb per month, approximately). So, now I am down 31.8 pounds since the beginning of the year. Woohoo!

Yesterday and Today

pearljen — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 18:37:31 +0000

I have four days until my race, and I’m nervous as heck about it. I have yet to run 3 miles on FLAT GROUND let alone on the hills of this course. My Nike+ was lying to me about my speed and distance, which means that where I “thought” I was is not where I actually am! I thought I’d completed 3.1 miles running, but in reality I probably only completed 2-2.5 in my longest run ever. Now I’m struggling to complete 1.5-2.0 miles as it is, and this is all on FLAT GROUND!! Argh. Mentally, physically, who knows what the problem is. I’m just hoping that the energy and adrenaline of the race will help carry me through to the finish.

4/26

D: 4.20 mi
T: 1:20:30
P: 19’10″/mi
C: 918

4/27

D: 3.06miles
T: 55:55
P: 18’13″/mi
C: 671

Yesterday’s run

pearljen — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 17:39:45 +0000

Ran/walked about 2 miles yesterday, around the track. I did end up running about a total of 20 minutes… I know it’s my brain having issues not my body! I have got to get over this hump, it’s driving me crazy!

In other news, since going on Weight Watchers a week and a half ago, I’ve started losing weight again which makes me so dang happy! I’m down a total of 29.8lbs now from my starting weight three and a half months ago (January 6th or so). Hooray!

Hey, I put some new shoes on…

pearljen — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 16:37:45 +0000

I ordered a few new pairs of running shoes from Zappos. I got a replacement for the Brooks that I got from the running store, and another pair that is similar to my other ones, just to try them out. The new style I think will be great for a walking shoe for me, but I don’t like them to run in. The insoles are way too “squishy”. I felt like I was running in mud and my shins and knees started giving me issues. They are very comfortable for walking though, so all is not lost. I will go back to my old Brooks and alternate with my new ones for running. I don’t think my old shoes have worn out yet but I want to have two pairs around just in case I need them.

Walked around the indoor track today, only ran a little bit (probably 5-10 minutes total) because of the shoe issues. I might try and get out again this evening to actually run… I don’t want to lose any more stamina!!

Walking

pearljen — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 23:26:00 +0000

Went on a walk along the race course with my SIL today. We went 3 miles in 53 minutes. Yeah, that’s about what my running pace is. Hahaha! After walking it I am soooo sore. This race will not be pretty… I should have walked it before I decided to run it! I’m not prepared!

Added in a long run/walk

pearljen — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 18:21:12 +0000

Today I mapped out a nice long course and did a run/walk along the course. It took me in a different direction than I normally go, and it was a little distracting because there was some sort of “Family fun” bike ride going on along the trail, but it was a really nice walk. I did a 15 minute warm-up walk, and then walk/ran 5 minutes on and off for a while, walked while the wind was really blasting me in the face, and then ran another 5 minutes or so when I was getting close to home. I went 4.15 miles total, and with the hills and wind my legs are definitely feeling the burn! I guess walking up the hills into the wind almost simulated a run.

D: 4.15mi
T: 1:19:42
P: 19’12″/mi
C: 916