I ran 10 miles today! My last double digit run was on December 4th. It has been almost four months...way too long.
I am so happy with how my runs have gone this week. After last weeks painful 9 miler, I could have thrown in the towel. I could have thought... I will never be as fast as my friends (ok this is still true-I have some really fast friends!), I will never be back to my old running self, I will never be able to run long again, etc. But I just kept my head up and kept trying.
To recap:
Sunday: I ran 3 miles while my sister rode her bike with Nathan and Baylor (my nephew) in the bike carrier. My overall pace was just under 8 minutes with my last mile coming in at 7:39. I can't even remember the last time I saw the 7:30s on my garmin.
Monday: 3 mile run with Jacque. It has been way too long since we have run together. Jacque definitely talks the most out of any of my running partners. I love it! I mean she can tell long detailed stories and never gets out of breath. I need to learn this trick. Overall pace 8:14
Tuesday: 4.5 mile early run with Lisa and Alyssa. This is the best I felt on a run with them in a long time. I am so lucky to have such great running partners literally a few doors down from me. Overall pace 8:09? Not exactly sure because my garmin was acting up.
Wednesday: rest
Thursday: Best run of the week! 10 miles with Christy. I felt so bad after last weeks run and was hoping this one would go better. I really felt great except for the last 1-2 miles but even so our pace did not slow down much. I don't think Christy ever slows down, she just keeps getting faster every mile. Overall pace was 8:16. My last mile was over one minute faster than my last mile last week.
Why do I think this week was so much better?
1. It was 20 degrees cooler. I know the heat slows everybody down but I feel like it affects me more than the average person.
2. No Monday spin class. My legs are usually sore after this work out. I think that extra rest really helped.
Next week is spring break. The kids are so excited! We are headed to Chicago for a few days and then going to spend Easter in LaPorte. I hope we all survive:)
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Just Kidding
My legs are not back. Not even close...
I ran a painfully hard 9 miles today. I think you can call it running.
I have a lot of excuses why it was so hard:
1. It was warm out. 76 degrees at the finish. My body does not do well in the heat.
2. I have not cut back on my spinning enough. I tried on Monday to take it easy but the instructed totally called me out. Her exact words, "Why waste your time being here if you are not going to push yourself." I am pretty sure she was talking to me. So I did push myself.
3. I haven't ran 9 miles since December 4. That's a long time off.
I know I should be thankful:
Thankful I can run 9 miles, thankful my foot is healed, thankful I can run at all!
But...
I am feeling pretty defeated about the run. I honestly would have walked the last 2 miles if I had not been running with Christy. She was a huge support for me today! I did not stop because of her and although I may have clocked in my slowest mile ever the last mile, I did not walk.
I feel like my body has forgotten how to run long distances. I have blisters all over my feet, my stomach is upset, and I have lost all endurance. Remember body we LOVE to run?! The longer the better, right?!
That is the thing about running though... It is not easy! Somedays you may feel great but a lot of runs are just plain hard.
Don't worry though I will get back out there.
Happy Running!
I ran a painfully hard 9 miles today. I think you can call it running.
I have a lot of excuses why it was so hard:
1. It was warm out. 76 degrees at the finish. My body does not do well in the heat.
2. I have not cut back on my spinning enough. I tried on Monday to take it easy but the instructed totally called me out. Her exact words, "Why waste your time being here if you are not going to push yourself." I am pretty sure she was talking to me. So I did push myself.
3. I haven't ran 9 miles since December 4. That's a long time off.
I know I should be thankful:
Thankful I can run 9 miles, thankful my foot is healed, thankful I can run at all!
But...
I am feeling pretty defeated about the run. I honestly would have walked the last 2 miles if I had not been running with Christy. She was a huge support for me today! I did not stop because of her and although I may have clocked in my slowest mile ever the last mile, I did not walk.
I feel like my body has forgotten how to run long distances. I have blisters all over my feet, my stomach is upset, and I have lost all endurance. Remember body we LOVE to run?! The longer the better, right?!
That is the thing about running though... It is not easy! Somedays you may feel great but a lot of runs are just plain hard.
Don't worry though I will get back out there.
Happy Running!
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Welcome Back Legs
Today I had my first sub 8 minute run since my injury. It was so nice to look at my garmin and see the 7:40s.
I need these legs to continue to hold up because I have a 9 mile run scheduled for this week. Even though my speed is slowly coming back, my endurance is taking a little longer. Maybe one reason for this is because I am doing my long runs a little too fast. I have been running with my good friend, Christy, and we are both horrible pacers. We both say that we are going to take it easy and our first mile usually comes in just over an 8 minute pace (which is NOT easy for me). I am usually struggling pretty bad at the end of our runs.
Also I think I am going to have to cut back on my spin classes. I usually go to 2-3 classes/week and need to cut it down to 1-2, I think. My legs are just tired all the time. I want to be able to run on fresh legs sometime. Swimming is not a problem. I have only made it to the pool 2 times since I started running again.
I don't want to complain at all though. I am just so happy that I can run again and increasing the miles is the best!
Besides some wonderful running the weekend, I also enjoyed this amazing weather with the family.
We went to the zoo today with my mom and my sister's family and we all had a great time. Nathan was excitingly screaming at most of the animals. It was hilarious!
Have a great week!
I need these legs to continue to hold up because I have a 9 mile run scheduled for this week. Even though my speed is slowly coming back, my endurance is taking a little longer. Maybe one reason for this is because I am doing my long runs a little too fast. I have been running with my good friend, Christy, and we are both horrible pacers. We both say that we are going to take it easy and our first mile usually comes in just over an 8 minute pace (which is NOT easy for me). I am usually struggling pretty bad at the end of our runs.
Also I think I am going to have to cut back on my spin classes. I usually go to 2-3 classes/week and need to cut it down to 1-2, I think. My legs are just tired all the time. I want to be able to run on fresh legs sometime. Swimming is not a problem. I have only made it to the pool 2 times since I started running again.
I don't want to complain at all though. I am just so happy that I can run again and increasing the miles is the best!
Besides some wonderful running the weekend, I also enjoyed this amazing weather with the family.
We went to the zoo today with my mom and my sister's family and we all had a great time. Nathan was excitingly screaming at most of the animals. It was hilarious!
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| Owen, Jackson and Kaitlyn looking at the seal lions. |
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| Kaitlyn, Nathan, Jackson, Owen, Me, Katie and Kennedy on the train at the zoo. |
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| Ryan trying to get a picture with everyone looking. |
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| Random picture of Jackson-He is so proud of his hair |
Monday, March 12, 2012
My First Practice Triathlon/Kids Update
Last week I did my own sprint triathlon at the gym. It made me realize I have many things to practice before my first "real" triathlon.
The Swim: I jumped in the pool and swam 500 meters. My pool now has a big huge digital clock on the wall so I can see how slow I am really going. I would say I am not the slowest swimmer ever anymore but not fast at all. I think I need to take a swim lesson or two and learn how to swim more efficiently.
I ran into a friend from medical school and chatted for a few minutes before swimming another 500 meters.
Transition 1: This is the part that I need to work on the most. I can not change into my bike/running clothes quickly when I am still wet. I am sure it was a funny picture.
The Bike: I biked on the spin bike for 20 minutes. I played with resistance to make it seem like I was going up hills. I think this will be the easiest part of a race, but I really have no idea. I do know that I can't wait to be on a road bike soon!
Transition 2: Change bike shoes to running shoes. Not as difficult as the first transition.
The Run: Good news is that my legs didn't feel like jello. But I was just tired. I only brought water to drink and normally I can do an hour work out without fuel. However when I put different events together I think it takes more out of me. Next time I will have gatorade. I ran 3 miles and they went by pretty fast. Still my favorite thing to do!!!!
Probably not at all what a real triathlon feels like but gets me excited for this summer. I have a lot to work on but I do think I have the endurance to finish a sprint triathlon.
Kids update:
Kaitlyn had her Level 4 State gymnastic meet this weekend and did awesome! She scored her first 9 on bars (9.05). I think bars will end up being her best event with how strong she is. She scored a 8.925 on beam. Beam is usually her best event but she had a little mess up on her dismount so she didn't get as high of score as she could have. She scored a 8.925 on vault. She was upset that she didn't get a 9 on this event but it is hard for her to get much power on the spring board since she is such a tiny girl. She scored a 8.75 on floor which she was the most proud of. Floor is definitely her weakest event but she has worked really hard and was so happy with her score. Her overall score was 35.7. So proud of her!
The best news is is that her team, Interactive Academy, won second place! I am glad that the competition season is over for awhile. Now she can just have fun at the gym and work on her level 5 skills.
Jackson will start soccer season soon. I just love to watch him play. He has his daddy's speed and is so darn cute out there.
No sports for Nathan yet. But we finally took down his crib and put him in a big boy bed. This makes me so sad. Will we ever put the crib up again? I just want Nathan to stay a baby for a little longer.
I hope everyone has a great week!
The Swim: I jumped in the pool and swam 500 meters. My pool now has a big huge digital clock on the wall so I can see how slow I am really going. I would say I am not the slowest swimmer ever anymore but not fast at all. I think I need to take a swim lesson or two and learn how to swim more efficiently.
I ran into a friend from medical school and chatted for a few minutes before swimming another 500 meters.
Transition 1: This is the part that I need to work on the most. I can not change into my bike/running clothes quickly when I am still wet. I am sure it was a funny picture.
The Bike: I biked on the spin bike for 20 minutes. I played with resistance to make it seem like I was going up hills. I think this will be the easiest part of a race, but I really have no idea. I do know that I can't wait to be on a road bike soon!
Transition 2: Change bike shoes to running shoes. Not as difficult as the first transition.
The Run: Good news is that my legs didn't feel like jello. But I was just tired. I only brought water to drink and normally I can do an hour work out without fuel. However when I put different events together I think it takes more out of me. Next time I will have gatorade. I ran 3 miles and they went by pretty fast. Still my favorite thing to do!!!!
Probably not at all what a real triathlon feels like but gets me excited for this summer. I have a lot to work on but I do think I have the endurance to finish a sprint triathlon.
Kids update:
Kaitlyn had her Level 4 State gymnastic meet this weekend and did awesome! She scored her first 9 on bars (9.05). I think bars will end up being her best event with how strong she is. She scored a 8.925 on beam. Beam is usually her best event but she had a little mess up on her dismount so she didn't get as high of score as she could have. She scored a 8.925 on vault. She was upset that she didn't get a 9 on this event but it is hard for her to get much power on the spring board since she is such a tiny girl. She scored a 8.75 on floor which she was the most proud of. Floor is definitely her weakest event but she has worked really hard and was so happy with her score. Her overall score was 35.7. So proud of her!
The best news is is that her team, Interactive Academy, won second place! I am glad that the competition season is over for awhile. Now she can just have fun at the gym and work on her level 5 skills.
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| Can you tell Kaitlyn is a little excited that they won second place? |
Jackson will start soccer season soon. I just love to watch him play. He has his daddy's speed and is so darn cute out there.
No sports for Nathan yet. But we finally took down his crib and put him in a big boy bed. This makes me so sad. Will we ever put the crib up again? I just want Nathan to stay a baby for a little longer.
I hope everyone has a great week!
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