Good run after a bad week

I can't remember when my last post was, Tuesday maybe? Well my Wednesday run was terrible too. Just a two miler. But I had NO energy at all. And I got really overheated really quickly. It was so weird and frustrating.

Since I decided to go to DC, I switched my long run to today since I knew by sunday I'd be even more exhausted. My IT band was really tight all morning, which conserned me a bit, but I was determined to run anyway.

I warmed up with a slow .3mi, and stretched briefly. Then I did two miles on the treadmill. .5mi in my left knee was killing me. Well, it hurt, but I ran through it and watched House as a destraction. I then did 2 miles around the track. My knee was really bugging me, but about halfway through that mt gait evened out or something, and the pain subsided. I did 2.2 more mikes on the treadmill, doing an 11m/mi for the last mile, and pushing it up to 7mph at the last third of a mile. I didn't have quite as much energy left over as I did last week, but I still felt really, really strong. I mean, nothing makes you feel as good as a solid long run.

My right knee felt really swollen immediately afterward, but I think it's ok now. I've given up baths, which I think was contributing to my chronic knee aches.

They feel ok right now too. Some minor aches amd pains every bow and then, but probably only because I didn't stretch adequately afterwards. When do I ever stretch enough??! I need to work on that.

So on Sunday I am scheduled for a three miler. That had better get done.. It will put me at 14.5 miles for the week. For whatever reason I am incapable of hitting fifteen!! Next week, if stay on target (which NEVER) happens, I will run 16 miles total, and seven on Saturday! And in three weeks I'll run further than I've ever run before!!

loooooooow energy

Ehhhh it was just one of those runs this morning. I felt heavy on my feet and there was no fuel in the tank at all..

But I still pushed through, and did 3 miles. The middle mile I did 15 seconds of fast running with 45 seconds of slow jogging.

Don't have much to say about the run beyond that. I was tired, I pushed through, glad its done, hope I have more energy tomorrow.

Can't keep count

Yesterday was supposed to be a two miler around the track (there's a cold front going through right now so outside running I out of the question. I had some major trouble keeping track of my loops though, and since I didn't look at the time before I started, I have no clue how far I ran. I'm assuming it's somewhere between 1.5 and 2.5 miles, but I've no idea. It was kind of nice though, to just be so consumed with runnin that I forget to think..

Considerig it was the day after my long run I expected more pain, but after some good stretching I felt fine. Low on energy, but no pain or soreness.

Today is a rest day, and tomorrow is a three miler.

The total mileage for this week was 13 miles. If I stay on target, next week it will be 15.5, and the following week 17.

Over and out!

I need a running partner...

...because I need someone to talk to about how exciting it all is!! And even though he completely denies it, I think Joshua is getting a bit tired of hearing me talk about it all the time. Øh måń.

Six easy miles

For whatever reason I was pretty worried that I wouldn't be able to make it, but I did great! Two miles on the treadmill, two around the track, two on the treadmill. Around 4.25 miles I had some GI issues but a two minute bathroom break fixed everything. I had so much energy left in the tank that I sprinted the last .25 mile. Felt awesome! It helped that I had uploaded more music to my iPhone.

My left knee felt a but swollen for the last two miles,but now my right is absolutely aching. Ohh well.

Also, I ran two miles on thursday and took Friday off. Tomorrow I have a two miler and weight training.

Fun run

Well it's not been the best week for me, running-wise, I was sick on Tuesday, so I didn't get around to a run. So I was a little extra strong for yesterdays run. I was supposed to be only two miles, but I was having so much fun, I didn't stop until 3.

Five weeks down, eleven to go!

This was the hardest week of training so far, due to my knee issues, but thankfully it was also a recovery week. Looks like I needed one.
Saturday I ran two miles on the treadmill after a solid warm up and stretching session. My knee felt a little funny after mile one, so I increased from a 12 min/mi to a ten, and it felt a lot better. I might try bumping it up to an 11 min/mi next time to see if my gait straightens out. When I got home I iced my legs for a while.

Yesterday I didn't get my "long" run in until the late afternoon because a couple from church took us out to lunch. I've also not been able to run before hand because we are attending a class. Anyway, I wa a litle apprehensive about running on a full stomach, but I had to fit it in. This week I was scheduled to do four miles. I ran to the gym, did a mile on the treadmill, and ran home. It was so much fun!! I needed a good, long run so badly. I'm glad it wasn't a full long training run though, it was nice to not have to push it. Next week is a six miler, an I might do the same sort of thing - run to the gym, do 3 miles, and run home. Nice to switch it up, especially since I always run alone.

So the total number of miles this week was only 10, since I missed a 2 miler. Next week was supposed to be 17, but it's only 13 now. I've added a third rest day in for the week to make sure my knee can handle training again. But like I said, six miles on Sunday!!

The knee became a problem

After my last post, both of my knees started acting up. It still really hurts to cross my legs, and they hurt to twist. So I took w and th off, which was really hard to do.

Today they felt no better, but since it didn't hurt to walk, I decided to do 2 miles around the track. My legs were SO happy to be back at it! And zero knee issues while I ran. I stretched the outside of my legs a lot when I finished, cuz I think the true cause was my IT band.

6:30 is just so EARLY

Imagine how I'll feel getting up at five..

But I muscled through my workout (ha, "workout," it was just a short run).
My calf siezed up two minutes in, but after some quality stretching, it relaxed.
My knee felt a bit tight too, I should have iced it before leaving the house.

I'm trying to reign in my eating, I need to loose at least 7 lbs, and I think I'll see a lot of knee improvements once I do.

This is when training REALY begins

I got my first taste of what it will be like in the program - last minute reading assignments, inconsistencies, poor communication, etc.

But I managed to kick my butt into gear and get to the gym for my easy two miler. Thank god I did! Nothing relieves stress like a run! It was easy, relatively painless, and fun. I should have iced my knee tho...

So the total mileage for this week was 14.5 miles. Last week I reported 14.4, but it was really 13.4.. So I am up 1.1 miles. Yay me.. Baby steps, folks, baby steps.

Also, I need to stop rewarding myself with crappy food..

Next week I am due to run 13 milers, with four as my long run, a 10% decrease from this week (ish). Tomorrow I have off completely from working out - yay!

I am a bit worried about remaining committed to early morning runs...

We will see!! This semester is going to be CRAZy!

5.5!

Yesterday I skipped my run - I meant to do a two miler but I had forgotten that my shoes were at the gym. So once again, I replaced my cross training day with a non workout. Bleh. I did get a long walk in at least! We went to Winchester at the spur of the moment and didn't get back until midnight. So this morning I slept in pretty late and woke up with an empty stomach.. Two slices of pizza later I was ready to call it quits.

An hour and a cup of tea later, I decided that I was in the mod for a run after all. I went to the gym and did all five and a half without a single walk break. After the first mile I developed a nagging cramp, which I always do if I run after eating. However, I convinced myself to run through it, telling myself that I loved the challenge.

I felt slightly weak and dizzy immediatly afterward, but after getting some calories in me, all was well. My left knee was (is) feeing irritated and slightly swollen, so I iced it for about 45 minutes following the run. I also stretches for once!

Tomorrow I plan to stretch a lot and ice my knee some more. I am doing a two miler, which I hope to do in the am outside before church. We'll see! I'm a little nervous about my knee..

Schools almost here again..

Today I have TEAS testing for the nursing program, so I got to the gym at seven to get my three miles in. I did the first 1.71 on the treadmill watching morning Joe, but I got so overheated that I switched to running around the track. Over all it wasn't that bad of a run. My knee is bothering me a bit now, though. I also didn't do any weight lifting.. Uggh. I need to get on that.

Yesterday I almost missed my two miler, but when Joshua got home from work he helped me get outside. I ran around five, down and around food lion again. I developed a cramp .5 miles in, but I lessened my pace Wichita made it bearable.

Tuesday I did NOT run,
But that's ok cuz I really needed a day off to rest. Not good to run six days a week with no rest after a long run!

Tomorrow I am doing another two miler, but this one will be at the gym in the evening. My long run will be on Saturday or Sunday, and will be 5.5 miles. Right now I'm due to run 15.5 miles this week - not too bad I guess.

I've noticed that my back is getting a lot stronger - it no longer hurts to hold it straight when I run! Not that I have great posture any other time tho!

Ok, battery on my phone's dying, time to go.

cold and sunny

This morning's run was a lot colder than it looked; i'm so glad that I opted for under armour. Especailly since it was only a short one and I had no time to heat up.

I ran from our house down and around Food Lion's parking lot and back up. I was really low on energy again this morning. I'm not sure if it was because yesterday was a long run, or of it's just from the lack of sleep I got last week. Hopefully I get over it, the past two runs I havent' really felt into it. I haven't felt any knee pain though, and I'd rather be bored than in pain any day!

It was really, really sunny out though, which was kind of fun. I tried to smile as I ran, to practice for the race, haha. I want to be a happy runner that inspires others... or at least LOOK like a happy runner.

Tomorrow I am due for a three miler, which I will go to the gym to do so that I can attempt some weight lifting. Also to give my body a break from the hills, cold, and wind that I've been dealing with for the past week. I'll run around the track though, because I'm fairly certain that the treadmill was the cause of my knee issues - maybe running slowly on it changed my gait or something.

I calculated my mileage for the month of December: 26.9 miles! Joshua joked that I could run a marathon now - if they gave me 31 days to do it in..

Yesterday marked the 21st day of training - I guess it's officailly a habit now (supposedly that's how long it takes to form) and it does feel a bit like one. Like I said yesterday, I don't really give myself the option NOT to run when its scheduled.

I may run fewer miles than are scheduled this week, because I don't want to bump it up too far too quickly. Last week I ran 14.4 miles, and if I do all that I've written down to do, this week I'd clock in at 17.5. I may drop one of my 3 milers down to 2, and a two miler down to 1.5, just to mentally give myself the break. I don't want to be all burnt out three months prior to my race! Especailly not burnt out the week that school starts.

A Sunday run

I managed to get out of bed this morning, somehow. I guess because I don't really consider running to be just an option. I'm so glad I did. It was my long run, five miles this time. I ran down across the bridge and back, plus a loop on my street to make it an even five. It was pretty warm for January, a little over 45 degrees. The first two miles were really nice, I listened to Celtic Psalms and felt very relaxed. The second half wasn't as nice but it wasn't bad either. I just felt really sleepy and groggy. Probably has something to do with my large sleep debt...

So I managed five outdoor miles in an hour, with a liberal use of walk breaks, especially up the hills. That is my target time for the race, so that boosted my confidence.

The total mileage for this week was 14.4

Tomorrow I have a two miler scheduled, plus I'm planning on lifting a lot to kind of catch up...

Sooo nervous about how my running will fare once school starts up. It might be just fine tho.. I'm planning on being at the gym by 6 every day.. Oh man.

The holidays are over - finally!

The past week was not such a great one training-wise, but I did have a couple really great runs.

Joshua got me gloves and an ear warmer thing, so I attempted a run on Xmas eve - only managed a mile because I had just eaten.

The next two days we were in PA celebrating with joshua's family, so I didn't Run at all. We did go for two short walks at least.

The next day I was way too exhausted to run, and I basically just sat around.

The 28th I ran only 1.2, and on the 29th I got up really early and did 2.2 before we left for Houghton. I had gotten new shoes the day before, Nike Pegasus. I LOVE them. I do not love the treadmill however and it is bothering my knees.

We were in houghton for the 30th, and I managed a two miler around campus. It was probably the best run I've had... Ever. It was twenty degrees out, very sunny, and there was just a nice covering of old snow. It was wonderful, and a much-needed reminder of why I run.

Yesterday morning I got up and ran again, just a bit under three miles. We were buffalo, so I ran onto elmwood ave. That was a pretty awesome run as well, the time just flew by.