TWO Goals Down...

I achieved TWO of my goals today!

*running 3 miles straight
*running for 30 minutes straight


After my pilates class I went upstairs to the indoor track. I decided to do something similar to this past Wednesday. After a warm up walk of 200m I set to running. The first mile was a 1-1 rotation (1 normal pace, 1 pushing it, repeat) followed by 2-2 (2 normal, 2 pushing it, repeat) for mile 2 then another 1-1 for mile 3. The 3rd mile was a spur of the moment let me see if I can do it decision. Of course now I am kicking myself because I should have gone that extra .1 to have made it a 5k...oh well, I'm sure I can achieve that next time.

Before starting this I had set my watch to what I thought was 20 minutes (I had had a vague idea of at least running that long) but had in actuality set it to 20 hours. Smart, I know. At any rate, it allowed me to figure out that I had done my 3 miles in 35 minutes. Not too shabby.

Now another goal I need to add is 3 miles straight OUTSIDE. With hills. And heat. And humidity. And horseflies. Lol Bring it on!

Humid and Hot

Not too much to say today. Hard run with the humidity and heat with more walking than I would have liked. The run was at the park as usual, and we plan to go running there again on Wednesday. Also, saw a deer, no armadillos, and only the buzz of a horsefly. Really appreciating the bug spray and running gear I have.

The Armadillos and Horseflies Sanctuary (AKA Huntsville State Park)

As usual I saw an armadillo on the trail today. Oh, and I had to run away from a horsefly. Those things are great little coaches- if I feel like slowing down and one of them is around, I force myself to keep going while simultaneously trying to swat at it. Sort of a full body workout. :-P And actually, the armadillos are useful too...great for testing your reaction time and startle response. What more could you want in a run?

I wasn't sure we would be running at the park considering the rain that has been on and off all day. Luckily it stayed dry for the entire hour of the run. While it was quite humid from the rain, the temperature was really nice.

I left my ipod in the trunk since I did not want to risk it getting wet if it did start to rain while on the trail. I am slowly weaning myself off my dependence on it...I concentrated on my breathing when it got tough instead.

I also pushed myself a little harder on this run. I ran the first mile and a half as usual and then started my walks...but they were fewer and farther between. Yay for improvements!

A Change of Scenery

I went to pilates from 4-5pm today and then Andrew met me at the HKC's indoor track to get in some running. I decided I wanted to try a little speedwork...or at least some version of it. What I came up with was running at my normal speed for a lap, picking it up for a lap, slowing it down again for another, picking it back up for the next, etc. for the first two miles. Since the indoor track takes 8 laps to equal a mile, my change ups were basically every 200 meters. I then walked two laps (a 400) and did 1 last mile in the same format with my friend Katie and ended it with another 2 lap cool down.

Overall it felt really good. After the toughness of the humidity, heat, hills, and roots, the combination of the air conditioning, the flatness, and the sense of accomplishment of finishing a lap so quickly (or at least the appearance of) were welcome sensations. Not that I am by any means confining all my running to the track now-but it is a nice change on occasion.

It was also nice to just listen to my ipod for the first two miles and chat with Katie for the last one. As usual Andrew pretty much smoked me...that's okay though- I'll be able to keep up with him eventually. :-P :-)

One Whole Year Already...

Today was our one year wedding anniversary. To celebrate, we went running at the state park with fellow seven hills members and renegades followed by dinner for two at Giovanni's. Andrew bought me a dozen roses which so far the cats have not "pruned". Before running at 5:30pm I did pilates from 4-5. Between pilates today and running yesterday this run was a little more difficult, but I got through it. I think I am getting better at getting through it with less walking.

We also ate some of our year old cake top. We peeled back the fondant icing to get to the cake part. While I don't mind trying the cake, I do not have the same opinion regarding the icing. Surprisingly the cake tasted fine.

Here are some anniversary pictures for your amusement:


Reading the note Andrew wrote to go with the flowers. We also wrote each other separate letters as "paper" gifts which we exhanged and read later in the evening.
This was taken at Giovanni's after gorging ourselves on their really good food.
This is the top of our cake, the flowers Andrew gave me, and the letters. Pretty huh?
And eating cake...we scraped all the icing off. Yay cake. Yum.
So Andrew decided to grab an especially large piece and try to shove it in my face. He's so sweet...right. Oh well, makes for an entertaining picture. Notice the piece I am giving him is tiny as requested.

Change of Plans

So I have pretty much quit the couch to 5k plan in favor of the run/walk longer distance plan I have been abiding by more and more lately. I plan to try this out for a while and see how it goes. I stopped following it closely after week 7 day 2. All I had left was one day of 25 minutes straight followed by 3 days of 28 minutes and 3 days of 30 minutes. The problem is this plan is designed for me to do that certain number of minutes and then be done...but I really enjoy the longer route at the park. There's no way I can finish the entire thing in 30 minutes, so I figure my compromise of pushing myself to go farther but with more walking to take the distance is building my endurance up more. Besides, I want to move beyond running only a straight 30 minutes and perhaps this way I can do it more efficiently...or at least make it more enjoyable.

We went out to the Huntsville State Park today which is quickly becoming a Sunday tradition. The first part of the route I ran completely in about 15 minutes (I think the distance is about a mile and a half) followed by run/walking the rest. Once again I brought along my ipod for those moments when I needed a little extra motivation. I only almost fell about three times today. No armadillos on the trails but plenty of bikers and a few hikers. Following the run I drank my 12 oz. powerade as usual. That's pretty much the extent of the run this morning. Andrew and I plan to go again tomorrow. After all, what better way to celebrate a year of marriage than running together? lol

Another Day, Another Run

Andrew and I went for another run with some of the Renegades at the Huntsville State Park at 5:30. The weather was surprisingly nice-a bit of a breeze without the sun beating down too heavily on us. I brought along my ipod for those moments when I needed a little extra motivation and distraction. I was a little worried about running today after running yesterday, but it ended up not being an issue. My body was probably just so glad I didn't have a hill like Avenue O on the trail. :-P

Overall I think it was a 4 mile trek. I managed to run the first 15 minutes without stopping and then alternated between running and walking the rest. I think I tripped on roots about 4 times, but I managing to catch myself and keep going. I also did a nice little dance with a branch at one point that wanted to run along with me. I'm hoping maybe the core training I have been doing is paying off and is why I did not crash to the ground.

I think I am going to try to find some decent pilates workout videos I can do at home for when I do not have time to go to the HKC for the class and for during the break between summer 1 and summer 2. Anyone have any suggestions?

The Avenues

We went running tonight with other Seven Hills Running members in commemoration of Ken's 2,000th day of his streak. It was the first time I had ever done the avenues route. I knew to expect hills since, after all, we are in Huntsville. Also, Andrew had run the route before and told me about it. It was definitely a challenge, especially tackling Avenue O.

I managed to bring up the rear as the caboose, jogging most of the 5k with walking spats here and there. I don't mind being the last person except I worry that I am slowing everyone else down. I can't wait for when my endurance level is built up a bit more and I can run longer and at a better pace. That's my goal. I guess my more concrete goal though is to be able to race a 5k by September. That gives me enough time to train, right? This week is my 8th week running.

I did end up walking earlier than I would have liked when I got a side stitch on my right side. Unfortunately trying to keep running and ignore it did not work very well, but at least it did go away eventually. I would have hated it if it had stuck with me for the rest of the run.

Overall, it was a fun run and it was great meeting more club members tonight. I look forward to other Seven Hills events. And the spaghetti dinner was very nice too. :-)

Also, I went to pilates from 4-5 today but skipped out on power yoga since I was going running. I was not sure my body would allow me to do two classes back to back followed by an hour rest and then a 5k. I decided not to find out.

Pushing my Distance Run/Walk Style

Little sore today. While I meant to finish week 7 day 3 yesterday (running 25 minutes straight) I kind of made a substitution. Andrew and I decided to go running at the state park with some Seven Hills Running Club members instead of just running a route in the avenues. All in all it ended up being a 4 or 5 mile run/walk. I think I ran the first 15 minutes straight at least and after that went into run/walk mode. Overall it was a lot of fun, and we plan to do it again on Thursday. I really appreciated my new water bottle and my running clothes!

As for today, it is back to pilates and yoga. I may run tomorrow or declare it a rest day since I have a test to continue studying for in addition to reading for class. Tuesdays tend to be my longest days since I have a four hour night class along with my M-F 10-12 class and the statistics lab M-Th from 12 to (at the latest) 3.

Running Gear

Between Academy and Luke's Locker, I now have more running gear besides my shoes. I got two shirts, a pair of shorts, a sports bra, a water bottle I can carry while running, and a pack to have on my waist for my phone and keys. Overall, a pricey but well worth it shopping trip. Luckily both of my shirts were on sale, so that cut the cost a little. Andrew also got a pair of shorts and a shirt. We are looking forward to a run tomorrow morning to test out some of the new gear...and beat the heat!


Here are a few pictures of what I bought today...yay, no cotton!

Tough Run But Got Through It

Today's jog was tough. I went to the Hunstville State Park with Andrew and Adrienne as planned for a 6:30pm run, same route as last time. I think a combination of it being the end of the week, eating a little too much before the run, the humidity, and the increase in my exercise program with the yoga and pilates was what did me in. Granted, I still finished the entire 25 minutes (week 7 day 2), but it was harder to keep going. I didn't add on any extra time like I did this past Sunday nor feel quite as good finishing. I was able to increase my pace in the last minute which I did enjoy. All in all though, I think I ended up running about 2 miles though despite everything and am thrilled about that. I'm hoping Sunday's run will be better.

Oh, I also learned today that horseflies are evil little things. There I was, doing my cool down walk, when this small black thing dives for and lands on my leg. I brush it off and keep walking, only to have it dive bomb the other leg. This repeats another time with it actually landing on my leg and taking a tiny munch which definitely got my attention. Yet again I swatted it off, attempted to step on it, and ended up having to just give in and run away from it...so I guess technically I did over my 25 minutes today, thanks to the little vampire in the park. Yay for wildlife!

And for anyone reading this...any suggestions for playlists to listen to while running? I'm thinking of adding some more songs to my ipod soon. All for now!

Workout Schedule and Plans

This was my workout schedule for earlier this week and today:

Sunday: C25K Week 6 Day 3 (25-27 minute jog...approximately 2 or 2 1/2 miles)
Monday: pilates 4-5pm; power yoga 6-7pm
Tuesday: C25K Week 7 Day 1 (another 25 minute jog...approximately 2.15 miles)
Wednesday pilates 4-5pm; power yoga 5-6pm
Today (Thursday): yoga 5-6pm

I'm hoping the weather is nice tomorrow so I can complete Week 7 Day 2 (25 minute jog) at the Huntsville State Park with Andrew and Adrienne. That's where I completed my Sunday run, and I really enjoyed it. I managed to keep my usual steady pace, increase on the last minute, and even continue for a minute or so more at that increased pace before I decided I should probably move into my cool down walk and not push myself too far. In reality it was more like a 26 or 27 minute jog which is great because week 8 will be 28 minute runs...and if I could almost do it on Sunday, I feel confident that I will be able to this next week.

In regards to the state park, we are likely going to purchase a pass tomorrow. At 4 dollars a person for the daily entrance fee, that can really add up, especially if we make a point to keep jogging there regularly. On the bright side, apparently once we have a pass anyone in the car with us gets in free too...which will make that 60 dollars well spent in not too long a time.

Anyway, more tomorrow when I (hopefully) have the chance to go running. Here's to hoping any rain on the way comes tomorrow night after running the trails!

The How and Why of It All...

After several years of sporadic activity and the "freshman 15" that seemed to come, go, and come again, this past February I decided I was not happy with this arrangement...and more importantly, that it was time to do something about it.

In May of 2007 my parents had bought me an exercise bike as a graduation present (per my request) which, after getting married in June and starting my graduate degree that August, became more often than not a close hanger or decorative fixture than a piece of exercise equipment. It wasn't necessarily that I found excuses not to use it-I just never made it a priority. I always had something else that I could be doing instead.

Then this January Husby and I decided to move to a different apartment in the same apartment complex. I used the move to spur myself into action. I set up the new apartment so that my bike was easily accessible in the office, and I could watch tv shows or movies on my computer as well as read while I biked. I told myself I was going to bike 10 miles a day everyday...and I did. The few days I missed I made up for by doing more the other days. Granted, this probably wasn't the smartest way to start off with so much so soon, but it got me off the couch and doing some activity. I started with the easier programs and worked my way up so as not to strain myself too much. I knew that if I had to get out of my apartment and to the gym, I wouldn't do it.

Not too long after, in February, I finally decided to start Weight Watchers and added that into my routine along with the exercise. I had several friends who had successfully lost weight with this program and who had been telling me about it since the fall. I could see that it worked, but I just wasn't ready then to commit to it. By the time I started WW I had already lost about 4 pounds, but I wanted to lose more.

I stuck with the biking for a while, and then started to branch out. I tried the ellipticals, the other cardio machines at the gym, swimming, and even participated in two triathlons (I did the 10-mile bike ride as part of a relay both times). Then I found the Couch to 5K running plan on www.coolrunning.com. I have always been more a sprinter than a long distance runner when I was a runner at all. I used to hate to run any sort of distance in athletics and viewed running as punishment. I did not mind it when I was playing softball or intramural football...but running just to run? Why?

Since then I have changed my tune, so to speak. While I am still fighting mental battles with myself about whether this is something I can really do, I find, when I just let myself go, I can. My goal is to be able to run a 5K comfortably at least once, even if I never do it again after that.

I guess all of this is as good an explanation as any as to how and why I find myself where I am today. I don't want to live my life on the couch, or making buttprints in the sands of time...what fun is that? I want to push myself and see who I can be-and what I can do.

I am currently working on finishing the Couch to 5K program (I am on week 7) and participating in pilates and yoga at the gym.