Post Run Munchies

Never have I felt so in need of food after a run. I guess I ate pretty light and pretty healthy today. I ran 5 miles at the gym, lifted a few free weights, did some death sit ups (where you balance on your butt and extend the arms and legs out simultaneously and then pull them back in) and afterward guzzled a bunch of water and decided to treat myself to sorbet (which turned into gelato) but I didn't eat too much of the bad stuff, especially since I need to eat right during my training. And then it hit me. I needed protein STAT. So I ran downstairs and cooked up some chicken, mixed it with some leftover rice and stir fry veggies all in about a 5 minute prep time and I must have finished that plate in 3 minutes. Anyway, this hasn't happened to me before and I thought it was kind of funny/shows me that I need to pay more attention to what I eat and how I'm eating before/after runs--especially after so that I can recover.

The run tonight was a really positive run. I've been feeling quite down lately and was having a serious case of cabin fever and having negative thoughts. I let it get to me and slept sooo much over the past few days to pass time. I had no motivation. Today I woke up at 2pm because I had insomnia 'til 4am, but then I was like, you know what? screw this. I'm being productive with my day. And I was. And on the treadmill (I was dreading the treadmill today), I kept thinking about why I run and thinking about how good I felt, I got lost in my music and the rhythm of my run. I kept thinking about my goals--running goals and goals for life in general--goals for the coming semester included. At mile 4 I was having a tough time with side stitches, but I pushed myself through the last mile, including several sets of sprints. I feel so much better after I run--I sleep better, I worry less, I'm proud of myself. It's intense how much running has such positive effects on my life. I like how it pushes me to get better too and these next few months will be the ultimate test--the true test of my willpower.

Tomorrow is my first day of training. I'm going to be doing a mixture of yoga and pilates to fulfill my strength training requirement for the day. Here goes nothin'.

Decision

I know this might sound strange, but instead of continuing to train for a 10K, I'm going to start a plan for training for a half. I am able to run 5 miles pretty consistently. I came across a plan over the summer in some fitness magazine...to train for a 5k/10k/half. Well, in the interest of saving money and not taking time off of work to run the 10k, I plan on jumping into the 10K training plan during the 3rd of the 6 week training so that I can finish the 10K training in sooner than a full 6 because really, I've been working toward that all along. I plan on running the 10K by myself (not signing up for anything because I really can't spare the time to drive to DC and there are unfortunately no Richmond or Cville races anytime soon). Then I want to jump into half training, which is another 6 weeks, but this would leave me enough time to complete the training and then run in the Charlottesville Half! OH THE POSSIBILITIES. So now I'm pumped.

Oh right, running update. Not yesterday (because I slept in and then worked a LOOOOONG shift) but the day before, I knocked out 5 miles in 53 minutes on the treadmill. I felt pretty good too. What I noticed though is that I need some different running music or maybe just a playlist because I get bored and end up trying to switch up the iPod tunes every few minutes, which actually takes some energy and coordination which I can't afford to spare while I'm trying to stay up on a treadmill (I tend to zigzag and get rather close to the end of the treadmill when this happens).

And a little update on the plan I'll be following. This training plan consists of strength training (i.e. yoga, pilates, or toning exercises), cross training (i.e. swimming, cycling or other non- running cardio), and speed 2 workouts (speed 1 workouts were left behind after the 5K portion of the training) and those include warming up for 1 mile, "then alternate two hard minutes with two easy minutes for 1 mile" and cooling down for .5 mi to 1 mi after that. **Thank you Self magazine.** 5/7 days are spent doing these workouts and then 2 are for resting. I plan on starting on MONDAY!!! I'm pumped and yet sort of terrified.

I'm also kinda freaked out about working 15-20 hrs a week + interning 10 hrs a week + my 13 credit hours + training, but I guess this just means I'll be waking up earlier on some mornings. At least the days are getting longer and they'll gradually start getting warmer. April 9th, here I come.

Victory! (Kind of)

Well, I ran much better today. I think I was so frustrated about yesterday that I pushed myself more today. I ran outside in the bitter winter cold, wind and hills included. Lots of hills. It was sunny though, and I'm a big fan of running in sunny patches when it's chilly out. I headed out with the plan of running my usual outdoor loop when I thought of running downtown on top of the loop which boosted my run to a total of 4.32 miles in 47:06, which isn't horrible for me and hills--especially when I thought I was out of shape as of yesterday. Perhaps my body needed yesterday to be a simple run. I started getting tired on the last mile or so, but I pushed myself up the last of the few hills. Luckily, the stretch downtown is mostly flat, minus running over the train bridge. So all and all, happy with my run and it was definitely good to get some fresh air, even when it was quite cold outside.

Frustration

So. I'm going to be shamefully honest here. I haven't gone running since Christmas morning and that was only a 2.8 mile run around the neighborhood. I've been eating nothing but junk food it seems, too--cookies, candy, chips...I had no restraint for the past 2 weeks. I guess I was just preoccupied and happy, definitely happy. Not about the junk food or the lack of exercise, but about being around the people I love and being home and having fun without worrying about being at work because I had some time off. I think the only exercise I've done beyond Christmas morning was rock wall climbing, which isn't exactly cardio but is great for working the fingers and arms--oh, and a bit of swing dancing.

Anyway, so today I decided to try treadmill running to ease back into things. I've been scared to start up again after the hiatus because I've been too worried to face how my endurance has suffered. Well, the verdict is that, indeed, my stamina/endurance has suffered greatly. At mile 2 (running at a slowwww pace) I felt like my chest was going to explode. It was really tight and I was huffing and puffing. I knew my goal of 4 miles was not going to happen. I slowed my pace down even more to try to make it to 3 mi. Around mile 2.5, I was having such an internal battle between my mind and my legs that I had to stop. I was ashamed to stop. I was disappointed in myself and still am because I probably could have made it to 3 mi. if I had really tried. Well, I guess it can only get better from here. I feel like I've definitely fallen away from my goal of training for a 10K by February, but perhaps it'll still happen. I just have to get back into a rhythm and try not to let this affect me too much. : \

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, everyone. Haven't written in a while--I've been quite preoccupied. I picked the boy up at the airport last weekend and we've been doing stuff constantly since. We bravely ran together a few days ago through his very hilly neighborhood. It was pretty crazy and pretty cold, and by the end of it, I had a huge knot in my chest. The thing was though, as much as I dreaded the hills, I pumped myself up as I started up them and by the end was going full force and then I took it easier on the down slopes.

So for Christmas I traveled to the beach, where there are no hills *cheering*. I woke up at 8 o'clock this morning to get in a 3 mile run before a day of completely gorging myself with all sorts of savory dishes. Let me just say, Guinness brownies are my new favorite thing. Anyway, so I don't feel as bad about myself for eating so much (key word AS because I still feel like a pig). Needless to say, tomorrow is going to be healthier and lighter...It's also snowing (ugh) which is pretty, but when traveling, it is not so pleasant. So there won't be running, at least tomorrow :(

On a brighter note, I got an awesome North Face type of under-armor shirt that repels moisture and has a built in pocket so that I can carry keys/phone with me without having to put them random places like in my sock (painful) or my sports bra (awkward). I also got some awesome wool socks for outdoors stuff like running and/or skiing, which I really want to start up.

Merry Xmas!

Getting Back Into the Routine

Well, as everyone saw from the previous post, being at home was just a bunch of eating out and baking of cookies. I got back to C'ville yesterday with intentions to run, but the weather decided to be ridiculous and snow 4 inches. I barely made it back and once I was done sliding around in my 2-wheel drive tiny compact car, I took a long nap because I was so tired after that drive. So today I ventured out...to the bus stop to hitch a ride to the gym. I had intentions of running 5 miles but the minute I got on the treadmill I knew it was not going to be a fun run. At mile 2.5 I was panting and gasping for air and trying to chug my water whilst running (which I am horrible at let me just say). So I had water running all down my chin and was gasping...but in the end I somehow managed to run 4 miles in 42:24. I think part of the difficulty of that run may have been the celebratory champagne I had last night + the box of junk food I got in the mail (my exam box arrived after exams ended...hah) Anyway, it just shows how it pays off to consistently run without a 3 day break (ugh, kicking myself) and lots of junk food. Now that I don't have to go into work tonight I had time to make myself a yummy lunch (spaghetti and marinara) and I think I'm going to spend the rest of my day wrapping Christmas presents, updating my iTunes library and perhaps watching a movie while sketching or doing some water color. I also plan on running in the morning before I pick up the boy at the airport as long as I can manage to don enough layers so that I don't freeze in the snow.

Also, here's a good article on how to beat the blues of indoor treadmill running. It was an interesting article with some good ideas, although personally, if I have an awesome running mix to listen to, I don't mind treadmills at all.

Home

Welcome home, welcome to holiday cookie central, welcome to eating out! I decided to come home for a couple of days to break the monotony of C'ville. I'm going back tomorrow though which is probably a good idea because as of now, I feel like a fatty. The last two days have been a lot of eating out with family and friends, catching up over a yummy salad or sandwich that probably wasn't too good for me after all. Not to mention today I decided I'd make cookies for the boy, and ... well I had to test one...or two. They are great by the way. No running whatsoever because of the crazy wind, but thinking about a run tomorrow in the snow. Ugh. Snow. It's gonna be a cold one.