Saturday morning at the family's house. (my family is a collection of renegades that I met throughout college and afterwards) I have been availed of internet access and intend to use it to update my blog. This week I've had excellent runs and hope to have more excellent runs this weekend, sixteen miles tomorrow -- six today. I guess most usually it would make sense for me to mention today's six then tomorrow's sixteen. I have set my next goal for fitness and will probably be writing about that one subsequent to my completion of the marathon on April 19.
Continued from Saturday: After the Sunday long run.
I finished the sixteen today, my last of the training program I am on, my legs are burning and my intensity is increasing. To quote the Pointer Sisters, "I'm So Excited." April 19 is approaching quickly and I am fully ready.
I'm tired and Waiting is on, also read Jackie's blog, you can find it on jackierandomthoughts.blogspot.com, she doesn't like it, but it entertains Whitney and me.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Saturday in the Park (I think it was the 21st of March)
Okay, maybe a play on Chicago lyrics is a corny way to title a post, but it is Saturday and if we can't be silly on Saturday, then there will never be time to be silly.
I ran an 8 mi. today, it felt pretty good, but I was struggling through some of it because it has been a while since I did a run over 6 mi. This week was a great week of training though, and I think I've hopped back on the horse, there were some minor setbacks for a couple of weeks with small injuries and being an emotional support for one of my good friends whose (very close) grandmother passed away. I was only getting in about half of my runs at that point, but this week I have been getting them in, despite a short bout with the flu on Wednesday.
One of the most exciting things I have found out through my training is that when the body is in shape, it has a tendency to stay in shape, this is great news because sometimes life throws curve balls and we have to be flexible enough to adjust schedules and miss various runs because some things (friends, family, work) are more important than running. The good news is, when we are able to make the time to get back to it, much ground is not lost because the body preserves our abilities that are hard-won.
I have taken my last sip of alcohol before the marathon, on Thursday night. No more until after April 19. During January, I gave up drinking also and found out that it is really not very hard and sort of rewarding because there is never a situation where I am not in control over myself.
Positive thought for the day:
The closer we get to where we are going, the less time it takes to get there (think about it, because it seems obvious but I think most people get scared at some distance that is close to their destination and turn around, this retreat makes the trip far longer than it needed to be)
I ran an 8 mi. today, it felt pretty good, but I was struggling through some of it because it has been a while since I did a run over 6 mi. This week was a great week of training though, and I think I've hopped back on the horse, there were some minor setbacks for a couple of weeks with small injuries and being an emotional support for one of my good friends whose (very close) grandmother passed away. I was only getting in about half of my runs at that point, but this week I have been getting them in, despite a short bout with the flu on Wednesday.
One of the most exciting things I have found out through my training is that when the body is in shape, it has a tendency to stay in shape, this is great news because sometimes life throws curve balls and we have to be flexible enough to adjust schedules and miss various runs because some things (friends, family, work) are more important than running. The good news is, when we are able to make the time to get back to it, much ground is not lost because the body preserves our abilities that are hard-won.
I have taken my last sip of alcohol before the marathon, on Thursday night. No more until after April 19. During January, I gave up drinking also and found out that it is really not very hard and sort of rewarding because there is never a situation where I am not in control over myself.
Positive thought for the day:
The closer we get to where we are going, the less time it takes to get there (think about it, because it seems obvious but I think most people get scared at some distance that is close to their destination and turn around, this retreat makes the trip far longer than it needed to be)
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Music to my ears
Today, as I contemplate my workout for the evening, I am excited about the "Strength" workout that I am about to do. Sometimes the monotony of running the same routes at the same pace telling yourself the same little motivators throughout the run becomes too much to handle. Since this week has been a bit hectic, it may be worth reading about my runs.
All weekend I had intended to run, but well intentions are not always action producers, busy with other important endeavors, including cleaning, laundry, and music, I missed both weekend runs. Monday, I had planned my first run back, but after a nap and an invite to a social event, I continued my streak of no runs.
Finally, on Tuesday I found the time to put in a run and I ran a very very strong 7 miles in the rain. The monotony was broken, running in the rain is like a religious experience (if you've never done this, I highly recommend it because it feels like being baptized in the waters of nature). Wednesday I pulled off a 6 mile run in less than 50 minutes. I am having so much fun beating my old records at this point, that I cannot imagine why I ever allowed myself to fall out of shape. I am consistently getting compliments on how slim I look (lost 20lbs since beginning the training program) and I am finally finding renewed motivation to make this marathon dream a reality.
Positive thought for the day:
If you feel like you've hit the bottom, don't worry the bounce back up gets you higher than you have ever been.
All weekend I had intended to run, but well intentions are not always action producers, busy with other important endeavors, including cleaning, laundry, and music, I missed both weekend runs. Monday, I had planned my first run back, but after a nap and an invite to a social event, I continued my streak of no runs.
Finally, on Tuesday I found the time to put in a run and I ran a very very strong 7 miles in the rain. The monotony was broken, running in the rain is like a religious experience (if you've never done this, I highly recommend it because it feels like being baptized in the waters of nature). Wednesday I pulled off a 6 mile run in less than 50 minutes. I am having so much fun beating my old records at this point, that I cannot imagine why I ever allowed myself to fall out of shape. I am consistently getting compliments on how slim I look (lost 20lbs since beginning the training program) and I am finally finding renewed motivation to make this marathon dream a reality.
Positive thought for the day:
If you feel like you've hit the bottom, don't worry the bounce back up gets you higher than you have ever been.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
I Love Twister, Running, and Pizza
Tonight I am watching Twister with my great friend Whitney. I set a PR for my 5 mi run today, that was pretty exciting. That's all for today, I hope you've all had success in your running endeavors and other things.
Positive thought for the day:
Sometimes, we win.
Positive thought for the day:
Sometimes, we win.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
It's Been A While --But Don't Worry!
Wow, life has brought some pretty extreme changes lately. I have been unable to access the internet for long enough to get on here to post anything so now that I finally have a few minutes to myself, here it is.
Training has been going extremely well, I bought a new pair of shoes on Saturday and ran 16 miles in 2h 24m on Sunday. That's a pretty decent pace and I think that I will be in excellent condition to complete the full 26.2 come April 19.
I have been working as a field laborer at Boa lately, not an ideal situation for me, but it is a job which is more than I could ask for in an economy shaping up the way ours is. There are a few good prospective projects on the horizon here and I am very intensely awaiting their arrival so that I can come back in the office and work on what I do best.
Forcing myself to find motivation is becoming my main goal in this battle. I am in good enough shape now to run 10 miles no problem, and 16 on Sunday, while difficult, didn't wear me down like my 15 mile run 2 weeks ago did. After a long day in the field on a construction site, finding the energy and drive to push myself through a 5 mile to 7 mile run is extremely difficult. I have been relatively successful though, and I know that my goal requires me to train, therefore no breaks can be afforded.
I hope everyone reading this can find motivation to push through the adversity that faces them and achieve in big ways.
Positive thought for the day:
Without the struggle of pain we wouldn't know the beauty of pleasure.
Training has been going extremely well, I bought a new pair of shoes on Saturday and ran 16 miles in 2h 24m on Sunday. That's a pretty decent pace and I think that I will be in excellent condition to complete the full 26.2 come April 19.
I have been working as a field laborer at Boa lately, not an ideal situation for me, but it is a job which is more than I could ask for in an economy shaping up the way ours is. There are a few good prospective projects on the horizon here and I am very intensely awaiting their arrival so that I can come back in the office and work on what I do best.
Forcing myself to find motivation is becoming my main goal in this battle. I am in good enough shape now to run 10 miles no problem, and 16 on Sunday, while difficult, didn't wear me down like my 15 mile run 2 weeks ago did. After a long day in the field on a construction site, finding the energy and drive to push myself through a 5 mile to 7 mile run is extremely difficult. I have been relatively successful though, and I know that my goal requires me to train, therefore no breaks can be afforded.
I hope everyone reading this can find motivation to push through the adversity that faces them and achieve in big ways.
Positive thought for the day:
Without the struggle of pain we wouldn't know the beauty of pleasure.
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