Ugh

I've just been trudging along, in regards to my running and everything else in my life. What a drag.

Last week I only got out for one run, and it was on Monday (3 mi, 32:30), so it's been quite a while since I've hit the pavement. I've gotta prevent myself from losing momentum. I didn't run for the sake of running on Sunday, but I played some ultimate for and hour and a half, and I can't even begin to tell you how sore it made me. Moving at all, in any direction, requires the use of muscles which are currently recovering. I didn't run yesterday (I though it best to let my body catch up to me). It's kind of funny, you think you're in fairly good shape, then you change it up for one workout and your body ends up besting you.

In any case, I woke up this morning intending to run, still felt really sore, and decided not to run. Then I changed my mind and decided I was looking for excuses, laced up, and hit the streets. It hurt, but it was a good hurt, not an I'm-going-to-regret-this hurt. Phew. I feel much better now. I ran 2.25 miles at an 11:19 pace (25:24 total) in gorgeous 58 degree weather - so warm for November in New England!

A bit better

Today I'm in a much better mood than I was yesterday. My adviser never sent back edits for the abstract I had due yesterday, so I ended up doing it on my own. I don't think it's very high quality, but I think just forcing myself to get it done and not relying on someone else really helped.

I woke up this morning and did a weigh-in (usually it's on Saturdays, but I am partaking in a New Year's Eve challenge and they weigh-in on Thursdays). Here are the results:

SW: 214.6

LW: 208.6

CW: 204.6

I'm feeling good! I don't know if it's my scale that's weird or my body, but something seems to prefer the .6 increment. Anyway! I did a nice 3 miler this morning at 33:45. It took me a WHILE to get warmed up, but I got there eventually and had a decent run because I willed myself to get past that first 1.5 miles. Also, my new Under Armor is AWESOME. Absolutely no chaffing, whereas is used to start at about mile 2. Woot!

PS - This is OFFICIALLY the lightest I've weighed in... what is it? About 8 years. At least 8 years.

Womp

I seem to be in an emotional/intellectual funk that I cannot get myself out of. I just don't care about school anymore. No matter what I try to accomplish, I end up on the verge of tears begging for the end.

Yesterday was a particularly bad day - it seemed like everything in the world was pitted against me. I bet you're thinking, "But then this really awesome thing happened, right?!" Nope. It was just an awful day, and it didn't help that I was unable to get a run in. I ate poorly (not necessarily junk, but I ate sporadically and didn't get enough nutrition), didn't get enough water, and just generally wanted to cry about every five minutes.

I got myself moving this morning and all I could muster was 2.25 miles before I was internally screaming mercy. Coupled with my foul mood, I was a bit dehydrated and I didn't eat anything before I went out. It was just no good. It wasn't the worst run ever, but it's the worst run I've had in a while. On the plus side: no chaffing!

I have an abstract due today for an academic conference in April - there's still a lot of work to be done, so here's to hoping I can bang it out and get over my moping.

Getting faster, running longer!

Today I set out thinking that I would do a solid 1.5 miles, jog slowly for a few minutes, and then pick it back up and run one more mile, for a total of ~2.5 miles. I got on the treadmill and thought to myself, "This is a dreadmill day." I don't run with music and I don't cover up the display in front of me. Running may be a physical activity, but I think that it's equally mental. Every time I run, I try my hardest to best the display, and pay less and less attention to it. I say that it was a dreadmill day because I looked at the display after about 20 seconds. This was going to be a tough one.

The first mile was tough - and it often is for me. After running only a couple of minutes, 25 more just seems so impossible. It's not, and I know it's not, sometimes it just feels that way. In any case, I made it to one mile, and then I told myself that after 1.5 miles at 5.5, I could bring it down. Then I thought, "Bring it down? You mean let this machine beat me? Ain't gonna happen!" I ran to 2 miles. Just 2 miles? I did that yesterday, easy-peasy. How about 3? And how about I run it a little faster than I did last time? Sure. After 2 miles, I did ease it down to 5.4, then 5.3, then 5.1, and I ran until I hit the 3.0 marker at 33:19. That's the fastest I've ever run 3 miles!

Mile 1: 11:03

Mile 2: 10:53

Mile 3: 11:23

I obviously slowed down a bit in the end, but overall this is the fastest I've accomplished 3 miles, and I feel AWESOME! I am 26 seconds faster than I was on Saturday, and 1:41 faster than I was on Friday!

My goal a few weeks ago was to reach 202 lbs by November 2nd, which is a week from today. That's not going to happen, because I seemed to have hit a little snag at 208. That's quite alright with me, though, at least for now. Chaffing is getting pretty bad, though. I definitely need to invest in some better shorts.

Lazy Sunday

I've accomplished very little on this beautiful autumn Sunday. I managed to motivate myself to get outside to run (something I haven't done in weeks). My body has acclimated to the easy-faux terrain of a treadmill, so it was nice to give my body a little bit of work, even in a recovery run, which today (finally) was. I ran a mile-long out-and-back.

Mile 1: 12:09

Mile 2: 12:26

Not bad considering I've only missed one day of running in the past 9 days, yesterday I ran 4 miles, I ran outside in week, and I somehow managed to pull a muscle in my lower left back. It was nice to be outside for a change, and I think my body appreciated it. The slower splits are likely a result of my relentless running this week, as well as variegated ground. I like it, it made me happy to get some sun. I also thought the run would help loosen up my back a bit. It did while I was running, but now I'm all tight again.

After my run, I showered quickly and went over to have brunch (their breakfast, my lunch) with a group of friends that I haven't had a chance to spend time with so far this semester. It was really nice, and we had a huge array of food (mostly unhealthy), but I rationed myself well. Even so, I'm still full.

Besides by run and brunch fun, I've literally done nothing today. I slept in (until 9!), lazed, ran, and spent too much time doing nothing with friends. It was so nice to see them though, so I don't care much about how my work will kick my ass this week. ALSO, one of my friends told me how great I looked! Hell yeah.

Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse

According to the film Zombieland, the number one key to surviving is cardio. Screw losing weight and getting healthy, I don't want to be torn to shreds by a flesh eating semblence of a human!

For this reason, and this reason alone (okay, not really), I pushed myself during my run today. I pushed hard. I set out wanting to get in a solid mile. Just one. After already running 10 this week when my goal was 7, I just wanted to keep momentum going but give my muscles a little rest. Psssh. Why not run 4? That's what I did instead. Something that I've only achieved twice before, today I did it in style.

Yesterday's 3 mile run took me 35:00. Today I got to the 3 mile marker at 33:45. I shaved off 1:15! Heck yeah, I say. Nay, I scream! At the 5k marker I was at 36:10, and I finished 4 miles in 45:10. That's awesome, especially since I only aimed to complete 1.

After the first mile I was just feeling so great that I kept going. Mile 2 was a little tough, but I got through it. Should I stop here? Nah, go for 3, I thought. Maybe you can finish a little bit faster. And I did. Then I thought, you still have some energy, might as well just try for 4. At this point, my fat thighs had chaffed to the point that the skin broke, and I was considerably irritated. Had it not been for that, I think I could have gone for 5. Oh well! It was a great run, of which I am particularly proud. I think I should invest in some longer spandex - my current pair rides up quite a bit.

Take THAT scale. I bested you in the best way possible.

Weigh-in bummer? Not really.

So I woke up this morning, my weigh-in day, so excited to see that all my runs this week had payed off! I raked in a good and solid 10 miles this week, which is huge for me! In addition to my daily runs, I got in upper body, lower body, and core strength training sessions. I also managed to stay around the 1400-1500 calorie range, and most days stayed within other nutrition ranges (fiber, protein, fat, and carbohydrates). Lo and behold, the scale wishes to try and demoralize me!

Last week: 208

This week: 208.6

I won't fall for his tricks this time: the scale is a damned fool! I won't be listening too much to what he has to say. I know I've made progress this week. On Sunday, I was only able to get in my 2 miles by taking a walking break. By Wednesday, I tackled the 2 miles full on. Yesterday, I said to hell with 2 and kept going until I hit 3.

I feel good this week, regardless of what the scale says.

Success!

FINALLY! I've made it back to 3.0 mile land. I did it a little bit slow (35 minutes), but I did it nonetheless! And with no walking breaks :)

What a great way to start the weekend! And I've been really good about keeping my nutrition within range and drinking all of my water. This is going to be a short post, because I really need to shower and do some work before my noon class. Farewell for now!

Forgive me bloggers, for I have sinned...

Tonight I ate 2.5 cream cheese brownies.

Now I feel gross. Not like, "Ew, I can't believe I ate that many calories/fat on something so dumb," but rather "My stomach is turning in revulsion of this huge amount of sugar/chocolate."

Bad move. Won't happen again. Still within calorie limit for the day though! It's not great, but at least I didn't totally trash my day.

Gym tomorrow! Weeeeee! Also, mid-term tomorrow. Boooooo!

Weight Loss

Obviously, as a 200+ pounder, weight loss is the primary goal of running, at least for me. Every time I "get back on the horse" I make it down to about the point I'm currently at, 207/208 lbs., and give up. I refuse to let that happen this time. When I came to college, I was ~235, so I've lost a good chunk of weight, and kept ~20 lbs. off for three years, but every time I stop running and stop paying attention to what I eat, I got back up to around 215.

When I started running again three weeks ago, I weighed 214.6 lbs. My last weigh-in on Saturday put me in at 208 lbs. I REALLY want to be under 207 this week. It would be the lowest weight I've been since I can remember - probably since freshman year of high school. I'm not going to brood over it if I don't, though. I should be getting my period this week, which means bloating and whatnot, so I won't be surprised if I'm 208 again.

Anyway, here's my plan. I'm eating. I'm not really restricting myself from foods, but I'm monitoring my intake and controlling portion sizes. It's so funny how we stretch our stomachs to the extent that we need a huge plate full of food to feel full - that's so unnecessary! Other than that, I am limiting myself on sweets. I was raised in an environment where greasy, salty, fried snacks were always around, and after-dinner desserts were assumed. That's not right, and that's not healthy. It wasn't until I got to college that I realized that not everyone had dessert EVERY night (seriously). So I'm not cutting desserts out, just cutting them waaaaaay back.

I have a goal to run at least 7 miles a week. So far I've run 2 on Sunday, 2 on Monday. Today's an impromptu rest day for me, for three reasons: (1) I've run on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, so my muscles could use a day to rest; (2) I got a massive blister on my achilles during my run yesterday, so I'm giving it another day to heal; and (3) I have too much to do today (worst of the reasons). I'm doing stregth training 3x a week, with upper-body on Mondays, lower-body on Wednesdays, and core on Fridays.

Also drinking a TON of water, and trying to be as optimistic as possible about life in general.

So that's that. I've got to go get some work done, but I'll be checking back in soon!

This past week hasn't been so great running-wise. I went home for Fall Break and didn't manage to get any running in - all of my time not spent with family, I was trying to complete all of my homework. Then during the school week, I was just struggling to get all of my work done.

Today I went for my first run in a week, and it was tough, but I got it done. I ran 1.5 miles at a 10:30 pace, which is way faster than I had been running in the past few weeks. I would say that normal pace for me was anywhere from 11:15 to 11:30, so that was pretty cool. I guess the intervals I did last week really paid off!

In any case, though I may not have gotten enough exercise in, I'm still down weight, from 209.6 to 208. I'll take 1.6 pounds!

It's starting to get too cold to run outside, though :( It was SNOWING yesterday. It's mid-October, and it was snowing! Preposterous. Anyway, just gotta keep on moving.

Apparently, when the going gets tough, I don't get going - I quit. This has been an obvious theme in my attempts at health, weight loss, and fitness. This is a stupid theme. I don't want to accept it. I won't accept it. I've been 200+ pound since I was 14. That's preposterous! How does a 14 year old girl get to be that fat? By eating a lot and not moving at all.

Since the semester started, I've managed to find a routine/schedule that is inclusive of adequate sleep, time to eat (although sometimes it's in class or my lab), class, class work, work, friends, and exercise! I have an okay streak going this week - I went for a run Monday, Tuesday and today.

This morning when I got out of bed (a little later than usual because I stayed up to watch the Biggest Loser on hulu last night), I almost decided to do some readings instead of hit the gym. I had to be somewhere at 9, and I reasoned that I wouldn't have enough time to do everything I wanted at the gym, plus it was raining. This is dumb. Not enough time to do everything I wanted? Sure, that's true. Enough time to do a warm-up run and get in some interval training? Of course! I rolled out of bed, threw on my running clothes, and headed out the door.

I hate running on treadmills, but as it was raining, I didn't have much of a choice but to go to the gym. I actually wasn't going to run, I was going to bike instead, but I forgot reading material and I can't handle the bike without something in front of me. Three days of plain old running in a row was not looking good for me, so I ran 5 minutes on 5.3 (I some speed and most of my endurance over the summer), then ran hard at 6.0 for a minute and walked for a minute. I kept up the intervals of one minute running, one minute walking while increasing the running speed at each interval until I got to 6.5 and then had a nice long cool down. I could have kept going, but I had my 9 am deadline, so I stretched, ran home (only about 2 minutes), showered, and made it on time.

I think I just need someone to hold me accountable, because obviously I can't hold myself accountable.

Always seem to be starting over...

I don't even know how many times I've started over this year alone. Probably around five. I guess that's good in a way - I fall off the horse, I eventually get back on. I just want to stop falling off already. Seriously, enough is enough!

I was going to go for a run today, and mentally I was really feeling it, but after last night's atrocious run, I decided a little bit of rest wouldn't kill me. The plan is to wake up and run tomorrow morning before it becomes too hot out, shower, head to the beach with my lovely sister (lathered in SPF 50), relax at home, and then meet up with an old friend. This is the plan. I'm hoping to do a 1.0 mi warm up, some interval training, and a 1.0 mile cool down. We'll see how that goes!

I also weighed myself this afternoon. Granted it was midday and I'd had about 4 cups of water and eaten two meals, but I'm just going to accept that as my weight. It's probably fairly accurate, and I'm terrible at remembering to weight myself first thing in the morning. I am currently 209.8 lbs. Heavier than I'd like, but hey, look on the bright side! It's still 12.2 lbs less than when I started, right? I'm going to keep telling myself that. My goal is to be under 200 lbs by my 21st birthday (June 20th). I think 10 lbs in a month is a fairly reasonable goal... gotta stop eating those brownies, though ;)

Feel the burrrrn!

The sun burn. You would think that after getting burnt once already this season (and badly, might I add), you'd think I'd learn. But no. Back of my legs, and my shoulders a bit. Ouch.

I wanted to go for my run before I went to the beach this morning, but my sister failed to wake me up when I asked her to, so I went this evening at around 7:00, knowing full well that this is a terrible time for me to run. Like real bad. I never eat right on days where I plan on running in the evening (don't ask me why), and today I did a poor job hydrating. Plus, I'm just a morning person. I do everything better in the morning.

In any case, I planned a 3.5 mi run around town, and ended up walking for a short leg, thus cutting it to a 3.3 miler. I ran into a friend (ha! Get it? Ran into? ...Anyway.), which was cool! Cutting the run wasn't why it was bad, though, I just felt like crap the whole way. Literally, the entire time I either had side stitches, pain in my left knee, or pain in the used-to-be-blister-that-I-thought-had-healed. It ended up being a 12:27 pace. Meh.

To better days and better runs! At least I got out there, right?

Mileage: 3.3
Pace: 12:27
Total Time: 41:05

An end to an unannounced hiatus

Hello, again, running universe!

It's been a while, and I've really missed being here.

It all went down hill for me when I got violently ill for three weeks starting at the end of March. Then I got healthy, but I made up a million reasons not to run (finals, mostly). Cut to mid-May, and as of yesterday I hadn't ran in about a month and a half. Well, that all changed today!

This weekend I was in Massachusetts moving into my new apartment (and now my whole body aches from the lifting). I decided that it would be as good a time as any to pick up where I left off. Yesterday was my first full day back in NY (where the parents lives - here until early June), and I wanted to run but my legs were so sore from the hundred (well, it seemed like a hundred) trips up to my new third floor apartment.

Today I had to run a very important errand (send the keys to my roommate in Texas before she flies out for Mass), and I decided to actually run my errand. I ran the 1.25 mi to the post office, mailed the keys, and ran home. I ran slowly, but I did it! And it was more than I expected to be capable of, after 1.5 months of practically no physical activity. So I'm back to running, and hopefully this summer I will dominate the streets!

Off The Beaten Path

Weigh-in didn't go so well, as expected. Nothing I can do about the past, so there's no use crying over it. What's done is done, I just have to put in a better effort today and tomorrow!

LW: 206.8
CW: 209.4
CL: +2.6
TL: 0.0

Looks like I'm starting over!

Besides the weigh-in, which I knew would be a downer (my own fault), today's been going okay, I suppose. I'm finding it very difficult to motivate myself to do anything, seeing as though I practically have no schedule this week. I was going to go for my run this morning, but I decided to wait until it warmed up a bit. I ended up mapping a 4.0 mile run (ambitious, eh?) and heading out a little after noon.

Today's run was eventful, to say the least. Lots of things happened. For example, some teenage girl called to someone inside her house, "Hey, look at that girl jogging!" I was a bit offended, for no legitimate reason. I'm running, not jogging. I just happen to run very slowly. Then I got to a street that I thought I was supposed to go down, but couldn't because of construction. I hung a left, and ended up realizing that I was on the correct road. Then I turn right and OH SHIT. Look at that hill! How did I not look at the elevation gains/losses at mapmyrun before I left the house? Well, no turning back now, so up I go.

This is almost the end of my first mile, and I'm making pretty good time. The road is a circuit, so basically it's just a big circle. I figure, at the very least, there will be a nice downhill for the second half of the circuit. What? The road is a dead end? Okay, I'll just keep going anyway. Over the river (or brook) and through the woods, as they say. It was a nice break from running on pavement. Soon enough the circuit resumed (I suppose the middle segment had been closed off many moons ago), and I continued. Then I took a wrong turn somewhere and thought I was really off my course, but I just kept going, although I was a little frustrated with myself because I couldn't properly record my splits. When I got home and remapped my route, I realized I was a block off. WOMP. Oh well.

So I keep going, down another dirt road, until AHOY!, my supermarket! I know where I am now... and only 2.0 miles to go! Ha. I wasn't laughing. In keeping with the running off pavement theme, I took a detour through a park over another dirt path until I came out of my little residential bubble and hit the urban jungle that is Worcester. I was then annoyed at the noise and the wind pushing against me. Soon after I turned out of suburbia, my left calf started to cramp up, but I managed to finish all 4.0 miles without any real problem. My total time was a bit slower than I would have liked (okay, a lot), but I can't beat myself up too much. I've never run 4.0 miles outside before, and I've only done it once on the treadmill (and treadmills pace you, you don't have to work at it).

4.0 Miles: 48:46
pace: 12:08

I also decided to run in my first race! A group (no idea which one) at my school is sponsoring a Green 5k, with all proceeds going to the Regional Environmental Council. Good cause, and a good goals for me. It's about time I ran my first race. Plus, I'll make everyone else running feel better, because they won't have to worry about coming in last place :)

Grocery Store Layout

Does anyone besides me have a problem with the layout of grocery stores? It's something that's been bothering me for a while now. Typically, the produce section is one of the first parts you walk through. Great. I love that! Inundate me with fresh fruits and veggies, giving me less room for the non-essentials. It's seriously awesome.

But what's right in between the entrance and the produce at just about every grocery store I've ever been to? Baked goods. Breads. Muffins. Doughnuts. Cookies. Cakes. TORTURE. Whose idea was this? They're a terrible person. I've never been tempted to buy any of these over-priced goodies (but it's not will power that prevents me from loading up, it's the price), but the smells drive me INSANE. Carbohydrates and sweets, and any combination of the two, are my downfall. I could eat bread all day.

This is something I've been meaning to rant about for a while, and I made a mental note to write this post as I was filling my basket with fruits and veggies. I am also really tempted to just bake a cake (baking=love), but I will not!

Tomorrow's my weekly weigh-in, but I'm not expecting anything good. Sadly. This has been a bad week for me food-wise. My friend Cameron made me dinner last night to celebrate my fellowship. Think quiche. With lots of cheese. Also brownies. Three of them. Leftover quiche for lunch. Very bad. Wednesday night is my weekly dinner with another friend. Fried eggplant. Terrible. WOMP. I need to be more conscious about what I put in my mouth.

Bleh Run

This whole week has been and will continue to be easy, school wise, at the very least. This week is the annual meeting of the Association of American Geographers (AAGs) in Las Vegas. As I am a geography major, all of my professors are gone! It's lovely that I don't have as much work this week, but I really function much better on a tight schedule. I need to have deadlines for myself.

That said, I didn't wake up until 9am, didn't do any work until 10:30, and didn't leave for the gym until a little before 1:00pm. I wanted to run at least 2.5 miles on the dreadtreadmill, but I really had to push myself to finish 2.0 miles. It seriously took just about all of my will-power not to hit the stupid 'cool down' button after 15:00. I don't know what it was (maybe the fact that I was back inside?), but I just wasn't feeling it. It should be warm enough for me to run outside for the rest of the week, so here's to hoping. I really just hate the stagnant, smelly air around me, the lack of scenery, the lack of sun, and the boring homogenous run that treadmills entail. I just can't take it! Well, I guess I can, but I really don't like to.

I've also been slacking on cross-training workouts and eating well. I confess, last night after dinner I ate a bagel and 1.5 doughnuts. I'll do better next time? I guess that's the best I can do.

2.0 miles, 21:50

Another 3.0 miler in the bag!

I've got so much running (haha) through my mind right now, I don't even know where to begin! I just got back from my second 3.0 mile run this week (and my best to date). I had to drag myself out of bed in order to go, and at first I was only going to do 1.0, then I thought, "eh, whatever, 2.0 won't be so painful." Then I saw other runners hitting the pavement and internally yelled at myself for wanting to quite before I was good and tired. So I finished up the 3.0 and did it in pretty good time! My splits are are the end of the post.

So I've been waiting to hear back about this really incredible and really competative fellowship for about three weeks, and it's been slowly killing me. My classes are very computer intentisive, so I spend up to 10 hours in the lab a day doing work. This isn't bad because I'm overworking myself (I really love my work), but because that means I constantly have access to e-mail. Oh, you think I have self control? Maybe when it comes to food (well, not yesterday, but we'll get to that later...), but definitely not in this case. I refreshed my e-mail at least once every ten minutes (usually more like every 5) for the past two minutes while sitting in front of a computer. Anyway, last night I finally convinced myself to just relax and watch a movie. Both my roommates are gone for the weekend, so I have the house to myself. A little peaceful alone time.

I picked out Dan in Real Life, which just made me kind of depressed. Not what I was going for at all. The movie completely turned me off to the idea of going out later in the night. I resigned myself to check my e-mail one last time before going to bed. Lo and behold, it was there. The e-mail I had been waiting for was sitting in my inbox. I opened it and could barely read it. My eyes found the word acceptance and I just laughed for three minutes straight. It was a beautiful thing. I felt like I could run a marathon (it's a good thing I did not try).

Anyway, this put me in an incredible mood for the rest of the night. I called my family, went to Barnes & Noble and bought a couple of books in celebration (I'm a huge nerd, if you couldn't tell), and then went and met up with a friend. Then we ordered pizza. WOMP.

Oh well. Slip-ups happen. I also ate a large amount of chocolate, which is just not good in general, but it also means I slipped up in my not-eating-candy-challenge. I just have to get on the horse again and keep riding. Which is why I dragged myself outside for a 3.0 mile run in 34 degree weather. That probably wasn't such a hot idea. I should have gone to the gym, but I thought it was warmer out when I left the house. I can't really run in cold weather, it aggravates my asthma. Now I'm breathing heavily and coughing a bit. Remind me not to make the same mistake next time!

Okay, I'm out. Gotta head back to the lab. Happy running!

Mile 1: 10:51
Mile 2: 11:50
Mile 3: 11:01
Total: 33:42 (a.k.a. AWESOME)

First Weigh-in

It's been a while since my last post! All I can say is that my school work has kept me insanely busy since we've been back from spring break. That doesn't mean I've neglected my running, though! I only got out 4 times last week, totaling 8.0 miles, but this week has been a bit more difficult. I went out on Monday afternoon and did a lousy 1.33 miles - not even paying attention to the distance (I try to keep my base runs at 2.0), it was just plain bad. I ran outside yesterday (it was gorgeous!) for about 3.0 miles. My average pace was a little under 11:30 - not quite how fast I can go on the treadmill, but hey, at least I'm not running the first mile super fast and then getting really slow like I did two weeks ago! Also, for the majority of the last two miles, I was running into the wind, so I'm pretty pleased with those numbers.

Mile 1: 10:54
Mile 2: 11:54
Mile 3: 11:29

I got my scale in the mail last week and did my first reference weigh-in on Thursday, so it looks like Thursday will be my weigh-in day from now on. That means today is weigh-in day!

Last Week (LW): 209.4
Current Week (CW): 206.8
Current Loss (CL): 2.6
Total Loss (TL): 2.6

Woo! Pretty exciting business. And when I say pretty exciting, I mean it. The lowest weight I've been in the past I don't even know how many years - probably since I was 14 or 15 - was 207 and that was a year and a half ago. Next week hopefully I'll be below 205!

Also, I donated the majority of my hair to Locks of Love this weekend! Now my hair is way shorter than it's ever been (might account for a few ounces of loss ;) ) and very tricky to hold back while running! Well, maybe not tricky, but they way I have to put it back looks pretty silly!

Ouch!

So, I am sorry to say that I did not live up to my personal challenge. The first day, Sunday, I was unable to hit the gym. WOMP. What a bummer! I mean, come on... the first day? Well, I decided that I'm going to keep going with it anyway. It's a good challenge to push myself to complete. Yesterday I ran the first mile and felt a bit winded, so I slowed to a walk before running another mile. Two miles! That's pretty good, and, at the very least, makes up for a little bit of the mile I missed on Sunday.

I left all of my gym things in the locker room (I didn't want to bring smelly gym clothes to meetings, class, and work) with the intention of swinging by before the gym closed at 10:00pm to pick up all of my stuff. Woops! Next thing I knew, it was passed midnight and I was still in the lab, trudging through my work. I went home and tried going to bed, but my roommates distracted me until almost 1:00am! That's pretty early for the normal college student, but I like to go to bed early and then wake up early. I set my alarm for 8:15, hoping I would have the will to get up and run. I did not.

Instead, I lazed a bit and then went to class. My hardest class! Oh, woe is me... we were getting our last assignments back and I was so nervous! This was perhaps the hardest assignment yet and I only got a B on the previous one. It's also worth noting that the majority of the class works in pairs, while I somehow ended up working all by my lonesome. Anyway, at the very end of the class, we got them back. I got an A! Not only an A, but the highest grade in the class and the only A my professor has given out so far this semester! Rejoice. I could sing. I could dance! ...I coud run.

And so I ran. I impulsively headed for the gym, needing to let out my happiness somehow. I put on my dirty, smelly, and still wet clothes from yesterday's run and ran. The idea was a nice 2.0 miler. But then I said to myself, "I feel great! Let me try for 3.0!" At this point in time, I started to get a twinge of pain in my right foot, just below the ball of my foot. Weird location for a pain, I thought, but I tried to ignore it and I just kept running. As I came closer to 33:00 on the treadmill, I decided to up it to 35:00 (a nicer number, don't you think?). I got closer to 35:00, thought to hell with it!, and pushed the button until it read 44:00. I was running about an 11:00/mile pace, so that would put me just over 4.0 miles. Then the pain started to worsten. It felt like burning, stabbing perhaps. I kept running. Screw pain. YEAH.

Bad idea, turns out. Talk about behemouth blisters... this was no little guy. I expected to have a small blister that had popped while running. Nope I had a huge blister that wasn't even peaked yet. It even hurt to stretch after I was done. Woops! It's about the size of a quarter. With a penny next to it.

Well, it was bound to come sooner or later. It almost makes me even more proud of myself in a way. Kinda weird, but I have my first runner's blister, my first run over three miles (and longest run time-wise, both on and off treadmill), and I have the best grade in my hardest class! Seriously. AWESOME day.

I wonder if I should lay off the foot for tomorrow? We'll see how it goes.

Miles: 4.05
Time: 44:00

So sore!

Man, this morning when I woke up (lost an hour of sleep - thanks, DST!), I felt so sore! In a good way. I decided to incorporate more cross-training into my workouts, so yesterday after my run I did a yoga video that I'd had for over a year and had never touched. I thought it was going to be a nice, mellow introduction to yoga. Maybe it's just because I'm so fat, but that thing kicked my butt! I couldn't do some of the positions it had me do, but I made my own modifications instead of waiting for something that I was physically ready for. Throughout part of it, the instructor kept saying things like, "what a great back workout!" and "doesn't it feel great to stretch out your back after that back workout?" I had no idea what she was talking about until this morning. Now I know.

I didn't have much to do this morning, so after my Sunday routine of checking PostSecret, I headed over to Runner's World to do some reading. I've been spending a lot of time reading running blogs and running articles lately. Anyway, I found an article full of reasons to get out and run. Some are quotes by famous runners, others are simple statements like, "you'll be wearing a bathing suit in another month, won't you?" This one caught my attention:

65. DON'T EXPECT EVERY DAY TO BE BETTER than the last. Some days will be slower than others, and some days might even hurt a bit. But as long as you're on the road, it's a good day.

After yesterday's run, this is my exact sentiment. This week, I'm going to try and run at least one mile every day. It's not necessarily something I should do as a beginner runner all the time, but I feel like this is a really good personal goal for myself. Today's the first day of the week, so my mileage will start today. I'll let you know how it goes!

Perhaps a little overenthusiastic...

I set out for my run this afternoon aiming to complete 3.0 miles again. I set a nice loop very similar to yesterday's, stretched, and embarked. Oh, what a silly girl I am! I've only ever run 3.0 miles once before yesterday's run, and that was over a month ago. I am out of shape. Why, oh WHY, did I think it a good idea to try and run 3.0 miles again so soon? Because I am silly. Oh-so-silly! After the first mile, I kind of wanted to die, but I convinced myself, "Brenna, I am sure you will not die from this endeavor. You might be a little tired afterward, but you will for certain be alive!" So I kept going. About half way through mile two, I noticed my pace had slowed quite a bit, and that it was taking me a good while to run past old women walking. I kept going, though. I didn't want to be a quitter. Then, right before mile two I though I might empty out the contents of my stomach. So I stopped.

I was beating myself up mentally, telling myself that I should have kept going, that I could have finished the 3.0 mile loop that I set for myself. On my mile walk back to my house (oh, the beauty of loops), I got to thinking. I definitely could have run 3.0 miles. Physically and mentally. Would it have been the best idea? Maybe not. But, for today, I think 2.0 miles is good. Three days ago I was ready to cry after just half a mile. 2.0 miles is good. I can run 3.0 miles again later, all that really matters is that I'm out there, running and trying. Also, I'm going to throw out the "it's-my-time-of-the-month" excuse. Because I can and I feel like my cramps warrant it. Damn ovaries.

During the first mile, I was coming up to a cross-walk. The cross sign was already gone, and the signal was blinking and counting down the time I had left to cross the street. I decided I had ample time, so I start running across the street (I hate standing waiting for the lights to change). Behind me, I hear two teenage boys making fun of me, saying things like "Oh, 7 seconds... do you really think you're going to make it?" It didn't bother me as it happened, but a few minutes later I was thinking about it and I was wishing that I'd given them the finger. Seriously. In a country suffering from so much obesity and health problems due to weight and inactivity, who are you to make fun of ANYONE who is trying to better themselves and their future? It's probably a good thing that I didn't give them the finger, though. I don't live in a very nice area and I can't run very fast. Yet!

At least the weather's been nice enough the past couple of days to run outside. That along makes me happy! No treadmill :)

Mile 1 - 11:18
Mile 2 - 12:47
Total: 2 miles, 24:05

Snail-like and proud!

Today was a beautiful day, so I decided to take my run outside for the first time since an atypical December morning. I waited until the temperature was just right (about 2:30) before I went out. My roommate kind of laughed at me when I told her I was waiting for it to warm up, you know the kind. I could hear it in her laugh that she didn't think I would actually go out, actually get up off my fat bottom and run. Well, I did. Not fast, not by a long shot. My pace was 13:20, which is way slower than even I'm used to, but I think my body is just not used to running again, which is a big consequence of being lazy, of which I am most certainly guilt! I've never run on streets where you have to wait in order to cross the street, so that added a couple of minutes to my total time (but I did not stop moving! gotta love knee-highs).

I ran about a 3.0 mile loop. CRAZY! I've never done something like that before, so I don't even care that I did it slowly. All I care about is the fact that I did it.I would have done the whole loop straight through without stopping, but I'm pretty sure my roommates have been eating my peanut butter, so I took a water break at the super market and picked some up, then finished the last leg of my run home. The pre-supermarket stop summed to about 34:00 (longest I've ever run non-stop!) and the last portion was about 6:30. Dear reader (if you exist), do you know what this means? I ran for 40:30! That's the longest I've ever run in one workout. Sure, I've run 3.0 miles before, but who gives a poop about distance? I'm more in this for the health, and while mileage is something fun to share, I ultimately just want to be able to run for a long time without dying. My longest (time-wise) run prior to today's was 36:00, and I definitely beat that!

Okay, I need to go shower my smelly self and snack on something. Keep on running!

Slow and Steady

This morning I woke up early and made myself some breakfast. Usually I run first thing in the morning, but as it's spring break and the school gym doesn't open until 11am, I thought it best to eat something. While digesting I watched the Biggest Loser episode that has caused so much controversy and decided to go out and buy myself a scale. I think one problem I have with my weight loss is motivation. A lot of my progress isn't tangible, and things like being unable to run for a week really set me back emotionally and physically. While I was at home for the weekend, I binged like no other. There's no accountability for me. I figure if I mandate weekly weigh-ins for myself, I would stick with changes more. So this morning, after watching the edited version of the Biggest Loser (sans Dane's marathon drama), I set out for Target. Surely, they would have a scale. It took me a few minutes, but I finally found the isle with yoga, pilates, and strength equipment, as well as the ONE friggin' scale in the store... which would set me back FIFTY DOLLARS. Hell no! I spend less than than on groceries every week. Less than that on electricity and gas. Combined. I simply can't afford something that pricey right now. I'd much rather save the money for my next pair of running shoes.

Saddened, I went to three more stores looking. I left three more stores empty handed. So while I really would have liked to start my weekly weigh-ins tomorrow, it looks like it'll have to weight. Ha. Get it? ...Anyway, the scale at the gym is broken, which is what prompted me to want to buy my own, so it looks like I'll be ordering one off the internet. Oh, well! I'm going to try my best and be good until I can lay my hands on tangible motivation. I gave up candy two days ago, so we'll see how that goes. I just have NO will power when it comes to chocolate. I took before pictures of myself in a sports bra and spandex. Hopefully that will be motivation enough, for now.

So after my let-down of a search for a scale, I hit the gym. I was still winded and in pain, like yesterday, but I was able to push myself to at least get in a mile this time. And I upped the speed to 5.4 mph! Then I walked 5:00, and finished with another 0.5 miles at 5.5 mph. So today I totaled 1.5 miles. Not bad, considering my abysmal beginning yesterday. I kind of want to just forget that happened.

Bad Day... again!

So today I set out for the gym with high hopes. I hadn't run in a week and a day, so clearly I should be able to make up for what I'd missed, right? Wrong. Oh-so-very wrong. I was running for about 4:00 when I wanted to call it quits. I was breathing more heavily than usual, my muscles were already tired, and I was getting multiple stitches. I kept going until I got to 6:00 (~0.5 miles) and then decided to see if I could walk it off. After 8:00 walking, I still had vestiges of pain, but I couldn't stop after just 0.5 miles running. I don't think I've run so poorly since I started running again in January. WOMP.

After the 8:00 walk I decided to get myself up to at least 1.0 miles by doing some 1:30 run x 1:00 walk intervals. I did that until I finished up the mile, and then pushed myself to run and additional 4:00, totalling ~ 1.33 miles. Not so bad. Not great at all. Far from great, in fact. But I pushed myself to go further, and that's what matters. Looks like I'm starting over. Again!

A Week Without Running

A very sad week indeed. Last week was the last week before spring break, and I am poor at time management. Sadly, my last run was last Monday. I went home to New York on Saturday, not having run Tuesday through Friday, and I didn't run at all while I was home. We got about 8 inches of snow up here in Massachusetts, so I was also unable to run outside once I got back too my house. If anyone's ever lived in central Massachusetts, I'm sure you'll agree that snow maintenance sucks.

So yeah, it's been a bummer of a week for me, just means I gotta kick it into gear tomorrow. I also ate like CRAP while I was home. I always do... it's just so easy! No one in my family eats healthy, so it's pretty hard for me to do so while I'm home. I'm pretty sure I ate 10 cookies today. In comparison to the rest of my weekend, today was a good day. Yeah. Bad. I'm pretty sure I've gained back whatever weight I've lost. Oh, well. All I can do now is eat better in the coming days. And run. A lot.

Early in the Morning

Running early in the morning is so nice. You can run uninhibited by those around you, because there really is no one there. When I woke up this morning, it was still freezing outside and last night's snowfall still covered the ground. By the time I left the gym after my workout and shower, nearly all of the snow that had fallen last night had melted and it was significantly warmer. It's cool to think that in so short a period of time the weather could change so much.

But I digress. Running in the morning is just the best. Fewer people. Fewer cars. Less sound. Fewer distractions. Running in the gym is similar in that there are few, if any, college students willing to wake up and go to the gym at 7:00 am. This morning was a good run for me (I usually don't run on Thursdays but as I couldn't yesterday...). Two girls, who looked more like twigs, got on the treadmills next to me and started running about a minute before I did (I took a minute or so to stretch). I was so proud of myself for the following reasons: I was able to run at a constant speed for 20:00, and then I pushed myself to complete the 24:00 to finish up 2.0 miles. The girl directly next to me ran for about a mile, walked for 5:00 and then she ran faster than she was capable and soon had to slow down to her original speed. I know I shouldn't be paying attention to other people and their runs, as they really have nothing to do with me, but it helps me reaffirm my runs in some ways.

Firstly, just because I'm fat doesn't mean I can't be in good shape. When I started, my max runs were only 1.0 miles and on rest days I had to push myself to do 0.5 miles. With those girls running next to me, it helped me to remember that I shouldn't care what I look like versus what they look like: at the end of the day, I have better endurance than they do. Now, my average run is 20:00 instead of 12:00. I think that's pretty cool. Secondly, I know my limits. I'm okay with running 5.2 mph. I know I'm not a super-fit-103-pound-cross-country athlete. I'm okay with that. I'd rather be able to run for an extended amount of time at my pace than burn myself out at someone else's. That's important to remember, as well. So thank you, skinny girls. You helped me learn an important lesson today.

I realize that I have no goal for the moment, and I really should. My next goal will be to run 25:00 at 5.3 mph. I'll step it up a notch and challenge myself, but I know how far I can feasibly push myself. I'd like to transition to have 24:00 be my average run time.

Also, just as a side note, I am completely in love with my spandex. New water bottle is cool, but the spandex were definitely the better investment.

Spandex...

...are completely wonderful. I went for my run today (sadly, though temperatures have gone up, I was still inside) and had ZERO pain on the inside of my legs because there was absolutely no chafing! Stupendous. I was completely and utterly thrilled. They're also awesome because all of my shorts tend to ride up when I run, which is such an annoyance, but since I was wearing spandex, I didn't pay any attention to the shorts I was wearing on top of them.

Anyway, I was a little bit sore after my long run yesterday, but I really wanted to run. In addition to the spandex, I got a CamelBack water bottle and I just couldn't wait to Monday to test them out. Today was supposed to be my rest day, but I'm making it tomorrow instead. Anyway, since it's the beginning of a new week, and I've spent two weeks on 5.1 mph, I decided to move up to 5.2 mph, which really wasn't a huge change at all. I ran for 15:00, walked five, and then finished up with another 9:00, totalling my mileage to about 2.0. Good way to start my week, if I do say so myself! Tomorrow I'll only bike and row and Tuesday I can get back into running for the week!

I made cookies last night at my roommates' urging, which was bad for me. I ate too many! I'm letting them eat most of them, though. Baked goods really are my demise. I wonder how much I weigh? I haven't stepped on a scale since the very end of December. I wonder if I've lost any weight? I hope so, but it wouldn't be the end of the world if I hadn't. I can run 3.0 miles!

Building Endurance

Today I semi-reluctantly headed out the gym. Part of me didn't want to run - I think I was afraid of not performing well. I hopped onto the treadmill and set it for the usual: 12 minutes with a 1.5 incline at 5.1 mph, giving me a distance of just over a mile. This is the way I normally do my workouts. I set the treadmill for 12:00 because running a mile is usually pretty simple for me, but sometimes I really have to push myself to run just one mile. By setting the machine for 12:00, it allows me to feel out my run so that I'm not let down or disappointed in myself because I wasn't able to run the 2.0 miles I'd wanted to. Usually I add a few minutes as I near the 12:00 marker when I have a good grasp of how my run is going. By the way, I completely forgot I'd planned to do intervals today. I think that I may be over eager.

Anyway, today I decided to try something new during my run. On a treadmill, I find it very difficult to focus on anything BUT the digital numbers in front of me. I don't listen to music when I run and I don't cover the treadmill with a magazine or a towel. I don't know, part of me feels like that's cheating. So I've always had this internal struggle: how do I overcome the mental obstacles that keep me from running as long as I can? I know that my body is capable of running 30:00, I proved that this summer when I went for my daily runs.

As of a couple of weeks ago, the longest I had run on a treadmill was 15:00 minutes. Then one day I wowed myself with a 2.0 mile run (24:00). Earlier this week I realized that I had met this goal without even noticing, and set a new goal for myself: run for 25:00. Yesterday I just kept running. And running. And then 25:00 minutes was over. Today, I had the aspiration of running a mile, and if it was going well, 1.5 miles. As I started my run, I got to thinking about how this mental monster was keeping me from achieving my goals, and how I wasn't okay with that. Blocking the numbers in front of me wouldn't help me overcome my problem, it would only act as a surface solution. I decided to try something new. I was on a treadmill in front of a window, so I started counting as people went by. This gave me a task and kept my mind busy and focused, something I found incredibly difficult to do on a treadmill. Every time 15 people walked by, I would allow myself to look down and check on my progress - if I thought I could hold out for a while longer, I would up it to 30 people.

Soon I had been running for 20 minutes, and I realized that the physical hardships that had kept me from running longer durations all came from my mental obstacles. I would have gone further, but I forgot to up the time and by the time I realized, the machine had already gone into cool down. I walked for about 3 minutes and then decided to run for an additional 6:00. This would give me a total time of 36:00 and a total distance of 2.5 miles. Today was officially my longest run in one workout, the longest amount of time I ran in one workout, and the longest span of consecutive running on a treadmill. If I had gotten to the add minutes button soon enough, I could have been my longest continuous run ever, outside or on a treadmill, but I suppose that will have to wait for another day.

The hardest part about today's run was the chafing. I've started to realize that if I run more than 2.0 miles, the frictions really builds up and burns my inner thighs. Today was the worst, but I convinced myself that the pain was minimal and that I should just keep going. It really wasn't so bad in the grand scheme of things, but even walking home after my workout caused me a lot of discomfort. I decided that it was time for some spandex, and so I set out to Dick's Sporting Goods with my lovely roommate to find a pair of shorts. While I was there I also picked up a CamelBack water bottle, which I think will be a lot more user-friendly for me while I'm running (Nalgenes are terrible at the gym, and splash guards don't help much).

Today may very well be my proudest running day!

Mini Goal Met

I've been thinking about the goal I set for myself all week. Running 25 minutes straight on a treadmill is daunting, especially when you hate treadmills and haven't been running outside in quite some time. I'm out of shape. Well, I guess I can't be out of shape if I've never really been in shape. But you know what I mean, right? Last summer I was able to run about 25 at a time (I usually fluctauted between 22-28), but I couldn't event imagine running the same distance on a treadmill. The treadmill is my demon!

So all week I've been thinking about running for 25 minutes, and each day that I've been running, I've pushed myself, but never hard enough. I've been running longer intervals (longer than I'm used to with the Couch to 5k program, at least) and pushing myself to get in about 2.0 miles each time I hit the gym. This morning I woke up very tired (I only got 7 hours of sleep, and I know my body needs at least 8), and I had to drag myself out of bed. I procrastinated a little bit, but I got myself to the gym and on the treadmill. My goal for the work-out was to run a mile, at which point I would evaluate how my run was going, and add more time if I wanted. Everytime the treadmill was about to send me to a cool down, I added a minute. Then I had been running for 25 minutes (!) and I allowed the machine to cool me down with a brisk walk. At the end of my walk I decided, HEY! You can run more. You've pushed yourself before, push yourself again. So I added another 5 minutes of running, totalling 30 minutes and 2.5 miles. That just may be the longest and furthest I've run in one workout!

Another exciting thing is that in my past two work outs before today's I've ended with 0.5 miles at 6.0 mph, which is something I've never been able to do before. I think tomorrow I'm going to do 2-minute intervals at 6.0 mph. We'll see how that goes!

Follow Through

This week was sort of a bad one for me in many respects. I let my school work get the best of me - instead of working hard on my studies at a moderate rate, I saved all of my work for last minute and exhausted myself. I had a 10 page paper due on Tuesday and my first project in my hardest class due on Thursday. I sacrificed eating well, getting enough sleep, and exercise for my school work. Now, I know that school is important (if for no other reason than I'm paying tons of money to be here), but it should not keep me from living well. I have to learn to balance my life in a more effective way.

My runs were less than stellar. I'm slowly upping the speed at which I run (this week I moved up to 5.1 from 5.0), which makes my runs a bit harder, but I am nonetheless disappointed in myself. I skipped going to the gym on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, and because of that, I only got in 3.75 miles this week, and compared to last weeks 6.67 miles, that's pretty bad. Today I ran 2 miles, which is over half of last weeks total. That's kind of ridiculous. It's okay though, it was just one week.

This week I'm going to focus on getting comfortable with my 5.1 mph runs. It hasn't been too bad, but I'm not nearly as comfortable running at 5.1 mph as I was at 5.0 mph. Today I did a little bit of interval training: 12 minutes at 5.1 mph, walk 3 minutes, run 5 minutes at 6.0 mph, walk 5 minutes, run 6 minutes at 5.1 mph, ending with a 5 minute cool down walk. It was a pretty good work out, and I was proud of myself for pushing myself to run half a mile at 6.0 mph. It was hard, but I could have gone a couple minutes longer. I don't think I could push myself to run a whole mile at 6.0 mph, though. In time! One of my long term goals is to work up to 6.0 mph, which is why I'm slowly increasing my speed.

I'm also having trouble keeping myself hydrated, so I really need to work on that. Especially because I like to run in the mornings, I need to make sure I'm adequately hydrated before I go to bed each night, so that when I wake up I don't have to chug a ton of water and hope that it doesn't slosh around in my belly.

Edit: I was just reading through a post from December and realized that I achieved a goal without realizing it! To run 1.5 miles on the treadmill without stopping. Woo! I've gotten up to 2.0 miles, so that goals been reached. How about running straight for 25 minutes on the treadmill as my next goal? I've done 24 minutes once, but it was hard and I would really have to push myself to go further. Sounds like a plan!

Progress! Change! Woo!

Sometimes I feel silly while running on a treadmill. Every step I take my gut and my love handles just bounce up and down. I'd like to be able to see myself run, I think I might get a kick out of it.

Anyway, I haven't written in a while,but that doesn't mean I haven't been running! It was nigh impossible over break (roads too dangerous and no gym), but once school started up again the first thing I did on Monday the 12th was head to the gym. I ran a mile at a 12:00 pace to see how I'd do. It was a little bit tough near the end, but I got through it without too much difficulty. I think that I could have kept going, but I didn't want to push myself too much. Tuesday I went back to the gym and struggled through a half mile. I've never really run on consecutive days (I was doing the couch to 5k program which had full rest days), so this was pretty big for me. I pushed myself to finish a half mile, but I knew my body didn't want to go much farther than that.

Wednesday I rested, and Thursday I headed back to the gym. I set a goal of 15:00 (1.25 miles), and by the time I got there, I decided I was comfortable enough running that I should keep going, so I pushed my goal to 18:00 (1.5 miles). I just kept going until I got to 20 minutes - it required a bit of an extra push, but a run should be challenging. I was so proud of myself, I almost threw my hands into the air at the gym, but then I realized that I might embarrass myself a little and refrained.

After that hard run (my longest treadmill run! wee) I took Friday off and got swimming lessons from my friend Annie on Saturday. I always thought I could swim, you know, I can move from Point A to Point B in a somewhat timely manner. We spent almost the whole time on breathing and form. Damn! It's hard. It was fun, though, and a pretty good work out. Before, I never really liked to use my legs when I swam and she made me, so my legs were a bit sore. I went to the gym again on Sunday and ran a mile (all of my runs are set to a 12:00 pace on treadmills). Monday I went swimming again. Tuesday no gym. Woops.

Now Wednesday. Wednesday was a day I was proud of. My goal was to run for 15:00. At about 12:00 I was starting to feel it, and I pushed myself to make it to 15:00, and I made it. I did my cool down walk and two minutes into it, I thought to myself, "I think I can run more, and I want to!" I finished my cool down, and then reset the treadmill for another 9:00. It was hard to stay motivated mentally, and my eyes kept wandering back to the timer, but my body was totally fine with it. I required a bit of a mental push around 7:00 in, but I just told myself that only 2:00 were left - I had already run for 22:00, what's another two? Awesome day at the gym. Not my longest uninterrupted run on a treadmill, but the most distance I covered by running on a treadmill. Pretty cool! Running for so long made me a couple of minutes late to work though. Woops again! They didn't mind, luckily.

I usually go to the gym before class, but I have to do a load of laundry and I wanted to write a post because I haven't written one in forever, so I'm going to go around lunchtime. My goal for the day is 8:00!