24... err, 23... days until my first half!

Today I really wanted to be lazy. Like REALLY. But I finally convinced myself to go for a nice run at about 6:30 pm, well after I usually head out. I was feeling strong, and felt like I was going faster than I was actually moving. I like to think it's because the first mile was one huge hill. Anyway, in spite of said hill and the rain (did I mention it was raining? And I wore my glasses. Silly, I know), I managed to run 3.75 miles at a 12:19 pace, which is WAY faster than I've been running. Tomorrow I'm going hiking/climbing, so I probably won't get a run in. Friday is my sacred day of rest. Saturday is my long run, distance and route yet to be determined. Sunday is my collegiate graduation and rest day. Wee! Life is pretty exciting.

I also tried out the new Under Armor tights my momma purchased me, which reach just below the knee. I think they're the perfect length! No chaffing, no adjusting shorts, no pain - and most importantly, so stopping or slowing down because of apparel. I also took along my new CamelBak, which is unnecessary for a run 4 miles or under (at least for me, in this type of weather), but I wanted to get a feel for it before I took it out on a longer run. It bothered my back a little bit, but I also filled it way more than was necessary for a four miler. All in all, though, it was pretty cool, and I think it will really save me when it heats up and on my longer runs. Plus, it's really nice not to have to wear shorts with pockets, not to have things in said pockets, and to have your hands free.

Did I mention that I'm just getting home now? I ran to meet up with friends at bowling alley, and when they finished I ran to the place where everyone was grabbing food. I got a ride back to campus, but after trivia night at a local bar (I convinced some people my CamelBak was full of vodka) I ran back home. And now I smell like stale sweat and I have to be up in a few hours for work. Eep!

Night all, and happy Thursday!

Four weeks until the Half!

I am visiting my parents in New York for the weekend, and I could have easily chosen not to go for my long run (10 miles). Here are some of the many reasons not to go for a run that went through my mind:

• I am sort of dehydrated
• I JUST ate
• I ate a lot of dairy yesterday, so I'll probably need to poop and I won't be able to find a bathroom
• I have my period
• I have bad allergies in New York
• My hometown is REALLY hilly (this should be a plus, but everything was just piling up in my mind...)
• I may have a stress fracture in my foot

So, did I run? Hell yes I ran. As I was leaving the house, my mom told me to give her a rescue call if need be. I appreciated it, and made a mental note not to use it. The first 4.5 miles were solid - then I had to go to the bathroom. Real bad. I found a nice wooded area, with a clear view of the street (it was the best I could find), and I took care of business. At about 6.5 miles I started getting sluggish, and the pain in my right foot started coming back. I walked for a little while to try and work it out. I decided it was nothing more than cramping, and I kept running. I couldn't make it up the last hill, at least mentally. I walked it, and then once it crested I started running again. I'm proud of myself for conquering my first double digit run, but I kind of wish it had gone better. Oh, well! I have four weeks to train and get happy with my performance.

When I got home, I kind of felt like I was going to die. My thighs are chaffed something terrible (that pain was the worst out of anything - physically I could have kept going, but it just HURT), and I was a bit dehydrated (I ran out of water at about mile 8). Later in the day my mom surprised me with a new, longer pair of spandex and a CamelBak. I love my momma.

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.

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.

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.