Spring in my step!

Talk about a beautiful day! It's gorgeous here today. The temperature is great, the sun is shining and it's an amazing day for a run. I got started on my run today earlier than I usually do and I'm so glad I did. Today I had my best run yet.

It didn't start out very good. I was borrowing my husband's armband iPhone holder and the velcro was too big for my scrawny bicep. I pushed up my sleeve on my shirt, hoping that the bulk of the material would be enough to keep the thing on my arm. It worked alright for a little while and then slipped down my arm. I spent the remainder of my run with the phone flopping around my elbow. It rubbed against it so much that I now have a yucky little scabby thing on my arm. C'est la vie! I'll consider it a battle wound.

I noticed about a quarter mile into my run that I was getting a side stitch. The pain was pretty sharp and it nearly had me convinced that I should make today a short run day but with the weather so nice I just ran through it. It went away by the time I hit one mile.

My pace today was the fastest so far and I'm going to chalk that up to the weather. Seriously. It was such a nice day for a run...and the first time since I've started running that there wasn't an icy breeze hitting me straight in the face Hurray for spring! My total run today was 2.3 miles and I completed it in 20:39. My first mile, otherwise known as the yuck mile, was 9:02. I picked it up for the second mile and did that one in 8:51. I'm getting there. Slowly but surely, my pace is getting better. I should be running 2.5 miles by the weekend. I've already got a nice little route mapped out.

Wish me luck!

Hells yeah!!

Wow. I'm sitting here typing this out, my breathing under control and my calves as tight as drums and I just can't stop smiling. Perhaps it's the runner's high, perhaps I'm a little light-headed from being a bit hungry but I just can't wipe this goofy smirk off my face.

I took my own challenge from yesterday and finished my 2-mile run....and it felt good. It felt so good that instead of walking the last .25 mile for a cooldown I ran it in, so my total run today was 2.26 miles and I did it in 20:43. Woohoo! Personal best! Broken down, my first mile was 9:10 and my second mile was 9:11. Not too bad for someone who was all whiney about running yesterday.

Prior to my run today I spent a good 15 minutes getting myself psyched up to finish what I set out to do. As I put away laundry I kept muttering to myself, "You're gonna rock this. You can totally do this. Once you get past the first mile, it gets easier." I realize that might make me come off as slightly nutty but it's what I needed to do to muster up the energy to not give up and take a nap right then and there.

I had finally found my JogBra, gotten some gum, and didn't even bother with sunglasses. No excuses today. Only myself to blame. With that as a motivator I turned on a different playlist and hit the pavement. I was by no means running with the cheetahs, but I found a nice groove and those 2 miles went by easier today than ever before. I'm confident that I'm going to progress enough to not embarrass myself or my team for the Reno Tahoe Odyssey.

Tomorrow I'm taking the day off. My calves are sore and I think a day of walking or stairs is in order.

Wish me luck!

Disappointed today

Today is the first day since I started running that I am disappointed in myself. My run didn't get started on a good foot. I couldn't find my jog bra and didn't want to waste anymore time looking for it, lest I skip the run altogether. So I went with what I already had on. That was a mistake.

I got my music together, put my sunglasses on and headed out the door. About 3 minutes into the run I realized that I forgot gum and was drowning in my own phlegm. Horrible! Just horrible. Between the hacking and the fact that my sweaty face was making my glasses slip off my nose this run was going lousy.

Shortly after the half-mile mark I got a cramp on my left side. I've been pretty lucky so far to not have gotten any cramps while running, but I also haven't had my Aunt Flo during any of my runs, until now. I'm now sure if it was psychological, biological or what but all signs pointed to me ending the run early. I just wasn't feeling good.

After I got home and showered, and as I sit here writing this now, I'm really disappointed in myself. I should've pushed through the cramp and just taken the damn sunglasses off. Instead, I didn't and now I sit here feeling like I let myself down. :(

Tomorrow is a chance to redeem myself and come hell or high water I will finish another 2 mile run.

Wish me luck!

I didn't scare the neighbors!

So today was the day I had been fretting about. The dreaded two mile run. I would be lying if I said that I didn't try to rationalize ways to get out of it: I ran yesterday, looks like the weather is going to get ugly, I don't want to push myself *too* hard....and on and on and on.

Then a funny thing happened right after I put out my cigarette (I know, I know). I walked upstairs and put on my running gear. I didn't give myself a chance to change my mind, I just went into autopilot mode and got ready. With my newfound earbuds firmly in place I started my RunKeeper app. and faced my fears, and a strong wind, head on.

The first mile was ok. I was feeling a little out of sorts but I think it was mostly my body adjusting to the temperature. I'm still working out the kinks on my layering; I didn't anticipate being such a sweaty broad. My feet felt a little leaden as I tried to remember the last time I heard the automated voice tell me I'd hit a half-mile. It seemed like forever ago. My first mile was completed in 9:38. Not bad.

Hearing the voice chime in my head, telling me that I was ahead of my "desired pace" of 1o min./mile filled me with unadulterated joy. Without realizing it, I picked my pace up a little bit more. Despite running into the wind for the majority of the run I was feeling good. The nice lady in the earbuds let me know I had finished 1.5 miles and was still ahead of my "desired pace." YAY!

As I finished up my last half-mile I'm sure I was grinning like an idiot competing with myself in my head, pushing myself to run, just a little bit faster. And I did. I finished my second mile in 9:20. Two miles in 18:58. I'm over the moon!

Tomorrow is going to be a non-running day. I plan on doing some stairs, walking, and getting old school with some jumping jacks.

Wish me luck!

Contemplating tomorrow

As I sit here, nearly ready to head upstairs to bed, I can't help but thinking about my run tomorrow. Wednesday marks the point in my "training" where I amp up my distance. I think amp up might be taking it a bit too seriously, but I'm going from 1 mile to 2 miles. Though some of you are probably thinking, "I could run that in my sleep," rest assured that it is a truly terrifying thought for me. I know that once I get in my groove my endorphins will overtake my fear and I'll hack and gag my way through it. However, right now, it's going to haunt my dreams.

If I don't post tomorrow with an update on the run it's because my muscles froze up somewhere along my route and I'm probably lying in the fetal position in someone's front lawn.

Wish me luck!

Time to lace up the new shoes

I'm not sure what I was thinking. I joined a team for the Reno Tahoe Odyssey and now I've got a 176 mile relay race in my not so distant future. Don't get me wrong, I think it's going to be great to be part of a 12-person team. I'm just a bit nervous about my performance. It's been nearly 2 decades since I've run competitively.

I'm not going to lie. When I was in high school I was the star on our cross-country and track teams. I even made it to college (the first time around) on a track scholarship. I was blessed with a natural ability and I ran my legs off; to the point where I didn't care if I ever ran again. And so I didn't for a very long time. Sure I dabbled in jogging once or twice but my pack-a-day smoking habit always seemed to get in the way. Until last week....

Last week I looked at the calendar and realized that I had 12 weeks to get myself into decent enough shape so that I wouldn't end up dragging myself along the course by my nostrils. Getting into shape meant running, and I had to start somewhere. With a newly purchased pair of Nike Air Pegasus (my preferred running shoe) tied firmly in place I was unstoppable. Hardly.

I didn't beat any record on my first go out...I ran a mile in 9:32. My high school self would've laughed her ass off at me with a time like that. I was just happy to finish the run while maintaining the entire contents of my stomach. Today, I am happy to report that I finished my 4th run! It's baby steps, I know, but for me it's small victories, like not wanting to run but doing it any way. Today was my last mile run-next time, I kick it up to 2 miles and run 5 days/week instead of 4. Again, baby steps. And in case you're wondering, I haven't quit smoking altogether (yet!) but I am certainly smoking much less now. That is another project in and of itself.