Hi, friends!
Yes, once again I forgot I actually had a blog. I do have some updates though.
On October 27 I participated in the Run For Your Lives as a zombie. I was giddy for most of the day and it was well-worth the 4-hour round-trip drive. However, I also broke my left hand. Long story short, I think the runners forgot that the zombies were actually living people and they got too protective of their flags. It happened in the 1st 10 minutes of my shift and I figured it was probably OK so I finished the 3 hours. Then it was rather swollen the next morning so I went to Urgent Care and found I'd fractured a metatarsal. It was a bit of a circus trying to find an open orthopedist and contacting my doctor and insurance company since this was during the Hurricane Sandy hoopla, but I have a brace for probably 6 weeks. I can exercise/shower in it, so I can still run. Typing is a challenge since I can only really do that with my right hand. Despite the injury, I had an absolute blast and am definitely going to do it again next year. The makeup was amazing. If we're Facebook friends, check out the pictures.
Other than that, I purchased some gear for running in the dark. Woohoo!
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Small Victories, Nerd Alert
Well, it has been quite awhile since I wrote. That's not because I stopped running - it's more because I forgot I had a blog. Funny how that happens.
Monday I had a small victory! I moved back home from the disastrous Boston experiment a year ago and back then I was taking long walks on Rock Creek Trail by my house. Monday I went for a run on the same trail and ran farther than my walks!! And I didn't even cheat! I've been doing intervals, which works for me much more than just straight running. Monday I was running 4 minutes and walking 1. I like it better because when I get really tired I look at my iPod (LOVE the free interval app I downloaded) I know that I only have to keep running for so long before I get a walk break. The app uses my playlists and plays a cuckoo sound when it's time to run and dings a bell when it's time to walk. I've been increasing both the run time and the number of intervals and that is working incredibly well for me.
It's my favorite time of year, and while that means Halloween, fading leaves and lots of orange and pumpkins, it also means that the hours of daylight are sharply decreasing. It would be a shame to halt my progress because of a silly thing like darkness, so I did some research on running in the dark, went to Amazon and got a headlamp with a strobe light feature and a reflective single earbud. Yeah, it's safer to run without the iPod at all but it tracks my intervals and I need some kind of musical motivation. This way the sound isn't compromised, I can have 1 ear on my surroundings without the unused earbud flapping around in the breeze, and the cord itself is reflective. Score! I also have to get some kind of reflective vest thing. Picture me with a headlamp, reflective vest and 1 earbud. Yes, nerd alert, coming to a neighborhood near you! Still, I've come to really enjoy running and this is a way I can continue to run outside. I really, really hate the treadmill.
I learned that Chicago has a Halloween marathon and half marathon every year in October. I think I'm going to train for the 2013 half marathon, which will put me in good shape to do the 2014 full on in Hawaii as originally planned. I can definitely get there by then. I heard some quote awhile ago that the difference between a goal and a dream is a plan. True story.
What else ... last weekend I signed up for an account on myfitnesspal.com. I was on Weight Watchers for awhile and it was expensive. This is free and has the same stuff. You log in calories rather than points, but it's all still tracking. I've found that I like this a lot better. The online community is really good and supportive, and they have a lot of ideas for things. The app is also really easy to use. I'm tired of being dissatisfied with how I look. Day to day I don't feel too bad about it, but then I see a picture and I'm like, "Ew. Get your act together." So I am.
Monday I had a small victory! I moved back home from the disastrous Boston experiment a year ago and back then I was taking long walks on Rock Creek Trail by my house. Monday I went for a run on the same trail and ran farther than my walks!! And I didn't even cheat! I've been doing intervals, which works for me much more than just straight running. Monday I was running 4 minutes and walking 1. I like it better because when I get really tired I look at my iPod (LOVE the free interval app I downloaded) I know that I only have to keep running for so long before I get a walk break. The app uses my playlists and plays a cuckoo sound when it's time to run and dings a bell when it's time to walk. I've been increasing both the run time and the number of intervals and that is working incredibly well for me.
It's my favorite time of year, and while that means Halloween, fading leaves and lots of orange and pumpkins, it also means that the hours of daylight are sharply decreasing. It would be a shame to halt my progress because of a silly thing like darkness, so I did some research on running in the dark, went to Amazon and got a headlamp with a strobe light feature and a reflective single earbud. Yeah, it's safer to run without the iPod at all but it tracks my intervals and I need some kind of musical motivation. This way the sound isn't compromised, I can have 1 ear on my surroundings without the unused earbud flapping around in the breeze, and the cord itself is reflective. Score! I also have to get some kind of reflective vest thing. Picture me with a headlamp, reflective vest and 1 earbud. Yes, nerd alert, coming to a neighborhood near you! Still, I've come to really enjoy running and this is a way I can continue to run outside. I really, really hate the treadmill.
I learned that Chicago has a Halloween marathon and half marathon every year in October. I think I'm going to train for the 2013 half marathon, which will put me in good shape to do the 2014 full on in Hawaii as originally planned. I can definitely get there by then. I heard some quote awhile ago that the difference between a goal and a dream is a plan. True story.
What else ... last weekend I signed up for an account on myfitnesspal.com. I was on Weight Watchers for awhile and it was expensive. This is free and has the same stuff. You log in calories rather than points, but it's all still tracking. I've found that I like this a lot better. The online community is really good and supportive, and they have a lot of ideas for things. The app is also really easy to use. I'm tired of being dissatisfied with how I look. Day to day I don't feel too bad about it, but then I see a picture and I'm like, "Ew. Get your act together." So I am.
Monday, August 27, 2012
Long time no blog
Wow, it has been about 2 months since I last wrote! I'm still here. I stopped running for a month and a half maybe - the DC area did its best impression of Hades and I couldn't bring myself to run in a heat index of 100+. I also got LASIK and couldn't wear contacts for a week before and couldn't exercise for a week after. With all that, I got out of the habit, and I'm good as long as I'm in a routine. Getting back into a routine is like pulling teeth for me. Oh well.
I joined the coed MCRRC 5K group. It started August 15 and I'm really enjoying getting back into running. It's nice that I don't have to start at the total beginning - I can actually run longer than we're supposed to and I'm not overly out of breath. I think it's starting to cool down outside too, which is nice. The tradeoff with that is it'll get darker earlier, and I don't know how safe it is to be running around the neighborhood before/after work when it's dark. Anyone have any suggestions?
I joined the coed MCRRC 5K group. It started August 15 and I'm really enjoying getting back into running. It's nice that I don't have to start at the total beginning - I can actually run longer than we're supposed to and I'm not overly out of breath. I think it's starting to cool down outside too, which is nice. The tradeoff with that is it'll get darker earlier, and I don't know how safe it is to be running around the neighborhood before/after work when it's dark. Anyone have any suggestions?
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
One of the world's best marathons
Ultimate goal: running the Honolulu marathon at the end of 2014 for my 30th birthday. If I'm going to run 26.2 miles, there sure as hell better be amazing scenery along the way as well as blue water to jump into and umbrella drinks waiting for me at the end!! ;)
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Reevaluating
Yesterday I did the 5K Run for Roses, and that marked the end of the Beginner Women Runners group. A couple people in my pace group and I decided to keep meeting on Saturday mornings to run together, and I'm glad for it. I've really enjoyed them and the group as a whole.
The 5K was good. My mom came to cheer me on and I was surprised to see her handing out water in the Brookside Gardens portion. I figured she parked there, saw the water stop and thought, "May as well hand out some water." (She said that's exactly what happened.) It meant a lot that she came, and it gave me the impetus to continue and finish the damn thing. My time wasn't great, but my feet started hurting in the middle, and I finished regardless.
I started re-evaluating my running goals while going the 3.1 miles. I decided against the Disney Princess 1/2 Marathon in February because I don't want to push my body faster than it wants to go and injure myself. I was considering doing the MCRRC 10K program in the fall, but I think I'm going to do the coed 5K one and work on getting really comfortable with that distance. I've got 2 5Ks in the fall anyway - the Color Run in September and the Run for Your Lives in October. The fall 5K program ends with a race on November 4. Once I'm done with that, I'll work on other distances and go from there. Maybe work up to a half marathon in fall 2013. The ultimate goal is the Honolulu Marathon at the end of 2014 for my 30th birthday. I have 2.5 years to get there - no need to rush it right now. Granted, it makes the web address of my blog a little obsolete since I have no current plans to run with Mickey, but what are you going to do?
My weight loss efforts are paying off. I'd be irritated if I did all this and saw nothing. I'm still frustrated with the scale, but I got a tech shirt at the Run for Roses in a size smaller than I usually wear, figuring it will fit sometime soon, and found to my surprise that it actually fits rather well now! Then I dug around in my closet for my old jeans in a size smaller, and those fit too! I can sit down and everything! 3 people in a 24 hour period told me I've lost a lot of weight, and my grandmother added to that today. So, even though I've only lost 7 lbs since I started, the inches are definitely going away. Thank you, running and BodyPump! And Weight Watchers. The thing that bothers me about WW is it's so focused on the scale, but I knew I needed to tackle the food as well as the exercise. I was up a pound this week, but that's most likely because I weigh in on Friday mornings and our pace group dinner was Thursday night at Mamma Lucia. I'd saved something like 30 of my points for that dinner and though I was within my daily and weekly limit, there just wasn't time for it to digest. As long as the numbers generally keep going in the right direction, I'm OK with that.
The 5K was good. My mom came to cheer me on and I was surprised to see her handing out water in the Brookside Gardens portion. I figured she parked there, saw the water stop and thought, "May as well hand out some water." (She said that's exactly what happened.) It meant a lot that she came, and it gave me the impetus to continue and finish the damn thing. My time wasn't great, but my feet started hurting in the middle, and I finished regardless.
I started re-evaluating my running goals while going the 3.1 miles. I decided against the Disney Princess 1/2 Marathon in February because I don't want to push my body faster than it wants to go and injure myself. I was considering doing the MCRRC 10K program in the fall, but I think I'm going to do the coed 5K one and work on getting really comfortable with that distance. I've got 2 5Ks in the fall anyway - the Color Run in September and the Run for Your Lives in October. The fall 5K program ends with a race on November 4. Once I'm done with that, I'll work on other distances and go from there. Maybe work up to a half marathon in fall 2013. The ultimate goal is the Honolulu Marathon at the end of 2014 for my 30th birthday. I have 2.5 years to get there - no need to rush it right now. Granted, it makes the web address of my blog a little obsolete since I have no current plans to run with Mickey, but what are you going to do?
My weight loss efforts are paying off. I'd be irritated if I did all this and saw nothing. I'm still frustrated with the scale, but I got a tech shirt at the Run for Roses in a size smaller than I usually wear, figuring it will fit sometime soon, and found to my surprise that it actually fits rather well now! Then I dug around in my closet for my old jeans in a size smaller, and those fit too! I can sit down and everything! 3 people in a 24 hour period told me I've lost a lot of weight, and my grandmother added to that today. So, even though I've only lost 7 lbs since I started, the inches are definitely going away. Thank you, running and BodyPump! And Weight Watchers. The thing that bothers me about WW is it's so focused on the scale, but I knew I needed to tackle the food as well as the exercise. I was up a pound this week, but that's most likely because I weigh in on Friday mornings and our pace group dinner was Thursday night at Mamma Lucia. I'd saved something like 30 of my points for that dinner and though I was within my daily and weekly limit, there just wasn't time for it to digest. As long as the numbers generally keep going in the right direction, I'm OK with that.
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Solo run
I was supposed to go to the BWR group tonight, but I had a meeting in Baltimore til about 6. It took an hour to get back, but luckily it's still light outside until past 8pm! I love the summer for that reason. Also, beaches. Anyway, I tried out a Garmin watch that tracks my pace and distance. That is a fun toy. One day I'll figure out what I did with the instruction book that comes with it and will learn how to program it to do things. That day is not today. Oh well.
I'm a little frustrated with how freakin' slow I am. I keep reminding myself that everyone has to start somewhere, but I don't really like the somewhere I'm starting. Goal for this summer: get to the 10K in October at a consistent 12-minute mile pace. I can work with that. Breaking down the larger goal into smaller ones is probably the way to go here.
In other news, I got health insurance in April so I've been able to get lots of things checked out. Some of you know that last year I had a cervical cancer scare and had to have a couple procedures to remove precancerous cells. The first one didn't get everything, so I had to repeat it in July and then my insurance ran out so I couldn't get it checked. As you can probably imagine, that has been weighing in the back of my mind for over a year since this whole thing started. I'm happy to report that it's all gone! Hooray!! I'm so grateful I applied for Peace Corps last year - if I hadn't, I wouldn't have had the tests that found it for another two years, and who knows at what stage it would have been at. It's disturbing enough that it was all clear the year before and it had already gotten to a stage this time where it had to be dealt with. One day I'll listen to my own advice not to Google medical conditions. Everything that came up mentioned a hysterectomy. I'm eternally grateful we caught it in time and I didn't have to undergo that! Just wanted to share my good news. I've been thrilled since I found out. I've still got to get tested every 6 months for the next couple years to make sure it doesn't come back on its own, but the likelihood of that is low.
I'm a little frustrated with how freakin' slow I am. I keep reminding myself that everyone has to start somewhere, but I don't really like the somewhere I'm starting. Goal for this summer: get to the 10K in October at a consistent 12-minute mile pace. I can work with that. Breaking down the larger goal into smaller ones is probably the way to go here.
In other news, I got health insurance in April so I've been able to get lots of things checked out. Some of you know that last year I had a cervical cancer scare and had to have a couple procedures to remove precancerous cells. The first one didn't get everything, so I had to repeat it in July and then my insurance ran out so I couldn't get it checked. As you can probably imagine, that has been weighing in the back of my mind for over a year since this whole thing started. I'm happy to report that it's all gone! Hooray!! I'm so grateful I applied for Peace Corps last year - if I hadn't, I wouldn't have had the tests that found it for another two years, and who knows at what stage it would have been at. It's disturbing enough that it was all clear the year before and it had already gotten to a stage this time where it had to be dealt with. One day I'll listen to my own advice not to Google medical conditions. Everything that came up mentioned a hysterectomy. I'm eternally grateful we caught it in time and I didn't have to undergo that! Just wanted to share my good news. I've been thrilled since I found out. I've still got to get tested every 6 months for the next couple years to make sure it doesn't come back on its own, but the likelihood of that is low.
Sunday, June 3, 2012
First 5K: Done!!
Yesterday was my first 5K! I did the Race for the Cure in DC and there really couldn't have been a better day for it. It was beautiful outside - low humidity, highs in the low 70s, etc. I had planned on running most of it but I found another person in my running group and we made the trek together, which meant walking a good part of it. Not to be all competitive ... well, OK, maybe to be a little competitive ... but she's in worse shape than I am, which, not gonna lie, felt kinda good. I'd rather have someone to talk to for the 3.1 miles than go faster. It was a good time, and I'm looking forward to the Run for Roses on the 16th and the other races coming up in the fall.
I'm surprised at how much I'm enjoying this process. I totally thought I'd have the idea to run a (half) marathon and then suffer through it out of pure stubbornness until I ran the damn thing. The key to this was probably joining the running group. Previously I'd decide I'd run and then get frustrated when I couldn't go very far and stop. The group has given me accountability and made me continue to go and stick with it, and it has been very cool seeing myself progress.
I read a good book the other day: Mile Markers by Kristin Armstrong, who happens to be Lance Armstrong's ex-wife (I didn't know that until after I finished and saw someone mention it in their review on Goodreads). The author talks about the various reasons why women run and uses running as a metaphor for pretty much everything. It made me want to continue to make strides (pun completely intended. Ha!).
I'm surprised at how much I'm enjoying this process. I totally thought I'd have the idea to run a (half) marathon and then suffer through it out of pure stubbornness until I ran the damn thing. The key to this was probably joining the running group. Previously I'd decide I'd run and then get frustrated when I couldn't go very far and stop. The group has given me accountability and made me continue to go and stick with it, and it has been very cool seeing myself progress.
I read a good book the other day: Mile Markers by Kristin Armstrong, who happens to be Lance Armstrong's ex-wife (I didn't know that until after I finished and saw someone mention it in their review on Goodreads). The author talks about the various reasons why women run and uses running as a metaphor for pretty much everything. It made me want to continue to make strides (pun completely intended. Ha!).
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