Merry Christmas! (and a mini race recap)

And I'm back! I hope everyone had a very merry Christmas, and that you're recovering from your sugar comas nicely. I've eaten so much chocolate in the past 24 hours, it's ridiculous! Who knew salted chocolate could be so weird yet so addicting? Aside from eating lots and reading my new cookbook cover to cover (Alton Brown's Good Eats: The Early Years), I've been slowly unpacking boxes of stuff and sorting through things I didn't even know I had. And that, is the joy of moving.

Christmas is very low key at our house, especially this year, so I thought I'd finally get around to putting up some pictures from last week's 5k.

This was the very first year for the Santa Marathon, and it was a pretty small event. Maybe 300 people all together, including the marathon and 1/2 marathon runners. There was also a 1 mile fun run and a 10k  along with the 5k race.

The run itself went pretty well, minus the entire mile I spent wondering if I was going to have to make a pit stop in the bushes. I walked more than I wanted (or planned) because of that little issue, but I still managed to set a PR so I didn't mind. (Can it be even be a PR if it's your very first time? Hmmm.)

It was COLD and drizzly, but thankfully the course was flat. However, it was not marked well at all, and quite a few people running the marathon and half actually got lost along the way! For the 5k we ran up to the first aide station and turned around, while everyone else kept going in a serious of loops and twisty turns along the back roads. The road was open to traffic, which seemed kind of dangerous, especially with the blind curves along some portions of the course. There may have been signs letting drivers know, but I don't remember seeing any.

Oh, and my time was 33:11, which is pretty slow in the real world, but since I was the only person in my division I won first place! I got a cute Santa medal and a Christmas flavored twinkie. I also have a lazy eyebrow.

Running on a treadmill is a lot easier than running on the road, or at least it feels that way to me, but I definitely didn't feel like I had lost fitness from switching from road running to treadmill running for the month or so before the race.

Next up? 10K! I have a training plan ready to go, but I can't find any races in Washington. There are a few in March, but they're all over an hour away, which doesn't sound too appealing when the start time is 7:30. No matter what, I'll be back in my running shoes tomorrow. Okay, maybe I'll wait until Monday.

Mission: Accomplished!

I'll have a full report tomorrow, but I finished my first 5K this morning! And I won 1st place in my division (17-19) with a time of 33:11! Not too shabby considering I was aiming for a goal time of 36:00 and the weather was rainy and windy.

I'd definitely call this mission: accomplished.

Tomorrow's the day.

(True Confession Friday will be back next week!)

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Tomorrow I'll be running my first ever 5K! Pretty exciting, right?

I know it's only 3 miles, and when it seems like everyone and their mom is training for a marathon right now that's not too impressive, but I've worked hard for this!

The race (fun run?) starts at 10:30 and I'm hoping to be done by 11:05. Like, at the latest.

Mini true confession time: I feel way underprepared for this. Sure, I've been doing C25K since September, but I still haven't run an entire 3 miles at once. The last two weeks have been very light on the running thanks to horrible, awful weather, and my awesome yoga skills that led to a concussion. (Brill, right?)

Either way, I'm going to man up and run tomorrow! I've got my outfit planned out (with matching nail polish, because I'm crazy like that) and I even know what I'm going to eat for breakfast.

I'll report back tomorrow afternoon! If you don't already follow me on Twitter I suggest you at least take a peek at my tweets tomorrow morning.

Happy Friday!

Running Recap (Or Not)

I haven't been running this week. Monday and Wednesday were packed with last minute stuff for school, and preparations for our huge project presentation on Thursday afternoon.

And well, Thursday was quite the adventure! Somehow, I managed to give myself a concussion while doing yoga! Yeah, I've got skills. We were trying to do handstands supported against the wall and I guess my arms forgot that they needed to hold me upright for that and - BAM! - head meets floor.

I can't drive for a few days, and the doctor also said I shouldn't run until all of my symptoms go away. We'll see how long that takes! I've still got a wicked headache, but hopefully it will be gone soon.

My very first ever 5K is next Saturday! I'm sooooo not ready.

My parents came and picked me up yesterday morning, so I'm at home for a few days before I head back to school for my evaluation conference which will be the official end of my quarter.

I'm hoping to be back full force both with running and the blog in general in a few days! My Google Reader has over 100 unread posts, so I've got a lot of catching up to do!

Running Recap

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Recap time!


Monday: I've got new shoes! And I quoted Miley Cyrus. Don't tell anybody, but I love her song Party in the USA. But seriously, they're magical shoes, and my arch pain is completely gone! Heck yes.

Wednesday: More treadmill running! I watched Dr. Phil, and for some reason I was running faster on that damn treadmill than ever before! I don't usually run at 6 mph, but something about that show makes me want to sprint.

 My average speed was probably 5.5, but I constantly adjusting it anywhere from 5.0 to 6.0. For a good 8 minutes I was at 6, and I got so excited when I noticed that I started dancing! And then of course, I hit the emergency stop button without realizing and body slammed the front of the treadmill. So graceful.

 

My feet were still very happy. Iphones don't take flattering leg pictures, note to self.

Friday: Yesterday's run has been rescheduled to today. In other words, I couldn't bring myself to brave the cold. I'll probably shoot for 28 minutes this time.

Goals for the future:
Rock and Roll 1/2 Marathon - New Orleans - Feb 2011 - Hellooooo my favorite city in the world! I'll be here from January to March, so this is definitely a possibility.


13 days until my first 5k! Oh crap!


One more thing:
Ally, one of the sweetest, funniest bloggers out there had an amazing post about Operation Jack earlier this week that really inspired me! If you haven't heard of it before, Operation Jack is a mission created by a father who is going to run 60 marathons in 2010 to benefit Train 4 Autism, as well as his own son, Jack. Anyone can participate in one (or more) of the races, and they're all over the US! If you're not a runner, you can still help out by donating or by spreading the word to friends. I'm definitely not up to marathon status YET, but I'd love to run a 5K with the team sometime next year. 

Who's the chick that's rockin' kicks?

I have new shoooooes!

Last Saturday I went to Foot Traffic, a running store here in Portland. We did a video analysis of my gait, which was pretty cool but not as high-tech as I was picturing. Basically, you run on a treadmill and they videotape you for about 30 seconds. That's about it. It's played back on a TV screen so everyone in the store can see your cankles stride.

I have a neutral stride, which means I don't need fancy shoes! It also doesn't explain anything about my arch or calf issues, which is a little bit disappointing. I was told that my old shoes were both too small and too wide for my feet.

There should be about a half inch space between your toe and the front of the shoe, which would explain why I was constantly chipping my pedicures in my other sneakers. I went up a size and a half!

These are my brand new Nike Air Pegasus+ shoes. They're magical. And I can't wait to wear them for my run today.

When I ran around the block it felt like I wasn't wearing shoes at all, they're so light. It does feel weird to have a shoe that's snug around my foot, but it's much less clunky than most of the other pairs I tried on (mainly Asics, my previous brand).

What brand of running shoes are you wearing right now? Do you have brand loyalty? What about buying shoes...do you go to a professional to get fitted, or do you just pick out the cutest ones in the store (like I used to!)?

Running Recap

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Something different! A week's worth of running posts crammed into one little recap.

Monday - I didn't run, much less get out of bed.
Tuesday - In this lovely semi-jumbled Dayquil fueled post I talked about getting off track with my C25k program now that I've gotten to the weeks that consist only of one running interval. I miss my walk breaks!
Wednesday - One mile (5.0) on the treadmill at the gym. Hercules 2 was on! My legs wanted to keep going, but my lungs were so mad at me for even attempting to run.
Thursday - Does going from the sofa to the kitchen count?
Friday - Instead of shopping for Black Friday I hammered out 1.5 miles, 5.0-5.2, on the treadmill. Coughing while running on a treadmill a) is dangerous, and b) will get you dirty looks.

I still sound like Roz from Monsters, Inc. but at least I can breathe!

My right arch is still bothering me, and now on top of that my right calf has decided to join in on the party. I'm hoping to visit a real, live runner's specialty store sometime before I head back to school to see if I need some new kicks. I've never had my gait analyzed or anything fancy like that. My current shoes are from Dick's and honestly I just picked them because I though they were pretty and they felt kind of like they fit. Such a pro. Hopefully a new pair of shoes will solve the issues, or else I'm in big trouble.

What did you get out there and do this week? I've always wanted to try spin class, but I'm way too intimidated. They seem so intense! For those of you in warmer climates feel free to make me jealous with your warm and sunny outdoor workouts.

21 days to my first 5K!

C25K - Epic fail?

Don't you just love how getting sick can throw everything off?

I am thankful that this is the first time I've gotten sick since May. I'm also thankful that I'm close enough to come home when I don't feel well so my mommy can take care of me. And I'm thankful for Dayquil, even if it does make me beyond loopy.

At the same time, I'm also kind of pissed off I had to get sick during my Thanksgiving break, and right in the middle of my longest running streak ever!

My C25K program has pretty much been thrown out the window. I should be on week 8 by now, and I'm still on the 3rd day of week 6. I haven't run longer than 15 minutes at a time without stopping, or at least I haven't really tried. So I'm kind of freaking out right now. Three weeks to a 5K and I still haven't managed to run 3 miles? Oh boy. If it were a marathon and my longest training run was 22 miles, that'd be okay. But come on, three miles? I feel like I need to kick it in gear.

I went to the gym yesterday, which was my first day out of bed and in the world again. Didn't do any cardio worth mentioning really, just 5 minutes running and some on the bike. I did quite a bit of strength training, which I haven't done in so long. I didn't realize how much I'd missed it! I stopped lifting weights when I started running. Some people might be able to, but I definitely can't weight train my legs and then run on them the next day or even the day after.

Today I tried again, and ran one mile in 11:30. I'm super speedy, I know. Try not to be jealous. That was super fun (I'm actually half serious this time!), and I wanted to keep going but there was one little issue - I couldn't breathe! Yeah, super smart of me to run when I've got chest congestion going on.

So the question is, now what? I'm not sure if I'll try to catch up with the C25K program, or if I'll just break off on my own and do some 20 minutes runs and increase them a little each time. I think I'll probably be running primarily on the treadmill for now, but I'll have to make sure to get outside the week or so before the race. And of course, I've got to remember that this is all brand new and I'm doing it for fun! It's okay if I run slow, as long as I finish before the old ladies with their oxygen tanks!

Plant a what?

Plantar fasciitis.

Two words that strike up fear in any runner. (I don't know if that's true, I just made it up. But it sounds scary!) Don't ask me how to spell fasciitis, let alone pronounce the dang word! All I know is that if that's what the issue is with my foot, it's miserable. I mentioned yesterday that I had some arch pain, no big deal. Yeah well, it's not gone and it's getting a lot worse. As in if I take another step the arch in my foot might explode worse. Not cool, dudes.

Now, I'm not 100% certain that's what my deal is, but I'd go with about 94%. Ouch ouch ouch! I've been icing it, but I haven't noticed any difference. Yay for limping around! How the heck have I managed to do this when I've only been running for 6 weeks? It better not have been the treadmill because I was so excited about finding an alternative to running in the yucky weather!

Mi madre and I are going to visit a real running store when I'm home for Thanksgiving, so hopefully they'll be able to tell me if my sneakers are worn out. Hopefully they are, and that's the issue, and then things will be totally awesome right in time for my first 5k in December. If not...I'll probably cry.

I've never had a sports injury though, so this is a teensy weensy bit exciting for me. Totally twisted, right? I did sprain my ankle once when I was really little, but my grandparents were watching over me while my parents were out of town, and it happened during a birthday party for a set of twins I knew. Their parents are both doctors and I was so scared they were going to have to amputate my foot or something! I was terrified I'd get in trouble too, so I didn't tell anyone. What a wild imagination I had in those days.

I'd like to do day 3 of week 6 for my C25K plan tomorrow, but I don't know if that's a good idea right now. I think I'll wear my sneakers all day and see if the support helps my arch at all. If not, I guess I could always attempt some cross-training on a bike or something. Either way, I definitely want to go visit the nice, clean 24 Hour Fitness and pretend to be all tough with my 8lb dumbbells.  Heck yes!

C25K - Week 6, Day 2

So I'm a few days off track (yet again), but I finally got around to finishing day 2 of week 6! I'm almost a month away from my very first ever 5K race! Boy, that's a scary thought!

Today I decided to do things a little differently, and I ended up running in the gym on a treadmill. I got through my intervals without stopping, but I was also running at a 12:00 pace! Suuuuper slow. The interesting thing is, I never felt out of breath at ALL. I loved that feeling, I just wish I could keep that up at a faster speed. Today's run really irritated my right arch, which probably isn't a good thing. Every once in a while I get arch pain from walking around in certain pairs of shoes, and I'm thinking this time it was caused from wearing my rain boots all day. Hopefully!

It was a rough weekend for me, and I think the weather has had a big part in that. It's been getting dark at 4:00! That's just not normal. I really do feel so much better after lifting some weights and running. I think the gym might be what gets me through this winter. Sure, it's not as good as running outside, and treadmills really suck, but sometimes you just don't have the energy for a swimmy run.

In other news, I rearranged my room and my desk is now in my closet, I dyed my hair back to red, and I no longer have a nose ring! Also, I've been reading like crazy, learning how to work that big fancy Nikon DSLR,  and I deactivated my Facebook. Don't ask me where this is all coming from, because I have no idea!

C25K - Week 6, Day 1

Haaaaay week 6!

Before I do a little recap I have two things:
1. It was SUNNY today. Yessss! I rocked my Nicole Richie style shades all day. Loved it love it loved it!
2. I finally finished Julie & Julia! I read the last 200 pages yesterday. Such a good book. Don't ask me if it's better than the movie, I haven't seen it yet.

Okay, so today's run went pretty well! It was sunny and pretty and for once, not raining! I did have to stop once for about ten seconds, but other than that I was running and running and running. I'm glad to finally be back on track, since this weekend messed with my schedule. I probably could have done fine if I'd ran on Monday, but I thought I'd play it safe. Okay, actually we've been experiencing downpours since Monday and I really didn't want to get soaking wet.

My breathing is improving a lot, and I even ran a few little hills today. I've come a long way since I started, and even though I have a long way to go before I could even think about attempting a half marathon, I'm still proud. Six weeks of running, baby!

C25K - Week 5, Day 3

I'm all done with week 5! I did the third and final run of the week yesterday morning while I was home for the weekend in Portland. It wasn't the most pleasant run, but I am proud I accomplished it. Twenty minutes without stopping! Running on the sidewalk rather than right on the pavement was really difficult on my calves, and I did have to take a second at a stoplight to stretch things out. They were extremely tight for the rest of the day, but things seem to be fine now.

Week 6 begins tomorrow and we're less than 40 days away from my Christmas 5K in December!

C25K - Week 5, Day 2

I was thisclose to wimping out a and cuddling up in my bed with some books instead of running. I was downtown to pick up some books at the library and I planned on doing my run right afterwards. It was partly sunny and there were a lot of people outside, but I just didn't feel like doing it. Somehow I talked myself out of the car and onto the path, and I promised myself a big bowl of ice cream if I could get my booty around the lake at least once.

I had a mini freak-out when Suz said "are you ready for your 8 minute run?" because I definitely WASN'T! I was thinking that today would be the same as Monday's run, so that was quite a surprise for me! I'm really glad I chose to spice things up a little and use a podcast instead of my usual music because I wouldn't have gotten through those 8 minutes without Britney, BSB, and NSYNC.

The first 8 minute interval went REALLY well! It went by pretty quickly and without much trouble. The second long interval wasn't quite as easy, and I did have to stop and walk for about 15 seconds. Other than that, it went really well. I was surprised I didn't have more trouble today because I really haven't been drinking much water this week, which tends to hit me hard when I'm working out.

According to RunKeeper (which I used for the first time since it told me I was running 107.58 mph) I ran 1.91 miles in 23:30. My average pace was 12:19. Considering this included my 5 min walk to warm-up and one 5 minute walking interval, I'd say that's not too shabby! I looked at the breakdown, and it seems like I was running at around 5.7-6.0 mph for the most part. I know I'm not fast, but that's something that comes with time. I hope!

I believe I have a 20 minute run this Friday (I'm too scared to look!), so I'd really like to use it again so I can have a better gauge of my pace and my mileage. It's unfortunate that I can't get a strong enough signal to use it while I'm running at school, but it's fun to check in every once in a while, as well as get a change of scenery.

C25K - Recap!

Okay, when we left off with my Couch to 5 K progress, I had just finished my first day of week 4! Here's a little recap of what I've done since then.

Week 4 - Day 2
Oh my, this was quite an interesting run! The running part of it went really well for me, it was just the weather that was a challenge! It was gorgeous outside when I started off. The sun wash shining and aside from a few clouds the sky was clear. During my first run interval it started to drizzle. It was still sunny, but there was definitely some precipitation action going on. About halfway through it suddenly got very dark, and by the time I was on my last run it was raining steadily. For the last minute it was pouring SO hard I could hardly see 10 feet in front of me and then, get this, it started to HAIL! I jumped under an overhang of one of the buildings, but since I was already pretty wet I figured running the last couple hundred feet to my door wouldn't matter too much. Luckily my iPhone was fine and the armband case kept it dry!

Week 4 - Day 3
The third day of my week 4 run was pretty uneventful, which was definitely needed. Before I left I looked out the window and saw lots of gray sky and people in scarves and coats. So of course that must mean it's FUH-REEZING outside, right? I layered up with a tank top, long sleeve shirt, and my lightweight jacket and I made sure I had my gloves too. I was nice and cozy for my 5 minute warm up walk, but as soon as I started running I realized I had made a huge mistake. It was stinkin hot out there! As I ran I was trying to take off my layers without flashing anyone or tripping in a pothole. I'm sure it was quite a sight! Once I had stripped down (ha ha) I was fine, minus the fact that I had to run with everything tied around my waist.

I'm still struggling with my breathing and running out of breath. I have noticed that when cars pass me going either direction I speed up a LOT. I don't know if I'm trying to beat the car or if I'm subconsciously preparing to dive into the bushes but it's really not helping my lungs! I've been trying to make a conscious effort to slow down and strike with the middle of my foot, but it's not second nature yet.

Week 5 - Day 1
I made it to week 5! I've never ever gotten this far before! This week we're doing longer intervals, and today the magic number was 5. Run for 5, walk for 3. Oh boy. My first five minutes were great and so was the walk after that. The second five didn't go quite as well, and I had to stop and walk for about 10 seconds partway through. The same thing happened during my third and last run, but overall I'm really proud of how I did. All together I ran 15 minutes! I tried to map out my route to see how far I've been running/walking, and I think I'm up to about 2 miles. Pretty cool!

In other news:
I'd really like to get back to regular posting (about non-running things). I'm going to work on that this week, and maybe I'll come up with some good ideas. I think I'm making it more difficult than I need to, but sometimes I feel like this blog is extremely unfocused. If it had a single niche, then maybe it would be easier to 'create content', but because it's more of a general 'life' blog things are a little different. I could always create sub blogs for running or nail polish, but then I would need to run three separate blogs. I always feel kind of strange just talking about my day and such because that's the kind of thing that would go in a diary. I'm not a mom with an adorable baby and a cute house or an entrepreneur running a start-up or anything like that, so I almost don't feel like I can get away with blogging about my life.

I guess I have some things to mull over, and I need to decide where I want to go with this project.

C25K - Week 4, Day 1

Yesterday was day one of week four! I didn't manage to squeeze in a run during our retreat, so I ended up going yesterday in the pouring rain. I didn't mind the rain at all, but I do need to remember to wear a hat so I can see. I was nervous about attempting to run for five minutes, but it really wasn't terrible. I think that goes to show just how much of running can be mental!

I've been reading the book 50/50 by Dean Karnazes the crazy ultrarunner who decided to run 50 marathons in 50 days. It's really an amazing story and he spends a lot of time talking about not only the marathons he ran during the Endurance 50, but general tips for running and staying healthy. I've heard his first book, Ultramarathon Man, is much better, but I'm really enjoying this one. As of right now I'm not planning on running a marathon at all, but I have decided that I'd like to run a half marathon one day. There are a few in California that I think sound really awesome (Disney Princess Half, anyone?) and since I know I won't be there for a year or so that gives me lots of time to try some 5ks and 10ks to see how I feel about running. And of course I'm loving making spreadsheets and researching everything and all of the awesome gadgets. I think I might really like this!

I'm feeling a little off today, almost like I have a teeny tiny cold. I really can NOT get sick, because I have a super busy week coming up! We're about to enter the 5th week of the quarter, which means we have a midterm quiz, a huge project due, evaluation conferences, and we're starting our group projects! I can't even begin to list what I've got going on outside of class. How did I get so busy?

What are your favorite ways to ward off a cold? I'm currently reading through Gala Darling's article on getting well, but I'd like to avoid getting sick in the first place!

C25K - Week 3, Day 3

Week three is complete!

Yesterday afternoon I went for my final run of week three. Aside from the fact that I had a cramp about 10 seconds after I started my first run interval, things went pretty well. I ran a few small hills and did much better than I thought I would.

This has to be short update because I'm about to go to Long Beach! Not Long Beach, California but LB Peninsula. Today's the start of our program field trip. Aka a bonding retreat at a lodge with yoga and beach walks. Should be pretty interesting!

I'm going to attempt to run on Wednesday on the beach path near where we're staying. Catch y'all on Thursday!

C25K - Week 3, Day 2

C25K Week 3, Day 2

Yesterday was my second run since I've restarted the Couch to 5K program. It went really well! I drove downtown and ran a loop around the lake, which was beautiful. It rained all day yesterday, but for the thirty or so minutes I was running it cleared up. I'm still struggling a little bit with the three minute runs, but I think slowing down will help me with this. I can feel my heart racing and I run out of breath. I have a hard time running slower for some reason, but when I do it's much easier and I feel a lot more comfortable. Because I missed my run on Wednesday, I was considering skipping day 3 and moving right to week 4. At this point in time though, I think it's best for me to not skip ahead. I should be finished with the training plan about three weeks before the race, so that gives me plenty of extra days in case I get sick or miss a work-out.

I picked up a race information packet about the Seattle Marathon, which is being held the weekend after Thanksgiving. I'd love to participate in their 5K! I don't know if that's a good idea though, since it would be right before I finish the program. It also depends if we go out of town for Thanksgiving! Seattle is a 4+ hour drive from Portland, too. The good thing about the Santa 5k is that it takes place the day after my quarter ends for school, so I'll be in the area already. I'd like to see if there are any Turkey Trots going on in Portland when I'm home for Thanksgiving break.

I just started using a new iPhone application called C25K, and it was great! The nice man tells me when to run and walk and when I'm halfway done so I can turn around. You can also play your own music through it, which is pretty cool. I wish I could combine it with RunKeeper so I could keep track of my pace and such! I have no idea how fast I've been running, or how far. I suppose I could pick one day a week to run with a podcast and the RunKeeper and use that to track my pace. That would probably have to be the day that I drive somewhere to run, since it can be tricky to get a strong GPS signal here.

One last thing, I've set a (tentative) goal time for race, which is 35 minutes. Once I figure out what my typical pace is I'll probably be adjusting that.

Calling Mother Nature!

First off, they're doing construction on the apartment building next door, and it's been an epic fail from day one, I'd say. Yesterday they managed to hit a pipe and we were without water for about eight hours. That was LOTS of fun! Today they started my morning off with what sounded like a tribal drum circle. Drum circles are awesome, but not so much at SEVEN in the morning.

Today's my run day, which I'm really excited about. I'm not quite as excited about the downpour that's happening right now. What do you have against me, Mother Nature? I don't care, I'm running anyways! I guess I'll just have to wear my rain jacket and pray I don't kill my ipod. It'll definitely be an adventure.

Oh and that paper I was working on last night? Yeah, I got nothing done. I went to bed with two or three word documents open, and some quotes and ideas written down, but that's about it. I woke up this morning at 8 and one hour and 990 words later...I'm ALL DONE!

My fingers are tired!

C25K - Week 3, Day...

Today's run didn't happen. And I'm seriously bummed!

Even though it was POURING down rain I was still really excited for my run. I've never ran in the rain before! Due to circumstances out of my control (such as the near death of Lily-Mae my beloved iPhone), I wasn't able to make it out.


I'm sure I'll have plentyyyyy more chances though, especially living here in Washington! I haven't decided if I'll run an extra day this week (Sat. or Sun.), skip the day completely and move on to day 3, or if I'll just run today's run on Friday and Friday's run on Monday, etc. I know I'll finish the program a few weeks before the race, but I really want to try to stay on track, since there's a pretty good chance I'll end up getting sick at least once between now and then (H1N1 is running pretty rampant on campus right now).

And for you non-runners out there, I have some other updates coming soon too!

How's everybody's week going?

C25K - Week 3, Day 1

My lungs are BURNING! The key in the pocket of my pants felt like an ice cube on my butt, I forgot my gloves at home, and I got a wicked side cramp but…I did it! I tackled the hills and ran on both the sidewalk and the road depending on how brave I felt, and I finished my run outside in the 40 degree weather!

Sure, this is my third attempt at week 3 in the course of the past two years, but every other time I've tried this program it's been at LEAST 60 degrees outside. I promise I'll stop complaining about the cold. Eventually. Maybe I'll just get used to it and become a fan of polar bear swims. Or not.

It was a difficult run for me, especially with the headache that came along about a third of the way through, but I'm really glad I did it. And next time maybe I'll have more than a cookie and tea the morning before I run. Real smart, Natalie. I also realized during my run that the podcast I'm using has an extra 90 second run/walk in it for week three. This led me to have a 6 minute walking period (3 min recovery + the 90 sec. walks/runs) right in the middle of my run. On Wednesday I think I'll skip the first 90 sec. walk/run and just have an extra long warm up. If I'm feeling extra adventurous maybe I'll just do the whole thing and run/walk those extra minutes.

PS. As much as I love using my Brita pitcher, drinking water that's been refrigerated right after spending 45 minutes outside in short sleeves and tights definitely makes your insides feel like they're a block of ice.

I need to go thaw out now. :)

PPS: According to my Run Keeper application on my phone, I ran 107.58 miles in 22:22 at a pace of 288.68 mph. At one point my speed was 6632 mph! Either I'm running a lot faster than I realized or I need to find another way to keep track of this! I think the problem was that it was a) cloudy and b) I'm in the middle of a forest, basically. It had issues finding a GPS signal to use. What do you runners out there use to keep track of this stuff? Should I carry the Garmin from my car with me? haha!