Tag: running

Forgive the messy hair and messy house and the Elementary School t-shirt! (seriously, I got that shirt in 5th grade, and found it buried deep in a drawer at my parent’s house last year! NSV!!! I wear that thing all the time!)

This picture was taken around Christmas time 2010. I was going through clothes to donate to the City Mission, and my mom was helping me. She wanted to know if I wanted to keep my fat pants as a memento. I decided not to, but to take a picture of how far I had come.

Those jeans were size 22. The ones I was wearing in the picture were size 10. T-shirt size Small. I figured I was done losing weight, and sure didn’t want the clothes from my heavier days! Today, I weigh only about a pound less than I did that day in December, however I have toned up and gotten leaner! Down another pants size!!!  Isn’t it amazing what running can do for you?

It’s Always Darkest Before Dawn…

Where did the summer go? Where did the early morning sun go? I was up at 5:45am to run at 6am, and despite my recent aversion to the treadmill, I had to get on it and go. It was DARK. Like middle of the night dark. And foggy. And a little bit creepy out. I decided that I’m no Kimijoy and don’t run outside, in the dark, in the middle of the night! Although she makes it look easy!

So today’s run was pretty good…despite being on the treadmill. 4 miles, 11:05 pace. No walking. Just running. And…I’m down another pound! 152lbs today! I’m aiming for 147.5 lbs. If I get there, then I’ve lost half my body weight. We shall see if I can get there. My body appears to be determined to hold onto the last few pounds.

Anywho, have a great day friends!

Rainy days and Tuesdays…?

My alarm went off at 5:45am and I was ready to get up and go for my run. I had gone to bed at 9:00pm and felt like I had caught up on some of the sleep that I’ve been missing for the past two weeks. It was glorious. Then I heard it. The roll of thunder broke through my quiet morning. Then lightning flashed across the sky. And as I seem to have an aversion to the treadmill lately, I simply reset my alarm and fell promptly back asleep.

I have got to get over my sudden hatred of the treadmill. I used to LOVE that thing. Seriously, love it. I would have run my half marathon on it if I could have. But now? I’m over it. Can’t stand it. Ugh.

So, tomorrow, come rain or high water, I’m running. Be it outside (yes please!) or on the treadmill (sigh.) I will do it. No excuses. I am treating today as my rest day, so there’s that.

So friends, have a great day! I’m trying to!

Monday-Runday!

I didn’t want to get out of bed. I was warm. And snuggly. And was sleeping really good. I was having some dream that involved a co-worker, my ex and I and an airplane, and my ex and I were making out. It was a good dream. Albeit slightly disturbing. However, I was tired and when the alarm went off it was an inner battle to get up.

I was so glad that I did! Today’s run was perfect! 60 degrees at 6:30am, humidty wasn’t too bad, and I ran THE WHOLE THING!!! No having to stop and walk because the humidity/temperatures were too much for me! It was just a perfect, fantastic run! 3.1 miles, 10:40 pace, What a great feeling!

It’s true what they say, you only regret the runs you don’t take. I don’t regret getting up early and running.

Towards the end of the run, when I had about .20 left, I even had enough left in the reserve to sprint the last of the run. I ran that at a 8:40-9:10 pace! That is huge for me people!

Anywho, have a great day friends!

Get into the groove

This may be a random post…bear with me please.

My body woke up at 6:15 this morning. After about a crazy week of 3 days of little to no sleep, I appear to be catching up. I was out the door by 6:30 for my run. And when I started running, I felt great! My previously lead-filled legs felt light and strong. I kept a strong 10:30 pace for much of the run, until the humidity got the best of me.

Running at 6:30am during August is way different than running at 6:30am in June or July. The sun is just barely coming up and the streetlights are still on. I like to run with sunglasses, so that was a little weird until the sun made its way over the horizon. This whole days getting shorter thing kinda sucks.

If you would have asked me before this summer or my half marathon in May, I would have told you that I preferred running on the treadmill than running outside. I had my reasons: it was right there at home, I just had to go down to my basement and go. It made me keep going, so I wasn’t tempted to walk, I didn’t have to deal with the weather…the treadmill kept my pace so I got stronger and faster. And when I ran outside, my pace was all over the place and I couldn’t pace myself.

However, after a summer where I only ran on the treadmill maybe 3 times, I am not sure how I will ever be able to get back on the treadmill again. I love going outside, and seeing the scenery change, pounding the pavement, feeling the breeze in my hair, etc. But I’m in Nebraska, and winters are rough, and I’m not that tough. Oh well, I will just enjoy whatever time I have left outside!

Anywho, have a great day friends!

Well now….

I took 3 days off, in a row, from running last week. I had several excellent reasons (read: excuses) for doing so, but regardless, I took the time off. And you know what?

I didn’t feel the least bit guilty.

I’m not on a training schedule for any races, just running for fun and fitness. And because, as I tell my co-workers, I’m a much nicer person when I run! 🙂

On Sunday, I lounged in the pool for a few hours and then decided to go for a fun run. I did 1.25 miles in about 14 minutes. That’s about a 11:40ish mile pace. I even walked some because I got a nasty stitch in my side and had to get it out. But it was just good to get back out pounding the pavement.

The whole reason for my time off?

A boy. Actually, a man. The Man from Brazil.

I told you all on Saturday that he said he would call on Thursday and see me on Friday and then neither of those things happened. So I was irritated, but did I really even have the right to be? I don’t know.

So Saturday night was round 2 of Darby’s (my meteorologist friend) going away party. Since a lot of us work the 2-11 shift, the shenanigans didn’t begin until 11pm. We met at one of our favorite hangouts and had a good time. I had been there for about 45 minutes when my friend who introduced me to the Man From Brazil called me and told me that I had to get down to the wedding reception that they were all at. (The entire reason he came back to town was for this wedding.)

I couldn’t decide what to do. I wanted to go, but didn’t want to be pathetic or crash a wedding reception. Finally, she called again, but this time the Man from Brazil was on the phone. He convinced me to come to the reception and so I walked the 4 blocks to the wedding reception.

He was so happy to see me. He said that his phone died the day before and he wasn’t back at the place he was staying to charge it, and he had a bunch of pre-wedding stuff to do and didn’t even get back to the house he was staying at until 1am. So I forgave the oversight.

My friend’s husband told me that he had been talking about me ALL night! When I got there, this older woman pulled me into a hug and told me that I was even more gorgeous in person and that they just love the man from Brazil (TMFB) and that they loved me too. She said that he is just such a great guy then said, “oh you don’t want to hug me,” and pushed me toward TMFB.

I won’t go into all of the dirty details on the internet…some things just need to stay private! But suffice it to say, we had a GREAT time Saturday night. He walked me back to my car, always staying on the street side, just to keep me safe! So sweet!

So I got home late and didn’t get much sleep! He went home to Brazil Monday and I won’t see him until October. Sigh!

runningwithguts:

ourtimetochange:

A few words on pace…

When I first started running back in February, I really got hung up on pace.  But the truth is that beating myself up over that is quite silly and pointless.  I would compare myself to others that I knew to see if I was faster or slower. 

None of that matters.  We are all on different journeys.  Is it fair to compare my speed to someone who is now in their first month of getting healthy and trying to exercise?  Is it fair for them to compare their speed to those who have never struggled with weight and always been fast?

This has been really bothering me ever since I read a comment on a local social media site with a group geared toward runners.  In a discussion about a race which involved various corals, a runner made a comment about one of the slower corals, and labeled it the “Doughnut Brigade”.  Such arrogance and thoughtlessness repulsed me.  I am sure there were plenty of people in that coral who were excited to be running at all, excited to be losing weight, excited to be getting healthy, excited to be alive.  To be judged and packaged so quickly by someone who has always been thin and naturally a fast runner saddened me.   It seems like I tend to have more respect for those who are slower but had to work harder to get where they are than for someone who has always been able to just hit the ground and run fast.

Your pace in running is much like your weight with regards to getting healthy.  Sure, if you are getting healthy, getting on the scale is one measurement of your progress.  But it is not the end all be all.  You have so many other factors to consider.  So why can we not apply that to running?  Yes, your pace is a great indicator, but what about your weight, your age, how long you have been running, terrain, what you ate, what you drank, etc., etc.   I have since stopped worrying about what my pace is compared to others.  My only comparison is with my previous runs and if I am getting better or not.

If you feel like you are slow, who cares?  You are still running.  Yes, you are a runner, regardless of whether you do it fast or not.  You are still covering the same distance.  You are still out there making yourself a better version of you.  Whether it is a 14 minute mile or a 7 minute mile, IT IS STILL A MILE!

Only compare yourself to yourself. And even then, do it in moderation.

I still have a hard time not comparing my pace to my pre-tendon injury pace, even though I know it’s not fair to myself to do so.

Just go run and have some fun.

“Back to life, back to reality…”

…And I’m back! After a week of radio silence, aka-Vacation! I’m back. My vacation was pretty great, a full recap post on that is to come! Nothing too exciting, but it was really nice just to get the heck out of dodge and enjoy spending time with my family for a week!

I gained 2 pounds on this trip…I know I should be grateful, especially since I could have gained a lot more, but I ran most every day of vacation, so I am sure that helped.

Today I went back to work. Not really feelin’ it, you know? But here we are!

Anywho, have a great day friends!