Progress: 5.25.2011

Monday: Run 3 mi Run 1.4 mi
Tuesday: Yoga Run 1.75 mi
Wednesday: Run 3 mi (some fartleks)
Thursday: Rest (leaving for the mountains after work)
Friday: Hike or Rest
Saturday: Hike, Yoga or Rest
Sunday: Hika, Yoga or Rest

Alright, so my ego has taken a bit of a beating this week.  I keep hoping that I'll be able to run 3 miles, no problem, but then I push myself to run at my goal pace instead of my actual pace, and I burn out.  It's alright though.  I have to keep telling myself that what I'm doing is better than nothing, and that in the end I will be able to run 3 miles, 6 miles, 10 miles.  It's just going to take a little bit longer than I had hoped.

As you may have noticed, I missed yoga yesterday.  The class starts at 6:30 and I couldn't get out of work before 6:45.  We have a lot going on in the next month, so again, I'm going to have to adjust my expectations.  Anyway, I couldn't NOT go to the gym, so I hopped on the treadmill and attempted Week 5 Day 2 of the C25K plan.  I did it at a 5 mph run/jog and 3.5 mph walking pace, all while listening to some of my favorite songs.  I'm glad to know that even if I'm not where I was hoping to be by now, I've definitely improved significantly since March.

Today I plan to hit the treadmill again, but timing will be an issue.  I usually leave work at 5:30, and I have dinner plans at 6:30, so I'll only have about 30 minutes to get in any kind of work out.  I really have to make it work though, because we're leaving tomorrow, and I won't be able to run again until Tuesday!

Wish me luck, y'all.

Um, here's another cute picture for you.



I promise I'll start taking my own photos soon.

Have you dealt with training setbacks?  How did you stay motivated?

No Meat Athlete

I wasn't going to post again today.  I'm consciously trying not to overexert my presence on the internets on a daily basis.  But then I read this post over on No Meat Athlete.  I think it pretty much sums up my goals for this blog.  I just want to learn about my body, push myself, and find out what I'm capable of.  This isn't meant to be a weight loss success story (although, I'm not so above-it-all to say I wouldn't be elated if that turned out to be the case).  I just want to be active, be healthy, accomplish things I never thought I could, and let everything else fall where it may.

Progress: 5.24.2011

Alright.  I posted my plan for the week yesterday, so how did I do?

Monday: Run 3 mi Run 1.4 mi
Tuesday: Yoga
Wednesday: Run 3 mi (some fartleks)
Thursday: Rest (leaving for the mountains after work)
Friday: Hike or Rest
Saturday: Hike, Yoga or Rest
Sunday: Hika, Yoga or Rest

Oooooh, not awesome.  Yeah.  I didn't even run half the distance I was supposed to.  I warmed up for 5 minutes, and then started running at a 5 mph (12 minute mile) pace.  After 10 minutes, I decided to sprint the last little leg of the mile, but that was a terrible idea.  I could only hold that pace for about 45 seconds, and had to slow down to a walk.  I walked for about 5 minutes trying to catch my breath, but it just didn't happen.  I'm pretty happy with my 12 minute pace, so next time I'm going to just try that for the length of my run.

Speaking of my next run, I think I might try to hit the treadmill after yoga tonight.  I don't know how realistic that is, because I always feel so calm and ready to relax after yoga, but I really need to get my mileage up for the week.  Can't be petering out just because I'm tired.

In other news!  After the 5k next weekend, I'm planning to start throwing in some strength training.  I've been reading all over the internet about The New Rules of Lifting for Women, so I hopped on Amazon.com last night and ordered it with my AmEx points.  I'm nervous and excited because - well I'm super weak.  Depending on my schedule and the move, I may not start the strength training until after we get into our new apartment.  Eric isn't a member of my gym, but we will be able to use the one at our new place.  You see, I've enlisted him to help me as I'm starting out, since I have no idea how to keep track of my proper form, being the bookish slug that I am.

But for now, cardio and yoga is all you get from me, fair reader.  I'll check back in tomorrow with an update.  Until then, here's a cute photo, because photos make blogs more interesting.  :)




Aren't ittybittylittle piglets the most adorable thing ever?

Plan: 5.23.2011-5.29.2011

So as I mentioned in my first post, I found the Couch to 5k Running Program a while ago, and ran my first 5k two weeks ago.  I have another planned in just under two weeks from today, so basically I'm trying to maintain/increase my endurance just enough to come in under 40 minutes next Saturday (June 4).

That said, I'm going out of town this weekend to the mountains of North Carolina.  Running in an unfamiliar town all alone does not sound terribly appealing/safe, and we're staying at Eric's family's house, not a hotel, so there are no gym-type options.  Therefore, I've had to get mildly creative with my plan.  There are a bunch of hiking trails in the area, so there's one option.  Also Eric's aunt has a yoga studio over at their property, so we might try to persuade her into leading a class.

All that being said, here's my loose plan for the week.

Monday: Run 3 mi
Tuesday: Yoga
Wednesday: Run 3 mi (some fartleks)
Thursday: Rest (leaving for the mountains after work)
Friday: Hike or Rest
Saturday: Hike, Yoga or Rest
Sunday: Hika, Yoga or Rest

We'll see where the weekend takes us.  Next week should look a little more normal.  Run, Yoga, Run, Run, Rest, 5k, Run <---with fartleks at least twice.  That's the plan anyway.  I like plans.  My plans don't often come together perfectly, and that can send me into a panic, but hopefully things will work out this time.

I'm excited to run the Summerfest 5k, but after next Saturday the real work begins!  Training for a 10k means a super increase in endurance, longer runs, more miles.  I'm really very nervous, but knowing that I've already accomplished something helps to keep thing in perspective.  I didn't complete the Brookhaven Bolt in under 40 minutes, like I'd hoped, but I did complete it, which is more than a lot of people can say.  If I can do that, what's an extra 3 miles?  Well, it's a lot actually, but I know I have it in me now.

Wish me luck!

What's your biggest athletic accomplishment to date?  How did you achieve your goal?

Jen Can Run!

Hello there, fair readers.  This is my ::mumblemumble::teenth attempt at writing a health blog.  I previously attempted blogging to track my financial health, dietary health, emotional health, health health...And it always ends the same.  I peter out.  Without a goal, or real focus, it's hard to stay motivated.

A little bit about me.  I was not an athlete in high school.  I was not an athlete in college.  At this moment in time, my average 5k running pace is 42 mins 37 sec, or 13.74 min/mi.  I'm slow.  I'm, like, REALLY slow.  I was on the swim team in high school because everyone made the cut, and I was always in the exhibition lane.  I was on a softball team in 9th grade and the only game we won the entire season was due to the other team's forfeit (they didn't have enough players that day).  What I'm trying to say is that athleticism wasn't really my strong suit, and it wasn't really my friends' either.  We were nerds and geeks (but not dorks, never dorks).  We liked poetry, comics, and movies, and only came in contact with the outdoors when we attempted our own version of the Dead Poets Society (minus the Robert Sean Leonard ending).

My one moment of Athletic Greatness was running the Peachtree Road Race in 2008.  I came in at around 1 hr 22 min.  That day I felt a runner's high for the first time.  I was in tears as I crossed the finish line, not from pain or exhaustion, but from a rush of energy I'd never felt before.  It should have been enough to keep me going, but it wasn't.  After that accomplishment, I stopped running.  I stopped working out.  I gained a significant amount of weight, and that runner's high became a distant memory.

I recently found the Couch to 5k Running Program, and tried it.  I only made it through Week 3 before I hurt my leg (playing kickball - such a dangerous game!).  After I rebounded from that, I was hit with an intense upper respiratory infection, as well as a slew of personal emotional lows.  But time heals all things, and I ran my first 5k just two weeks ago.  I wasn't able to finish the program, but I recommend it to anyone who is just beginning to run.

So this blog is my attempt to zone in on one thing.  Running the Atlanta Marathon in March 2013.  Now, I know that's a long way off, so I've broken it down into several smaller goals.

• Run the Virginia Highlands Summerfest 5k in under 40 min - June 4, 2011


• Run a 10k in under 1 hr 20 min - Fall 2011


• Run the Atlanta Half Marathon in 2 hrs 38 min - March 18, 2012


• Maintenance runs/improve time through Fall 2012


• Run the Atlanta Marathon in 4 hrs 30 min - March 2013

I'm sure additional races will be added, and I'm optimistic, but not confident, that the times for these goals can be achieved in the first attempt.  I've made a promise to myself to try.  Follow me on my journey.  I can't promise I'll be funny, or inspirational, or even interesting.  But I promise to be honest.  Whether I accomplish my goals, or just cross the finish line - it'll go here.

I'll post my work out schedule for this week later today, and update the About Me section as soon as I can.