So... it's been a really long time since I last posted. Since then, I've visited Texas, started school, and run the Annapolis 10 Miler.
My visit to Texas was great, but I might have strayed a little from my training plan. I don't really have a good excuse except that I just couldn't always make myself leave my family to go running in the blistering Texas sun. Yeah, it was that hot!
Two days after we flew home, it was time for my first day of school in almost 6 years! I was feeling pretty good about myself until I found out my Human Biology lab partner is a 17 year old boy who still has to have stuff signed by him mom! Yeah, that made me feel a little old. I also learned that I'm not eligible for cross country because of some stupid credits rule. It's retarded, but I guess it gives me more time to train for my upcoming marathon.
So far, my classes are going pretty good, but we'll see if I still feel that way after my first exam this week.
The Annapolis 10 Miler was this past weekend and I must say that I think it went pretty well. It wasn't too hot, there were lots of great spectators and volunteers, it was a competitive course and I improved my 10 mile time by 3 minutes! It was also after I was having some trouble with my knee, but it held up pretty well.
I will be trying to keep up with my training in the upcoming weeks while I care for Jonathan and take care of my school work. We'll see how it all works out!
Happy Labor Day everybody!
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Week 3
So... Week 3 of marathon training is done and it was a hard week! Seeing as how I only did 15 miles, I'm pretty sure it wasn't the mileage that got me. I think the culprit is my sweet little Jonathan. Most days that I run, I end up with a jogging stroller attached to my hand. All that extra weight, about 50 lbs total, just really seemed to get me this week. It felt like it was getting harder and harder to keep him in front of me.
The other factor that frustrated me this week was the power outage we had. A severe storm caught us off guard this past Sunday afternoon and knocked out our power for around 30 hours! The first night we toughed it out with blankets in the middle of our living room floor, but by Monday afternoon I couldn't take it anymore so we checked into a nearby hotel. Jonathan and I stayed the night at the Aloft at Arundel Mills and I would not recommend this hotel to anyone. It wasn't very clean, the beds were dangerous and we somehow got checked out before we actually checked out. I'm not sure that happened, but I won't be returning.
Wednesday morning was a nice break for me because I got to run without Jonathan. He was having his first day at daycare to prepare us for the school year. It was a good run although my watch messed up and measured short.
So I was supposed to run 7 miles yesterday, but I ended up only doing about 5. I came across a small race in Towson that looked like fun. It was a 2-person 10 mile relay race. I talked my friend Angie into running it with me and we weren't last! There were some super fast people out there whose teams averaged a 5 minute/mile pace for the entire race! I think we were probably around a 7:30 pace. I haven't done mile repeats in a long time, so I am pretty sore today. All in all it was a good workout and a fun alternative to just running by myself!
These next few weeks might be pretty quiet because we are going to Texas to visit family before the school year starts. So run smart everybody and stay hydrated!
The other factor that frustrated me this week was the power outage we had. A severe storm caught us off guard this past Sunday afternoon and knocked out our power for around 30 hours! The first night we toughed it out with blankets in the middle of our living room floor, but by Monday afternoon I couldn't take it anymore so we checked into a nearby hotel. Jonathan and I stayed the night at the Aloft at Arundel Mills and I would not recommend this hotel to anyone. It wasn't very clean, the beds were dangerous and we somehow got checked out before we actually checked out. I'm not sure that happened, but I won't be returning.
Wednesday morning was a nice break for me because I got to run without Jonathan. He was having his first day at daycare to prepare us for the school year. It was a good run although my watch messed up and measured short.
So I was supposed to run 7 miles yesterday, but I ended up only doing about 5. I came across a small race in Towson that looked like fun. It was a 2-person 10 mile relay race. I talked my friend Angie into running it with me and we weren't last! There were some super fast people out there whose teams averaged a 5 minute/mile pace for the entire race! I think we were probably around a 7:30 pace. I haven't done mile repeats in a long time, so I am pretty sore today. All in all it was a good workout and a fun alternative to just running by myself!
These next few weeks might be pretty quiet because we are going to Texas to visit family before the school year starts. So run smart everybody and stay hydrated!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Starting Over
For some reason, it always feels like I'm starting over whenever I start a new training program. I think it's all just a mental thing, but I always feel out of shape.
So, week 2 of my marathon training is underway. My first run of the week, which was 3 miles on Monday, was not very fun. I had Jonathan with me in the jogging stroller, so that's about an additional 45 to 50 lbs. that I was pushing. The other uncomfortable thing was the humidity. I ended up running about a 5k in 28:15 and when I was done I felt like someone had sprayed me with a water hose! All that humidity had soaked me through! That's always a fun feeling right? You get done running so you're already tired, plus you're so sweaty you have a hard time gripping things. I've taken to leaving the jogging stroller in my car because I couldn't carry it up and down the stairs to my apartment anymore.
I am getting very excited about my trip to Texas! I am so grateful for my parents. They have helped us so much over the years that I honestly don't know what I would have done without them. So I really can't complain about how early we will have to get up for a 6:40 am flight out of BWI. I don't care how early we have to get up because my parents were kind enough to buy the tickets so we'll fly whenever it's cheapest. At least we only live about 20 minutes from the airport. Only 2 more weeks until we get to see Texas again, and all the family that comes with it! Jonathan is already talking about flying on the airplane to see Grandma and Grandpa!
I guess we'll just have to see how it goes with our 4 miles later this evening. It'll be with our local running group so it might be a little slow. That's okay though because pushing Jonathan makes everything feel 5 times harder!
Happy running everyone!
So, week 2 of my marathon training is underway. My first run of the week, which was 3 miles on Monday, was not very fun. I had Jonathan with me in the jogging stroller, so that's about an additional 45 to 50 lbs. that I was pushing. The other uncomfortable thing was the humidity. I ended up running about a 5k in 28:15 and when I was done I felt like someone had sprayed me with a water hose! All that humidity had soaked me through! That's always a fun feeling right? You get done running so you're already tired, plus you're so sweaty you have a hard time gripping things. I've taken to leaving the jogging stroller in my car because I couldn't carry it up and down the stairs to my apartment anymore.
I am getting very excited about my trip to Texas! I am so grateful for my parents. They have helped us so much over the years that I honestly don't know what I would have done without them. So I really can't complain about how early we will have to get up for a 6:40 am flight out of BWI. I don't care how early we have to get up because my parents were kind enough to buy the tickets so we'll fly whenever it's cheapest. At least we only live about 20 minutes from the airport. Only 2 more weeks until we get to see Texas again, and all the family that comes with it! Jonathan is already talking about flying on the airplane to see Grandma and Grandpa!
I guess we'll just have to see how it goes with our 4 miles later this evening. It'll be with our local running group so it might be a little slow. That's okay though because pushing Jonathan makes everything feel 5 times harder!
Happy running everyone!
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
More??
So now, as if I don't have enough on my plate already, I've decided to go back to school. I'm going to pursue my A.A.S in Radiologic Technology. I'm very excited about it, but also extremely nervous! I've been out of school for six years and I'm afraid I won't remember the things I learned in high school. So now I've got 5 1/2 weeks to obsess about school!
I also plan on running for the school cross country team. So not only will I be training for my first marathon, which falls on the day right after our regional cross country championships, but I'll also be training for fast 5ks. Sounds like fun right? :)
I've got a full schedule for this semester with Human Biology 1, English Composition 2, Intro to Psychology and Intro to Sociology. Hopefully all the studying techniques will come back to me easily!
My training hasn't been going as planned. Somewhat because of the extremely hot weather we've been having and somewhat because I've just been lazy. I have a 5k this weekend and then it's really time to get down to business! Less than 16 weeks until the big day and I can't wait!
I also plan on running for the school cross country team. So not only will I be training for my first marathon, which falls on the day right after our regional cross country championships, but I'll also be training for fast 5ks. Sounds like fun right? :)
I've got a full schedule for this semester with Human Biology 1, English Composition 2, Intro to Psychology and Intro to Sociology. Hopefully all the studying techniques will come back to me easily!
My training hasn't been going as planned. Somewhat because of the extremely hot weather we've been having and somewhat because I've just been lazy. I have a 5k this weekend and then it's really time to get down to business! Less than 16 weeks until the big day and I can't wait!
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Unnatural
Today was bring-a-friend day for my friend Angie's Boot Camp class. She somehow talked me into going with her, so at 5 am I found myself falling out of bed and fumbling around for my clothes. I usually don't get up that early, so it was weird to actually be up before the sun!
There ended up being about 14 of us and boy did she work us hard! We did all kinds of lunges, bodybuilders, push ups, sit us, sprints and more. I usually don't do any kind of cross training so it seems that the rest of my body is out of shape and I sure do feel it now! My arms and legs feel like jelly and my muscles all ache. It sometimes seems unnatural the things we do and the pain we go through for the simple things we want.
I understand why they call it "lose-a-friend" day!
There ended up being about 14 of us and boy did she work us hard! We did all kinds of lunges, bodybuilders, push ups, sit us, sprints and more. I usually don't do any kind of cross training so it seems that the rest of my body is out of shape and I sure do feel it now! My arms and legs feel like jelly and my muscles all ache. It sometimes seems unnatural the things we do and the pain we go through for the simple things we want.
I understand why they call it "lose-a-friend" day!
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
The Beginning
So... it's time to begin training for my first marathon. I've been running since I was 10 years old, but I've never gone for the "big" race. I was mostly a sprinter and hurdler in high school, but I've steadily been going further out of my comfort zone and into the "unknown".
I've been plagued by injuries for most of my running career and I'm hoping that if I can take it slow with regards to building up distance, I might be able to remain injury free. Here's hoping!
To date, the furthest I have ever run at one time is 13.1 miles, and I've only done that once.
I've set my sights on what I hear is the best "1st" marathon: the Marine Corps Marathon. This year marks the 35th anniversary and I can't think of something better to run for than our Marines. My father was a Marine for 10 years, so this is kind of for him also. Even if he doesn't know it.
So here I go. Venturing out into my personal unknown, with the hopes that in less than 4 months, I'll be able to conquer that elusive 26.2 mile monster.
I've been plagued by injuries for most of my running career and I'm hoping that if I can take it slow with regards to building up distance, I might be able to remain injury free. Here's hoping!
To date, the furthest I have ever run at one time is 13.1 miles, and I've only done that once.
I've set my sights on what I hear is the best "1st" marathon: the Marine Corps Marathon. This year marks the 35th anniversary and I can't think of something better to run for than our Marines. My father was a Marine for 10 years, so this is kind of for him also. Even if he doesn't know it.
So here I go. Venturing out into my personal unknown, with the hopes that in less than 4 months, I'll be able to conquer that elusive 26.2 mile monster.
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