PR!

because we're going to UT in two days i don't think i'm going to make a 10-mile week. but, i did make a PR of a different kind this week. i did 3.5 miles straight, no walking! i think the best i've ever done previously is an even 3. a half mile increase is pretty good i think. it was a real push to get there mentally, but it felt so good and there was no nausea or aching or anything. maybe, just maybe i can do this.


i've discovered my toughest hurdle is not necessarily going to be physical. physically, i do pretty well. i have decent stamina and endurance, not great, but okay for a new runner. but mentally, what a challenge! i have great determination and will power which is great. what i don't have is a lot of confidence in my ability to do. is that an oxymoron? hmm...i will have to think about that. 


hopefully, as i improve so will my mental state. as i start getting tired and think "i want to stop," i have to really think about why i want to stop. when i take an inventory, i'm not huffing and puffing too badly, i'm not hurting anywhere and i feel okay. so i tell myself i'm okay and i don't really need to stop even if i want to. that usually works for a while. it feels good to see improvements.

10-mile week!

i set a goal last week to have my first 10-mile week. i'd done 9.5 and was so close to hitting that 10-mile mark. i'm very excited to say i did it last week. :) in fact, not just 10, but 10.5. i feel great. well, other than the stupid medial shin splints in my right leg. but, they're not too bad.  they're more a nuisance than anything. it's not pain so much as just discomfort, but i'm doing what i can to make sure it stays in that camp and doesn't move over into pain. i've decided i need to be more diligent about putting ice on it after i run and maybe taking some ibuprofen as well. i will also probably take the week we're in UT off to try to help it heal some. i don't want to, but we're going to have other things going on anyway and it's a good time to give it a chance to rest.


for this reason i'm hesitant to add any distance to my current 3 mile length. i'm itching to, but don't want to cause any injuries. i think i will run this week, take the week off that we spend in UT and then if my leg is feeling better than when i left i will proceed to start adding some distance at about a quarter-mile per week for now.


i've lost a couple pounds and hope to start losing a little more as i get the chance to push myself and test my physical capabilities. wish me luck! i'm on an endorphin high and hoping not to come down any time soon. :)

it's becoming addictive. i'm starting to look forward to it a lot. i never thought i'd ever really love running, but i'm starting to love it. last week i ran 4 times two miles or more each time. yeah, that's how much i'm starting to like it. my goal is to have my first 10-mile week this week. today i did 2.5 tomorrow i plan to do about the same. saturday will be my only 3-mile day most likely. we'll see though. i always feel so good after running. i feel like getting housework done and have more patience for the kids, usually. we're almost through july so that means i have 6 months to build from my foundation. actually, possibly less since i'm debating on just spending august (or most of it) running about 3 miles or less for my long run. i don't want to go too far, too fast. we'll see how i feel in about 2 or 3 weeks. i might start adding slowly depending on how i feel at that time. i have to hold myself back from pushing too far all at once. i can go for a long time, but apparently my body needs more time to adjust or it rebels in painful ways.

progress

lots of progress. i feel great. i finished a 30 min run (no stopping) about an hour ago and feel awesome. i probably even could've gone another 5 minutes, but because of a pain in my lower inside leg i didn't. it may be shin splints, which concerns me, but it doesn't hurt that much. it's more annoying than painful, like when you're trying to work out stiffness at the beginning of a run. and it went away really quickly after my run was over. i'm thinking it's probably more due to too much running too quickly, but i just don't know. at this point i'm going to just try to run through it and see what happens. i've hit my 30 minute goal, but not 3 mile goal (i was just over 2.75) so for at least a month i'm going to keep it steady at 30 minutes or 3 miles, whichever comes first. my knee hasn't bothered me in weeks though and i'm excited to continue progressing.


it's funny, but the first 5 minutes of a run it always the worst for me. by about 3 i'm think "what am i doing? i can't go for over 20 minutes straight. that's a long time! and i'm already feeling winded," but inevitable i usually stay steady in that breathing-hard-but-not-huffing stage for the rest of the run and the time goes by before i've realized it. and i think "wow, i still feel great. i'm not gasping and i'm almost there." i have great hope for my half marathon goals!

3/4 mile today! still pain free. i could feel it coming on though so i didn't push it any further than that. i was skeptical, but it looks like this regimen is working! if i can stay on top of it for another 3 or 4 weeks i should be tip top again. i'm feeling great! i'm ready to start my training starting with the C25k program. booyah.