I could've sworn my schedule included a 5 mile run this morning--but upon second look just now, it should've been 6. No biggie. Instead of the scheduled 4 tomorrow, I'll do another 5.
Still getting up early and hitting the gym before work....loving it.
Saturday's 7 mile run was good. My left hip started bothering me during the last mile--it has happened to me once before during soccer. It feels like I need to pop the joint, or it's slightly out of place. I'm planning a visit to the Doc after the first of the year, just to check in and talk about my training and make sure everything is kosher. My knees were a little sore after the long run, too--but nothing a day of rest didn't fix. A couple running sources say that ice baths are good after those long runs when your legs are sore. They probably are good for your muscles, but I'm not sure I could stand the ice for very long. Maybe in the heat of Summer, but for now it's not been a big deal.
Yesterday my legs felt really tired most of the day, and a little achy--that soreness in your muscles when it feels like a good long stretch would fix it. I finally did a little stretching at lunch and took a short walk to help warm up the muscles. It seemed to help some. A good night's sleep last night helped, too. No issues this morning. 5 miles this morning were great--it still amazes me I can run for 50 minutes and want to keep on going even longer. It's so freeing.
Looking forward to my first 8 miler on Saturday. Will have to do it first thing when we arrive in Wenatchee. Will get it out of the way so I can work up my appetite and not feel guilty about attacking the cookie bin! LOL! It's going to be a busy day--But I can't wait to be home! It's a much needed vacation!
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Moving right along....
I've been slacking on the posts lately--here's the dish from the last couple weeks.
I've started running in the mornings. I made the switch in my schedule last week. It's surprised me how much I'm enjoying the change! It's a nice, positive start to my day. I get it out of the way first thing, and it keeps my evenings free which is great--especially this time of year with the holidays quickly approaching! It also is forcing me to go to bed earlier and focus more on getting enough sleep!
Last Saturday morning I did another 6 mile run along Alki. It was my first outdoor run in awhile. It was cold, but a beautiful and clear, sunny day. I had an amazing view of the snow-capped Olympics and downtown Seattle.
This week has been full of 4 and 5 mile runs. I have my 2nd 7 mile run on Saturday. I'm hoping I'll have similiar weather to last Saturday's run--I'm thinking I'll try a new outdoor route this weekend. There's a great website (I'll post a link to it) called MapMyRun.com where you can choose any starting point in the world, and map out where you want to go. It's a great tool. It shows mileage, elevation changes, etc. etc.
The runs this week have been good. I did notice a little bit of pain in my right foot Tuesday morning for the first mile, but it went away and hasn't bothered me since, so I'm not concerned. So far, I haven't suffered really any muscle soreness at all--I'm anticipating that might happen when I get into some serious distances. I'm finding that my body is feeling more used to 4 or 5 miles now as a standard run, rather than the 3 or 4 I was mostly doing before. It's a good feeling, and I have only had one run so far that I've felt really pooped afterwards. Most of the time I feel like I could keep going.
I was having some issues with getting sideaches over the last few weeks. This week it hasn't bothered me at all. I've been giving myself a little longer warm-up time which seems to be doing the trick.
My first 8 mile run will be a week from this Saturday, on the 22nd. Cory and I will be in Wenatchee for Christmas, so I'm already thinking about planning that into my time there. Christmas week, luckily, is a taper week...the 8 miles will be the hardest run all week....mostly 3 milers the rest of the time there. Luckily both my in-laws and my Dad have treadmills so it will be easy to get the mileage in. Though I do like Gold's Gym in Wenatch, which I'll probably hit up for the 8-miler. If there's no snow (hopefully there will be lots of it though), I'll probably venture outdoors.
I got lazy and stopped logging my diet for the last couple of weeks, but now that the mileage is starting to get up there, I think it's time to get back to it. I have experimented some the last couple weeks. I've been eating a little less fresh fruits and veggies to see if that helps with "the problem", and as suspected, it has. Though I hate the idea of cutting those things out. I'm going try adding more of them back in and see if I can pinpoint if there are certain things that are better or worse.
I feel like I repeat myself a lot on these posts, so if anyone has any questions or something they'd like me to address, let me know!
Rest day tomorrow.
I've started running in the mornings. I made the switch in my schedule last week. It's surprised me how much I'm enjoying the change! It's a nice, positive start to my day. I get it out of the way first thing, and it keeps my evenings free which is great--especially this time of year with the holidays quickly approaching! It also is forcing me to go to bed earlier and focus more on getting enough sleep!
Last Saturday morning I did another 6 mile run along Alki. It was my first outdoor run in awhile. It was cold, but a beautiful and clear, sunny day. I had an amazing view of the snow-capped Olympics and downtown Seattle.
This week has been full of 4 and 5 mile runs. I have my 2nd 7 mile run on Saturday. I'm hoping I'll have similiar weather to last Saturday's run--I'm thinking I'll try a new outdoor route this weekend. There's a great website (I'll post a link to it) called MapMyRun.com where you can choose any starting point in the world, and map out where you want to go. It's a great tool. It shows mileage, elevation changes, etc. etc.
The runs this week have been good. I did notice a little bit of pain in my right foot Tuesday morning for the first mile, but it went away and hasn't bothered me since, so I'm not concerned. So far, I haven't suffered really any muscle soreness at all--I'm anticipating that might happen when I get into some serious distances. I'm finding that my body is feeling more used to 4 or 5 miles now as a standard run, rather than the 3 or 4 I was mostly doing before. It's a good feeling, and I have only had one run so far that I've felt really pooped afterwards. Most of the time I feel like I could keep going.
I was having some issues with getting sideaches over the last few weeks. This week it hasn't bothered me at all. I've been giving myself a little longer warm-up time which seems to be doing the trick.
My first 8 mile run will be a week from this Saturday, on the 22nd. Cory and I will be in Wenatchee for Christmas, so I'm already thinking about planning that into my time there. Christmas week, luckily, is a taper week...the 8 miles will be the hardest run all week....mostly 3 milers the rest of the time there. Luckily both my in-laws and my Dad have treadmills so it will be easy to get the mileage in. Though I do like Gold's Gym in Wenatch, which I'll probably hit up for the 8-miler. If there's no snow (hopefully there will be lots of it though), I'll probably venture outdoors.
I got lazy and stopped logging my diet for the last couple of weeks, but now that the mileage is starting to get up there, I think it's time to get back to it. I have experimented some the last couple weeks. I've been eating a little less fresh fruits and veggies to see if that helps with "the problem", and as suspected, it has. Though I hate the idea of cutting those things out. I'm going try adding more of them back in and see if I can pinpoint if there are certain things that are better or worse.
I feel like I repeat myself a lot on these posts, so if anyone has any questions or something they'd like me to address, let me know!
Rest day tomorrow.
Monday, December 3, 2007
Exercise Your Mind
Longest run yet yesterday. 7 miles. Felt really good. Each time I complete a longer run, I am amazed at how far my legs are able to carry me. Near the end I did have to stop for, *ahem*, a quick trip to the restroom, but I came back and finished my last 5 and a half minutes of the run, and then walked for about 5 minutes to cool-down. My legs felt fresh and strong. The challenge that I most faced this time around was a mental one: boredom.
There's a fantastic chapter in one of the marathon books I bought about playing mind tricks with yourself in order to fight the negative thoughts and boredom. It gives great games to play with your brain--like envisioning crazy contraptions that fling yourself far ahead of your fellow racers. Most of the ideas involve visualizing something silly and out of the ordinary, or down right "crazy".
Again, with the early sunsets and stormy weather yesterday afternoon, my run was on ye olde Treadmill. I did put my headphones on, but I found myself tuning it out some, and about 30 minutes in my mind was struggling to tell my legs to keep going. It's kind of a bizarre phenomenon really (to me anyways), that my body can feel perfectly capable--not even tired, but the mind tells me to stop. I fought it off, and eventually got in step with the music, which kept me going.
I'm grateful for my gym membership so that I can still get my exercise in. But I find that though you're sharing this space with other people--the same camaraderie and connectedness that you find out on the urban trails of Seattle is missing in the inner sanctum that is 24 hour fitness (okay, inner sanctum may be a bit of an exaggeration). Though sometimes the fact that they have a sauna makes up for it. ;-)
I miss running outdoors. There's so much to look at and absorb. Hopefully next weekend the weather will be a bit kinder and I can get an early afternoon workout in the daylight.
Oh, one more thing I want to address before I sign off: In recent conversations about running and deciding to take on a marathon, several people have expressed concern for my health and safety. And I greatly appreciate that concern, but I want to assure everyone that I have not taken this challenge on lightly. I have excellent resources--including highly trained and experienced runners; good books and internet sources; and my doctor's consent. I'm following the training schedule, which is of utmost importance. I'm also taking all the necessary rest days and listening to my body. The advice that trainers give before taking on a marathon is that you should have been running for at least a year, and logging at least 15-25 miles per week before you consider the challenge. I certainly meet those criteria. It's all about gradually building up mileage, and pacing yourself--the end goal simply being to finish the 26 miles.
Yes, people do get hurt, and yes, there have been people who have died during marathons or during training. But most of those people (there are exceptions) are extreme examples of people not following the necessary training, or pushing through in extreme heat when they should have slowed down or stopped. Please trust that I know what my body is and is not capable of. If I ever come to a point where I am conerned, I will most certainly listen to my body.
Also, I have some great reading materials if you're interested in learning more about the process. Our bodies do some pretty amazing things during such intense training--including an increase in growth of veins and arteries--or how about turning ourselves literally into fat burning machines! Plus--I'm all for a process that allows me to eat more! :-) Also, feel free to ask me questions. If I don't know the answer, I'll find out!
Happy Trails!
There's a fantastic chapter in one of the marathon books I bought about playing mind tricks with yourself in order to fight the negative thoughts and boredom. It gives great games to play with your brain--like envisioning crazy contraptions that fling yourself far ahead of your fellow racers. Most of the ideas involve visualizing something silly and out of the ordinary, or down right "crazy".
Again, with the early sunsets and stormy weather yesterday afternoon, my run was on ye olde Treadmill. I did put my headphones on, but I found myself tuning it out some, and about 30 minutes in my mind was struggling to tell my legs to keep going. It's kind of a bizarre phenomenon really (to me anyways), that my body can feel perfectly capable--not even tired, but the mind tells me to stop. I fought it off, and eventually got in step with the music, which kept me going.
I'm grateful for my gym membership so that I can still get my exercise in. But I find that though you're sharing this space with other people--the same camaraderie and connectedness that you find out on the urban trails of Seattle is missing in the inner sanctum that is 24 hour fitness (okay, inner sanctum may be a bit of an exaggeration). Though sometimes the fact that they have a sauna makes up for it. ;-)
I miss running outdoors. There's so much to look at and absorb. Hopefully next weekend the weather will be a bit kinder and I can get an early afternoon workout in the daylight.
Oh, one more thing I want to address before I sign off: In recent conversations about running and deciding to take on a marathon, several people have expressed concern for my health and safety. And I greatly appreciate that concern, but I want to assure everyone that I have not taken this challenge on lightly. I have excellent resources--including highly trained and experienced runners; good books and internet sources; and my doctor's consent. I'm following the training schedule, which is of utmost importance. I'm also taking all the necessary rest days and listening to my body. The advice that trainers give before taking on a marathon is that you should have been running for at least a year, and logging at least 15-25 miles per week before you consider the challenge. I certainly meet those criteria. It's all about gradually building up mileage, and pacing yourself--the end goal simply being to finish the 26 miles.
Yes, people do get hurt, and yes, there have been people who have died during marathons or during training. But most of those people (there are exceptions) are extreme examples of people not following the necessary training, or pushing through in extreme heat when they should have slowed down or stopped. Please trust that I know what my body is and is not capable of. If I ever come to a point where I am conerned, I will most certainly listen to my body.
Also, I have some great reading materials if you're interested in learning more about the process. Our bodies do some pretty amazing things during such intense training--including an increase in growth of veins and arteries--or how about turning ourselves literally into fat burning machines! Plus--I'm all for a process that allows me to eat more! :-) Also, feel free to ask me questions. If I don't know the answer, I'll find out!
Happy Trails!
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