PHEW OK so evidently it's quite easy to just... run so fast you forget to blog?
I'm at the beginning of Week 4 right now, and it's getting slowly better and better. A friend of mine in Canada just posted on Facebook that 50 minutes used to be her long run, and now it's her short run. Another friend in Alaska just ran/swam/cycled an Ironman. Two folks I know around here just ran a 50K!! How cool is that? My friends are my inspiration.
Strava's Week 2 stats:
14.6 miles in 2h 34m
Strava's Week 3 stats:
11.6 miles in 1h 54m
I'm pretty excited about this... I love scrolling through my feed, because my pace started at 12:00/mi, and it's been creeping down into the 11:00s, and then into the 10:00s and 9:00s (best run so far was at a 9:32 pace)
That's pretty great...
I moved house again, so now my course is around the block, which is just under 5 miles. I can go one way and face mostly downhill, or go the opposite way and face mostly uphill. For long runs I go uphill, and for shorter ones I go downhill... the reason being that the end of the downhill path is shaded, so as I walk through my warmdown, I'm not being blasted by the sun.
Another thing that happened is, I got a Fitbit ChargeHR!
I am so over the moon about it!! I've been using the app in tandem with Strava to track my runs, and to watch my heart rate while I'm running. The data is soooooo much fun to track and it's incredibly gratifying to see numbers increase (or drop).
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Week 2 - Round Up of Week 1
So Strava apparently counts weeks as beginning on Monday, but my running plan begins on Sunday, which is stupid that you can't change one or the other. But what the hey hey hey, I'll just use Strava numbers since I can't be assed to fiddle the math and a week is a week is a week in the end I suppose.
Last week, I ran a total of 12.2 miles, in 2 hours and 17 minutes.
So if I can maintain that pace sort of consecutively, that's roundabout my half marathon pace? I think? Is that how it works?
So far this week I've run 6.8 miles in 1 hour 12 minutes, which is pretty cheerful for being 2 runs in.
I ran on hills again tonight and it was RUBBISH RUBBISH RUBBISH but slightly less awful than this morning. Perhaps because the sun was going down. Perhaps because I climbed loads of stairs today.
Last week, I ran a total of 12.2 miles, in 2 hours and 17 minutes.
So if I can maintain that pace sort of consecutively, that's roundabout my half marathon pace? I think? Is that how it works?
So far this week I've run 6.8 miles in 1 hour 12 minutes, which is pretty cheerful for being 2 runs in.
I ran on hills again tonight and it was RUBBISH RUBBISH RUBBISH but slightly less awful than this morning. Perhaps because the sun was going down. Perhaps because I climbed loads of stairs today.
Week 2 - Treadmills suck
Yesterday was a CRUNCH -- right after work I thought I could run, but then I realized I didn't just have class at night, I also had a graduation rehearsal right before, so I had to haul ass home to change and then rush into the city.
Ok, I thought, this is not a total loss. I can run on the treadmill at my temporary house tonight.
No. No treadmill. Treadmills are horrible. It was the worst running ever -- boring, to start, and weirdly painful on my legs. I quit after 6 minutes. So pathetic!! And then it was 10 pm and I didn't want to run in the countryside in the dark, because I don't have any lights, and also, coyotes.
So today I went out to run in the morning, my 40 minutes. I stayed in the local area because it has hills, and I think there are hills in the half marathon I want to do, so yeah, hills.
Hills are horrible. Almost as horrible as treadmills.
And I have to run some more tonight, because there is 30 minutes of running on my docket for today in addition to doing yesterday's run, and also 30 minutes of cross-training. I cross-train on a stationary bicycle, because it is less awful than the treadmill, and it's a very quiet machine so I can watch Criminal Minds while I'm working out.
Today I started to use music instead of podcasts because I need that beat (ahahaha). Here's the current running lineup:
Andy Grammar - Honey I'm Good (I kind of hate this song? But I want to make a dance to it because it's so quick and catchy)
V.I.C. - Wobble
Taylor Swift - Shake It Off
Matt and Kim - Get It
Lilly Wood and the Prick - Prayer In C
Dave Basset - Ex's & Oh's
Doomtree - Gray Duck
Odesza - Say My Name
Mary Lambert - Secrets
Iggy Azalea - Black Widow
Jennifer Lawrence - The Hanging Tree (Pop Edit)
Milky Change - Stolen Dance
All that is 46 minutes, which is my max-ish time for now. I'll pop something else on there to round up to 50. Something quick and poppy.
Ok, I thought, this is not a total loss. I can run on the treadmill at my temporary house tonight.
No. No treadmill. Treadmills are horrible. It was the worst running ever -- boring, to start, and weirdly painful on my legs. I quit after 6 minutes. So pathetic!! And then it was 10 pm and I didn't want to run in the countryside in the dark, because I don't have any lights, and also, coyotes.
So today I went out to run in the morning, my 40 minutes. I stayed in the local area because it has hills, and I think there are hills in the half marathon I want to do, so yeah, hills.
Hills are horrible. Almost as horrible as treadmills.
And I have to run some more tonight, because there is 30 minutes of running on my docket for today in addition to doing yesterday's run, and also 30 minutes of cross-training. I cross-train on a stationary bicycle, because it is less awful than the treadmill, and it's a very quiet machine so I can watch Criminal Minds while I'm working out.
Today I started to use music instead of podcasts because I need that beat (ahahaha). Here's the current running lineup:
Andy Grammar - Honey I'm Good (I kind of hate this song? But I want to make a dance to it because it's so quick and catchy)
V.I.C. - Wobble
Taylor Swift - Shake It Off
Matt and Kim - Get It
Lilly Wood and the Prick - Prayer In C
Dave Basset - Ex's & Oh's
Doomtree - Gray Duck
Odesza - Say My Name
Mary Lambert - Secrets
Iggy Azalea - Black Widow
Jennifer Lawrence - The Hanging Tree (Pop Edit)
Milky Change - Stolen Dance
All that is 46 minutes, which is my max-ish time for now. I'll pop something else on there to round up to 50. Something quick and poppy.
Monday, May 11, 2015
Week 2 - The Long Run
I went out in neighborhoods today, making big loops so that I would always be forced to run a long distance... not leaving myself the option of turning around easily and going home. I was thirsty the entire time.
I ran 4.4 miles at a pace of 11:16. It took me 49 minutes, and yes, I walked bits of it, because I was so tired and thirsty.
The thing was, I realized partway through that although it was difficult and I hated it, it wasn't getting more difficult. With each step, I experienced the same discomfort and the same level of "Nooooooooo". So technically, it wasn't hard, it was just unusual to my body and to my level of stamina (which needs work). So I forced myself to keep going.
Sure it will get easier if you stop, but you did that last step, so you can do the next step too.
I looked at some running clubs on meetup.com and thought more about what I'm doing.
I ran 4.4 miles at a pace of 11:16. It took me 49 minutes, and yes, I walked bits of it, because I was so tired and thirsty.
The thing was, I realized partway through that although it was difficult and I hated it, it wasn't getting more difficult. With each step, I experienced the same discomfort and the same level of "Nooooooooo". So technically, it wasn't hard, it was just unusual to my body and to my level of stamina (which needs work). So I forced myself to keep going.
Sure it will get easier if you stop, but you did that last step, so you can do the next step too.
I looked at some running clubs on meetup.com and thought more about what I'm doing.
Sunday, May 10, 2015
Week 1 - A bit of Despair
The first week is over, the second week begins today.
I have a twinge in my brain that is thinking I have bitten off more than I can chew.
"You don't have to do this," I have reminded myself. "You don't have to run. You could do other things, and no one would ever know. You could spend your free time reading, or doing art, or developing your skills -- the skills you actually have. And enjoy."
Running is a skill I definitely do not have.
This is fucking difficult for me. I'm already torn between "I hate this and I suck at it so why am I insisting on torturing myself with it" and "I want to be fast and strong and finish this challenge".
I remember once, some girls and I were talking to a woman we knew who was a good runner. We were all just about to shuffle through a 5K, but this woman was going to run it and run it really fast.
She told us that when she started running, she hated it, and had to force herself to do it every time. And every time she did it, it sucked and she hated it. Until one day she didn't hate it (months and months and months later) and now running 10 miles is like taking a tiny walk for her, or whatever.
We all agreed, as she jogged off to the fast-people starting position, that she was bonkers. Why would you do that, if you hated it?
Why am I doing this, if I hate it? It's not for the adrenaline rush, because I'm not getting that.
I think...
If I didn't have to go out and run today, I would spend all morning on tumblr before work. I wouldn't work on my projects for school, I wouldn't do much productive. I would snack the whole time (I'm kind of shit at this Whole 30 thing too)
If I don't force myself, I won't do anything.
I have a twinge in my brain that is thinking I have bitten off more than I can chew.
"You don't have to do this," I have reminded myself. "You don't have to run. You could do other things, and no one would ever know. You could spend your free time reading, or doing art, or developing your skills -- the skills you actually have. And enjoy."
Running is a skill I definitely do not have.
This is fucking difficult for me. I'm already torn between "I hate this and I suck at it so why am I insisting on torturing myself with it" and "I want to be fast and strong and finish this challenge".
I remember once, some girls and I were talking to a woman we knew who was a good runner. We were all just about to shuffle through a 5K, but this woman was going to run it and run it really fast.
She told us that when she started running, she hated it, and had to force herself to do it every time. And every time she did it, it sucked and she hated it. Until one day she didn't hate it (months and months and months later) and now running 10 miles is like taking a tiny walk for her, or whatever.
We all agreed, as she jogged off to the fast-people starting position, that she was bonkers. Why would you do that, if you hated it?
Why am I doing this, if I hate it? It's not for the adrenaline rush, because I'm not getting that.
I think...
If I didn't have to go out and run today, I would spend all morning on tumblr before work. I wouldn't work on my projects for school, I wouldn't do much productive. I would snack the whole time (I'm kind of shit at this Whole 30 thing too)
If I don't force myself, I won't do anything.
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Week 1 - Changing attitudes
I was pretty happy to wake up today -- my third day of running -- at 7, and think to myself about how I could get my run in before I went to my internship, and meeting, and other stuff that's going on today.
I updated my running app to miles, and here's how it's shaking out:
Sunday: 40 minute run, at 12 min/mile
Tuesday: 33 minute run, at 11:22 min/mile
Wednesday: 26 minute run, at 10:48 min/mile
All things being equal, I would puff myself up about those numbers, but the sorry fact is, I keep crapping out before I hit my goal. I was supposed to run for 35 minutes on Tuesday, and 30 minutes today. I still have 30 minutes of cross-training yet to do today (Thanks, Jillian Michaels!) and I'd like to pretend that that makes up for being 4 minutes of running short, but it doesn't.
Every time I run, I find a pain in a new place on my legs. My lower back hurts every time, unless I adjust my posture to some weird sort of 19th century lady who was a board strapped to her back. So far, I've just powered through those feelings in my back ankle and behind my knee, and they've gone away. Is that the right way to deal with these things? Are those cramps? How do you tell when a pain is a bad pain versus just a pain?
Overall, I'm not feeling as murderous (or as murdered) by this running malarky as I expected. It's going to be a solid 6 weeks of this first leg of the schedule, so I have plenty of time to grow to hate it, I suppose.
Still, it's definitely an improvement in my overall condition and approach to life that when faced with something I don't necessarily want to do, I recognize that it's important to me, and that it contributes to my overall goal, and that completing that one action doesn't have to be as onerous as I'm maybe used to thinking. As I've been winding down (slogging through) my last semesters of school, I've found it hard to get direction and focus in my life... identifying goals became wistful dreaming, and nothing ever seemed to be accomplished long-term.
This running project isn't the first time I've set a goal like this, and it's not the first running goal I've had either. But it's the first time to go with a really solid plan, and to do it totally solo. Sometimes they say that you should share your goal with as many people as possible, so that people hold you accountable for it, but often, I find that they more I share and talk about stuff, the less time I spend actually doing it. That's me, you gotta find what works for you in the end.
Last November was the first time I completed NaNoWriMo. Last March was the first time I completed a 30-day workout regime without slacking or skipping. Right now I'm doing the Whole30 for the first time and I'm on day 10 AND I'M NOT QUITTING OR CHEATING even though I want a pizza like crazy. God DAMN I want a pizza.
But I won't eat the pizza, because I decided not to. And I will keep running, because I decided I would.
My choice makes all the power for me.
I updated my running app to miles, and here's how it's shaking out:
Sunday: 40 minute run, at 12 min/mile
Tuesday: 33 minute run, at 11:22 min/mile
Wednesday: 26 minute run, at 10:48 min/mile
All things being equal, I would puff myself up about those numbers, but the sorry fact is, I keep crapping out before I hit my goal. I was supposed to run for 35 minutes on Tuesday, and 30 minutes today. I still have 30 minutes of cross-training yet to do today (Thanks, Jillian Michaels!) and I'd like to pretend that that makes up for being 4 minutes of running short, but it doesn't.
Every time I run, I find a pain in a new place on my legs. My lower back hurts every time, unless I adjust my posture to some weird sort of 19th century lady who was a board strapped to her back. So far, I've just powered through those feelings in my back ankle and behind my knee, and they've gone away. Is that the right way to deal with these things? Are those cramps? How do you tell when a pain is a bad pain versus just a pain?
Overall, I'm not feeling as murderous (or as murdered) by this running malarky as I expected. It's going to be a solid 6 weeks of this first leg of the schedule, so I have plenty of time to grow to hate it, I suppose.
Still, it's definitely an improvement in my overall condition and approach to life that when faced with something I don't necessarily want to do, I recognize that it's important to me, and that it contributes to my overall goal, and that completing that one action doesn't have to be as onerous as I'm maybe used to thinking. As I've been winding down (slogging through) my last semesters of school, I've found it hard to get direction and focus in my life... identifying goals became wistful dreaming, and nothing ever seemed to be accomplished long-term.
This running project isn't the first time I've set a goal like this, and it's not the first running goal I've had either. But it's the first time to go with a really solid plan, and to do it totally solo. Sometimes they say that you should share your goal with as many people as possible, so that people hold you accountable for it, but often, I find that they more I share and talk about stuff, the less time I spend actually doing it. That's me, you gotta find what works for you in the end.
Last November was the first time I completed NaNoWriMo. Last March was the first time I completed a 30-day workout regime without slacking or skipping. Right now I'm doing the Whole30 for the first time and I'm on day 10 AND I'M NOT QUITTING OR CHEATING even though I want a pizza like crazy. God DAMN I want a pizza.
But I won't eat the pizza, because I decided not to. And I will keep running, because I decided I would.
My choice makes all the power for me.
Monday, May 4, 2015
Week 1 - A Bad Start
I wrote those posts the other day all full of vim and vigor, having done a morning workout and taken a shower and eaten a huge breakfast. I had plans for my day before work, folks.
Then I looked at my calendar and realized that my running week starts on Sunday. My work week starts on Monday, so of course I had cocked it all up.... and had to skip my plans, lace up my shoes, and run in the damn heat of Sunday mid-morning. I got a sun burn on my face and my pores look awful.
Oh, and the run? Yes the run. I ran for 40 minutes, and I covered 5.4 kilometers, which is 7:28 minutes per kilometer BECAUSE MY RUNNING APP THING IS SET FOR KILOMETERS FOR SOME REASON OKAY???
It's a terrible pace. My only excuse is having not been running for the past 9 months. That's not really an excuse.
And my sunburn! Ugh!
Today I had off, which was nice. Tomorrow I'm to run 35-40 minutes. Somewhere. Between work and school. Bah!
Then I looked at my calendar and realized that my running week starts on Sunday. My work week starts on Monday, so of course I had cocked it all up.... and had to skip my plans, lace up my shoes, and run in the damn heat of Sunday mid-morning. I got a sun burn on my face and my pores look awful.
Oh, and the run? Yes the run. I ran for 40 minutes, and I covered 5.4 kilometers, which is 7:28 minutes per kilometer BECAUSE MY RUNNING APP THING IS SET FOR KILOMETERS FOR SOME REASON OKAY???
It's a terrible pace. My only excuse is having not been running for the past 9 months. That's not really an excuse.
And my sunburn! Ugh!
Today I had off, which was nice. Tomorrow I'm to run 35-40 minutes. Somewhere. Between work and school. Bah!
Sunday, May 3, 2015
Stuff I hate, & getting over it
I know you're not supposed to hate things, because it's negative energy abounding, and I actually do embrace all that positivity stuff, but this is the real world, and sometimes you have to just overcome stuff that sucks... so let's just say this is the post about stuff that I'm super not into.
In the first post, I told you I didn't even really like running that much. It's the truth. I don't. I hate being hot, and sweating, and I hate being tired and feeling burned out. I hate the pain in my side, and the burning in my lungs. I don't live for that shit. That shit is not fun for me.
I was just looking at my schedule for tomorrow, and I realized I'll have to make a choice. Either I run after work, at around 2:30, when it is supposed to be quite a warm day. And I don't have a route with an abundance of shade.
Or, I get up at 4 am to run before work. After working until 10 pm the night before.
I hate the sun and I hate the heat.
I hate being tired and burned-out.
I haven't yet decided which one I'll pick, but I realized that the choice has to come between two things I hate.... or, it can come between two different physical challenges. I have to choose what I'm going to overcome, and what I think I can handle. I choose which is more important to me... sleep, or temperature & sun regulation?
In the first post, I told you I didn't even really like running that much. It's the truth. I don't. I hate being hot, and sweating, and I hate being tired and feeling burned out. I hate the pain in my side, and the burning in my lungs. I don't live for that shit. That shit is not fun for me.
I was just looking at my schedule for tomorrow, and I realized I'll have to make a choice. Either I run after work, at around 2:30, when it is supposed to be quite a warm day. And I don't have a route with an abundance of shade.
Or, I get up at 4 am to run before work. After working until 10 pm the night before.
I hate the sun and I hate the heat.
I hate being tired and burned-out.
I haven't yet decided which one I'll pick, but I realized that the choice has to come between two things I hate.... or, it can come between two different physical challenges. I have to choose what I'm going to overcome, and what I think I can handle. I choose which is more important to me... sleep, or temperature & sun regulation?
First Post - The Trial & Errathon
6 months until the Rails to Trails Marathon!
Starting this Monday, May 4, I'm training for my first marathon ever.
I've only ever done a wee bit of running... the odd 5K, and some jogging about. I don't know anything about running, really. I don't even like running all that much.
I'm hoping to change that part of myself, or at least learn enough to run a marathon. I understand it's a lofty goal. The intent isn't really to do especially well, but is to see what I can do, and improve myself along the way.
I've got a plan. A 6-month plan.
Starting this Monday, May 4, I'm training for my first marathon ever.
I've only ever done a wee bit of running... the odd 5K, and some jogging about. I don't know anything about running, really. I don't even like running all that much.
I'm hoping to change that part of myself, or at least learn enough to run a marathon. I understand it's a lofty goal. The intent isn't really to do especially well, but is to see what I can do, and improve myself along the way.
I've got a plan. A 6-month plan.
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