Running For More Joy - NRC

 

Today, I ran with the Nike Run Club app using a 35 minute guided run called Running for more Joy. It felt good to get out and run. I missed it over the past few weeks but kept coming up with excuses not to go. Of course some of those days it was way too cold to run, but the excuse that I didn’t want to look creepy as the kids at the school in the neighborhood was dumb since I get off work about an hour before they get out. Getting rid of the excuses is the first obstacle I always have to overcome. Once I do, I rarely regret it. 

The guided run I did today was full of reminders of finding joy in life. He talked about the joys of being outside, the joy we felt running as children, and  the joy we can find in running now. As he did so, I did my best to run for 1 minute and walk for one minute. I wasn’t perfect at it, but it felt good. 

I also ran in new shoes. I have been running in trail running shoes for years inadvertently and the trad is wearing on the pair I have been wearing for a while. When I took my son to get shoes, I found these on clearance and was excited because they were exactly what I needed. They are so much lighter than the others. My only problem was the blisters. Next time, I’ll wear bandaids. 

35 Minute Long Run -NRC

Today was my first long run as I prepare for my marathon in October. As an added bonus, I was able to use 2 of my Christmas presents, running gloves and bone conduction headphones. I am still working with the starter program on the Nike Run Club app. I have also decided to use what I have learned from Galloway by using the run/walk method. I can feel myself becoming a stronger runner and am liking the coaching advice given as I go. 

My run today was a 35 minute long run with 1 minute run and 30 second walk intervals. For the most part, this run felt great. There was a bit in the middle that the chips and nacho cheese I had with dinner was not agreeing with the exercise, so I walked for about 2 minutes. I also ran down any hills that I could (hills are relative when one lives this far from the mountains). I am happy to say that I didn’t ever feel a pain in my right arm and shoulder like I have been when I run for the past few months. I am hoping that means I’m getting healthier rather than it being a fluke. 

My next run should be a 10 minute run. I only have a few weeks left before I need to choose a new plan. 
 

20 Minutes with Noel

Tonight, I did 20 minutes of run/walk with my daughter. We ran for 35 seconds and walked for 35 seconds. She could have had longer run intervals, but that was all I had in me. I am hoping to be in shape enough to bump up the run time next week, but we’ll see. 

Running with my daughter is harder than going out alone because I feel compelled to keep up with her. She is much faster than I am, but she doesn’t like going out alone. I know I slow her down, but she is willing to be slower to stay with me. It is a mutually beneficial thing. She gets to have someone with her as she runs. I get to be pushed in a way I would not be if I were alone. I don’t know how long she will want to do things like this with me. I’m going to soak in the experience for now. 

Week 3 Day 3

 I know I skipped day 2. Thursday was a crazy day. I take a walk with my friend and our dogs after work on Thursdays. Then, I had to pick up Noel and stop at the store on the way home. We got home just in time for me to have my class Zoom. During that, I had my camera off as I got ready and drove to a work dinner. Finally, the work dinner was 3 hours, and I didn’t get him until about 10. I was exhausted! I didn’t run. 

Today was day 3 of week three on my plan: warmup 3 minutes, run/walk for 2 miles, cooldown 3 minutes. It wasn’t too bad, for the most part. I went up into the neighborhood next to mine, back into my neighborhood, past the elementary school, and home. I realize about half a mile in that I had talked about changing my intervals but wasn’t sure I did. If I had, it still wasn’t quite right. Forty seconds of walking seemed too long, so I changed it while I was walking. I am now running for 35 set and walking for 35 seconds. It feels about right. I may need to extend the run time a bit. I love that I get to listen to my body and decide what works best for me. I know the intervals will continue to change as I train. I can’t imagine speeding up and slowing down this often during a marathon, but I think it will work for the Turkey Trot and ColderBolder. 

Week 3 Day 1

 

 I didn’t run at all last week, so I’m still on week 3. I’m ok with that because I am doing the ColderBolder the week after the Turkey Trot. I’ll just change my training plan to the date do December 2 instead of November 23.

Today, I did 3 minutes for the warmup and cooldown with 20 minutes of walk/run intervals. Since it is Halloween and I don’t want to run trough trick-or-treaters, I went after I got off work before I had to leave to pick up my daughter from school. I ran up the main road near may house which is basically all uphill. I hate uphill runs. By the time I hit the halfway point, I was struggling. My right side and shoulder were hurting, but I kept going. I figured I need to get used to pain if I’m going to do a marathon in a year. 

Week 2 Day 2ish

 

Today was week 2, day 2 on the schedule, but I didn’t run Tuesday. I went out for ice cream instead. (I know that wasn’t the smartest choice.) I still did what I was slated to do, though. I did a 3 minute warmup and cooldown with 17 minutes of run/walk intervals. For the most part, it felt good. In fact, it felt so good that I think it is time to change my intervals to run a bit longer and walk a bit shorter by 5 seconds. I probably won’t change it until after my long run on Saturday because I want to be able to do the full 1.5 miles. (It is a bit odd that 1.5 miles is a long run for me considering I did a half marathon a few years ago.) 

A Bit Chilly

 Today, I did my first “long run” on this training plan. It was a 3 minute warmup and cool down with a mile run sandwiched between. There was a point where I was questioning why I ever liked running, but that passed. The second half of the run went smoothly. I was actually able to relax into it like I used to. This is why I loved it and why I keep going back to it. 

Turkey Trot Training

 We are doing a Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving, and I am training before this one. I need to be marathon ready in about a year. Since I have not been running as much as I would like, I am starting with this. 

My goal for the Turkey Trot is to finish the 5k in less than 45 minutes. I am using a training plan on Galloway’s app. Today, the run kind of sucked. I have let myself go in so many ways. I lungs were burning, my heart was pounding, and my lips were numb. It can only get better from here. Right?