Fresh Start

I know. I start over a lot! I am hoping it sticks this time. 

I have been researching intermittent fasting and reading Fast Like a Girl, and I think I am ready to get going on this. I am starting with 14 hour fasting windows until I finish the book. Then, I will varying my window based on the recommended plans associated with my health issues. I will have to modify it a bit because it says from day 20 until a period starts for part of it, but I have about 60 day cycles. I will see what makes the most sense when I do it. 

I am also making exercise goals again. Chad and I want to run a marathon next year and have our eyes on one that ends a few miles from my dad's house. It is only about 6 months away, and I have a long way to get there. My goal is to get to the gym 3 days a week to train on the treadmill. I'm always concerned about running in the cold. That takes away that excuse. Plus, I can do some weight training while I'm there. 

I really hope this plan works. I hate being this big! 

Temporary Setback

I am a bit injured and have to rest my ankle/foot for a bit. A few years ago, I strained my achelies  tendon while running. It still acts up every now and then. I saw a doctor for it when I originally injured it, and she said there wasn't much they could do. I don't see the point in seeing them again. 

What am I doing to try to rehab it? I have skipped this last week of running. This is the main thing I can do to make it feel better. I am also doing yoga to help stretch it because I know that part of my problem is that I don't stretch enough. I have also been wearing shoes that are more supportive when I leave the house. I don't know how much it helps since I don't wear shoes most of the time since I work and go to school from home. It is already feeling better after only one week. I am hoping I can run this coming week. I miss it!

104 Days

This morning, I ran 3.5 miles, and it felt good. I started with running down into the oldest part of my town which is basically a trailer park with older trailers and modular home in which the people own the land. I haven't ran down there for a while because I prefer to start with going uphill and have the downhill at the end. This morning, I had to run about 60 minutes, though, so I ran downhill and circle back uphill on a new sidewalk on the other and into the neighborhood on the other side of mine. Then, I ran through that neighborhood to my favorite hills to run down back to my house. By the time I got to my last mile and a half, I was getting a lot slower. (This was the longest I have ran in a few years.) I am proud of myself for sticking to it and not cutting across the middle when it was getting hard like I would have done a year ago. I can't wait to see how much I progress over the next few months! 

107 Days

 

The fact that even if my times aren’t improving, the running is feeling better means I’m doing something right…I think. Today, I ran for about 40 minutes alone while listing to a Phil Collins playlist on Spotify. It was wonderful! I relaxed into the music and listened to my body to determine when to walk and run. I have no idea what intervals I ran or even if they would have made sense to anyone else. All I know is that it felt good. I came home knowing I could have done more with a smile on my face. I really couldn’t ask for more! 

109 Days

 

My run tonight felt great! I’m still not where I want to be with my running, but that didn’t matter today. My daughter and I got out and enjoyed a short, 30 minute run around town. The cool breeze felt great after a hot day in a hot house. It was nice to spend one-on-one time with her even if her “race walking” is the same speed as my running. I didn’t think I wanted a running partner after running with my husband a few times, but having a partner that is willing to try my speed was nice. I don’t know if she would want to do it again, and I know she will be fast enough that it won’t be fun for her to go with me for long, but it was nice tonight. 

118 Days

 

I have decided that I am not going to run the full marathon this year. I am going to run the half marathon at the same event. The more I thought about the marathon, the worse I felt. I am very out of shape and don't know if I can be marathon ready by the second week in October, but I'm fairly certain  that I can bring myself up to half marathon level by then. I was also worried about the cutoff of 6 hours. Even if I could finish a marathon, I am a very slow runner and could not complete it in that time. I believe I can finish the half in 5, though. I feel very confident about this decision. 

Today, I set out to run 3 miles and failed miserably. I wore new running shorts that had a bit too much compression. By the time I finished the first mile, my feet felt very heavy. I struggled to even walk, but I knew I had to make it home. After all, there was no one that could pick me up if I quit because Chad is at work and the kids are camping with their grandparents. I gave up trying after a mile and a half and just walked home. I have a 5K to run with my daughter next week. My plan is to run the distance each of my training runs during the coming week. I need next Saturday to be something to judge my progress. I'm hoping I am faster than I was the last one I did. 

127 Days

There are 127 days until Chad and I run a marathon. What am I doing to prepare? I’m following a training plan I found in a book. When I run, I am running for most of the son playing and walking at the beginning of each song. I have a long way to go and hope the plan I got out of one of my running books will get me to the finish line on race day before the cut off. 

Today, I ran 40 minutes which equaled about 2.4 miles. (Like I said, I am far from marathon ready.) at the beginning, it felt awful. I didn’t understand why it felt so much worse than it did Monday. Then, I looked at my watch and realized I was going faster. With that in mind, I was better able to enjoy my time running. 

I’m honestly a bit worried about this process, but I am excited to see what I can accomplish. 

Running Inside

 Today, I got changed and headed out the door for my run. Less than 10 minutes in, the rain started pelting me and the wind picked up. As I started back home, it became apparent that the rain drops were a bit more solid than regular rain. I didn’t want to miss out on my run, so I continued to follow my intervals in the app, going in circles around the living room and kitchen. It wasn’t as good of a workout as it would have been I had run outside, but at least I got it done. 

New Plan

 

I know that I have changed apps and plans a few times, but I’m ok with that. I am trying to find one that really fits me. Since I can’t afford an actual running coach, I figure this is the next best thing. 

Today, I downloaded the app that I used to train for the BOLDERBoulder in 2018. I think it was 5.99 at the time. I have no idea how much it is now. It is a Fitness22 product. I figure that if I still like this one like I did six years ago, I’ll spring for the marathon app in May. 

My plan for today called for 5 minute warmup and cooldown with six intervals of 1 minute running with 1.5 minutes walking. When I got to the cooldown, I ran a bit over half because it is fun to run that last block or two home. I enjoyed this for the most part. I could have done with shorted walk breaks, but I was able to just relax and listen to my music without a lot of talking to interrupt when I got into the zone. 

Recovery Run with Headspace - NRC

 

Today, I did a meditative 35 minute run. The audio for this run had the coach talking about the importance of recovery runs mixed in with one of the founders of Headspace talking about how to meditate during the run. It wasn’t my favorite. It was a bit boring. Honestly , I paid more attention to my music than the audio for the run. 

That being said, I loved running today. It was a beautiful morning, and I was so happy to be out in the sun. It got harder the longer I was out, but that is normal. Overall, I would say this run was successful. I can feel the progress I’m making. 

5K Long Run - NRX

 

Today, I ran my own personal 5K, and it was hard. I haven’t ran consistently enough to fully live this distance again, but I have been running enough for it to feel good at the end. 

I did most of my run in a neighborhood nearby that is still being built. It was relaxing to be able to just run down the middle of the street without concern for cars. I listened to my body to figure out intervals I tried to do it like last time, but the first half of my run was mostly uphill. Also, the songs were a bit long. (I never realized Buffalo Soldier was at o long. 

Day 1: 15 Minute Run - NRC

 

I have officially started training for the BOLDERBoulder. This year, I have decided to do a half marathon training so the race will be easier. Also, I will be starting my marathon training right after the BOLDERBoulder and want to be ready for that. 

Tonight was a 15 minute easy run. I attempted to run the whole thing without walk breaks. I don’t need up needed a walk break at 11 and a half minutes. After a minute of walking, I was able to Runn the last few minutes. I am so proud of myself! 

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?