Picking Up Speed

Despite still being sick, I had another good run yesterday (Thursday).  Ran for 25 minutes straight at a very slightly increased pace, and I did some speed work during the last few minutes.  I'm now up to 4.2mph as a maintainable, conversational pace.  I'd like to get up to 6mph for a 10-minute mile...and have it be comfortable.  I'm well on my way there.  I'll be shooting for 35 minutes for my long run on Saturday.

Between exercising and eating better, I have lost about 5 pounds since I've started, and I already feel like I've gained more muscle.  I'm really proud of myself for all I've accomplished so far.

I haven't registered for the half marathon yet, but I want to do it soon.  My parents still owe me a birthday gift from last year (2010).  It was supposed to be a nice stand mixer once I got my own apartment, but I'm thinking I may ask them to pay for the half marathon registration and buy me some more running gear instead.  That would be more beneficial right now.  I should be going to get running shoes (as this year's birthday gift) sometime next week.

Good Run Today

I came down with a cold Friday-ish, so I wasn't sure how Saturday would go, but I knew I was going to run some anyway.  Despite being sick, I started off great.  Walked for a few minutes, like usual, to warm up, and then I got running.  I've increased my pace slightly since I've started running, and I felt like my starting pace was still too slow, so I increased it a little bit.  But between the cold and the increased pace, it was just not happening.  I was at least able to decrease my pace and get in 30 minutes with a walk break somewhere in between, so it was still pretty good.

With my weekly break on Sundays, today was the first day I've run since Saturday.  I didn't have a clear goal set going in because I'm still sick and thus figured I'd just feel it out.  I ran at the pace I've been used to and felt really good.  I had hoped for 25 minutes but would have been happy with 20.  But 25 was no problem!  It was a really good run, and I hope to feel like that next Saturday on my longer run day.  Today's television show of choice was A&E's new show "Heavy", which is basically like any of the other weight-loss shows, but I still enjoyed it.  (I know, I watch weird shows.  :P)

I'm really excited about how much progress I've made already.  Thank you to everybody who has been reading this and talking to me about it.  You guys help motivate me to keep going and really enjoy this journey.

My parents are indeed buying me good running shoes for my birthday!  I'm either going with my dad later this week or just getting money to go on my own.  And my grandma is making me a wrist wallet to carry money and keys when I start running outside.  So a great big thank you to my parents and my grandma!

Want...to...run...

I so badly want to run tomorrow, but it's one of my rest days.  Am I really getting addicted already?  Now that I have set my mind to it, have a goal for which to strive, and have started following a regular workout schedule, I'm really enjoying my workouts, especially the running.  The crazy part is that I used to hate running!  It was what I dreaded in high school P.E.  So I don't know what happened.  A bit of maturing, maybe, along with this being a choice rather than something I'm forced to do.

I'll have to find something to do with all this extra energy, assuming I still feel that way in the morning.  Wii Fit, maybe, or running around with my mom's daycare kids.

Stronger Than I'd Thought

I did my first "long" run on Saturday.  30 minutes straight at a comfortable pace.  And I managed all 30 minutes just fine.  Could have done more, actually, but (as has been/will be a recurring theme) I don't want to push myself to the point of injury for thinking I'm in better shape than I am.  I felt really good during and after the run.  Watched another episode of "I Used to be Fat" during the workout.  I'm discovering a new world of fitness shows, as they are what I prefer to watch on a run.  This morning the only thing I could find was G4's American Ninja Warrior.  I got really into it, and there's a marathon on pretty much all day, so I have those recording to watch during future workouts and just because.


I'm doing well with food, too.  Eating a lot of fresh fruits, fat-free yogurt, and whole wheat bread.  The biggest problem is having too many "bad" foods on hand and not enough good foods.  I have a whole plan to fix that when I start getting a paycheck and have my own apartment.  During the summer months, I would like to join a CSA.  That's Community Supported Agriculture, for those who are not familiar.  Here's a basic rundown of the idea:

Over the last 20 years, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) has become a popular way for consumers to buy local, seasonal food directly from a farmer. Here are the basics: a farmer offers a certain number of "shares" to the public. Typically the share consists of a box of vegetables, but other farm products may be included. Interested consumers purchase a share (aka a "membership" or a "subscription") and in return receive a box (bag, basket) of seasonal produce each week throughout the farming season.


This description comes from LocalHarvest.org, which also allows one to find local CSAs, farmers' markets, co-ops, farms, etc.  It's a great resource if you're looking to get high quality, locally grown, (often) organic food.


For now, while I'm a broke kid, I'm going to apply for a Worker Share program with a local farm.  If I get selected, I will receive a bag of fresh vegetables every week from June through October for putting in 8 hours of work each of those months at the farm's booth a local farmers' market.  So about 40 hours of work in total for 20 weeks of fresh vegetables.  I am very okay with this plan.


This week's workout schedule:


Sunday (yesterday) - Rest
Monday - 20 minute run (done)
Tuesday - 20 minute cross-training
Wednesday - Rest
Thursday - 20 minute run, walk 5 minutes, 10 minute run
Friday - 20 minute cross-training
Saturday - 30 minute run

Still Going Strong

I've stuck to my running schedule so far.  Did another 15-minute run on Monday and a 25-minute run today...separated into 15 and 10 by a 10-minute walk.  I'm also trying to do cross-training on the non-running days.  I accomplished that on Sunday but not yesterday.

I'm really enjoying the running.  The television helps since I'm stuck inside to do my running.  Monday I watched some home makeover show and didn't find it as inspirational.  I think it was harder to watch, too, while running.  So I'll save those shows for my lazy evenings.  This morning I watched the last half of last night's Biggest Loser and then a little bit of last night's episode of What Not to Wear.  I know I can run further/longer than I currently am, but I'm trying to be smart about it and not overdo it to the point of injury, as is common with overenthusiastic new runners.  In training to be a distance runner, there is supposed to be one longer run each week.  For me that will be Saturdays, so I'll try to do 25 or 30 minutes straight on Saturday, even if I have to decrease the pace a little.  I'll also have to make sure to record a good motivational TV show to watch during the workout.  I'm open to suggestions if anyone has any.

I got a screening call yesterday from a temp center to which I had submitted my resume.  I was excited when asked what I've been doing since I graduated in May and could respond that I've started training to run a half-marathon.  (I told about other things, too, but I was just excited to get to say that, and the lady who called seemed impressed.)

No new running shoes yet, as my birthday is still a week and a half off, but I'm doing alright.  Still minor pain in my shin area after I've been running on the treadmill for a bit, but it helps me keep the workouts at a good level for my recent exercise history.  I've been trying to figure out what other accessories I'll need.  I'll need new running clothes in the near future (including non-cotton socks), and I'll need something small to store house keys, maybe a phone, and a little bit of money.  I'll also need a place to store a little bit of food when my distance increases.  And I need to figure out what to do about water and possibly a sports drink.  Luckily I still have time to make these decisions since it'll likely be cold for awhile.  I'm also open to advice for any of these needs.

Thanks for reading.  You're awesome!

Off to a Good Start

I began running this morning, as planned.  I warmed up with a bit of Wii Fit Plus after a good stretch.  Then I ate a healthy breakfast:  an orange, a small glass of skim milk, a slice of toasted whole wheat bread with peanut butter, and a tall glass of water.  It was surprisingly filling and quite delicious.  I know, too, that successful running requires good nutrition.

After filling up my adorable water bottle (see below) and setting the TV to "I Used to be Fat" as a strange sort of motivation--and just because it's interesting to watch--I warmed up a bit more by walking on my treadmill for 5 minutes.  I was then shooting for 15 minutes of jogging, and I was surprised to discover that I was able to meet that goal without any trouble.  Well, the only issue was that my shins or ankles were feeling the impact too much. It didn't hurt.  It was just mildly uncomfortable.  I suspect it's a result of either the treadmill or my shoes.

I am currently wearing really cheap running shoes, and I definitely need to get a good pair before I run the half-marathon, although hopefully much sooner than that.  My parents have been looking for birthday gift suggestions, and I told them they can take me shopping for a good pair of running shoes.  This is when I also let my mom know about my half-marathon goal, and she was a lot less surprised and worried than I had expected.  It's nice to have her support, and I know she'll be thrilled to have me cooking healthy meals with her.

If the treadmill is the problem, there's not much I can do about it right now.  I won't run outside when there's snow and ice on the ground.  However, when it starts to warm up I'd actually prefer to be running outside.  I can deal with the treadmill for a bit longer.  I'd like to include some biking, too, when it's warm enough to be outside.  Part of preparing to run a half-marathon is cross-training--basically any form of exercise except running or walking.  I love biking, anyway, so it's a great choice for me.  Until I can start biking outdoors, my mom has a stationary bike I can use.

After that tangent...

I did a 10-minute walk as a cool-down after my 15-minute run, and then I stretched again.  I had originally planned to jog again after walking for a bit, but I remembered advice I had read warning new runners not to increase distance too quickly.  I decided to be safe and stop there.  I wasn't feeling particularly hungry after my short run, but I knew I should eat a little, so I had a few turkey sausage links.  I love how good I feel after eating well and getting in a bit of exercise.  It sets the tone for the rest of the day.  I'll take tomorrow off, as far as running, but do a bit of cross-training.  Then I should be back to running on Monday morning.

My adorable water bottle

Preface

One of the goals on my Day Zero Project list is to run a 5K.  I've been thinking about that and realizing it's not a very ambitious goal.  Just over 3 miles.  Sure, I couldn't currently run that without some walking here and there.  But I used to do a lot of running--mostly because I had to in high school physical education classes, which are mandatory every year in the state of Illinois.  I also took a mini fitness jogging class in college as part of a freshman year requirement, and I do a lot of walking in my daily life.  It is therefore my belief that I could rather easily attain the level of fitness required to run a 5K, which mostly defeats the purpose of the goal.

The level of discipline and of physical fitness (mental, too, I suppose) necessary to complete a half-marathon is much higher.  If done correctly, I would be pushed to greater health, and I would have made a huge accomplishment that I could forever be proud of.  I hope to form habits (exercise and nutrition) that will persist long past race day.  Just completing a half-marathon at all would be exciting, but my real goal is to be able to run the entire (approximately) 13.1 miles nonstop.  I have not registered yet, mostly due to a current lack of funds, but my half-marathon of choice is the Rock 'n' Roll Chicago Half Marathon on August 21, 2011, theoretically giving me plenty of time to train.

I've begun a lot of research online and have requested several related books from my local library.  If anybody has additional advice or motivational words, please share!  The main purpose of this blog is to keep myself accountable; if people are reading about my progress, I am more likely to stick with it and push myself when I am feeling lazy.  So please leave me comments and/or talk with me about this whole half-marathon thing in another setting--Facebook, AIM, in person, etc.

P.S. The "no running" image as my profile picture was intentionally ironic.