Even though I had a kind of mediocre run last night and my Insanity workout was brutal, I am feeling so much stronger. Friday night I actually had a really good run and felt great during Insanity even though it was still kicking my butt. It's just crazy to me how quickly your body adapts and improves when you push it.
Yesterday, I finished my second week of Insanity and I have already come so far since I started. I haven't seen a real change on the scale but my body is so much stronger. I am doing more of the exercises and making it through the workouts longer before I have to take breaks. I still have bad days from time to time like yesterday but as long as I still try and do the workout, I know I am still improving.
I'm really looking forward to seeing my results at the end of the 9 weeks. I'm still terrified of the second half of the program because it is the reason it's called Insanity but I know that as long as I try and continue to do as much as I can, I will still see results.
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Holy... I can't believe I did it!
I finally broke the 12 minute/mile mark!
I know that is not a big deal for most runners, but for me and my slow ass, it is. I ended up taking the weekend off from both Insanity and running. My legs were DEAD from running every night last week AND doing Insanity. Saturday, I was just so sore, I decided to take it easy. I did a lot of nothing and apparently my legs appreciated it.
I actually wasn't planning on running tonight since we got in later than usual and I still needed to do Insanity. I started the video and remembered how much I hate the warm-up. I decided to do what I did last week and just use my one mile as a warm-up. I didn't use my app tonight because I always have to fix the map to get an accurate time. I marked off the mile (using driveways as the end mark) last week since I was aggravated with the app being wrong. That way, I would know once I did two laps and passed a certain driveway, I had completed 1 mile. I grabbed Mac's watch to use the stopwatch on it as I headed out. I was hoping I could finally get under 12 minutes but quickly decided it wasn't going to happen. My left ankle was tight and it was HOT. Even now, over an hour later it is 86 degrees out with a heat index of 90. I felt slow and figured I didn't have a chance at beating my time. I kept moving though and every now and then checked my watch.
When I had about half a lap left, I checked the time. There was a chance that I was going to make it. I knew I needed to push a little harder on the last leg which unfortunately is the hardest. It is the longest side of the block and it has the steepest up hill and usually a head wind. Fortunately the winds tonight were under 10mph so that wasn't too bad. I grit my teeth and focused on moving my feet forward. I rounded the last turn and could see the second driveway that marked the end of my mile. I pushed forward with a determination to get it this time and grabbed the watch. I didn't dare look down but I readied my finger on the button to stop the clock as soon as I passed the driveway. I hit the button, heard the beep and looked down 11:59.
I was overjoyed! I immediately raised my arms in the air and couldn't help but celebrate. As I walked towards the house, I couldn't help but to start to cry. Two years ago I tried to my first full 5K. I had to walk after two miles but the time for those two miles was an average 18 minute mile. Here I am, 2 years and a lot of miles later and I just finished my first mile in under 12 minutes. I came in and immediately jumped on RunKeeper to map it out. I knew I had actually ran a little more than 1 mile because I had to dodge a trailer that was in the way on the road. Once I got everything plugged in, my official time for the mile was 11:54. That's 9 seconds faster than the mile I ran last week.
I finished up an awesome night by doing Insanity. It's amazing what a difference a week can make. It was still tough, and I still had to take breaks but I did so much more than I did last week and I felt so much better while doing it. All of this is giving me a little confidence boost and making me feel like I can do this again.
I am hoping that we are close to figuring out what has been going on with me over the past year. I saw my PCM today for my annual physical and she is doing some more blood work because she thinks my hormones are out of whack. I think so too. I have thought that for a while but since one of my main symptoms seemed allergy related, they checked that first. Since that all came back clear, we are looking at other things now and I think this just might be it. Hopefully, soon we will get the test results and they will explain things and we can start getting it back on track.
With all of these things feeling like they are coming together, I feel like I am back on the right path and hopefully nothing can stop me now.
I know that is not a big deal for most runners, but for me and my slow ass, it is. I ended up taking the weekend off from both Insanity and running. My legs were DEAD from running every night last week AND doing Insanity. Saturday, I was just so sore, I decided to take it easy. I did a lot of nothing and apparently my legs appreciated it.
I actually wasn't planning on running tonight since we got in later than usual and I still needed to do Insanity. I started the video and remembered how much I hate the warm-up. I decided to do what I did last week and just use my one mile as a warm-up. I didn't use my app tonight because I always have to fix the map to get an accurate time. I marked off the mile (using driveways as the end mark) last week since I was aggravated with the app being wrong. That way, I would know once I did two laps and passed a certain driveway, I had completed 1 mile. I grabbed Mac's watch to use the stopwatch on it as I headed out. I was hoping I could finally get under 12 minutes but quickly decided it wasn't going to happen. My left ankle was tight and it was HOT. Even now, over an hour later it is 86 degrees out with a heat index of 90. I felt slow and figured I didn't have a chance at beating my time. I kept moving though and every now and then checked my watch.
When I had about half a lap left, I checked the time. There was a chance that I was going to make it. I knew I needed to push a little harder on the last leg which unfortunately is the hardest. It is the longest side of the block and it has the steepest up hill and usually a head wind. Fortunately the winds tonight were under 10mph so that wasn't too bad. I grit my teeth and focused on moving my feet forward. I rounded the last turn and could see the second driveway that marked the end of my mile. I pushed forward with a determination to get it this time and grabbed the watch. I didn't dare look down but I readied my finger on the button to stop the clock as soon as I passed the driveway. I hit the button, heard the beep and looked down 11:59.
I was overjoyed! I immediately raised my arms in the air and couldn't help but celebrate. As I walked towards the house, I couldn't help but to start to cry. Two years ago I tried to my first full 5K. I had to walk after two miles but the time for those two miles was an average 18 minute mile. Here I am, 2 years and a lot of miles later and I just finished my first mile in under 12 minutes. I came in and immediately jumped on RunKeeper to map it out. I knew I had actually ran a little more than 1 mile because I had to dodge a trailer that was in the way on the road. Once I got everything plugged in, my official time for the mile was 11:54. That's 9 seconds faster than the mile I ran last week.
I finished up an awesome night by doing Insanity. It's amazing what a difference a week can make. It was still tough, and I still had to take breaks but I did so much more than I did last week and I felt so much better while doing it. All of this is giving me a little confidence boost and making me feel like I can do this again.
I am hoping that we are close to figuring out what has been going on with me over the past year. I saw my PCM today for my annual physical and she is doing some more blood work because she thinks my hormones are out of whack. I think so too. I have thought that for a while but since one of my main symptoms seemed allergy related, they checked that first. Since that all came back clear, we are looking at other things now and I think this just might be it. Hopefully, soon we will get the test results and they will explain things and we can start getting it back on track.
With all of these things feeling like they are coming together, I feel like I am back on the right path and hopefully nothing can stop me now.
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Still here and still running
Sorry I've been quite lately. I did a little traveling the first full week of June so I have been trying to settle back into a routine at home. I mentioned in my last post that I had started a run streak thanks to the Runners World Summer Challenge. I am still plugging away at it thought my streak has been broken twice. Like I said, I did some traveling last week and it got the best of me a few days.
The day I flew into GA, I still did well. Rachel picked me up at the airport and we headed north to the hotel where we would be staying for a friend's wedding. Once we got settled in that night, I hit the fitness room and did a mile on the dreadmill. It just reminded me how much I HATE treadmills. The next day was Sunday and the day of the wedding. I did not get up early enough to hit the treadmill before we had to check out. The rest of the day was full of meeting up with friends, going to the wedding and driving back to Middle Georgia for the night. I had considered trying to do a quick mile once I arrived at Patrick's before I went to bed but then a dear friend was involved in an accident on I-75 and we had to stop to stay with him while arrangements were made for his truck and then give him a ride. This meant I did not get in until well after midnight and it had been a crazy day so I slept.
Monday I was not stupid enough to run in the middle of the day in Georgia in June so I was hoping to get my run in once I arrived at my parents' house that evening. Unfortunately, schedules were tight an we did not get there until after dark. Had I been at Fort Hood, it would have been fine and I would have put on my shoes and hit the pavement but unfortunately, I was there. Even though it is a small town, there is a very rough area near my parents' house and I would not run at night unless I carried a gun. Since I don't have a carry permit, that wasn't an option(though my mom or dad would have let me carry either of theirs.) So after doing really well the first week, I missed two days.
The rest of the time I was there, I got my running in each evening before sunset. It was HOT! One thing I DO NOT miss about Georgia is the oppressive humidity. It was KILLING me but I got it done. On Thursday, we ventured east to St. Simons, Island. We drove all day in the rains from TS Andrea. Soon after we checked in, there was a break in the rain and I headed out. I had just finished a 2 mile loop and started walking across the parking lot to the room when the heavens opened and it poured rain. By the time I walked the last 100 yards, I was soaking wet but I loved it. I enjoy running in the rain(when I am prepared for it, unlike last years WW8K) Unfortunately, on Friday, there just didn't seem to be any good time to do it and I missed another day. Saturday was a very long travel day that had me sitting in airports way too much and not getting home until well after midnight. I was beat and just went to bed. According to my runKeeper log I didn't run on Sunday either(though I thought I did). But this week I have been back at it each day. I plan to continue through July 4th even though my streak isn't intact anymore.
I pushed myself again on Monday night and ran the entire mile at my best pace so far. I was so annoyed though because I finished the mile in 12:03. I was SO CLOSE to being under 12 minutes but I know I will get there soon. It was an 18 second improvement over the Memorial Day mile when I did my previous best of 12:21. I have also started Insanity again which I hope to recap once a week. It is tough and I forgot how tough it really is. Doing it and a mile each day is really pushing my legs to the max but I know as long as I am smart, it will only help me in the end. The only time it may be a problem is in July after the run streak is over but once my ToT training begins. When that happens, I will just skip Insanity on the Saturdays that I have long training runs so that I don't burn out my legs.
I want to start posting more again. Especially now that I am picking up the pace training wise. I'm also so close to a couple of goals, one running(sub 12 min mile) and one weight and I hope to be able to share about reaching those goals soon. I have also been doing a lot of thinking lately about how far I've come, how far I have to go, what I hope for my future, things I have learned along the way and emotions that come with this journey. I want to get all of these thoughts out if I can but sometimes they just seem to get stuck. I'm trying to make decisions about races over the course of the next 12 months and once I have a better idea of when and where I will be running, I want to put that out there too. I just hope that there is someone out there still reading this.
The day I flew into GA, I still did well. Rachel picked me up at the airport and we headed north to the hotel where we would be staying for a friend's wedding. Once we got settled in that night, I hit the fitness room and did a mile on the dreadmill. It just reminded me how much I HATE treadmills. The next day was Sunday and the day of the wedding. I did not get up early enough to hit the treadmill before we had to check out. The rest of the day was full of meeting up with friends, going to the wedding and driving back to Middle Georgia for the night. I had considered trying to do a quick mile once I arrived at Patrick's before I went to bed but then a dear friend was involved in an accident on I-75 and we had to stop to stay with him while arrangements were made for his truck and then give him a ride. This meant I did not get in until well after midnight and it had been a crazy day so I slept.
Monday I was not stupid enough to run in the middle of the day in Georgia in June so I was hoping to get my run in once I arrived at my parents' house that evening. Unfortunately, schedules were tight an we did not get there until after dark. Had I been at Fort Hood, it would have been fine and I would have put on my shoes and hit the pavement but unfortunately, I was there. Even though it is a small town, there is a very rough area near my parents' house and I would not run at night unless I carried a gun. Since I don't have a carry permit, that wasn't an option(though my mom or dad would have let me carry either of theirs.) So after doing really well the first week, I missed two days.
The rest of the time I was there, I got my running in each evening before sunset. It was HOT! One thing I DO NOT miss about Georgia is the oppressive humidity. It was KILLING me but I got it done. On Thursday, we ventured east to St. Simons, Island. We drove all day in the rains from TS Andrea. Soon after we checked in, there was a break in the rain and I headed out. I had just finished a 2 mile loop and started walking across the parking lot to the room when the heavens opened and it poured rain. By the time I walked the last 100 yards, I was soaking wet but I loved it. I enjoy running in the rain(when I am prepared for it, unlike last years WW8K) Unfortunately, on Friday, there just didn't seem to be any good time to do it and I missed another day. Saturday was a very long travel day that had me sitting in airports way too much and not getting home until well after midnight. I was beat and just went to bed. According to my runKeeper log I didn't run on Sunday either(though I thought I did). But this week I have been back at it each day. I plan to continue through July 4th even though my streak isn't intact anymore.
I pushed myself again on Monday night and ran the entire mile at my best pace so far. I was so annoyed though because I finished the mile in 12:03. I was SO CLOSE to being under 12 minutes but I know I will get there soon. It was an 18 second improvement over the Memorial Day mile when I did my previous best of 12:21. I have also started Insanity again which I hope to recap once a week. It is tough and I forgot how tough it really is. Doing it and a mile each day is really pushing my legs to the max but I know as long as I am smart, it will only help me in the end. The only time it may be a problem is in July after the run streak is over but once my ToT training begins. When that happens, I will just skip Insanity on the Saturdays that I have long training runs so that I don't burn out my legs.
I want to start posting more again. Especially now that I am picking up the pace training wise. I'm also so close to a couple of goals, one running(sub 12 min mile) and one weight and I hope to be able to share about reaching those goals soon. I have also been doing a lot of thinking lately about how far I've come, how far I have to go, what I hope for my future, things I have learned along the way and emotions that come with this journey. I want to get all of these thoughts out if I can but sometimes they just seem to get stuck. I'm trying to make decisions about races over the course of the next 12 months and once I have a better idea of when and where I will be running, I want to put that out there too. I just hope that there is someone out there still reading this.
Saturday, June 1, 2013
A case for Galloway
Olympian Jeff Galloway is a big advocate of the run/walk/run method. He is an Olympic marathoner and he uses this method for his own runs. He runs 30 seconds and walks 30 seconds. You can go to expos where he is a guest speaker and hear him lecture on this method. There are tons of articles and lots of blogs that talk about him and his method. He is the running consultant with RunDisney and he creates training plans for each of their races.
When I first started training for the 2011 Princess, I looked at his training info but decided not to follow it. I didn't like that it had a run longer than 13.1 miles before the race and I wasn't really looking to do intervals. I was planning to run start to finish(haha). I started training and soon got very frustrated. After a while I quit training and eventually went to Princess and was swept.(Which you can read about here.) After being swept and realizing that if I really trained I could do it, I decided to take a new approach. I started doing research about training programs and methods. I started with the Weight Watchers 5K program and then moved on from there. I sort of did a 10k program after the 5k one was over but I wasn't really happy with it. After I did the Labor Day 10K I started looking more at half programs. I finally decided to go with Galloway's plan for the Princess.
Even though I was planning to do Tink, I had waited too late to start that program and the first Tink fit perfectly into the Princess training by falling on the week you would run 12.5 miles so Galloway actually had the Tink on the schedule as an option instead of the regular training run. (Now that they have moved Tink to a different weekend, it falls on a day of a short run in his program so it is no longer listed on the plans.) I had also realized after my first attempt at running a full 5K that intervals would probably be better for me. I played around with ratios and tried to find the right one. It took a long time and honestly I don't remember when I first started running 1:1 intervals but they fit for me and I found myself doing better in my running.
After running regular since March 2011, I had started thinking about changing things up. Maybe I was cheating myself. Maybe doing intervals was actually slowing me down now instead of helping. I decided earlier this year that I wanted to start working on building my run time up again. I did the WW5K program again with the goal of running 30 minutes straight on my 30th birthday. I didn't get it done on my birthday because running in Florida after being at Disney for a few days just wasn't happening. However, the weekend after we got back I did it. I was surprised that I made it through but I ran 30 minutes straight. The idea behind this was to actually strengthen my interval runs. I want to start running the 30 minute runs in Galloway's training plan straight through so that when I run intervals in my long runs, I will have better endurance. After doing my first 30 minutes, I started wondering if I should just start training to just run and cut out my walks.
Last weekend, I read about the Runners World Summer Running Challenge. They are challenging people to run at least one mile every day from Memorial Day until Independence Day. I went back and forth about it for while and finally decided to do it. I am a HUGE advocate for rest days especially for people who are building their running. I have always tried to never run more than 4 days a week. However, I have significantly built my base and doing an easy mile at an easy pace isn't really going to hurt me too much. Plus, I am not starting my serious training until July anyway. Once I start it, I will go back to mandatory rest days to keep from over working my legs. Since I am just working on building my legs up for that training, I decided to become a streaker.
Monday was day one and I decided to go all out and run the mile as fast as I could straight through. I was actually surprised and really proud of myself because I did the mile in 12:21. I know that is slow to most people but considering the first time I ever ran a full mile it took me over 18 minutes, that's a huge improvement. I was really proud and excited but my legs were pretty much done. As great as that mile was, I could never keep that pace for even two miles, let alone more. The next night I decided to go back to my intervals and take it a little easier. As we were doing the run intervals, I could feel myself running faster but I wasn't really feeling too tired by the time the walk interval started. I was worried I was going to get burnt out. By the end of the run, I still felt great and I thought we had made pretty good time. I checked RunKeeper and sure enough, it took us 12:46 to run the mile. That was only a 25 second difference in time but there was a HUGE difference in how I felt. My legs felt great, I wasn't out of breath and I knew I could have continued running for a while at that pace.
It reminded me of why I started running intervals. It reminded me of how even though I am walking part of the time, I don't lose much speed and in longer distances, I can actually finish with a better pace with intervals versus without. You cover the same distance and exert less effort. It is easier on your joints and body and allows you to recover during your run so you can run farther. It reminded me that if it works for an Olympic marathoner, it will work for me.
I am considering switching up my interval ratios some. Maybe doing longer intervals on training runs along with the 30 minute runs each week so that I can be stronger on my shorter race intervals. I have plenty of time to play with it and figure it out but I was so glad to be reminded of how great the run/walk/run method really is. So I guess all of that is to say, if you have never tried it and you find yourself struggling with runs or being frustrated with your pace, give this method a shot. You just might be very pleasantly surprised.
When I first started training for the 2011 Princess, I looked at his training info but decided not to follow it. I didn't like that it had a run longer than 13.1 miles before the race and I wasn't really looking to do intervals. I was planning to run start to finish(haha). I started training and soon got very frustrated. After a while I quit training and eventually went to Princess and was swept.(Which you can read about here.) After being swept and realizing that if I really trained I could do it, I decided to take a new approach. I started doing research about training programs and methods. I started with the Weight Watchers 5K program and then moved on from there. I sort of did a 10k program after the 5k one was over but I wasn't really happy with it. After I did the Labor Day 10K I started looking more at half programs. I finally decided to go with Galloway's plan for the Princess.
Even though I was planning to do Tink, I had waited too late to start that program and the first Tink fit perfectly into the Princess training by falling on the week you would run 12.5 miles so Galloway actually had the Tink on the schedule as an option instead of the regular training run. (Now that they have moved Tink to a different weekend, it falls on a day of a short run in his program so it is no longer listed on the plans.) I had also realized after my first attempt at running a full 5K that intervals would probably be better for me. I played around with ratios and tried to find the right one. It took a long time and honestly I don't remember when I first started running 1:1 intervals but they fit for me and I found myself doing better in my running.
After running regular since March 2011, I had started thinking about changing things up. Maybe I was cheating myself. Maybe doing intervals was actually slowing me down now instead of helping. I decided earlier this year that I wanted to start working on building my run time up again. I did the WW5K program again with the goal of running 30 minutes straight on my 30th birthday. I didn't get it done on my birthday because running in Florida after being at Disney for a few days just wasn't happening. However, the weekend after we got back I did it. I was surprised that I made it through but I ran 30 minutes straight. The idea behind this was to actually strengthen my interval runs. I want to start running the 30 minute runs in Galloway's training plan straight through so that when I run intervals in my long runs, I will have better endurance. After doing my first 30 minutes, I started wondering if I should just start training to just run and cut out my walks.
Last weekend, I read about the Runners World Summer Running Challenge. They are challenging people to run at least one mile every day from Memorial Day until Independence Day. I went back and forth about it for while and finally decided to do it. I am a HUGE advocate for rest days especially for people who are building their running. I have always tried to never run more than 4 days a week. However, I have significantly built my base and doing an easy mile at an easy pace isn't really going to hurt me too much. Plus, I am not starting my serious training until July anyway. Once I start it, I will go back to mandatory rest days to keep from over working my legs. Since I am just working on building my legs up for that training, I decided to become a streaker.
Monday was day one and I decided to go all out and run the mile as fast as I could straight through. I was actually surprised and really proud of myself because I did the mile in 12:21. I know that is slow to most people but considering the first time I ever ran a full mile it took me over 18 minutes, that's a huge improvement. I was really proud and excited but my legs were pretty much done. As great as that mile was, I could never keep that pace for even two miles, let alone more. The next night I decided to go back to my intervals and take it a little easier. As we were doing the run intervals, I could feel myself running faster but I wasn't really feeling too tired by the time the walk interval started. I was worried I was going to get burnt out. By the end of the run, I still felt great and I thought we had made pretty good time. I checked RunKeeper and sure enough, it took us 12:46 to run the mile. That was only a 25 second difference in time but there was a HUGE difference in how I felt. My legs felt great, I wasn't out of breath and I knew I could have continued running for a while at that pace.
It reminded me of why I started running intervals. It reminded me of how even though I am walking part of the time, I don't lose much speed and in longer distances, I can actually finish with a better pace with intervals versus without. You cover the same distance and exert less effort. It is easier on your joints and body and allows you to recover during your run so you can run farther. It reminded me that if it works for an Olympic marathoner, it will work for me.
I am considering switching up my interval ratios some. Maybe doing longer intervals on training runs along with the 30 minute runs each week so that I can be stronger on my shorter race intervals. I have plenty of time to play with it and figure it out but I was so glad to be reminded of how great the run/walk/run method really is. So I guess all of that is to say, if you have never tried it and you find yourself struggling with runs or being frustrated with your pace, give this method a shot. You just might be very pleasantly surprised.
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