What a Year!

It’s been forever since I’ve made a post here, and I’ve accomplished quite a bit this past year.  Since the end of May I’ve run several 5K’s.  In June it was the Vince Lombardi Cancer run and the Rock n Sole quarter marathon, July was the Brewer’s Sausage Race and the Packer’s 5K in Green Bay.  August was Warrior Dash, which I still have a scar from.  In September I ran my first half marathon, the Brewers Mini Marathon.  Two weeks later in October I ran the Get Your Rear in Gear 5K, a year after my first 5K, and the Monster Run, another quarter marathon.  In November I ran the Jingle Bell Run and my second half marathon, the Rock N Roll Half Marathon in Las Vegas.  I’ve been taking a rest since then, it was quite the year.

Next year I have big plans.  I’m doing the Fight for Air Climb again in March, that’s all I’ve signed up for so far.  I have a handful of races I’d like to start working on.  I’m planning to do the Leprechaun run for St. Patrick’s Day, which I just checked is the day before the climb.  We’ll see how that goes.  The climb was harder than any run I’d ever done before.  I’d also like to do 3 – 4 half marathons.  I’m definitely doing the Brewer’s half again, that was a lot of fun and a good time of year.  I also have my sight set on the Rock N Sole half and the Madison half, which if you do both you get an extra medal.  Last of all I’m starting to look at the Rock N Roll Chicago half marathon.  It’s right in the middle of summer, so the weather plays a huge role, but I really liked that series in Vegas.

I need to start making some changes if I want to continue to succeed or progress in my running.  At the top of my goal list in 2014 is going to be to get in better shape with regards to my weight.  I think I have the activity portion down, but I could benefit from eating healthier.  I know I can do it, it’s just a matter of setting my mind to it.  By improving my health in this way I’ll be able to run farther and faster.  I’m looking forward to a great 2014!

Something’s Better Than Nothing

It really wasn’t that bad.  I managed to get out the door for a run after work.  I’m trying out those Gu packets, I had ordered a sampler pack last week.  Normally by the time I get home from work I’m tired and hungry.  I ate a Pineapple Gu when I got home today, changed into my running gear, and headed out the door. 

It was pretty humid on the trail, which just makes it more difficult to breathe, and it was kind of warm.  I didn’t think I’d last that long, after a long day’s work I didn’t feel as energetic as I have on my morning runs, and I just wasn’t feeling it tonight.  I decided at least I got out, and even if I just did 2 miles it would be better than doing nothing at all.

I managed to get to the top of the hill on my trail, which was about 1.5 miles.  I turned around, stopped for a moment to admire the lake, with the fog settling on it, and started running back.  I didn’t do as well overall as I would have liked, but considering I just did two 5 mile runs over the weekend, I’m not going to be too hard on myself.

I don’t think I’ll be running tomorrow, I have a late day at work, and have to get caught up on some other stuff, but will definitely be getting out the door on Thursday.  Hopefully it’s raining!

Ann’s Hope

This morning I had a 5K for Ann’s Hope at the Milwaukee Zoo.  The run was at 8am, and it was about 60 degrees outside, but pretty humid.  I finished in around 40 minutes, a little worse than two weeks ago in Door County, but I’m still happy with my time.

I really need to start running more during the week.  I’ve been running when I’m able, but I have the quarter marathon coming up in 4 weeks and while I probably could have kept going today, I was a bit tired at the end.  Also, it will be warmer in a month, so I have to get used to running in warmer weather.

My next run is the Vince Lombardi Run/Walk for Cancer.  Last year I walked it, and it was my first walk for anything like that.  My running partner and I agreed last year that this year we would be running it, and sure enough, we will be.  I’m looking forward to it.

It’s finally warm out!!

It’s been a long cold spring, and it felt like it was never going to warm up, but this past weekend it finally hit 70 and I was able to get out and enjoy it!  I’ve been working on getting over this psychological barrier that seems to make me want to stop and walk at certain points.  I’m certainly no marathoner (yet), but I have more endurance than I give myself credit for.  For instance, when I see that I’ve hit the 1 mile mark, my mind tells my body to stop and walk, even though I’m still breathing fine and my legs don’t hurt.  I was proud of myself this weekend though ~ I got to the 1 mile mark, then the 2 mile mark, and then stopped at 3.  I started up shortly thereafter and kept going until 4.3.  I’m planning on getting out again tomorrow as long as it’s not storming.  The Door County 5K is this weekend, so I have to be prepared!!

It’s Been a While

It’s been a while since I’ve posted about a run.  I was supposed to do the Samson Stomp at the Milwaukee Zoo in January, but I was having some things going on, that I just ended up watching, which was fine with me.  It ended up being about 5 degrees out!

Since then I’ve gotten back on track and I ran the Lucky Leprechaun 7K at Hart Park last weekend for St. Patrick’s Day, as well as I did the Fight for Air Climb at the US Bank Building yesterday.  I was pretty sore after the 7K, which is probably since I haven’t really run anything since December, but I was glad I did it – my quads were sore for a couple days, but I got my muscles back into action.  Yesterday the Fight For Air Climb was a lot tougher than I expected.  My legs weren’t sore at all, but it really took a toll on my lungs.  I thought I was going to pass out about halfway up, not sure if it was just overexertion or poor breathing, but I made it all the way to the top.  Today I came down with a cold, so I’m wondering if that had something to do with feeling not quite right yesterday during the climb.

I have another 5K coming up in early May in Door County, and then several other races scattered throughout the summer.  I’m looking forward to it warming up so I can get outside and start training more.

Santa Hustle 5K–Milwaukee

This morning was the Santa Hustle 5K in Milwaukee.  After our rain/snow ordeal this past week, it was icy on parts of the path, but overall not too bad.  When we got there it was about 18 degrees outside.  Thankfully we were able to park under the art museum, which has heated parking.  We hung out in there until shortly before the race.

The race was great, they gave us santa beards, hats, and shirts to dress up in.  There were probably well over a thousand santas running through Veteran’s Park downtown.  The frigid temperatures made it a little more difficult to breathe, I wore a scarf like thing around my mouth to keep the air I was breathing a little bit warmer.

I’m happy to say I finished.  I don’t know what my time was yet, but regardless I made it through, and in those temperatures.  I have another cold run at the end of January at the Milwaukee County Zoo – the Samson Stomp.  I’m expecting it to be even chillier.

Happy running!!

Tackled the Track

Over the past couple weeks, I’ve determined running on the treadmill isn’t for me, yet.  There’s something about it that just kills my calf and shin muscles to the point that I can’t run very long.  I’m sure my form is changed just enough to throw me off that little bit on the treadmill.  Today I made the decision that I’m going to have to toughen up and run on the track.  I don’t like running in front of people, and at my gym the track passes directly in front of a line of ellipticals, bikes, and treadmills.  I started my night out by doing 30 minutes on the recumbent bike to warm up, and then I got on the track.  I walked in circles for about the first 10 minutes before I decided to start running.  Once I got going it was great.  I had to learn to relax and not worry about the other people in the gym who might see me.  Everyone’s there to get healthy, right?  Anyway, I’m glad I overcame another fear and am able to confidently run on the track.  I have to get in shape for all the races I have scheduled in the upcoming year somehow!

Training for Endurance

Up until now I’ve been focused on how fast I can run, although I’m still a rather new runner, and have a long road ahead of me.  This past weekend I signed up for the 13.1 Brewers Mini Marathon, being held at the end of September 2013.  I’m currently at a state where I need to take breaks every so often to walk.  I’ve come to the realization that I need to focus more on my endurance rather than my speed.  I can maintain the speed required by the Mini Marathon even with my walk breaks, so it’s time to shift my attention to being able to run continuously with fewer breaks.

This morning was the start of my new training plan.  I went out for a run this morning and committed to running 10 minutes, and then walking 3 minutes.  I did this 3 times, although I felt like I probably could have done a couple more, I don’t want to overdo it and injure myself.  I’ve had various aches and pains while training over the past couple months, so the more I can keep that under control, the better I’ll be.

I’m looking forward to the Santa Hustle in about 2 weeks, we’ll be running in Santa hats and beards, it should be fun.  As I’m preparing for these upcoming races I’ll also be shifting some of my training indoors.  I’ve managed to get the ambition to run on the treadmill, and while it’s not my favorite mostly because I don’t like running in the gym environment, as well as I feel like it changes my running form, I think it’ll be a must if I want to stay on track.

Tackling the Treadmill

Tonight found the motivation to go to the gym and run on the treadmill.  The thought has scared me in the past since I’d be running on a piece of equipment in front of many other people, whereas when I run outside there aren’t too many people around.  After 10 minutes walking I decided to start running, and it was pretty good.  I have to say my form must have been a little different on the treadmill than it is on the road, because my legs were more sore than usual, but overall it was good.

I’ve decided my training plan is going to be to run at the gym on Tuesdays and Thursdays, since it’s dark outside and there are no well lit areas nearby where I can run outside after work, as well as it’s getting pretty cold out.  On the weekends I’m going to run outside if the weather permits, otherwise I’ll head inside to the treadmills on those days as well.  I’m looking forward to this winter!

Now this is Cold!!!

A couple weeks ago I commented that it had been in the 30s when I was going for my runs, well that was nothing, considering I think it was in the upper 30s.  This morning it was 25 or so when I left the house, 30 when I returned.  It was cold, but good!  I invested in layers that I was able to wear this morning and other than my legs I didn’t feel that cold.  I’m going to have to get some warmer running pants if I want to keep running comfortably in the cold.

Just about 4 weeks until the Santa Hustle, it’s the weekend before Christmas.  It’ll be interesting to see how cold it is and if there will be snow on the ground.  Either way I’m looking forward to it!

Jingle Bell Run

Today I had the Jingle Bell Run at the zoo.  Overall the run was great.  I was a bit worried that my knee might not hold up, as I started having issues with it a couple weeks ago, but I wore my knee strap and I didn’t feel any pain throughout the run.  I think the toughest part of the run was the hill at the zoo that challenged most runners.  We had to do two laps, and the first time through I made it halfway up the hill before I stopped to walk, and the second time around I made it about a quarter of the way up.  I also ended up with pain in my side about halfway through the run, which happened at the last run too.  I’ve been reading up on it to see how I can prevent it and while I thought it was maybe lack of some sort of nutrient, it sounds like it has more to do with my fitness level and breathing technique.  I’m going to try some of the breathing techniques I found out there to see if it helps going forward.  One of the things I’ve seen repeatedly is to breath deeply and with a rhythm, such as every time you left foot hits the ground.  We’ll see if it works for me!

My next run is in December, the Santa Hustle, but I’m tempted to sign up for a race in between, the end of December is a long ways away.  I’ll have to see how the month goes and where my workouts take me.  Maybe the extra training time is needed to get me better prepared to get out there.

High Expectations

When I started running earlier this fall, I don’t know that I had intended to enter into races.  Sure, they inspired me, and part of what got me going might have been the benefit walks I was doing, but I don’t think I ever saw myself as a competitor.  Now I’m sitting here wondering if I can train for a half marathon in 6 months.  The Door County Half Marathon is May 4th, 2013.  All I’ve run so far is a single 5K, my second one is this coming Sunday.  My average pace was around 13 min/mi, which isn’t great, but it’s more than the minimum required to finish.  The farthest I’ve run is 4 miles.  Part of me says just do that 3 more times, plus a little more and you’ve got a half marathon.  The other part of me says it gets harder the further you go.

I’m one of those people who believes if other people can do something, so can I.  We’re all human.  My plan is to see how far I can run before the end of the year and then decide if I’m going to enter the half marathon, otherwise there’s a 5K option I can enter instead.  I wish there was a 10K.

The other thing I’ve been struggling with is knee pain.  I think I have runner’s knee, based on all the descriptions I can find.  I went back to the gym and started using the strength equipment, so that should help build some muscle to support my knee better, I just hope that does the trick.  It is starting to feel better, this is week 3 of the knee pain and I went for a light jog this past weekend, but otherwise have been keeping pressure off of it, just using the stationary bike at the gym for cardio.

I guess I’ll see how the run on Sunday goes, and where the next month takes me.

Brrr… It’s Cold Outside!!

I’ve been keeping up my training even as the temperatures outside have fallen.  The past couple days it’s been in the 30’s on my morning runs.  I took a couple days off this week since my knee has been bothering me, but was able to get back out there yesterday.  I didn’t run as fast and as long as I normally would have, but I at least wanted to see if I could keep going. I managed to get outside to run this morning as well, although I could tell my knee was still not quite right.

The Jingle Bell Run is next Sunday, and I want to make sure I can at least participate.  I’m not concerned about doing that well, it’s just one of those things I signed up for and want to be able to complete.  I’m hesitant to see a doctor about my knee, I’ve injured it before, years ago, and they always tell me to ice/heat it, take an anti-inflammatory (Aleve, Ibuprofen, etc), and strengthen my leg muscles.  I think I’m going to go back to the gym so I can use the strength training equipment to work on that, as well as with winter coming, I want to start using the track.  I’m still going to try to make it outside on days that I can, as I understand road running is much different than running on a track or treadmill indoors.

Happy running!

New Distance Record!

This morning I went out for my Saturday run, which has become regular in my schedule.  It was a little chilly, but that quickly went away once I got running.  My intent was to run 3.1 miles and see if I could improve my time.  While it’s not all about time for me, it is a way I can measure my fitness level.

Once I got through the 3.1 miles I decided to keep going to make it 4 miles.  I’m going to have to push myself if I want to improve, and I really want to do a quarter marathon next summer, and then a half marathon next fall.  I’m glad to say I got through the 4 miles in about 55 minutes.  My overall pace was 13:56 min/mi, which I’m very proud of.  I’m happy to be under that 14:00 mark that I was above for so long.  I did have to stop to walk a couple times, but overall I think I did a great job.

Since I accomplished 4 miles I’m confident that I’ll be able to do the quarter marathon in June.  By that time I should also be conditioned even better and ready to tackle the half marathon I have planned out.

Ran My First 5K

Today I ran my first 5K, the Get Your Rear in Gear – Milwaukee for the Colon Cancer Coalition.  My father died from colon cancer almost 13 years ago, so it meant something to me to be able to participate and work toward a cure.  I’ve been training to run a 5K since the middle of August, or so, and I’ve definitely seen improvement.  This was my first real race.

This morning the weather was somewhat threatening.  The race started at 8:30, and when I was leaving the house at 7:00 it was pouring pretty good.  It looked like there might be a break in the rain at some point, and a little rain never hurt anyone.

My running partner met up with me, and as she got in the car I said, “Are we crazy?”  I was kidding of course, but it was a little nuts, considering the weather was kind of crummy, but onward!

There were fewer people at the race due to the weather, but still a fair number turned out, which was good because it wasn’t too crowded.  When we started we took off pretty well, but not too fast.  I haven’t been able to run straight through a 5K yet, so I did have to stop a couple times along the way, but not too much.  We finished the race in just under 41 minutes.  I have yet to see my official time.

It was a great accomplishment and supported a good cause.  Our next race is in about 3 weeks, the Jingle Bell Run, to support the arthritis foundation.  I’m looking forward to it and hoping to improve on my race time.

Running at Night

Tonight I decided to try running at night.  I got home from work a little later than I’d have liked because I had to make a couple stops on the way home, and then I had to get my laundry done.  After all that I figured I’d go out for my run.  I got a couple new long sleeved running shirts yesterday that I wanted to try out.  I got all geared up, had my blinking arm band on, put the pepper spray in my back pocket (just in case, you never know..) my phone strapped to my other arm because I don’t have many pockets, and a flashlight in hand so I could see where I’m going next.  I live in a rural area without many street lights, and there are woods and farmland around.  I think I’m more concerned with the wildlife in the woods, there probably aren’t bears, but I’d hate to run into a coyote or something else like that.  Just the wind in the leaves, and not knowing what’s around me just freaks me out a little bit.  I made a half mile lap around the apartment complex and then came back in.  I figure if I go out again, I just need to do 6 laps for my 3 miles that I’m training for, but I think I’m going to try to stick to daylight.  As it gets closer to winter I know the days will get shorter, but I’ll hang in there as long as I can.  In December my gym membership picks back up, so I can run on the track in there when it comes time, I just want to keep my road running going too.

The Importance of Rest

Tonight when I went for my run I learned how important the day of rest really was.  When I started running in the beginning weeks I would run each night if I had time available.  Even if my legs were a little sore I would get out there.  I was doing alright.  The past couple of weeks have been a bit busier and I’ve been forced to take days off in between my evening jogs.  The latest example was this past weekend, I ran on Saturday afternoon, walked in the Susan G. Komen walk on Sunday, was busy on Monday, so didn’t get out at all, and tonight I was finally able to get out.  I was able to run further than I have since I started training again.  At one point I had to stop to retie my shoe laces, if I hadn’t done that I think I’d have kept going even longer.

I’m definitely proud of my achievements, and look forward to my run on Thursday.  Tomorrow will be another day off, and hopefully Thursday I do better than today!  Also, I have a new motivation, I signed up for the Get Your Rear in Gear run on October 13th, and I’m running it, my first 5k!  I’m really excited and want to make sure I’m able to run the whole thing, or at least most of it!

Keep on Running

Over the past week I’ve continued to improve in my running, my new shoes don’t hurt as much, which I’m glad it was just me and not the shoes.  I’m also building my endurance to keep on running longer.  I don’t currently monitor my time or pace while I’m running because I’m keeping time with my iPhone in my pocket while I’m running, but I really want to get a Garmin Forerunner 10, but I can’t find any in the stores around here.  I think it would be a great help and motivation to keep me going longer.

I walked in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure today.  This is the first year I’ve participated in these types of events and I really like them.  Seeing the people who have survived the things I’m walking/running for is really inspiring.  It also keeps me going when I think my legs hurt, I just think of what some of these people have gone through.

When I got home from the race I went looking to see if there were any other causes that interested me that I could race for.  I’m determined to start running these races, so far I’ve only walked.  I found one called Get Your Rear In Gear for colon cancer.  I would really like to run this one as it hits home in my family and it’s something I’ve supported for a long time.  The race is in 3 weeks though, and I’m not sure I’m ready to run that soon.  I was going to have my first real running 5k in November at the Jingle Bell Run.  I’m going to have to see how this week goes and if I can get up the nerves to sign up for the run.  I don’t think I’d have anyone else who would want to run it with me, so I’ll see how gutsy I end up feeling.

I’m going to keep on running as I’m determined to meet my goals.  I have a half marathon I want to run next year (Brewers Mini Marathon) and several 5k’s before then.  Just going to keep on running.

Accomplishments and Setbacks

This weekend I participated in the Al’s Run and Walk for Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin.  It was really something to see the turnout, about 14,000 people were there to run or walk to support the hospital.  I did the 5K walk, although there was also an 8K walk as well.  With this being one of my first walks I opted for the shorter version.  I finished it in about 50 minutes or so.  Once I got home from the walk I wanted to go for a run, although my lungs just weren’t seeming up to it, which really surprised me since I had gone for a run the previous morning and did great.  I’ve been getting over a cold, so maybe that has something to do with it, not just a head cold, but it’s been in my lungs too.

Tonight I also went for a run, although I ran into similar issues where I just couldn’t go as long.  I had eaten dinner around 4:30, and went out around 6:30.  I’m thinking I should have either waited to eat, or waited longer to run.  Tomorrow it’s supposed to rain, so I’m not planning on getting out to run since I have some things to get done around the house, but Tuesday I’m going to get out again, hopefully the outcome will be better.  I felt like I was doing so well for a while, and now I feel like I’m starting out again.  It looks like when I’m actually running I’m keeping a 12:00 min/mi pace, it’s just keeping that going without walking that I’m striving for.

Lungs vs Legs

When I started running my main concern was my asthma.  I seem to have gotten that under control with the cooler temps outside and with more practice.  My knees were then starting to bother me, so I got some knee wraps, which have really helped the knee pain.  Now it seems that my knees are under better control I need to work harder on my lungs.  I was able to get out for a run tonight after 2 nights off, which allowed my body to heal and recover from 4 days straight of running, which honestly I wasn't used to.  On the plus side my average pace tonight was 15:41 min/mi, with my first mile being 14:43.  Every time it seems to get a little easier, which is encouraging.  I've just got to keep practicing and in no time I'll be running a 10:00 mile.