OBNEA Run From Addiction 10k

Well, I did it! My official time was 1 hour 10 minutes and 19 seconds. I didn't really care what my time was. My only goal was to finish the race without stopping. It was a beautiful course. Right along the Oklahoma City River. The weather was cold and windy. We got there about 40 minutes early and had to wait in the cold. Yikes. It was only 50 degrees outside which really isn't bad, but factor in that wind and holy moly! I wore a long sleeve shirt with my race t-shirt on top, long pants, gloves and a hat to cover my ears. So glad I had those things!

The atmosphere of the race was fun. They had some music and dancing going on before the race started. And since it was the day before Halloween, people were dressed up. Some people ran in their costumes, including someone dressed up as a taco! It was a 5k and a 10k. I think most people ran the 5k. I was jealous because they turned around I still had quite a distance to go, haha!

Overall, I felt very prepared. I had my runkeeper on and she kept me in line :) I didn't really want to run faster than 11:30/mile but I averaged 11:10 per mile. It felt fine. The wind was so strong on the way back, like 20mph winds for the last three miles. Around mile 4 or so I started to get tired. I pushed through though. I was happy to have a mentally good race! You runners know what I mean.

I'm thinking of signing up for another 10k in December. It's a reindeer run. And although I know it will be cold, I'll warm up eventually and have to shed the hat and gloves. My neighbors are going to do it too. I think I am going to sign up to run the OKC Memorial Half Marathon this week. I'm gonna just have to do it so I can train for it and not fall off the wagon. My next goals, besides the marathon, is to incorporate more workouts other than running. I'd mainly like to do yoga and pilates. I'd love to do yoga once a week and pilates once a week. We'll see.


After the race from left to right: Me, Susie, Jodie, and Tom
I had just finished cramming two donuts in my mouth :) Oh, and running a 10k!

Less than 2 weeks to go

I don't really try and think of any clever titles for this blog. I can't believe it's been a month since I wrote on here. That doesn't mean I have failed though. I have still been running, three times a week. Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. Tuesday is 2 miles, Thursday is 3 miles, and Sunday is my long run, usually between 4 and 6 miles.

I have had to change up my routine a lot since the last time I wrote. Eli had started going through a phase of waking up in the middle of the night and coming to our room. He would wake up several times a night. Then one morning he woke up while I was out running and he had to get into bed with JR. I was lucky JR was off that day, otherwise he could have been in the shower and Eli would have been scared and alone. That was the last morning I jogged with my neighbors.

I miss having a running partner. It's such a great motivator to keep running. But at least I have my runkeeper lady telling me I'm on target or behind. She chimes in every 5 minutes so it usually goes by fast.

So, since I can't go in the morning, I have to find time during the week to go with Eli. We usually go in the late morning or afternoon. But it's hard, because sometimes I have to wait for him to wake up from nap. Sometimes I have to start making dinner before we go out. It's definitely a challenge because I have to plan my day. Eli enjoys the runs. He sits very nicely in his stroller. If we go close to nap time, he falls asleep. You know, it's actually been a blessing in disguise. I have struggling to get through the days that I was waking up early to run. It was impossible for me to get to bed before 11pm and I just wasn't getting enough sleep. I felt I had to nap when Eli did and I started to fall behind on housework and other stuff. Now, I get a good nights sleep and I don't feel so pooped!

Another challenge is actually pushing the stroller. It's not a very heavy stroller, it's the cargo :) Our neighborhood is made up mostly of hills. If you throw in the Oklahoma winds, ugh! It's so tough. Running two miles in those conditions can feel more challenging than running 6 miles!

Which by the way, I have had two personal best records this week. Thursday I ran 3.1 miles six seconds faster than ever before. And Sunday I ran 6.52 miles, my longest distance ever!! I am more proud of the distance than the time. I have determined my comfortable pace is 11:30 per mile.

The race is less than 2 weeks away and I am ready!

New Personal Record

I have set a personal record for longest distance. 6.10 miles! Yeah, baby! I was writing this post in my head while jogging this morning. I imagined I would speak about how hot it has been this summer and today's run was no different. True, the sun isn't even up when I go out for my runs, but it's incredibly and miserably humid some mornings. Ugh, then I realized I needed to stop thinking about how hot it was because it was making me thirsty.

No really, I was just thinking how amazing it is that I am about to try and run 6 miles. And....that it's quite possible I am going to be able to make it to 13!

Here are the stats from my run on Sunday:

http://runkeeper.com/user/Predawnrunninmama/activity/16730564

44ish Days til the 10k

So. Back from vacation and I'm proud to say I did not take 8 wks off before I started running again. We got back on a Sunday and I started running on Tuesday. I am also proud to say that I ran one time while in New Jersey. Only once but that is better than none and honestly that one time was my only opportunity.

And now I am getting back into running every other day and increasing my mileage. Me and my neighbors are practicing tempo runs. The best way to describe them? Start off running slow (12:30 avg pace) and then after you're warmed up, increase your speed until it is comfortably hard (10:30 avg pace seemed to be our number today). Then bring your speed back down again for the cool down.

I am mostly running three days a week. On my days off, I try to do yoga. Day 1 is an easy three mile run, slow pace. Day 2 is the tempo run. Day 3 in my long run. I am aiming to run for 6 miles continuously this Sunday. The farthest distance I've ever run non-stop is 5 miles. I think I can do it!

I have discovered this amazing application for my iPhone 4 called Runkeeper. I have the free version right now but I plan on buying the elite version to use on my long run this Sunday. Since I am practicing keeping my pace consistant, this app is really going to help me do so since it tells you your pace. With the elite version, the lovely lady chimes in over your music and tells you what your pace is at the times you chose before you started running. Awesome! I can't wait to try it.

I have 44 days to go, roundabout until the 10k. I am hoping to get to 7 miles by the time of the race.

Last Run Before Vacation

A little time to boast. I am so proud of myself that I have continuously worked out like I wanted to before our trip to the East Coast. I'm glad I signed up for the 5k before the vacation so I had something to keep me motivated these last two months. I am also glad that I have signed up for a 10k for after I get back so I can continue on the right track. I am hoping to get to half marathon readiness by early next year.

My neighbors that I normally run with are on vacation this week so I went for a solo run this morning. It was cold, 58 degrees! Yahoo! The cold weather is going to take some getting used to though. It's a little different breathing it in. My chest was burning a little bit after I finished. Overall, a nice change every once in a while to jog solo. I did 2 miles in 20 minutes, a pretty quick pace. Quick for me at least.

I'm going to try and run at least once on vacation. If I can do more, great. If not, I'll be happy with one run.

Cops and Robbers 5k Race Day!

First I just want to say thanks to everyone who motivated me and wished me luck for today. I was sure going to need it since it was forecasted to be in the triple digits today. Usually in Oklahoma the weather can change at any time and be much cooler than they predicted, or rain can pop up out of nowhere. Unfortunately, today wasn't the day and it was just as hot as they said it was going to be.

I got to the race an hour early. I wasn't exactly sure where the trail was going to be, what the parking scenario would be, and when I could pick up my timing chip. I am glad I got there when I did. They held the race at the park so there were plenty of spots to grab some shade under a tree while I was waiting. It was a small race and the vibe was fun and friendly.

It was a true shotgun start. Like, they really shot a gun. It scared me even though I was expecting it.

People were passing me up like crazy right from the start and I was thinking "Holy cow these people are going to burn out quick!". I felt good for about the first 1/2 mile and then the heat kicked in. And I was so incredibly thirsty! Ugh, I wished I had brought some water along with me. It didn't even dawn on me that there would be a water station, but when I saw it I was so happy! Then after I drank the water, I immediately wished for another water station. They only had two the whole course.

This course was really difficult. A lot of hills. Too many in my opinion. Some shade, but not as much as I was hoping for.

I know that most of running is mental and I struggled to keep myself going. All I could think about was how thirsty I was. I kept holding out for a water station, but when there wasn't one in site and another hill came along, my feet just stopped running. Holy cow. I took off my arm band and checked out my time. I had run 2 miles in less than 20 minutes! No wonder I burned out. This was the fastest I had ever run, and I thought I was going slow. Oh, and it was 100 degrees outside.

I walked til the next water station, got a delicious cup of ice cold water and started to run again. I made it to the next hill and stopped again. This hill was long and gradual. There was no way I was making it up that hill running. It was hard to walk up it! I could hear the guy on the speaker announcing the runners crossing the finish line. That was very motivating. I decided that when I got to the top of the hill I would run the rest of the way. I was still incredibly thirsty and hot and tired, but I didn't want to walk across the finish line.

As I crossed the finish line, the timer said 37:30. It was 4 minutes slower than the race in May, but I didn't walk during that race and it was much cooler then.

I learned many things from this race. 1. Never sign up for a 5k in August again 2. Carry some water with me, and chapstick might help too 3. I really need to study my paces, I took off way too fast.

I am writing this a day after the race. I have never been so sore from running. It had to be the heat. And those hills.

Long Run

Sunday my neighbors and I headed out to tackle our long run--5 miles! We started off at a conservative pace, one that we were actually able to talk through. It made the time pass quicker while having a conversation. Sometimes talking tends to mess up my breathing though. I suspect as time goes by that will get easier.

I honestly have to say we all did a great job at pacing ourselves. I didn't start to tire out until around 4 milies. At this same time I accidentally turned off my ipod and didn't want to mess around with it because I didn't want to accidentally turn off my sporty pal. Ahaha, too much electric stuff. I did well anyway. We completed the five miles in 58 minutes.

I am taking the next two days off until the race. I wanted to have fresh legs. I've already logged 10 miles this week so I'm ready to go. Stay tuned.

New Kicks

I went to a local shoe store last week to find out which shoe is right for me. I was having a little bit of heel and calf pain on the right side during my last run or two and I was pretty sure it was time for new shoes. Turns out I was tweaking my foot a bit and that's what happened. The lady there was really nice and she gave me a bunch of options to choose from. I ended up going with Mizuno's Wave Creation 11....a.k.a nice kicks!

My neighbor Jodie came over the other night to keep an eye on Eli so I could test them out. They are definitely heavier than my old shoes, but they feel more snug and my foot feels more controlled inside. The extra spring on the bottom heel is nice. I'll get used to the weight eventually, but I think it's slowing me down a bit right now.

My 5k race is approaching soon. I am planning to do my first long run this weekend, well the longest I've ever gone, which will be 5 miles. I hope I can pace myself and make it the whole distance. Then next week I'll only run on Tuesday and Thursday so I can rest on Friday before the race Saturday.

Speed Work

So, not sure if what I did is the true definition of speed work but, I decided this morning I would only run a mile and do it as fast as I could. Within reason. I don't want to injure myself.

It was really nice not having to pace myself and save energy for three whole miles. I knew I could spend everything I had and I knew when it would be over.

It's really incredible how quickly the human body adapts to exercise. About a month ago I started up running again and just focused on doing a mile. I walked on and off during. Now, I can run three miles consistently without stopping! In just a month! Wow. I haven't stepped on the scale during all of this, but my goal is not to lose weight. It's just to be healthy and exercise. If I happen to lose a little bit in the meanwhile......well then, great.

My time this morning was 9mins 30secs.

Flip Side

This morning's run went well. Still dealing with the side cramp but maybe I'm getting used to running with one. I try not to think about it much and just focus on my breathing.

We ran 3.2 miles this morning and my time 34mins. That boils down to about 10.6 minutes per mile. Woo hoo, pretty good.

I signed up for Runner's World.com and have been reading some good tips--even got a personalized running plan to get up to 10k.

I didn't seem to have any side effects from eating that apple and peanut butter this morning before the run. I think it gave me a little more energy towards the end, although I was still tired but it was freakin' humid this morning.

I can't wait for cooler temperatures!

The Food Experiment

So I have been feeling exhausted after my runs (understandably to a point) and the next day. I am figuring these are the following reasons:

1). Barely get more than 5 hours sleep the night before the run. I have been passing out on the couch afterwards and then during Eli's nap. Only to wake up the next day even more tired. Which leads me to believe.....

2). I am not eating the right foods to fuel me after my runs, and maybe even before. I have been trying to do some reading to see which ones are the right ones so I can get off to a good start. The last mile or so I am really, really forcing myself to get through, even at a slower pace. This morning I had 4 slices of an apple with a little peanut butter on top. I don't normally eat before running so we will see how this goes.

3). I need to drink way more water in this heat! I feel like I have been doing better about it, but I could probably improve. At around 3am this morning I woke up and guzzled a whole bunch to gear up for 5am. Now, with a few sips of coffee in my belly, I'm ready to hit the ground running (pun intended)!

See ya on the flip side :)

Up and at em'

It's Sunday morning and I'm trying to force down a cup of Greek yogurt. Have you ever tried that stuff? Man, it's hard to swallow. I like regular yogurt, after years I've become used to it. It's an acquired taste for sure, like beer. But that Greek yogurt, it is tangy and thick and will put a sour look on your face, just ask Eli. He insisted on trying mine this morning (it's chocolate flavored). I told him he wasn't going to like it and he made that most funny face. He did not like it :)

Anyway, the reason for force is--it's so darn good for you! 10 grams of protein in a 4oz serving. Like twice to three times the amount of protein in regular yogurt, don't quote me on that but I'm close to being right.

I headed out for a solo run this morning. Woke myself up at 5:15 and hit the road at just before 6. Ugh, super humid and warm this morning. I can't wait for cool, crisp mornings!

I did pretty good. Used my Sporty Pal for the first time. It tells you how far you run, how fast, when you slow down and speed up, calories burned. It also has a GPS so it plots my course all for me to look at after working out. A great tool to see how much I improve.

I can't seem to get rid of these stupid side cramps. That's what does me in. This morning I only had about 4-6oz of water before I headed out. I tried to drink lots of water yesterday and I am trying to be mindful of what I eat the night before I run. Not sure what to do. Any suggestions?

Cops and Robbers

So..I know it's been sometime since I've posted on here, but I wanted to have something good for you. About a month ago I signed up for another 5k, Cops and Robbers. It's on August 21st at 7:00pm at a local, nearby park.

SIgning up for something is the only thing that is going to keep me motivated to keep me in shape. There is too much to do around here to workout just because. Working out gets pushed aside unless I have a goal.

I am currently running 3 miles. So far this week I have logged 8 1/2 miles! Wow, that's amazing now that I think about it.

I have been waking up early each morning to go running with my neighbors Jodie and Tom before JR goes to work. That means I have to wake up by 4:20 in order to get out the door by 4:50, starting to run at 5:00. Most mornings I am pretty excited to get up and get out the door, so waking up early hasn't been too bad. Plus, I am still used to getting a minimal amount of sleep.

Finally

I didn't dare show my face on here until I finally worked out. Well, here I am. Worked out today with Jillian Michaels. My personal fitness guru. Ugh, she kicked my butt. I am already sore, just about 10 short hours after the workout so I'm sure tomorrow will be worse. But I gotta keep at it.

Blogging on the go

Week 1 has come and gone. I haven't managed to work out yet but plan on it tomorrow during Eli's nap. I'm going to start off with yoga to get some gentle cardio in. It's been over a month since I worked out last so I'm sure all that cardio fitness is gone.

Getting outside to run/walk is going to be a challenge also. It's much more humid here this summer than last. I guess I need to get out as soon as Eli wakes up but I'm going to have to tweak our schedule some. This means I need to wake up earlier. And maybe have things ready to go first thing in the morning.

My diet is getting a little better. I've been trying to eat my fruit and yogurt as snacks. It's coming along slowly.

Eeek!

Okay, okay so it's been a few days but it's hard writing two blogs. I haven't done well with the diet the last few days. I intend to start my workouts up this week and also need to sign up for the next 5k. I think that will light a fire up under my arse!

Day 1

Hmmm, well today went okay. I managed to resist getting a drink at Starbucks (which I've recently become re-addicted to) and a chocolate bar in the check out line. Yippee. As far as a balanced diet today? Not so much. I didn't eat breakfast until about 10:30 and it was only a cereal bar (had some coffee on the way to the park). Then I came in from pulling weeds (my exercise for the day) and made myself some cinammon toast. Shortly after that Eli woke up and we ate lunch, baked ziti and strawberries as dessert. Had some cinammon sugar pita chips as a snack (baked and all natural I might add). And then (this is the worst part) stuffed myself with chicken strips and augratin potatoes, homemade. Guess I was making up for the lousy breakfast by eating a ton of dinner? Need to do better tomorrow.

The Starting Line

Hi there!

I've decided to start a new blog to talk specifically about my short and long term fitness, health, and diet goals. I thought this might just be the thing that is going to finally get me back to a healthy diet and consistant workout routine. I am going to try to post what I eat each day, workouts, and how I feel from the changes. I hope you enjoy reading about my struggles with my extreme sweet tooth and absolutely zero will power when it comes to resisting junk food. This should be interesting!

My ultimate goal is to eat healthy, be in shape, and run a half marathon by my 30th birthday (Aug 2011). Also, I really want to teach Eli how important it is to take care of yourself, and eat right. So I need to do that myself or I'm just a hypocrite.