MIA

I have been MIA for a while and will be taking a break through September. Knee was acting up again. It has a tendency to feel like something is dislocating, but the docs aren't sure what it is. I had an MRI done but the images were horrible so still no answers. Good news is I'm expecting my second child in august,  bad news is I can't get any more testing done to see what's wrong with my knee. So now I'm in constant fear it will happen again. It usually happens when I'm home alone with my 2 yr old. At least last time he was able to get my brace and crutches for me. The winter has been horrible and I'm impatiently waiting for warmer weather to get out more.

Summer running

It's getting tough to get in a workout after work with this heat. I was on vacation last week and I made sure I was out every other day for a run. I ran about 22 miles last week. I'm proud of that, but I would really like to pick up the pace. I got the distance down, I ran 9 miles on Sunday, but I would like to run faster. I'm still only averaging 12-13 minutes a mile. I would like to get under 11 min/mi before my 10k. The race is only a couple weeks away and I don't know how much I'll be able to improve by then. The heat is just a killer. It's going to be in the 90's all week with heat index in the 100's.

Also, I don't have a way to track my pace when running outdoors. I downloaded a couple apps that I thought would help me with audible feedback, but they don't seem to do want I want. I actually posted to the Runner's World Facebook page to see if anyone had any suggestions, but no one has responded yet.

I should be able to get out for a run today so we'll see how that goes.

Early bird catches the heat

So I figured I'd get out nice and early for my long run today since the heat drains all my energy after the 3rd mile. I was going to get to the park around 7am, but then I was worried about being the only one out there so I pushed it back to 7:30. Surprisingly there were at lot of people there which made me fell better. I didn't want to be completely alone in the middle of nowhere.

I had a big dinner last night which probably wasn't the best idea for an early run, but it was sooo good I just couldn't help myself. Usually, I'm really paranoid with what I eat over the weekend since I usually weigh in on Mondays, but since I've met my goal I don't really have to weigh in anymore. So I lived a little, I'll still get weighed but if I gained I don't need to share. One more week of the competition. I'm going to try and be really good this week and weigh in on Friday. We'll be away next weekend so I don't know how that's gonna go.

So back to the run, on top of a big dinner I had a decent breakfast and not much time to digest. I had a small 150 calorie bagel, a banana and some iced coffee for a boost. First mile went by fast, but then I slowed up to make sure I could last the whole 8 miles. By mile 4 my hip had already started to bother me so I started taking more walk breaks. Even though it was early the heat was still an issue on the second half of the run.

I guess I'm just going to have to deal with the heat. I do need to get now shorts for running. I only have one pair of actual shorts and some crop pants. I did buy some tank tops so that'll help as well.

Tried another type of on the go fuel. This week was energy gels. These worked better for me. I can't eat and run at the same time, plus the gels weren't as sweet. I checked to labels to make sure. I just can't take really sweet stuff anymore. As per the directions, I had one before I ran and one halfway through. I was OK with the first one, but I think I need to take my time with a pack mid run. My tummy wasn't too happy, so I'll try and spread it out longer next time. I was smart and brought extra water this time, but I need to bring more still. My water was in the freezer overnight and didn't have enough time to thaw out before my run was over. Oh well, still learning what works.

Next weekend we are in upstate NY so I need to find a good place to run. I'll have to check the maps and see if there are any parks in the area.

Seven miles

I really love running wildlife reserve. It's such a nice stretch with minimal hills. I started out around 9:30 on Sunday and it was a nice cool morning, but 3 miles later the sun had come out and was beating down on me on the open stretches. I really need to get out sooner. My goal was 7 miles with an average pace of 12 min/mi. Well I did 7 miles (yay), but at about 12:20 min/mi. The last mile or so was tough. It was so hot sometimes I could barely breath and I must remember to use the bathroom first!

I'm so happy that I've kept up the running and I've been able to shed 40 pounds since last October. I am now the lightest I've been since I was a little kid. I think I was up to 195 when I was about 10 and I'm down to 188.1 now. I probably could have lost more if I was more strict with my diet, but you gotta live a little. Plus they say to make small changes along the way so I focused on running/exercise and after a while the healthier eating just fell into place. I didn't want to eat crap and ruin all the hard work I'd done.

The hubby and I plan on adding a little one to the family soon. I hope I've made this enough of a habit to stick with working out through my next pregnancy. With my first child I didn't want to do anything the first couple months due to nausea. 

I might skip the run tonight, feeling kinda icky and I don't want to push it. Also, vacation time is coming up and I'm trying to figure out where I can run while we're away. Our work competition is almost over and I want to finish strong.

Too long

Wow I can't believe how long it's been since I posted something. I really wanted.  This to be a journal of my runs, but life gets in the way and I forget to write. Sometimes it's hard enough just trying to fit in a long run, never mind trying to write about it.

Since my last post I've had a few good runs, but some crappy ones too. I've been back to the wildlife reserve and had a not so great run. I felt like a was running in slow motion. I don't think oatmeal is very good fuel for a long run. I tried the bagel for breakfast the following weekend, but by the time I got out for a long run it was in the afternoon so I couldn't tell if the bagel and coffee were better for energy.

It's getting pretty hot now. Pa in the summer can get brutal. If it's not the heat, it's the humidity. So my hubby bought me a water bottle belt. So now I feel like a real runner when I go out. :-) The heat makes such a difference when running. I felt slow, not as bad as when I ran at the refuge, but it was a struggle to get through sometimes. I even had trouble this weekend at the gym. It wasn't only hot, but it was like there was no air. I think there was just too much body heat because it did get better when people started to thin out.

Must always keep legs ready for shorts in the summertime because running with long pants is ridiculous. I thought I would be ok indoors, in the morning, but was I wrong.

My 10k is in August, but it's in the morning so I hope it's not too hot by the time it starts or when I finish.

When we get a cooler day it makes the run seem so much easier after dealing with the heat and humidity. When I was out on a hot day I didn't realize how much the heat affected the run until the next time I ran in cooler temps. It was like an ah ha moment. It wasn't me necessarily, it was the weather.

Overall, I do feel much more fit. I can't believe I can run 6 plus miles. Also, as of yesterday I met my goal for the office Biggest Loser competition. I'm officially down 36.6 pounds. 5 more pounds and I'll no longer be considered obese, just overweight. I've been obese or even morbidly obese since I was a small child. Still a few weeks to the competition so if I push myself maybe I can get there.

Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!

OK, not really, but that's what I felt like. I'm such a city girl. I went for my long run to the wildlife refuge again. This time I was going for 6 miles. I came across so many different animals it's hard to believe I was just south of the airport. Not long into the run I came across a turtle and was tempted to take a pic for my husband. (We have a thing about turtles) I came across a family of ducks in the local pond. Then a mile later I spotted 2 white tail deer. I never saw deer down there before. I was so excited they were only a couple of yards away. Then I worried about ticks, yuck! I also saw lots of bunnies, which explains the large holes on the side of the trail, and the bluest bids I have ever seen.

I am pleasantly surprised with how I did. The first mile flew by so fast I couldn't believe it. I was under 10 a minute. I usually run that fast during a 20 sec interval, not for a mile. I took a couple walking/drink breaks after that so that slowed down the rest of my average, but that's OK the goal was get through 6 miles and I did. I ran out 3 miles then turned around and ran back. I really like doing it that way, it really helps the run go faster. By the time I reached 5 miles I was 5 mins faster than my prior run. I finished the 6 miles in about 1:12. I averaged 12:01 mi/min. I was hoping for under 12, but my hip was starting to bother me on that last mile.  

As far as recovery I felt great! After my last long run there my calves were so sore I felt like the were going to cramp up any minute. Lots of heat and massaging kept that from happening. This time I just had a little soreness in my quads, calves and a little in my one hip, but nothing that lingered. So that's a win.

I have to push back the next run until Wednesday due to some social plans. Heading out for a chocolate tasting with co workers. I'm so excited, but I know I'll have to be really good with the diet for the rest of the week to make sure I don't gain next Monday.

I'm down 32.4 pounds so far. Hopefully I can keep it going.

Weekend fun

Went for my long run on Sunday and felt pretty good. However my plan said to do 5 miles, but I wound up only tracking about 4.7 mi. I went to the local park with my little guy for my run. This is the park that has a paved loop where one side starts out really steep with an incline for a mile and the other starts out even. I figure this time I'll start out on the more level side of the loop and see how it goes. Mind you I also walked with Nate in the stroller to and from church that morning so I already had a little workout that day.

I started out pretty good, pace was less than 10min/mine which was shocking to me. Then I hit the hills and I was able to jog up most of them. I still took my little breaks here and there. With the hills and the breaks I was managing around 12min/mi which is where I wanted to be.

I figured I'd run 2.5 out and 2.5 back to get my 5 miles. I was getting pretty worn out from pushing the stroller up the hills. It felt like it weighed a ton. I could tell from my GPS app that I was ahead of the mile markers on the road so I decided to turn around early since I was getting pretty tired. I probably would have been fine, but I saw someone I use to know and stopped to talk to her. While we were walking and talking I turned off the GPS so that's where I lost the .3 miles. I figure that's OK because that does include the walk this morning or the walk to and from the car. I was annoyed with myself though because I turned around early. I'm only human and I need to learn not to be so critical of myself.

Next run tonight, just a little 3 miles around the neighborhood. Thursday I do a round of speed work so that should be interesting. Until then....