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.... 

Compression socks

So I ran my 4miles yesterday wearing my new compression socks. Jury is still out on their effectiveness. I did notice my calves didn't bother me at all when last week they were hurting by the end of the same route. They are really thick and my feet felt hot and heavy at times. There was some slight discomfort also, but not so bad that I wouldn't try them again. I'll wear them this weekend for my long run and see how it goes. Last week I was hurting pretty bad after 5 miles.

Like a kid in a candy store

I purchased some compression socks to see how they work. I've read a lot about them lately. Many say they help deliver oxygen to your muscles so you're not as fatigued on or after your runs. I can handle up to 3 miles around town, but 4 miles of road running is a little rough and even 5 miles on the trail was a bit much for my calves.

I'm so excited to give them a try. My next run isn't until tomorrow so I'll have to wait, but they should be home waiting for me now. 

The Big 3 0

Weigh in day! I was a little worried about this week's weigh in because I've felt so off this past week. I really just wanted to eat everything in sight.

Well I was down 1.1 pounds today, bringing my total to 30.4 pounds. I still have 7 pounds to go before I'm back to my lowest weight and 11 pounds until I'm no longer considered obese. Still seems like I'm far off my goal, but I'm getting there!

5 miles!

It's been a little while since I posted, trying not to slack off. Well I accomplished 2 new long runs since the last post. Thursday I managed 4 miles around my neighborhood and yesterday 5 miles at the local wildlife refuge.

Thursday was pretty good, a little tough, but I made it through the run with minimal stops. Mostly stops for traffic crossings, but they were definitely appreciated when they occurred. :-) Still not getting side cramps so the bananas are working.

Went for a short 2mi run on Saturday. I was a little worried about jogging a day before a long run, but our weekend schedule didn't allow for us to swap activities. It was much easier to fit in the shorter run on Saturday. I'll try doing my long run on Saturday this week and see how it goes.

So Sunday I wanted to try the local wildlife refuge for my run. They have a pretty extensive set of trails which we use to bike on occasion. My husband likes to bike so we decided to make a family outing, me jogging and my husband biking with out almost 2yr old. I really wanted a nice flat surface for my long run. I get so tired of the hills all the time. Although I'm sure they make me a better runner.

So after a few technical issues I got settled in to a nice pace. The trails was much more rocky than I remembered, which is not good when you tend to shuffle when you run slowly. Luckily the whole trail wasn't that way. I took frequent, but brief walking breaks. Except for a break to tend to a toddler meltdown. I read somewhere that I shouldn't feel the need to jog the whole thing. Taking a few breaks will help you finish better. I whole-heartily took that advise. Surprisingly I felt pretty good by the end of the 5mi. Biggest annoyance was having to go to the bathroom almost from the start. I don't know what is with my bladder these days. Even after I go before I leave I have to go again mid run. If I didn't know better I'd think I'm pregnant. 

Still feeling pretty good this morning. My calves were really affected by the run so I really tried to stretch and massage them to keep them from cramping up. My husband has a little portable back massager and that worked wonders on my legs. I also have a heated mattress pad so I turned that on and heat helped as well. Still a little sore, but no cramping yet. I ordered a pair of compression socks, we'll see if they make a difference.

Weigh in day today. Not really sure how I'll do. I felt off all week. I just wanted to constantly eat and not the healthy stuff. I just need .7lbs to reach the 30 pound mark. I lost 3 pounds 2 weeks ago so I though one and a half pounds was doable the next week, but I only lost .9 pounds. Still a loss, I know, but I was really hoping to hit the mark. Oh well, we shall see...

More Lessons Learned

1. Always charge your phone if you're using it to keep track of distance/pace.
2. Bananas DO help prevent side stitch!

Coming off a terrible run on Sunday, I went for a run on Tuesday after work. I was stuck at work late, but I was determined to get out when I got home. Lucky for me the springtime means longer daylight. I figured I had until about 8pm before I really lost the light. I was out about 7:20pm.

According to RunKeeper, I was to run 3 mile + strides. I started off slow, as my goal is still trying to run without needing to stop. Well I have to say I was able to run just about the entire time! I only stopped a few seconds here and there for traffic and even at that I timed the traffic pretty good. I started trying a different route that still has hills, but they are more gradual and I think that helps too. Somewhere close to home I noticed the app seemed off. It showed a pace slower then I thought it should since I hadn't stopped to walk, but I just chalked it up to a very slow pace.

Then when I was close to home, I looked to see how close I was to 3 miles and it still read 2.58 miles. I know how far I went and I knew this wasn't right. The app won't start timing the strides until you're gone 3 miles. So after trying to figure out what was going on I ran just a couple quick intervals. I was so annoyed by that point I just went in. I wanted to bask in the glory of a consistent run, but instead I had to figure out why my GPS was disabled on my phone. First thing my hubby asked, "Is it charged?" As a matter of fact it is almost dead. I didn't play my music on my phone today so I didn't have to charge it during the day. So that explains why my GPS turned off.

So after I settled down had a shower and dinner, I manually updated the info for my run. Turns out I ran about 3.6 miles with an average 11:57 mins a mile.

And I only had a slight discomfort in the side cramp area. I had a banana before I left work so I guess it helped. I'll have to try it out before a morning run as well and see if it still does the trick.

Another run tonight, I'll be sure to charge my phone today to see how I do on a 4 mile run.