Day 10: Feeling Good!

Hi All! Its been another crazy day at work so I haven't had time to blog today. So here I am! Today...I CAN WALK! Its great that the soreness is going away. Yesterday was a fairly easy day. It was a cross training day and I decided to ride the bike in the gym. It was much more safer than me riding in the middle of Bowling Green. I swear though I have come to the conclusion that if you can't get yourself to workout then there is something wrong because the gym makes it a pretty enjoyable experience. I biked 6 miles on the bike all while having a fan blowing on me and watching a re-run of Jersey Shore. I mean how much better can I get?! Anyways I did bike for 30 minutes which ended up being 6 miles. I did the rolling hills workout and I think this helped my soreness. Today I am going to be running 2 miles and doing some lifting. I probably won't be lifting legs, just arms and abs! I gonna give them a little break! Anyways, short blog today...VERY busy at work! I hope everyone has a good one!

Oh yea...here is a little video for enjoyment. Its Treadmill Bloopers...I hope this is never me! Just Keep Running!!!

Day 9: Keep on Keepin' On

I have to say I am VERY proud of myself! First though, I can't walk. Literally, my legs are so sore, I can't touch my toes and I can barely walk! I knew I was going to be this sore. I am getting made fun of at work because of the way I am walking. BUT I'm so proud because I ran the whole 2.5 miles without walking at all! I know some of you are probably like "BIG DEAL" but I have been running for a week. I think that's pretty good and I'm building endurance quickly. I am fully confident now that I am going to be ready for the 5K when if comes time. But I am not confident if I am going to be able to cross-train for 40 minutes today. Thinking about it makes me hurt!

Anyways just a little recap of last night. Here is the route I chose. Its similar to the one I ran last Tuesday because I wanted to see if it had gotten easier.

I ran it in 30 minutes! I thought originally I had ran it in a slower time than last week but I got to looking at it and I was wrong. I shaved almost 2 minutes off of my time. I'm really not focused on my speed right now though. I am just worrying about building endurance and later on I will work on my speed. AND I'm not running this race to win it...lol these girls usually run the whole thing in 30 minutes...but I don't want to be last. While I was running I was afraid that it was going to be a hard run. I started psyching myself out mentally because my legs were tired from lifting the day before. I just kept pushing and finally got the negative thoughts out of my head. I hit the wall right at 1.3 miles and I kept telling myself ok when you get to 1.5 you can walk. Well by the time I got to 1.5 I was like ok, I'm not dead, so keep running. By the time I got to 2 miles I was cruising! I didn't feel the need to walk at all. Then I got to the house and finished the 2.5 and felt great. I did some stretching and felt fine so I took back off and kept running until I hit 3 miles! I am so proud of myself!! This is a big deal for me. Running and not hating it is a big deal. And actually sticking to a workout plan as well.

So I'm getting excited and now I'm even more excited because my work has agreed to sponsor me in the race. That's money I don't have to pay and I am going to be running advertisement! So now what do I have to lose?

7 Weeks
2 Days
19 hours

Until tomorrow....Just Keep Running

Day 8: Pumping that Iron

Hello All! Sorry this post is a little late. I have had the CRAZIEST morning at work. I'm a little mad about it! HAHA lets just say I have earned my keep this morning! I hope ya'll have had a better morning than me!

First off I am loving this weather!! Today the forecast says its suppose to be a high of 96, but it you look at the hourly forecast its only going to get 90. This would be amazing because that means at around 7 when I'm getting ready to run it will be in the low 80's! PERFECT.

Yesterday was my strength and stretch day. Well I finally renewed my gym membership and got back in. Lifting is one of my favorite things to do. I love the feeling I get because I know I am getting something out of it. I usually lift with the max weight that I can do but I did some reading and saw that its better for runners to do max reps and lower weight to increase muscle endurance verses focusing just on muscle strength. So this is what I did...and let me tell you...I was almost one of those people in the gym who scream while they lift! Just almost...but not quite. Below is my workout that I completed:

Squats: 3 sets of 12
Leg Curls: 3 sets of 15
Leg Extensions: 3 sets of 15
Leg press: 3 sets of 12
Calve Raises: 2 sets of 15
Hip Adduction: 3 sets of 20
Hip Abduction: 3 sets of 20

Stretch

This killed me! By the time I got to the leg press I was practically having to pick my legs up and put them on the machine. I'm feeling it this morning as well but not as bad as I thought. Usually my second day is my most sore day so I can't wait until tomorrow. Today I will be running 2.5 miles. I have not decided yet where I want to run this but it will more than likely be campus! I also want to do an intense ab workout. Not real sure what I am going to do yet, but I know your core is essential for running. So I guess I will see how it goes. I hope everyone has a great day!

Until Tomorrow....Just Keep Running!

Day 4, 5, 6, and 7 Sorry I'm Behind!

Hey guys! Sorry I fell a little behind. I had such a busy day at work on Friday I couldn't write, and Saturday I was in Lexington all day, then yesterday was probably the most productive day of my life! So I am just going to break each day down individually!

Day 4: Thursday

On this day I had to run 2 miles. It was a VERY hot day and my goal was not to walk any this day! Well I did it! Here is my route!

I ran 2 miles and it took me 22 minutes...which i feel like is an improvement in time. I had a little motivation because I had just put some potatoes in the oven at Matt's and I had to get my run done in enough time so that they wouldn't burn haha.  

Day 5: Rest

Friday was my rest day and boy did I need it! Friday was an exhausting day at work and I had to travel home and get in bed since the next morning I had to wake up at 4:30 am. I blame my sister for this!

Day 6: Cross-Training

This was my 40 minute cross training day. I feel terrible because I didn't not do anything! I traveled to Lexington for my sister's graduation. I am now the proud sister of Dr. Keishia Embry DPT (Doctor of Physical Therapy). It was a great celebration and I did get a little workout in because I had to walk from Egypt because parking on UK's campus sucks! So yeah I felt terrible because I didn't workout this day. I was going to make it up on Sunday and run 3 miles and cross-train for 40 minutes but I read that you aren't suppose to make it up and double your days up. Today is a Stretch and Strength day so I may just do some strength and cross-train today. We will see.

Day 7: 3 mile Run

Yesterday was a terribly hot hot day! I waited all day for it to cool down and was very productive waiting for this. I woke up early and cleaned my whole apartment before it was even time for church. I got fully caught up on laundry as well. Then after I made dinner I decided that I might as well get on my treadmill and just run inside while watching Keeping up with the Kardashians! When I very first started running I tried to set my pace on the treadmill to match my average pace that my Speedometer app tells me I run in. It is usually around 4.8 mph. Well when I set this on the treadmill I felt like I was sprinting. My treadmill is a little old so I don't know if maybe this had something to do with it but it was terribly fast. So I set my pace a little slower and started running. I had two episodes to watch since apparently I missed last weeks and was not aware. I started running when I had an episode and a half left which is about 45 minutes. Well I finished the first episode without walking (because there were no commercials) and it went straight into the next episode and there was only one commercial break! I was struggling but I made it and only walked for one minute then kept going. I got a big burst of energy for the last half mile and was running it pretty fast. Its been forever since I have ran this distance and I actually did it. I ran this in 33 minutes. I really think if I did this outside it would be easier for some reason. The treadmill made me struggle.

I am starting to think I can actually do this! I am building endurance quickly and for the first time I am starting to enjoy running! This is something I am doing for MYSELF. I never do anything for myself and I think it is enjoyable because I am. I got my first week down and week two begins today! I am looking forward to it. I just wish that this weather would cool down and stay cool. I have 54 days to go until the big race! I am getting more excited, nervous, and confident as I go! I hope everyone has a great day. Get out and exercise!

Until Tomorrow...Just Keep Running

Day 3: Pedal to the Pavement

"Few of us know what we are capable of doing… we have never pushed ourselves hard enough to find out." – Alfred A. Montapert

Yesterday was my cross training day. The afternoon started out kind of rocky though. I went to get the bike from Matt's house and he told me there was a pump at the house I could use to air the tires up. Well this pump was so old that when I went to air them up, the tube broke off because it was dry rotted. So then I resort to the good ole hand pump. That didn't work out very well at all. Finally I remembered I had a can of fix-a-flat in my trunk and this did the job! Wasn't really sure if you are suppose to put fix-a-flat in a bike tire, but hey it didn't explode and I'm alive so I guess it worked! After cleaning off the spider webs and airing up the tires I was ready to go. I set out with no intentions of where to ride, I was just going to pedal towards my house and hope that it didn't take me an hour. I don't want to be an over achiever and bike an hour when I only had to do 30 minutes right. HAHA.

Keep in mind this bike is a mountain bike...that requires shifting. Once I get about 100 yards I realize I have no earthly idea how to shift this thing correctly. I had a mountain bike growing up as a kid but I don't think I ever shifted that thing right. All I know is that I could not ever get the right dial to move no matter how hard I tried. I would just randomly shift...haha and the chain didn't fall off so I guess I did something right? Riding wasn't the easiest thing. I got fairly tired quick, and Bowling Green isn't exactly fully equipped with sidewalks. I tried to avoid the most congested areas. 34 minutes and 4 miles later I made it to my sister's apartment safely! Here is the route I rode:

I could tell last night before I went to bed that I was going to be sore. I woke up this morning and can barely walk! And most of all, my butt is KILLING ME. I'm sure that my seat wasn't adjusted right, and I totally didn't shift correctly, and I looked like a total weirdo riding through town, but oh well! I'm sore as crap this morning so I guess that means I got a pretty good workout in! Today is anther running day, with a 2 mile run and some strength training. The run today is shorter and I am going to try to run this one without any walking. I didn't have to walk last time until right at 2 miles so I think I can do it! After the run I will be riding my bike again with Camille who just got a bike as well! This should be fun! I'm not sure what I'll do for strength though....I'm just going to play it by ear! I hope everyone has a great day.

Until Tomorrow...Just Keep Running!

Day 2: I'm a Runner!

"If you run, you are a runner. It doesn't matter how fast or how far. It doesn't matter if today is your first day or if you've been running for twenty years. There is no test to pass, no license to earn, no membership card to get. You just run."
--John Bingham

Haha I wouldn't exactly call myself a runner quite yet, but I plan on getting there! Yesterday was my first running day and I was very surprised at myself. This is the first time I have ran 2.5 miles in over a year. Not saying I haven't worked out, but I tend to avoid the whole cardio thing. Anyways, my choice of running location was Dowtown Bowling Green. Here is the map of the course. You can make your own on http://www.runkeeper.com/. Its a really cool site!

My distance was 2.56 miles. I ran this in 29 minutes at an average speed of 4.9 mph. I know this is slow but I have discovered that in the past the reason I did not enjoy running was because I was trying to sprint the entire way. I have been reading up a lot on some techniques for long distance running and a lot of them say you should run at a conversational pace. So I put on my Iphone arm strap, got my Speedometer runner app ready, turned on my Nicki Minaj Pandora station and TOOK OFF! While trying to figure out the right pace, instead of talking, I sang. If I could sing while I was running I figured this was a pretty good pace. I really didn't think I would be able to complete this very easily but it wasn't as bad as I thought. I figured I would have to walk like a million times and really I only walked ONCE! The main reason I needed to walk was because I had a wrinkle in my sock! If any of you know me, you know this is my pet peeve. I cannot function with a wrinkle in my sock! I used to have to beg for a timeout during a basketball game so I could fix the wrinkle. Haha a little dramatic I know...but I just can't stand it.

Anyways, so I fixed my sock, took a sip of water, and took back off. Before I knew it, it I was done. I felt great afterwards and was very proud of myself. Today is a cross training day! I think I will ride a bike. I don't really have a bike here, but there is a pretty little pink mountain bike sitting behind Matt's house that I asked him to air the tires up for me. So looks like that will have to do! Hope I can remember how! And if you know any good bike trails or places in bg to ride a bike then let me know!!!

Here is a little inspirational video to remind you to not take simple things in life for granted like the ability to run, bike, or swim. This gets me everytime. I am sure many of you all know the story of Dick Hoyt and his son, but if you don't then here it is. Grab the tissues...gets me everytime.

Have a great day! Until Tomorrow...Just Keep Running

Day 1: Just the beginning

I thought I would start today out by showing you my training schedule. Courtesy of www.midwestfit.com. These guys are great and post some great workouts. Ya'll should check them out. Anyways as you can see yesterday was just a stretch and strength day. For strength I did one of the PT's that Midwest Fit had posted on their website. It was 200 push ups, 100 pull ups, and 200 squats. Well I had to slightly modify this bc I am dealing with a shoulder injury (white water rafting) so that puts my left arm out of commission for about another week. So instead I did 200 squats, and 200 lunges (100 for each leg). Then for abs I did 100 flutter kicks, 100 crunches with legs in the air, 100 leg lifts, and 100 torso twists.

Lets just say I can't move or walk this morning. I'm guessing this 2.5 mile run this afternoon is going to be difficult. I know a lot of you are thinking, 2.5 miles is nothing, but for me this is. I haven't continuously ran on a daily basis in forever, bc its something I hated so much. Cardio has always been a struggle for me. I prefer to diet and lift weights. I guess that's kind of a guys outlook on staying in shape. So this whole running thing is fairly new and something I haven't done since high school. According to the schedule I wasn't suppose to do any cardio yesterday but I decided to go on a little stroll with my sister and our dogs. We went over to the water park to walk the track. IT WAS PACKED! I was glad though that so many people were attempting to be healthy since we have such an obese society these days. I took my puppy Lolly who isn't even a year old yet, and my sister took her Bentley who is seven. My Lolly barks and tries to run after everything and everyone who walks by. So she had a hay day. Now Bentley on the other hand barely made it one mile and we had to take turns carrying him the whole second mile. Looks like Bentley wont be going on anymore walks...poor thing.  Overall I had a great workout and a great night of TV. Bachelor Pad was intense!

Until Tomorrow....if I live....Just Keep Running!