Whoa….

An email I just received….

Subject: Transaction Confirmation for Yuengling Shamrock Half Marathon

this week’s goals

I like this mini-goal thing....one week at a time and eventually these things will become habit! so here is this week's goals:

1. Run three times (track, long run, short run)

2. Wash my face EVERY night (let's see if I can hit 7 times this week!)

3. 2 minutes of planks every day

4. strength train at least once (set to see Akua on Thursday)

5. Pack breakfast and/or lunch at least 4 times this week

6. No more than 4 drinks

Last week’s list

Let’s see how I did….

1. run 4 times – I ran once this morning and I have track thursday, long run Saturday and the race Sunday (done and done. Run recaps to follow shortly)

2. strength train once – I see my trainer on Thursday and I plan to do the Shred tomorrow night (Fail. I did not Shred and my trainer was out sick on Thursday)

3. pack breakfast/lunch at least 3 times – hopefully I will make it to the store today! (I think so…last week was weird. I was out sick for a day and a half, so I didn’t spend nearly as much on food as I usually do)

4. wash face every night – I hope I remember! (6 out of 7 nights…not too shabby)

September’s List

I honestly don’t even remember everything on the list (yes, I know I can go back and look but I am lazy), but I do know I have failed miserably at all of them.

so here is a smaller, more realistic list for this week (the week starts today):

1. run 4 times – I ran once this morning and I have track thursday, long run Saturday and the race Sunday

2. strength train once – I see my trainer on Thursday and I plan to do the Shred tomorrow night

3. pack breakfast/lunch at least 3 times – hopefully I will make it to the store today!

4. wash face every night – I hope I remember!

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I’m back

after a week of no blogging, I am back. School and life got overwhelming and I just didn’t really feel like writing this past week.

I have definitely kept busy this week. School is back full swing. Homework and reading and almost time for a midterm (EEP!!!!). I have been trying to keep up with my 10-miler training. I haven’t done great, but I am back to group training and I will not miss it again. I did 7 miles this past Saturday. It was definitely the hardest thing I have EVER done…until this Saturday’s EIGHT miler (another EEP!!!!).

After this week’s run, I am going to my niece’s 1st birthday party. Finley and Graydon are the cutest sweetest kids ever. I wish I had more free time (and better transportation method than bus, metro, car) so I could see them more often. I feel like a terrible aunt.

Sunday, dad and I are running the Navy five-miler. I do not have high hopes for this run and will just be happy to finish. My legs are sure to still be tired after the eight miles the day before.

Once the 10-miler comes and goes….only 33 more days…I want to start training for a half-marathon. I think I want to do the Shamrock 1/2 in VA Beach, the weekend after St. Patrick’s Day. It is supposed to be a fun one and that gives me plenty of time to train for it, almost 5 months. I would love to do the National half, right here in DC, but I am nowhere near the qualifying time yet. Oh well….maybe in 2012, I can do the national FULL marathon!

I cannot wait to graduate in December. Training will be so much easier then.

in a funk

I have been in a funk for the past two days. I really hope it passes soon because it is getting old quick. Instead of running my planned 16 miles over the weekend, I ran 4.5. Sunday I had a legit excuse, as my knee was acting up big time, but yesterday I just didn’t feel like getting out of my pajamas…and they weren’t even railroad train pajamas!

Today is a long day of work and class, but hopefully my funk will end when I see Lady Gaga tonight!!!! I am trying to get excited about it, but right now, I just want to go to sleep….zzzzzzz………………

First track workout

Last night’s track workout was a success. I wish I had started going a long time ago. Stupid silly socially awkward fears of mine….of course no one was going to laugh at me!

The coaches worked with me since this was my first time EVER running on a track. I am the girl who always walked the mile in elementary school and didn’t take PE in high school! While everyone else was doing 800s (which I now know is 2 laps), I did a few 400s and 2 800s for a total of 8 laps.

Even though I only went two miles, my legs are surprisingly sore,. At track, we work on speed and pacing, so I went faster than usual on some of the laps. I am sure this plays into my soreness.

I also saw my trainer after work yesterday, so I am certain that plays a part as well. I started sharing my trainer with a coworker. It was really fun to work out with someone. I wouldn’t say I felt competitive, but having her there did motivate me. I did TWENTY push ups on my toes!!!! My knee still hurts from my spill a few weeks back, so lowering myself was not an option. We did two sets of 10. I am pretty darn proud of myself right now!

September’s List

what this blog may lack in pictures (I really need a better camera…and an iPhone!), it definitely makes up for with my to-do lists!

It is the first day of a new month and it is time to set some goals. School started yesterday, so life just even crazier and if I don’t have a handy little list, I may lose my mind!!!!

1. Stay ahead of the game on school reading (I am so bad about this!!!! I didn’t read my three chapters for today, the first day….oops! off to a bad start already!)

2. Run four times a week (My current training schedule calls for this. I know there may be times that I cannot do the full length, but every mile counts!)

3. Strength train twice a week (I have once a weeks with my trainer, so I need to get better on my own)

4. Limit going out to once a week (money saver and a belly shrinker!)

5. Pack lunch at least 4 times a week (a healthy money saver!)

6. Pack breakfast at least 3 times a week (another healthy money saver)

7. Do not spend more than $5 on pre-class snacks (This means pre-planning and packing before I leave for work those days)

8. Keep reading non-school books to give my brain a break! (Math is hard!)

9. Stretch after every run (MUST get better about this!)

10. Eight hours of sleep at least 2 nights a week (I know I should get that every night…baby steps!)

11. No more than 4 sodas a week (I will consider this a HUGE victory!!!!)

I think those are some pretty doable goals. They should keep me on track in school, fitness, budget and life in general. I will revisit them in two weeks and then again at the end of the month. Wish me luck!!!!

I AM a runner

Ever since I began this journey to become a runner, I haven’t let myself believe I really was one because I still walk quite a bit when I go out….becasue I still don’t WANT to do it..because I am so slow in comparison to my runner friends.

Well, yesterday, for the very first time, I felt like a real runner. Did I walk during my time out? yes. Did I want to go out and run last night? Heck no. Was I still slow? Oh yeah!

But I went out and I did it. I didn’t make my planned 6 miles, but I went out and I did 4 miles.

But the main reason I now consider myself a runner….because I run. This entry on The Wannabe Athlete (who, BTW, is definitely an athlete!) described how I feel much better than I ever could. One day, her husband said to her, “All it takes to be a runner is to run.”

When I got home last night, I may have complained to J a bit about how I only went four miles. He laughed at me and reminded me that just one week ago, I would have never put the word only in front of four miles. I would have said, “OMG!!! I have to go FOUR miles!!!!” He also reminded that  a week ago I would have just said “screw it” and skipped my run because of crappy day. A week ago, I would have chosen the couch and some bad TV to decompress. This week, I chose a run and some tacos.

So, I may be slower than slow, but I AM A RUNNER!

(note…I wrote this entry yesterday, but was so tired after class that I forgot to hit publish. oops!)