Running Mom's Motivation

My husband is the best. This week I am covering for my boss while she is on vacation. That means I am working full time plus some. It can make it very difficult to get my runs in . Our girls are with their daycare provider tonight and tomorrow. David and I had a very unhealthy dinner before coming home. I was tired (as I am sure he was too) when we got home, but asked him if he would take the dog for a walk while I went for my run so that I would have someone kind of watching over me since it was getting dark. Thanks to him, I was able to get in my tempo run tonight. That means that even if I have trouble at work the rest of the week and am unable to run at least I got in one quality workout.

I felt like I was working hard, but my pace ended up leaving a little to be desired. I guess when you look just at the tempo portion ( there was a slow warm up and cool down) the pace was close to my 5k pace.

I fell while on my run tonight. It was the second time in the last month. While it wasn't as bad of a fall this time as last, I still scrapped up the same knee, which means I am starting over with the healing process. Note to self... the road is smoother than the sidewalk...maybe you should run there at night when you can't see the ground!

Total Miles Today = 4.26 Approximate Miles Since Starting = 379

Posted in: on Monday, July 30, 2007 at at 11:08 PM 0 comments  

Yesterday was hot and humid when I ran. I was supposed to do 3 slow, easy miles. In the heat and humidity there are no easy miles. My dog and I got back to my office and he literally collapsed on the floor. Usually he is ready to play after 3 miles. But it was a good workout and I felt good about it. Today was a different story...

Today was my long run. Since I am new to running, my long runs are pretty short. I was supposed to do 5.5 miles. I try to do my long run at a slow even pace so that I can run the whole thing. I decided to run on the river trail near my home. As you guessed, it winds along the river. It is nice because there are markers every 1/4 mile...Or there were!!! I started running and the first mile was hard. I have found that it takes me about 1.5 miles to really get my stride going and to feel comfortable. I wasn't really gung ho about today's run, but I decided to give it a mile and a half. Most of the time by then I am feeling good and even if I am not, I at least have to run 3 miles because I have to get back from where I started.

So I pass the one mile mark and am starting to feel a little more comfortable when the markers on the trail seem to be spacing out a little more than they seemed like they were in the beginning. If I would have known I was going to have trouble, I could have read the numbers telling me which marker I was at, but I didn't do that in the beginning. So now I was trying to figure out how far I had gone. It was a pretty hot day. A lot of the trail is wooded, but when it isn't, it is right in the middle of the city and it is HOT! I started feeling like I missed out on one or two markers. I was keeping track of my pace, so it helped a little. Then it just all seemed to fall apart. I couldn't tell where I was or how far I had gone. I thought I had gone two miles so I figured three more markers and I could turn around. But some of those markers seemed off too. I was so frustrated by now I went up another marker and stopped at the fish ladder. I had never really seen it before so I figured I would take a break. By now I was really POed. Not only did I not know how far I had gone, but I was also appearing to have horrible pace. I ended up walking quite a few times. I think my frustration got to me just as much as the heat.

So I started back. The return trip wasn't as frustrating because I knew where I was going and had a general idea of how much further I needed to go. On the way back, some of those markers that I couldn't find started showing up... Maybe I had gone a little two far? Maybe I went out 3 miles instead of 2.75. Oh well, that would only add an extra half mile...no problem. But by now, I was so psyched out and mad that I was doing so poorly, that I ended up walking quite a bit. The heat seemed unbearable. I have the horrible psychological problem that I think I can't run in the heat, and today it caught up with me. I finally get back to my car and I am spent. It was one of the most miserable runs I have had since I started. I am glad that I know that there are good runs and bad runs and this one bad run doesn't mean I should quit.

Now I am back at my house and I need to map my run online so that I can see how far I ran and jot it down in my log. I ran a little over 7 miles! No wonder it was taking me longer than I expected and the markers seemed further apart...THEY WERE! This is only the second time I have run 7 miles. I did it last Saturday for my long run. I was supposed to do 5. But at 4.5 miles I felt so good, that I kept going around the park near my house. I loved last weeks run...the difference was that I wanted to do it last week and I knew what I was getting myself into. So that is why the lesson of the day is KNOW YOUR ROUTE!

Total Miles Today = 7 Approximate Miles Since Starting = 375

Posted in: on Saturday, July 28, 2007 at at 6:48 PM 0 comments  

I did my first official "speed work" last night. Most of my runs throughout the week are kept at a slow, easy pace. I have one run a week that is a little faster and one that is longer. Last night was intervals, which means I got to run around a track multiple times. I was dreading it! I don't like running in circles. That is why I was outside with a scarf around my face and my glasses freezing over when I ran on the coldest day of the year last winter.

I was supposed to run a lap at 5k pace...slow for the rest of the world, but close to as fast as I can go. Then I was supposed to slow way down and jog or walk half a lap to recover. As soon as I was done with the half lap recovery I started over. I did eight intervals. I haven't run around a track more than about 4 times before and that was many years ago. They actually weren't very bad. It may be that my heart pounding out of my chest and the buckets of sweat pouring down my face distracted me from the fact that I was running in circles!

There was a five or six year old little boy with his mom at the track. He was riding his bike that had training wheels on it. This track is old and very messed up. There are quite a few "pot holes" in it. He would get stuck in a hole every now and then, or just have a hard time keep the bike going on the poor surface. Every once in a while I would pass him and he would say something about having a hard time going. I could tell that him and his mom were talking about me. It entertained me as I was running. When I stopped to stretch, he rode past me and he was so excited to pass me. To think that he thought I was fast enough that he wanted to try to pass me... for a penguin like me, that made my day! Thanks Alex for boosting my ego just a bit.

Total miles last night = 4.5 Approximate miles since starting to run = 365

Posted in: on Thursday, July 26, 2007 at at 8:39 AM 0 comments  

So this is my first blog...I guess it should be inspirational in some way. I started this to help keep me accountable with my running. So, why do I run anyway?

My uncle died at the age of 55 last December. My family (especially my dad) have taken the shock pretty hard. My mom has many medical problems related to arthritis, osteoporosis and years of smoking. She stopped smoking, I am so proud of her! My dad had a kidney transplant 15 years ago. Since then he has developed diabetes. His kidney is failing again...I am guessing from the diabetes and high blood pressure. Most of my family (including me) struggle with keeping their weight under control. I guess what I am saying is that I don't have good genes medically speaking. I need to do all I can to help fight off the illnesses that are going to try to ruin my life as I age.

I don't want to end up like my uncle. I love my family enough to try to change the bad luck. I want what they have had to go through to make an impact. And hopefully if it makes an impact on me, it will also impact the life of those around me. I want my husband and girls (what better reason can there be) to have a good example. And I want my girls to think of exercise as fun and a natural part of life. So I run...to lose weight; to fight stress; to keep my joints working properly; to lower my blood pressure; to reduce my risk of heart attack, stroke, cancer, osteoporosis; to feel better about myself; to show others if I can do it then so can they; to not go down without a fight; and to show my girls that they can be strong, beautiful, and healthy.

So on December 31st of 2006 I took my first very slow steps (literally) towards being a runner after at least a decade of only moving when I had to. I am SLOW. I am not a natural born runner. It has taken time to even get to the point where I was really running instead of just walking. But now, I have found, that I love running. I love the way it makes me feel. I love that I am doing something hard that I never thought I would. I love taking my dog for runs and wearing him out. I love running with my girls in their stroller. I love the other runners I have met. I love that I have run in my first 5k race (3.1miles) and was able to run the whole way faster than I ever had before. I love that 3 miles now seems like a easy run and the miles seem shorter now. I love that I have run enough miles to need a new pair of shoes. Have I motivated anyone yet? I hope so. Like I said if I can , so can you!

And finally, I wouldn't be running if it weren't for my very good friend, Maria. She can kick my ass any day and yet she still chooses to run with me and have an easy day while I am having a hard one. She has kept me motivated and encouraged me when I didn't want to get out the door. She has also kept me from doing too much at once so that I don't injure myself and I can keep running. Most of all she has shown me that a 30 something woman can challenge herself and be a real athlete. Thanks Maria!

Posted in: on Tuesday, July 24, 2007 at at 4:28 PM 2 comments