Oww

Man I'm sore today, but it's a good sore. The sore that comes from a good workout, and I'll take that kind of sore any day. I'm gonna do weights later tonight and gives my legs a break. It's back to running tomorrow. There's nothing better to start off a weekend then a nice Saturday morning run. Or sleeping in until noon, which I may do as well.

One Down Billions To Go

I did it. I got up and ran today before work. My husband just started his internship and part of that means getting to work twice a week at 6:30 AM. We only have one car, and the shuttle to the metro doesn't run that early so it means I have to drop him off. The plus side of this is that I can go to the gym before work twice a week. I always said I would love going to gym in the mornings, but I think I meant like at 8:00 or 9:00, not 6:00. Like running it's kind of a love/hate thing.

Love: Getting my workout done early so I can stop thinking I have to go all day.
Hate: It's 6 AM and once I'm done with my workout I have nothing to do other than go to work so I get to work at 7:30 instead of 8:30.

Love: The gym isn't incredibly busy in the morning so I don't have to wait for a treadmill.
Hate: There isn't anything on TV other than the news.

Love: Being able to jump out of bed and throw on my workout clothes without getting ready.
Hate: Showering at the gym.

Love: It gives me more energy during the day and gets my metabolism going.
Hate: I'm dead by about 9:00 PM and need to go to bed by 9:30 to get my necessary eight hours of sleep.

Love: I don't have a choice in the matter so I'll keep going twice a week.
Hate: I don't have a choice in the matter.

Sounds like just the kick I needed to get going. I ran three miles today with short walking breaks between miles and realized how out of shape I really am as I climbed the stairs to the locker room trying to keep my legs from collapsing.

But. I. Did. It.

Day 1 is supposed to be the hardest. I guess I'll have to get through day 2, 3, and 4 to find out.

I'm Back

May was insane, and I had every excuse imaginable to not run. Well June's almost here and I counted all of my viable excuses and came up with absolutely nothing. I'm finally back into a daily routine and am going to start scheduling my workouts in my day. Monday's the big day. Wish me luck.

SparkPeople

I found a new website through another blog called SparkPeople. It's not much different than other exercise/diet websites, but I liked it. When you reach certain point goals, you get virtual trophies- kind of like my stickers at home. There are also teams that you can sign up for that have weekly and monthly challenges. I think any type of challenge or competition is a great motivator so here goes. I'm going to try and track what I eat and how much I exercise every day to give myself a good idea of what I need to do to become healthier. Check it out.

It's All About Hate Today

I'm sitting at my office reading blogs, branding websites for work, and trying to figure out anything else to do. You want to know why? Because the other option is going to a hotel where I am supposed to be using their gym to run. Why is it that I will do anything, even things I really don't want to do, just to avoid running? I really do want to start running, I just can't get myself there.

The.truth.is.I.am.scared.

I'm afraid to start running again because I'm not going to be any good at it. Two years ago I could run five miles without a second thought. After seven, I was skipping home and singing to my IPOD. Now I don't think I can go out and run two miles without walking in the middle. I've tried starting back up again twice in the past year and failed miserably both times.

So it's more than just getting motivation to go to the gym. It's getting motivation to overcome a fear, a fear of failure. I know that I just need to start, but there's that little voice inside of me that just keeps saying, "You're going to fail."

Where's the voice that says I can?

Count By Numbers

I decided that if I'm going to actually go through with this blog, I better do it right. I'd better track my progress in more than just words. So I'm going to track my progress in numbers as well. So on the side bar you may notice that I have a date and some numbers. I'm kind of weird about it and don't want to post my actual measurements so I posted my measurements times a particular number. I'll keep an update on my measurements (using that same particular number to multiply the measurements) over the weeks so I can always have a solid reminder of what running does for me physically. So check it out every once in a while and hopefully the numbers will be go down.

Not a Good Start

Today was not a good day to start training again. I got to the office at 7:00 AM and got home at 9:00 PM, just in time to eat dinner and get ready for bed again. Richie starts class again tomorrow night, so I'm gonna go to the gym while he's at class. Tomorrow should be a better day. One step after another. One day at a time... that day is tomorrow.

Motivation Material

I think that one of the hardest things about running is starting. Once I get outside or to the gym, I love it and am really glad I've gotten there. But getting myself to put on gym clothes, get into my car, and drive to the gym is tougher than anything ever should be. In the past, I've found some great sources of motivation that actually get me moving. And one of them is not the fact that when I run, I feel better even though it probably should be. Here are some of my favorite motivating tactics:

1. Stickers- There is something powerful about putting a WOW or BEST IN CLASS or GREAT JOB sticker on a box in a calendar after a good workout.
   
2. Competition- A friendly competition always gets me going.
   
3. Big rewards- Things like a new jacket, shoes, clothes, etc. if I reach some big goal (workout for a month).
4. Small rewards- I get to sleep in, get a pedicure, eat dessert, etc. if I reach a small goal (workout all week, run a particular number of miles, etc.)
   
5. Family- I have great family that is always bugging supporting me in my workout endeavors. My dad will actually be running the half-marathon with me in August.

So those are some of my favorites. What do you use to motivate yourself?

Oh and by the way, I know I'm scheduled to run 3-4 miles tonight but my legs hurt incredibly from walking and standing at Disneyworld on Saturday so I'm gonna switch things up a little. I'm going to do my cross training tonight and get in the running tomorrow. That's the beauty of creating my own training plan, I can do what I like as long as I get it done.

There's No Turning Back Now

I'm off for one more weekend of sanity eating yummy food and not exercising (other than walking from Space Mountain to Splash Mountain). When I get back, the training begins. And it's not going to be like the last three times, it's actually going to happen this time whether I feel like it or not. Wish me luck.

P.S. Dad that means you can start training too. Feel free to use my training guide as your own. August 31st, we will be running by the beach listening to rock & roll.

Training Plans

There are so many half-marathon training plans out there that you can definitely get confused about which one will work the best for you. But most of them have very similar elements- two or three shorter runs, some type of cross training or strength training, and a long run on the weekend. They all include at least one rest day a week, which is actually probably one of the most important parts of training.

Here are some of my favorite training guides I've found. They vary in length but have all of the elements above.

• Hal Higdon's 12 week half-marathon training plan: novice, intermediate, advanced, and walk. I used the novice training plan for my first two half-marathons, and it worked well.
  
• Runners World 9 week ultimate half marathon training plan
• Jeff Galloway's 17 week half-marathon training
• Josh Clark's 12 week half-marathon training (includes beginner, intermediate, advanced, and competitive.)
  

After looking at these four different plans, I've decided to try Jeff Galloway's 17 week plan and just skip the first two weeks. I really like the setup with cross training and running because I get bored with only running, but I am going to shoot for actual distances rather than time so it'll really be a mixture of Hal Higdon and Jeff Galloway's programs. Also, I'll probably add in strength training on the days with cardio cross train and switch the long runs from Sunday to Saturday.

So my schedule will be short runs on Monday and Wednesday, cross and strength train on Tuesday/Thursday, stretch on Friday, long runs on Saturday, and off on Sunday. I'll keep track of my weekly training plan on my sidebar for anyone that wants to train with me.

Virginia Beach Rock & Roll

I did it. I picked out the perfect half-marathon today, and it almost got me excited to begin my training next week. There's a rock and roll half-marathon Labor Day weekend in Virginia Beach. It's two hours away from home and right by the beach, who could ask for more. There's even bands playing everywhere on the course, and running is so much easier with music. I've got seventeen weeks (starting Sunday) to get my butt in gear. If anyone wants to join me in training, I'd love the company. I'm gonna work out my goals and training plan in the next few days and will post them this weekend.

Wish me luck. The last two times I tried to start training, I got injured in the first two weeks. This time I'm going to take it nice and slow. Seventeen weeks should about do it.

A New Start

I've been writing on my other blog for almost a year now, and I write almost daily. That is my happy and playful blog so I don't want to bog it down with my rants about exercise and eating better (you'll learn quickly that I don't like the word diet). That's what this blog is for. It's something to track my progress as I get back in shape.

Friends and family still say I look great, but I don't feel great. I actually don't even feel good. Almost exactly three years ago I ran my first half-marathon in Athens, OH. That same year, I ran my second half marathon in Death Valley, CA. Right before my wedding in 2006, I ran my third in Boise, ID.

Then I got married.

I think that since I've gotten married, I've maybe run 20 times and that may be pushing it. While in college, I was also playing volleyball three times a week and playing racquetball at least once. Those were also traded in for the wedding band. For some reason I am just not motivated. As another added bonus to marrying a husband who can eat like crazy and burn more calories in his sleep than I burn in an entire day- I started eating more.

Not working out+ Eating More= Not feeling very good about myself.

So I'm starting this blog to turn over a new leaf. I love writing in my current blog and think that maybe if I have this one, I'll do things (whether it's exercise or trying new healthy recipes) to give me something to write about.

I've found that I can't love and hate something at the same time. It works for some people but not for me- hate always wins. So my goal for this blog is to turn that hate into love- love of running, love of healthy food, and hopefully a greater love of myself.