Another Early Morning

I was actually able to get up again at 5am to go running. I know it sounds crazy - because a lot of people told me they can't believe I'm getting up that early to run - but I really do enjoy it. If you are used to getting up at 5:45, 5am isn't really that much earlier. Plus, running in the afternoon heat sucks in pretty much every way imaginable. Not to mention, when I do my runs in the afternoon, I have most of the day to think about it and try and talk myself out of running. When I get up in the morning, I just go. The only negative I've found so far (other than losing a bit of sleep) is that I'm not always properly hydrated. I'm trying to drink lots of water before I sleep on nights before I run, but that mostly just leaves me getting up in the middle of the night to pee. I don't want to drink right before I run, because I don't do well with the sloshing feeling in my stomach. I'm hopeful over time that the hydration will level out simply because I’m consuming more water everyday. I did, however, do much better with after-run nutrition as I had a yogurt smoothie and Luna bar for breakfast and felt much better than I did on Tuesday after my early morning run. Both of those might become fixtures in my diet.

Anyway, onto the details of the run! Today started off week 5 of the C25K plan. Not too different than week 4, but I ran 5 minutes with three minute breaks. Although I still think I'm getting faster when running, I'm worried about phasing out my walking breaks. I rely on them pretty heavily, and I'm not sure how I'll fare straight running. I suppose we will see on Saturday though because that will be my next morning run in which I am running for 8 minutes straight. Fun times. So, today's time was actually a tad slow because I felt dehydrated and when I walked, I walked really slowly because my intestines hated me. I finished in 39:25, with an average mile still around 12:35. However, I am running a few miles at an under 10 minute pace, I just can't seem to string that together for three. But, since I've only been running for 2 weeks, I figure there is time. :)

I also did day one of the push up plan last night. I'm not sure if I am really doing the pushups right. I mean, it's one of those exercises that we all "know" how to do, but I feel most of us probably don't have proper form. I'm going to try and look for advice on how to really position my body because the small of my back was killing me yesterday, and that isn't supposed to happen. Anyway, I was able to complete day one with little problem and no real soreness today.

I think that is pretty much everything to report. Tomorrow is my day off so I’ll just do some pushups. This weekend will be busy between work and hanging out with friends as it is my last true weekend in Charm City. Where did the time go?

First Running Injury

As trivial as it may be, I do have my first real "running injury" with the huge abrasion/absence-of-skin on my right ankle/heel. It runs along my achilles tendon near my heel and is ridiculously painful. So, I've heard of this miracle moleskin that you can apply around the area (or over it if there is a Band-Aid covering the wound) that will prevent future rubbing injuries to the backs of my heels. Sound like an investment I’ll happily make today since I believe I am going to try the 5am running again tomorrow. Craziness, I know.

Also, today starts day 1 of my 100 push up plan. I’ll be sure to blog about that tomorrow – if my arms didn’t fall off before then anyway. For my day off of running today, I am also going to go down to the AVAM because it’s on my list of “Must do Baltimore-ness” before I leave. I’m really excited about the exhibit “All Faiths Beautiful” because I’ve heard nothing but gushes about it since it debuted. So, besides cranking out some pushups, today should be a pretty easy day. :)

Hello 5am...

I did it. I actually got up at 5am to go running. It was a tough battle - my head said stay in bed but without my permission my body got up and turned on the lights and tv. And, after that, you might as well go running, right?

My last jog on Sunday left me with a small blister on my right heel because my sock slipped below where my shoe hits the back of my leg. So, at 5am, I just threw a Band-Aid on my heel and went out the door (wearing the same socks that slipped the last time). About 1 minute into my run the Band-Aid fell off. Do I stop though? No! Go big or go home! After my next 5 minute run, I started to limp a bit. So, on the corner of Charles Street and University Street in front of Hopkins at 530 in the morning, I literally sat on the side walk and took off my shoe so I could pull my sock up as high as it would go. That seemed to suffice for the rest of the run. The reason I did that? Running felt great this morning! It was cool, quiet, and very peaceful. I might find myself turning on the lights at 5am more often. AND, I got my run under 39 minutes! My Nike+ doesn't reflect this because I forgot to stop the workout while I sat on the ground fixing my shoe, so the timer kept going for about the full minute I was down. So, I'm guessing my time was about 38:12ish or so. That should also drop my mile time below 12 minutes a mile. I was pretty proud of myself upon my return to the house :)

So, that concludes week 4 of the C25K program. Thursday, I'll start on W5D1. Also, I went ahead and found my baseline for pushups for the 100 pushups program. I could do 10, which means I could either go in the second or third tier for the workout program. However, since I'm sure a couple of those were weak, I think I'll stick with the second tier of the program. Thus, tomorrow is pushups day and Thursday is another run! I have my ankle taped up over my now very big, raw, and nasty blister on the back of my heel, so I might have to tape it to run too. We'll see...

Water, Water, Water

Anatomy and physiology has always been something that has interested me. I think our bodies are remarkable and I love learning about how everything works. Today, my body taught me a lesson - don't go running if you haven't drank water. This is something that was already pretty obvious to me, but I didn't think it would be too bad to run without drinking first. The story goes like this: Friday I exerted myself by playing softball and then going dancing until 3am. Saturday, I was exhausted and dehydrated because of the dancing and the bit of alcohol I had from the night before. So, Saturday I did nothing and ate next to nothing and drank next to nothing since I didn't feel well. However, this morning when I got up, I felt great! So, with nothing in my stomach and no water to speak of, I went out to run. Bad idea. I got through the first run/walk set ok, but during my second 5 minute run, my body literally stopped. In my head I thought I could keep going, but it was as if someone pulled the emergency break up and I literally jerked to a stop because my body just had enough. I felt sick, I had cramps, and I thought I was going to throw up. I had to walk a full 7ish minutes before I felt better. Even then, when I tried to start back running I could only last 3ish minutes or so. Surprisingly, I still ended up with a 5k time of 39:14 - only 14 seconds slower than my run a few days prior. I averaged about a 12:35 mile. I think this means that even though I walked a ton, when I ran I was starting to run faster. So, even though today's run was awful and I did not feel excited like I do after most runs (I literally fell on my porch and laid there for a good few minutes), I learned a valuable lesson and I didn't fall too far off of the horse.

So, the plan is tomorrow to take my day off and I think in the evening I'm going to see where I place on the 100 push ups plan so I can start that training on Wednesday evening. I figure I will probably go every other day with running and push ups, so my "weeks" of the C25K plan won't always start on Monday. Tuesday will be W4D3 and then Thursday I'll start week 5. All of the tasks still seem really daunting, but I know I can do it. It also helps to have really amazing friends like William who is doing a good job of holding me accountable :) It will be harder to quit knowing I have so many things planned and people excited about my progress. Next goal - to get the 5k under 39 minutes. Bring it on Tuesday!

Pondering Push-Ups

Yesterday was my day off from running, so instead I went to Target and bought some things for my own non-existent bathroom. The stuff was on clearance, what can I say? :) I should be able to put it to good use before too long.

I was hopeful to go running this morning; however, when I woke up at 5am it was pitch black outside. I also realized that I never told anyone I was planning to run in the morning. Thus, I figured the combination of the two probably wasn't safe. Next time, I'll try and let my housemate know in advance so someone knows where I am. I have a softball game this afternoon, so I'm going to assume that I'll probably run tomorrow. Actually, I'm not assuming, I AM running tomorrow. I have an itch to try and beat my last 5k time.

I am also pondering doing another program simply called one hundred pushups. In 6 weeks I should be able to do 100 pushups in a row, which seems crazy to me, but hey, so does running 6 miles straight, right? I need to do the initial test, and then perhaps next week I'll start incorporating it into my workout schedule on my off running days. Fun times indeed.

First Day of Training Completed!

Surprisingly, the weather held out a few hours for me to actually go running yesterday. I decided that my game plan for training is to follow the last 5 weeks of the C25K program which will bring me right to the end of August. Then, I have exactly 6 weeks to tact on another 3 miles to my running regime. This won't make me the fastest runner out there, but I figure the gradual progression will actually make me stick with the running. I will be running a 10k by this time this is all done :)

Want to know a secret? I actually enjoyed my run yesterday. I am contributing most of this joy to my newfound love: the Nike+. I love how it counts down the last meters you have to run to finish your goal (a 5k for yesterday). Having not worked out in a long time, I was able to complete a 5k in 39 minutes. Not too shabby says I. :) My average mile took me 12:33 and I supposedly burned 367 calories. That time also included my five minute warm-up, and an additional 10 minutes of walking in there. My ultimate goal is to run the 5k around 27 minutes. I know most fit females run the 5k in under 25, but I think since I'm not built to be a runner, 27 minutes would be just fine. However, I figure if I can at least get to 30 minute 5ks before I start training for the 10k that would work pretty well too. Yesterday's run was W4D1 of the C25K, so on Friday I'll do day two. Unfortunately, I think I am going to have to get up early in the morning to run because I have a softball game that afternoon, and I'm going dancing in the evening with friends. 5am here I come!

Curse the Migraines!

Well, my plans for running yesterday came to a screeching halt after a migraine claimed most of my afternoon. I hate migraines. I honestly considered becoming a neurologist just so I could try and find a cure for them. They always hit at the most inappropriate times and are entirely debilitating. Alas, I am hopeful to go running today, but it is supposed to pour. Not just rain, but downpour. I don’t think it is safe to run in a lightening storm, so the running might be out today too. *sighs* I really want to run, I really do. I just wish my body and weather would cooperate with me. I think building a routine will be easy if I could just get started! We’ll try today and if not then Thursday. I promise one of these days I’ll blog about my running time and not about the weather…

New Beginnings?

I have this bad habit of starting blogs and losing interest after about a month. The funny thing is, most of my exercise plans end up the same way. However, life is starting to intervene in new ways such as being a bridesmaid for my brother and friend, as well as prompting a move back to NC, which inevitably means that I’m leaving behind friends (not to mention my friends that have already moved on themselves to places like CA, MN, WA, and PA). Throw in a commitment to run 6-7.3 miles as part of a Baltimore marathon relay team, and you get my current drive to start something new.

In the wise words of an old monkey, "Oh yes, the past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it, or... learn from it." (Yes, I can relate everything back to the Lion King. It’s a rare gift). So, even though in the past I've typically failed to continue exercising or keeping up with friends afar, I’m going to run from that past... by literally running (and blogging!). Thus, this blog is two-fold: a way to keep up with friends and a way to document my running in hopes of keeping myself accountable (in case committing to run 7ish miles in October isn’t keeping me accountable enough). We'll see how this goes. Hakuna Matata, right? :)