Monday, March 29, 2010
4 Mile Run!
So, I ran 4 miles today! Ran... like actually ran the WHOLE thing, I cant believe how much I have improved over the last few months! I started the day out with another quiet time where I just read my Bible and spent some time with the Lord and I know that just allowing myself that time each morning is giving so much strength and determination to make it through my runs, and also the patience to keep going even when I really want to be done! So, I got up and went running, I kept myself focused on just putting one foot in front of the other, listening to my Ipod (Newsboys) and trying to be patient with my pace, I didnt want to push too hard and end up not finishing the whole 4 miles! So I just kept going, and with each .5 mile loop down I would get more encouraged that I could finish it and reach this next goal! Anyway I just wanted to share my excitement about running the longest distance I had ever gone and in a pretty good pace! I am officially now at the point of being able to run 2/3 of a 10K, wow! With every run I do the more I feel that I can be runner and I can accomplish each of my goals in turn! I am so pumped!!!!!
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Running Running Running
Coming home after the 5K with the girls, I was so excited about the accomplishment that I started looking for my next race. The girls were planning a 10K back in NV or CA for the end of April or end of May, so I started looking for one near me, so that I could run it at the same time, even though I couldn't run it with them! I was really excited to find one in Pensacola, FL, which is one of Traver and my favorite get away spots when we need to get out of Meridian, on May 1st. Traver and I are planning to run it together and we have a good group of friends from here that are going to do it too! I'm also really excited that a good friend of mine, Vanessa, and I are going to do another 5K on April 17th, and I'm hoping to run it in even better time than the last one! So those are my race plans for the near future, and Ill be posting updates as they get closer, but I am pumped about both of them, although the 10K is still pretty intimidating!
So in preparation for these races I have be running running running! When I first got back I tried to run on a treadmill at the gym and that was a complete disaster, I apparently CANNOT run on a treadmill, I didn't make it .5 mile before my legs started stressing and fatiguing and stuff... so that was an interesting lesson to learn. The rest of the week I was having a really time running distances over a mile for whatever reason, and only made it through my next couple runs with some walking included, which was frustrating knowing that I could run a straight 3 miles. But I finished out that week with a continuous, albeit slower 3 mile run which made me feel a lot better and let me know that I can do this!
The last two weeks have been really good in terms of running, and on my shorter (2 mile) runs I have been making time improvements that have really really exciting! I actually ran 3.5 miles on Tuesday, which was the longest I had ever run continuously and it actually didn't hurt too bad, which was good! But yesterday was by far the best running day I have had yet. I got up early (at least by my standards) and had quiet time with God. I hadn't had a really good quiet time in quite a while and as I spent 30-40 minutes digging into Romans 1 I started to feel really good, really really good! I just had so much excitement over what I was reading and was so pumped up for my run. So I got up, I went out to run my 2 miler, and it was great. I turned on my Ipod to a Christian band I hadn't listened to in a while and started out just thinking about my morning with God and trudged through my run and finished in 20:37, that is 10:18 per mile! I haven't ever been able to run that fast and it was the best feeling I had had in a long time! It was awesome, I was pumped and elated! I'm sore today, but at least I know I accomplished something great yesterday that it makes the soreness so worth while! Now to get through another weeks worth of workouts! WOO!
So in preparation for these races I have be running running running! When I first got back I tried to run on a treadmill at the gym and that was a complete disaster, I apparently CANNOT run on a treadmill, I didn't make it .5 mile before my legs started stressing and fatiguing and stuff... so that was an interesting lesson to learn. The rest of the week I was having a really time running distances over a mile for whatever reason, and only made it through my next couple runs with some walking included, which was frustrating knowing that I could run a straight 3 miles. But I finished out that week with a continuous, albeit slower 3 mile run which made me feel a lot better and let me know that I can do this!
The last two weeks have been really good in terms of running, and on my shorter (2 mile) runs I have been making time improvements that have really really exciting! I actually ran 3.5 miles on Tuesday, which was the longest I had ever run continuously and it actually didn't hurt too bad, which was good! But yesterday was by far the best running day I have had yet. I got up early (at least by my standards) and had quiet time with God. I hadn't had a really good quiet time in quite a while and as I spent 30-40 minutes digging into Romans 1 I started to feel really good, really really good! I just had so much excitement over what I was reading and was so pumped up for my run. So I got up, I went out to run my 2 miler, and it was great. I turned on my Ipod to a Christian band I hadn't listened to in a while and started out just thinking about my morning with God and trudged through my run and finished in 20:37, that is 10:18 per mile! I haven't ever been able to run that fast and it was the best feeling I had had in a long time! It was awesome, I was pumped and elated! I'm sore today, but at least I know I accomplished something great yesterday that it makes the soreness so worth while! Now to get through another weeks worth of workouts! WOO!
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Run for Ryan House 5K
I went home to Nevada on February 22nd to spend time with my mom for her birthday! Im a very lucky girl in terms of the fact that I have an awesome mom, she is my best friend and we get along really well. So, she and I had to prepare for this 5K that was, at that point ,less than two weeks away! So we went for a easy run around her neighborhood, just two miles, but at altitude I wasnt used to and with hills I hadnt run on, it was harder than I expected, but I made it work! It was fun just to have some one to run with and talk with. We did another short 1 miler a few days later just to keep up our cardio and give us a little bit of a workout for the day and we knew we were doing 3 miles the next day with Renee and PJ so we didnt want to exhaust ourselves. Now, I had never run three miles, I had done two miles at home in Mississippi, but never 3 so I was a little nervous. Renee and PJ showed up for our long run and we set out. Renee, PJ, and I run at a little faster pace than my mom and she told us to go on ahead and we started running, it was nice having them to talk to, keep my mind off the strain in my legs and the difficulty breathing. It was going pretty well, it was hard but they weren't stopping so I surely wasn't going to, so we pressed on, around the 2 mile mark we hit this hill, it was ridiculous, it was on a side street I had added to the course in order to make it into a 3 mile course, and it was painful! The whole street was uphill, something we had not expected, but we carried on until we got back to our house, the three of us had finished in 33:48, close to 11 minute miles again! YAY! I was thrilled, I ran 3 mile, without stopping, at a good pace no less! My mom came in a bit behind us with her best min/mile pace as well! It was a great day for all of us!
My trip home wasn't all about running, my mom and I spent a lot of time shopping, going out into town, watching Gilmore Girls (its our favorite show) and just spending time together. I got see my best friends from home Kirsten and Christina as well, which was great because I miss them so much when I'm not there, so it ended up being a great trip all around! I even go to see my brother and his new fiancee, Mary, who I love! Oh, did I mention that in all that shopping my mom and I did that our goal was to find cute running outfits, I mean seriously who wants to run their first race in ragged old workout clothes, we didn't, so we started searching! We actually found some great deals at a new Outlet mall in Reno that had a Nike and Addidas store, so we were now ready for the run, decked out in super cute attire!
Renee, Mom, and I drove to Arizona Thursday before the race, it was a LONG drive, but it was really fun, just talking and hanging out. We even drove through Vegas, where Renee's mom lives, and had lunch with her, so that was fun. We drove across the Hoover Dam, which I had never seen before and then on to Prescott Arizona to see Amy! PJ and Katie were flying in Friday night because Katie had school and PJ had a family obligation. So Friday morning, Mom, Renee, Amy, and I got up and walked to the place the race was going to be the next day to pick up our shirts/packets... and check out the health booths that were set up. We got our body fat tested, which wasn't actually very fun, haha, but we had a good time none the less, and then we walked back to the house to get the car so we could go to lunch. I spent most of the rest of the day laying by Amy's pool which was awesome and the weather was SO nice! We picked up Katie and PJ that night, went to dinner, and then we went home to crash because we knew we had to get up at 6 to get to the race.
6am came very early the next morning but we were all pretty excited about the race! All 6 of us squished into Amy's car, which only sits 5 and drove to the race. We got there, put our numbers on, went to the bathroom one last time, and we were off. We had chip timers on our shoes that had been given to us so that they could track our exact time of start and finish. We set out a good pace, Renee and Katie out ahead a little, Amy and PJ near me and Mom a bit behind us. As we continued to run, we realized the majority of the first half was uphill, eek! My legs were not happy but I was not going to stop for anything, so I kept trucking along, falling behind Amy and PJ, but going at my best pace. I stopped at the water station, took two swigs to get my mouth and throat wet and threw the cup aside and continued on. Once we turned around at the far end of the course to start heading back it was easier, because it was mostly downhill. We continued to race along, watching the woman with the stroller, the girl in the running skirt that was much to small and just trying not to focus too much on the pain in my legs. I got to the bridge where we started and knew I only had to get to the finish line, so I started to sprint, and crossed the finish line in 33:05, my best time yet! I was so excited and exhausted at the same time, as soon as I came across the girls were waiting for me with a bottle of water and a banana! Katie had finished first, followed by Renee, PJ, and Amy! I went and grabbed one for mom and we all waited for her to come across the finish line to join the group! We were runners now, we had all ran and finished our first official race! It was an amazing feeling! It was a huge accomplishment and I felt like I had done something great!
After walking around for a little while, watching others cross the finish, and watching the first of the half-marathoners come across the finish (they were really fast) we went back to the car to celebrate with Champagne! Renee had made each of us a champagne glass with 5K painted on it and our name, we filled up (some of us with mimosa's and others with just champagne) and we toasted to our accomplishment! It was a great great day! It was funny to watch all the passer's by who watched us standing around the car drinking champagne, they thought were were crazy, or maybe wished they had to thought to do it. Once the champagne was finished we walked to starbucks for our morning fix of coffee and then headed back to the house to relax and lay in the sun, truly the best day ever! It was so relaxing and it felt so great to know we had accomplished the first goal in that we set for ourselves with our new running regimen! We had dinner that night on the patio, swapping stories, and talking about the race, and just enjoying each others company. We planned to go to bed early that night, but we didn't want to miss out on time together, and ended up going to bed a bit later than we anticipated. The other girls were all driving home to Nevada the next morning, and Amy was taking me to the airport so I could fly home to Mississippi to see my husband after two weeks away. All in all the trip was AWESOME! And I cant imagine a better group of amazing girls to be doing this with! They all rocked the 5K and I cant wait to run the half marathon with them in the fall!
My Race Stats (#262)
-33:05
-10:39 min/mi
-Overall Rank: 312/529 finishers (there were a lot more people who did it and didn't finish)
-Female Rank: 152/319
-Division Rank (age 20-24): 12/21
Also Run for Ryan House was the charity that we ran for, its a great cause, and Ryan (who the charity is named for) was even in the race, in his wheelchair, it was truly inspirational! If you are interested in checking it out, here is the link http://ryanhouse.org/
My trip home wasn't all about running, my mom and I spent a lot of time shopping, going out into town, watching Gilmore Girls (its our favorite show) and just spending time together. I got see my best friends from home Kirsten and Christina as well, which was great because I miss them so much when I'm not there, so it ended up being a great trip all around! I even go to see my brother and his new fiancee, Mary, who I love! Oh, did I mention that in all that shopping my mom and I did that our goal was to find cute running outfits, I mean seriously who wants to run their first race in ragged old workout clothes, we didn't, so we started searching! We actually found some great deals at a new Outlet mall in Reno that had a Nike and Addidas store, so we were now ready for the run, decked out in super cute attire!
Renee, Mom, and I drove to Arizona Thursday before the race, it was a LONG drive, but it was really fun, just talking and hanging out. We even drove through Vegas, where Renee's mom lives, and had lunch with her, so that was fun. We drove across the Hoover Dam, which I had never seen before and then on to Prescott Arizona to see Amy! PJ and Katie were flying in Friday night because Katie had school and PJ had a family obligation. So Friday morning, Mom, Renee, Amy, and I got up and walked to the place the race was going to be the next day to pick up our shirts/packets... and check out the health booths that were set up. We got our body fat tested, which wasn't actually very fun, haha, but we had a good time none the less, and then we walked back to the house to get the car so we could go to lunch. I spent most of the rest of the day laying by Amy's pool which was awesome and the weather was SO nice! We picked up Katie and PJ that night, went to dinner, and then we went home to crash because we knew we had to get up at 6 to get to the race.
6am came very early the next morning but we were all pretty excited about the race! All 6 of us squished into Amy's car, which only sits 5 and drove to the race. We got there, put our numbers on, went to the bathroom one last time, and we were off. We had chip timers on our shoes that had been given to us so that they could track our exact time of start and finish. We set out a good pace, Renee and Katie out ahead a little, Amy and PJ near me and Mom a bit behind us. As we continued to run, we realized the majority of the first half was uphill, eek! My legs were not happy but I was not going to stop for anything, so I kept trucking along, falling behind Amy and PJ, but going at my best pace. I stopped at the water station, took two swigs to get my mouth and throat wet and threw the cup aside and continued on. Once we turned around at the far end of the course to start heading back it was easier, because it was mostly downhill. We continued to race along, watching the woman with the stroller, the girl in the running skirt that was much to small and just trying not to focus too much on the pain in my legs. I got to the bridge where we started and knew I only had to get to the finish line, so I started to sprint, and crossed the finish line in 33:05, my best time yet! I was so excited and exhausted at the same time, as soon as I came across the girls were waiting for me with a bottle of water and a banana! Katie had finished first, followed by Renee, PJ, and Amy! I went and grabbed one for mom and we all waited for her to come across the finish line to join the group! We were runners now, we had all ran and finished our first official race! It was an amazing feeling! It was a huge accomplishment and I felt like I had done something great!
After walking around for a little while, watching others cross the finish, and watching the first of the half-marathoners come across the finish (they were really fast) we went back to the car to celebrate with Champagne! Renee had made each of us a champagne glass with 5K painted on it and our name, we filled up (some of us with mimosa's and others with just champagne) and we toasted to our accomplishment! It was a great great day! It was funny to watch all the passer's by who watched us standing around the car drinking champagne, they thought were were crazy, or maybe wished they had to thought to do it. Once the champagne was finished we walked to starbucks for our morning fix of coffee and then headed back to the house to relax and lay in the sun, truly the best day ever! It was so relaxing and it felt so great to know we had accomplished the first goal in that we set for ourselves with our new running regimen! We had dinner that night on the patio, swapping stories, and talking about the race, and just enjoying each others company. We planned to go to bed early that night, but we didn't want to miss out on time together, and ended up going to bed a bit later than we anticipated. The other girls were all driving home to Nevada the next morning, and Amy was taking me to the airport so I could fly home to Mississippi to see my husband after two weeks away. All in all the trip was AWESOME! And I cant imagine a better group of amazing girls to be doing this with! They all rocked the 5K and I cant wait to run the half marathon with them in the fall!
My Race Stats (#262)
-33:05
-10:39 min/mi
-Overall Rank: 312/529 finishers (there were a lot more people who did it and didn't finish)
-Female Rank: 152/319
-Division Rank (age 20-24): 12/21
Also Run for Ryan House was the charity that we ran for, its a great cause, and Ryan (who the charity is named for) was even in the race, in his wheelchair, it was truly inspirational! If you are interested in checking it out, here is the link http://ryanhouse.org/
Run the Race with Patience
As you may or may not know, I recently started running. My mom, Leslie, and several of her best girl friends from home (Amy, Renee, and PJ) decided to start running in order to be able to complete a half marathon in the fall and they wanted to get the daughters into it too, Katie and I were the only ones who took the bait (good or bad idea, i wasn't sure yet). It was a huge step for all of us, since none of ran before this, at least not on any regular schedule. And I for one HATED to run! It was my least favorite type of exercise, I would rather do just about anything else if I could avoid running. My husband, who is in the military, is a great runner, at least by my standards, he leaves me in the dust, and he was always trying to get me to run with him and just wouldn't do it. I had run with him a few times, but I didn't have the endurance he did and I never felt like I could match up, so I gave up.
Well, when we all (the girls) committed to running a half marathon by the fall of 2010, I had to get my butt in gear. So, I went out and bought brand new running shoes and hit the pavement. The first several times I ran around our neighborhood, I would struggle to go even a quarter of a mile before having to stop and walk. But slowly I started to make progress. And for those of you that know me, I am not a patient person, its just not a virtue I have, so learning to run was hard sometimes because I wanted to be able to run right away... well it doesn't work like that, it takes time and patience and dedication, its been an interesting lesson for me to learn. Anyway, I really don't like running in our neighborhood because there aren't any sidewalks and I like to listen to music when I run and I was so afraid of getting taken out by a car, so I was ecstatic when I found a park with .5 mile loop around their baseball fields. Its perfect, I can be outside and not have to worry about dying at every turn!
In January, I was planning a trip home for my mom's 50th birthday in February. My dad was away for work and wanted to do something special for her, so he was going to fly me home to spend two weeks with her! So we, the girls that is, decided that while I was home we would all go to Amy's in Arizona for a 5K, our first race, to get us acclimated to running in a race setting. So I started training hard, I could barely run a single mile by that point and had to able to run a 5K by March 6th, YIKES! So I took the advice of some running friends and went to HalHigdon.com to check out his race training schedules. I pulled up his novice 5K schedule, printed it out and started up! I started going to the park on whatever days I was told to and running/walking whatever distance was scheduled for that day. It was really hard at first, but I just kept pushing and started to make progress! On Feburary 16th, I had a breakthrough, I ran 2 miles continuously without stopping! It was the longest continuous distance I had ever ran and my previous record, at least since high school, was .6 miles! I was elated! They werent really fast miles (12.5 min/mi), but I finished them without walking! SUCCESS! I knew that with a more practice I could absolutely run the 5K without stopping! The next run I did was another 2 miles around the park and I finished it in 22:13, almost 11 minute miles, I was even more excited, I knocked nearly a minute and half off per mile, I began to realize I CAN DO THIS! I can be a runner!
Well, when we all (the girls) committed to running a half marathon by the fall of 2010, I had to get my butt in gear. So, I went out and bought brand new running shoes and hit the pavement. The first several times I ran around our neighborhood, I would struggle to go even a quarter of a mile before having to stop and walk. But slowly I started to make progress. And for those of you that know me, I am not a patient person, its just not a virtue I have, so learning to run was hard sometimes because I wanted to be able to run right away... well it doesn't work like that, it takes time and patience and dedication, its been an interesting lesson for me to learn. Anyway, I really don't like running in our neighborhood because there aren't any sidewalks and I like to listen to music when I run and I was so afraid of getting taken out by a car, so I was ecstatic when I found a park with .5 mile loop around their baseball fields. Its perfect, I can be outside and not have to worry about dying at every turn!
In January, I was planning a trip home for my mom's 50th birthday in February. My dad was away for work and wanted to do something special for her, so he was going to fly me home to spend two weeks with her! So we, the girls that is, decided that while I was home we would all go to Amy's in Arizona for a 5K, our first race, to get us acclimated to running in a race setting. So I started training hard, I could barely run a single mile by that point and had to able to run a 5K by March 6th, YIKES! So I took the advice of some running friends and went to HalHigdon.com to check out his race training schedules. I pulled up his novice 5K schedule, printed it out and started up! I started going to the park on whatever days I was told to and running/walking whatever distance was scheduled for that day. It was really hard at first, but I just kept pushing and started to make progress! On Feburary 16th, I had a breakthrough, I ran 2 miles continuously without stopping! It was the longest continuous distance I had ever ran and my previous record, at least since high school, was .6 miles! I was elated! They werent really fast miles (12.5 min/mi), but I finished them without walking! SUCCESS! I knew that with a more practice I could absolutely run the 5K without stopping! The next run I did was another 2 miles around the park and I finished it in 22:13, almost 11 minute miles, I was even more excited, I knocked nearly a minute and half off per mile, I began to realize I CAN DO THIS! I can be a runner!
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