New training program!

I got a personal training session when I signed up for 24hr fitness and it was awesome!  She really took the time to sit with me and discuss my goals and how to get there from where I'm at.  She also gave me a new Tabata running routine to help me get ready for the 10k faster.  It's a sprinting regimen, rather than distance and she said it will significantly help my cardio lung capacity and get me ready that way.  I'm excited!  I'm still sticking with the 0 to 10k though, and hopefully, with the Tabata and the program, I'll be ready to go!  I'm also really hoping that all the new stretches and exercises will help with my back pain.

Here's to getting motivated again!!  Huzzah!

Light on the horizon

I joined 24 hr fitness today!  Hooray!  For today and tomorrow - it's $29.99 a month and they wave the initiation fees at sign up.  You still have to pay 1st and last month, so it was $56 today, as opposed to the $115 - $200 it would normally be!  Hooray!  And as I was signing up, we got on the topic of my back and they think it's just my scapula muscles are out of whack so they showed me some stretched to try to get everything back to normal.  I haven't tried them yet, but I will before my fitness orientation workout tonight and I am really hopeful this will help!  I'm not expecting a turn around in one day, but hopefully by December for certain!

Week 5, Day 1

So, I did Week 5 Day 1 on Sunday on my parent's treadmill.  I was super hopeful that my back wouldn't hurt due to the extreme bouncy nature of this treadmill (it's like you have springs in your shoes!  It's awesome) but alas, I still had the back pain.  I was able to finish the whole program - but I am seriously concerned at this point.  So, I'm going to back off the running a bit I think - just 3 days a week, including weekends, and work the heck out of my back and my core.  I looked up the back issue thing on runner blogs and they mentioned muscle fatigue as a possible source and it def sounds like a possibility.  I went to the running store and had my gait analyzed and I'm actually wearing the right kind of shoes - go figure!  So it's got to be the muscle thing. I hope it's the muscle thing and that I can fix it, otherwise this 10k is going to hurt way more than I thought...

Random Awesomeness!

Ok, so, this weekend was not a total bust due to the complete awesomeness of Saturday night.  I know you guys aren't necessarily big football fans, but, Notre Dame is currently number 1 in the BCS standings!  All that's between us and the championship is the USC game this weekend...

Also, did one of the workouts I pinned on pinterest after my disastrous run yesterday and omgeezy am I sore!  The Victoria's Secret workout - it's really all legs, but I'm feeling it!

Well that could've gone better

So, today I was back outside for Week 4, Day 3....  guess who's back started hurting again and thus couldn't finish.  I am so disheartened.  So, I'm going to stick to the treadmill where I can run without injury and then on weekends, Carey said he would drive with me to a gravel trail so I can run outside and still train on the elevation changes without killing my back.  I also think I'm going to go to a professional running store to get fitted for new shoes.  I know the shoes I have are good - but I'm thinking they just don't fit the way they need to.

Carey said he'd help me with more of the cooking and stuff so I can do more strength training on my off running days.  I'm also trying to get Drew to add me as a family member so I don't have to pay the extra dues at sign up and such.  After last night's 4:30am phone call - I think that's the least he could do!  Yeah, a drunk call at 4:30 asking me for a ride.  He had his bike and he was at Alameda and Broadway.  I told him it would take me about 45 minutes to get to him, by which time he could make it home on his own.  I asked if he had a flat or anything on his bike and he said no - he had a headache and it was cold out so he didn't feel like riding his bike.  I was thiiiiis close to hanging up on him!  He calls me, the furthest one away, because he doesn't feel like riding his bike home in the cold?!  He's so lucky I love him....  Needless to say, I did not go get him, but I was tempted to call Dad and send him out to get him.  I decided to let him suffer his way home though.  You'll neve learn if there's always someone there to bail you out and I really didn't feel like being that night's push over.  Sorry buddy, time to figure out how to call a cab!

Week 4, Day 2

Done!  Today was pretty rough... I had to try to overcome my grumpiness and that was a huge hurdle in and of itself.  Trying to run through that and run through my foot/ankle/calf tightness and the growing cramp in my side was really really difficult - but I did it!  I'm nervous about the 10k, but whatever I'm at that day, I'm doing it.  I paid for the damn thing so I'm doing it!  It just may hurt me a bit...

I'm still grumpy, the lower half of my body is still tight, but I feel just a bit better about myself because I ran.  I'm still fat, but damn it, I am going to do something about it!  Crying doesn't shed the pounds - wouldn't it be great if it did though?  Maybe not crying - but I think laughing and doing what you do should definitely have a more significant calorie contribution!

A very sad day...

Ok, so this is not my workout blog for the day, but I just weighed myself at work for Hold the Holidays program (we get points if we don't gain weight between now and Jan 11) and I have gained 7lbs!!!  I am almost 170lbs girls and I'm not gonna lie - I almost cried when that 167 showed up on the scale.  So, all this running, and nothing has been happening...  Argh!  I'm getting my 24hr fitness membership today and serious changes are going to have to happen.  This is not ok.  I know the number doesn't technically matter - but for me, that number definitely does!  We're getting serious now - I do not want to be the fat one and I have decided I won't be anymore!

So, i found out just how fat I am, plus my nemesis has returned to work.  She was working from home because she was living in Pueblo for a while.  They've moved back up here, so now she's back in the office.  This is too much bad news for one day....

Ta Da!

Week 4, Day 1 - conquered!  I felt pretty darn good today!  I kept at a steady 4.5 while running, 3.5 when walking - only at level 1 incline, but I felt pretty good about myself when I was done.  I had some muscle issues earlier on, but by the end I really wasn't ready to be done.  So when it said cool down, I boosted my speed up to 5 and kept going for another song.  Then I realized I really did need to cool down and get on the road before traffic got horrendous.  Stupid traffic.  I'm looking forward to this weekend when I can run however long I want to!  I never ever ever thought those words would be coming from me.

Girls, I would just like to take a minute to step back and take a look at what we're doing.  I already know I'm not going to be running the entire 10k, I just took much time off, but I do know I'm going to be running at least half to 2/3 of it and I am so proud of myself!  We've all made such awesome progress.  We decided we were going to something, and we're actually doing it!  We went from fairly inactive people to wanting to run or do yoga/pilates.  Once we're all together again - I think we definitely deserve a pizza and some beer :)  Especially since we know we'll work it off the next day!

Rewind back to Friday :)

So I failed at posting Friday night, but I did in fact run.  Week 3, Day 3, accomplished!  I skipped my breaks at work so I could "leave" at 4 and go running.  I did the first half outside, and then, oh man oh man, did I have to pee!  Luckily, the first half took my in a circle and I was right back by the gym at work.  So there was a quick unscheduled break, and then I wrapped things up on the treadmill.

I haven't run on a treadmill for a long time and oh man, in some ways, it was so much easier, and in some ways, so much harder!  For example, if I run like a drunken duck while running outside, no one cares.  It doesn't matter I can't stick to a straight line to save my life.  When running on a treadmill, this wobbly tendency poses a problem.  There were times I had to put my hands on the rail to keep myself from completely biffing it.  I was willing to deal with this though, because the run itself just felt so much easier!

Outside, it was nice because the scenery changed and I had distance goals and such.  The wind was going though and it kind of sucked the breath right out of my body.  That part was not so cool.  So, I'm going to let myself do some treadmill runs, but I'm going to try to do at least one or 2 outdoor runs each week.

PS - I went shopping!  Outdoor runs will be much easier once my cold weather running gear arrives :)  Hooray!

Recovery

So last night was supposed to be weights, but my back was still super sore, so I decided to giv emy body an extra day to heal.  I have no interest in hurting like that again!  I'm all about being sore - that makes me feel good in a masochistic kind of way, but sharp stabby pains - no way!

So tonight will be Week 3, Day 3 and I'm going to have to do it inside on a treadmill at work.  I really don't like doing it that way, but beggars can't be choosers and I can't afford my 24 hour fitness membership until my extra paycheck at the end of November.  I may decide to brave it and run outside, regardless of who may see me, but we'll see how brave I'm feeling when we get to that point :)

Not so hot...

So, yesterday was just no bueno.  I was in this horrid funk and I just wanted to sit in a bubble bath and watch a sad movie for cathartic tears, and then on the other hand, I wanted to run, but it was dark already so I couldn't.  So I'm complaining to C, and he says, "That's it - get your stuff on.  We're going!"  So C goes with me on my run last night.  Both good and bad.  Good, because I pushed myself harder than I would have on my own and I had a pretty quick pace during my run segments.  Bad, because I pushed myself harder than I normally would have and hurt myself. 

So, someone at work told me that, when running long distances, you want most of your weight to fall on the middle part of your foot, rather than running on the ball of your foot like I'd been doing.  So, last night, I tried the new running style.  BAD idea!  While I was running I felt really good.  We ran a full 5k last night, obviously with walking thrown in, but somewhere about half way through, my middle back, right below my shoulder blades started to twinge every time I started running.  By the time we got home, all I could do was collapse on the floor and cry.  I freaked the hell out of C beacuse as soon as we walked in the door, I started sobbing.  So I had to lay there for 30 minutes while he massaged my back, trying to get me back in shape before I could hit the shower.  It was no bueno.  I'm def going back to running on the balls of my feet again.  That's still going to be difficult though, because last night restarted both of my blister spots something fierce (I get a blister on each foot, right behind the ball of the foot at the very front of the instep). 

Today is going to have to be weights, because I think my poor body needs a break!

Nada Nada Enchilada... :(

So, after breaking in to Week 3 on Monday, I have since failed to do anything else productive.  I didn't run Tuesday to ward off the dreaded shin splints, which apparently the only thing I can do to avoid them is stop running - not an option - or find some gravel or grass to run on.  Problem!  I'm hoping just running every other day will do it...  We'll have to see.  Anywho, didn't run Wednesday either since it was Halloween and I was in zombie makeup and I didn't feel like it.  I was planning on running Thursday during the day before my flight, but the best laid plans of mice and men aft gan aglay.  Another plan that went astray - running while back in the Bend.  Took all my gear, even had the opportunity, but instead chose to watch C's older brother work out, rather than doing it myself.  3 deer were along the back of the property and had the same idea.  I think they were watching him run stairs and hop the retaining wall for at least 5 minutes!  Then, I was going to run today since our flight got in mid-afternoon and I'd have plenty of time.  Things just did not work out that way.  C is sick - caught a cold or something in the Bend - and trying to get out of the airport was a trip.  C & one of his brothers got stuck in an elevator and I was left with 5 bags and a crazy 4, almost 5 year old who still acts like she's 3.  She also decided that she had to pee while it was still just the two of us.  Girls, I have to tell you, it was a sight!  I'm rolling/pushing/pulling 5 large rollie bags with this obnoxious little whiny child dancing alongside going "Peeeeeeeeeeee!" and me reassuring her by chanting, "You can do it!  you can make!  Just hold it!" over and over and over.  Did I mention I like this niece least?  She would be the same one that pooped on the floor when C and I first started dating...

So, long story short - I was a lazy bum.  I didn't even do the 4 minute power workout from Pinterest.  Grade for this week - solid F.  Sad day.

On a better note - we woooooooooon!  We are 9-0 baby!  Can we say luck?  Yeah, that's all we had on Saturday....