Yea. I signed up for the race knowing that my son and I would be flying as stand-by passengers! We left at 1:30 a.m., drove 2 1/2 hours to the airport, checked our bags (because we were committed) and traveled crazy routes all over the country until we arrived at our destination! Ethan was SUCH a trooper. He only had two absolutely justified melt downs! I went for a 3 mile run in the new elevation and was surprised that I didn't have any trouble breathing. The climate was dry, though, so I wanted water way more than usual. Look how beautiful the trail was! They were best buds from the moment they met! Ethan loves his "auntie" Kelsey! It was so fun to hang out with my best friend from high school! Plus, we haven't seen each other in four years! We laughed the whole time we hung out, just as I thought! I met her husband and they are such a fun couple! We also loved that our husbands met & hope we can have some camping adventures with our families in the future! I was bruised, scratched, and limping, but WE MADE IT!!!! Three months of training paid off. I finished at 2 hours & 45 minutes & I'd like to think I would have shaved off fifteen minutes if the elevation difference wasn't so drastic :) Kelsey is a speed demon and finished at 2 hours & 7 minutes! I was unbelievably sore and limping all over the place, but so happy to accomplish my goal! I think my Grandpa's strawberry pie was justified after running 13.1 miles :)
0 Comments
Running at night can make snacking during the day kind of tricky. I snacked a little too lightly today, and when I left the house, I immediately turned around and came home because I felt a little dizzy. I ran upstairs and ate a peanut butter sandwich, with a little honey, and then waited about 35 minutes before starting my run. Of course, I should have waited longer, but it was getting late and I needed at least 8 miles. I can't believe that I enjoyed running 7.1 miles! I never thought that would be possible, because running just doesn't sound fun. The journey has definitely had its ups and downs, with great feelings of doubt, but it has been so worth it :) I'm excited to keep progressing! I am so happy that I reached 6.51 miles!! It's alllllllmost the halfway point to my half marathon... aka, almost 1/4 of a marathon (deep respect for people who run 26.2 miles). I was in enlightenment mode with the music, nature, and running. I see why runners love to run. I get it now. I can't wait to increase the miles and reach new goals :) Dan traveled last week, so Ethan and I teamed up for a run and other work outs. It was SO hot outside, I just couldn't fit in more than 1.78 miles. That wasn't the biggest motivator to sign up for a half marathon. This was, though: I ran five miles this morning and felt SO good!! Zero fatigue. Loved the run. Lots of sweat. I am officially signed up for the half marathon!! I'm committed and believe I can do it. Kelsey said that the farthest she ran before her first half marathon was 10 miles. If I increase my miles every week, I will be in the same scenario by June 27th. I can't wait to run with Kelsey!! I haven't seen my soul sister in about five years!! That's just crazy! This picture is really old, but I love it. We're the kind of best friends that pick up where we left off when we see each other, no matter how many years have passed. We also laugh our way through almost every situation. I can picture us laughing through 13.109375 miles!!!
I can't wait!! I have never been more busy in my entire life! Michael and I moved a few days after the toughest semester of my life started. I found out last semester that if I squeezed some things in, I could graduate in July. So I planned for an 18 credit semester with three 400 level classes and then three 300 level classes. Not sure that it was the brightest move. Our house is still not unpacked and the home work load is never finished! I've also been doing the Paleo diet! It hasn't been super convenient because we don't quite have a fully functioning kitchen yet, but it has been worth it. It's only been two weeks, but I've lost what I wanted to lose and I'm feeling healthier! The diet will end for me the day after I run the half. Perfect timing right? I'm thinking I'm going to need some cheesecake to celebrate meeting all of my goals! I've still been able to run. I only ran 3 times this week instead of four, but yesterday morning I was able to run almost nine miles! (The goal was eight, so I was quite pleased with that!) I think I will be ready for this half when it comes! Last time I trained for a half the furthest I ran in preparation was 10 miles. I'm just taking things one week at a time. We already have 3 weeks of school down, 11 more to go before graduation! I. Will. Survive!
--Kelsey The reason I am debating the 10k & half marathon is because of last week's change. My husband went out of town for 8 days, and he usually watches Ethan while I run. So, Ethan and I did a lot of working out together. Weight Lifting and Cardio InsideHe's got the leg lift down! Haha :) Back to the Jogging StrollerHe's Home!!All is right in the world. Daniel is home! He watched Ethan while I befriended the treadmill again. I was happy to reach a new goal of 4.5 miles :) I still have around 10 days to decide if I'm going to do the half or the 10k.
My biggest worries: the elevation change & not being able to run as much with the husband traveling. We'll see <3 A sweet friend of mine let me use a free one week pass to a gym. This was PERFECT because my husband was traveling that week. So, I was looking at free babysitters and a gym for a week. Oh, and this is not just any gym, it's like a mini water park & spa kind of gym. SO nice!
We tried the location closest to us & I was SO happy with the child care. They let me go behind the gate to help him adjust to a new place. I showed him some of the toys, and explained that I would be working out while he played. One of the employees was RIGHT there when I left to take care of Ethan. My son loved child care so much, he didn't want to leave :) I ran 4 miles on the treadmill that day, as is shown in my last post. I learned something, though. Running on a treadmill for 4+ miles is going to be detrimental to my feet & joints. Maybe that is why the time limit is an hour on that machine. I need more shock for my feet. I need to run outside or on a track. Getting a gym membership with a track isn't going to work out right now, as my husband and I are saving for other things. Also, a treadmill isn't going to work out with the miles I need. The conclusion: I can only run as far as I can push Ethan. So, I've changed my schedule to four mile runs for a couple of weeks, then five, then six. I will then reunite with my soul sister, Kelsey in June. She is cooler than me, so she will run a half marathon & I will run a 10k. I have also been worried about the elevation change. I will be going from about 160 feet to about 4500 feet for the race. If I push Ethan for six miles at the lower elevation, surely running by myself will make the elevation change seem a bit easier. Goodbye half marathon, we can't be friends yet. Hello, 10k. After getting over my ankle issues, I was only able to fit in two runs this week. We're looking at 3.5 & 4 miles for week four... I was supposed to run five miles today! Some things that threw me off: I used a different treadmill today and made the HUGE mistake of looking at the miles and time too early in my work out. I wasn't used to the machine, so I saw the miles by accident. I saw my progress at 1.3 miles! Bleh.
So, I finished a little under an hour at 4 miles. Also, this machine only lets you run for an hour. I just didn't know that a head of time, so it threw me off. I will try again for week five and see if I can keep the miles up. If not, I will have to stick to plan B. Part of me is thinking, "You should be training for a 10k, it's too soon for a half." The other part of me is saying, "You can totally do this, hang in there!" So, I don't know. Next week will be quite revealing, I think! We'll see if I can do the half or not! Ethan is known for being a wild, little monkey, but he is also so sweet :) A coupe of weeks ago, I rested my head on my hands because of a headache. Ethan walked up to me and said, "It's OK." My. Heart. Melted. I heard the same thing from him when I was holding a crying child in nursery last week. So many things are developing for him right now: physically, mentally, emotionally, and I can now add empathy to the list. It seems like discipline takes up 90% of the day, because he is shockingly good at destroying things around the house. Yesterday, though, this little boy let me cuddle with him for a good twenty minutes. We then read the book, "I love you, Little Monkey." Every time we came to the pictures of the monkeys hugging, Ethan gave me a hug. Just like that story, the big monkey is disciplining the little monkey most of the time, but also makes time to play with him and show love. I sure do love my little monkey & I am learning to be more patient for all of the naughty, little monkey stuff. Heel vs. ToeI did some research to find out if I should run on my heel or forefoot. I found out that most runners strike the heel, and it tends to effect the knees. Running towards the toes effects the ankles. This is why my ankle was injured! The last time I ran, I put pressure towards the front part of my foot, which wasn't normal for me and caused an injury.
I have been so worried that I wouldn't be able to run the half marathon in June. However, I went running last night and felt great!! I didn't feel any pain from my ankle. I ran 3.5 miles and wasn't fatigued at all! I ran on my heels the entire time and tried to keep a steady pace. I believe I will be able to do this half marathon!! I will do my best to avoid any more injuries! |