Challenging Myself

My running is off.
I'm slacking.

I know. You're probably thinking I'm just making excuses, but honestly, I have not run since I finished the Illinois half-marathon at the end of April. Which means, no, I never started training for my Olympic distance tri either.

I'm burnt out.

Lately my training/working out hasn't been much of a stress releaser for me, but instead it's become a stresser. I'm feeling it physically, and if I push my body much more I'm afraid I'll end up injured.

So I have officially decided to take the summer off of training and to just exercise for fun.
Evening bike rides. Weekend swims. Hiking adventures and yoga. Lots and lots of yoga.

To impliment that and keep myself accountable, I'll be starting a 30 day challenge in July. Techinically it will be 31 days because I want to go for the whole month, but I'm rounding so when I make it all 31 days I can be proud of myself.  I've tried challenging myself to something like this before, but I've never followed through. So, if I blog about it, I figure I'll have more accountability.

I'll mostly be posting on my other blog, Enduring, and once I get it set up, I'll link there. 
But since I'm using yoga to help my running, be sure to look for stories here.

13.1 miles later...

Well friends, I cannot move a muscle today.
Ok... so I'm walking much better today than the past three days anyway. I can actually bend down and not feel like my IT bands are steel beams down the side of my legs.
Most would consider this a bad thing. A foolish thing. Especially when they find out I paid $50some dollars to run 13.1 miles last Saturday. Which is actually what I heard one spectator shouting to us during mile twelve. He said, "Remember, you paid to run this. You actually paid money to run today." Let me tell you, that was when I was about at the wall physically, and I laughed so hard when I heard him encouraging us that way. I dug deep and ran. Plus it didn't help any that I got passed by a thirty-some year old guy wearing a black Tshirt with the words "dig deeper" on the back. That was also encouraging.

I think that's why I love running races so much, especially big ones, not necessarily big in mileage but big is participant number. There is always so much encouragement during the race. Sometimes it's from the spectators on the sidelines, which there were a lot of on Saturday. Sometimes it's from runner's Tshirts.  Sometimes it's from the family that is there at the crack of dawn to support you. But a lot of times, it's from your fellow racers themselves.. I like to talk to those who pass me or those I pass. We may not always like it...getting passed that is... but it boosts us. We know how each other is feeling and how miserably joyous we are to be there. We know this race isn't about racing each other, it's about racing ourselves. We're the best ones to offer anything.
 to each other

I carried my medal around in my pocket yesterday at work, just to hold onto my accomplishment. And my accomplishment was that I broke two hours in running a half-marathon. 1:58.02 to be exact. A PR for me... and a good goal to beat in September when I try another one. When I first started running, I never thought I would break two hours in a half: it was one of those lofty, runner-dream goals.  And I was a pill of discouragement all week because I didn't even think I could finish this race, considering the most I had run at once in my training thus far was 7.5 miles. It's been a rough few months of adjustment to life, but it never fails, I always have my running to beat things... if I believe in myself just like my husband and mother beleive in me.

So I did Saturday morning. I dug deep and just ran, knowing that the strength I had wasn't my own. And I ran 9:00 min miles for a good long time thinking I'd have my worst race, and I had my best.
I think I can... I think I can... I think I can turned to I know I can.
And I did.

T-Minus 10 days

I should warn you. In no way do I think I am ready to run this half marathon in ten days. But I'm going too, and I will finish, even if I have to slowly jog across the finish line.

My training has been so sporadic the last several weeks. I knew it would be too, if we were to get jobs and move. Which we did. The husband and I both landed full time jobs around the end of March, as well as found an apartment. So, we upped and moved out of my parents house finally and over to our new home. But in the meantime, I still have to commute forty minutes to work each day, and we've been working on painting and unpacking, so I'm using my mornings to train. Not this morning though. For some reason it frosted over and I h.a.t.e. running in the cold.

I'm full of excuses really. I'm just not sure how set on this half I am. I thought it would be great to sign up and run another one since it has been four years since my last race. But my body is so tired of simply running a lot of miles. Again, excuses because I just cannot find time for yoga to stretch out and I n.e.e.d. that. I can tell I'm getting older and my body is once again changing. It's not nearly as flexible nor as willing as it used to be.
Plus there's the aspect of a new town... finding whole new running routes (and at 4:30 in the am is NOT fun)... and just simply running by myeslf. I'm tired of it. Really tired.

So, since my husband is still burnt out from his army running, and I don't know anyone in town, I've been slacking majorly on my training. I mean, I know I can finish, but it's going to be long and hard. But I will finish.

And I'm starting to think I might just start a running club here in town. The closest two clubs are both thiry-five miles away in opposite directions. This is a small town, but it needs a club. And somebody has to do it.

Here's to counting down until my race. I think I can... I think I can... I think I can...

Venturing out

I am super tired of running on the treadmill. But I'm also sort of a weenie. Living in Texas just for a little bit during the winter really spoiled me, and I dislike running out in any sort of cold now.

But, it's somewhat sunny today and a high of 53. I think I may bundle up and venture outside for my tempo run.

It's time to start training outside.

There's a race in my future

Remember when I told you a month ago that I was running again?

Well, I'm still running. Actually, I had to take about a week off because I caught the nasty flu-bug, but I've been up and going again. And the good thing is my cardio is back on track. I can feel my heart slowing down (in the good way!) meaning it's adapting to my training. I'm beginning to feel like a runner again.

And it's a good thing I've been training because I officially signed up for the Illinois half-marathon today, scheduled for April 30th. I was thinking this morning that I just needed to do it. I keep saying I'd like to run it, and I'll sign up soon... but we all know that that's just an excuse until the registration closes and I'm stuck not participating. But, now that I'm signed up, I have a goal. And I actually have to keep running so I can make it to the finish line in time.

It's been four years since I've ran a half. I did the Indy mini twice, which is a really nice course and a fun race, but I'm excited for the change of scenery. Halfway through the Indy course racers run a lap on the brickyard, and that's the hardest part. They enter at mile 6, exit at mile 8 and are completely exhausted from the heat on the blacktop. Everything I've heard about the Illinois half has been good. They say its a great course... a few rolling hills, but mostly flat. I can handle that. And hopefully I can handle a faster time. I clocked 2:14 the first time, and 2:04 the second year. I'm feeling a lot stronger in my running now a days than I used too, I've learned what my body can handle and not handle, so my goal is to break 2 hours. I registered myself at 1:45 which isn't too bad of a goal. That's 8 minute miles, and I know I can run that. I'm excited.

So here I am... starting my race season. If all works out well, I'd like to do a race a month through October, switching between running and triathlons... mainly triathlons though. Hefty goals, I know, but it's all part of my plan. And plus, all this running has lead me back to the world of endorphins.

And I love endorphins.

Again

Hello friends.

It's been too long. I would just like to tell you that yes, I am running again. And it's really, really cold here so I'm cheating and running inside. I'm not running a training plan; I'm not running 7:00 minute miles; I'm not running sprints or hills. I'm simply running however long the run takes me. Sometimes it's a fast ten minutes. Sometimes it's a slow thirty. Sometimes it's a warm up, decent run, cool down. Sometimes it's a sprint if that's all I can fit in.

But the fact of the matter is I'm running.

I realized last fall that I was tired of running, mainly because I was happy. When I started this blog I was running from something. I was running from hurt. I was running from life. I was running to escape and hide. But now, I'm happily married. Yes. Married. But I'll get to that eventually. Come back again later, and sooner rather than later please, and I promise I'll have my story up. And so, here I am planted, well, almost planted, in the midwest again, and I'm running.
And it's joyous.

My hope is to possibly complete another half-marathon this year, perhaps even the Illini half at the end of April (or at least that's what I'm possibly shooting for as part of my five year plan to complete an Ironman). But this time, I have different reasons for finishing. I know I've always been cryptic... but, this is the internet after all, you don't need to know my entire life. However, I think this might be the start of something different. Which means the start of more of my story. The start of my new voice.

But you have to come back. This time, I just wanted to let you know I was still here.
And I'm running.