This morning the alarm went off at 4:15 for my run. The heater was running. I got up and went into the bathroom, where my running stuff was all laid out and looked at the outside temp. 32 degrees. And the thermometer is mounted on the house, which means it always reads a little warmer than the air.
I stood there shivering and staring at the clock.
I felt torn.
I felt cold.
I went back to bed and snuggled my Preston.
When I got to work the desktop temp alert said 27 degrees, and this is farther into the concrete jungle (and therefore warmer) than home.
Just now I checked the weather and it said 37 degrees, with a wind chill of 32.
I may have wussed out, but I'm glad of it! I did Tae Bo instead (after sleeping another half hour), and I'll do a short run over to the gym for my biking and lifting tonight, then a couple of runs this weekend, when it is light out, and therefore more reasonable in the temperature department.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
One Mile Time Trial
I wanted to start the new year off by running a one mile time trial to set a benchmark for future improvement.
I drank on New Year's Eve, but I super-hydrated during and after in order to reduce the effects the next day. So we headed over to the local high school track around 5pm when we had gotten back from the in-laws'.
It was freaking cold and windy. And I'm not talking slightly breezy. No, I'm talking 10-20mph gusts pushed through a building wind-tunnel windy. Preston bowed out after one lap around the track, but I was determined. I walked 1 lap, trotted 1 lap, and then ran all out for a mile.
8:19
I think it would have been faster if I could feel my feet. And if I wasn't running into a killer headwind for part of the time. So, under the circumstances, not too bad! And for once I can say that I truly had nothing left in the cardiovascular tank at the end. I felt like hacking up a lung for hours afterwards. But we headed over to the gym for me to bike and Preston to run his C25K. And then for me to lift.
All in all, quite a nice start to 2008.
I drank on New Year's Eve, but I super-hydrated during and after in order to reduce the effects the next day. So we headed over to the local high school track around 5pm when we had gotten back from the in-laws'.
It was freaking cold and windy. And I'm not talking slightly breezy. No, I'm talking 10-20mph gusts pushed through a building wind-tunnel windy. Preston bowed out after one lap around the track, but I was determined. I walked 1 lap, trotted 1 lap, and then ran all out for a mile.
8:19
I think it would have been faster if I could feel my feet. And if I wasn't running into a killer headwind for part of the time. So, under the circumstances, not too bad! And for once I can say that I truly had nothing left in the cardiovascular tank at the end. I felt like hacking up a lung for hours afterwards. But we headed over to the gym for me to bike and Preston to run his C25K. And then for me to lift.
All in all, quite a nice start to 2008.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
2008 Goals
New Year's resolutions? Bah humbug. I have goals!!
Firsts
1. Complete my first 10K race.
2. Complete my first Half Marathon.
3. Complete my first Sprint Triathlon.
Numbers
1. Lose those last 5 pounds. (But only healthily - if my body wishes to keep those 5 pounds, then the resolution becomes maintaining my weight.)
2. Run at least 520 miles.
3. Bike at least 520 miles. (I know this is conservative, but for my first biking year ever, I think that is ok.)
4. I can't create a target swimming distance because I do not yet know what my situation will be throughout the year: will I only have the pool for the 3 summer months, or will I be joining a facility where I have swimming access year round? In a perfect world, keeping with the 52 weeks per year theme above, I'd like to target 52 swimming miles this year, or 1 mile per week. That will only happen if I get access to a pool year-round, but that is a distinct possibility, so I'll throw it out there with the understanding that modification is perfectly acceptable.
Firsts
1. Complete my first 10K race.
2. Complete my first Half Marathon.
3. Complete my first Sprint Triathlon.
Numbers
1. Lose those last 5 pounds. (But only healthily - if my body wishes to keep those 5 pounds, then the resolution becomes maintaining my weight.)
2. Run at least 520 miles.
3. Bike at least 520 miles. (I know this is conservative, but for my first biking year ever, I think that is ok.)
4. I can't create a target swimming distance because I do not yet know what my situation will be throughout the year: will I only have the pool for the 3 summer months, or will I be joining a facility where I have swimming access year round? In a perfect world, keeping with the 52 weeks per year theme above, I'd like to target 52 swimming miles this year, or 1 mile per week. That will only happen if I get access to a pool year-round, but that is a distinct possibility, so I'll throw it out there with the understanding that modification is perfectly acceptable.
Monday, December 31, 2007
2007 in Review
I can't link back to an old post detailing my resolutions for 2007 (no blog yet), so you'll just have to trust me. They were as follows:
1. Exercise 21 days in a row with the goal of forming an exercise habit that would last all year, and hopefully a lifetime.
2. Start eating "better".
3. Lose 15-25 pounds.
I'll be damned if for the first time in my life I didn't actually pull off all of my resolutions!! I actually exercised every single day from January 1, 2007 through February 1, 2007. Looking back at my logs, I did no exercise at all on only 85 days this year. Considering the Bell's Palsy and a nasty bout with the flu, I'm quite pleased with myself. I improved my diet immensely, eating for nutrition and counting calories 6 days out of 7 with very few exceptions. And I lost 20 pounds. On January 1, 2007, I weighed 149.8 pounds. Today, December 31, 2007, I weighed in at 130 pounds. Not only that, I am down 3 belt holes (started out in 2, tightly, and am currently in 5, which is the smallest on my belt!) and 3 pant sizes (12 to a 6).
Beyond all of that, beyond the numbers and the hours and the stats, beyond the physical change there has been a mental change as well. I began this year in a state of depression. I dreaded exercise and looked to food for comfort. I disliked my job and felt like it was the only major thing occupying my life. I missed the world where I used to live - a world in which I felt confident, smart, in control. And I didn't see any way out.
Though I didn't mean for it to happen this way, running and all the other forms of exercise in which I've dabbled have been my way out. I lost weight, ate better, got stronger, more confident. I found that finally I had something to strive for again, some measurable goals, some measurable improvement in my life. I had something to take pride in. Something that was difficult. Something that I accomplished, whether it was exercising every day for a month, completing C25K, completing One Hour Runner, running in my first post-college 5K, or running in my first 5 mile race ever. I got off hormone pills, got married, and somewhere in there I regained myself. But a better, improved self. A me who looks forward to workouts and is glad to have done them. A me whose favorite x-mas gifts are the ones to do with running. A me that isn't afraid to spend money on running, because I know I'm not going to quit. A me that has taken steps to get out of the bad work situation, but a me that isn't as bothered by that situation as I used to me - because I have a complete life outside of work now. A me that can be a better wife to my husband because I'm taking care of me.
These are the things that no resolution can bring, but these are the things for which I'm most grateful in 2007 - the new improved me, both inside and out.
1. Exercise 21 days in a row with the goal of forming an exercise habit that would last all year, and hopefully a lifetime.
2. Start eating "better".
3. Lose 15-25 pounds.
I'll be damned if for the first time in my life I didn't actually pull off all of my resolutions!! I actually exercised every single day from January 1, 2007 through February 1, 2007. Looking back at my logs, I did no exercise at all on only 85 days this year. Considering the Bell's Palsy and a nasty bout with the flu, I'm quite pleased with myself. I improved my diet immensely, eating for nutrition and counting calories 6 days out of 7 with very few exceptions. And I lost 20 pounds. On January 1, 2007, I weighed 149.8 pounds. Today, December 31, 2007, I weighed in at 130 pounds. Not only that, I am down 3 belt holes (started out in 2, tightly, and am currently in 5, which is the smallest on my belt!) and 3 pant sizes (12 to a 6).
Beyond all of that, beyond the numbers and the hours and the stats, beyond the physical change there has been a mental change as well. I began this year in a state of depression. I dreaded exercise and looked to food for comfort. I disliked my job and felt like it was the only major thing occupying my life. I missed the world where I used to live - a world in which I felt confident, smart, in control. And I didn't see any way out.
Though I didn't mean for it to happen this way, running and all the other forms of exercise in which I've dabbled have been my way out. I lost weight, ate better, got stronger, more confident. I found that finally I had something to strive for again, some measurable goals, some measurable improvement in my life. I had something to take pride in. Something that was difficult. Something that I accomplished, whether it was exercising every day for a month, completing C25K, completing One Hour Runner, running in my first post-college 5K, or running in my first 5 mile race ever. I got off hormone pills, got married, and somewhere in there I regained myself. But a better, improved self. A me who looks forward to workouts and is glad to have done them. A me whose favorite x-mas gifts are the ones to do with running. A me that isn't afraid to spend money on running, because I know I'm not going to quit. A me that has taken steps to get out of the bad work situation, but a me that isn't as bothered by that situation as I used to me - because I have a complete life outside of work now. A me that can be a better wife to my husband because I'm taking care of me.
These are the things that no resolution can bring, but these are the things for which I'm most grateful in 2007 - the new improved me, both inside and out.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
'Nuff Said
Yesterday.
Mile 1: 9:48
Mile 2: 9:29
Mile 3: 9:42
Mile 4: 9:53
Mile 5: 9:49
Mile 6: 9:50
.14: 1:27
Total time: 1:00:01
Total distance: 6 miles
Average pace: 9:44/mi
OHR = Done, in flashy (for me), though late, fashion.
Mile 1: 9:48
Mile 2: 9:29
Mile 3: 9:42
Mile 4: 9:53
Mile 5: 9:49
Mile 6: 9:50
.14: 1:27
Total time: 1:00:01
Total distance: 6 miles
Average pace: 9:44/mi
OHR = Done, in flashy (for me), though late, fashion.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Planning Next Year
Well, next year is on the horizon. I'll do a post on Monday about goals met this year and goals for next year, but I'm already in the planning stages for next year.
I definitely want to focus on running some longer short races in the immediate future because Houston has available 10Kish distances all over the place from January-March every year. I've always wanted to run the Beach run down at Galveston for Mardi Gras, and Mardi Gras comes early this year, so that'll be my January race. Then 5 miles in February and another 10K in March. On my B list for the first quarter (and thus not reflected yet in my sidebar) are the Buffalo Wallow XC 6K, the Bayou City Classic 10K, the Law Week 8K, and the Bellaire Trolley Trot 5K.
My other simultaneous focus will be on the Lone Star Sprint Triathlon in late March. Work stuff may prevent me from actually registering for the thing, but I really really want to try for a tri (or several) this year, so I've decided to follow a modified version of this 10 week plan available at Tri Newbies Online. I'm basically going to modify it to make it more run intensive for the 10Ks, but I can conceive going for more distance in the pool too. My biggest fear heading into a tri is the bike. While I'm fairly confident that I have the 12 mile distance in me, I've been riding on stationary bikes of various types, and not on an actual bike. The last time I was on a bike, my comfort level just wasn't very high, so my goal and challenge for this 10 week plan is to develop a level of comfort on my bike and not to ride those miles indoors. If I can't make the Lone Star Tri, I'll try for the CBI Tri in the Woodlands in May (which I'll probably do either way anyways).
The last quarter (ok, well maybe third) of the year will be half marathon training. The middle two quarters are up for grabs, but maybe a bike-focused quarter and then a swim focus? That might work because a swim focus could easily bleed into or overlap with running when I start upping the mileage for the half marathon....
I love planning!!!
I definitely want to focus on running some longer short races in the immediate future because Houston has available 10Kish distances all over the place from January-March every year. I've always wanted to run the Beach run down at Galveston for Mardi Gras, and Mardi Gras comes early this year, so that'll be my January race. Then 5 miles in February and another 10K in March. On my B list for the first quarter (and thus not reflected yet in my sidebar) are the Buffalo Wallow XC 6K, the Bayou City Classic 10K, the Law Week 8K, and the Bellaire Trolley Trot 5K.
My other simultaneous focus will be on the Lone Star Sprint Triathlon in late March. Work stuff may prevent me from actually registering for the thing, but I really really want to try for a tri (or several) this year, so I've decided to follow a modified version of this 10 week plan available at Tri Newbies Online. I'm basically going to modify it to make it more run intensive for the 10Ks, but I can conceive going for more distance in the pool too. My biggest fear heading into a tri is the bike. While I'm fairly confident that I have the 12 mile distance in me, I've been riding on stationary bikes of various types, and not on an actual bike. The last time I was on a bike, my comfort level just wasn't very high, so my goal and challenge for this 10 week plan is to develop a level of comfort on my bike and not to ride those miles indoors. If I can't make the Lone Star Tri, I'll try for the CBI Tri in the Woodlands in May (which I'll probably do either way anyways).
The last quarter (ok, well maybe third) of the year will be half marathon training. The middle two quarters are up for grabs, but maybe a bike-focused quarter and then a swim focus? That might work because a swim focus could easily bleed into or overlap with running when I start upping the mileage for the half marathon....
I love planning!!!
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
X-mas Gifties and Running
My running made out well this holiday season. On the way to my 'rent's, we stopped at the Nike Outlet in Conroe. I love this place. I came out with two shirts and a pair of tights for $70. Based on the msrp's, it should have been about $160.
Then Preston gave me another top (that I had bought for him to give me at Target - like this photo, only blue), a pair of running gloves, an IOU for a skullcap with a pony hole, and....
Then Preston gave me another top (that I had bought for him to give me at Target - like this photo, only blue), a pair of running gloves, an IOU for a skullcap with a pony hole, and....wait for it.....
wait for it.........
A GARMIN FORERUNNER 305!!!!!
Which I'm so excited about using that I ran 3.5 miles at the 'rent's yesterday and another 3.5 miles this morning. Sweet!
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