Progress...

Well...it has certainly been a while since I've updated this blog! 10 days shy of a year, to be exact.  How crazy...so how do I summarize the past year in one post?


1) We did end up running the Flying Pig 10k last May! Not long before the race we had slacked a little bit, and the longest we ran in training before the race was 5 miles a few times. But we decided hey, it's just 1.2 miles more, we can do that! And sure enough, we did :)


2) We discovered our running kryptonite: summer heat! We ended up slacking considerably over the summer, because it's just hellish to try and run in the heat and humidity. 


3) We got back to it once the weather cooled off a little, and ran pretty consistently for a couple months...missed a few weeks toward the middle to end of fall semester, because I was so crazy busy with teaching, taking classes, running the study part of my thesis & singing in Illumination. 


4) About 2 and 1/2 weeks before the New Year we got back on track hardcore, and I'm working toward a half marathon. I wanted to do the Flying Pig half on May 6, but we've committed to working the March for Babies that weekend, so I'm looking at a half in Schaumburg on May 20 instead. That makes me really sad to be quite honest, because it'll be my first half marathon and I really really wanted it to be the Pig. But this way maybe more people can come cheer me on since it's closer to home :) Steve has been super busy working at H & R Block, so he's fallen behind on training and doesn't think he'll be able to work up to the half with me this time. 


We just finished doing Oliver, so I'm looking forward to having a normal schedule for a while so it's easier to fit my runs in and stay consistent. I'm trying to run 4 days a week instead of 3, most of which are 5k or 3.5 miles, and my long runs are on Saturdays. I've gotten back up to 6 miles in the long run, and will hopefully do 6.5 this weekend. Soon my short runs during the week will be getting gradually longer, until they get up to 4.5 or 5 miles. 


I should be running today, but I've just developed a cold from being around all those little kids so much lately. I think I need to take it a little easy so I don't make it worse.  


Schoolwise, I'm writing my Master's thesis this semester, so I'm only teaching one class two days a week. It's so fabulous, because it's saving us a lot of money on gas. Not to mention the class is FR601, which is a graduate-level reading course. It's a great experience and will look awesome on my resume. 


Lifewise, Steve and I will be moving down to West Lafayette/Lafayette in June sometime.  It's such a huge life change, and we're both really excited and nervous at the same time. We've been setting aside all the money he's making at Block this season for the move, and we'll be setting aside our tax refund for it as well...so hopefully that'll make everything less stressful b/c we should have plenty of money for security deposit and the first couple months' rent and whatever stuff we have to buy when we get down there. I feel a weird sense of guilt sometimes that here I came into Steve's life and now he's moving away from the life he's built up here, but that's what marriage is...it's a new adventure that we're embarking on together. 


So I think that about sums up my running history of the last year, and where my life is now. Hopefully I'll be able to keep up the running, and I can't wait to be able to say that I've conquered the half marathon!!

Hell yeah!!

Ahhh...for the last few weeks we've been consistently going to Cardinal Fitness and running on the treadmill. I started at 10 minutes...then I started going by distance instead of time. I got up to 2.2 miles (last week sometime). This week the sun has been out and melted a bit of the snow & the temp has gotten up into the 30s and 40s, so we decided to head back outside to run. It turns out that I run faster & better outside! This past Monday, I ran 2.8 miles!!! I didn't time myself, but I knew what songs I ran through on my iPod, so I just went into iTunes to add up the minutes, and realized it only took me 28 minutes to do that!!!!! That is absolutely amazing. At the gym I was pushing it to run a 12-minute mile. Outside I'm doing almost a 10-minute mile...I think it's because on the treadmill you're constantly thinking about it and looking at the display to see how fast you're going, how long it's been, how many tenths of a mile you have left to go, and on and on so it feels more difficult than it should.  Anyway, today we backed off and did 2.2 miles...we're going to try and do 2 easy runs a week (like today), and a 5k for our long run. Also!! We officially signed up for the Ringing in Spring 5k (April 2nd)!! And as soon as I have the money I'm going to sign us up for the Flying Pig in Cincinnati, which is a 5k, 10k, Half & Full marathon. Steve's cousins John & Karen are going to run it with us...it's May 1. We're hoping to do the 10k in that one...so our plan of action is to continue running 5ks once a week for the  next couple weeks, and then to transition into the 10k training schedule. The hope is that we'll be running 10ks before we even run our first official 5k. That way we'll be on track to be ready for the Flying Pig, because there's only a month between the two & that would be a tall order to go from 5k to 10k in four weeks.

Phew! Anyway :) I also signed up for the Avon Walk again, which I'm soooo excited about because Steve is going to do it with me this year!!! We need to scrounge together the money to register him so we can form a team and start getting donations. It makes me happy to be doing healthy things together as a couple :) What an amazing man.

Gotta get going! Teaching 2 classes this afternoon!

Healthy living, happier outlook!

Lord do I love to run! Now, I'm not very fast, and I can't go very far. Yet. I will get there, though, because I choose to! I did my third run today with my IT strap...about 15 minutes, about 1.12 miles. ZERO pain!!

I've also been harping on Steve about how I want to include a lot more veggies in our diet. In the past we've failed at this, I think, because we try to buy all fresh veggies & they go bad. But from what I've been reading, the frozen are just as good, if not better sometimes, because they're flash frozen at their peak. So we're making a casserole tonight chocked full of carrots, broccoli, cauliflower & onions...with chicken & brown rice. Om nom nom!  We also had a snack after our run of baby carrots w/french onion dip. And I'm drinking nothing but water and iced tea (no sweetener!).

It's amazing what good food & exercise do for your attitude. I feel infinitely happier & more energetic. And we're going to sign up for our FIRST RACE EVER!! We're going to do the Ringing in Spring 5k in Valpo on April 2nd. I'm soooooo stoked! w00t!!

Bring it on, world!!

The glass is half full :)

w00t w00t! First, Nikki worked on my legs & butt a couple weeks ago to get rid of the irritation and everything. Then I got the IT strap in the mail. I signed up for Cardinal Fitness because the sidewalks are just too shitty to run on. On Wednesday (the 19th), I ran ten minutes!! And today I ran 13!! With 100% NO PAIN!!! Fingers crossed this is the turning point. You will never see me without that strap on my leg! :)

Well shit.

Well, I made it 3 minutes. I've now ordered an IT band strap that's supposed to stabilize it and stop it from getting so irritated. We shall see...

Happy New Year!

Okay, so it's not *quite* the new year yet...we still have about 11 hours to go. But Steve and I are getting a head start on things. In about an hour we're going to try and run a bit. We'll see how it goes...my knee was hurting yesterday even though I hadn't done anything! We're only going to do 4 minutes at a time...two, maybe three intervals depending on how we feel. It's frustrating to have fallen back that far, but I just hope to do it with no pain in my knee.  It rained all night, and it's in the 40s, so the sidewalks should be free of ice and snow now. I have no illusions we'll be able to run consistently through the winter, but anytime we get lucky like this we'll take advantage of it...gotta remind our bodies what it feels like!

Looking forward to celebrating tonight. For the second year in a row we're going to Great Oaks for a dinner/open bar/DJ NYE party. It's a really fun time, and not too far from home! Bring it on, 2011!!

New Year, Better Knee?

Let's hope so anyway. Today it's been over 2 weeks since I ran...I ran one more time after my last post. We did 7-minute intervals times 6...but I only did 3 and 1/2 of those intervals, if I remember correctly. Steve on the other hand, did all of it and then some without many breaks.  He then proceeded to run on his own & do 4 miles, then 6 miles...without any walking whatsoever.

Then the snow descended upon us! So Steve hasn't run for 2 weeks either. The timing worked out pretty well since I was just nearing the crazy end of the semester, in addition to my holiday concert with Illumination. Now that things are winding down, I created a cross-training plan for now to strengthen my everything and keep me in shape. Once it's decent enough to run again, we'll have quite a setback but hopefully I'll still have maintained some semblance of fitness.  I'm alternating days of arms, legs & yoga/abs...once I add running back in, it'll go on the same days as yoga/abs, because that doesn't work the legs too much.

I'm just desperately clinging to the hope that once I get back to running my knee will be stronger and looser and I won't have pain. If I do, I guess I'll just have to become a yoga addict lol. But seriously, nothing was as inspiring and as exciting as the thought of running in races & running farther every week & just being in such great shape. That is my goal & I will do whatever it takes to get my knee to the place it needs to be to do that!