Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Back At It

I'm starting to feel semi-human again after fighting this cold for the past week. This one really got me. I can't remember the last time I had a cold this bad. It's felt like some one attached a faucet to my nose and left it turned on! Today was my first day back to running, and the plan was to go for 3 miles. I only managed to make it 2.5 miles, and I had to walk the last .5 mile. Guess I'll have to work my way back. Hopefully tomorrow will be easier. Fundraising: $245 donated - Thanks John, Betty, Chrissie, Mom, Dad, Peggy & Sheryl!

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

Guilt - The Ultimate Motivator

Well, it is official - I have a cold. That seems to be pretty standard for me. Just when I really get going with an exercise routine, along comes a cold to slow me down. I spent the entire day using it as an excuse for why I wasn't going to run my 3 miles today. However, when 10:30 pm rolled around and I was considering going to bed, the guilt got the better of me. So, on went my running shoes and off to the treadmill I went. I kept the kleenex close at hand and managed to finish my run. Let's just hope I feel better soon. Fundraising: $650 donated - Thanks Andy, Laura, Robert & Betty.

Sunday, January 22, 2006

Dreading It

It took me from the time I got up until 7:00 pm to talk myself into running today. I was supposed to run 4 miles and that just sounded too daunting. My knees are still hurting a little and I feel like I am starting to come down with a cold, but I finally managed to make myself get on the treadmill and once I got going it really wasn't that bad. I feel pretty good that I actually made myself run when I really didn't want to. Sometimes that is hard to do, but I made a commitment to this and I am going to follow through with it!

Saturday, January 21, 2006

Off & Running

The TNT training schedule doesn't officially start until February 6, but I decided to expand it out a few weeks and start today instead. I always do better if I have a set regimen to follow, so I thought it would be a good idea for me to start early. I had to do some adjusting of the schedule to accommodate my work schedule, so my weeks are going to start on Saturday instead of Monday. The first day states that I need to run 3 miles. So, I dutifully got on my treadmill and did just that. My knees are still a little sore from Thursday, so I didn't manage to run very fast. But, I put in the miles and that's what counts.

Thursday, January 19, 2006

Windy City

Today was such a beautiful day that I decided to go for a longer run outside. So, I ran 7 miles through my addition and the ones connecting. I managed to remember my watch and was quite surprised to learn that I was running at an 11 minute pace. The run felt pretty good except for the fact that it was pretty windy. There were a few places where I was running straight into the wind and it felt like someone had put cement in my shoes when I wasn't looking. Fundraising: $25 donated - Thanks Aunt Deb!

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

Cruel & Unusual

One of my friends called me and asked if I wanted to play volleyball tonight, which sounds like fun, but means no time to run. So, I had to get up at the crack of dawn again this morning. So, I set my alarm for 6:00 am, and woke up to the DJ announcing that there were numerous school closings and delays. Great - now I'm really motivated to get out of bed. With that news, I immeditately decided that running outside was not an option. No twisted ankles or broken wrists for me, thank you! So, I ran 3 miles on the treadmill. It was actually rather painless this morning, I probably could have made it a few more miles, but I didn't have enough time and I'm not quite sure I can face settling my alarm in the 5 o'clock hour - isn't there a law against that? Something about cruel and unusual punishment? Fundraising: $25 donated - Thanks Lon!

Tuesday, January 17, 2006

Need a New Schedule

My current running schedule is simple - run when I have time, skip it when I don't. That's not going to cut it if I am going to be running 13.1 miles in 3 1/2 short months from now. I'm going to have to make running more of a priority. So, to start off on my new path I set my alarm for the god awful hour of 7:00 am this morning. I realize to most normal people that is a reasonable time to get up. For some, it would even be considered sleeping in. But for me, it felt like the middle of the night. So, I drug myself out of bed at about 7:20 - I had to hit snooze a few times - and put on my running shoes before I had time to think about what I was about to do. It was dark, cold, and raining outside, which was a little much for me to deal with, so I opted not to train outside today. Instead, I got on my treadmill and proceeded to run 4 very long, very tiring miles. I have to hand it to the people who get up every morning at the crack of dawn to exercise. My body doesn't seem to fully start moving until at least noon. I always have a hard time if I try to get moving before then. But in honor of my new commitment, I did it. I don't think I'm going to make this morning thing my new habit - only on days when I won't have time at a decent hour of the day!

Saturday, January 14, 2006

Fitting It In

I'm a little tired from the past few days, but I don't think I'll have time to run tomorrow. So, I ran 2 miles on the treadmill today while I was watching a movie. Now that's the way to run! Nice and warm inside with some good entertainment. I decided that I really need to work on my speed. I tried bumping it up to a 10:00 minute pace and I about got tossed off the back. Fundraising: $25 donated - Thanks Renee!

Friday, January 13, 2006

Those OTHER Days

Every runner has days where they actually want to run. Those days where you have a problem you want some time to think about or you want to pound out your frustrations or you crave that runner's high. And then there are those OTHER days - today was one of those. I was standing at my window looking out at the rain arguing with myself. "I should go run." "But it is raining outside." "I really don't mind running in the rain." "But I'm tired and a nap sounds better." "It is warm out, and I got off work early and have the time." "Oh alright, I'm going." Usually, that's the hard part, but not today. I set off and at the tail end of the first mile, there is an incline. In a car, it would barely register that you are going up hill, but today it felt like I was trying to run up Mt. Everest. I got half way up and wanted to wait for the next car to hitch a ride back to my house. But, I kept going and finally hit my stride - at the end of the third mile. I only ran 4. It was a long run. Today, the best part is that it's over. On a happy note - I remembered my kleenex. Fundraising: $70 donated - Thanks Nicole, Doreen, Carrie, Linda & Debby!

Thursday, January 12, 2006

Lazy Runner

I am a lazy runner. Yes, I know - that sounds like an oxymoron, but it is the truth. I usually run 3-4 miles, at a 12 or 13 minute pace, just often enough to keep from growing out of my current wardrobe. I rarely push myself, so I really didn't know how far I could go if I pushed myself to my limit. Today was the day to find out. The answer is 7 miles. That is my current max out point. The point where my legs refuse to go one more step, my lungs feel like they are on fire, and the blisters get the better of me. That doesn't seem too bad to me - I'm half way there. I even managed to make 56 cents along the way. (I didn't really need the change - but I did need the 10 second break to catch my breath while I stopped to pick it up!) Note to self: bring kleenex on all future runs! Anyone looking for a stock tip - I suggest ibuprofen. I have a feeling I am going to be buying a lot of it in the coming months!

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

Getting Started

Well, today is the first day on my Team In Training (TNT) journey. I spent most of my free time today e-mailing and sending snail mail to everyone I know asking for donations for my undertaking. I was planning on running, but I ran out of time. Guess I'll start pounding the pavement tomorrow. Fundraising: $150 donated - Thanks Ryan & Lisa!

Tuesday, January 10, 2006

The Motivation

Why? That is the question. Why would I willingly subject myself to pounding the pavement for 13.1 miles - not to mention all the training before hand? Why would I commit myself to nagging every person I know to raise $1410 for a cause that has never directly impacted my life? The answer is simple...I will regret it if I don't. The initial drive for me was that I wanted to train for this half-marathon, but I knew that keeping up my motivation would be a challenge. I thought it would be easier with the support that Team in Training would provide. However, when I was sitting in that meeting, with tears in my eyes, listening to Matthew's mother describe his ongoing battle against Leukemia my fate was sealed. I knew I had to do this.