Week 3

This whole week went pretty well calories wise, but I kept going over my sodium.

Yesterday Kimmie and I attempted level 2 of the shred and it TOTALLY kicked our butts. I'm not sure if it was because it was after my run, or because it's just that much harder. Either way, I sweated. Yes, I actually sweated. Which means I didn't feel bad about going over my sodium that night.

The real reason for this post:
I lost another pound! 6 pounds in three weeks. I'm feeling pretty good about that :D

Created by MyFitnessPal - Free Weight Loss Tools

Work It!

I haven't had a bacon burrito in 31 days.

I bought new running capris that I'm officially in love with.

I ran 3 miles today just because I could.

I timed in at just under a 12 min mile.

I burned almost half of the calories I consumed at lunch.

I love multigrain english muffins.

I am still going to Shred tonight.

:D

Attack of the Sodium!

So I've been trying to lower my sodium during this expedition to healthytown, and have been struggling. My main difficulty has been the amount that comes in my favorite things like cottage cheese. And cheese in general. And bread. Yum.

I digress...

I seem to go below my calorie allowance quite often, because I'm trying to stay below my sodium! I feel like sodium is more dangerous than calories. It makes you retain water, it's bad for your heart and your cholestorol, and I'm pretty sure it's what they inject in the Farm Home food to make the kids gain weight so they don't run as fast.

Okay, I'm officially rambling.

Bottom line:

• Sodium sucks and I can't seem to get away from it. It's in everything I enjoy except apples and splenda (and I'm not so sure about the apples).
• I've been shredding a lot and it feels fantastic! I might be ready to move on to level two.
• I haven't run since Sunday. I don't want to run in the rain because I'm a sissy.
• I love cooking healthy dinners!!

That is all my beloved readers :D

End of Week Two!

Two weeks down, five pounds down as well!

Had a pretty good work out last night, Shredded again. I also made some AMAZING cupcakes yesterday, based on a recipe I found on myfitnesspal. I'll tack it on to the end of this post.

I technically lost four pounds this last week, which is a lot! I think I lost more than a pound my first week, so what I lost this week is tacking on. Either way, I'm down five pounds, and ahead of my goals by two weeks!

My goal is five pounds a month, so I should be scheduled to hit my goal weight by December. Now that I'm ahead, I may shoot for November! :D
Oh, and I haven't had a bacon burrito in 25 days!!

Created by MyFitnessPal - Free Calorie Counter

And now for the awesome cupcake recipe:

1 Box White Cake Mix
10 oz (1 1/4 Cup) Ginger Ale
2 Egg Whites

Mix the ginger ale and the egg whites to gether a little bit, then add to the cake mix. I mixed mine in a blender and just kept it going till all the lumps were out. Then pour in to muffin tins, lined with cupcake liners. Bake at 350 for 18 minutes.

Makes 24! And only 94 calories per cupcake, so help yourself to two!

Long Time No See

Sorry for the major delay in posting!

Recap:
I lost 1 pound at the one week mark!! I also hit the road for the first time in a long time, and busted out a 12:30 mile for 2.4 miles. It felt pretty good (afterwards) knowing that even though I didn't stick with what I had started back in Jan/Feb, I was able to dig deep enough to push through discomfort and finish.

I'm coming up on the two week mark and so far have Shredded for five days in a row, and ran once more. I was on a retreat this weekend, and woke up fourty minutes early to go on a trail run. I'm not sure how far I went, but I was out running for 30 minutes. It felt pretty amazing to be the only person not tired at breakfast because I had already been pumping blood to my muscles.

In bigger news:
My roommate joined MFP with me! She hit the one week mark today, she hasn't updated her profile so I don't know what her progress is yet, but I'm excited to find out. It's motivating to have the person your living with say "Hey, want to Shred tonight?" when you get home. Or to say "I had to steal your recipe for taco salad, it was so good!" or "I still have 300 calories for today, do you have allowence for dessert?" Now when I feel like I want to give in to cravings, or skip a work out, I turn to her for motivation. We have a conversation about what we ate today, or how long we want to work out. It's pretty great.

Tomorrow is weigh in day! I'll keep you posted. :D

Created by MyFitnessPal - Free Calorie Counter

Five Days

I have sucessfully logged in to MyFitnessPal.com for five days now! AND on a more important note, I had my last bacon burrito (from Muchas Grasias, possibly the most fattening fast food on the face of the planet) 15 days ago. This is an AMAZING feat for me, seeing as how not but three weeks ago, I was hitting that drive thru at least once a week. (Think of all the money I've saved as well!)

I've started a pattern of alternating yoga and The Shred for my fitness routine. I went three days strong, took a break (and by break I mean nap) yesterday, and finished off with the shred today. My goal is to add a run to yoga days. This will take A LOT of motivation! I have a major mental block, because I'm afraid it's going to be really hard and a little painful.

AND I don't have a race to train for. There is a half marathon in July, but I really don't think I'll be ready for it. But maybe that would be the motivation I need...

What's up for MAY?!

The votes are in, and the public wants to see me not produce any trash for a month. A great idea, however, it takes some research in order to embark on such an endeavour. SO that is on the shelf till June.

According the the votes, the runner up is Altered books. I fear my lack of creativity. I appreciate the interest though.

I've decided to restart a fitness regime. Including tracking my caloric intake! I'm a member of myfitnesspal.com - a free food diary and exercise log - and I'm secretly in love. You calculate your goals, current weight, daily activity not working out, and how often you want to work out a week. It breaks it all down for you - down to the calorie! - so you can stay on track. And hold yourself accountable.

I'm going to take on my old training schedule of running four times a week, and cross training three times a week. I'm going to double up one day (a short run day) so I'm garunteed one day of complete rest. This of course is the plan, let's see how it goes. I haven't been running for a long time, so I'm going to start pretty much at square one.

I'll try to post daily!

The Screenplay

Okay, so I lost the 100 pages in 30 days challenge. I tapped out at 75, which is still technically passing. I plan to finish in the next couple of days because I WILL finish something that I start!

I did kind of lose steam in the creativity department, and I'm not sure why. I think I tried to edit too much as a wrote. Anyway, I know how it's going to end, I just need to make it happen.

I'm still satisfied that I tried it. I learned something, well, I learned a lot of things, and I totally watch movies differently now. And I have a hell of a lot more respect for screenwriters!

VOTE!

What should I try to accomplish next month?! Take a second to vote on my poll and let me know what you want to see me accomplish during the month of May.

Some ideas I have:
*Art - I have a few art projects I've started but never finished. Mostly an altered book for a good friend who has been ever so patient with me as I keep promising I'll finish it for her. It's been three years I think.
*Retraining - There's another half marathon coming up in July that I could begin training for and blogging about.
*No trash! - I read an article about a couple who went a whole year without producing any trash! I was inspired.

Week Three...plus

Okay, it's been a little past week three.

I was able to write a little more, very little. I'm at page 75, and the end is staring me in the face taunting me for not being able to power through.

I mean, I can power through, I'm sure, if I turn the reality TV off and turn the creativity on. I plan to do that today! After this episode of Pretty Wild of course.

I have about ten scenes left, and I've visualized how most of them should play out, so if I'm lucky, I can finish this sucker today!

Silly me, I thought I'd run out of challenge before I ran out of page count!

Week Two

Okay, so it's a little bit passed week two, but bear with me.

This last week was hard to keep writing. I totally lost steam and my creativity seemed to just fizzle out. I forced myself to write a little bit each day, which in turn made my dialogue sound forced. It was hard to sound natural, and it was hard to get my characters to do anything.

So a took a couple of days off, and let my creative juices reboil.

They didn't come back full force, but I was able to hammer out six pages today. I just kept in mind where I wanted to story to go, and how it needed to get there. It helped some, but I miss the days where I'd sit with my laptop open, music on and all of a sudden I'd be twelve pages ahead.

I'm on page 61 (technically 6 days ahead of where I should be), which means I have 39 pages left to tell my story. I'm not sure I have 40 pages of story left to tell! I don't want to fall short! That could be some of my creative hang-up. Too much pressure to fill the pages, not enough confidence that my story can handle it.

Week One

Well, it's officially the last day of week one in the Frenzy. (That's what us savvy participants call the contest, the Frenzy. Or Screnzy if you want to get silly.) The Pages Per Day average should be 3.3, if you want to finish 100 pages in 30 days. So far, I've powered through 45 pages of scripted material. At this rate, my movie should be about...four and a half hours long. ;)

This process is amazing though! I've rarely been able to tell a story on paper from beginning to end. Or even come up with an ending! Or even wanted an ending! (I think I really like the idea of stories, but I love my characters so much that I don't want to end it.) And now I'm outlining plots like a pro!

It's actually thanks to the Young Writer's Program that this contest also hosts. They have some basic tools (meant for high schoolers....) that get you thinking about your story and how to tie it all in. I was afraid it'd be over outlined, thus making the writing process not as fun (because half of the excitement comes from letting my characters do the work), but it totally wasn't. It actually got me to rein in my ADD habits of story telling and forced me to organize them.

And being 45 pages in, I'm about halfway through my plot! Which means I'm right on target - story wise. If I finish this project early (ahem, like by the end of week two), I've got another one floating around in my head. So who knows, maybe I'll come up with two scripts by the end of this month!

Meet My Characters

As promised, here are some intros to the characters of my screenplay.

Alison (Ali) Banks: Main Character.
Ali lives in San Fransisco, and works for the contemporary, cosmo-like magazine The SanFran Beat. Well, she actually works in the blog department on the online verson of the SanFran Beat - the BlogBeat. She's a relationship guru, answering emails and posts about people's relationship blunders and busts. She would love to one day write for the magazine, if she could ever convince the editor-in-chief that her advice (and writing) is quality work.
Likes: Jogging in the park with her corgi Harley, expensive coffee, and Lady Gaga.
Dislikes: Office functions, her editor-in-chief, and Twitter.

Brayden Scott: Love Interest.
Brayden's originally from Colorado, but stayed in San Fransisco after college to persue his dream of being an out-of-work freelance photographer. He'd love to make it big one day (wouldn't we all?), but cares too much about working with clients individually to sell out to a big company.
Likes: Taking his golden retriever Ruger to the soft pretzle stand, photographing weddings, and picking up girls in bars.
Dislikes: Girls that smack their gum, getting dumped, and tall women that wear heels.

Vienna Whitmore: Antagonist.
Vienna is perfect...according to Vienna. Failure is not an option for her, and thus taking chances when it comes to running her magazine is her least favorite activity.
Likes: White, pilates, and her big office.
Dislikes: Bloggers, coffee, and big events that don't serve white wine.

Coreen (Cory) Mitchell: Best Friend.
Cory and Ali have been friends since college. She's always supported Ali's dream, and thinks that her advice are words of gold.
Likes: Tequila shots, working with her best friend, and wearing expensive shoes.
Dislikes: Working five days a week, paying for cabs (she'd rather walk), and paying full price for drinks when happy hour is such a great deal.

Harley: Corgi.
Harley is a sweet little tri-colored corgi that loves Ali. He takes care of her when she gets too drunk to get up for work on time, and always provides snuggles.
Likes: His squeeky newspaper, strutting through the park, and kibble.
Dislikes: Waking up early, seeing Ali sad, and sleeping on the floor.

There are a few other characters involved, but I guess you'll have to wait till I'm done to read about them!

April Showers

I hate rain. Okay, that's all I'm going to allow myself to say about the sucky weather that has taken over this month so far. Yes, I know it's only the third day, but I'm ready for Spring damnit!

Moving on. April's goal/project/resolution is...drum roll please...
Write a Screenplay!

Yes that's right. I'm writing a movie. I've joined ScriptFrenzy.org, a website operated by the fabulous people that bring you National Novel Writing Month (or NaNo WriMo). It's a 30 day challenge, to write 100 pages of a script. Any script will do, as long as it ends up being 100 pages! I've chosen a screenplay, because I dig movies, and I think I only have the attention spand to tell a story in a two hour segment, versus multiple (like a tv show).

I'm nervous about putting this out in the blogosphere, for the world (okay, mostly my friends) to see. I don't usually share my writing with people I'm close to...but the truth is, writing is a huge part of my life, despite what people may think. And I can't let fear stop my from sharing it.

I'll probably be posting every couple of days to update on my progress. BUT big rule of the screnzy, is no sharing! I'll give you breif charater intros, and basic synopsis, but none of the script will be posted till the end.

March Recap

Remember when I said I was back on track, and going to kick ass in my DIY projects? Maybe those weren't my exact words, but they were my intensions. Turns out my intensions didn't over power my procrastination.

I have a couple of excuses (I worked a funky schedule one week, which threw me off; I got sick; blah blah blah), but the truth is, I never got around to fully planning how to attack the furniture painting. Or the picture project (select photos to hang in my awesome frame set I got for christmas). Or the office project. I even told my roomate I was going to organize my corner of the office. She laughed. I think she knew that I'm a lot of talk, and little action.

But that was supposed to change this year! I'm supposed to be accomplishing each thing I set out to do each month. But...I'm really just finding more things I want to do, and adding them to the list of things I haven't done.

What I did in March:
1. Ran a half marathon (woot! Still proud of that)
2. Bought a laptop
3. Fill out my tax forms

What I wanted to do in March:
1. Run a half marathon
2. Repaint my furniture
3. Hang my photos
4. Organize my office

I'm going to take this month as a teaching point. I'm teaching myself that I was unhappy not accomplishing something, or even dedicating myself to something for 30 days at a time. I was much happier in Feburary when I had a goal, even if I didn't finish it (I'm talking about the Shred, not training). Maybe I wasn't clear enough with myself in March as to what my goals were. So next month (er, this month) it's back to basics, one goal at a time, focus focus focus!

March Madness

March is half over already? When did that happen?

DIY projects I have NOT completed thus far:
1.) Organizing my office space.
2.) Organizing and hanging my pictures.
3.) Painting my furnature.

DIY projects I HAVE completed thus far:
1.) Running a half marathon.
2.) My taxes!

Okay, so the half marathon took up a lot of time, and then I had a funky work schedule. Bottom line, instead of spending my free time doing projects I really want to do, I slept. And went on facebook. BUT I'm back in the swing of things, and will hopefully finish organizing my office space tonight. Wish me luck!!

March

Okay, quick review of how my February goal went:

Meh.

I wanted to Shred every day for 30 days. Instead, I completed 25 Shreds in 29 days.

What I learned: Shredding and training for a half marathon is hard. Sydney said it makes me hard core. I think it makes me tired. She said my body will adapt. I think it makes my body hurt. I noticed when I increased the shred to level two, I started getting tired. I had a couple of good days, but mostly average days. Anyway, it was a partially completed project, but I tried something new, AND have found a fun way to strength train.

So I'm going to keep the shred as an every other day thing. Post half marathon, I'll continue to run 4 days a week, and shred the other three. I think this experience has taught me that I am capable of doing anything I put my mind to, and I'm capable of reaching my dream of becoming a runner. It will be mine, oh yes, it will be mine.

March: My original idea for my March project was to complete Making the Cut. I feel I'd be biting off more than I can chew, so I'm going to keep it simple. This month, I'll focus on completing my DIY projects! Project one: Repainting my night stand. Also to come this month: Repainting my dresser, photo collection framing and hanging, and operation office organization. The last one may take all month, but I am determined to have it finished by March 31st.

Wish me luck!

Gettin Shredded

For the last three days (okay two, the first day was a little rough), I owned level two. Yes the plank work is still hard, but today and yesterday I was able to do both plank jacks and squat jumps! The chair squat and shoulder raises are getting easier too.

Both Kimmie and I have noticed that our endurance has definitely improved. Instead of feeling like we're absolutely about to die in the middle of circuit 3, we're happily sipping our water at the end of the cool down. Does it still make us sweat and work hard? Of course! But we still do it.

Haven't really noticed much of a change in the body build, except my thighs are epic. And my calves, I could look at my calves all day. I just wish my shoulders and arms would get the memo.

Longest Run Yet

11 Miles. Holy cow.

I geared up by walking around a bit first, then hit my 5.5 loop - but this time I'd be doing it twice. The first loop around was stellar! It felt almost comfortable, except my hip gave me a little trouble towards the end. I was absolutely burning up in my full coverage of running gear, so I made a quick hydration and wardrobe change stop at home.

Seven minutes later I was back out the door. About a mile in to it, I discovered the major difference between running tights and running shorts (besides length, duh): Running shorts = Chaffing. Holy cow! My thighs were on fire! I clearly didn't think my wardrobe change all the way through. I took the second loop slowly, walking when I needed to, and really tried to listen to my body. Apparently 6 miles is about all my hip wants to do. The last 2 miles were a struggle, but I made it!

11 miles in 2hrs 19mins. (That's with the 7 minute wardrobe change subtracted).

Shredded XVIIII

I think I just did Shred 19...I'm getting confuddled. This is the problem when you randomly take a day off. Or was it two?

Either way, I did level two again. The plank work is still kicking my ass, but I was able to do two full walking push ups! Holler at your freakin mom!

I feel like level two is making me stronger and fitter even if I do the modified versions of the movements. Because there really is no rest! You're either in plank doing a jumping jake, or just in plank. You're either in a half squat, or full squat. I used to think that I couldn't sweat, until I handed my body over to Jillian. She can make me sweat (some).

Only 10 more shreds to go!

Noodle Arms

Shred:

This morning I felt a bit groggy. I wanted to sleep in about another twenty minutes, but made myself get up. I wasn't tired persay, just...groggy.

I popped in the shred dvd and hit level two. You don't get abs like that for free, right? The only thing that totally kills me in level two is all the plank work. I just can't seem to hold myself up for very long! The pendulum lunges are also tricky, mostly due to my poor balance (which I don't remember having!).

I sweated through it, and was thankful for the cool down. I like level two I've decided. It makes me feel pretty hard core.

Run:

Yesterday I may have mentioned my hip flexor being sore; if not, then yesterday my hip flexor was really sore. Today...it was even more sore. After the shred it seemed okay, a little loosened up, no major pain. So I went out for my 4 miles with a hill, and thought all would be well.

To begin with, my feet were killing me (okay, not really, they were just very sore and tired) about a mile in. I took it easy on the hill, walked the last 15 feet or so, walked some of the downhill. After that, things felt fine, so I busted it out. I wasn't sprinting, but I had a strong steady pace. About a mile from home, my hip was not having it anymore. I couldn't lift it enough to keep the steady pace, so I slowed down...which hurt more. I had to walk it out, there was nothing else I could do.

Frustrated and hurting, I walked about a third of a mile. When things felt better, I hit my pace again. I was able to hold it for about another third of a mile before my hip told me to stop. I pretty much hobbled home.

I did some stretches when I got home, took a cool shower, and now I have a heat pack on it. I'm VERY thankful for my rest day tomorrow.

It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Shred XVII (I think):

I took it light today. I woke up a wee bit sore from busting out a run and level two yesterday, so I just did level one. Still made me sweat a little. I didn't half ass it like I could have, which made me feel good. But I didn't bust through it like I busted through level two yesterday. I think I didn't give myself enough time to wake up before I went for it.

And on another note, I must say that shredding before running is getting pretty awesome. It wakes my muscles up enough to not dread doing anything over three miles.

Run it Run it:

Today's run was six miles. Phew. I mapped out 6.03, and added a walk in before I started. I was beginning to wonder how much my walking start effected my calculated milage time, so I took care of it!

The first mile seemed a little rough, knees feeling the impact A LOT. But something hit me when I passed the 1.5 mile mark, and I just started flying through Independence. Well, I probably wasn't actually going that much faster than I usually do, but it certainly felt like it. There's a dangerous stretch on Hoffman road that has no sidewalk and very little shoulder, so I was forced to walk a good .5 miles. I felt like I needed it for a bit, but then I just got antsy to keep running.

The home stretch of 2 miles was epic. I busted through campus like "I do this everyday," (oh wait, I do). It felt really great. I even did a short pickup on my street! My hip flexors are a bit stiff, and my feet are feeling it, but all in all, it was a great run. GRRREAT!

Total distance: 6.03 miles Total time: 1:13 :D

In Running News...

Friday I just couldn't muster the motivation again. And I went to work frustrated. But Syd assured me, it's nothing to get upset over, you can't lose fitness in three days.

So on Saturday I ran. I did my 3.5 mile loop with 5 pick ups. It felt pretty good. Actually it felt really good. I didn't stop to walk at all! And by my third pick up, I was flying. I don't know what my time was, but it doesn't really matter.

This weekend was also our annual SunRiver vacation of awesomeness. Which means cold weather and high altitudes.

On Sunday, Barb and I hit the bike paths. I did my best to map out five and a half miles - thinking I could split my long run just once more. We set out, and about a half mile in to it, I was pretty sure I was going to die. My lungs felt small and the air felt thin. I did my best to keep a decent pace, but I kept losing steam. Barb jogged ahead at times, and sometimes literally jogged circles around me. I was totally okay with that because I figured if I did collapse, at least she'd be there to break my fall. :)

For the last...mile and a half, two miles, I finally found a good rhythm. I let Barb hit it with her own pace. It's not fair of me to ask her to subdue her workout in order to keep me company. Plus it's less awkward to be wheezing and panting by yourself. Just focusing on my breathing was the only thing I could do to stay upright. When I got back to the cabin, I double checked the map. The virtually perfect 5.5 miles I had planned had somehow gotten a bit flubarred, and we probably ended up doing about 6.5 or 7. I justified not running in the afternoon by dragging my butt up the sledding about 10 times.

Since Sunday didn't go well, I was apprehensive to run Monday and Tuesday. And apprehension turned to avoidance. I did however take an hour bike ride on Monday, and about an hour and a half bike ride on Tuesday. I feel...somewhat justified.

Today, I was eager to see what the valley air felt like in comparison. I decided to hit up good old Stapleton Hill, the steep side. Running along 99 was not pleasant, and my knees started to feel over worked. I took it down a notch before hitting the hill head on. I made it about fifteen feet (maybe less) from the top before needing to stop and dry heave. I told myself to walk it off, and my body listened. I was able to bust out the last two and a half miles with no walking breaks (however I did have one stop and readjust my ear bud break) and a great pace. I only listened to songs that made me want to move, and it worked. My total time today was 53 minutes, for 4.46 miles. Phew.

In Shredding News...

I'm losing track of my shred numbers. Friday was...I think Shred XII. Friday was okay, don't really remember it, I just remember doing it. Saturday (Shred XIII) we left for our awesome weekend in SunRiver, and Kimmie and I shredded in high altitude. Made me a little light headed, but we did it!

Sunday...we went sledding. And drank a lot of beer. And rested in the hot tub. We did not shred. And I was dissapointed in myself. But Monday we shredded (Shred XIV)! Level one did not feel like it was going to get any easier. We busted it out as best we could, and then sat on the couch recouping.

Tuesday we headed back to the valley, and put off shredding till late at night. To make up for being lazy on Sunday, we turned up the heat to level 2. Holy cow it was tough! We had been consuming fat kid snacks up until about 15 minutes before we shredded, which made me feel like I was going to vomit halfway through circut one. Afterwards, we bitched about how hard it was as we watched The Bachelor.

This morning, I woke up fourteen minutes before my alarm. Bright eyed and bushy tailed. I was ready for action! I think the neurobiological effects of Jillian kicking my ass the night before set in. I decided to brave level 2 once more.

And let me tell you, nothing is more motivating during those pesky pendulum lunges than doing them in skimpy running shorts. When Jillian says the more you show, the more you know, she isn't kidding. My quads look like they did back when I played rugby. When they flex, they're rock solid and you can see the shape of the four little muscles busting out. The only problem with having rock star legs motivating you during a work out, is that staring down at your thighs tends to throw off your balance.

It has come to my attention that a work out just isn't worth it if you don't feel like you've gotten the crap beaten out of you by the end. I'm sticking with level 2.

Off Week?

I'm just NOT feeling it. I can't seem to talk myself out of bed in the morning in enough time to get it all done.

Yesterday I shredded, and delightfully took a day off of running. The shred was okay, not great. I kind of half-assed it, because I wasn't feeling it.

Today my alarm beeped at 8:15. Just enough time to get up, hydrate, shred, hydrate, run, shower, fuel, and head to work. But I pulled the covers over my head and shut the alarm off. I hid in bed until 10! I told myself I would be even more grumpy if I didn't shred, so I made time for that.

But it took a lot of effort to get up. In order to justify my not running on a 4mile hill day, I busted through that shred like no body's business. It actually felt pretty good. I was out of breath most of the time, which is a good thing. Those pesky side lunges with shoulder raises are getting easier, and by taking the static lunges at a slightly slower pace, I'm able to get a better range of motion.

I felt pretty awesome afterwards. And that's what's so difficult! I can't seem to convince myself that it's all going to feel awesome so I should just get up and do it.

Maybe I'm having an off week. I feel off of my routine, which freaks me out a little. I know, ya'll probably don't realize how much more at ease I am with a routine. But now you do.

I'm hoping to be back on track by tomorrow.

Holy Rusted Joints Batman!

On Monday, I did nothing. I sat on the couch and watched tv as an opportunity to get 10 miles in passed me by. I then spent the evening celebrating my friend's birthday, and not shredding. Monday...I don't want that to happen again.

So, as I explained my struggle to Fitness Guru Syd, she suggested I split my 10 miles - 5 in the morning, 5 in the afternoon. Done.

Yesterday I got up, suited up, and headed out for five miles. It went pretty well, even though the weather SUCKED. No rain, slight wind, but absolutely no sun. It was very blah. But I felt pretty good about my pace and endurance, which is what really matters. When I got back, according to my clock it took me 1h 15min! I was outraged! But decided not to let it ruin my day.

I went to a First Aid training, had lunch with the roomie, then met up with Syd for the other 5 miles.

Surprisingly enough, these five went a lot better. It was A LOT sunnier, we hit a couple of trails (which feel awesome on my knees), and kept a really good pace. It was very nice.

Got home...and shredded. Technically, Shred IX. I struggled with the jumping because my legs were so tired from their runs. And the shoulder work was as hard as ever! My joints felt like an old lady's. And this morning hasn't been pleasant either. I think the reason Jillian wants you to do 30 straight days is to not let your body realize how beat up it's getting. Beat up and buff.

Weekend Recap

(I have decided that not having a computer of my own is bad for my blogging)

Saturday:

No running, just shredding.

It was pretty much the same as Friday's shred - easier than day one, but still not easy. The work outs do seem to be going faster though. AND it's a lot more fun to do it with the roomie. We're both noticing that our least favorite strength trainings are the static lunges with bicep curls and the side lunges with shoulder raise; even though the roomie's shoulder raises kick my shoulder raises ass.

I can't seem to stand straight during a static lunge! I fall over all the time! It's like my feet are saying "This is odd, I'm not going to put up with it." It's very frustrating. Part of me wants to move on to level two so I don't have to do them anymore.

Sunday:

Happy Superbowl!!

Note to self: Three beers and 30,000 calories later makes shredding anyone's least favorite activity.

But we did it anyway.

The jumping jacks and jump rope made me want to vomit. Abs took all the concentration I could muster to keep breathing. And the static lunges still sucked.

But we did it anyway. And one bad shred is better than no shred at all, right?

Feeeeeeel the Burn

Shred VI:

Okay so my endurance is getting a little better. I did the push ups at about half the speed as the dvd, which is about twice as fast as I was doing before. And my shoulders started to feel the burn during the chest flies (I don't know if they're supposed to, but they did), which I think means I'm getting stronger.

I took it a little on the lighter side today when it came to cardio. Only because I also ran 5 miles. I'm sure pretty soon my body's going to catch on to what I'm doing and just go with it, but right now it's not a happy camper. It's not an angry rebelling camper either, which is good.

Run:

So five miles...phew. At about 2 miles, I wasn't sure I was going to make it. I really felt like I was huffing and puffing. BUT, it was SUPER nice out this morning, which made it so much more enjoyable. And the last couple of miles went really well. There is definitely a point during my runs (usually after the first 1.5 miles) where my body says "Okay, this isn't so bad, let's keep going."

And it always makes me smile when I calculate my time. 1h 10m for 5.59 miles, which means my speed was 4.8 mph, and my average mile is 12:30

:D

Shredded V and Ran IV

Shred V:

The only thing I noticed is that I'm not quite as tired as I was on day one. After the work out, I was a bit fatigued, but not to the point of wanting to lay in corpse pose for the rest of the day.

Also, I'm getting better at the side lunge with shoulder raise. They still really hurt (okay, that's an exaggeration, they're just tough), but I don't feel like I need to rest after only three. I've definitely pin-pointed that my weakest part of my upper body is my shoulders. Hence why push ups are also hard. Really really hard.

Oh and I discovered that I was kind of doing the bicycle crunches wrong! They're a lot harder the real way...ouchies. But, it's all about form right Jillian? So that's what I focus on.

Run!

I was hesitant to run today. I knew I had to, I just wasn't sure I'd be up to the whole 4 miles. I decided to try something new, and walk to 99, run down to Stapleton, tackle the steep side of the hill, and run back through my neighborhood. It was definitely a challenge, but a good one. I made it roughly to the top of the steep side before walking down the other side. I took a short walking break along 99 because my knees began to hurt, and I didn't want to ruin any chance of running again. I took it easy on the way home, briefly walked (and I mean for about 15 feet) once, and pounded it out on the way home.

It felt really good. I think my body prefers running to shredding; which I never thought I'd say. And THAT feels even better.

Shredded III & IV

We'll start with Shred III:

Just as tiring as the day before. I didn't ditch the weights at all, and I felt like I really got in to the squats with shoulder presses. I still totally failblogged on the push ups, but I'm just going to have to keep trying. The side lunges with shoulder raises are STILL kicking my ass. My arms get so tired!

On the bright side, I realized I was doing the oblique crunches wrong, and corrected my form. Now I can feel my power mansion (a term Kimmie and I coined while doing pilates several years ago) fully engaged and working hard. I like that feeling.

Shred IV:

This is the day I'm not supposed to wake up in excruciating pain according to my sister. Well, it's not excruciating, but I'm still really really stiff. I did the shred by myself in the morning this time (one of the downfalls of having a funky schedule compared to your roommate), and I must say, I definitely like doing it in the morning better. I'm not as tired afterwards - this could be the morning, or the fact that my body is getting used to the fact that I'm just going to kick the crap out of it for the next 26 days.

I admit, I do the girly push ups, and I don't do very many. But today, I was able to pace myself during the first set and really focus on getting the full range of motion. I realized it's not about how many you can do, it's how well they're done. If you can do 800 girly push ups with a very small range of motion, you're not going to be as strong as someone who can do 15 girly push ups in the full range of motion. The muscles engage at different times and for different lengths. So, keep it simple stupid, do what you can. The second set of push ups didn't go as well, but hey, it's only day 4.

Today was a non-run day, which I think helped with the shred motivation. I'm forcing my body to work out for much longer than I have in the past, and I think it's beginning to resent me. But I have faith that within the next few days, all balance will be restored, and I'll be ready to tear it up.

Run it Run it

Three miles after eight miles may seem easy. Oh contrare mon frere! Three miles after eight miles and two days of shredding is in fact NOT easy. It's not hard, but not easy.

I wouldn't call it a lame run, it just wasn't spectacular. I took a quick walking break, just one, so that felt pretty good. And I did feel pretty bad ass running in the rain.

On to more important things!
Slight change of plans....
The run I was planning on doing is 7.5 hours away. Yeah, not going to happen. I can't afford to take two days off of work.

SO I have narrowed it down to three choices:

1. Run the Shamrock Run in Portland the following Sunday (March 14th). One upside to this is that it'll be the first accomplishment post my 25th birthday. The downside to this is that it's only 15K, which is a mere 5K short of a half marathon.
2. Run the 2nd Annual Lincoln City half marathon. This is an actual half marathon in length, and can be celebrated by fun at the beach. However, the course is rolling hills with a fairly steep decline in the beginning, thus a steep incline to the finish.
3. Make my own course, run it, and recruit one of my friends to time me. This may also be followed by a celebratory get together at my house.

Vote away my faithful readers!

Shredded II

What do you think is the last thing someone wants to do after they run 8 miles?

Think hard...

Yeah, Shred. Correct!

But I did it anyway. If I'm going to be a task master, I can't crap out myself. I didn't ditch the weights at all this time, which made me feel accomplished, and I was SUPER tired afterwards. But I didn't wake up sore. I'm achy, not sore. My knees feel tired, and my shoulders don't want to lift anything that weighs more than my hand, but my muscles don't feel tight.

My fear is that I'm not getting a full range of motion during the routine. So tonight, I'm spreading out! I'm going to knock those static lunges with bicept curls out of the park, kick those...I can't remember what they're called but you dip to the side and raise your arms...anyway, I'm going to kick their ass, and bicycle crunches will quiver in fear when they hear I'm coming for them.

A wee bit of a push, and I think I'll be satisfaction garunteed.

8 Mile

I did it. Barely. But I did it.

I went out for eight miles. Took me 2 hours and 2 minutes. Definitely had to walk some, because it turns out when you don't drive the roads you map out to run, you wind up running in to a three mile stretch of hills. I guess I would call them rolling hills, but they were hills nonetheless.

And I did it. Despite angry mist rain, venturing out in unknown territory, and no clue how it was going to go. I did it.

Here's a map of my loop:



It says 9.16 miles, but I include my half mile warm up in all my loops. So the actual "run" portion was 8.6, and I ended up making myself walk the last .2 miles home. I had it in my head that my stretch from where Parker Rd meets 99 to Madrona, was only 2 miles. Yeah, it's definitely closer to three. So my home stretch-no walk part of the run ended up being about 3.6 miles instead of 2. Holy cow, my legs can tell the difference! Good thing I didn't let them do the talking.

Shredded

SO my January project was to start training for a half marathon AND start keeping up with a fabulous blog. Done and Done.

Some of you may be wondering "Well, now that you've started training, aren't you suppose to continue?" Never fear my faithful readers, I will continue to both train and blog about my half marathon feat.

But for right now, I'm introducing my February project: The Shred.
Yup, I have handed my semi-jiggly, looking-to-get-lean, fixin-to-get-fit body over to Jillian Michaels over the next 30 days.

I started yesterday, seeing as how February only has 28 days, I've dipped in to the sandwiching months.
My roommate and I popped in the DVD, apprehensive but feeling up to the challenge. And what a challenge it was! I have never moved to quickly from one work out to the next. I did well during the cardio, cardio and I are friends. But strength training? Ooooh child! I was unaware of just how weak my upper body actually is. I had to ditch the weights during the second set of leg squats and shoulder presses. It was rough, but not rough enough to make me want to quit!

I woke up this morning with my tushie feeling sore, my hip flexors a little tight, and my shoulders feeling like I've taken a beating. Of course, the only thing I did this morning was go from my bed to my couch. I am interested to see what muscles I didn't know I had will be screaming during my run.

(Side not about my run: I was supposed to do 8 miles yesterday, but got busy/anxiously avoided. I will do it today. I will.)

Nut Up or Shut Up

Just do it.

That's what Sydney, my work best friend/trainer/task master told me about my five miles this week. "Just wake up and do it." I believe that was the phrase that was running through my head as I dragged myself out of bed this morning.

When I was finally ready for my run - Okay, I'm being dramatic, it only took me 40 minutes to get out of bed, hydrated, and dressed - I set out feeling apprehensive. I wasn't sure I was going to be able to push myself for the whole five miles. I didn't want to walk much, and I wanted to keep a good speed. I wanted to maybe even try a pick up.

Just after passing my first mile marker, I got hit with a tight cramp in my lower belly (basically my uterus, gross I know, but I'm a woman, it happens). I freaked out a little, I've had these types of cramps before, and they're never fun. Also, they pretty much make me feel like I'm going to die. I tried walking it out a bit, but it only got worse. So I tried jogging it out, and that didn't help either. Finally, I gave up. I thought "Cramps and jogging don't mix. Cramps, you win."

About a block after I turned around and started to head back, cramps dissapeared completely. It was like I was never in pain at all. I paused for a second, turned back around, and finished what I started.

I made my way as an easy pace to my halfway mark, and that's when it hit me: I had completely lost sight of why I was doing this all in the first place. It's not to be the best, it's not to gloat about my speed. It's to say I did it, and that I finished what I started. I realized that I had put pressure on myself to make every run the perfect run, when really, just doing it makes it the perfect run.

I have never been able to run a full mile (okay, maybe I was able to once in high school, but even then, I don't think so), and now I'm running a full three. Mission freaking accomplished man, everything else is just icing on the cake. Don't whine that it didn't go perfectly, or that you didn't push yourself as hard as you wanted to, or that you're running out of time.

Nut up or shut up, and just finish.

It's the Climb II

Rested yesterday. Thought about running, but after being denied for a freakin Best Buy card (thus crushing my dreams of owing a laptop within the next week), I felt defeated and very much like a loser. The last thing I wanted was a poor mindset to screw up an important run. It's possible I just needed Reese Witherspoon to remind me that exercise releases endorphins, endorphins make you happy, and happy people just don't shoot their husbands!

I decided to run today instead. I wasn't extremely motivated, but I was interested to see how I'd do. I hit the road in my usual fashion and did my best to focus on the music and my rhythm versus how tired my legs felt.

I rounded the corner to face the demon head on. I paused briefly to stretch before starting the climb. I focused on the road a few feet in front of me, so as to not psych myself out.

It totally worked! As soon as my feet felt the road level out, I slowed to a walk. I looked back and did an inner victory dance. It may not have been the exact top (the hill is level for about twenty feet before it declines), but I was probably a good fifteen feet farther from where I stopped last time. AND there was no vomit! I felt a little rumble in my stomach, but it settled as I walked down the other side. When I hit the bottom of the hill I jogged it out till my driveway. It felt pretty good.

What felt even better? My time was 58 minutes. Even with a hill, I was under a 13 minute mile. Oh HELL yeah!

Glass Half Full

I must say, I wasn't super excited to run today. BUT it said I had to on my training schedule, so I did. I set the small goal to run my 3.45 mile loop with pick ups and no walking breaks. I didn't find the gusto to do the pick ups...but I didn't walk. At all! Not even a little bit. My jogging got a little slow here and there, but the motion kept going.

It felt pretty awesome, if I do say so myself.

What felt even more awesome? My time was 41 minutes. That would be an 11min 54 sec mile. Oh yeah.

Countdown to the Half Marathon:
39 days 16 hours 56 minutes.

Weekend Recap

Saturday:

The clouds parted. I had plans to run with a friend at 9 am and I stuck to them. Six miles. Holy shit.

The run itself I think went well. My knees began to hurt on the last mile, but nothing I couldn't power through. We took my friend's dog with us, and I must say, seeing the dog just walk along as we both chugged (my friend adjusting to my slower speed) made me feel a little bad. BUT walking in to work and saying "Why do my feet hurt? Oh, that's because I ran six miles this morning - before coffee. Booyah," made me feel spectacular.

I felt very accomplished, and I'm actually a little excited to try eight miles.

Sunday:
Rested. A lot! I woke up with my back sore, my knees sore, and my feet sore. I was more than greatfull to spend the day slowly wandering around Salem.

Something I've noticed is my appetite has increased. This scares me, mostly because my appetite was pretty big to begin with! I'm trying really hard to only keep healthy things around, so when I crave and eat the caloric damage is minimal. However, when talented co-workers bring in peanut butter cookies with reeses cups melted on top, and I ran six miles in the morning, it's hard to say "No thanks, I'm set," and very easy to say "Hell yeah! Give me half a dozen!"

Today is a run day. The plan is 3 miles with pick ups, no walking breaks. I'll report back.

Lethargic but Successful

I awoke this morning groggy and lethargic. I shuffled to the kitchen for a small glass of water, followed by a large glass of juice. My marathon training guru suggested I lower my fluid intake before I hit the road in order to lower the chance of another heaving episode. I took her advice and plopped down on the couch to watch my future husband Ben Bailey on Cash Cab.

I knew I had already slept in forty five minutes passed what I had planned, but also knew that today was a short run day, and thus would not be out on the road for hours. I took my sweet time getting ready, donning the suit, stretching a wee bit, and determining the ratio of comfort to practicality when it came to choosing a top. (I went with a long sleeve with a t-shirt over, instead of my usual tank top with jacket. The jacket gets a little warm.)

Although all morning I was feeling rather "blah," the jog itself was a pretty good one. I took two very short walking breaks (about a block each), and incorporated five pick ups. AND I didn't feel like I was going to die after ever pick up, just the first one. My muscles however, didn't enjoy it today. It felt as though my quads were resisting. I'm not sure if this is the magical point where instead of just working my muscles I'm actually building on them, or if my legs were just not feeling it today. And my knees hurt randomly. Seriously randomly. I think I may need better shock absorbtion in my shoes.

Oh, and by the way, my time was 42 minutes today. Oh yeah, that's a 12 min 11 second mile.
Holler at your mom!

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

I woke up this morning, looked outside my window, and thought to myself "Gee, it's lovely, I should run."

My conflict was that I had slept in a little, and had errands to run that would cut in to my running time. *click* Why don't I run to do my errands? Duh.

So today, I suited up, and jogged to City Hall to pay my power bill. It was a very short loop (just under 1.5 miles), but that didn't matter to me. A short run is still a run.

Oh and that friend I had mentioned earlier? Admitted that she's a little bitter, but also thinks it's pretty cool I'm running now. And she seems genuinely interested in how I'm doing. She even invited me to go running with her and her running partner on Sunday! They do about seven miles of hills...I politely declined. People have said that it's not a "friendly" thing to do - admitting that you're upset and not happy with a good decision another friend has made - and I agree. But it's also not friendly to pretend that you're supportive of someone when in fact you may be a little pissed. And I appreciate this friend's honesty. She keeps it real. Thus, I know she's being genuine when she says she thinks it's cool.

It's the Climb

I woke up this morning only partially motivated for a run. Definately a decrease in excitement from yesterday. I'm not sure why, I think because there were some threatening rain clouds hovering.

I got ready routinely and headed out. I had decided yesterday that today I was going to try a new loop of 4.49 miles with a huge ass hill in the middle of it. Every time I drive on this hill, I question whether or not I could conqure it on foot. Today I found out.

My jog began as usual, half mile warm up, light steady pace, I did stop to stretch when I really didn't feel I needed a break, I just wanted to stretch before I hit the hill. I took one more walking break right before the hill in preparation (and fear), and I faced the beast head on. My legs worked HARD to pull my ass up that hill, but I wasn't feeling defeated until about ten feet from the top. A sudden rumble in my tummy turned quickly from a burp to a...burp plus.

Yes, I heaved. Ten feet from where the hill starts to level out. I stood in the shoulder and upchucked all the water and juice I had consumed earlier this morning.

But this did not discourage me! I took a few moments to compose myself, and walked down the other side of the hill. Then jogged it out all the way home. My jog was slow, probably slower that it could have been, but I was moving my feet and that's all that counts.

I plan to defeat that hill next week. All the way to the top, no fear, no heaving. It will be mine, oh yes, it will be mine.

Reaping the Benefits

Yesterday I didn't mean to take off, but it happened. Between a dump trip, lunch with the sis, taking furniture from my mom's, and coffee-dessert with a friend, I ran out of time to run. Yes, yes, I could have pulled myself together at 8:00 after listening to my roommate's epic post-drinking story from her weekend, but...I didn't.

So I worked extra hard today to appease the running gods.

I did three miles, post a half-mile warm up. Waking up this morning, I was excited to hit the road. I chugged my morning glasses of water and juice in order to get out sooner. I donned my running suit, turned on my Zune, and was ready for action. I almost skipped my half-mile warm up just so I could get jogging sooner!

The first mile of a jog went well, my legs were fairly tired, but still moving. I decided to try a "Pick Up" which is where you increase your speed for a short-ish amount of time. Not a sprint, but just picking up the pace. I was fairly confident, giving my excitment to be out running, that I was going to murder this pick up and leave all future pick ups shaking in fear.

I was wrong. Felt like I was going to vomit afterwards. I jogged for a little bit, but had to take a walk to catch my breath. I jogged a couple blocks more, and went in for pick-up number two. This time, I OWNED it. And the entire second half of my jog went like that. After my third pick-up I was fairly out of breath and walked a couple of blocks, but it wasn't as bad as the first one.

I think today may have been the first day that I felt the benefits of running. The accomplishment and pride you feel knowing that you owned it. Even if you only owned it for three blocks, at one point, you owned that run. So way to go body! I'm proud of you!

Accidental Victory.

Friday was my day of rest. It felt good, but the only thing that made me feel accomplished was making my own hummus.

Today was "Long Run" day. Four miles. In my head, I had mapped out a good loop, that I was lead to believe would be roughly 4.66 miles. I wanted to push myself a little today so I did my best to hold a strong, quick (well, quick for me) pace for the first half mile, then chug along like I usually do.

I had a soft goal in mind to not walk at all, but I chickened out. So I changed my goal to jog a full mile at a good pace. First half mile was quick (and I was fairly certain I was either going to blow chunks or cough up a lung). I wasn't sure where the second half mile ended, so I just kept chugging along. I was feeling decent, a little tired in the legs, but my breath had caught back up with me, and decided to just keep going until my legs felt like they were going to fall off. That feeling came about ten feet before the street I had chosen to cut over on, so I pushed on for those last ten feet. My legs felt like jello.

Tried to keep my walking at a good "speed walk" (gotta keep the heart rate up!), so as to not counter-act the jog. As I rounded the second half of my loop, I got to thinking: "This feels like a really long way...But I'm probably just tired." I walked for a total of about seven blocks (split over three breaks) on the way home, mostly to rest my quads, and was feeling slightly guilty about it. I decided to really push the last block and a half (my home stretch block), and found myself busting out as quickly as I did at the beginning.

I was pretty sure I was going to pass out when I got to my front door. And I was fairly certain I had been on the road for FAR longer than expected. I checked the time - one hour and five minutes. Meh, kind of what I expected. I logged on to Mapmyrun.com (where I plot out my awesome running loops down to the .01 of a mile), just to see if my previous 4.66 calculation was correct. WRONG! 5.07!

I accidentally jogged an extra .57 miles. Not much to the skilled runner, but to me, lil ol' me, it's quite a victory. Oh, and that full mile I wanted to jog? Actually was 1.52.

Two victories, one jog. Not too shabby.

Redemption

I awoke this morning in a better mood than I expected. My night's sleep was uninterrupted and deep. I chose to relish in my comfort for an extra twenty minutes before sauntering in to the kitchen for my morning glasses of water and juice.

What felt like seconds later, it was 9:35. Seeing as how I procrastinated my run to the very last second yesterday and consequently spent the rest of the day in an awful mood, I decided to hit the road.

I donned my running suit - much like a crime fighting suit worn by Superheroes (I'm serious! I have tights, boxers, a tank top and a jacket. I look prepared to fight crime!) - turned my Zune waaaaay up, and headed out. The clouds literally parted as I began my half mile warm up. I saw blue in the sky, sun, and not a drop of rain for miles. There was a little wind, however no where near as catastrophic as yesterday.

The run (hm, I keep saying run, as if I'm actually exerting enough effort to constitute a run, but to be honest, it's more of a jog) itself was decent. Two walking breaks, but they were short! About three blocks total...out of 3.45 miles. I did stop to stretch - something I've been meaning to add in as part of the routine, but never got around to it because for some reason I felt like it would slow me down more than help (silly Casey) - but not for long.

I still timed a steady 44 minutes for the 3.45 (which equals out to a 12 min 41 sec mile), and at first was disapointed my time didn't lower. However, aiming to be a silver lining kind of person, I thought about how at least my time didn't raise. I feel as though the running gods granted me redemption today. And I must say, lessoned learned. Don't take an unnecessary rest day.

The Running Gods Don't Take Chastising Lightly

Yesterday was an optional rest or cross train day. I thought about running all day, I really did, but somewhere between a three hour block of Wife Swap, organizing my student loans, and rearranging my corner of the office, I lost track of actually running. I also thought of cross training all day, because I'll be honest, I haven't lifted a finger on the cross training spectrum. So really, I took a rest day, somewhat unjustified. This did NOT make the running gods happy.

Remember when I said that a run the day after a rest day isn't as bad as my mind makes it out to be? Yeah, I lied. WORST. RUN. EVER. TODAY.

First, it was raining. I don't even like walking in the rain, let alone jogging in it. The only thing I like doing in the rain is sitting inside on my couch listening to it in the background as I snuggle up with a fuzzy blanket, hot coffee, and a Meg Ryan movie. I hate the rain. But not only was it raining, it was windy. And I don't mean a light breeze; we're talking wind that knocked my full trash can over and flung my trash down to the end of the block. Wind so strong that my ear buds kept getting ripped out of my ears. I mean gusts of wind so big it didn't even feel like I was moving forward.

During the first mile (post half mile warm up), I had to stop out of pure frustration. I walked WAY more than I usually do, and I couldn't stop the loop in my head that said "This weather fucking sucks, I want to go home, I'm miserable." It SUCKED.
Luckily (and I say luckily because I was certain I was going to give up and walk home), the second half was much better - weather wise. Jogging through the neighborhood there was less of a wind tunnel, and more rain blockage. However, by that point I had apparently already decided to half-ass it all the way home. Sloooooow jog that may have even been slower than my walking. Definitely didn't push myself.

Bottom line, I was not happy with my run today - Both with my performance and the awful weather. All I have to say is...It better not be fucking raining on Race Day.

Finding My Stride

I set out today for my three mile jog uncafinated and unmotivated. I chugged along slowly and somewhat lethargically, and was fairly certain I wasn't going to make this jog without several walking breaks. And right as I felt I wanted to give up and walk pretty much the rest of the way, I listened to my rhythm.

My feet made a steady base bump, my running jacket made a complimentary swoosh-swoosh, and my breathing kind of made a nice overlay of a melody. I listened for a little bit, as my Zune rapidly searched for the next song on my playlist.

Then a huge pollution creating truck rolled by and dirtied my air. I could taste the exhaust fumes. I stopped, spit, and walked.

I did my best to just chug along till I got home (only took one more walking break!). Walked in the house and checked the time. Double take! I was only out for 44 minutes? That means a less than fifteen minute mile!

Total distance: 3.45 miles
Total time: 44 minutes

You do the math :D

Weekend Recap

Saturday:
Long run day. About four steps in to my run I realized the daunting truth about the task I had chosen - Thirteen miles is very very far. And as my mind became cluttered with self doubt and questions, I breezed through the first half mile. It was a fairly good feeling rounding that first corner and suddenly thinking, "Hey, I'm not out of breath, and I don't feel like I'm going to throw up, and my legs don't really hurt, and, and, I've never done that before!" Okay, scratch that, it was an AWESOME feeling. I'm still chugging along with my 15 minute mile, taking walking breaks when my breath gets caught in my chest, but at least I'm out there doing it.

Sunday:
I had been avoiding telling my friends about this half marathon endeavour. Partly because I'm not sure all of them believe I'll follow through, thus providing doubt rather than support. Partly because I've been trying to avoid those that will hold me to this lofty goal, thus making me feel guilty if I do not succeed (through no fault of their own). But mainly because I'm not doing it for them, I'm doing it for me. Therefore I believe my motivation should come from me.

When I told my roommate, who also holds the title of Best Friend so I thought she deserved to be in on it, her "Good Luck" was delivered with a tone of a less than supportive nature. However I must give her credit for telling me that I had to run on Saturday. There was no "or else," I just had to.

Sunday was the day that I told a friend I had been avoiding telling like the plague. And her response was not what I expected, but also undesired: "Wow, you're making me feel really bad about myself right now. I've been training for almost a year, and I'm not doing mine till August. Now you're just going to whip one out in March." Um...thanks for the support? I chose to avoid the topic for the rest of the day.

Today marks the first day of my longer runs. I've been somewhat comfortably hovering at two miles during the week, pushing up to three miles on the weekends. This week, three miles is my standard. Which means...this is becoming a reality.

The Training Rundown

Some of you are probably thinking, "Casey! Training for a half marathon by MARCH? Are you insane?!" And my answer is, Yes. I absolutely am. However, my work best friend Syd has created a fairly intense yet seemingly accomplishable training schedule.
It breaks down to four days of running/jogging, and three days of rest or cross training.

During these first two weeks (I started Dec.27th), I've taken that word "rest" to the heart. Meaning I spend my off days virtually comatose on the couch catching up on the drama at the Jersey Shore. With this, I've noticed two things: 1.) I lose my motivation for the next morning, and thus feel as though I must drag my ass outside to run. And 2.) The run the day after a day off is not as hard as my unmotivated mind tries to make me believe. It's a bit of a battle.

Today was a run day. Two miles with a half mile warm-up walk. I did well, minimal walking breaks, steady pace, until the last quarter mile. Hol-y Sh-it. My legs burned, running muscles I didn't realize were running muscles were screaming at me to quit, and all I could do was think to myself "Home stretch, half marathon baby." It was relatively motivating, but still a battle.

On tomorrow's schedule? Three miles with a half mile warm-up walk. And then only a mere 10 more to go.

The Beginning of the End

Cryptic title, I know.

Okay: New name + New layout + New purpose = Improved Blog. Yes folks, that's right! I'm bringing you an improved, high powered, deadline driven, Super Blog.

Step one: Explain new name.
As my 25th birthday inches closer to me, I've become more aware that I am one quarter through this expedition we call life. And so for the next year, I'm going to document this milestone in the blogosphere.

Step two: Describe new purpose.
My last blog focused on my quest to find Zen. Which if I do say so myself, fizzled out faster than a cheap roadside firecracker three months after the 4th of July. SO, in order to make this blog work, I've refocused to the root of my problem: Being a perpetual project starter. My resolution for the year 2010, is to FINISH projects that I start. I will chose one project a month to focus on until I finish it. These include - but are not limited to - fitness improvement, dietary improvement, art/craft projects, writing adventures, and of course, producing a fantastic blog.

Here, I shall document my triumphs and pitfalls for the whole cyberworld to see. Here is a glimpse of my projects to be:

Jan - Begin training for a half marathon (slight cop-out because the marathon is in March, but I wanted to start small in order to feel like I accomplished something right off the bat)
Feb - Take on Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred
March - Run a half marathon AND Take on Jillian Michaels' "Making the Cut"
April - Write a screenplay

I have a few other projects in mind, but suggestions are always welcome!
That's all for right now my loyal readers, tomorrow I shall update you on my training schedule.