Week 6 Day 2… barely.

Everyone is allowed to have a bad day once in a while, right?  I did not want to run yesterday.  I wanted to eat my weight in chocolate and sit on my fat butt.  (I really have been eating a lot of chocolate lately… along with an entire bag of Trader Joe's white cheddar puffs... and a couple margaritas. Ugh!)  I'm feeling really overwhelmed and unmotivated this week.  Let's contemplate why that might be:

It might be the beautiful sunny day cycling on Monday.  It was just a big ol' teaser for spring and Tuesday hit and it set in that it really IS only January.

It might be my girly cycle linked up with someone else's and it's that time of month.  And I was having a fat day.
 
It might be that I'm discouraged because a friend of mine commented that she's going to walk 16 miles in a couple weeks and thinks it's no big deal at all.  I mean, what the heck am I training for months for if anyone can just walk out their front door and not stop until they've walked more than a half marathon?

Or maybe it's Mercury in retrograde.

Anyway, who knows.  I just didn't want to run, but I wasn't about to give up on my training schedule.  Enough excuses, get it done!  So I compromised.  I average about 2.5 miles each time I run with my dog for 30 minutes in the morning.  So I decided I would run around my neighborhood for 1.5 miles after dropping my kids off for school/daycare.  And then I would run a mile on the treadmill in the afternoon when I met VK Sista' at the gym for "arm day".  So I had "Week 6 Day 2 Part 1" and "Week 6 Day 2 Part 2"on Strava.  It seemed so much less daunting to split it in half.  And I averaged around 11:30 pace for both.  I did not take any photos during either run… sorry... You're lucky I ran at all!

I went to yoga this morning and it was perfect.  I feel like I finally found a yoga instructor that I like in a time slot that works for me.  She was awesome.  I vowed to eat better today but so far that hasn't happened.  I had Special K chocolate almond cereal for breakfast AND lunch… and a couple (who am I kidding, a FEW) Trader Joe's dark chocolate peanut butter cups.  I've been using myfitnesspal because it links up with my garmin and holy cow do I eat more calories than I thought I did!  It's been trial and error the last week or so.  Some days I'm ahead and some days I'm so very behind.  I really need to get online and order a new AdvoCare herbal cleanse…. AFTER Super Bowl Sunday.  :)

Tomorrow is a 10K on a track with BFF.  I hope I feel more motivated tomorrow and I hope I can at least get a healthy dinner in.  I'm telling you right now though that I'd rather have Pad Thai and huge beer.

Week 6 Day 1 ~ Can't...run...legs...dead from cycling!

Yesterday was almost 70 degrees... in January... in Seattle!  It was absolutely beautiful.  In the past, when it's been unusually nice out, my first thought was to go down to some restaurant on the water and eat fish and chips.  I saw a lot of friends on facebook did that yesterday.  We used to do that all the time...  We'd go to Ivars at Coulon Beach Park, Salty's in Redondo beach, or Steamers at Titlow Park...etc.  Now when it gets nice the first thought I have is to go for a ride.  Why sit and eat while looking at the water when I can ride around the lake?  It's crazy to me how far I've come and how completely different I am from that lazy fat girl I used to be. 

Here's some photos from my ride with my Vanderkitten Sista' yesterday:

Vanderkitten Stickers!

A quick selfie before going over the I-90 Bridge

Me riding near Seward Park

VK Sista' at Sunset

Gorgeous sunset near Coulon Beach Park

 

We did a little over 30 miles on the lower Lake Washington Loop and included Mercer Island.  It smelled like summer.  Still can't believe it's January.  The husband went for a ride yesterday too.  He rode into work, worked for about an hour, and then decided it was too nice to be there. (Technically it was his day off anyway) So he rode around the entire lake, and then bonked at mile 75ish and stopped at a Subway.  I picked him up at mile 84.  Can't believe he almost did a century yesterday.  Proud of him!

Anyway, that brings me to today.  Just a 30 minute run around my neighborhood with my dog and my legs were DEAD.  It was like trying to pick up logs, they felt so heavy.  After a 5K on Sunday and 31 miles on my bike yesterday... running was just not going to work.  My pace was 13:33.  I'm lucky I even went that fast.  VK Sista' and I are skipping our gym workout this afternoon and going to yoga tonight instead.  That sounds fantastic.  Can't wait!

Week 5 Day 3 ~5K on a track

I decided I wanted to try to run my 3 miles alone on a track today.  No dog, no friends, just me and my music.  (Sometime I need to post my playlist.  Good music is sooooo important for running!)  I thought a track would be the perfect place to see how fast I could go.  I went down to the high school track because I thought it would be nice and squishy but there was a soccer game going on so I tried the middle school.  There's a track, and it's flat, but it's made of packed gravel...

Well, better than nothing.  There was one other guy out there jogging and he said, "Good morning!" as he passed by when I was getting my jacket, phone, headphones, and watch ready.  By the time I was ready, he was halfway across the track and I decided it would be my goal to try to lap him.  So, off I went.  I totally lapped him… twice!  I also lapped another girl who showed up halfway through!  I ran for 2 miles without stopping and then I grabbed my water and power-walked a lap.  (Each lap was about .23 of a mile according to my watch.)  Then I ran the rest of the last mile.  My goal was to finish my 5K in 34 minutes because I THINK that was my fastest 5K time to date at the Fiesta 5K Ole last year but VK Sista' swears it was 35 something.  Well, I ended up finishing 3.1 miles in 35:29.  11:48 pace.  So, not quite as fast as I wanted but pretty darn close!  I was super excited!  It's fun to think that I just do quick and easy 5K's on the weekends when a 5K used to seem like a REALLY long way!  I remember my husband was making fun of me last year when I said I wanted to sign up for a 5K a month.  He thought I was crazy.  Ha!  Look how far I've come in less than a year!  :)

After run selfie

Week 5 Day 2 ~People watching at the gym

My 30 minute run on Thursday was pretty uneventful.  Met VK Sista' at the gym and did my time on the "dreadmill".  A pretty easy 12:25 pace.  And then...leg day!  (Ouch my hamstrings are still killing me from dead lifts!)

What made this gym visit entertaining was the people watching.  We've been going twice a week to strength train for about a month now and we see a lot of the same characters.  Some of them we've even named.  However, Thursday must have been a full moon or something because the gym was full of crazies.  

Take this guy for example....

My 30 minute run went by so fast because of the show he was putting on in front of us.  He was using the calf raise machine in the weirdest ways.  He'd stand under it to do bicep curls, and then hang off of it for a while, then he punched it like a punching bag. (Seen in this blurry pic from my treadmill.)

And then there's this girl we call "our best friend".  She wears almost nothing (having pants on was a first!). She lifts weights, does a "look at me, I'm so hot" lap around the gym, then lifts again, repeat.  Thursday she was doing these really bazaar push-ups off the bench using a pull down bar in front of her on the floor.  I mean, more power to her, she looks great... But she's crazy. 

A few other honorable mentions not pictured (I'll catch them sometime!):

The girl we see on the stationary bike everytime we come that peddles for like an hour on the highest intensity setting and looks like she's going to give herself a hernia.  

And there's another girl with huge poofy hair who works out on the oblique machine with jean shorts and a sequined top.  

And a couple of guys in jeans and giant work boots who like to hang out on the leg press machine.  

:)

I wonder if we're getting made fun of in someone else's blog?

Week 5 Day 1… with a summary of my first month of training!

Just a usual morning neighborhood jog with my dog.  She actually did fantastic!  Maybe she's actually starting to get this whole running concept!  AND I tied my headphones into my hair again so they didn't tug on my ears….

                                     

I'm a genius I tell you!  I should put this on Pinterest or something!  Saves me from wanting to rip them in half and buy a new pair.  AND it was a beautiful sunny morning.  Dare I say it was actually an ENJOYABLE run?  And I had my fastest mile since I started my half marathon schedule: 10:48!  Too bad I had to walk after that.  Ha.  My pace was the same as it was when I just leisurely jogged along the whole 30 minutes last week.  

Other than that, not much to report.  Went to the gym with Vanderkitten Sista' yesterday afternoon, and tomorrow is Week 5 Day 2 but it's supposed to rain so I'll probably do it on the treadmill when I meet her at the gym tomorrow.  

OH!  I remember what I was going to do!  Since I'm on month 2 now and super proud of myself for not skipping a day, I thought I'd post all my stats from month 1….kind of a summary so far so I can compare these numbers next month:

Week 1 Day 1: 30 minutes run on my treadmill.  Pre-Garmin so I don't know my stats.  :)

Week 1 Day 2: 30 minutes on the elliptical on Christmas.

Week 1 Day 3: 2 miles with Athena. 27:07 minutes.  13:28 pace

Week 2 Day 1: 30 minutes on my bike trainer.

Week 2 Day 2: New Years Day 50 mile bike ride around Lake Washington

Week 2 Day 3: 4 miles with BFF.  57:53 minutes.  14:13 pace

Week 3 Day 1: 30 minute run 2.3 miles. 13:01 pace

Week 3 Day 2: 30 minute treadmill run. 2.6 miles. 11:33 pace

Week 3 Day 3: 20 mile bike ride AND 3 miles with VK Sista. 37:39 minutes 12:33 pace.

Week 4 Day 1: 30 minute run 2.5 miles. 11:56 pace

Week 4 Day 2: 30 minute treadmill run 2.5 miles 12:16 pace

Week 4 Day 3: 5.5 miles with Athena.  1:15:30. 13:44 pace

Week 4 Day 3 ~"Squirrel!!" (5.5 miles)

BFF was sick and Vanderkitten Sista' did way too much dancing the night before… so it was just me and my dog for a 5.5 mile run.  It was pouring outside (Thanks Seattle) but I didn't want to be on the boring treadmill that long.  I decided I wanted to run on Alki Beach.  It's flat, paved, and beautiful.  My husband had to swing by the Seattle Aquarium to pick up water for our saltwater tank so I told him to drop me off at Alki, get water, and when he came back he'd probably only be waiting for me for 15 minutes or so.

We drove down through West Seattle towards the beach and I kept seeing other crazy people out for a run in the rain.  I couldn't believe that I was about to be one of these crazy people… that I was THAT determined.  Up in the neighborhoods above Alki, we passed a fast guy with a hydration pack and I said, "That guy is extra hardcore.  He must be planning on running REALLY far today in the rain."

I got out of the car with my dog when I decided the view was pretty enough, walked her across the street, and stepped in a giant puddle.  I watched my husband drive away feeling the cold water seep into my sock, rain drops splattering my face, and thought, "Well, here we go."  I started my Garmin and took off down the beach past all those beach houses I wish I could afford.  The guy with the hydration pack passed me.  There was a lot more people out than I anticipated.  I spent the next two and a half miles or so yelling at my dog while she darted here and there as we passed people, other dogs, seagulls, bikes, cars…  (No squirrels even though that's what I named this post.  You've seen the movie Up, right?  That's what she's like... "Squirrel!")  She was driving me crazy.  I was so, so frustrated.  I wasn't able to enjoy the view because I had to watch for other people and dogs coming my way so I could avoid them so Athena wouldn't bark. (She sounds really scary when she barks even though she probably just wants to play.) "Heel Athena.  *breathe*  No!  Heel.  Hey!  No! *huffing and puffing* Athena!  Heel!  *breathe*  Heel!  Heel.  Heel!  Heel!"

My headphones were driving me crazy too.  (Yeah, I know, I still need to buy new headphones.)  I stopped and tied the back of my headphones into my ponytail.  That seemed to help the tugging but I was still pretty miserable, especially since my sock was still wet, and my knees were hurting which was a new thing for this run.  However the rain was starting to let up which was nice.  I was so done with the dog, I called my husband to tell him to get back asap, find me, and pick up the dog.

Around the 2.5 mile mark I started getting heart palpitations, and started getting freaked out about it.  I was getting them last year while cycling and since my sister has heart problems, I was hooked up to a holter monitor for a weekend and I was told they're relatively normal.  After having issues with anxiety and panic attacks, I figured out they're probably mostly related to stress… and this dog was definitely stressing me out.  I slowed to a walk, took some deep breaths, and focused on the ferries out on the water to calm down.  I started feeling better after probably half a mile so I started out on a jog again, watching every car coming around the corner hoping it was my husband to take Athena.  The guy with the hydration pack made rounds again and smiled and said, "Good morning!" when he passed me.  He must have known I needed a little extra encouragement.  I probably looked like hell.

So, maybe around the 3 mile mark, Athena finally got into a groove and stayed with me.  The rain stopped completely and I rounded the corner so I could see the Seattle skyline in front of me.  At mile 4, I saw my my husband in the car up ahead and I handed Athena off to him, grabbed a quick sip of water, and headed off on my own.  I was so excited that it was just me and my tunes again.  And I only had a mile and a half to go!  My husband took a couple pics of me running with Seattle in the background.  I'm finally smiling!

 

I made it all the way to the cycle shop at the end of Harbor Ave and I still had .4 of a mile to go so I turned around and headed back the other way.  I cannot believe that I just ran the entire length of Alki Beach and it still wasn't enough mileage.  The whole way I kept trying to focus on how far I've come rather than how far I still had to go.  At exactly 5.5 miles, I stopped my Garmin and walked back and forth a bit to catch my breath before hopping in the car.  I was so excited to be done.  Finished 5.5 miles in 1 hour and 15 minutes.  13:44 mile pace.  (Which was better than I thought with all the dog tugging, and walking!)  I want to do my next long run with BFF down at Alki.  No dogs this time though...  I'll work on training her on my 30 minute runs around my neighborhood but for now, the long runs are all mine.

Week 4 Day 2 ~ Super Kittens!

It was supposed to rain so I decided I'd do my 30 minutes on the treadmill when I met Vanderkitten Sista' at the gym in the afternoon.  Turns out it was gorgeous yesterday morning… but I already took a shower... so oh well.  I really didn't feel like going to the gym yesterday.  I was super tired and needed like 18 shots of coffee to function.  But, I sucked it up, sparked it up, and went anyway.  My treadmill time was pretty slow (12:16 pace)…. and I was trying really hard to be faster too!  It just was not happening.  Once time, I dropped my phone on the emergency stop button and I didn't want to screw up my pace time so I ran in place on a non-moving treadmill while I picked up my phone, put my earbud back in, and got it going again.  Hahahhaaaa.  Vanderkitten Sista' was laughing at me.  Yes, I am a huge dork.

After my run, Vanderkitten Sista' and I did a "strength training workout for cyclists" that another Vanderkitten had posted online.  I think we were both so tired that we were delirious and laughed the whole time.  Here's our Super Kitten selfie!!

I'm supposed to run 5.5 miles this Saturday but BFF is sick so either I'm doing it alone, or dragging Vanderkitten Sista' with me (or vice versa).  We shall see.  The weather is supposed to be terrible but I really don't want to be on the "dreadmill" for that long.  Yoga this morning, run tomorrow.  Still need coffee.