Updates…

I have been neglecting this blog lately…my apologies.  I just realized that I never gave a post-race update (from my first 5K)! Note: It was April 9th.

Geesh…where is my head!!

I was a bag of nerves on race day!  No one was able to come see me race, so I knew…no one…which made the nerves worse.  Oh, and the race was simply advertised as a 5K.  No where…NO WHERE did it say 5K TRAIL RACE! LOL  Yep, 3.1 miles of grueling up & down steep hills…mud, dirt, rocks…you name it…it was there!  So, I was completely exhausted halfway into it. So, I began to walk/run…my strategy at that point was simply survival! So, I walked uphill, and ran downhill.

That worked out okay, because I did not finish last (and that was my only goal for that race).  I did learn a few things though…Lesson 1-explore the area where the race is going to be held if you are unfamiliar with it.  Lesson 2-I must be in much better shape before my first INTENTIONAL trail race! lol

So, my first 5K was a trail run…unplanned…but i did it.

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I set a PR yesterday morning! I ran 5.56 miles! The time was horrible, but the distance was what mattered! Before yesterday, a 5K was my longest distance. I’m making progress!! 🙂

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On the weight loss front: I’ve now lost a total of 51lbs! 😀

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Thanks to a friend on Dailymile.com I found out about The Jelly Bean Virtual 5K going on this week! I found out just in time too! I just have to complete it & post my time before the 26th. Cool beans! LOL 😉  Now, to decide if I’m going to do this in the morning, or Saturday morning. Decisions…decisions…perhaps I’ll do it twice, and post my best time? LOL Nah, I wouldn’t do that…I dont even think I could run a 5K two days in a row! LOL

I’m on Dailymile.com now too! Check me out! Add me as a friend on there if you are on it.

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I plan on going on a long hike sometime this weekend. I had planned on going in the morning, but then came a torrential downpour, and now I’m thinking that those dirt trails are going to be mud pits…and uh…I dunno about that. Perhaps not tomorrow. lol

Although, last Saturday I hiked over five miles and thoroughly enjoyed myself!

Long overdue update

I have been quite busy with school, and training for my upcoming 5K.  My first 5K is this Saturday!! Today, I did 3.03 miles…only walked ~.35 miles of that. So, I am almost ready! I’m so excited! I never EVER thought I would love running like I do! This is such a huge change for me.

Besides running 3-4 days a week, I lift weights every Tuesday & Thursday.  I also supplement my running with some walking & some quality elliptical machine (cross training program) time.  I think I’m rounding it all out okay…

My weight loss has been slow but steady. I’m going to weigh again tomorrow morning to see where I’m at.

 

Back to my run this morning…I never expected that this morning would be a PR for me.  I had a very hard time waking up this morning…I slept very hard…so hard, I had bags underneath my eyes. lol  I stumbled around…got dressed…got my child off to school…drank a cup of coffee…then headed out to workout. It went so much better than I expected!  Perhaps I should sleep hard more often. lol

I’m still eating Paleo. Had an organic two egg, coconut milk omelet this morning once I got home.  I munched on a couple of banana chips during my run…just enough carbs to get me through.

My shower never felt so good this morning! lol

Progress

Today, I worked out twice! Yes, twice! My morning workout was with my training buddy, and we briskly walked some hilly trails at the local park. I jogged a couple of stretches, but the humidity this morning was just atrocious, and I couldn’t carry on with the jogging, because my breathing was so labored.

After studying a while at school, I decided to give it a go one more time at the indoor track on campus. Well, this was a huge difference! I can almost jog the entire track without stopping! I did some seriously long intervals where it was mostly jogging, and little recovery walks. I even threw in some hard sprints for good measure since I was feeling so good.

Progress is nice…

Monday among the graves

My training partner is back in town, YAY! 🙂 So, she met me at the cemetery, and we mostly walked. My calves decided that they were not fully recovered from Saturday’s extended workout, so I could not give it 100% this morning. Although, we did sprint up a few hills. All in all, I believe we walked around 4 miles. I say “believed”, because I have to go by feel (and compare to a measured trail in another town) until I get a pedometer.

My calves are angry with me now, but when I woke up this morning they were not sore at all. Goes to show me! lol

I plan on doing trails tomorrow, so hopefully they feel up to it.