January has come and gone so quickly!!! Overall, I am happy with the way it turned out, although I wish I could have hit the 100 mile mark this month. I was on track to do so, but then my hamstring began acting up again. It got so bad that I couldn't even run across the street or walk quickly without it being very painful, let alone run on it. So I came in at 81 miles. Not so bad given the fact that I had a few injuries to contend with this month. I am just hoping that the injuries are behind me now and I can continue to run regularly throughout the next few months. It has felt so good to run more consistently this last month. It really does have such an impact on my mood. One the days I run before work, I find that I have much more patience and energy overall. "Life is good" after a good run.
Due to my injuries, I did not participate in a race, so I have already failed at my #1) New Year's resolution, participating in a race a month. Perhaps if I run 2 races in an upcoming month, I can redeem myself. After all, if they are my resolutions (and I wrote them), can't I make the rules on what qualifies as achieving them?
Resolution #2) Only 1119 miles to go! (yikes!)
Resolution #3) Kelly Ripa's arms, buns of steel, and a strong core- Cross training has been a little slow. I REALLY love my physique 57 videos, but I haven't been doing them as often as I want to this month, mostly due to time constraints. However, tomorrow starts Fabulous Abs Month-so I should get a boost on resolution #3, especially if i try to incorporate some push-ups with my daily abs workout.
Resolution #4) 12 books in 12 months- I am really enjoying my January pick, Crashing through, and I am almost done- only 40 pages left, so I hope to finish by tomorrow! Again, time constraints (and maybe too much reading of other people's blogs at night) has left me alittle behind schedule. I think I already know what my February pick is going to be - it is the month of love :-) - so it is going to have to be a romance!
Resolution #5) Live, Love, Laugh-Despite falling off the wagon one weekend by pigging out, not exercising much, watching way too much of "Keeping up with the Kardashians", and feeling sorry for myself, I think I am doing pretty well on this one. Being injured, some lows in my personal life, and the cold of winter has made it hard at times, but the coverage on TV of the devastation in Haiti this month has also made it a lot easier to be oh so thankful for what I've got!
Summary: 81 miles of running
10 miles on elliptical
6 core/arm/glut strengthening sessions
This evening, as I sit hear watching/listening to the Grammys, I am so grateful for the power of music: for: how it makes me feel, how it makes me run longer and faster, how it keeps me from becoming completely bored when I am on the elliptical, and, most importantly, how it can unite the world and help it to heal.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Nothing like a good run to make you "snap out of it!"
How come it is that I always seem to forget how good a run can feel, and even more importantly, how a good run can instantly snap you out of an emotional rut?
Every single time this happens, I seem to have an "Aha moment". The only problem is that I always seem to forget this new revelation when I need it the most! Lately there have been some road blocks in my personal life, and, although, I have been trying to stay optimistic and not let things spoil my new, improved "good outlook on life" attitude I have been sporting lately, things finally got the best of me.
I found myself moping around all day yesterday, and I just couldn't get myself motivated enough to get outside and go for a run. Yet, had I just got out there and done it, I could have probably salvage the rest of my day. Instead, I just laid around in my PJs all day, eating crap, and watching "Keeping up with the "Kardashians" reruns. I found myself wishing I could be sharing my pint of phish food with the Kardashian girls as we hung out in their parents' living room together helping Bruce Jenner devise a plan that would help teach his wife, Chris, a lesson. Yes, you would think that at that moment I had, in fact, reached rock bottom, but, no, the night just got worse.
With a slice of pizza in hand, I found myself crying every time some actor thanked his/her significant other at the SAG awards last night. Then, I put myself in a worse mood by sitting there and thinking about how fat and out of shape I was getting, eating all this junk food, and not exercising over the last few days and then...... I reached for a brownie.
I continued to sit there wondering how I let myself waste my entire Saturday. I went to bed, vowing that I would get up and go for a run straight away tomorrow.
Well, I finally did go for a run, at about 11am. It took a lot of motivation to get out there, but once I started running, it felt O so good!!! I was only going to do one loop of the park, but I was feeling so good and just so happy to be out there that I tacked on some more miles for a total of a little more then 10 miles. I got home, ate a healthy breakfast/lunch, and had a productive and happy rest of the day.
Hopefully I finally learned my lesson this time around and next time I get in a bad mood and have a bad case of the blahs, I will JUST get my ass out the door!!! It really only took one mile of running to start noticing a change in my attitude. With every additional mile, I could feel my smile grow, and my outlook go from gloomy to good!
Every single time this happens, I seem to have an "Aha moment". The only problem is that I always seem to forget this new revelation when I need it the most! Lately there have been some road blocks in my personal life, and, although, I have been trying to stay optimistic and not let things spoil my new, improved "good outlook on life" attitude I have been sporting lately, things finally got the best of me.
I found myself moping around all day yesterday, and I just couldn't get myself motivated enough to get outside and go for a run. Yet, had I just got out there and done it, I could have probably salvage the rest of my day. Instead, I just laid around in my PJs all day, eating crap, and watching "Keeping up with the "Kardashians" reruns. I found myself wishing I could be sharing my pint of phish food with the Kardashian girls as we hung out in their parents' living room together helping Bruce Jenner devise a plan that would help teach his wife, Chris, a lesson. Yes, you would think that at that moment I had, in fact, reached rock bottom, but, no, the night just got worse.
With a slice of pizza in hand, I found myself crying every time some actor thanked his/her significant other at the SAG awards last night. Then, I put myself in a worse mood by sitting there and thinking about how fat and out of shape I was getting, eating all this junk food, and not exercising over the last few days and then...... I reached for a brownie.
I continued to sit there wondering how I let myself waste my entire Saturday. I went to bed, vowing that I would get up and go for a run straight away tomorrow.
Well, I finally did go for a run, at about 11am. It took a lot of motivation to get out there, but once I started running, it felt O so good!!! I was only going to do one loop of the park, but I was feeling so good and just so happy to be out there that I tacked on some more miles for a total of a little more then 10 miles. I got home, ate a healthy breakfast/lunch, and had a productive and happy rest of the day.
Hopefully I finally learned my lesson this time around and next time I get in a bad mood and have a bad case of the blahs, I will JUST get my ass out the door!!! It really only took one mile of running to start noticing a change in my attitude. With every additional mile, I could feel my smile grow, and my outlook go from gloomy to good!
Saturday, January 9, 2010
New Blog = New Injury?
What is going on here????? I got myself psyched up to maintain my goal of running 25 miles a week, getting up in the cold morning hours to run, to feel good and, I am not going to lie, to be able to change my YTD mileage status on my blog so people wouldn't judge me. I didn't want people to think I was like all those other people who crowd the gym every January 1st and maybe even 2nd, 3rd and 4th, only to not be seen again until next January 1st. Tuesday's morning run went well, despite the cold. I met a friend at 6:45 am and we ran the outer loop of the park together, totaling 8 miles. Good, I thought, I am back on track. We even made a date to do the same thing again on Thursday morning. We met at 6:45am as usual, started jogging, started chatting, and then ~3/4 miles into the jog (I say jog because we were just starting out, still making our way to the park, which involves alot of stop and go due to all the street crossings) BAM! Literally BAM! It felt like somebody had come from behind and stabbed me in the back of the thigh. It felt like a big cramp in my hamstrings that I just needed to gently work out. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. As we kept jogging it just kept getting worse, until, finally, I was forced to stop and walk (or should i say hobble) home 1 mile in the freezing cold-frustrated and worried. Worried, because, now would not be the time to have to stop running (if ever there is a good time), especially after splurging during the holidays and with things in my current relationship not going so well. I need running for both stress and chocolate control right now!! Anyway, I went to work worried, with a nagging tightness in my hamstrings. By the end of the night however, it was beginning to feel better. I was smart enough to take Friday off, I didn't want to make matters worse. I woke up this am, feeling pretty good, and pretty confident I would be able to make my way around the park. And I was good, until about mile 2 -1/2 when BAM!! Literally BAM! Out of nowhere the pain returned! The problem this time around was that I was on the other side of the park, pretty much screwed. Whichever route I was to take, it would require a long walk up a big hill and a very cold walk home. Instead, I somehow managed to continue running, given I didn't really have a choice, and as I continued the pain actually got alittle better instead of worse, so I just took it slowly and was able to complete my run, 1 mile short of my original plan. My leg was very tight about a 1/2 hour after the run but loosened up during the day as I was busy cleaning and running errands. It feels pretty tight right now though, as I sit on the couch, drinking a glass of wine, fooling myself into thinking that it will be all gone by the time I wake up tomorrow morning for a nice little run with a friend. I am keeping my fingers crossed!!! On a brighter note, I was able to complete a 30 minute Physique 57 arms and abs booster this afternoon (to help me get those Kelly Ripa arms I vowed to get this year!). So, I always have something I can do if this hamstring becomes stubborn, as they so often do!!
Mileage YTD: 20 miles
Happy moment of the day: completing my run and coming home to a yummy breakfast
Mileage YTD: 20 miles
Happy moment of the day: completing my run and coming home to a yummy breakfast
Monday, January 4, 2010
Do Over!
One of the main reasons I started this blog was to help me stay committed to my current running routine. I had been out of a consistent routine for almost an entire year due to a stubborn injury and then because my job had me out of the country/out of town for nearly 6 months. Just recently, however, i had gotten back into the flow of things, running 4 times a week and enjoying it. Running had become an enjoyable pastime for me again and i actually looked forward to getting back out on the road each morning.
Fast-forward to New Years Day - I started a new blog and apparently stopped running-WTF?
I know it has only been a few days - but I haven't missed a weekend run in i don't know how long. Granted, it was freezing here this weekend, but still, I had plenty of time to get myself together and go for a run....but I didn't. I could have made up for it this morning..... but I didn't.
So, tomorrow is the day. Tomorrow i will start executing my New Year's resolutions. Tomorrow, despite the weather....
I will be out there at 6:45am, braving the elements, just so i can come back and add some numbers to my current YTD, which stands at 5 miles, just like it did on 1/1/2010. I will also try to finalize my January race pick-which right now looks like it might be the Miami 1/2 marathon on 1/31/10. I did pick the next book i am going to read though! It is called Crashing through by Robert Kurson.
Well, I better get to bed so I can wake up and get a jump start on my New Year's resolutions!
Fast-forward to New Years Day - I started a new blog and apparently stopped running-WTF?
I know it has only been a few days - but I haven't missed a weekend run in i don't know how long. Granted, it was freezing here this weekend, but still, I had plenty of time to get myself together and go for a run....but I didn't. I could have made up for it this morning..... but I didn't.
So, tomorrow is the day. Tomorrow i will start executing my New Year's resolutions. Tomorrow, despite the weather....
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Well, I better get to bed so I can wake up and get a jump start on my New Year's resolutions!
Friday, January 1, 2010
New Year, New Blog!
Yikes! I've never "blogged" before, but I have been following my favorite bloggers (mostly runners) for well over 2 years now and thought maybe I should give it a try. I thought it would be:
1) a good way for me to write down my goals and be held accountable for them
2) a good way to keep track of my weekly mileage, which in turn would help to push me out the door into the bitter cold on mornings when I didn't feel like running, knowing i had to come home and post my mileage
3) a good way to keep a "gratitude journal" of sorts and create a place I could come back to and review/remember the good, the bad, and the ugly over the year.
Sooooo, what better day to start, then January 1st!
Here are some of my goals for 2010:
1) Return of the "race of the month" club - pretty self-explanatory, one race a month, preferably something fun, and outside the city (better schwag and less runners taking themselves too seriously!)
2) 1200 miles in 2010 - pretty low mileage for some of you- but I come from the "quality vs. quantity" school of thought especially being in the profession that i am in and seeing overuse injuries everyday. Don't get me wrong, I do believe as Danny Dreyer states in his book, Chi Running, that running is a natural movement and that it is not running that creates injuries, but poor running form and biomechanics that sidelines most runners. However, until I take the time to strengthen my right glut until it is equal to my left, and to strengthen my core muscles so that they can trully function as the powerhouse they were meant to be , I am going to stick to ~ 25 miles a week. Hmmm.. I just felt another goal come on.
3) Create buns of steel, a mighty core, and, heck while I am at it, how about Kelly Ripa's arms! (This right here, folks, is why most new years resolutions last only an average of 5 days )
4) Read 12 books in 12 months - self-explanatory and hopefully easy enough to accomplish
5) Live, Love, Laugh Everyday and be grateful for what I've got. Unfortunately, I know too many people who are dealing with a sick child, husband, or parent right now. I am so very lucky for everything and everyone i have in my life right now- just need to take the time to remind myself of that every now and then.
Well, I think I am off to a good start. Hopefully, I can keep to these goals and to writing my blog for longer then 5 days!!
Cheers to my guy for taking the plunge at Coney Island this AM as part of the Polar Bear Club.
Happy Moment: Running the boardwalk at Coney Island with friends after the fun and festivities of the annual New Years Day swim.
Mileage YTD: 5
1) a good way for me to write down my goals and be held accountable for them
2) a good way to keep track of my weekly mileage, which in turn would help to push me out the door into the bitter cold on mornings when I didn't feel like running, knowing i had to come home and post my mileage
3) a good way to keep a "gratitude journal" of sorts and create a place I could come back to and review/remember the good, the bad, and the ugly over the year.
Sooooo, what better day to start, then January 1st!
Here are some of my goals for 2010:
1) Return of the "race of the month" club - pretty self-explanatory, one race a month, preferably something fun, and outside the city (better schwag and less runners taking themselves too seriously!)
2) 1200 miles in 2010 - pretty low mileage for some of you- but I come from the "quality vs. quantity" school of thought especially being in the profession that i am in and seeing overuse injuries everyday. Don't get me wrong, I do believe as Danny Dreyer states in his book, Chi Running, that running is a natural movement and that it is not running that creates injuries, but poor running form and biomechanics that sidelines most runners. However, until I take the time to strengthen my right glut until it is equal to my left, and to strengthen my core muscles so that they can trully function as the powerhouse they were meant to be , I am going to stick to ~ 25 miles a week. Hmmm.. I just felt another goal come on.
3) Create buns of steel, a mighty core, and, heck while I am at it, how about Kelly Ripa's arms! (This right here, folks, is why most new years resolutions last only an average of 5 days )
4) Read 12 books in 12 months - self-explanatory and hopefully easy enough to accomplish
5) Live, Love, Laugh Everyday and be grateful for what I've got. Unfortunately, I know too many people who are dealing with a sick child, husband, or parent right now. I am so very lucky for everything and everyone i have in my life right now- just need to take the time to remind myself of that every now and then.
Well, I think I am off to a good start. Hopefully, I can keep to these goals and to writing my blog for longer then 5 days!!
Cheers to my guy for taking the plunge at Coney Island this AM as part of the Polar Bear Club.
Happy Moment: Running the boardwalk at Coney Island with friends after the fun and festivities of the annual New Years Day swim.
Mileage YTD: 5
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