It's Always a Competition

Since deciding to take on running, my competitiveness has risen to a new level. I compare my pace and race times with all other runners I know. I don't particularly feel like this type of behavior is healthy, but I can't help it. Perhaps being competitive is what gives me fuel to keep going?

Little Time to Post

I have had very little time to post in the past few weeks. I am orchestrating a move from the US to the UK, and blogging became a secondary priority.

My training has also been affected by my move. I have luckily managed to fit decent runs here and there and maintained my overall fitness level, but I really need to up my training again. I am taking myself through a real test tomorrow as I attempt to do my long run on a Monday (7 miles, hopefully).

One thing I have also tried to do is Pilates. This has helped my ability and willingness to run tremendously. I highly recommend it. Building core strength just makes everything go a lot smoother...:)

I am currently in an in-between stage of my move. I am in Brazil an then headed to Amsterdam and Portugal. This will surely give me the chance to spice up my running with new routes and some sightseeing along the way.

In Amsterdam, for instance, I am planning on doing taking a running tour:
Tourist Run Amsterdam. I'll definitely let you know how it goes.

I hope training is going well for everyone out there! Keep on running!

Best Running Songs...

When I feel like I can't run any further, two songs really do the trick for me. One of them is, not surprisingly, Eye of the Tiger! The other one is Tell Me No by Whitney Houston. It's impressive what listening to these songs can do to my motivation. I am going to try putting these songs in a loop and running to them. :)

Training is going OK. Some good days, some not so good days. The next race that I have my eye on is London's Run to the Beat Half-Marathon (Run to the Beat). Seems like loads of fun.

An Emotional "Non-Runner"

I often describe myself as an emotional eater. If I am sad, I like to treat myself to sweets. If I am stressed, nothing makes me feel better like chips and soda. If I am worried, french fries will do it. Relating emotions to food has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, and I go through a daily battle against these urges. Despite my weaknesses, I have gotten relatively good at managing what I eat (meaning - it could be a lot worse).

I am now confronted with the reality that I am also an emotional non-runner. If anything is making me feel a little worse than great, I freeze. I can't run. I feel pains I haven't felt in months, and I run out of breath and feel anxious. I also convince myself that my fatigue won't let me focus...worst of all, I give up.

Just like I learned to control what I eat, I need to learn how to overcome my emotional ups and downs so that I can be more consistent when training. This week I logged 10 miles when I was supposed to log 15. This feels like failure...My training sheet tells me I have to run 7 miles today, so I am going to have to get out there and just get it done.

I am about to get my running gear on and go out the door. I only hope I can figure this out before it starts impacting my fitness level and progress.

Good Weekend, Tough Monday

This past weekend I went to Rhode Island for my friend's graduation from RISD (Rhode Island School of Design). Being away impacted my training a bit, and I did not get to run on Saturday or Sunday. I know, this should never be an excuse not to run...but oh well. Graduations are important, and I didn't have much time available to hang out with my friend and her family. A smart runner also knows when to reschedule his/her training sessions. Right? :)

On a side note, the RISD commencement was definitely creative. People modified their traditional caps and gowns, and most graduating folks looked very unique. I felt a little out of place and dull, to be honest, but I had a good time. At the end of the ceremony, the graduates interrupted the Dean's final words to perform a choreographed dance to "Jai Ho" (the Slumdog Millionaire theme song). It was pretty amazing. Here's a link of the dance, if you are curious...



Anyhow - back to running...I got back yesterday and knew today was going to be a "make up for a lazy weekend kind of day." I got up early and procrastinated with other things until about 4:30 PM. Then, out the door I went. I ran a solid 7 miles at a 10 min/mile pace. Despite accomplishing what I set out to do, I felt sick to my stomach afterwards. I wasn't feeling motivated, and it was hard to keep going. Days like today are hard. You kind of start questioning your progress and feeling down. I wish every running day was always better than the previous running day, but that's just not realistic.

I am glad I have a training plan figured out that keeps me on track, however. If I didn't have this piece of paper telling me that I have to run a certain number of miles per day/per week, I'd probably give up a lot easier. If you don't have one, you should definitely create one. If there's anyone out there reading these posts, below is the link to the site I used to build my training plan:
Runner's World Smart Coach

Good luck to us all! Tomorrow is easy run day, so I am feeling lucky already!

Turning a Corner? Hopefully...

I had another decent training day yesterday (by my standards :)). I ran 5 miles in 47 minutes and felt great! Then, I took a spinning class at the gym, which was a bit of a struggle. My quads weren't very happy with my decision, so I tried to take it a little easier than I normally would. Still a workout, I think...

I finally feel like I am making steady progress with my running - after 1 year and 2 months of training pretty much every other day, my endurance is better and ... dare I say...my speed too. I feel more motivated, and I hope to continue moving forward. I finally found an activity that I love, and I am excited.

I have to admit that sometimes I get a little down about the fact that I will never be amazing or as good as some of the people around me, but I am learning not to compare myself with others. In 14 months, I went from not being able to run 2 minutes to running a 10-mile race without stopping. That's gotta be seen as a victory.

Today is cross-training day - my least favorite...I think I will take Pilates and maybe...if I am feeling adventurous...a Body Step class. I am not super coordinated, so this may not happen. No guarantees. :op

Hooray!

I am so excited to share that I met my 5K goal on Sunday! I ran a race in Downingtown, PA and finished in 28:56!!! My goal was to finish under 30:00 minutes, and I can hardly believe that I beat my goal by > 1 minute. While I am still considered a "slow runner," I feel awesome!!! :)

Now I have to go back to my training schedule. I ran 3 miles instead of 6 on Sunday (due to the race), so I am probably going to try to make up for that loss today. I am supposed to do 2 miles on easy, so I'll tack on 3 to that and run 5. Shouldn't be terrible, but considering I am on a diet, I may feel sluggish and grumpy after running.

Anyhow - keep up the good work everyone. We can all do this!