That's the number of steps I did today! I blame it all on my rekindled love of the elliptical and an unending basketball game. Really, Virginia Tech needs to work on their Free Throws! :)
Tonight's post is going to be short because it's already 10:30 and I need to get up extra early.
I kicked some butt today. I did my regular treadmill run - 30 mins Then I got on the elliptical for about 45 minutes.
I met my calorie burn goal, my step goal, and my exercise time goal. Pretty good day I'd say. But now I'm understandingly tired.
1:33:22 Whew! I did it. My plan was to walk for a song then run for a song. I pretty much held to that. I couldn't run up the hill, heading to halfway(home), so I missed a song there and during the second 5k sometimes I couldn't run for the whole song, but I did as much as I could, and I ran to the finish. I'm happy and then I saw my time! Woohoo! Right about where I had hoped it would be. I stopped for a drink 4 times, 3 water and my gatorade, but those stops were less than 20 seconds each (I don't know exact times- probably even less). What I thought was really cool is that there was another girl running the same thing down in the park. We passed by each other several times and her dad (assumingly, he was running with her) offered me some words of encouragement too. It was such an energy boost to see someone else running the same race. A few things a little on the negative side: This shirt is totally not comfortable, perhaps if I had bought the right size I would have liked it better. But I wore it- proudly. If I never run another 10k, I'd be ok with that. It's a long race (of course I made it even longer by walking a lot) but still I think 5k is definitely my race. Of course if they offer this race again, I'll probably do it, but I don't think I'd do any other 10k. My race:
As of 11:00 this morning (my time) I'm ranked 8398th. I'll take it :)
Sorta. I can't believe summer is over! These past two weeks have been crazy. Boring- but crazy, if that's possible. I spent most of last week at school. We had summer school in the morning, then I stayed late to set up computers. I have been running- every now and then. This one is from August 17
This one is from August 23
And this one is from tonight:
Today was rainy and humid, but I really wanted to run. That 10k is on Sunday. Am I ready? No! Am I going to do it anyway? Hell, yeah! On Sunday night - in my sleep- I managed to scratch a mosquito bite and in the process tore off quite a bit of skin on my foot. So I was out of commission most of this week. Today I decided to try running- it was fine. I went for 5k instead of my usual just 30 minutes. I'm trying to plan out how to do my 10k and figured I better go a little further to get ready :)
School has been different. There are kids there, but I haven't really been able to interact with them too much - that makes me sad. I miss my classroom. I've had some issues of when I get home I have nothing to do and I'm bored. So I decided while I was running tonight, that I'll come home and dedicate myself to working out. I have no excuses- it will keep me occupied, plus I've heard it has great side effects lol.
In other news, the golf guy and I are... well I don't know. Lately just hanging out on the golf course and on the weekends. I don't mind. I'll take what time I can get, he's been exhausted from his new job. We'll see how things go tomorrow - it's our last day of golf. :(
Well I'll talk to you all soon. (sooner than recently) I promise!!!
I FINALLY ADDED MY PICS FROM THE CONCERT. CHECK THEM OUT IN THE POST BELOW :) Isn't Bob cute??
It really looks like it should.. you can see my 2 4min runs and the 2 min in the middle :) Perhaps you would like to see my mishmash of varied musical tastes.. here's today's playlist:
Jump -Van Halen
Learning to Fly - Tom Petty
Save Tonight - Eagle Eye Cherry
One Tin Soldier- Me First and the Gimme Gimmes
Maybe Baby- Buddy Holly
Fun, Fun, Fun - Beach Boys
Picture Perfect- Michael W. Smith
You Get What You Give - New Radicals
See You Again- Miley Cyrus
Oh.. you wanted to know why I was so happy? Well.. I'll get to that... lol. OK, well if you remember about a week ago I mentioned that there were a few guys that I was interested in.
Well.. in a nutshell, I think one might be interested back.
Here's the story - It all started last Tuesday I went to the "In Between Lounge" again - in hopes of seeing the cute kid from the week before. Instead I met a completely drunk guy from Dayton. He was nice, kinda cute, but well.. drunk. I was kinda glad when my friend Andy finally arrived. I was talking to him (Andy) about a few of the guys I was interested in (Andy is not one of them), so we were discussing this guy from my golf league. Andy told me that if I invited him (golf) to the bar next week, Andy would do Karaoke. Hee hee. Andy gave me some pointers on what I could say, etc.
So as golfing arrived on Friday I was a ball of nerves. I got to golf with this guy again and go figure, I was too nervous - I've golfed with him virtually EVERY week with no problem - now today I'm nervous?? Anyway, he was having a bad golfing day too. And of course the whole time I'm golfing I'm trying to figure out how to invite him to the bar. Finally on the 7th hole I got an idea. I bet him drinks that I could beat him on the last two holes. HE AGREED! So this means, even if I play horribly, I'll still get him to the bar =)
We tied the first hole, then I fell apart- kinda. I had two HORRIBLE shots. He beat me by 1. (I won overall though, 47 to 49) So I was pretty happy. Our league has a little cookout after we play and we all sit around and talk. I try to be social with everyone, but this guy and Joe (yes, I'm purposely not using his name) seem to captivate my attention most. They tell the best stories and I love just sitting and listening. Last night was no different - they were sharing stories of their juvenile mischief making. (some happening just a few years ago!)
So as we were leaving, we started discussing plans for Tuesday. So I gave him my phone number. :) Then he asked if I watch movies, and if I was doing anything THIS WEEKEND. (of course I'm not!) So he said he'd call. When he got home last night. We kept talking in the parking lot. About movies, music, cell phones, etc. (soon we were the only ones left) And sure enough he called last night. We talked for over an hour- about all kinds of stuff. We have even more in common than I thought. He's supposed to call me this evening and perhaps we will watch a movie or something tonight.
So there you have it. That's why I have such a huge smile (but I'm going to make it a little smaller now- only because it takes up so much room) my actual smile has not faded by a long shot.
I do have a few small hiccups/concerns that I'm trying to deal with- the biggest of which is he smokes. I don't know if it's just a golf thing, or all the time. Like I said I'm trying to figure out this stuff, like does that out-weigh all the things we have in common, etc. The other much more minor issue, I think, is I think he's at least 5 years older than me. But that's ok right?
MY biggest issue is to just RELAX, enjoy whatever this is, not rush things, not push things, JUST ENJOY.
I was feeling enthusiastic - or more likely I convinced myself I would like the way I felt after I ran, so I set my alarm and got up at 6:00. (I had to be at the golf course at 8, so I had just enough time for my 30 minute run). I have to admit that it didn't feel as "great" as the last one, but I did it, I survived and was glad I did!
This morning's run: (the big dip is where I stopped for water at the water fountain)
On my way out of the park on my way home I thought I saw a dog coming toward me across a lawn, before my brain properly registered it, I saw an even bigger one taking a few steps toward me. It was then I realized it was a doe and her fawn (a cute one too, with her white dots) I slowly moved to the other side of the road and the deer quietly went back to their grazing, although the mom kept checking on me as I went by. :)
At the course today I worked an outting, one that Kelly Pavlik sponsored actually that benefits the Akron Children's Hospital. There were over 150 people golfing. It was a nice day. I was a bit tired by the time I got to my evening league, so I rode (not to mention we were playing the back nine which is WAY too hilly - although I'm sure Michelle would laugh at "my hills" compared to hers. I had a good night. (see tomorrow's posts for more reasons why).
Another week spent at the golf course. I'm finding myself a bit overwhelmed by my new addiction to golf (it truly has become an addiction- I can't get enough) and my classes. Although my last class is done at the end of this week. Which means lots of time spent on the computer this week. I went running this morning. I'm still working on my "week 1" but I did pretty well. The running part is getting easier. I'd like to think my miles and miles of walking the golf course helps a little too! Here's today's run:
The program has me walk for 10 minutes, run 2, walk 2, run 2, walk 2, run 2, walk 10. Can you see that in my graphic? ;)
Well we are having a retirement party for my Dad today, so I better get back to helping set up.
First things first. I've been without internet for the past 2 days.. AHHH. But it appears to be at least pseudo-fixed. YAY. Thursday I golfed 9 holes, then played a 9-hole scramble. Our scramble won! YAY. We finished 3 under. Yesterday I spent the morning at the golf course then went out and golfed. I did well. I shot a 42, with several GREAT par saves and a birdie. It was a fun night. I've been listening to some great podcasts(GolfSmarter.com) - if you are a golfer you should really check them out.
-- so I lost connection mid message-- BLAH! (But I kept writing, in case it came back on)
I'm learning a lot and finding out about a bunch of books I'd love to read. I also bought a few books about running - Sole Sisters (I've read 3 stories so far- Wendy was right. This is definitely a must read for EVERY runner! I also bought a Women's Running books that has a lot about training and equipment and mentality and racing, just kind of an all in one book. So it is after reading through some of this that I am going to start over in my running training. (especially considering everything I've done has been my own creation- and I don't know anything - lol.) So I'm going to use the beginning guide in the book. Instead of trying to go a full 5k everytime, I'm going to work on building up to running for 30 minutes straight. Now I have to see if my ipod will help me with this. I don't wear a watch, so I may have to change my "running increments" into number of songs rather than minutes. The suggested running plan is as follows: Each workout should add up to 30 minutes and should be done 3-5 days a week. Week 1: Walk 10min, Run/walk 10min (running segments 2 min), Walk 10 min Week 2: Walk 8mins, Run/walk 14min (run 4 min segs.), Walk 8 min Week 3: Walk 5mins, Run/Walk 20min (run 6 min segs), Walk 5min Week 4: Walk few mins, Run 7 min, recover, Run 7 min, Walk to end. (build 7 mins to 10 mins by end of week) Week 5: Walk 3 mins, run 12 mins, Walk 3, Run 12 - build run to 15. Week 6: Walk 5 run, run 20, walk 5- increasing run to 30 over week.
Well in terms of songs, I will make a playlist that is very close to these times. I think I like being motivated by song changes rather than watching a clock. In fact, right now I'm going to go over (to the other computer) and make the playlists. I'll post them when I've finished making them. 6 weeks from today will be August 23, which will give me one more week before the 10k. My plan will be to run 5k (or at least 30 minutes) and walk the rest.
Well - since I had no internet most of the day, I went out and tried my new playlists. I like it. It was hard (it was well into the 90s today) but I think I'll be more successful trying this training than on my own.
(The dip was where I had to jog in place before crossing the street.)
Depending on my internet.. I'll be checking back in soon :)
Tagging is easy. Just copy the following onto your post. The rules of the game are posted at the start of your blog post. In this case, I'm asking you 5 questions about running. Each player answers the 5 questions on their own blog. At the end of your post you tag 5 other people and post their names. Go to their blogs and leave a comment on their blogs telling them they've been tagged and to look at your blog for details. When they've answered the questions on their own blog, they come back to yours to tell you. Got that? This was copied from Michelle, the only person I know with a blog.
1. How would you describe your running 10 years ago? 10 years ago, I didn't even think about running. I am a short, large busted woman. Even when I was not terribly overweight, the idea of me running was a joke. I tried a few times but it hurt. (part of that I now realize may have been because I didn't wear sports bras - but it's really hard to find them in my size) Seriously, 10 years ago, I "walked" for fitness, but the idea that I could run never even entered my head.
2. What is your best/worst running experience? As of today I haven't had very many running experiences period. I can remember being in elementary school and chasing the boys around the playground. I remember I was fast, quicker than them. I remember running before gym class in middle school and crashing into a wall. OUCH! But perhaps my worst running experience happened when I was in 7th grade. We were MADE to participate in Olympic Day. I remember being able to run when I was younger, but didn't realize how out of shape I really was. I was supposed to run the 50 yard dash, the shortest of the possible races. I came in DEAD LAST. I was mortified. I blamed it on the gravel track we were running on, I had no traction whatsoever. It was just very embarrassing - I was teased enough as it was, and now I had just waddled 50yards and came in last. I guess it was at that point that I came to the conclusion, "I just wasn't built for running." This is a picture of me around that time.
3. Why do you run? In three words - Because I can! Now that I know it is possible for me to run, I love the feeling of running. I feel athletic, it makes me feel normal. I feel like I am BEING the person on the outside that I feel on the inside. I love the rush that comes from sprinting (which I do sparingly - until I'm in better shape) I can't explain the way it feels, running full force, the wind hitting me, as the ground rushes past underneath me. In a less whimsical answer- I run to lose weight. I still have at least 50 pounds to go and running feels like a good workout and I've read that it's one of the BEST ways to exercise. 4. What is the best or worst piece of running advice that you've been given about running? I don't know that I've really been given any advice on the matter. I guess to answer the question I would have to refer to my personal trainer who convinced me that I COULD RUN and that it was ok to start out slow and build my way up.
5. Tell us something surprising about yourself that not many people would know. Something surprising about me? Hmmm.. Something I learned- the hard way, running shoes hurt to walk in, it adds a little motivation to run more on my journeys. I guess really, most people wouldn't know that the person I am on the inside is vastly different from what I portray on the outside- although I am working on that. I see myself so differently from how I think others see me. It's one of the challenges of making this transformation while being surrounded by people who only know the old me- and expect me to BE the old me. I have an image in my head of who I want to be and how I want to be. I'm making changes... some progress.. but still have a long way to go.
I know I'm supposed to tag a bunch of people and tell them to come read this or something - but as I posted at the beginning- I don't know anyone besides Michelle. Hopefully through her I can meet some new people.
