It's about time...

to get motivated again. The last couple of weeks have definitely been a struggle with training. About 3 weeks ago I had a fantastic week of running. I honestly never felt better about what I was doing, how I was running, and what I was working towards. I did every scheduled run I had plus strength training sessions and felt great. My Saturday long run was looming and I was looking forward to tackling 4 miles. My husband and I were headed to a college basketball game late morning so I knew I had to get myself up and put in 4 miles before we left because there was no way I was doing it when we got home.

My alarm went off at 8:00 that Saturday morning and I looked out to see the beginnings of a typical Michigan winter day, dreary, snowy and cold! I suited up and the dog and I took off. It was a tough run with the snow accumulation from the night before and the ice that the plows left behind when they went by us ( I learned quickly that my dog hates snow plows, and I mean HATES them!). I felt so empowered at the end of the run; the time was a little slow but I chalked it up to the conditions I was running in and went from there. I felt great about myself and had a new confidence for this whole half marathon training; then I woke up on Sunday. I knew it was the beginnings of a nasty chest cold, one that took hold for days and didn't let up.

I laid low most of the week having more and more guilt building up for not running. I put in 2 torturous miles Thursday of that week and knew I wasn't even close to being over that cold. I laid low the rest of the weekend and when the following Monday rolled around I was ready to go again. I was really looking forward to having an awesome run; the sun was out, the snow was melting, and it was a balmy 30 degree's. I soon found out that the road conditions were nothing but slush and 3 miles later my knee's were screaming at me. 2 days later they were still screaming but I attempted to push out another run; it was disastrous. I haven't felt so beaten down by running (or lack thereof in this case) in a long time. I literally cried my way through 2 miles with nothing but self doubt running through my head. I came home and told my husband that there is no way I can run a half marathon. He just looked at me and said " Suck it up, I know you can do it."

Enough said, it's time to suck it up and do it. Last Saturday my husband and I went to check out a new gym with a track and when he was done with his workout he joined me on the track and pushed me through the final mile of my 4 mile run. He helped instill confidence in me that I actually can do this, and I will.

I may be running slower than I usually do but I can build myself back up to where I was. I may not have the best time when I cross the finish line in April but I will have the knowledge that I pushed myself to reach a goal I never thought I could do....of course with some "gently nudging" from my awesome husband!

It's official

Well it is most definitely official. I'm a registered runner for the 2011 Nashville 1/2 marathon on April 30th. Not only am I registered but the hotel and flights are booked and we are ready to rock n roll. Now for 16 long weeks of training. I've got a lot of different emotions going on right now with this run. I'm really excited that i've commited to it but i'm also scared to death. There are parts of me that thinks I just can't do this but then I talk myself into the fact that I can do anything with training. I have to get in to the right mind set in order to make this the enjoyable experience that I am hoping for. I keep telling myself over and over again that all I want to do is finish within the 4 hour time frame and while there is a lot of truth to that I know mysel well enough to know that if I don't finish it running across the finish line I'll be disappointed.

A few good things that I know will help me get through this is the fact that 2 of my best friends are also running this marathon with me. I'm so happy and grateful to have both Laura and Treena to run with, to help motivate, and to hold me accountable. At the end of the day I don't want to let myself or either of them down.

3 miles in the snowly blowy cold tonight....

Welcome to 2011

It's hard to believe that we are already ringing in another New Year. I think back on 2010 and all the changes, good and bad, that I went through. All in all it was a pretty good year but I'm hoping to make 2011 a great one. I'm not big on New Year's Resolutions, my thought is that they are usually a good way to set yourself up for failure. However I am a big fan of setting new and attainable goals every year. This year I just want to live a happier and healthier life. 2010 was hectic and busy so one life change for 2011 is don't overcommit!

So with that being said my big goal for 2011 is to run a 1/2 marathon! I'm officially all signed up and let the training begin for Nashville, April 30th. The course gives you a 4 hour time limit to complete the 13.1 miles and that's my goal. Obviously I'm hoping to finish a lot sooner than that but I'm going to take it in stride and see what happens. I know that training will be grueling and at times I'll want to give up but hopefully I'll be able to push myself through and get across that finish line. Another 2011 goal is (as with every year) to be more financially stable and sound....this 1/2 marathon will not be cheap so I can't just let that money go to waste! I look forward to keeping my training updates posted on here. We'll see what happens.

Happy Monday Everyone.

Seriously?

Has it seriously been 4 months since I've written anything on this silly little thing? A lot has been going on in the last few months that is for sure. I'm not quite sure where all of the time has gone but I do know one thing, I finally ran a 5k for the first time in October with my friend Sarah! It was a great feeling to cross the finish line even though it was a hard fought 3.1 miles. I wasn't thrilled with my time ( i had some cramping issues that held me and unfortunately Sarah back) but I am thrilled that we finished. I took a brief ( 4 weeks ugh) hiatus from running and it's time to get back to it. I'm hoping to get back into a good routine before the snow starts falling, that way hopefully I won't have to force myself to go out and run. I've set a new goal for myself and can't believe I'm about to say this, but I'm considering a half marathon in 2011! I think my sister in law is going to do it with me which will definitely help to have someone to run the 13.1 with, but also to have someone to help me train and stay on track. The next two months I'm going to focus on building up my running base again and hope to kick off January with a half marathon training schedule!

This could get interesting!

Accomplishment feels good

So all the anxiety from last week that was building from that silly little run was...well...silly. I accomplished something on Saturday that I have never done before in my life. I know it probably seems silly (and possibly crazy) to some people but I was THRILLED when my friendly ipod told me that I had completed 5.01 miles in 53 minutes!

Our good friend Erin came in to town on Friday for the 4th of July holiday and I knew it was going to be a great weekend. But I also knew that I needed to get this 5 mile run done and out of the way on Saturday. Friday night we grilled out and the boys had a few ice cold beverages, while I longingly stared at the ice cold beers on the deck. I indulged in one but definitely knew I wouldn't be able to run the next morning if I had a few more.

Saturday morning rolled around and I knew I needed to get up at a decent time to beat the heat. Instead of setting my alarm Friday night I decided to let myself wake up and if it was too hot oh well, I probably wouldn't run. Somehow I had some motivation coming from somewhere though and woke up, jumped out of bed, and put on the running shoes. I always do a short warm up walk before the run and the entire time I kept telling my running partner (Oliver) to please be good, not run me in to a tree, and help me get through this run.

I set out telling myself that I didn't care how quickly I ran the 5 miles, I just wanted to make it through. It was a beautiful morning for a run and I quickly got lost in the scenery (Oliver and I ran right past a deer) and the awesome play list that my cousin Mark made for me. At about the 4 mile point I started to get tired and wanted to stop. I tried to keep pushing through thinking that if I stopped I probably wouldn't get going on but finally at about 4.4 miles I had to stop. I stretched out quick, took a swig of water, and set back out. The last .6 miles was the fastest that I ran the entire time so maybe that little break was worth it.

At the end of the run Oliver and I found some sprinklers to run through and celebrate in. I still can't believe I did it! The rest of the weekend was action packed but laid back at the same time. After finishing up my run we watched the Germany vs. Argentina soccer game cheering on the Deutschland and then headed to the beaches of South Haven.

Sunday was a little BBQ at the house with my parents and siblings and alas Monday did come and here I am at work!

So after 5 miles why am I so nervous about the measly old 4 miles I have to run tomorrow? Oh wait, I'm not!!

This weeks runs:

Tuesday- 4 miles
Thursday- 4 miles
Saturday- 5 miles

8 miles down....

5 more to go for the week! Woke up this morning and had a gorgeous run! 3 miles in and it felt great. There were definitely some highs and lows to it this morning though but overall it felt nice. The puppy even cooperated and had a nice little jog. He does a good job of distracting me on most runs, as long as he doesn't distract me right into a tree!

Saturday is going to be a big hurdle more me. My 10k training has me scheduled for 5 miles. I know I can do it, I just have to not psych myself out. I need to keep telling myself that I don't need to run it fast, I just need to run it. I'm not sure why I am so intimidated by upping the mileage so hopefully all goes well. We are spending the day at the beach on Saturday so maybe by running 5 miles before the beach I will feel a little bit better in a bathing suit!

Any motivational speeches would be greatly appreciated :)

Lazy, Lazy, Lazy

Wow! I didn't even realize it had been over a month since my last post. Unfortunately there isn't much good to report (at least from the running side of things) since my last post. I was all excited to start training for a 10K and then somehow my motivation just disappeared.

It seemed like there was a million and one reasons not to run. In the last few weeks I was lucky if I forced myself into more than one run in a week. I've soon come to realize that I just can't only run once a week and expect any results or expect to get any better, faster, or be able to run farther. This week has been off to a pretty good start running wise. I was able to put 2 miles in on Monday night and then last night my good friend Michelle came over and we put another 3 miles on. So far I'm at 5 miles for the week and looking to make it 13 miles before this week is over.

I started a new "Nike coach" program with my ipod for a 10k training. It's a little more aggressive then the other 10k training I was doing (and failing at) so we will see if I can stick to this one. Maybe if my ipod yells at me enough I'll be able to get through it. Tonight is a night of cross training and then I'm scheduled for another 3 mile run on Thursday.

The weather has been unbearably hot and humid until this week, it finally broke and is beautiful weather to run in. Let's hope I can keep this up this time!