One small step for (wo)man

According to Coach Dave's schedule, i was supposed to run 3 miles yesterday. The day ended up getting away from me, as i was lounging with friends, so i decided to move the 3 miles to today.

I am happy to report it wasn't as hard as Saturday! I ran on the treadmill and ran a full 2.5 miles before slowing down to walk to rest of the 0.5 miles. I would have liked to kept on trucking, but my calves and knees were screaming at me to stop.

I'm pretty proud of my 2.5 miles! I know that doesn't seem like a lot, but it's just another milestone for me. I'm scheduled to run 3 miles again Wednesday...hopefully i'll be able to run the full 3!

Now time to celebrate by crashing on the couch with Tom and watching my fav Monday night show...

First Group Run

First off, let me say a big THANK YOU to my Aunt Kathy and my sweet friend George who donated. It's only been a little over a week and i have already raised $400. You guys are too generous!

Now, on to my first group run. Warning: i might be a wee bit negative in this post.

Holy hell what have i gotten myself into?! Today's group run was 3 miles, essentially a 5k. (which is 3.2 miles) I knew i would not be able to run the whole thing without having to stop and walk, but yowza. This was a little harder than anticipated.

I woke up at 5:30 in order to be at the run site by 6:30. My dog Spencer looked at me like i was crazy and promptly fell back asleep. (Smart dog.) The run site is pretty cool, it's at Granada Park in Phoenix and runs along a canal. The first half a mile wasn't too bad, but when the sun fully rose about 15 minutes in, it got hot. Welcome to Arizona, kids.

I had to stop and walk but luckily there are SO many people running this trail, it didn't really matter. Coach Dave breezed by me asking how i was doing. I felt like a big fat loser since i was walking, but i managed a "Doing great!" and started to run again.

People who make running look easy, like it's as simple as breathing, i secretly curse you in my head.

Today was NOT easy! There were times i contemplated throwing myself in the canal and just letting the current drag me back to our starting point. But i carried on and surprisingly enough, was not the last person that finished.

According to our schedule, we are to run 3 miles again tomorrow. I'll be doing this on the treadmill (ugh) since i don't see myself waking up early enough to go outside.

So i am a little discouraged, but i have to keep telling myself that the half marathon is not tomorrow - i still have 20 weeks left to train.

And man am i going to need every bit of those 20 weeks.

:)

My sorority sister Sexy J aka Jacklyn just made a donation, too. Thank you so much!!

Thanks!!

My good friend Scott just made a donation! I still think you should fly out and run it too!

#3

We got our running schedules from Coach Dave yesterday. In retrospect, it's not all that tough. But this was pretty much my reaction:

Our typical schedule is a 2 or 3 mile run twice a week, then our group run on Saturday (which is anywhere from 3 to 12 miles (Not until week 17, mind you), and either another run on Sunday or a cross training.

Well i got my 2 mile run out of the way on Monday and we were supposed to do another 2 mile run today. I strapped on my shoes and hit the treadmill. My legs were pretty stiff and heavy at first, but i worked out the kinks about half a mile in.

One of the reasons i started this blog is because i told myself i had to be honest. I was not going to "cheat" and say i ran a full 2 miles, if in reality all i did was run half a mile and walk the rest.

So i am proud to tell you i did run the full two miles today without stopping to walk. But let me tell you, my feet were KILLING me. We had an event today at work which required me to be standing/walking from 8am until 1pm.

Stupid me wore 3" heels to this event.

My feet are now all blistery and hurting like a mofo. Good thing i don't have to run again until Saturday!

PS. Anyone want to recommend some good running music? I need something upbeat to keep me moving. Today's soundtrack consisted of some Michael Jackson, Prodigy and Tool.

Keep it Going!

My parents just made a VERY generous donation!! I am very blessed. :)


PS. Got my running schedule tonight - can we say INTIMIDATED.

Wow!

Thanks Jocy for your donation!!!

I'm up to $200 now - you guys are amazing!

Day #2

So, still no schedule from Coach Dave - he better get on it! Ha, i just want to know what we will be doing Saturday morning. I think he said it was just going to be a two mile run, but i want to make sure i'm prepared.

I had to run on the treadmill tonight. I HATE the treadmill, but when it's 106 outside, it's really the only option. This run wasn't too bad. I did a 5 minute warm up walk and then ran for 15 minutes. I need to slow it down, so i walked for 3 minutes and finished out with running another 6 minutes; 2.2 miles total.

I realize that's not a great time, but at this point i could really care less about my time. My main focus right now is to just get back in the "groove" of running and build up my stamina.


Side note: there is this girl in my complex that is crazy. I mean that in the nicest way possible, but i see her at the gym everyday. Today, she was on the treadmill for 91 minutes. 91 MINUTES! Girl was dripping with sweat. But i mean, props to her.

Wow, i just realized that *I* will probably be running for 91 minutes during this 1/2 marathon.

Oh boy.

#3!

My cousin Nick also donated - you guys truly rock. Please keep them coming!

Donation #2

Thanks to Kris for her donation! She's amazing. :)

Day One

So we don't get our schedules from Coach Dave until next week, but i thought i should go ahead and run today to get back in the groove.

We actually got some rain last night, so when i started out running, it was pretty cool for an Arizona summer morning.

I did about a 2 mile course i used to run last winter, which is pretty flat and a nice run.

I'll be honest: it kicked my ass today.

I'd like to blame it on the sun coming out/humidity from the rain/any other bs excuses i can think of to make myself feel better. But really, i'm just out of shape!! I had to alternate running and walking, which is one of the most frustrating things.

I felt like Sarah from Labryinth when she is running through that cooridor and it just keeps getting longer and longer...

Anyways, this leaves me a little worried for Coach Dave's schedule for next week - i hope i don't faint upon seeing it.

Now if you'll excuse me, i'm going to go face plant into the pool.

Yay!

I received a donation from the lovely miss Paige Worthy. Thanks so much, lady!

So, you want to be a runner...

So a little background on me: I’ve never been a runner. I never did track during school and never really had a desire to. I always thought I wasn’t capable of running – you know, those who can, do and those who can’t – well just can’t!

About a year ago I stumbled across a website called The Couch-to-5k Running Plan. I was at a point where I had put on some weight and thought “What the hell, I’ll give it a try.”

Turns out, I LOVED running. Starting slow really helped me, as I was by no means in shape. But with each week came a different challenge, a longer distance, and I found myself actually looking forward to running. Crazy, I know. Once it started cooling down out here in the desert, I moved my running outside. I actually even woke up early on Saturdays and Sundays to run – friends, I was a running machine!

I dropped 10 pounds, was eating better, and felt great about life. I ran my first 5k in December and I couldn’t wait to call my parents to brag about it. This girl, who thought she’d never be able to run, had just completed a 5k! Stop the presses!

So, you would think that a half marathon in January would be no big deal, right? That I had kept up my running and doing 13 miles would be a breeze.

Eh, not so fast.

I don’t want to admit it, but I’ve slacked off. Big time. After I completed my 5k, I cut myself some slack. I didn’t have another goal in mind and found myself missing more and more workouts. And then I started dating someone and after work runs turned into nights on the couch watching tv, early morning runs were replaced with sleeping in and going out for breakfast, Del Taco at 1 a.m. sounded like a splendid idea – you get the gist.
I’m not putting the blame on my boyfriend (who seems to have the metabolism of an Olympic swimmer.) I just lost my dedication, plain and simple.

Needless to say, I have gained back the weight I lost and my running has fallen to the backburner. So when I got an email from Big Brothers Big Sisters about participating in the P.F. Chang’s Rock & Roll Half and Full Marathon, I thought “It’s time to kick my ass back in shape.”

I’ve been a “Big” for almost 2 years and it’s a great organization. My little sis is hilarious and it really is inspiring to be a part of this program. (That's us in the picture from last year.)

Last night, I made my commitment to raise $1,300 for the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization and run the ½ marathon in January. (Flashes of Clark Griswald chanting “This is crazy, this is crazy, this is crazy!) ran through my head. This is a HUGE goal (monetary and physically!) but i'm excited for the challenge.

Check back - i get my running schedule next week and then the fun begins...

And, if you'd like to help me out (which would be AMAZING), Follow This Link to visit my personal web page and help me in my efforts to support Big Brothers Big Sisters - Central Arizona.

Welcome!

So I have always wanted to start a blog, but never really had anything significant to say. Well that's all changing because I have decided to run my first half-marathon - God willing.

Mostly I started this to give my family & friends a way of knowing how I'm doing. And, in all honesty, to be held accountable. I'll blog about my progress, excitment of my latest distance, the times I want to scream for ever thinking this was a good idea, etc.

So stay tuned - more to come!