203.1 miles and counting!

I like keeping track of things, so it should come as no surprise to you all that I have a running log. I diligently enter every mile that I run, down to the hundredths of a mile. I know, I'm a nerd. Mainly I do it to see what my pace was, but tonight I happened to glance at the total miles logged - 203.1 miles! And that total is only since the middle of April because that's when I decided that I'd give running another shot.

Woah.

Now I'm interested to see how many miles I'll log during the rest of the year. I'm not exactly training for any races right now; I'm just running for fun. And that in itself is so delightful. I just got back from a 2.75 mile run with my pup. She gave up when we were about halfway done. I almost had to drag her back home. My Ginger - she's a sprinter, not a marathon runner. :-) The run this evening was awesome though! So invigorating and energizing... I'm hooked on the runner's high.

In other news, work today was really, really busy. Like busy with meetings and other little things which got in the way of me doing actual work. I didn't really get started until about 3:15 pm. And then I stayed in my office until around 4:30 pm, planning for the weeks ahead. Came home and grabbed a blanket so I could sit outside and grade. I knew that if I stayed on the couch, I'd watch TV and be completely unproductive. So Ginger and I basked in the afternoon sun for an hour, I graded all my tests, and we had a lovely time.

Now, it is back to work for me, but I just had to write about my great run. :-) Goodnight friends!

First run after a race

Yesterday afternoon, I got out and hit the road with my lovely dog Ginger. We decided that it would be a good time for my first run after my 10K race. It was a tad bit warm, but we persevered. I didn't have any specific distance in my mind, but I did want to get at least two miles under my belt. We ran 2.41 miles in just under 29 minutes. Not race pace, but not bad. I could have gone further, but Ginger was hot and tired, so we came back home.

It felt so good to get back out there. It's just so natural for me now. Who would have ever thought that I'd be a runner? Definitely not me. A year ago, I was just starting out on this journey and I wasn't too sure where it would take me. I'm amazed as to how far I've come.

I was looking through some old pictures and found one that my mom had taken of me in March of 2009...



I can just look back and see how miserable and unhealthy I was. I'll never go back to that.... I can't! I won't. I'm so happy now and vow to stay healthy for the rest of my life. I've made such a lifestyle change over the past year. I'm a new person now. And the new me is happy and healthy and an exercise fiend. :-)

Breathing room

This week has been incredibly busy. Yes, it was a short work week, but I didn't exactly rest on Monday. And I don't really think I ever fully recuperated from my camping trip or the 10K. So every morning this week I have woken up just wondering when I'd be able to get back in bed.

Now, my weekend has officially begun and I feel like I actually have time to breathe. For the first time in a month, I've got a weekend to myself to do as I please, when I please. It's amazing how something so simple can make a person feel so happy. I can finally clean my house and get my life back in order. Not to say that the house hasn't been cleaned in the past month; I just feel like it could be better. :-)

I'm going to spend the afternoon with one of my dearest friends tomorrow. I've decided that I need to devote more time and energy to being with my friends because they help keep me balanced. I need more of them in my life. The social butterfly in me needs constant companionship.

I have rediscovered and reestablished some great friendships at work and I am truly thankful for that. It is so wonderful to work in a place where you really enjoy the people who are there. And the kids - they make me laugh and smile everyday. They asked me today how come I was so patient with them when they are acting crazy in class. They said, "Did you go to some special counseling or something where they taught you to be patient?" Of course, this made me laugh and I told them that I was just naturally a patient person. They entertain me, and I try my best to entertain them through my teaching. The greatest compliment I had today was a student saying, "I wish all my classes were Spanish class. It is the best!"

So now I get to relax and enjoy the weekend. I make it a rule to never do any work on Friday afternoons/evenings. And tonight is no exception - karaoke night on campus!

10K Success!

I spent the weekend camping out on the lake about an hour from our house. Enjoyed being with friends, but definitely didn't get the rest that I needed. Plus, I went tubing on Saturday, so I was really sore throughout my shoulders and upper body. Nonetheless, I set out early Monday morning in hopes of completing my 10K in good time.

I had my cheering section there for me - Mom, Dad, mother-in-law. My husband decided that he would race with me as well. Well, not exactly with me, because he is faster. But he was participating. With no training. If only I could be like him! Someday...

Anyway, the race started promptly at 7:30 am. We'd actually been awake since 4:30, having to drive an hour to the site, plus needing time to get ready and have breakfast. So by race time, I was pretty tired. But once I crossed that start line, I never looked back.

Miles 1 and 2 were pretty hilly, but I knew that once I got past there, I'd be golden. I made my way up those hills and felt great. Crossed the 3 mile marker and realized that I was making pretty good time. Around mile 4, the insides of my lower legs started to ache, but it wasn't anything that would keep me from continuing. I just focused on my breathing and my stride and kept on going. A couple times I got a side stitch, but I managed to work it out.

After mile 5, I started listening to two songs on repeat: "The World's Greatest" by R. Kelly and "Survivor" by Destiny's Child. They always keep me going. :-)

Once I hit mile 6, I stopped the music completely and just took in all the sights and sounds around me. I made my final turn and could see the finish line looming ahead. I ran with all that I had and as I crossed the finish line, I could hear my family cheering for me. It was such a wonderful feeling! To know that I had set a goal for myself and I'd trained for months and now I'd actually accomplished that goal. I'd been hoping to come in under 1:15. I crossed the finish line in 1:08:15. Record time for me!

I felt amazing for the rest of the day. Really proud of myself and thankful that I've made this change in my life. I've regained my love for running and I'm ready for more races. My next one is a 4 miler on Thanksgiving Day. Although there may be a 5K I'll do on Halloween. I think that I'm addicted to races. I love the atmosphere and being surrounded by people who are all working towards a common goal.

I'm proud of what I have accomplished. I know that anything is possible, you just have to be willing to put in the hard work and dedication.

Finding my stride

I'd all but given up on running. I had really been struggling with the sport lately, and it had been very difficult to find the motivation to get out the door. Plus, I wasn't running in the morning, and I'd have to settle for running indoors either on the track or the treadmill, and I'd find myself just being hot and miserable. And I'd only end up running like 2 to 3 miles.

::sigh::

Then something happened last week - the temperature dropped about 10 degrees. Wednesday afternoon, I found myself with about an hour and a half until dinner time. The weather was gorgeous, and I decided to hit the road. I laced up my shoes and went outside. I thought that I'd do a quick 2 or 3 miles, since that was all I'd really been doing lately. But instead, I just kept on going, uncertain of how far I had gone, but really just using up all the time I had. Got home, mapped out my route, and found that I'd done 4.4 miles. I patted myself on the back, and felt amazing in general.

This morning, I slept about an hour longer than I'd planned, but I needed it. I know my body, and I know that I need 7 hours of sleep. That's my perfect number. Anyway, I got up and was out the door by 7:45. 1 hour and 15 minutes later, I'd run 6.15 miles. My run this morning was incredible. I felt like I was back in the game and on top of the world. There was no dragging along, no wondering when this would be over - it was just peaceful and natural and therapeutic.

I am running in a 10K on Labor Day. After my run this morning, I know without a doubt in my mind that I'll do fine. I'm not worried anymore. I'm exhilirated and ready for the challenge that lies before me.

I have neglected my blog...

Life has gotten in the way of me blogging lately. Well, the main issue was that I went on a trip to visit family in Texas and I had very little access to the internet. It was actually a nice little break and I enjoyed just being with my family.

School has started once again and my life has been a whirlwind of meeting new students and organizing my classroom and office. I absolutely adore my job! It is so hectic and chaotic at times, but I am surrounded by people and that is an environment where I just flourish.

I also do really well during the school year because I have some semblance of a routine. I get up at the same time everyday and get my workouts taken care of. In the summer, there was absolutely no consistency, which screwed with me physically and emotionally. I got off track, but not so far that my train got derailed. Look at that, I just used a metaphor!

I've been focusing on my running a lot lately. I'm determined to stick to this 10K training, even to the point of being kind of crazy to get it done. Prime example - Saturday I was going to be busy from 7 am until around 11 pm. So I got up at 4:30 and was out the door within 15 minutes or so. 9 miles later, I was feeling great, but man the rest of the day felt like it was never going to end!

So I love my job and being with the girls in my dorm is the best part. I'm just not anywhere close to being used to staying up late. I've always been a go to bed early kind of gal. Call me a senior citizen. I love me some sleep! 9 pm rolls around and I'm ready to curl up and call it a night. That's what happens when you get up at 5:30 in the morning I suppose. I know my body and I know that I need 8 hours of sleep. Simple as that.

I promise I'll update more, just in case I do have anyone who reads this out there. As for me, I hope to be in bed soon!

Don't put off until tomorrow...

I was having an off day today. I was supposed to wake up early and get my run finished. But I didn't sleep well for the 3rd night in a row and woke up well after my alarm had gone off. Totally slept through it! And then I just felt lazy and sluggish all day. Even to the point this evening when I decided that I wasn't going to run, and I'd just do it tomorrow.

Then I got off my butt and went out for a run. I realized that I hadn't made it this far in the past year to just sit around and do nothing. I ran 3 miles, and although it wasn't easy (thanks to my spicy dinner), it was still a very good run. Faster than I'd run in quite some time, likely due to the fact that I just wanted it to be over! I was so happy with myself and thrilled that I'd actually gone and run.

I think that I must be PMSing or something because I am just craving food and wanting to curl up and do nothing. Hopefully tomorrow morning, I'll get up early as planned and be productive. I've got a lot to do to get ready for school before it starts in a couple weeks!