A month later...

So Emme and I are registered for the half, but we (or at least I) didn't do so well with exercising over the past month. Luckily, I got Wii Fit for Christmas! It's a lot of fun, and I have been using it every day. It really gives me a workout-I sweat and become out of breath and really feel it.

Today I went out and ran which hasn't happened in quite some time. It was AMAZING. Of course, the bike path was exceedingly icy, so I had to go a different route. I was going strong until I was going uphill for a while, and at about 26 minutes I was about to die so I took a walking break. At 29 minutes I sprinted the slight downhill back to the apartment-and I loved it. I made it just about to the parking lot before being unable to breathe. Not bad for my first run in like a month! This morning was perfect for it, too-cold and brisk but not windy.

Anyway, the holidays were not good to me. Now that I feel like I am getting back on track with exercise, I need to start eating better.

Ah that run was so nice! I need to live in a place that is not icy but is chilly all year round so I can be motivated to run every day!

~Claire

Registered! And back to training..

Today Claire and I registered for the half!!!!!!! SO there is absolutely no backing out now because they don't offer refunds! I'm excited all over again for it.

BUT. I have not run more than 2 miles in the past 2.5 weeks. Several reasons:
1. I was sick and in the hospital with a colon infection.
2. Family tragedy had me all depressed and in my hometown for a few days.
3. Then I had to try to catch up what I missed from #1 and 2.
4. Thanksgiving

Soo...it might be kind of a struggle to get back to where I was before all of this happened. But I've got over a month off of school for Christmas break so hopefully I will get lots of good training in then!

Love,
Emme

Yesterday-ok...today-not so much

Yesterday I ran 31 minutes again, but without the stroller. It was an ok run. Not great.

Today, my child decided to start bawling around 9 minutes, so I finally just turned around to go home. I ran 20 minutes. He pretty much cried the whole way home, too. Great. At least I ran some, though, and now I have tomorrow off and then 5k Saturday!!

Emme has all kinds of problems right now, and we spent a good portion of yesterday in the ER...so I hope she is ok soon so she can run the 5k! Poor Emme!!

I am looking forward to my day off tomorrow, even though I really will just have to get up early in order to work all day. Oh well!

~Claire

50min/strength+speed training/blisters

So, during my last 45 min run, I felt some rubbing on my arch. So I looked and my foot when I got done and sure enough, BLISTERs. I had a blister in the same exact spot on my other foot from my old shoes. So i researched it a bit and found these suggestions:
1. Get non-cotton socks for better moisture wicking
2. Use vaseline on the sore spot before running
3. Tape the inside of your shoe with duct tape or packing tape so that it won't rub
4. Use foot powder in your socks
5. Get some arch support
6. Make sure your shoes are laced tight enough

So today, I went out for my first 50-min run equipped with new socks, vaseline underneath a bandaid on my blister, and my shoes laced up pretty tight. And it felt fine, until I hit about 28 minutes or so, then it was rub, rub, rub, ow, ow, ow, with every step on my right foot. :( In high school when I ran track, they would tape my arches for support because my arches are really low. Maybe I should try that. And if that doesn't work, I guess I will just suck it up and wait for it to calus :(

Besides that, my run today was really good! Fifty minutes was not so bad at all. I do hate the wind though. It makes it harder to keep a good pace.

Yesterday, I didn't have a whole lot of time so I ran for twenty minutes and did some strength/speed training. I emailed my brother (aka personal trainer) to ask him some more questions. He said it is a good thing to incorporate stride-outs into a shorter run in order to strengthen your legs and start working on speed. So, I did 3 sets of stride-outs on my run yesterday and it felt pretty good, but I'm feeling them today! I think I'll try to do that once a week or so.

I'm going to run 50 again tomorrow, rest thursday, short and easy run friday, then 5k on saturday!!

Love,
Emme

31 minutes

Today was not as good as yesterday, but I did keep running for 31 minutes (the last minute was only because I wanted to get home faster than walking would have allowed). It wasn't bad, but it was a lot harder than running yesterday.

I'm still planning to go 30 tomorrow and 35 Thursday, and I am getting more and more excited for the 5k! I feel like it'll be the first thing I've accomplished in a long time!

30 minutes!!

I ran 30 minutes today! :) It was really good-I felt like turning around at 12.5 minutes and running 25, but I decided to keep on going. I'm so glad I finally got to 30...and I didn't die of exhaustion after! haha

I am so excited for the 5k Saturday. I have decided that I am gonna bring my kid because I am so used to running with the stroller now anyway. AND I now think that it is possible for me to actually run the entire thing without taking walking breaks!!

I am really proud of myself. I really enjoy running and I like knowing that I am doing something good for myself.

Plan for this week:
Tuesday and Wednesday-30 minutes
Thursday-35 minutes (i think maybe)
Friday-rest
Saturday-5K!!!!

~Claire

much better

This morning I ran around the neighborhood since I was still not at home. It was soooo much better than yesterday! I ran for 20 minutes and walked for a bit. I cannot believe how nice it was today and I am so excited to run tomorrow and Sunday! Both days are supposed to be super nice!

well MY run was fine. :)

Today was BEAUTIFUL! Light breeze, sun shining, birds chirping. I ran my 45 min no sweat. (Well, not literally. I always sweat. I'm just gross that way) So tomorrow I'm going to run it once more, break on saturday, then 50 min on sunday.

Last night I was naughty and had 2 of those microwave brownie bowls. OH MY GOODNESS THEY'RE SOO GOOD! So today I made sure to do some situps and squats and stuff to try to work some of that chocolate-y goodness off.

Dear Claire,
I'm sorry you fell on your butt. That must have hurt. But it is so not my fault you aren't coordinated. I hope that the race next Saturday is not gravel.

Love,
Emme

i. hate. gravel.

So I am out of town and I attempted to run a gravel trail. MISTAKE. First of all, it sucked. There were many potholes and a lot of them were disguised with leaves.

Good things about gravel: I learn that maybe I shuffle my feet a bit, and I need to take cleaner steps. Also, the ground is less level so I felt like I was working harder.

Bad things about gravel: I fell twice. The first time I fell I landed on my knee and held on to the stroller, which my kid did not like. The second time I landed on my knee and I didnt hold on to the stroller, and I lost my balance on my knee and fell on my butt.

It was a bit painful. Luckily it was early enough that the only person that saw was a super old guy.

I only ran for 10 minutes and 30 seconds, and then I walked 10.

Dear Emme,

Please never make me run on gravel again. Deep down I blame you for this a little bit. haha not really ;)

Love,

Claire

Hm.

Yesterday I didn't run because I had to wake up early. Today, I had a test so I wanted to run but not for very long. So I went for half an hour but went in spurts of fast and slow paces. It was a pretty good workout!! Tomorrow I'll be back on track for running 45 minutes again. Hopefully I'll be able to run the next couple days so that I can up myself to 50 minutes next week!

I've got to get me a watch. For real. Looking at my iPod gets annoying!

Love,
Emme

45 minutes? Maybe?

So, after 4 long, fattening days of not running due to weather, church, and halloween festivities, I put on my running shoes and iPod this morning to get out there for 45 minutes. And as I was on my way out, I realized my iPod had absolutely no charge! Arg. So I decided to ditch the iPod today and just run. It was interesting. I ran a little past where I ran on my last 40 minute run, so I think it probably turned out to be about 45 minutes, but I can't be sure since my ipod is my timer. I really need a watch!

So, my run was good. The weather was beautiful. The only thing was, on my way back there was this couple that was running at a pretty slow pace, but I was running pretty slow too. But I suppose they thought I was running fast enough to pass them, so they were on the left for like, ever, waiting for me to pass. Sooo i zoomed ahead of them and tried to make some distance between us before I slowed back down to my nice pace. And BOY did i feel that! Pretty much the rest of my run I was trying to catch my breath from that one speedy stretch. Sometimes trail running can get awkward. But all in all, after not moving for 4 days, it was not too shabby!

Tonight I'm making a yummy treat: berry dump cake! Not too healthy, but I figure the berries have to count for something right?? Right. :)

Love,
Emme

40 minute things.

This week I've been running 40 minutes. I am definitely ready to walk by the end of it, but every time I can feel myself getting more used to it. It takes me no time at all to catch my breath and calm down after I run these days.

I've been wondering how I'm going to go about running when I get up to like an hour +. I'm already pressed for time in the morning just running 40 minutes, much less like an hour and a half. I guess I will just have to start getting up earlier!

So, me and Claire are running a 5k in 2 and 1/2 weeks! I'm not sure how I will go about it. I'm thinking about just running at my nice slow training pace and finishing in 35 minutes or so. Because I really don't want to hurt myself! It would be such a setback. Plus, I have exercise induced asthma, and I'm afraid that I might trigger it if I push myself too hard.

Hopefully it won't rain anymore this week! Yesterday morning I woke up ready to run...and then looked outside. Boo.

Love,
Emme

rain :/

I was excited to sleep in today (til 7:30) and I was planning to run after bringing my kid to daycare...but it was raining. Sad day. I thought about going anyway, but I think it's too slippery for my clumsy self.

Sad. We need our treadmill to work.

Anyway, I am going to be very careful about what I eat today to try to make up for it.

Sigh.

suck

This morning I bundled up my kid and we went out-and after maybe 10 minutes I was ready to stop. I kept going until I had gone 20 minutes, but it sucked.

My lower legs are some kinda sore.

The weather was good, though-it was not warm but not too cold. It would be nice if every morning could be like that.

Hopefully tomorrow will be better!

Blah Run Day

So yesterday it was hecka cold and windy when I went on my 37-minutes run, but it was a good run overall. Today was not so good. I have this thing were I get hungry but no food sounds good, so I have to force down something (it was 1/2 an apple this morning) and then my stomach feels terrible. So that happened today. Aaaand I decided to run anyway, so I went once around the loop (just over a mile) at faster pace than I've been going. And it kinda sucked. I felt really winded and tired and like I just wanted to sit down for an hour or two afterward.

BUT. Tomorrow I hope to run 40 minutes! Hopefully the weather will be good enough to run.

Tonight I had a pomegranate. Well, half of one. If you've ever prepared a pomegranate, you know what Claire and I went through to get the fruit out. Crazy! Luckily I grabbed one of the pamphlets from the produce section that give instructions on how to open it and eat it, because otherwise I wouldn't have had the slightest clue. But it was really good! I was just eating spoonfuls of it (actually I was chewing them and sucking the juice out, but spitting the seeds in the garbage!), but I think it would be really good in salad too. Hmmm...

Love,
Emme

Above and Beyond!

Today I ran up to the bike trail, and went for a while...and when I got back to the circle, I realized I had already gone my 17.5 minute goal but I felt ok, so I kept going! I ran 20 minutes today!

I realize that upping my time by 10 minutes in one week is a bit much, but lets be realistic-10 minutes is nothing.

I am going to run 20 on Monday and Tuesday so I don't go too crazy and end up hurting myself or burning myself out.

I love this new plan. I'm already starting to enjoy running, I like being out in the cold air, I like that I feel more in control of myself because there is something I can do that I never thought I would be able to do.

I am more excited than ever about our 5k in November! I would like to try to get up to 40 minutes of running before then, but I don't really think that is a smart thing to do-after all, the 5k is just 3 weeks from today!!

I think a better goal is 35 minutes. That is only adding 5 minutes each week for the next two weeks. If I have to walk for a bit, I have to walk, and that is ok. Running 20 minutes straight is already an accomplishment for me. Yay!

~Claire

Perfect day for a run

So today my kid woke up about 15 minutes before it was time to get him to daycare, so I ran after I got back. I was worried about running without the stroller, but it wasn't so bad-the biggest problem was that I ended up running faster for my 15 minutes than I probably should have.

My plan is: Run 17.5 tomorrow, rest Sunday, run Mon, Tues and Wed, and then rest Thursday. I now have to run more than just the circle-so bike trail, here I come!!

I think it'll be good. :)

~Claire

No run today :(

So yesterday I almost didn't run in the morning because I was feeling puny, but I laid back down for about 25 minutes and got back up motivated! so I got my 35 minutes in yesterday. But today I had to get up at 6:30 and be somewhere at 8:00 a.m. So running was not really an option. So I guess today makes my second rest day of the week. To make matters worse, I stopped at mcdonald's for lunch because it was the first place I saw, and I had to drive a ways to get to school. Soooo I had some chicken nuggets and a few fries and like 3 bites of their nasty pumpkin pie. Every year I think it will be good, but it never is! I don't get it. Anyways. McDonaldss = queasy stomach. But tonight Claire made some pasta and a salad for dinner, so that seems to have helped!

Tomorrow I'll do 35 again, and see how it feels before I decide my workouts for the weekend.

Love,
Emme

15 minutes!

Yesterday was bad-no exercise and lots o food. I did well until I got home around 10, at which point I ate many cookies and starburst and a yogurt.

Today, however, I ran 15 minutes! That was my goal for tomorrow-and I already did it! Also, I felt like I could have gone more (but I didnt wanna push it because of the cookies in my belly).

I think the key to my success is the stroller. I like running with it. I dont know why, but there it is.

Tomorrow I will go another 15, and then I will try to up it to 17.5 for the next two runs.

AND I am gonna do a good job with calories today.

Yay Thursday!

Counting Calories?

So Claire and I are writing down what we eat, like I said before I think. I have never counted calories before, but I can't say that I mind it. Its kind of intriguing and interesting to find out what foods surprise you with their amounts, either high or low. For instance, this Chef Boyardee cheeseburger macaroni I'm eating only has 200 calories in it. However, a serving of the pot roast I made saturday has about 600 calories! Anyways, this is my second day counting. I'm going to try to stay right around 2,000-2150 i think.

Today I ran another 35 minutes. It wasn't as good today, it seemed harder. I think I may have been going at a slightly faster pace. I constantly have to remind myself to take it slow while I'm running these days. I was training at race pace before, so its a big change. Also, something happened to me today that has never happened before: My sweat left crunch salt residues on my face and neck. Some girls I used to play tennis with in high school had this happen to them when we would play long tournaments, and my sister got salty after her half this past year. I was not doing a hard, long, or hot workout today, so I'm not sure if I should be worried or not...I had a salty lunch, and hopefully this is just a one-time thing, because frankly, crusty face is not usually the look i go for!!

Going for 35 again tomorrow. I'll probably run 35 two more times because today was not as good.

Love,
Emme

12.5: check!

I ran my 12.5 minutes today, and while I realize that doesn't sound like very much, it was kinda hard for the last couple minutes.

Maybe it was less enjoyable because my kid kept saying "wanna go, wanna go" while whimpering. Sigh.

I heart my Sansa Clip! it is so cute, and it plays well-I think the sound quality is even pretty decent.

I can't really think of anything else, except I think I am gonna take tomorrow off and then run 12.5 Thursday and attempt 15 on Friday. We shall see how that goes!

35 Minutes This Week

Today is Monday, and I took it off. Yesterday I ran for 35 minutes, and it was great! Running slowly is so much more enjoyable than running at tempo. So hopefully that means training for this half marathon will be really fun rather than turn into a chore. Tomorrow I'm going to hit the road again for 35 minutes, then at least another time this week. Next week, I'll move on to 40 minutes!

On Saturday, Will and I were celebrating our anniversary, so we headed to a state park an walked some trails. I love that we both enjoy that type of thing! We hiked about 3 miles total, with another 1/2 a mile or so of walking in between. It was a workout! I definitely got out of breath at times, and we had to sit down once! We talk about going hiking in the mountains, but we will have to get a loooot more in shape if these tiny slopes are killing us!

Claire and I are getting down to business for real this time with our eating habits. Writing them down should help us to stay on track, right? Let's hope so!

Love,
Emme

distance= :( but time = :)

I believe Emme mentioned that she learned the "right" way to train for a marathon by building time rather than distance. Today I set out with the goal of running 10 minutes and I ended up running 11+ (I set a stopwatch but I accidentally pressed "stop" at 8:58 and I didn't notice for about a minute of a song) and then I ran until it said 10:29.

It was SO much easier to run like that! I didn't feel the need to walk for the whole time, and it is a lot easier to run to 3ish songs than to run to a certain place.

The stroller was easier also-I guess I just needed that one awkward try before I could run with it comfortably.

Today I am writing down everything I eat. I NEED to lose this weight And Emme and I are not going to make any more cookies/cake/etc.

I got her a popcorn popper for her birthday so now we can have tastey healthier snacks instead :)

I'm looking forward to 12.5 minutes tomorrow-based on today, I don't think it'll be too bad!

My Glorious Massage.

So this morning I ran for 30 minutes and it was cold but good...my calves are sore though!

And on to the way more interesting and better part.

My Massage.

OOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHH it was so good! Last semester I went to this seminar on stress at my school, and there was a raffle for a free massage at a ritzy hotel. And I won it! I've been saving it, though, and I went today. I had her focus on my back/shoulders as well as my calves since they are sore. It was amazing. She slathered oil all over me and got to work. Now I'm trying to figure out how I can fit a $60 massage in to my budget as often as possible, because it was really really nice. See, because school is stressful but also I have really bad circulation in my hands and feet, and massages are supposed to help that. So I mean, its necessary. Right? Right.

Ugh. So good!

Love,
Emme

Trying to Get Back on Track!

Well....after a week of bad weather, feeling sick, and rain (and broken treadmill), I feel so far behind! But, I went home this weekend and got some new shoes (!) and some tips from my brother.

So first, my new kicks are: Nike Dart IV Plus. I tested them out today on my run and they are super light and comfortable. They were only $40!

Second, tips from my brother, who is a seasoned runner. He runs races and does duathalons too. I asked him if he had any advice for training for a half-marathon, and he basically gave me a coaching session.

• Base training - running for time rather than distance. Apparently I've been doing it all wrong! You need to get your body used to having an elevated heart rate for long periods of time first. So, my goal is to run the marathon in 10-min miles, which turns out to be a little over 2 hours. So, I need to get my body used to running for 2 miles before I speed up. He suggests that I start at 30 min, and add 5 minutes at a time.
• Also, during base training, run very slowly and easy. Once you have finished base-training, you can begin speeding up your pace.
• Run at least 3 days every week, but make sure to rest 2 days every week too.
• After a long run, rest!
• Make sure your shoes are ship-shape, and if they aren't, replace them.
• If you suspect something is starting to get sore, take it easy! An injury is a huge setback.

So thats what I learned from him! Today I just ran slowly around the circle, and then ended up running some MORE when the spare key Claire gave turned out to not be for our door. Luckily her eye-dr appointment was only like 0.5 mile away from our apartment so it was no big deal!

Love,

Emme

:) :) :)

I wasn't going to run today as I woke up at 9:30 (!!) but I decided to anyway.

Guess what? I ran my half-mile! Even more than that! It wasn't too bad at all...1 mile-here I come!

I'm excited to get my mp3 and my kid so we can run around with the stroller and some rockin' tunes (although I wore shorts with pockets today so I could bring my large 30gb iPod. It was clunky).

I'm really proud of myself :)

Emme is coming back from a retreat today, so I won't be the only one posting anymore lol

In the words of London Tipton (yes, I watch Suite Life on Disney Channel, I'm not ashamed), YAY ME!!

~Claire

NO more excuses!!

Today I was motivated. I wrapped my toe 3 times so it was as immobile as I could make it, donned my tennies and got on the treadmill.

At about 4 minutes (just walking fast, no jogging yet), the treadmill showed me its freaky side, and I had to hold onto the arm things for dear life. Scary. Stupid treadmill.

I was gonna give up, but I decided to suck it up and go outside. Good choice-brisk weather made it very enjoyable. I ran for a bit and then walked for a bit. All in all, I probably ran half of the 1.3 miles. While I was out of breath fast, it felt really good. The weather was perfect :)

I was so pumped because my toe didn't hurt the whole time! In fact, I hardly noticed it until I took my shoe off-ouch. But I took my shoe off like 2 minutes ago and my toe already feels better.

Also, yesterday I bought a jogging stroller so Emme and I are no longer limited! AND my new mp3 player shipped last night, so I should get it soon :)

This is becoming long, but I am pumped. I finally feel like my toe can handle it and I can get back out there! About time, cuz I have to be ready to run a 5k mid-November!

wittle bitty mp3

So as Emme said, yesterday I ordered a super cute mp3 player. So little! Yay! I can't wait for it to come so I can load it up with some fun tunes and start running (assuming my toe is doing better).

Like Emme, I have also been eating everything in sight, especially since two nights ago she made blueberry muffins and then last night she made pumpkin bread.

Yum.

Yesterday Emme and I went for a walk, and turns out she wanted to walk a lot faster than I had planned so I was out of breathe after like a fourth of the circle. How embarrassing.

Tomorrow I plan to take a walk in the morning, if it isn't raining. We'll see how that goes.

~Claire

I think I broke it.

So two days ago I was planning on running three 10-min miles on the treadmill, and all was going well until I hit 2 miles, and the treadmill tried to kill me. Basically, it was like every step I took retracted the belt in the opposite direction it goes, while making this terrible sound. So. Two miles it was.

Yesterday: ran one tempo lap around the loop and it was cold and windy in my ears. I have this thing where even if its not that cold, the inside of my ears start aching. I don't get it, but it painful and uncomfortable. Anyways, it was a good run.

Today: ~3 miles on the path/trail behind our apartment in what I'm guess was maybe 31-33 minutes. It felt good.

Tomorrow: I'm not sure. I have a doctor appointment early, so I might just take tomorrow off.

PROBLEM: I EAT EVERYTHING IN SIGHT AND CRAVE UNHEALTHY FOOD ALLLLL THE TIME. This is something I really need to rectify. Starting now. Ok? Yes. Ok.

Love,
Emme

PS Claire just ordered the cutest little mp3 player ever...hopefully she'll chime in and post a link!

Sad but True

Today I learned that it will probably be ANOTHER 2 weeks before my toe is ok.

LAME!!

Today I did go on a leisurely walk around the circle. It took about 30 min, including a couple breaks to let my kid push the stroller when he wanted. The main reason we went is that it is so GORGEOUS outside! Yay fall!

The treadmill flipped out on Emme today so we may be in the market for a new one. Sad day.

My toe needs to hurry up and heal so I can get back on track! I was inspired to run today but a) no one was home to watch my kid and b) my toe is still broken.

On the bright side, the weather is beautiful and October is coming. Yay.

Weekend Yo.

So, the weekend's over, and I didn't do especially well. But on Saturday I did manage to exercise for an hour, which was the plan. I ran around the loop and once and headed for the running path behind near our house. i think I ran about 2 miles, walked some, then ran/walked another mile or so until i got to some hills. I would jog down the hill, sprint up the hill, then walk to the next one. Afterwards I jogged to cool down, and it all added up to about an hour. I was pleased. It was a good workout but I didn't over-do it at all.

Today I didn't run in the morning, but Will (boyfriend) and I went on a short but fast hike through the woods, and his legs are really long so I really had to work to keep up with him. It was nice to have an alternative work out, though!

Tomorrow: 3 miles in 30 min. Yep. Its happening. Or at least 30:30. Just less than 31, ok??

I made this delicious potato soup tonight! One of my friends shared the recipe with me: throw some potatoes, cauliflower, and onion together in a big pot, cover the veggies with water, and boil for 20-30 minutes. Then mash them up or put the soup in a blender and voila! I added some yummy things to make it less healthy: some light sour cream, butter, garlic powder, basil, salt and pepper, and bacon bits. SO GOOD! Plus its a fairly cheap/healthy meal the comes out with lots of left overs.

Love,
Emme

3 miles down!

So today, I feel very accomplished because...my goal was to run 3 miles and i DID! I went with the treadmill today, which I'm starting to like better but don't want to like it better. I ran at 6mph for the first two miles, and then on the third mile i toggled between 5mph and 6mph, and my total time was 31:45, which is ok with me!

Tomorrow is Saturday...haven't decided what I want to do to make my workout extra hard. Maybe some sprints. I want to exercise for an hour, at least.

Here's another exciting thing I did today: made goal charts for me and claire! I made it on powerpoint, and I don't really know how to attach it to a blog post or else I would put it up here to show. Maybe once I figure it out you can see.

Love,
Emme

A Day Off

Yesterday: 2.5 mile run on the treadmill, went really well and i definitely booked it at the end. The thing is about the treadmill -- i sweat like 8 times as much as when I run outside. I guess because there's no air flow or wind maybe. Nasty.

Today: My first day off in about 2 weeks! I still did my daily squats, lunges, sets of situps, butt lifts, and arm exercises. But no running today. Tomorrow, I'm going to go for 3 full miles, whether outside (3x around the loop) or inside on the treadmill. Its been raining alot soooo we'll see.

Race update: I'm not running this weekend in a race, but Claire definitely found one that is coming up in November for a 5k! So we are signing up for that asap! Its totally do-able. There is a 10k the first week of December that I'm contemplating. I can do 6 miles by December, right?? Right. :)

Love,
Emme

PS make me eat better.

Why is my toe taking so long to heal?

As Emme mentioned, we played tennis this past weekend. It killed my toe, but it felt good to do something besides sit on my butt.

Monday I went on a walk around the circle, but it took me 25 minutes to get around the whole thing.

My toe needs to heal so I can get out and run!

Good run today!

SO today I didn't go any further than I've gone -- twice around the loop -- but I went at a faster pace, mostly due to my running playlist I had forgotten about and the fact that there were a million people waiting for buses around the entire loop and I didn't want to linger by them.

Here are some of my favorites from my running playlist:

Forver - Chris Brown
Honey - The Hush Sound
Break the Ice - Britney Spears
Woman - Wolfmother
Stranger - Hilary Duff
One More Round - BarlowGirl
Check Yes Juliet - We the Kings
Hips Don't Lie - Shakira
Clumsy - Fergie
Psalm 73 (My God's Enough) - BarlowGirl
Dead Serious - ZOEgirl
Middle of the Night - Sherwood
Little Bitty Pretty One - Bobby Darin
U & Ur Hand - Pink

:)

Love,
Emme

Temporarily distracted/race??

Sooo this weekend claire and i played a little tennis- which was my passion in high school but which I am not actually that good at anymore (after not playing for 2.5 years..who would have thought.). Yesterday I ran two miles on the treadmill, which is good. But i felt like all weekend i was completely FULL of unhealthy food. This morning's run wasn't great...my legs got sore and I didn't quite make it the full 2 loops without walking for a bit, but i ran after walking. So this week I need to step it up and get out of my rut!

Here's something..my school is participating in a race to raise money for cancer research this weekend. Its a 5k (~3 miles) and it would be just for fun. I still haven't decided if I'm going to run or not, but I'm leaning towards yes! We'll see.

Thats all for now.
Love,
Emme

Fail.

I just got back from my run, which was supposed to be a faster-paced mile. I was aiming for about 8 minutes. But, from the very beginning I took off way too fast, like at a 6-min mile pace rather than 8, and I got way tired really fast and had to walk...3 times :( Finally, at about 300 m to go I'd say, I found the right pace, and it felt good, and I did kick it in at the end, but my time for ~1.2 miles was 10.22 minutes, which is a bit less than 9 minutes/mile. Boo. Plus my blister is hurting me a lot! Bad day for a jog, but hopefully those spurts of high-cardio exercise has primed my mind for my exam in 4 hours!

Tomorrow: long run/walk. I want to run 2 loops, then walk/run for about 45 minutes after that.

Love,
Emme

Marathon Guide

So while I am out of commission due to my stupid toe, I looked over a marathon guide that Emme had from a Fitness magazine.

It is a chart on how to train for a half-marathon in 8 weeks, starting as a beginner (meaning you currently run less than 15 miles a week or not at all). Since we are giving ourselves months instead of weeks, I am not too convinced with this guide. However, it might be a good benchmarking guide as we set goals for ourselves.

Instead of doing the week-to-week training, I think Emme and I should strive for meeting each goal every three weeks. Of course, Emme is already ahead of schedule, and we can't let it keep us from reaching higher. I am going to have to catch up as soon as I can walk comfortably again.

At the bottom of the page, there are running shorts, shoes, and shirts...I kinda want to get all of them, but I think for now I am going to work on getting running shoes and shorts.

Emme and I can go shoe shopping together :)

Let's hope I am back up and running (haha) soon!

~Claire

First Goal: CHECK!

So today (thursday, not saturday) I ran the full two laps! YES! I ran it in about 23 minutes, so it comes down to just over 9 1/2 minutes per mile, if my calculations are correct. Which is better than I thought I was doing! So tomorrow I have a big test, and I'm going to try to run just one lap around the loop in 8 minutes. We'll see if I can!

Sad news: My feet are telling me its time for new running shoes. I've got a big nasty blister on the arch of my left foot, I guess where the insole is rubbing it. I like my shoes though! I have had them for over a year though...I guess its time.

Love,
Emme

Updates

So this morning I did pretty good, about 1.5 around the loop! Tomorrow hopefully I'll go 1.75 and then two laps by saturday! woot!

I ate a looot of food today I feel like. Tonight I made stroganoff hamburger helper + mashed potatoes + cinnamon apples, and it was all really very tasty, but woah, i ate a lot of it. Unlike Claire's 2-year-old, who I was babysitting, and who ate....a few pieces of apple. Maybe I should take some tips from him??

I talked to one of my friends who is a marathon/half runner, asking her for some tips, and it was enlightening. She gave me some good tips like:
-Stick to a training plan
-Check out Runner's World magazine's website
-Eat/drink the same thing on race day as you do everyday

I can't wait until I can actually run and run and run without getting tired!

Love,
Emme

New Goal: 2x around the Loop

Today I was really not motivated at all to run and it was really gloomy and a bit chilly outside, but once I started I was totally feeling it and I ran once around the loop and then some, turn around and walked a bit then kicked it in for the home stretch (which is only like 100m but still)! So my goal is that by the end of this week i will be able to run two times around the loop without stopping to walk. If I can accomplish that, next week I will focus on gaining speed and getting my speed up to 9 min miles (I know, that sounds kind of pathetic).

Remember that donut that I bought and was so proud that I didn't eat? Well stupid Will (my boyfriend and Claire's brother) never took it home! And it was just sitting here....so Claire and I split it last night (bad girls). It wasn't even that good. :( Today my eating schedule is going to be off again because I have no time to eat from 1:30 until 9:30...we'll see how that goes.

Love,
Emme

Holding Steady

This morning I didn't push it much and ran the same length as I ran yesterday: once around the loop. It felt pretty good, as if I could keep going, but unfortunately I didn't actually have the time for it.

Today my eating habits were a little weird...breakfast at 8 am, lunch at 3, "dinner" at 8 pm. Its hard because my class schedule is 12-3, so before class I'm not really hungry for lunch, and after class its so close to dinner that I don't want to eat, but I'm sooo hungry. I haven't really figured out the best plan of action in that regard.

Anyways, I'm going to run more than just once around the circle tomorrow hopefully, aiming for 1.5 laps!

Love,
Emme

P.S. Isn't that bad luck for Claire? Her toe keeps getting more puffy and more purple...yikes :(

Off Track...but only Temporarily!!

So I went to the doctor who sent me to get an x-ray technician who then sent me back to the doctor, and I have a broken toe. Can you see the crack? It's right by the yellow dot, on the second toe from the right. The other picture is my poor swollen bruised toe that has to be taped to my other toe.

I am supposed to leave it alone and try to stay off it for a couple weeks (!!!). I tried to put on tennis shoes to see if I could at least go on a walk, but that didn't work out. I am gonna try every day though until it starts feeling better so I don't lose too much time!!

On the bright side, today after I ate my leftover spaghetti I had a hankerin' for some chips and dip. BUT, instead of getting those out, I sliced an apple and ate that instead. It was yummy and it made me feel full, and therefore I no longer wanted the chips. Good choice, self.

I hope Emme had a better day than I did!

~Claire

Sad day for Claire's toe.

So my toe is still killing me, and I don't even think I can go on a short walk today. I am going to the doctor in a bit, and hopefully that'll help...for now, though, I am just going to try to eat well today and maybe do some crunches and stuff!

No toe is going to slow me down! Unless this stupid thing doesn't heal this week, I'm still going for my goal to run 1 full circle on Saturday!

~Claire

I didnt do as well today :(

So Emme's turkey meatballs were AMAZING. Yum.

I went around the circle but I was out of breathe faster than yesterday, so I walked a lot more :( but I am still on for my goal of 1 full circle (1.3 miles) by next Saturday.

Also, this evening I managed to jam my toe into a door frame...and I can barely walk...so hopefully I will be all better tomorrow and I can at least take a good walk!!!

Let's hope for a better day tomorrow!

~Claire

1 down...12 to go!

Today I made it all the way around the loop (~1.3 miles)! And then I went and did some sprint intervals too, because its the weekend and I have time. My legs are beginning to feel it, too!

Tonight I'm going to attempt to make spaghetti and meatballs...the sauce is premade but I'm using this recipe to make the meatballs (except with ground turkey instead of ground chicken). Hopefully they will turn out really well and be tasty and healthy! I'm using sauce from Trader Joe's (i love that place) that is just "Tomato Basil Marinara" sauce. I might pick up some diced tomatoes to make the sauce chunky...I like chunky sauce :)

Thats all for today! Claire will probably let you know how the spaghetti turns out later tonight!

Love,
Emme

Better than I thought :)

Today Emme rollerbladed by me as I ran around most of the circle. That's right. I ran more than half way around, and then instead of walking the whole way home I tried to run for a little bit more (although that really didn't last all that long, and Emme then proceeded to make fun of my weak sprint at the end).

I am pretty proud of myself. And I tried to eat well today, which was made easy by Emme who made an amazing salad, but then I kinda ruined it by eating a lot of cheez-its. I need to put a portion in a bowl and only eat that next time.

Basically, today's run gave me faith that if I keep this up, by May I really will be able to run a half-marathon. Yay!

~Claire

Feelin good!

So today I was late for work. And thus did not run in the morning, instead ran at about 2:00 p.m., aka the hottest time of the day. Heat always makes running less enjoyable. Anyways, I ran almost the whole circle, and then walked home. But after I got home, I was feeling kind of rejuvenated and motivated, so I hiked up to the exercise path that is conveniently located right behind our apartment. On the path I did a couple sets of sprint/jog/walk intervals, and then jogged a little bit more and walked home. So...now I'm pretty exhausted! And later I'm going to roller blade alongside Claire as she takes her run after her lame weekend class gets over.

*Brownie Points for Me Today**: At work, I went to the grocery store next door to pick up some breakfast for me and some donuts for my boss. Soo..I was planning on getting a banana and some milk, but the bananas were all nasty green, so I headed for the donuts while I decided what to get. I totally caved at the sight/smell of the donuts and picked one up for me too, but also got some milk and mini-muffins (which aren't THAT healthy but hey, they've got blueberries, right?). When I got back to work, I ate the muffins and re-assessed my situation, and I have yet to eat that donut. I think I will head over to my boyfriend's house and pawn it off on him!

Love,
Emme

Day 2-Claire

So yesterday I ran with Emme (she did much better than I did, and I slowed her down quite a bit) around the circle. Today I took an hour-long walk with my kid, and I tried to keep a brisk pace the entire time. I also tried to jog for a little bit, but the stroller did not like that very much.

I am sore beyond belief. I am feeling muscles I have never felt before. But while it hurts, I am still motivated because if I keep this up, it will be less painful!

Current Goal:run around the entire circle (a little over a mile) on September 19 without taking walk breaks.

Emme and I are going to run the circle again tomorrow, so we'll see how far I can go!

:)

~Claire

Getting into the Swing of Things [[Emme]]

I've run every morning for the past 4 days, and today I think its catching up to me. My body felt tired and my legs were heavy, and my run was just overall not that great. I'm not sure why this happens to me sometimes..it sucks! We have this "loop" near our apartment that is 1.3 miles, and I'm working on running that at a decent pace without having to stop to walk. Seems like an easy goal...and it should be but I'm really out of shape, ok?? Anyways, hopefully I will be able to finish the loop pretty soon and move on to running twice around the loop. My goal for the end of next week is 1.5 times around the loop without stopping...hold me to it!

Love,
Emme

Claire 101

Hi! I'm Claire. As Emme mentioned already, we are roommates who want to get into shape.

I have never been in shape. I have been overweight ever since I can remember. I had a baby a couple years ago and I gained about 40 lbs...and it's still here.

About me:
Name: Claire
Age: 23
Height: 5'10'
Weight: 220 :(

My Goals:
-Lose 60 lbs
-Eat healthier
-Exercise Regularly
-Run a half marathon!

I would really like to be able to have clothes that look good on me, which doesn't really happen ever because I am so overweight. Also, running a half marathon will pretty much be my biggest accomplishment ever because I will have to work so hard to get there.

Now, I'd better get to work! Wish us luck!

Claire

Emme's Hello

Hi!

My name is Emmeline, but I go by Emme for short. My roommate Claire and I got this idea: to start running and eating well to get in shape for a HALF MARATHON in the spring! So we are starting this blog to keep us on track.

A little about me:
-Name: Emme
-Age: 20
-Height: 5'10
-Weight: 145-ish

My goals:
-Ultimately: Be able to run 13 miles for a half marathon in April
-Tone my legs and butt
-Lose ten pounds
-Develop much healthier eating habits

I've been in shape before; I was an athlete in high school. But during the past couple years, my muscle has turned to fat and I let myself get rather out of shape. I'm hoping this year I will get in shape and stay in shape for years to come!

Love,
Emme