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