bad run...Emme's fault lol

So Emme and I were both inspired to run today because the weather is actually decent. Here is what happened: We started together and it turns out Emme runs a lot faster than I do. I was dying by like 4 minutes in. We slowed down a lot, but even after another 4ish minutes I was having difficulty breathing and keeping up. Plus I felt bad because she can go so much faster and further than I can. Eventually she went on without me and I tried to run home, but ended up walking probably 5/8 of the way. I would say half, but that would be a lie...and 2/3 is also wrong. :)

Anyway, I ran for like 9 minutes and then walked/ran for another 9.

And I experienced the ickypants dry caugh that I recently read about in Fitness magazine (ps Emme, I ordered Fitness for $5 a year today). It happens when the dry air is causing the natural moisture in your mouth/throat to dry up and it sucks-I sound all sick and its a bit painful. Maybe I should look into getting a silly mask.

Or I could just wear a scarf...but I dont think I would like that.

Emme is still out on her run-I hope hers is going better than mine! Also, I am pretty sure this means that we won't be running together for the half lol

~Claire

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!