It's a Lifestyle Change

Who would have ever thought I could get this much out of a simple addition to my everyday routine? Definitely not me. In fact, I thought running would be a complete burden that I would have to squeeze into my never ending to-do list that seems to creep up every single day. It's not another addition to the list...in some ways it's freedom from the list.

After next week I will no longer have a website telling me how far to run everyday. In some ways that offers opportunity for me to be creative and run what I feel like, but in other ways it offers me to be lazy. I don't want to be lazy. I haven't emphasized how much having a partner in this journey has been rewarding. Bethany has been a wonderful blessing to me. Knowing someone was relying on me to get up and run is just the right amount of pressure to do it on days I don't want to. Having her there to talk to has been distracting and also built our friendship even stronger. The encouragement she's given me goes without saying, and I'm very nervous to be finishing our official journey together after the race March 12. I hope she still runs and we can run together, but I know that isn't a guarantee.

This week was 2.75 miles which is a huge accomplishment for both of us. The accomplishment for me really came in realizing that this is no longer me "training for a 5K". This is a lifestyle change that I am so excited to make. I started this program ultimately out of an effort to lose weight. Sadly, I haven't lost a single pound. I'm not discouraged though. In fact, accomplishing this huge step in my life just gives me more courage to take the next big step of making a change with my diet. I know that when I start making better choices with what I eat, I will start to see changes in my weight. I'm ready and willing to tackle that. I love food. I have eaten HUGE portions my whole life because that was a norm. Controlling that will be the biggest challenge, but all I can say is bring it on! Now, I will just need to set an official date to start this part of the equation and go from there. I'm sure I'll whine share on here what I've learned, what I'm struggling with, and, of course, my success with this part of my life.

As for week 8, see you later alligator. For those of you trying this, week 8 is a piece of cake. That's not to say my legs didn't feel like they were made of concrete on a large part of some of the runs, but when you get this far quitting isn't an option. Correction: run everyday as if quitting were never an option. You won't regret the result. Someone wise once told me, "It's like brushing your teeth, you have to do it."

Week 7

Two and a half miles is a little surreal still. I never dreamed I'd actually make it to week 7. Monday was pretty painful. I was literally praying for a water fountain to pop up. I've noticed that weeks where I don't hydrate are the absolute worst. I can feel a huge difference on days where I have drank enough water compared to days where I haven't. I remember saying to Bethany, "Why don't people put water fountains in their front yard?"

Tuesday was not near as bad. I drank a lot to try to prepare myself. We had to run late in the afternoon, but it was a really good run. I've found it is so much easier to run when we have stuff to talk about. I've gotten to the point where if I'm distracted I feel like I could run forever. I love that feeling.

Thursday at clinical someone spilled some water on the floor and I busted it. At the time it was hilarious, and it didn't hurt at all. When I woke up Friday morning, though, my knee was killing me. I was really sad because Friday was our running day. I chose to skip out and try to rest my knee for at least a day. That meant that I wouldn't be able to do Day 3 with Bethany because she had to work all weekend. This morning I set out on Day 3 run...alone. I wasn't really looking forward to that. I chose not to bring my iPod and just to enjoy the run. Enjoy I did. It wasn't an easy run, but it was bearable. At about a mile my shins literally felt like they were splitting. It was very painful, but I just ran through it. It seems like if I keep running when something is hurting it eventually goes away. By the time I got to 1.5 miles I didn't feel my shins anymore. I was going downhill, though, and that put a lot of impact on my knee. It didn't hurt as bad as I thought it would, but it did hurt. Needless to say I finished my first long run by myself, and I didn't hate it. I missed Bethany, but I know I will be able to run by myself.

Right now, my knee is hurting pretty bad so I'm going to rest it tomorrow and hopefully be ready for Monday's 2.75 miles! I am so excited to be so close to finished!

Goodbye week 7. :)

Couch to 5K: 6 Weeks and Still Growing

Due to a request from Brittany, I'm going to write about my experiences with my 5K training program to this point. Hopefully you will find it interesting or maybe even helpful.

Week 1, Day 1: Oh. My. Goodness. "Today was run 60 seconds, walk 90 seconds for a total of 20 minutes. Did I really almost pass out or better yet throw up in front of my friends? You've got to be kidding me." Those were my thoughts as I felt completely defeated after my first run. I dressed in way too many layers and set out thinking it would be so easy. It wasn't. I was hurt.

Week 1, Day 2: Every muscle in my body hurt like I've never experienced. Part of me wanted to quit already, but I decided to push through. I couldn't give up on the second day. When I finished this run, it was wonderful. I felt like I had ran out some of the soreness. The best antidote for sore muscles is more exercise, I'm convinced.

Week 2: This is run 90 seconds, walk 90 seconds. I remember the entire time I would stare at my watch hoping the 90 seconds would pass quicker. This is when the "runner's high" began. After we'd finish running, I'd just be so happy. It felt good. Bad, but good.

Week 3: This is jog 1/2 a lap on the track, walk 1/2 a lap, jog a whole lap, walk a whole lap. Repeat. It was incredibly discouraging that the laps would be so hard. I remember hurting so bad. Some days it would be my shins and others it would be my lungs. I hurt everyday, though. I thought everyone could run a lap on a track. Why was it so hard for me?

Week 4: This is what we called hell week. Jog 1/4, walk 1/8, jog 1/2, walk 1/4, jog 1/4, walk 1/8, jog 1/2. We were struggling to run one lap on the track. How in the world were we going to complete 2...twice? This was the most scared I had ever been. I told myself that if I could complete this, then I could complete the whole training program. On day one it was raining and cold. I had a terrible headache. We set out on our journey around the track, and it just happened. Day one was actually kind of easy. I was so excited. I couldn't believe we did it. Day two and three hurt like hell. My lungs hurt, my legs hurt, and I continuously asked myself how it could be so hard these two times when the first time had seemed so easy. Adrenaline? Probably.

Week 5: This is the week we would truly become runners, I thought. By the end of week 5, we would run 2 miles straight. Correction: we DID run 2 miles straight. The first two days were mostly filled with fear of day three. They hurt a little, but we tried to "push" ourselves so that we would be ready for that 2 mile run. When day 3 finally came, it was nothing like I hoped. We had to run inside because of the ridiculously cold whether. That meant 14 monotonous laps on the indoor track. By the end I think we were running so slowly that some people could pass us walking. We were dead...and very very dehydrated.  There was still a huge sense of relief because we finished 2 miles. That was something neither of use had never done.

Week 6: This has been the best week yet. I haven't been sore in a few weeks now. Every once in a while I'll get a shin splint, but nothing major. When I'm running sometimes it hurts, but others I feel like I could run forever. I'm completely amazed that I can accomplish what I can. I knew scientifically my body was capable of it, but I never saw myself actually being able to run a decent distance again. If you would have told me 6 months ago that I'd be able to run a mile straight, I would have laughed in your face. Week 6, day 3 was my favorite run ever. We started the run going uphill. This was the same hill that killed me at the end of week 4 when I had to run alone. This time we talked the entire time. That's a huge deal because when this began I couldn't run and talk at the same time if I wanted to. Friday, we ran 2.25 miles without walking and talked every step of the way. I felt like I could've easily continued to run and even reach my 3.1 mile goal. I want to stick with the program so I didn't push myself any farther, but I know now that I'm a runner. It feels wonderful.

Brittany, I'm so incredibly proud of you for doing this program. I'd give anything to be able to run with you everyday and offer you encouragement as you go. I don't know if this is helpful, but this is my journey the best I can recall it. I know there were more days when I was sore and when the runs were hard, but those days just seem like building blocks to me now. Stick with it. Your body is being whipped into shape and it won't like it at first. It will thank you later though. Keep up the good work!

Snow Day!

Today I go to stay in my pajamas for an entire day due to the weather canceling everything in Nacogdoches. Ice is a big deal to us in Texas so we basically just shut down. Needless to say, I didn't even walk outside. I was having trouble staying warm in my apartment, and I didn't want to freeze outside. I'm pretty much over the snow. I loved looking at it out the window and being in awe of something so beautiful, but that was the extent of my fascination. Having a day like this made me think about some things I love and some that I don't.


Things I love:

• Seeing God's creation and being in awe. It doesn't matter if it's blue skies, snow, rain, mountains, or deserts...I'm truly amazed every single day.
• Naps. Today I had an amazing nap with my favorite blue blanket on my warm and comfortable couch.
• Laughing. There is nothing like that feeling you have when you've been laughing. Sometimes I laugh even when I'm not happy, and it actually makes me happy. That's a weird theory, but it has worked for me more than once.
• Snuggling. My husband is probably the world's best snuggler. I call him my human heater because he puts off so much heat. It's wonderful on days like today!
• Being productive. I wasn't super productive today, but I did finally tackle the chapter that I've been trying to read for a whole week. 
• Cooking. I'm not a very good cook, but I really love to do it! I hope that my love for it can make me better at it. I can't wait until I have more time to try new things and learn more about it.
• My niece and nephew. I didn't get to see them today, obviously, but I thought about them non-stop. I know that Clayton was so excited about the snow, and I can just picture him running around talking too fast for anyone to understand as he played his little heart out. My sweet Madison is now crawling...and she's actually making some good distance. It seems too soon.

Things I don't love:

• Cold weather. I could never ever live somewhere that actually has a winter. I really hate it. I know there are good things like scarves and snuggling to be thankful for, but that isn't enough motivation for me to like freezing.
• Stress. I am most definitely type A, and so I constantly battle myself to control stress. Because my weeks are so busy the next few weeks, I have checked my planner probably 100 times today. I'm happy I recognize it, and I hope that I can continue to get better about stressing out so easily. It's all about priorities. I just have to keep reminding myself what is really important.
• Living so far away from my family. I know that 2 hours isn't that far, but I really wish I could just go visit them when I want to. I'm sure if I lived close, I'd be wishing the opposite. We're never satisfied, right?

As for the snow day, it was nice to stay in the house and be forced to just relax for a day. I missed my run because the rec center was closed, but tomorrow is the last day of week 5 and it is 2 whole miles! I'm nervous but super pumped!