Well that's interesting

I firmly believe that dragging half dead butt out of bed this morning was only made possible because I was thinking about all the people yesterday who told me I inspired them. So, thank you citizens! 

The first part of today's run before work this morning was amazing, near perfect if I do say so myself. My rhythm was on point, my focus solid and my headspace clear. I could not have asked for a better run. The return trip wasn't so hot. The shooting pain in my butt came back and shot to my knee and then down the front to my shin. I could not run through it, it hobbled me. I stopped for a minute and tried some really strange stretches while praying no one would happen upon me. 

I started back at a very slow pace still in pain and feeling the energy just evaporate from my soul. I had a few good stretches where I picked up my pace and actually felt less pain that way but having lot momentum and heading up hill my energy level was shot. 

Eventually I made I back and when I checked my app I saw that despite my dismal finish I actually had my fastest pace of the week so there is that to focus on. 

My morning at the office was so busy I was completely chained to my desk and made it a point to evacuate the building for lunch and found a delightful spot to dine. 

When I was finished I decided to take advantage of the gorgeous weather and go for a little stroll. I made a big mistake though and opted to keep my flimsy flat shoes on. In just 20 minutes (which ended going up a really steep hill) I knew I was in trouble. Both of my feet had blisters on the bottoms and my left achellies tendon felt like it might blow out of my leg. 

Immediately I iced it and about an hour later it no longer hurt but felt creaky. I decided to put on my running shoes even though they looked completely ridiculous with my maxi dress and the difference was instantious. I just needed some support so on my way home I got some tape and after watching a few YouTube videos decided on a configuration that would offer support. 

I felt good as new and was perfectly fine during a post dinner 2 mile chat and stroll with my mother. 

I'm resting it right now and hoping for everything to be normal again in the morning. I suspect that my poor foot wear choice is mostly to blame because that same hill made my tendon ache in my old crappy sneakers in my lunch time walks during the winter, but I'm not discounting the fact that I may be running too much too fast. 

I think the trail might be a no go tomorrow but I have a few other options depending on how everything feels in the morning. The last thing I want is another injury sidelining me. 

I did it!

I am not a morning person but I find working out in the morning to be the best route for me because I am GREAT at coming up with excuses for not working out if I have all day to do so. 

I've gone running before work on the trail several times but only on the weekends. I have to be at my desk a full hour earlier during the week so instead of leaving at my normal time today I had to be up and out a full hour earlier. I'm not going to lie, that was not easy. I felt like I was still half asleep on the drive over. 

As I parked the car I got really excited though because there were a lot of people out and about running. 

I hit the trail and started running and it just was not going well, I felt really lazy today. I couldn't find a rhythm, my form was all off and I kept wondering how writes it would be to nap in the woods. 

I had to stop to re tie my shoes and then I  started getting fussy and actually thought about cutting it short. Thankfully  I thought about how much worse I would feel drowning in disappointment later so I kept going and even attempted to pick up some speed. My endurance just wasn't there though and at the halfway mark it felt like it would take me forever to get back. I also started to worry that I wouldn't get back to work with enough time to stretch and change. 

So I had a little pep talk with myself, there is obviously only one way to get back quicker, run you fool. 

So I started hauling ass which is a special kind of torture on the return trip because it's all up hill. Suddenly I noticed a couple up ahead of me in the distance just strolling along hand in hand. I focused on them and the ground I was gaining. I finally smiled for the first time since I ripped myself from my nice warm bed and that's when it happened 

Ok well I didn't get shot but it sure did feel like it and my right leg felt dead. A few minutes of stretching later and I was functional again but all hope of as strong finish was lost. 

I ended my run in a pretty dismal mood but it thankfully didn't take me long to realize a few very important things. 1) hey I got my ass out of bed and made it to the trail this morning  and 2) my duration and distance are already so much more than April and I've only been back at this for 4 days. 

I have all the reason in the world to smile about what I'm doing. I wore heels all day at work without leg pain and I'm actually typing this on my phone as I'm enjoying an evening stroll. So I'm stronger, I'm not injuring myself and everyday I'm laying the foundation for some amazing feats yet to come. 

Breath. Smile. Repeat. All is well. 

There's a glitch in the matrix

Finding motivation to run today was challenging. I had the day off from work and my legs were incredibly sore. I laid in bed stretching for a few extra minutes trying to find the proper motivation and I decided that I should go running because 

1) it really was nice outside
2) the beef worked an overnight so I had no one to cuddle with
3) sitting around wouldn't make my legs feel any better 

4) it would be hard to find the motivation to go out once the beef got home

So I decided that since it was early enough that traffic would be light and the view would be pleasant I would do a straight shot out and back from a road I live off of. The added bonus of this was that my shaky motivation wouldn't be a factor because no matter how far out I went I would still have to run back home. I am a genius.

4 miles of this view made it really easy to forget about how sore my legs were but on the flipside of that I kept zoning out and daydreaming about the lake so I was slowing down much more than I normally would. I also managed to some how pause my app halfway though the run and it took me about a mile and a half to realize it so while my distance was logged correctly the pace was all off I don't care too much though I'm just happy to be out there again. 

I did notice today that whenever I stopped my glasses would fog up instantly which is a great motivator to keep things moving. I've also been loading up on the sunscreen because as much and I love my super absorbent bondi band I do not want to deal with the tan line it would cause across my forehead. 

I had one weird moment on my run today on the way out I happened across a road kill squirrel and as expected happened upon it on my return trip. Clearly nothing out of the ordinary there until a few minutes later I ran across a second one that I did not notice the first time yet it looked exactly like the first one I saw and all I could think was that there was a glitch in the matrix.

I'm excited for tomorrows run I'm going to try something I've never done before, should be fun!

Well that's better

The one good thing I could say about yesterday's run was that aside from the general horribleness my form was still good. I knew that was absolutely true when I woke up this morning and my abs felt like if done a billion sit-ups.

It took some extra stretching but I got my butt out of bed and hit the road for another run. I gave myself a proper warm up today instead of frolicking towards the trail and suddenly I'd already gone a mile and I was feeling GREAT. 

At several points the trail I run on is intersected by a road. I had been under the impression that there were 3 sections. Today before it was time to turn around I discovered that there is a forth and was excited that there were still unexplored areas for me to look forward to. 

I even managed to let go of some of my go go go mentality and literally stop and smell the flowers. Cheerful daisies were in abundance today but of course when I wanted to document them I can only find one.

Aside from sucking wind during miles 3 and 4 everything else was physically awesome. Mentally though I had a hard time keeping focus but I know that had more to do with me thinking about work stuff. 

In order to keep myself motivated I made a deal with myself that if I could see my shadow I didn't have to push so hard because I would know of someone was sneaking up behind me, but if I was in the shade and couldn't see my shadow I needed to turn it up a notch just incase. Turns out most of the up hill stretches are in the shade, yikes! 

Don't get me wrong, I feel like I'm running in a very safe area and this little exercise in mind fuckery was inspired by the gentlemen who didn't hear me approaching from behind because of his ear buds and pretty much crapped himself as I passed. He looked less then pleased as I tripped over myself apologizing and I wondered if he was plotting my demise as he continued on with excrement in his shorts. 

Speaking of dung, as I was barreling down a hill blinded by the sun I noticed a steaming pile in my path at the last second and proceeded to launch myself over it in what might be the least graceful movement I have ever accomplished. Somehow I managed to stay relatively upright and not die  

Word to the wise: pick up after your dog and turn down your music, running shouldn't be so shitty. 

Ok, no more poop jokes. 

I see a lot of stretching in my future because I feel like I got hit by a bus but in the best way possible. I don't have any numbers yet but I'm hoping this is the start of a very lovely run streak. Tomorrow I won't be on the trail so it will be interesting to see how I do on pavement after such a long absence. 

Ta-Dah!

So as soon as I feel like a runner I find out that I'm not allowed to run. Maybe I jinxed myself but about a month ago my doctor banned me from running because of a disc injury in my back, no amount of temper tantrums or reasoning would change his mind. So I spent my time doing the stupidest thing possible, sitting around, pouting, indulging in bad habits  and telling my elliptical how stupid and boring it is.

However, this morning I greeted the dawn in all my neon glory and made my triumphant return to running. It was easily the worst experience of my entire life but somehow I survived and 4.31 miles later I'm here to tell you about it.

Summer is here which means the temperature is rising so I wanted a morning run, since I'm working this weekend I figured this would be a great opportunity to show up to work early and hit the trail. I forced myself to sleep early and woke up before my alarm this morning.

I was frantic with excitement and quickly gathered my things and headed out the door. In my haste I forgot to take my seasonal allergy medicine and decided that it would be a great idea to add an energy pack to my bottle of water. These were both poor choices.

I was anxious about how deconditioned I had become with all my sulking so I decided to not use the C25K app I had been working with and just turn up my music and go, setting an alarm on my phone for when I needed to turn around so I could get back to work on time without being propelled by fear. By the time I got to the trail I was feverish with excitement and energy packet and I was more frolicking than running at that point.

Everything started out great, the trail was felt like a tunnel at some points with all the the greenery that had bloomed since the last time I ran it was a really neat feeling to surrounded by all the green. Speaking of which did I mention I forgot my allergy medicine? My sinuses seemed to close almost instantly which makes breathing interesting but I can manage mouth breathing so it wasn't the end of the world.

Then the heart burn kicked in, I've been dealing with this at night for the past few days due to stress and poor dietary choices. I suspect the energy packet activated this and suddenly I was running in agony. This wasn't normal I had Mema's spaghetti sauce with dinner last night heartburn this was I made poor dietary choices all week and I may have given myself an ulcer due to this house buying process oh and also I did actually have Mema's spaghetti sauce with dinner last night heart burn which roughly feels like a gigantic hole is about to burn through your chest and it pulses and gets more severe with physical exertion or vomiting (both of which were happening in high quantities on the trail this morning).

I would have preferred to run with a dislocated shoulder to give you an idea of how I was feeling. I probably would have killed someone for a piece of sidewalk chalk to gnaw on. All though the pain I kept on, not because I'm stubborn and reckless but because I was 2 miles away from the office and had no choice. Eventually I found a great Sprint, Jog, Walk, Heave, Stumble, and Repeat pattern that served me well. At one point I was able to lose myself in the music instead of the fire in my chest and busted out with a pretty sick air guitar only to look up and find an oncoming running watching me and laughing. Whoops!

So embarrassment and complete physical agony aside I made it back and survived my return to running. No more spaghetti sauce for me and maybe I should meditate some of this stress away because I'm going back out there tomorrow today's nightmare not withstanding the trail is my happy place.

What did I just call myself?!

Today I actually felt a little bit like a runner. Now of course the minute I say that out loud I feel like a fraud but that seems to be pretty normal for most people when they start out so I'll just embrace it.

Today's run was a little bit different. It wasn't a new distance record that made me feel like a runner, I've run further before. It wasn't a new speed record that made me feel like a runner, I've run faster before. I felt like a runner today because I find got around some imaginary roadblock in my head and the amount of time I spent actually running increased.

Every week the app I'm using has me go up a level with more time spent running and less time walking. Today was the first day of level 5 and the app requires that I spend more time running than walking. It wasn't the first time the program asked me to do this but it was the first time I cooperated with the instructions. Typically towards the end of the running interval I can feel it coming and my brain just shuts down and I lose my momentum with about 30 seconds to go.

Today I discovered a way to mentally power through and started and completed every running interval when instructed and not a second before or after the command was screamed into my ear by the apps Drill Sargent. I could feel my body losing strength as I knew the interval was ending but I just told my self no, at one point I actually said it out loud, thankfully to an empty trail, and it worked.

From here on out the app just starts ramping things up so it appears that I've discovered this new mental ability just in time.

My first morning run

Happy Easter!

Confession: I haven't been running on the weekends. Why? Well because as much as I might intend to my husband is usually around and I find him incredibly distracting. As he isn't a runner so we usually end up deciding on a mutually enjoyable activity. However, I suspect now that the weather is nicer I'll have the opportunity to run on the weekends while he's out on his motorcycle. So don't crash into him!!  

Running during the week is so easy for me because it's part of my day. All of my coworkers know where I go and why at this point it would be weird if I didn't. I'm not sure what I would even do with myself in the middle of the day at this point if I didn't go running. 

The nature of working in healthcare is that you're open 24/7 which means that every so often I do end up working on a weekend manning the phones. I don't work as long of a day as I do during the week though so there's no running for me at lunch time. Since I had only run 4 times this week (wasn't up for running on the snow on Wednesday, WTF snow?!) I figured I would try to get a run in on the trail before since I would be at work  anyway.

Typically at work I spend my lunch hour as such: change into running clothes, warm up walk to trail, run to trail, cool down walk back, stretch, try my best to bathe in the sink and put my work clothes back on. This doesn't even take me a full hour, I have time left over to heat up lunch and attack a liter of water like I've spent a year in the Sahara.

When you take into account that I wouldn't be heating up food and I was already in my running clothes arriving at work an hour before I needed to be there was really more than enough time. I gave myself a little extra warm up time because it was only 36 degrees out and I'm not quite used to that, maybe next year.

It was pretty much business as usual when I headed out, saw a lot more dogs than normal, one that even looked big enough to be a bear cub. There were more people than I've ever seen before which I liked because I don't actually mind saying hi to strangers as much as I might think I do and just in case of an emergency it always feels safer when people are around.

So off I went, running down the trail, lost in my breathing and focusing on people in front of me to see if I could over take them. Suddenly I realized I was farther on the trail than I had ever been before. Turns out the app I use that prompts my intervals and tracks my distance/speed didn't yell at me to turn around at the halfway point which should have happened nearly 10 minutes prior.

Oh crap.

This is the part where I should mention that the return trip on the trail usually goes a little bit slower as it's a gradual up hill adventure. I'm plugging away but the panic over the realization that I might not make it back in time spiked my adrenalin and it's quickly wearing off. I can feel the anxiety creeping in and suddenly my legs feel like jello.

Then in the distance I see the little old man I past earlier, still plugging away up the hill like a champ. I decided to focus on him. I matched his pace and focused on him instead of the size of the hill we were climbing. Bless his obviously in shape ticker, he did not falter once, which really worked out for me because if he had I would have lost all drive and done a slow sad walk the whole way back.

Once the incline was less severe I was able to finish the trail with a bit more vigor that was inspired by the thought of someone coming into the office and finding me a sweaty mess if I didn't have enough time to change.

Turns out I made it with time to spare and was able to get presentable before office hours started but only because I skipped stretching before changing. Don't yell at me I was able to get it done at my desk shortly after and even used a cubical for legs up the wall.

Because of the app screw up I don't have my paces for today but I do know the total distance was 3.49mi which blows the day before out of the water, I'm sticking with my current interval training though so I won't be passing that one for a while, unless of course there is another blunder.