Hi Everyone

This is way overdue. Life has been tough lately. I went to the doc a few weeks ago about my leg. Nothing too informative. Prescribed some physical therapy that I can't afford, so trying to figure that out. It doesn't look like I'll be running with you in Vegas, which really bums me out more than I can say. I'm still anxious to get back out there and running, but I can't yet :(. Besides that, the rest of my life is all upside down and changing and scary and hard and it freaks me out so I haven't written about it or checked in for a while. I hope everyone is doing great and avoiding injuries and having fun. I've been nursing an injured heart (emotionally, not physically) the last few weeks and I hate to admit that that's interrupted my exercise schedule more than my physical injury. I've been walking and done a lot of garden work and managed to stay physical, but I finally managed to get 30 min on the stairmaster yesterday. That felt good. I want to know how all of you are doing too. Teresa, did you do the 5k? How'd it go? How is everything going for everyone?

Long time, no check-in...

Hi everyone. Thought it was about time I checked in. Things are not going so well, but could be worse. My training was going great until 3 wks ago. Went out for a shorter run after two 5mi runs that week. Pain in my calf/lower leg. Thought it was torn calf muscle or just really, really tight. Gave it a couple weeks to heal, but kept moving and stretching as much as I could and also tried to rest it too. It feels better overall, but it's VERY slow going. I think it's time to see a sports doc. Not a big deal, I'll get back out there. I'm determined to keep running after seeing and feeling the results. But it came at the worst possible time, or at least it feels that way. Right before training officially started. I was running more than 3 miles at a time...ready to train. And now EVERYTHING in my life is changing and up in the air and it's very overwhelming and running was actually the one thing that was going really well and was a great way to relieve stress and get my energy out. So I'm bummed and discouraged about a lot of things, but I'm also trying my best to focus on the fact that it's not as bad as it could be. On a positive note, since I am so worried about losing my overall progress, I've been back in the gym doing weight training, and even stairmaster. 30 minutes on the stairmaster yesterday, injured......piece of cake compared to when I started. Managed to allow myself to feel good about that.

I just ran 5 miles!!!

Yay!!! It's no half-marathon, but I'm super stoked. I had a little walk warm-up BEFORE I started the 5 miles. Ran 2.5, quick bathroom break or I would have kept going. Then another 2.5 miles and a little cool-down and some stretching. About 2 miles into the running I was thinking of a quick break. Just then, a man running in the opposite direction put out his hand to give me a "hi five" and said, "Keep it up girl!!!" What a boost, just when I needed it :). And I didn't even have my mp3 player which usually helps with the mental stamina of it.

I really need to get some cross training back in the mix and some weight training too. However, my weight is still dropping. I'm the lightest I've been in probably a decade, or close to it. AND, I when I put my belt on this morning, I had to go down to the next smallest hole. Whoo hoo!!!!

I still get wary about 13 miles, but I'm trying not to think about that too much. Just my next step and my next one and so on. I need new shoes though. Now that I've been doing longer runs, I've realized my shoes might not be supportive enough. How is everyone else doing? I'd be down for doing some group runs too, if anyone is interested. I know Amy and I talked about it too. Okay, a shower is in order. Hope everyone is doing great!

4 miles!!!

Hello everyone. If I don't blog about this Amy will come after me. I ran 4 MILES on Friday! Whoo hoo! That's my longest run yet. I parked, and walked a little to the "start" point, 2 miles from Natural Bridges. So I ran the 2 miles to NB and the 2 miles back. I only slowed to walk maybe 3 times and just long enough to drink some watter and catch my breath a little if I needed. But that was kept to a minimum and I'm super stoked, considering not that long ago I ran my first mile EVER.

I also managed to get in some exercise while visiting family this weekend. Which is harder than it sounds, because they aren't exactly active. My oldest nephew wanted to come with me, which was great. I just made sure he knew I wasn't going for a leisurely stroll. But I did map out a shorter route. About 1.6 miles, slightly more. We were out in the country near their house, so it was nice to run off the pavement for a change. Still got the exercise, but a little break for the knees was nice :). I went sort of slow. He walked when he needed. He'd run to catch up if I got ahead or I'd jog ahead and jog back to him. It was great. Later that day was a huge pool party for my other 2 nephews. And by huge, I mean the pool, more than the number of people. They rented the town pool where they live for a private party, so we had this HUGE nice pool all to ourselves. I even had a huge section of pool to do some laps and no one even came near me. So I got a little bit of an upper body workout that day too. So even though Sunday was kind of easy going with the exercise, it felt great to get out there and move and to have fun while getting exercise in the pool. I need to make an effort to do more active fun things. Even though I love the feeling after a good hard workout, it can really feel like a chore while you're doing it. But it's easy to forget that exercise doesn't ALWAYS have to feel like a chore. So yeah, that was my weekend. I overcame that 4 mile mark and I overcame the inactivity that so often sucks me in when I visit family.

My focus now is to keep up with the running and to get my weight training and crosstraining back into the mix. Hope everyone is having a fine Tuesday!

Oh yeah, just on a personal health/goal note: I have been focusing my thoughts whenever I can on fitness rather then weight loss. But I do get on the scale here and there to keep myself updated on where I'm at. As of this weekend, my weight is the lowest it's been in YEARS. At least 5 years, maybe as much as 8. I've got a ways to go for my ideal weight, but I'm very close to passing a huge milestone in the weight category. But this time, the numbers are going down instead of up :). Several people I saw this weekend noticed and commented on the changes as well. That was nice. I made sure to mention that I've been running and exercising. I'm all for the healthier food choices, but I wanted it to be known that activity was a part of my improving fitness. Okay, I maybe I should do some actual work now...haha.

Yesterday

I really didn't feel like running. I felt really sluggish, like my legs were made of stone. I didn't have a good run on Thursday. (see "Couragement"). Friday was swimming and Saturday hiking. Both good workouts, but not running. SO, yesterday I decided to go out and do 3 miles, running 2 & walking 1. I wasn't sure I'd be able to do it, but I even exceeded my goal. Yay. I walked .5 mile (warm-up), ran 1 mile, quick bathroom break, ran 1 more mile and decided just before I reached the end of mile 2 that I was going to go a little further...to the stop sign I saw ahead, then realized the stop sign was in the middle of a hill so I might as well keep going until it flattens out. When I got to the top, I realized I had covered another quarter mile. AND, most importantly, there was the noticeable difference that my lungs were having an easier time than usual. That was great.

I'm not experiencing "pain" in my knee, but one of them does feel like it's taking a bit more abuse than the other. I know there are things I can do as far as getting better shoes, and stretching and such. But I also wonder if anyone that used to live in this area...ahem...I guess that means most of you...would know any good places to run "off road". I want to run more often, but also want to alternate on a softer surface while my joints get more and more used to the impact. Any suggestions?

couragement

discouragement:

I was reminded yesterday on my run/walk how important it is to eat, hydrate, sleep well. I'm sure I didn't get enough good sleep, and I KNOW I didn't eat often or enough. Same with hydration. And it was HARD. I started out pretty good, but before I was halfway through, I was already crashing. I did have water with me but had not had enough throughout the day. I barely ate anything during the day. My energy was totally zapped. The last 2 miles (of 4 total) were mostly walking with bursts of running, but I rested when needed and pushed when I could. Most importantly, I finished. Stretched.

encouragement:
So after my exhausting (but OMG, West Cliff is f'ing beautiful) run/walk. Although feeling discouraged by my performance, I found some encouragement. In the shower. My apologies if it's too much info, but it made me laugh out loud..and feel better about my overall progress. So...as I was lathering my arse in the shower, I noticed a firm mass in the middle of my buttock. For a split second, I wondered what the hell was wrong with my arse...before I realized that was MUSCLE! Sure enough...there was another to match on the other side. Whoo hoo!

So despite my discouraging workout, and even though my arse and I have a way to go...I still feel good about my own personal progress. So I'll be out there this weekend enjoying the fabulous weather and some exercise! Ahem...if anyone wants to join me....

Nothing's better...

Nothing’s better than the wind to your back, the sun in front of you, and your friends beside you.

-Aaron Douglas Trimble
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I happened upon that quote yesterday. It made me smile. Wasn't feeling too stoked about my training. Well, I feel great physically, weights and stairclimber are working. And dare I say, I no longer hate the stairclimber. I might even kind of like it...sick, I know. I can already feel a difference in my legs & butt. Yay. I plan to get some new shoes this week so I can hit the road and get my lungs into shape :).

(Oh yeah, I almost forgot my progress on the stairclimber. 30 minutes yesterday, 1.85 miles, level 4 difficulty, speed training interval program. Not bad for stairs, and my last session was only just over a mile in 20 minutes, level 3 difficulty, fat burning interval program.)

Michelle's Improvising

Hi everyone. So, my first week was great on the treadmill. It's currently out of order, though, and last week I used that as an excuse not to train. This week, I decided not to let that stop me. I had to make friends with the stairclimber. And I had to get back onto a weight training program too. So that was my focus this week. I need to get a good pair of running shoes and log a little more gym time before I hit the road. So this week I focused on weight training. Had a power-walk cardio session on Tues, and yesterday 20 min on the stairclimber. That doesn't sound like much, but that was over a mile of stairs. I've done 20 min of stairclimber in a workout before, but not all at once...usually as intervals with weights or other cardio. So I was happy about that. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. And it can't hurt in getting the legs/butt in shape either :).