Undecided

I haven't made it back out running yet. As of today, my legs still really hurt--mostly my shins and my right ankle. I want to keep running, and yet I want to quit. The pain is sometimes pretty intense & I've been taking ibuprofen every day. I'm sure I'll keep going, and hopefully I'll feel good enough to get out on Saturday.

I'm not sure what to do because two of my long runs before the half-marathon are going to be difficult or impossible to do. Randy will be out of town for several days when I need to do one of them, and we'll be in NM during another. I could do a treadmill in NM, but I don't know what to do when Randy's gone, since I want to be able to do it early in the morning.

A blog that I follow talked about the one hundred pushups challenge, the two hundred situps challenge, and the two hundred squats challenge. I'm needing something to continue pushing me along on the days that I don't run. Yes, the elliptical is always staring me down, but I've yet to hop on it in a while. So, I'm going to do the challenges. I tested myself tonight & will begin them next week. I'm actually excited & hopeful that I can tone my flabby arms a bit. Oh, the pain of needing to lose weight & not getting it done!

9.5

Running--9.5 miles, 1:53:13.93, 11:55/mi

Total--10.13 miles, 2:04:53, 12:20/mi

Calories burned: 1118!!! Wow, no wonder I'm tired!

Today's run was not easy. I felt like I was just trying to keep up with Janell, and I had to make myself keep going much of the time. We walked the first 5 minutes, at the halfway point (to let me eat my jelly beans & drink...not sure how Janell goes a whole run without anything!), and then a little after 7 miles. Around the 7 mile mark is when I felt like I wouldn't be able to keep going, but after a walk, we picked it back up and ran the rest of the way. The last half mile running was hard, but I knew the end was in sight. I'm expecting to be really sore, but my whole motto today was "I can do hard things!" And I did!

Wednesday the 9th

Is the really the first day I've run in September? It is. I decided to take last Wednesday off to let my legs heal. I was supposed to run Saturday and Monday by myself, but that didn't happen. Why is my bed and sleep so much more appealing?

Janell and I did another Magic Mile this morning. It wasn't super fast, but after our long break, I think we did well. We're planning on 9.5 miles on Saturday. Wish us well!

Magic Mile--1 mile, 10:40.46

Total--3.24 miles, 41:34, 12:49/mi--not too bad considering a decent amount was spent doing our 1 and 5 minute walks before and after the magic mile.

Monday the 31st

Not my finest day of running. My shins are really bad from the run on Saturday, and I'm still sick with my cold. My cold's not too bad, but it makes me dizzy & today has been the worst. We ran for a little less than a mile & then streched & walked. As soon as I dared to suggest we run again, dizziness hit me hard & I decided I'd better just stick to walking. This cold has got to go away!! Thanks for sticking with me, Janell. Yes, sometimes I'm a wuss.

Running: approx. .9 mile, about 11:00/mi

Total: 2.95 miles, 46:28, 15:46/mi--I guess I really did force us to go slowly! Yikes!

Wahoo!!

8 miles, 1:31:15, 11:24/mi

My entire goal today was just to finish it, even if that meant walking. However, my prayers were answered: my lungs didn't bother me, my legs felt good, I had enough energy, and I didn't need to use the bathroom mid-run. It sure helped having Janell run along side me and music on the Ipod, too.

Janell and I ran the first 4 miles (well, we technically walked the first tenth of a mile getting our Ipods set). When we hit 4 miles, we walked for .25 while I ate my special jelly beans. I knew I needed to eat something before I felt my energy was drained. (I also ate toast & juice before running. I normally don't eat before.) After that, we pretty much ran the rest of the way, except for a really short bit when my ear buds got tangled up while getting water. We even (slow) sprinted to the end! Ha ha.

I honestly can't believe how good running felt today! So, so glad to have Janell to run with & so, so glad that my prayers were answered. If all runs felt this good, I could do it for a living....err, okay, maybe not. :)

Wednesday the 26th

Running: 27:30.44, ,2.43 mi, 11:19/mi.

I'm not sure on my totals. My Garmin had a really hard time finding the satellite this morning, so I started without it. At one point, it said my pace was much faster than we were going, too, so I'm not sure about that. The time and the mileage were the same as what Janell's Garmin said, though.

I still feel like I'm having a really hard time. Extra weight + being sick are what is making it tough, I think. I just hope I can do better for my Saturday run. By the way, Janell's going to go with me. Hooray! She seems to be doing much better at this running thing than I am. She did another 1/2 mile today when I was done. I'm having a hard time not being down on myself about my runs, but at least I'm getting out. I sure hope my cold is gone by Saturday...that just might make things easier!!

Monday the 24th

Running (w/ a few walks): 29:31, 2.56 mi, 11:31/mi

Total: 37:40, 3.06 mi, 12:18/mi

I felt pretty sluggish today, but by the end I felt like I could keep going. I've been mildly sick with a cold that just won't go away, so my lungs don't feel 100%--especially when I try to chat while I run! Janell's smart. She just listens to me while I talk myself out of breath.

I just tried doing the air squats that Ollie recommended. So nice to have a video to show me! They actually felt good to do! I wonder if they will help my back out, too, because I can feel it in my lower back--in a good way. I can hardly imagine running without shin pain, but I can't wait for some results!

All in all, I'm feeling good. I'm just gearing myelf up mentally for my 8 mile run on Saturday...and praying that Janell will do it with me!