Run Day 9 ~ Halfway there. (Sort of.)

 

"Believe you can and you're halfway there." Theodore Roosevelt

Today I wasn't sure if I was up for running, or if I should rest one more day. My knees weren't hurting at all anymore, but I just wasn't sure, and I didn't really feel like running. I decided to just get suited up and go, and see how I did.

I'm glad I did. My knees did fine, and it was one of my better running days. I felt invigorated and had energy left over afterward. However, I was HOT, red-faced, and bit lightheaded toward the end of the run. It is has been WARM here lately for not even being Spring yet, around 80 degrees Fahrenheit for daytime highs, and I didn't run until around 9:30am.

I wound up running 15 minutes total. I did a 3-5-3-3, and then made a last-minute decision to do one more minute. I had added up how long I had run, and thought, "Just one more minute and I'll be halfway there." Halfway to 30 minutes, that is, which is about how long it took me to run 5K before my injury (give or take). Technically, I'm not "really" halfway there, since I don't run 15 minutes without stopping yet, but hey, if it helps encourage me to run a little more, I'll pretend I'm halfway there. I believe I'll be there for real soon anyway. :-)

During my run, I had to remind myself often to "run like a child" (see my previous blog post on that if you haven't already) and see more of the fun in it. I tend to obsess about my running form, my breathing, my pace, etc., and forget to have fun. So I would say to myself, "This is fun, this is fun. Look around you, at the scenery, the blue sky and while fluffy clouds, the pretty lake. Look at that tree up there... can you run to that tree? Sure you can. Run to that tree! See that fire hydrant? See if you can run to that!" As goofy as that might sound, it really did help. I could feel my whole body relax when I would remind myself to make it more fun. 

I can't wait to run again. 

Ironstrength Workout.

Runner's IronStrength Workout

I plan to start doing the above workout soon (click on the title under the picture to see it). More on that in just a minute.

This morning I woke up early to pain in both knees. I was trying to ignore it, but as soon as I got out of bed and stood up, the pain intensified, and I could barely walk. I stumbled into the kitchen like an old lady, took two ibuprofen, and went back to bed. Thankfully, when I got back up again and walked around for awhile, the pain had lessened and I was able to walk normally again.

It's a good thing I listened to my body yesterday and stopped running when I did. I thought about resting today and not doing any kind of workout, but changed my mind when I returned home from taking my daughter to Pre-K and decided to do a fairly easy, 30-minute strength/aerobic workout and did the low impact version, taking it easy on anything that would put stress on my knees. I wanted to be smart about it, but not wimp out, either.

Then this afternoon I came across the Runner's Ironstrength workout, pinned up on Pinterest. I have to admit, it looks hard to me right now at my current level of fitness, but I think it might be just what the doctor ordered.

Tomorrow is a run day, so I'm hoping my knees will recover enough by then. I plan to rest as much as I can for the rest of the day, and do some stretching exercises that are specifically for knee pain. Assuming I'm better by tomorrow, I'll start the Ironstrength workout on Saturday and continue it twice per week after that.

I also want to start eating better. I have strayed from the diet this week, but today I'm getting back on track and making a deal with myself: If I'm going to have something that isn't a clean food and nutrient-rich (like lowfat ice cream or frozen yogurt, my main weakness), then I have to cut it in half, and the other half has to be a clean food. Today, for example, instead of having a full cup of vanilla low fat ice cream after lunch, I had 1/2 cup with 1/2 cup of strawberries. Funny, it actually filled me up more and was much more satisfying than ice cream alone.

Run Day 8 ~ I listened.

Sometimes I wonder if I'm crazy for loving to run so much. Especially on days like today, when it was warmer, more humid, and my body wasn't quite up to par. But I do love it. I love it with a passion. I didn't realize just how much I loved it until I wasn't able to run for a few months.

My plan was to try and do Week 4 of the Couch to 5K Running Plan today, which would have been a 3-5-3-5 running interval or a total of 16 minutes running. I wasn't sure if I was ready for it yet, but figured I would give it my best shot. I had run a 3-6-3 interval the last time I ran, so I figured 4 additional minutes of running wouldn't be that big of a deal.

But my muscles weren't ready for it today. In fact, I wound up only running a 3-3-3 interval, or 9 minutes total, which is less than I've done in awhile. It was a long walk home, because I went pretty far in one direction in anticipation of running more on the way back. At one point I wanted to stop and lie down it the grass so badly so I could rest my leg muscles, but I just kept walking, taking longer strides to help stretch out my muscles. I did try to run one more time, just to see how it felt, but it was definitely a no-go. It's one thing to push yourself if you're just tired or have a little ache here or there, quite another if your muscles are telling you they need a break.

I don't know if it's because of the shorts bursts of fast running I did with my daughter yesterday, or something else, but at any rate, I'm glad I decided to listen to my body this time. Tomorrow I will do some type of cross-training, then Friday I will try Week 4 again.

Run like a child.

The girl in the above picture is not my daughter, but it reminds me of her. Yesterday was the second time I ran the practice 1-mile run with her in preparation for Saturday, and it was then that I realized how silly I had been to expect her to run at a slower, more moderate pace so that she could run further without having to stop. Running at anything but full speed ahead is not something a 5-year old can comprehend. To them, running is something they do with one main goal in mind: To get there as fast as they can, and to have as much fun as possible getting there. Running slower is too boring to them. Running fast makes your hair flow back behind you; the wind hits your face harder; it feels more like flying.

I realized that I wasn't making it exciting enough for her. Why would she want to run just for the sake of running? So I began to have little mini "races" with her, with the finish line being a certain landmark each time. One time we just ran in an "S" pattern around the small trees along the side of the road. Each time, she ran further and faster. I let her beat me most of the time, and it thrilled her to realize that she was "beating mama." During one of the "races," an airplane flew overhead and she said, "I'm going to CATCH that airplane!" So she ran faster and jumped up high in the air and said, "I caught it!"

She didn't care that she couldn't catch the plane. She wanted to try anyway. It was fun and exhilirating just to try.

Maybe I should try running more like a child.

Run Day 7 ~ I'm rich!

 

I'll talk about my run today in just a minute. But first, I want to share something that inspired me today. It came from a program on PBS. It made me realize just how rich I truly am, and how much money I have been wasting. 

First and foremost, I am rich because of my faith in Jesus Christ. But beyond that, I am rich for so many other reasons. I have clean drinking water. I have food to eat every day. I have a decent place to live. I have clothes to wear, and a vehicle to drive. I have a beautiful child, and a loving husband. There are those in third world countries who would love to have even just those things, and consider me very rich indeed. How grateful I am to have those things.

There is yet another element to being rich as well. Instead of seeing it as a certain dollar amount, you see "rich" as the ability to pay your bills and to buy the things you need when you need them, with cash. This includes emergencies.

Lately I have been racking my brain, trying to come up with an idea for making more money. Something I could do from home that would help supplement my husband's income and give us more breathing room. Sure, I have the opportunity to make a little money now working part-time from home, but to me, it hasn't seemed like it's enough. 

Then today, I came across that program on TV, and I began to change my way of thinking. To get my priorities in order and take a hard look at what I'm spending money on. To "sweat the small stuff" and watch every penny. To ask myself every time I am about to purchase something, "Is this a need, or a want?" To be willing to have less "stuff" and more money, so that I can then spend that money on the things that really matter, like saving for retirement, a bigger emergency fund, a savings account, or adding more to the college fund for my daughter every month. And with more money available, I can also do things like pay cash for the next car when I need one, or at least pay it off early.

I don't spend a LOT of money on "stuff" right now. But any purchase that isn't a necessity can be "too much." That's money that could have been saved, or used for something more important. 

It gave me much to think about. Starting today, I have a challenge for myself. I'm going to see if I can go this rest of this week without spending money on anything except absolute necessities. It will take some planning on my part, and I'm sure it won't be easy for this convenience-oriented girl, but in the end, I am sure it will be well worth it. 

Don't get me wrong, I will still have splurges every now and then. But they will be much, much less frequent. And I will still be looking for ways to bring in more income, just in the meantime, I will be bringing in more income by spending a lot less.

Anyway. As for my run today. I was pleasantly surprised (and very grateful) that my muscles recovered quickly from overdoing it a bit on Saturday, so that I wound up only needing to take one day off. Today I decided to run in a different place, so after dropping my daughter off at school, I drove to a park that has nice running trails, parked my van, and "ran for the hills." It was a very hilly running trail, but it was a nice change from my usual "mostly flat" route. The scenery was beautiful, too. Lots of trees, a lake, and a well-manicured landscape. I wound up running 3 minutes, then 6 minutes, then another 3 minutes. The 6-minute stretch actually took me by surprise. I looked at the time on my cell phone, put it in my pocket, then enjoyed the scenery while I ran, and the next time I checked my cell phone--thinking it had only been 3 or 4 minutes--I was surprised to see that it had been 6 minutes.

It was a good run. The hillier parts were a bit tough, but it was good for me.

In a little while I plan to take my five-year-old daughter for a one-mile practice run (which we will be doing all week), to try and get ready for this coming Saturday. It's funny how she is so confident right now that she can run one mile without stopping with no problem. We'll see how she feels when she actually has to run it. Who knows, maybe she will surprise me.

Run Day 6 ~ A Just Do it kind of day

Today was one of those "just do it" days. I definitely was not craving running today. But, I simply put on my running outfit, laced up my shoes, and headed out the door. I hardly even thought about it. I just made myself do it like I would make myself brush my teeth.

Once I got out there, I was glad to be there, running again. It's funny, though, how I can usually tell whether it's going to be a good run day or not. My body will feel a certain way, and I will know that running won't be as fun that day. I was kind of hoping I was wrong today, but alas, I was right. Running was more of a struggle today.

At one point, I had to walk for four minutes straight before I felt ready to run again. I began to feel that my body was telling me to take it easy today and not run as far. But the stubborn part of me didn't want to hear that. Instead, I pushed myself and wound up running a total of 12 minutes, my longest run yet. At first I was okay, I did my stretches and figured I was good to go. But after coming home from walking for about an hour at the mall this afternoon, I began to really feel it. Oh boy am I ever feeling it.

Now I will more than likely need to take two days off in a row to allow time for my muscles to recover, and spend that time stretching and foam-rolling.

But it's all good. The important thing is, this time around, at the very first sign of my muscles being overworked, I am slowing down and resting. Before, I didn't know any better and just kept running according to the running schedule. Plus, I didn't do any more stretching than the normal "cool-down" ones back then,  and didn't even know about foam rollers.

I kind of wish I had been smarter on my run today, but... lesson learned. Next time, I will listen.

Run Day 5 ~ Couldn't help myself.

Today was supposed to be a day off from running, but on the way back from taking my daughter to school, I started thinking about running again today. I was CRAVING it. I wasn't sure if I should, though. Then I saw a runner on the sidewalk along the road I was driving on, and I knew I just HAD to run again today. My legs, hips, and knee were feeling great and I was feeling energized. So when I got home, I suited up, and off I went.

It was a GREAT run. I was so right about my body being ready to run again today. I'm not sure where all the energy came from (the new diet I'm on, maybe?), but for the first interval, I ran further and at a faster pace. I also did something else a little different this time: Instead of the sidewalk, I ran in the grass along the road in some places, and down the side of a hill and back up again. I figured it would work some of my other leg muscles and help balance things out. By the time I was done, I had run a total of 11 minutes, which is the longest I've run so far. I thought I was going to stop running at 10 minutes, but as I was slowing down to a walk, I thought, "No. I can keep running," so I started running again. Another minute, and then I knew I was done. Energy-wise, I could have kept going. Muscle-wise, it was time to stop.

I did lots of stretching beforehand and afterward. This is the first time I've ever run two days in a row, and I admit, it scares me a bit. Tonight, I plan to do the foam roller exercises again. Need to cover all my bases to make sure I don't get injured again.

By the way, I weighed myself this morning, and was pleasantly surprised to see that I've lost 2.5 lbs so far this week! The week isn't even over yet, Monday is the "official" weigh-in day. I'm pretty impressed with this new diet, not only with the weight loss, but with how filling the homemade shakes and meals are, how tasty the recipes are, and how my cravings seem to be diminishing.

Monday starts Phase 2 of the diet, the "Carb-lovers immersion plan," and as I was reviewing it yesterday, the meals have more ingredients and take longer to fix, and I have to confess it made me want to squeal like a pig. I'm big on convenience, which I'm working on, but taking longer than five minutes to fix a breakfast or lunch does NOT appeal to me. Dinner is a different story, the day is coming to an end and things are usually slowing down, but at breakfast and lunch, I'm either trying to get my daughter out the door to school or coming back from getting her and starving (and often planning to go somewhere else not long after).

But not to fear, the meal plans also include a healthy frozen meal alternative for busier days. I did say I wanted to get back in the groove of healthier eating, so I just need to bite the bullet and take more time to prepare healthier meals. I can always prepare many of them the night before, which will help.

My next run day should be Saturday. Tomorrow I'll mostly rest from exercise, except I might do strength training, focusing on the upper body, and more stretching.