Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Ran through that Wall

Don't have a ton of time to update...but I did it.

I planned on 5 then 3, then when I got there at 6:40 and knew I needed to leave by 7:20, I decided to walk/run 15 minutes away and then 15 back. I listened to a "Freeway to 10K" podcast from Podrunner Intervals (which is my favorite podcast for c2anyK). And it had a 5 minute warm-up with then four 4/2 run/walk intervals. I struggled a bit on some of the running, but I was able to do them all.

I honestly didn't plan on running much, but I was amazed to finish at a pace of 13:50/mi. Even though it was a little over 2 miles, it was 30 seconds faster than my PR pace in October for a 5K, so pretty decent.

And...I just showed up...and so glad I did.

My next plan is probably to walk/run with Heels and Hills on Saturday if they are meeting (depending on how early they are meeting). My hope is to do 6 miles, and I'd like to be done by 8 a.m., so I am highly likely to get there earlier (since 6 miles at a 15 minute pace would take 1.5 hours. So, I'd want to start by 6:30 a.m. I think. We'll see...

I'm also strongly considering seeing if my sister would want to join me on the Katy Trail Saturday morning (depending on her plans the night before). I'd like to set up a usual routine again. And Sunday's might end up being better for my long mileage. If I did long miles on Sundays, then 3 on Tuesdays and maybe 3 on Fridays or Saturday long miles, 3 on Monday, 3 on Wednesday...oh that would be better. Thinking outloud again.

So...we'll see...I'm going to check with HnH about Saturday and go from there. Most likely not planning on doing the DRC 5 mile on Saturday.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Unedited

Not sure even really where to start or what to say. I want to say something profound that will forever change my slump, but considering I only have like 2 followers, I decided I'd try to do today completely unedited.

I hit a wall.....a big, fat, 15 feet tall wall. And I believe in my heart that running/walking is 90% and I am hit a 100% mental wall. I don't want to run or walk, I don't want to exercise, I don't want to even get dressed. So I need to think of what do I want to do...I want to run a race (well), I want to complete the HnH Half in a time better than last (3:36:18), I want to want to exercise regularly, and I want to lose weight and be fit.

So...tonight on the way to my Tuesday night meeting (starts at 7:30p) I am planning on going to a trail (I love walking/running on trails...as in concrete trails, because you rarely have to deal with crossing streets, but you do have to figure out if it is a safe and well traveled trail) and attempting either 3 or 5 miles. The "either" is that I'd like to do 5 miles, but I am a bit afraid that if I shoot for 5 I'll be more likely to talk myself out of it as being an intangible/I-don't-want-to goal. I mean at a slower pace that'd be like an hour and 15 minutes to an hour and a half. The 3 is totally do-able. My plan is to walk the first and last mile, and run/walk the middle 1 to 3 miles (depending on my goal) at a 2/2 run/walk pace.

OK...unedited...yeah, tonight I'm doing 3. I need to just get out there and do it and 5 will be more than I want to do. So...I can do 3, even at a super slow pace...I can do 3. And I want to be done by close to 7:15, so I need to start by about 6:15, so I need to leave the house (thinking outloud...or typing rather) by 5:45p, so I need to be home by 5:15p, so I need to pick up Izzy by 4:45p, oh, no I forgot I'm doing TAKS tutoring until 5p. So...get Izzy by 5:15pm and home by 5:45p walking out the door to be in N. Dallas by 6p so there by about 6:30p. Walk for 45 and then go to meeting. I'm sure all 2 of you appreciate me thinking/typing as I go.

OK...plan set. NO EXCUSES...even if I have to walk only 2 miles for 30 minutes.

Oh, and tentatively, my plan is to do the Heels and Hills Half Marathon on May 2nd. It should be pretty much the same route as the on in the fall, and it is by far one of the flattest routes out there. I'm going to be shooting to have a faster time than last year.

So my plan is doing a run/walk mix by building up mileage as follows:

Tuesdays - 3 miles
Wednesdays - 4-5 miles
Thursdays - 3 miles
Saturdays - 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 over the next 5 weeks

Haven't decided if I am going to do this Saturday's run with the 5 mile DRC, but thought it might be worth it to get me going. I honestly want to run it, but don't feel like hearing David bark orders and tell me to run when I am already doing the best I can. We'll see. My plan is to run/walk the first 5 with a 2/2 ratio then do a 1 mile walk afterwards. Again...we'll see...I'm super not hyped about it. I may go see what the HnH training group is doing Saturday morning. I have a meeting in Dallas at 10:30a, so we'll see.

My new goal is to COMPLETE the Half Marathon, so my primary focus is mileage, not time. Time will come as I work on mileage. In training, first and last mile I am going to force myself to walk it, then I can add on running in the middle miles. I can do mileage...I can do distance...running, I'm not so sure about, so I will focus on what I can do right now.