Tag Archives for Running
Last Week and the Week Ahead
Last week (4/25 – 5/1) I worked out for 1:58 and burned 1,087 calories. Saturday was really exciting because I ran my first 5k!
Here are my results:
Time: 34:00
Chipstart: 33:35
Pace: 10:49
28/48 in my age group
I was really surprised that my pace was under 11 minutes. I’m such a slow jogger/runner and I really surprised myself! I was super happy with my time as I was aiming for under 35 minutes. I also did not quit running the entire time even though there were a few moments where I wanted to slow to a walk but I didn’t and kept going. I am so proud of myself! I’ll do a more in depth post on the 5k soon.
Here are a couple of goals I have for the upcoming week:
1. More yoga. I realized how badly I need to stretch after running this 5k so I want to incorporate more yoga into my workout routine.
2. Pack my lunch every day this week. I’ll share what I pack here even though I usually end up eating the same thing every day. Once I find something I like, I stick to it!
I think I will be able to stick to these goals. I need to find some different yoga workouts as I only have one dvd and it can be a bit boring doing the same workout day after day. If you know of any good ones please let me know!
What are some of your goals for this upcoming week?
Great Day For A 5k
A few weeks ago, Greg did a 5k early one Saturday morning. It was cold and dreary but there was no way I was going to miss out cheering him on! I was really excited for this race in particular because I saw how hard he was training to meet his goal of 23:30 and his dedication was really inspiring.
I’m so thankful to have such a supportive and motivated husband. He was the one that got me into working out and told me that I could do anything if I worked hard enough. Before we even started dating he asked if I’d like to go jogging with him one day. Sure I said.. I jog all the time (total lie) and I knew he had caught on when I had to stop for water breaks every five minutes. I was trying to impress him and I didn’t do a very good job but thankfully he didn’t care if I could run a mile without stopping.
It’s really important to have support and inspiration around you. You feed off all those good vibes and it makes you want to work harder and push more than you have before. I’m so glad he got me into exercising because it really changed my life and has made me a much happier person. He doesn’t read the blog much, but a big thank you goes out to Greg for starting all this!
Anyway, back to 5k day!
There weren’t many people there at all. I think the cold and rainy weather kept a lot of people from showing up, but all the hardcore runners were there. I love watching them warm up and prepare before the race!
My sister and mom showed up so Greg would have his own little cheering section. I was so happy to have them there so we could talk and laugh while waiting on people to start nearing the finish line.
It took about 16 minutes for the first person to cross the line (amazing!) and I kept waiting for Greg. I knew his goal time and was expecting him somewhere around there and I had my flip camera out and ready to capture him crossing the line. I had asked him to wear something bright so I’d know it was him from a distance and he decides on black shorts and t-shirt like every other person there so I kept thinking every guy was him.
I was expecting him around the 23:30 mark and was so surprised when I saw him heading towards me and crossed the finished line at 22:52! He was so excited and kept yelling “22! 22!” and high-fiving everyone haha!
Here we are after the race and after he’d calmed down a bit. This race made me so excited for my 5k at the end of the month. I may not be able to run the entire thing if my knee starts acting up, but I’ll definitely walk to finish it if I have to and I can’t wait!
After the results were posted I was going through them and saw that there was a seventy year old man that ran the 5k in 23:11.. how amazing is that?! I think that is such a huge inspiration. Whenever I’m not feeling like working out I just think of being older and still in shape and being able to get around on my own. You have to keep using your body and stay active or you’re gonna lose it which is a huge motivation for me. Which brings me to a question…
What do you find motivating when you just don’t want to work out?
Treadmill 5k
Last night I went to the gym and did a 5k on the treadmill with a goal of 35 minutes in mind. I still can’t believe it, but I did it in 32:45! It started out no good because I had accidentally left my ipod on and when I got there it was dead. I have a hard time exercising without music since it’s a huge motivator for me so I felt like I’d have a hard time completing this. I decided just to focus, stay positive and do the best I could.
I get so bored running, but I kept setting tiny goals:
“When I get to 10 minutes I’ll slow down and take a water break.”
“When I hit one mile I’ll turn the speed down a bit.”
Just things like that, but once I hit a goal, I keep going and set another and so on. It really helps to keep me going because I have something to look forward to. I set the incline at 1.5% and the speed at 5.7. As you can see from the photo up there my heart rate got really high- I was going at 6.0 towards the end and that’s how that happened. I actually got kind of scared when I looked at the machine and saw I was at 189.. so I pulled back a bit, yet still kept a good time.
All throughout I kept telling myself that I could do this. I can do anything.. I just need to believe in myself and my body. At one point I was focused on one of the grips on the rock climbing wall at the gym and just repeated, “You can do this” over and over.
When I went to the locker room after I looked in the mirror and saw how sweaty and red I was. I just looked in the mirror and I felt so, so strong and positive.. I did it! I’ve been so negative for so long in regards to my body and how hard I could push myself but everything changed last night. I’m leaving my old self behind and ready for new challenges and experiences and I’m really excited about taking control of things and always looking ahead. No more thinking about the past or the future.. just living in the now.
I’ve come a long way. My body has always been capable, but I was the one that let it get out of shape. I was the one that kept it from doing all the amazing things it can do. And it’s going to be me that gets it back in shape and strong. It’s hard work, but when you start seeing results and feel how strong you are, it is really an amazing feeling. Nothing in the world beats it. You really can do anything and even though it sounds cheesy.. never give up, be patient and do your best. You’ll be amazed at what you can do and I just wish I’d known this sooner and not gave up so many times. I know better now and feel that I have the tools and knowledge to get me where I want to be and it is the best feeling ever.
