Back into running!

So I haven't updated this in a long while regarding my exercise and running.  At the beginning of December, I joined Aspen here in Des Moines and have been back into my regular exercise routine.  I have been running 3 days a week for almost two whole months now and am up to 3 miles each run.  I am averaging 12 minute miles, which is a vast improvement from my 15+minute mile from October and the half marathon.  I am also still doing Curves three days a week also, which is helping the whole strength training issue.  I hate to say it but I wish I would have done this months ago.  My sister-in-law used to work at Aspen here in town before she moved back to Chicago.  If I would have listened to her, I may be better off but at least I'm there now!  I also bought a Body Bug, which is the calorie counter that the contestants use on Biggest Loser.  I have to say I don't think I would be making progress without it!  I keep track of my food, which I have done before, but this little guy keeps track of my calories burned.  So I can always make sure that I am in a calorie deficit to ensure weight loss.  I have never had success losing weight and getting healthy before.  I am so proud of my accomplishments thus far and can officially say that I have gotten out of the Obese BMI range.  Of course, I want to celebrate with a big dish of Cold Stone ice cream, but I think I will get a manicure or something instead.  Much better reward and definitely helps the motivation!  

Just wanted to update you all!  Best of luck to all of you out there with similar goals!  We all gotta stick together!

Getting back in the game...

After being injured and apprehensive about getting back into running for a week and a half, I am now starting to run again.  I'm nervous that I will not be prepared by October 19th but am willing to give it a shot and probably even walk part of the race.  I have run into a small snag in my training however.  As we slowly creep into fall, the daylight hours keep depleting and I am running out of light to run safely and treadmills are not an option for me.  So now I am having to be less picky on when I run.  Thankfully we have been having wonderful weather lately and my caseload has been decreasing, allowing me to get home in time to run in the evening before the sun goes down.  I am now planning on running on Saturday and Sunday for sure and then picking two days during the week to train, which will allow me to be a little more flexible in my training.  

I had every intention of making up excuses once I hurt my back and knee but have since found myself more determined to complete the race that I have signed up for.  

Wish me luck!

I am broken...

Apparently the reason that I have not been a runner all of these years is because my body says so.  After nearly 2 months of running, my back has been out for nearly a week and my knee is suffering from some chronic pain and is progressively feeling worse, much like a knife being ever so gently inserted above and to the right of my kneecap as it bends.  At least this week will be a break from any activity except maybe trying out Curves on Friday to keep working on building the muscles around my knee if that will help.  

This is probably the most frustrating part of the whole thing.  I'm afraid that I am going to end up with pain for the rest of my life.  I don't want to be one of those people who hobble around and accept the pain that they have been dealt.  There has to be something that can make me feel better right?  I'm waiting to have my knee looked at until my back is at least 75% for fear that something will be messed up there, also.

Why did I decide to be ambitious?

IDK

I couldn't think of anything witty for the subject so there ya go.  This past week was awful but I ended up with almost a 12 mile week, which was were I had been before.  Only this week, 3.5 of those were walking.  I didn't count the possibly gazillion miles we walked at the State Fair.  I just call them "bonus miles."  Hopefully this week goes better.  I already got a strength training work out in and tomorrow is a four miler, if it isn't dark.  However, without having a respite client this week in the A.M. I really have no excuse...damn.  

On a funner, yes funner note:  my college friend Ellyn is gonna have a baby!  I can now officially use two hands to count the number of pregnant people that I know and/or work with.  I keep telling Ben that this is a sign but he seems to be the more practical? one about it.  Yes, the question mark is there on purpose because as many know/say:  If you wait til you can afford it, you will never have kids.  Well......I guess we are never having kids based on the monetary criteria.  We are by no means broke but floating along just fine, however, my lovely and wonderful opposite is thinking just opposite of me.  Patience is not a virtue I possess and I am hearing an almost constant ticking in my brain on a daily basis.  If only I could transport this noise into his, maybe he would more quickly change his mind.  I will keep you posted on this...however, I think it may be awhile.  Til then!

LOST

One piece of advice if you are going out for a run:  get directions!  I started out on the Greenbelt Trail in Clive on Saturday and thought I had an idea of where I was going and how I would get back.  Taking the trail West, it ends somewhere in rich upscale suburban hell!  All of these mansions were surrounding a "private" country club lake and though I was apprehensive, I decided I could figure it out by just taking every left I could to go around in a circle and get back to the trail.  As I was running, I went to take a left onto a street that ended in -circle.  Any reasonable and smart person, which I feel I am, would not take this road as the name in and of itself tells me I will end up where I started.  I passed up this option and continued to run.  The next left was a -drive.  Maybe this was me just being skeptical but I did not take this one either.  Something about it told me that I would be ticked off taking this road.  Sure enough, after continuing to run straight, out came the same stinking road that I am super glad I did not go down.  I ended up all the way down on University out by Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, KinderCare and Panera.  To those of you unaware of Des Moines, this is very much WEST of the interstate, somewhere around 140th-ish.  While running East on University, I came across the main entrance into the country club but chose not to stay lost in the maze and continued on University, hoping to run into 128th and an "on ramp" to the trail.  Turning down 128th I thought it wouldn't be much farther until I was back on the shaded, very flat trail.  I was very wrong.  It is quite a distance and I thought I was going to have to run through the on ramp intersection to 35/80 on Hickman.  Thank God, just before I started to have a panic attack, I saw the connection point from the road to the trail.  Just in time!  I took the last mile back to the car at a pretty sloooooowww pace but I did finish, only walking for 15-20 minutes up the evil University hill.  I ended up running 6.33 miles and now have very sore calves and feet.  Good thing it's too hot out to run so I get a much needed day off!  

Case in point:  know where you are going before you get lost on a run!

Running...

So my long run on Saturday went extremely well.  I was so excited after the first 3 1/2 miles at a 14 1/2 minute pace I went on to run two more!  I ended up running 5 1/2 miles in an hour and twenty minutes, just shy of my 90 minute goal.  I didn't care, I was sooooo ecstatic to have run FIVE AND A HALF MILES!!!  Three weeks ago, this would have been a dream but now I am actually almost half way to my total mileage of 13.1 for the half marathon.  I was sitting at my parents house today and realized that I actually have to run this thing in two months!  Yikes!  But if things continue the way they have, I have no worries that I will be able to finish the race, which is my only goal.  I don't care about time or if I run the whole thing.  I just want to finish the race.  

In other news, after coming home from a weekend at my parent's house, Ziggy, the cat, was very......hmmmmm.....excited?  This is the only way I can think of to describe his erratic running around the house.  After taking the suitcase upstairs and unpacking it, Ziggy practically flew into the bedroom and onto the bed...but forgot to put on the brakes.  He proceeded to fly/bounce off the bed and straight into the wall, giving himself a fat and bloody lip in the process.  Needless to say, he calmed down a bit after that.  Not sure what got into him but I'm taking it as he really missed us!  

Also, I have my application in for graduate school at Buena Vista, UNI and Drake and am hopeful for someone to think I am worthy of their program.  I am really banking on getting into Drake, as it is close and would make taking classes extremely easy and less stressful, not to mention I would again be a Bulldog.  Ok, I don't really care about the part but it is a really great school and is comparable on cost per credit hour.  Wish me luck on admittance into any one of these programs for Spring!