The above picture is from exactly one year ago. I ran a 4 mile race in 36 minutes. Today I ran for 22 minutes and desperately wanted to quit halfway through.
I had to switch my inner dialog to tough love mode to get through it. It basically went like this: Suck it up bitch. You ran 26.2 miles with a person inside of you You’re going to have to work a lot harder than this to top that. You are a BAMF, now start acting like one. It worked. I finished my workout strong.
C25K Week 6 Day 3
5 min warm-up
22 min run
5 min cool-down
3.0 miles in 32:42. Average running pace 9:22.
Talking myself into feeling like a badass prompted me to look at some stats. I ran 533 miles and 9 races while pregnant. My total mileage since May 2010 is 4,008 miles. I need to remember that when I’m feeling weak.
TC 1 Mile Recap
1. The race started at Cancer Survivors Park. Meaningful to me since today marks the one year anniversary of my dads non-hodgkins lymphoma diagnosis.
2. I run the road, the road doesn’t run me. Except today it kind of did. I’m not gonna lie, this is the shortest distance I’ve ever raced and maybe the most difficult. You know that terrible, sluggish feeling you get at the beginning of a long run? In a race this short, you just get warmed up and it’s over. Ick.
3. We ran on Nicollet Ave in downtown Minneapolis. This street is closed to general traffic (buses and taxis only) and runs through the heart of the city. The two older gentlemen in front of me were both wearing Masters World Championship Marathon jackets. So cool.
4. The race was run in several waves to avoid congestion. Do you see how blurry those runners are? That’s because they’re the 4 minute something per milers in the wave behind me. My brain just can’t comprehend how anyone can run that fast. At my best, my fastest mile was 7 something.
5. This is where I parked my car. You guys, the smell in this place… I can’t even.
1.0 miles in 10:11. Not blazing speed wise, but something to build on.
Flat Heather is ready for the Medtronic TC 1 mile tonight.
Little Mister and I met up with Melinda for a run today. It was a day of firsts: my first run outdoors since November. My first time running with a partner since October. The first time running with the jogging stroller. I’m not gonna lie, it wasn’t easy.
The stroller weighs 25lbs. The infant car seat weighs about 8lbs and the baby weighs 13lbs. So pushing 46lbs while carrying an extra 50 on my frame was a little more challenging than anticipated. I’ll get used to it, but its going to take a little practice.
Good company made the time pass quickly. We ran/walked 3.7 miles in 51:51 at Lake Nokomis.
I spent the rest of the day working on the yard. We planted 3 boxwood shrubs and one Juniper tree. We are making progress slowly but surely.
The Little Mister and I explored our neighborhood for the first time on foot today. We are within walking distance of two different parks with paved trails. He spent the entire first mile screaming his head off. I’m sure it was more mortifying for me then the people we passed, but I felt like an idiot. Needless to say, we stopped multiple times so I could try to soothe him.
The first park has about 2 miles of trails surrounding a nature preserve. It will be a lovely, shady place to run during the summer. The second park is much smaller, but it’s only one block from our house. It was a beautiful day and it was so nice to be out and about.
I really thought this is what I would be doing everyday from March on. But here it is the end of April. I go back to work in 5 days. So I guess I’ll just have to take advantage of the weather that is finally nice and the time I have left with LM.
We walked 3.0 miles in 1:04:13.
I found some time to do a little cooking today, so it was raw energy salad, ginger carrot soup and a baked sweet potato with Greek yogurt for dinner. So yummy!
Today was a double workout day for me. The hubby was off, so we loaded up the Little Mister and headed to Lake of the Isles for a walk. It was finally warm out (but WINDY). We used the new jogging stroller for the first time. That thing is pretty amazing. I wish someone would push me around in a ride that nice.
We haven’t been to the lake in quite awhile, so it was fun to see all the completed construction projects on the million dollar+ homes in our absence. As we walked and chatted we noticed tons of cardinals roosting in the trees (pictured above).
We walked 2.6 miles in 46:04.
I still needed to complete my run for the day, so when we got home I hopped on the treadmill. I didn’t realize that day 2 this week differed from day 1, so the splits on my Garmin are incorrect.
C25K Week 5 Day 2
5 min warm-up
8 min run
5 min walk
8 min run
5 min cool-down
2.55 miles in 31:00. Average pace 12:09
Being a “slow” runner is merely a state of mind. Don’t let that affect your running.
Many runners, both new and experienced, hesitate to join local running groups or participate in online communities. When asked why, most respond that they are embarrassed by how slow they are.
I’m here to tell you that you’re not slow and that this negative, self-deprecating thinking is only holding you back from your true potential!
I think a lot of us struggle with this. We assume that we won’t be welcome in a running group, because we think we will be the weakest link. In most cases, this is totally untrue. Why let self doubt keep us from making some really amazing connections in the running community?
I decided to do some interval training on the treadmill today. I used the intermediate work out that Sarina posted earlier today.
Surprisingly, this workout actually felt pretty easy. It appears that I am progressing more than I originally thought. It felt really good to run at 7.0 for a minute. Right now I can’t sustain that pace for long, but I had a short glimpse of what used to be in my wheelhouse. And it felt good.
2.17 miles in 30:00. Average pace 13:50.
C25K Week 5 Day 1
5 min warm-up
5 min run/ 3 min walk
5 min run/ 3 min walk
5 min run
5 min cool-down
2.35 miles in 31:00. Average Pace 13:13.
I got my dailymile weekly training report today. I ran 11.67 miles last week. I had a split second where I felt bad for myself. I thought about when I used to top the leader board with 30+ miles every week. Now I don’t even make the top 5. But then I got over it.
What’s past is past. I can’t get a do over. I made poor choices during my pregnancy. I gained more weight than I needed to and I lost more fitness than I planned to. Big deal. I have my big girl panties on and they only know how to make progress.
I have the opportunity to start over from ground zero. To redefine what kind of athlete I want to be. To do the strength workouts I skipped the first go around. To hold the planks and run the intervals even when I don’t want to. To let go of preconceived notions of how fast I can run and how hard I can push.
Square one isn’t always a bad place to be. This time I’m going to keep my eyes open. I will take notice of each small milestone rather than letting them slide quickly past.
My feet will face forever forward. I will not look back.
C25K Week 4 Day 3
The biggest difference that I noticed today, was that my breathing was far more metered, relaxed and even. It hasn’t been up to this point.
More than anything, that makes me feel like I’m making real progress.
I made up my own little WOD based on something I saw on FB.
400 meter run
20 jumping jacks
10 crunches
Repeat 4x for time
Total time was about 12 minutes. I ran the segmented mile in 9:53. This actually seemed a little too easy. Next time I will add a few more exercises in between the running intervals. It was fun to mix it up a bit.
3:2 run/walk ratio for 30 minutes. Followed by some core work. If I thought my abs were flabby before baby, they’re pretty much non-existent now. Ouch! There is much work to be done in the strength arena.
C25K Week 4 Day 2
5 min warm-up
3 min run
90 sec walk
5 min run
2.5 min walk
3 min run
90 sec walk
5 min run
5 min cool-down
2.39 miles in 31:30. Average pace 13:10
I had a moment during the first 5 minute run where I wanted to quit. I was tired and it would have been really easy to start walking. But then I realized it’s only five minutes. I can do anything for five minutes. I mean seriously, I’ve done marathons. So I sucked it up and kept running. For myself and for all those who can’t run.
Look what I got as an early Mother’s Day present!
I am so excited to load up the Little Mister and take it for a run.
Too bad it’s supposed to snow AGAIN! Scumbag weather.
Drinking coffee and watching the live stream of Boston with the Little Mister.
Will he be a runner someday? Who knows. But I have no problem with trying to inspire him early.
Good luck Rook and WestCoast!
