marathon

Ok not awesome, but in my defense I was running against the wind and had to wait for a few lights. BUT, it was a great first run after a few (ashamed to admit) months off.
It was over 50 degrees here in Lansing, MI, today, a perfect day for running! Now, I’m completely against global warming and climate change, but I am loving it.
Just logging some miles before marathon training officially starts on Monday!

Gonna get a 2 day head-start on the New Year’s resolutions:

I’m not gonna lie, I have been pretty lazy since vacation started (Friday before Christmas)… that needs to end tomorrow.

Marathon training doesn’t officially start until January 14th,  but I am in serious need of getting my base miles up again.  My asthma has been off the charts bad lately, so that should be fun, but it will feel great to get back into the swing of things.  Tomorrow, it will just be an easy 2 miles, and I will just keep it moving from there.

I also need to clean up my eating a little bit again.  Work was so crazy the past few weeks and I was so stressed, I sort of got into the habit of eating whatever was in front of me.  It is no wonder I haven’t felt very well lately.  All in all, I feel like I need a complete overhaul.

In related news, my dad was admitted to the hospital last night with numbness and chest pain.  He had a heart attack 11 years ago, and has numerous stents in his heart.  A few years back, his doctor told him he had to go vegan for his health because all of his medications were starting to have adverse effects on his body.  Sure enough, within a few months, all of his “numbers” improved.  Because he was getting better, his doctor allowed him to reintroduce foods into his diet.  3 years later, and a 24 hour visit to the ER, his doctor once again has told him to clean up his act.

Diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, cancer of all kinds, all run in my family.  I am so thankful that my dad got this cosmic reminder as opposed to a heart attack, and I also take it as a reminder that I am still young enough to do my best to avoid these sorts of health issues in the future.

So, I am kicking my own ass into gear, and getting a head-start on my resolutions:

1. Run 2 marathons

2. Eat clean

3. Remember that I deserve to treat myself well.  I deserve to fuel my body with good food and reward myself with an active lifestyle.

I am worth it.

You all are too 🙂

Pinned Image

I have been a terrible tumblr friend!

As most of you who read my blog regularly should know, I just started a new job 2 weeks ago.  And let me tell you what: It has Owned. My. Life.

But in a good way.

A work my brain, can’t wait to get to bed at night, exhausting myself, type of way.  But again, it has been great.  I work with an amazing group of people, I am learning a lot, and there is so much room for growth.  It is really very exciting.

With that being said, I have almost completely  taken September off…from everything.  I have only run a handful of times, I have only been to the gym once or twice, and since I was offered my new job and started panicking, I have been eating my feelings (terrible, I know).  But then, I just took eating and losing weight off of my list of stressors.  I just stopped restricting myself and ate whatever I wanted.

It has felt great!

I haven’t let myself go completely, but I just haven’t worried about Paul and me ordering pizza for dinner and then eating dessert, or me having fries with dinner.  Today while I was shaving my legs in the shower, I noticed that I have a stomach roll that wasn’t there about a month ago… but I didn’t freak out.

Tomorrow starts a new month, and now that I am into my routine with work I can head back to the gym, and my play time is over.  My body deserves to go back to the great food I was feeding it before and start treating myself better.  October is going to be “processed free food” month, as well as goal setting time (eg. next marathon, half marathon, tri, crossfit competition). Oh, and no weigh ins allowed.

Again, it is not like I have completely let myself go, it was just a stress free month on that front.  It was also a little bit of a mental check, and it was good to realize that I can still love myself after gaining a few pounds (note that I haven’t actually stepped on the scale, but it is probably 5 or so)… but at the end of the day, I still love myself, and I haven’t lost any worth.  

And that is a big step for me.

Hope you are all doing well, and happy October!

30 Day Running Challenge: Day 20

Have you ever followed any sort of training plan? Which ones and how did you like them?

Yes!  I would be completely lost without a training plan.  For my first marathon I was training for (then got sick for 😦 goodbye $140) I used the Runner’s World training plan from their book “Marathoning For Mortals”, but for the last marathon and for my next one I am using Hal Higdons Intermediate training plan.  I like it because it doesn’t include a required amount of hill or or fartleks.  Though I think these are very necessary, I find this training plan to be effective and not intimidating.

kitten kitten kitten kitten

This picture has nothing to do with running, but I love it.

It is a new month!

Which I am taking as a clean slate, a starting off point for an even healthier, more active, lifestyle.

I have my best friend’s wedding in 2 months, and I want to be able to look at the pictures and not hate what I see (which has been the case for pretty much the last 2 years).

Not to mention the fact that marathon training is kicking into high gear, so I really need to get focused.

New month, new focus!

marathon.

30 Day Running Challenge: Day 18

What are your PRs? Time, distance?

My PR during a half was 2:03.. and I am determined to beat that!

My best chipped time during a 5k was 27 minutes, but I clocked in at 21:22 while running 3 miles one night.  I was fueled by rage at something and was just killing it!

I hope to set a PR of under 5 hours in my marathon, so fingers crossed.

Again, I am not a fast runner, but I keep it movin’!

Watch Me

30 Day Running Challenge: Day 17

How many miles a week are you usually running and what’s your normal pace? How would you like to improve this?

My mileage has been pretty low lately, around 20-25, but is increasing significantly with my training plan for the October marathon.

I am not a fast runner by any means and usually come in around 10 minutes per mile on a long run, but have noticed that my pace has really picked up during shorter runs, coming in more at 9 minutes per mile.

It would be ultimate goal to run a marathon at a 9 minute mile, but being a super asthmatic, I try to just focus on distance and not so much time, but I will get there.

Consistency and speed work is the key!

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