Friday, June 25, 2010

motivation back (sort of.)

I've been lacking in motivation for the last month or so, but I finally got a run in today. My June running has been disappointing, overall. Between my packing, working, and my muscle strain, I just haven't been able to find the motivation to run. However, I'm turning over a new leaf... today, because it's a little over 6 months until Goofy's Challenge & I'm going to find a half marathon to run in October or November, which will give me adequate time to train, since I haven't run much lately.

My run went okay. I'm exhausted, but that's alright. It's a good exhaustion, I think. I'm looking forward to running again tomorrow night. :)

I really want to get to 500 miles before my move. If I don't make that, I'm concerned that I won't actually finish my goal........ or be able to complete Goofy's Challenge. It's all connected.

Goal: 1000 miles/365 days
So far: 369.12 miles/231 days
To go: 630.88 miles/134 days

Friday, June 11, 2010

Long days equal shorter runs

Ugh!!! Today I was hoping for a long run, but my work schedule did not agree. I ended up working a double, even though I didn't want to. After over ten hours of work and a lot of driving, I was exhausted. I did run, though, but it was tough.

One thing that frustrates me is that my body already feels achy after I work for several hours, so it becomes really tough to run a decent amount of miles. Sometimes I wonder if it's better to push through or to give up and take it easy. Something to ponder.

Tomorrow, I work 12ish hours and hope to get a few miles in. We'll see how it goes.

Goal: 1000 miles/365 days
So far: 362.62 miles/216 days
To go: 637.38 miles/149 days

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Starting The New Month With A Long Run :)

Thanks for all of the advice on my last post. I bought some BodyGlide today and I also bought some spandex shorts to wear under my actual running shorts. I ended up forgetting that about the BodyGlide when I left for my work out. When I arrived at my running route for the day, I realized that I didn't have it. There was no way that I was going to go back, though, because I was already starting my run later than I prefer to run outside. I also didn't want to run on the treadmill today, because it's probably going to be really rainy/thunderstormy tomorrow- which might force me to end up on the treadmill... So I didn't go back. I did wear my new spandex shorts, though, which really helped a lot. I'm excited about it. I had a little bit of irritation a few times, but it was nothing compared to the chafing that I've been dealing with lately. I'm excited to use the BodyGlide and see how it works. Tomorrow.

My goal for today was to run 9 miles. I set a goal to PR by like 12 or 13 minutes and finish in an hour and fifty minutes. During the first mile, I felt like I was having cramps, so I slowed my pace down a little for a mile, which ended up slowing me down (and I snuck into a building and used the bathroom for a few minutes to try to help). I tried to compensate for the rest of my run. I wasn't really able to, though I did feel better after about 30 minutes, so that wasn't too bad. I ended up finishing 9 miles in 1 hour and 57 minutes... and added a few more minutes to get to my car. I'm actually pretty impressed with that time. It's still a PR and it's still 9 miles in under 2 hours, which is awesome.

This morning was a little bit rough for me. I had an appointment with my eye doctor, which took three hours, no exaggeration. I also had some other stuff going on that was a little bit frustrating/upsetting, so, naturally, I went to the sports store to get some new running stuff. I got three new pairs of shorts, which I really needed and the BodyGlide, which I already discussed. I'm pretty excited about it, even though it ended up being a pretty expensive shopping trip. That's alright, I guess, because I hardly spend money on myself, besides gas in my car, groceries, and supplies for the cat. Another positive is that I get paid in a few days and I've been working more lately, so my next several checks should be pretty awesome. (I think & hope... haha)

My run today, though I had some bad cramping, was awesome. I really feel like I'm on my way to be prepared to run a full marathon. I'm still itching to find a race this summer, but I know that I can finish Goofy's Challenge in January. I've set myself to this huge goal and I know that I can accomplish it if I keep working at it the way that I have been. It has been really tough to make the time for running when I've felt like I have had a million other things going on, but every time that I run, I feel accomplished. It's a really good feeling to be able to do something like this... make goals and follow through. If I can do this, I can do so many other things.

One thing that I need to work on is crosstraining. I've lifted a few times when I've been on the treadmill, but I'm in the gym less and less often. I also would like to get in the pool a few more times before I move away. I'm sure I can swim and use fitness areas for free at UCF, too, but that's still two months away. Also, when I swim, I have usually ridden my bike to campus when I've gone to swim. That's another form of crosstraining. I really need to work on making an effort to crosstrain. Somehow, I have to find the time for that... among a million other things. ha.

Goal: 1000 miles/365 days
So far: 356.93 miles/206 days
To go: 643.07 miles/159 days