Disappointed.

It's HOT out.

I need to start setting my alarm early to go running outside, because I'm becoming exhausted of running on the treadmill late after work. It's not quite what I wanted for my summer running. I guess that running early is what it's going to have to be. Somehow. ha.

I ran 2.25 miles in 30 minutes, which is decent timing for the heat, but wasn't the distance that I wanted. I just couldn't keep going. Or maybe that's too much negativity. Maybe I could have kept going, but I just didn't. I'm not sure.

Anyways, 5k on Saturday morning. It'll be a part of my big Indiana goodbye. I'm excited!

I have to get ready for work now. I'm going to go for another run tonight.

Goal: 1000 miles/365 days
So far: 392.69 miles/246 days
To go: 607.31 miles/119 days

slow and steady wins the race

Something hit me the other day. I looked at my bank account and thought about all of the money that I have been spending on horribly unhealthy choices, specfically on fast food. Fast food does not help me in my goal.. at all. It is keeping my motivation down, keeps my health and weight stagnant, and does not allow me to get to the point that I want to be at... the point in which I FEEL that I should be. I'm not there. I cannot continue to eat like that. Not only that, but fast food is ridiculously expensive. I've been saving money for a long time for grad school and I would have, probably, a thousand dollars more if I was eating healthily. It's something that I really want to and need to stick to. I don't know why it's so hard for me. I've been working on this for over a year now, on this health thing, on running. I don't know why it's still hard. I feel like I should be an expert by now, but I'm not. It's a process and I'm still working on it.

I bought Reebok EasyTones today. I wore them while walking around at the mall for a few hours. I hope that they help my legs, too. I'm proud of the work that I've done so far on my legs, but I'm excited for the way the shoes might be able to help me even further in my process. Tomorrow, I'm going to wear them to work. I'll probably be sore, because I went for a pretty long run tonight and wore the shoes for several hours today, on top of the fact that I will be wearing them tomorrow. It might be interesting.

My run today was REALLY awesome. I actually feel like I'm on my way to training for Goofy's Challenge in January. I was able to run/walk more than 7 miles, which was incredible. I'm really excited about how well it went. I'm looking forward to doing a 10 or 11 mile run later this week.. actually, that will probably be tomorrow. I'm going to write out my weekly running plan while I'm at work tomorrow, because these next few weeks are going to be ridiculous with my running and working... and MOVING. I move to Orlando in less than 3 weeks now. I'm starting to freak out, actually.

I just want to mention that I am getting proud of my leg muscles.

Goal: 1000 miles/365 days
So far: 390.44 miles/244 days
To go: 609.56 miles/121 days

Two Days in a Row! Motivation might be back!

I love a run when it is tough, but wonderful all in one. That's what tonight's run was. Thank goodness. Nights like tonight help propel me forward, because my motivation has been so low lately. I'm thankful that I actually ran, though I felt like sleeping, and that it was great. That will help motivate me to continue running tomorrow and days after that.

Someone left me a treat in my show today. I didn't notice until I had just begun to run that I had something in my shoe. When I took it off, I found an earring. I have two suspects likely suspects. Though, I must admit that both are entirely too adorable to get in trouble for anything like that. Ever. haha.

Lillie

Zoe

If it weren't for my awesome friend Katherine, I would not have actually made it to the gym after work today. I'm thankful that she pushed me, though, because I had a great run. She can't even run because of her foot pains, but she sat down there with me while I ran on the treadmill (I left for work at 9:15 this morning and was only home for 20 minutes before 11:15. No joke. It was too late to run outside.). That's dedication, though.

My run was longer than yesterday's, but not quite to the point that I want to be at yet. I'm looking for some races this fall, because this summer ended up busier than I anticipated, work wise, and I didn't actually register for any summer races. (disappointment.) I know of at least one race that I'm interested in, but I'm going to try to find the best deal, because finances are important. I feel like races help me to remain motivated, especially when it's hard to push myself. Research, research, research.

Definitely excited that I ran again today. July & I are off to a good start!

Goal: 1000 miles/365 days
So far: 381.92 miles/239 days
To go: 618.08 miles/126 days

back at it.

Motivation has been tough to come by lately, which has had more of an affect on my endurance than I expected.

Running today was really tough. I cut my run in half, which was disappointing. I'm going to have to start working my way up toward running long distances again, which I'm really disappointed about. I'm still going to hold onto my goal of getting to 500 miles before I move. I would really like to finally have gotten to that point. It's not TOO far away. It's manageable... as long as I can get myself out there and run more. I don't know. I can do it. With motivation.

There were a few reasons that my run was so tough today. First, I have horrible cramps today. Horrible. Second, related to said cramps, I woke up after four hours of sleep with cramps and could not go back to sleep. It was awful. I'm exhausted and my body aches. Not a good day to start up running again after not doing it for a while.

I'm going to get out my planner and, next to my work schedule, physically write down my planned mileage for each day. I think that it will be a lot easier to be motivated to follow through if I have a plan. It's hard when I just tell myself that I should run, but then I end up not actually doing it.

In other news, my butt muscle hasn't been hurting lately. We'll see how it feels after I work 12ish hours for 4 days in a row. Hopefully, I'm cured.

Exciting! Katherine sees a podiatrist next week so my running partner might become healed and more able to hold me accountable for my running! Woohoo!

Goal: 1000 miles/365 days
So far: 375.16 miles/238 days
To go: 624.84 miles/127 days

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

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

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