Early Start Today

December 10, 2008 · Filed under Running · Tagged

Today was a day to re-calibrate my Nike+ after I had a bit of a problem last time. It turns out that when I hit the mile this time, the Nike+ said I was at .97 mile. It’s not that much of a difference, but it also means that if I’m right, I did go past the 3.1-mile mark on Sunday. It sure felt like it.  lol

I still had a little bit of pre-breakfast, earliest-time-running-ever-for-me energy left after the calibration, so I set it for a basic workout and did .2 miles at a steady 10:10 or so pace, which is getting easier each time, and I was able to go longer that way. I still need to let my lungs catch up, though. My legs felt like they could go on forever.

The reason I ran so early today is that at 4:45am our neighbor’s plowing service came by and started up the ol’ snowblower and plow. This was only feet from our bedroom window. Needless to say, we weren’t happy about it. No matter whom our neighbor gets to plow each year, they insist on coming at 4:45am. There’s a noise ordinance in our city that prevents anyone but city plow truck drivers to make noise before 6am. Once hubby had to go out there and tell the guy that he was throwing snow on our bedroom window! He didn’t even realize that this might wake us up and furthermore “T” us off because heavy snow was hitting the house. DUH! There’s just no consideration anymore (or it’s plain stupidity). I can go on and on. The point is that hubby got out the door slightly earlier than usual, and I was wide awake and thought I’d take advantage of getting this done early.

It’s cold again today. We had rain in the morning yesterday, which then turned to sleet, then snow. I’m so happy that I have the treadmill in icy conditions like this, no matter what some say about it. Sure, I could get out there and experience what it’s like to run freely on the pavement, and I will some day, but I also enjoy the challenges I’ve been able to overcome in the 3 1/2 months I’ve been running inside. It’s also a great form of exercise, as walking on it was getting boring. To each his own, and right now, this is my own.

I’m going to go grab some breakfast. Have a good Wednesday!

Shannan

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Wii!!! Another 5K at home…

December 8, 2008 · Filed under Running · Tagged ,

Okay, I just remembered that I hadn’t checked in yet today regarding yesterday’s run of 5K (3.1 miles)! I did it! There are a couple of you out there who came to mind when I wanted to stop early, but I kept going because I wanted to be able to say today that I did it. It has been a few weeks since I’ve had a regular running schedule, and I haven’t been doing well in terms of mileage, so it was a little harder incorporating my new-found, slightly faster pace with the longer distance.

My legs felt sluggish below the knee in the last third, and it felt like time was slowing down. But, hey, I finished the C25K, didn’t I? I’ve already gone this far before! Why couldn’t I do it again? I need to move forward, not backward!

I’m sore today, but it feels good, because I know that it’s because of the effort I made. I’ll need to recalibrate my Nike+ again, since I had a little problem with something falling onto the treadmill’s belt last calibration, which I think calibrated the Nike+ to think that it was taking me longer to get to the mile than it actually would have without my trying to pick up the thing off the belt. I may well have run longer than 3.1 miles, as the treadmill itself said it was 3.3 miles.

On another note, my mother won a Wii Sport and gave it to us yesterday! We played it yesterday, and I played it today for an hour so far. You kind of get a workout from it if you really put forth an effort to MOVE and not sit there just moving your arms, which some people have done. It’s fun! We’re looking into getting Tomb Raider, since it was our favorite game on the old Playstation years ago. YAY!

Thanks, Mom!

Have a good evening, everyone!  :)

Shannan

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Quite the End to the Week (so far)

December 5, 2008 · Filed under Running · Tagged

Okay, so I’m thinking I’m going to have to re-challenge myself next week. I had some family things come up yesterday during the time I was going to run, and since I had waited so long to run, the opportunity had passed. Today, I had to take my brother-in-law to the hospital (after going in to work early) for knee surgery that was supposed to get us out of there by 3pm (surgery scheduled for 1pm). I find out at 4pm (after 4.5 hours of waiting in the waiting room) that he had just gone into surgery. Hubby had to come take my place in order to let me go home, which was at 5pm. I think they must be on their way home as I’m writing this. I hope. The day is gone for me. I will try again on Sunday. I think I will start again next week, but maybe just make it a weekly mileage goal instead of every day, since it seems that is not realistic to life right now.

Sigh. Thanks, Thomas, for your comment. I will do well on Sunday. I really want to try to get more miles, so I’m going to plan on a longer running time and take whatever mileage I can get in that time. It’s been a rough eating week, too, and I need to recommit to doing both the running and the eating the right way. I guess it’ll happen when I make both of them a higher priority.

Have a good weekend, everyone!  :)

Shannan

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Day 3 of My One-a-Day Challenge

December 3, 2008 · Filed under C25K, Running · Tagged ,

Okay, so it’s the third day of my challenge to myself to run a mile each day until Sunday, when I’ll run 2 miles, bringing my weekly total to 7 miles. I’m up to 2.5 miles, since I didn’t run yesterday. I have legitimate reasons for not running yesterday, but the point is, I made up some of it today, running 1.5 miles. I even did it with an 11:53 pace, which is fast for me. I’ve been challenging myself to run a little during my runs at a faster speed, to try to get my average pace up (fewer minutes per mile). I hope to be able to at least do the tomorrow’s mile between doing a project for work and other things around the house.

As for the reasons I didn’t run yesterday, I’m first an earlier-in-the-day runner (more like late morning), and I got home around 4pm, making it much later than I’m used to. It was not a priority for me at the time. Secondly, and probably the more legitimate reason, is that a few days earlier I had been doing strength training and did a favorite of mine that I learned on the Biggest Loser DVDs, which is the wood chopping movement, where you hold a weight in your hands and slowly pretend you’re chopping wood from one shoulder down to the opposite foot. I did fine that day, but the next two days my hamstrings were hurting — more so on Monday night and Tuesday morning — and my right leg had also been twitching on Monday night. I was afraid I’d damage something if I ran, and I knew I needed the rest time.

It’s been difficult getting back into a routine the way it was when I was on a strict C25K schedule. There’s no chart to tell me where I am, and I’m not really answering to anyone but myself. The fun part of it, though, is that I’m starting to really try to better my times and to get used to the faster speeds. It’s been interesting finding my limits and trying to go past them each time.

So…my aim is to run the next 3 days and then on Sunday do a full 2 miles. Maybe I’ll even pull off something better.

I hope you’re all keeping warm, and for those of you in warmer climates, appreciate it!

Shannan

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Let’s Try This Again

December 1, 2008 · Filed under Running, Writing · Tagged

So today is the first day of our restart of Weight Watchers. We kind of stopped counting points a few weeks back, and now we’re getting back on it. It’s not hard once we actually decide to do it. I’m hoping to be at my goal by Valentine’s Day. From then, I may try to lose more.

This week I’ve decided to see if I can run each day, but only a mile a day. It doesn’t sound like much, but I wanted to see what doing half my usual distance each day without breaks would be like. I don’t think I’ll need the rest days between, just because I’ll be running so little and easy (about 13-15 minutes depending on pace) that it won’t be too hard on my muscles. I’m eager to test this. If I do M-F at one mile, and then 2 miles on Sunday, that will give me 7 miles for the week.

I also went out in the wee hours this morning and shoveled the 1.5 to 2 inches of snow we got overnight. It’s the wet, heavy kind, but it wasn’t deep, so I was able to lift it. I did get in my strength training doing it, though.

So, I just wanted to check in and let you all know that I’m trying to get back into things after the hectic Thanksgiving period we always have around here. I’m even going to start my free, downloaded MIT writing courses soon. Work’s going to get busy, and it’ll be a nice distraction. I printed out all the coursework and have my two books. I failed miserably in the NaNoWriMo, and ended up with under 3,000 words. It just wasn’t the right month for me, and I think quality work can’t be done in 30 days, fixing it up later or not. What’s the point of writing 50K words if it’s all going to be nonsensical jabbering? Just to get a certificate? No, thanks. If I get good enough to accomplish that one year, then it’s going to be quality work, not just whatever I can type up in the time allotted.

I’ll be back to let you know how the running’s going. It’s my one-a-day challenge.

Shannan

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Dumbbell…Me AND the Weights!

November 20, 2008 · Filed under Running · Tagged

Okay, so today was going to be a run day. Guess not, now. Yesterday I was cleaning up the office in preparing the house for Thanksgiving next week, and I had put some of my exercise stuff, like my big ball and some dumbbells, on the floor in our bedroom. I forgot about them, and was carrying a laundry basket from the bed backwards when I stepped onto a dumbell in my socks. I bruised my right heel, which is also on the same foot that my neuroma has been acting up. This leaves the front and the back of my right foot in pain. The bruise hurts more than the neuroma, and I’ve been running with the neuroma pain for weeks now, but even walking is bad now. I’m going to lay off it and try to do some leg exercises that don’t require walking/running, and I’ll get in some weights today, too. Since I’ve started running it seems that I’ve been neglecting my upper body strength training a little, so I’ll take the opportunity today to do it in place of the running.

These past two or three weeks have felt like another dimension, but I’ll bounce back eventually with the running and writing and whatever has been pushed to the wayside. We’re hopefully going to hear back on results regarding a family member’s health problems, so at least we’ll have answers there. Certain daily, monotonous things just don’t seem important right now while other things are up in the air like this.

Sorry to be so blah today. I’m trying not to freak out about it being a week from Thanksgiving. Clutter just doesn’t seem to be much of a concern this year. Not that it’s not there, but I’m beginning to see that it’s just not as important as just being with family. (Sarah, don’t you start or I will!)  :^)

Everyone, have a good day! I’ll be watching the rest of season 2 of Arrested Development on hulu while I clean and lift weights. 

Shannan

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Extended Visit

November 17, 2008 · Filed under Uncategorized

The nephew is sick, so he’s staying home with me today. I got my run in yesterday, so today’s a rest day anyway. We’re almost certain to catch the cold he has. It’s nearly impossible to keep the germs contained to only his person. We had a good time yesterday at the Jukebox Show. In addition to other things, I found a gumball machine to add to the collection. It’s one that I missed on ebay. I think I forgot to bid on it, and I was pretty upset to have given it up like that. We found this one on the floor in a booth at the show, and the seller walked up to us and said we could make him a ridiculous offer. Got it for ten bucks! It’s probably one of my oldest in the collection, too.

Signing off from cold headquarters. I hope to report back by Wednesday about what a great run I’d had. :-\

Shannan

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Early Morning Run

November 16, 2008 · Filed under Running · Tagged

Ran 30 minutes today, 6:15am. It was my fastest pace, too.

We’ve got one of our nephews over today, so we’re spending the day with him. Gotta run, but I hope to report a higher word count on my NaNoWriMo story soon. I made some progress this past week, but I plan on making even more. I have to! 

Later! Have a good Sunday!

Shannan  :)

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Back in the game…

November 13, 2008 · Filed under Running, Writing · Tagged ,

Good Morning all,

I did another 30-minute run, having only intended on going 1.5 miles, but once I’m there at that 20-minute mark I’m bound to keep pushing to the end. It’s almost becoming a game with me. If I tell myself that I’m only going to go so far, I usually end up finishing it up to the 30 minutes. I have no idea why this keeps working. lol

I just looked at my Running Ahead log, and I can see how my pace has picked up over the course of the past 10 weeks (even after considering that my C25K pace calculations included the walking portions). If I had been doing One Hour Runner, I’d have just ended my first week, except that I had done 45 minutes my first day last week. I’m happy to be able to run on my own terms, but still maintain the standards OHR upholds for progress. It’s not to say that one day I’m not going to do a 20-minute run if I’m not up to 30, or I won’t do another 45-minute run prematurely. But I get to say what I do and when I do it, and the freedom keeps me running.

I truly believe that had I committed to the OHR program for 10 weeks, I’d have already quit. Don’t get me wrong, I like running, but the C25K was enough to introduce me to running, and now I’m going to run because I want to, it keeps me fit and has been improving my heart, not because a schedule tells me to. I may do times that are similar to the plan’s, but it’s going to be on my own.

Okay, enough of the soap box. I just feel passionate about having the freedom to do what I want on the days I want. So far it’s been working.  :^)

Yesterday I picked up 9 bags of leaves from our front lawn. There are sycamores planted up and down our street, and many of the trees’ leaves inevitably come to our property, along with snow, rainfall and loose recyclables that fall when the truck empties the cans. It turns out that since it had rained/sleeted the day before, the leaves were nice and wet and tended not to fly around and set allergens flying. I did it all in an hour, and it was good exercise, too. The bags were nice and heavy, and I had to carry them to the back of the house. This was a fortunate thing, because later in the day, when I was supposed to be doing my run, I spent hours on the phone with a family matter and couldn’t run.

My sister and I spent two hours doing a NaNo sprint yesterday evening. It’s 10 minutes writing, 10 minutes not writing, for the duration. I got to increase my count, which you can see on the sidebar, and my story got to move along a little further. I’m not giving up hope that I can get to 50,000 words by November 30th, no matter how naive that hope is.  :^) We’re planning another sprint tomorrow night, which is also my mom’s birthday.

♦♦♦ HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM! ♦♦♦

Tomorrow’s Friday, so everyone have a good weekend!

Shannan

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Another Run

November 9, 2008 · Filed under Running · Tagged

I ran 30 minutes today. I had planned on only getting in about 1.5 miles, which would be close to 22 minutes or so, but I got there and thought, “I can and should go to 30 minutes,” so I did.

It’s been a rough week emotionally, so I was a little distant or absent altogether in some of my usual forum groups and on here. I also only got in the one 45-minute run between Monday and today.

It’s snowing here now — very lightly, like flurries, but snowing. We’re getting the house ready for Thanksgiving in the next 2 1/2 weeks, so that’s going on, along with having more things than usual to think about at work. It’s going to be a challenge to keep eating healthy and running without letting the stress of everything that’s going on bring me down…not to mention the NaNoWriMo, which you can see I’m only 870 words into (as I write this). The goal is 50,000 by November 30! My sister and I are planning to have a through-the-night writing marathon to get our word counts up, though she’s FAR ahead of me right now.

My first “textbook” came for my two MIT online, downloadable, writing courses. It’s the American poetry 1945-1960 one, which has some interesting poems inside. I can’t wait to get started, but I think it’s going to have to be at least December before I dive into that.

I’m planning on running again on Wednesday, since tomorrow’s a rest day and Tuesday’s probably a full day at work. We’ll see. I’m aiming for 6 miles a week right now, which comes out to about three 30-minute runs.

Have a good day!

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