I am thankful...It's DONE!!!

 *Note: I wrote this post after completing my second half-marathon last Saturday...

There are no words to express how relieved I am to have finished my half-marathon today. For the last month, there have been highs and lows in my training and my health. I considered not running the race at all. I am proud to say that I did not give in to my desire to roll over and pull the covers up over my head this morning.

It was cold at the start, but that made for perfect running weather. My choice of long sleeves and running tights was a good one. Even after it warmed up into the 50's, the wind was blowing at around 20 mph, and it was still chilly.

Really hard to see...but that's the starting line just before the race. Yes, we were under an overpass!

Hills were my downfall. The part of the route (miles 4-7) that went through Cherokee Park was the biggest challenge. The hills were huge. I did not train running outside or on big hills. Double whammy for me.

Halfway there...

The asphalt/concrete surface really killed me on the first few miles. Shin splints during miles 1-3 made me think that I wasn't going to make it. At mile 3, I got my stride and slowed down to conserve some energy.  Miles 4-7 were the dreaded hills through the park. Miles 7-10 were much better, and I had a good run/walk method in place.

Around mile 8, I took a PowerBar Vanilla gel and I took ibuprofen at mile 9. I think these two things are what got me to the finish line. I took water at every water station and Powerade when it was offered. At one point, I reached up to wipe my forehead and it was completely dry and covered with salt. I knew I needed to take in more water at that point. In between miles I at a few PowerBar Energy Chews. I crossed the finish line just under 3 hours at 2:59:48. Seems slow for most, but it's my new PR for a half!

So relieved it's over...I know you love my zebra print robe.

 Overall, I am glad I did it. My training only involved running 3 days a week. And some weeks less than that because of being sick or so busy I barely had time to eat, much less run. Cross training was what saved me. I have realized in this process that I will never be a long distance runner, nor a fast runner. Maybe if I lost 20 pounds, but realistically, I don't see my body handling longer distances in the near future.

I plan to stick to 5K's and running when I want to, a few days a week. I love the way I feel after a run, but I don't enjoy it while I'm doing it, if that makes sense.

Who knows, though, I've said all this before, and here I was, doing another half. I do know that I am going to take time away from blogging (as if I haven't already...) to focus on teaching 5th grade, my newest challenge. I'm just thankful I can say I finished this half-marathon and I can say...IT'S DONE!!!

An Unexpected Day Off

Working and blogging apparently don't work well together for me...hence the last post being from last Wednesday. I started back to work last Thursday, and today was suppposed to be the first day of school in my school district. BUT IT WAS CANCELED! How often does that happen? First day of school...canceled!

Saturday we had a pretty mighty storm that literally blew through the city (70 mph winds) and 150,000 people lost power. That included about 48 schools. As of last night, there were still around a dozen schools without power, so classes for the first day were canceled. I got an unexpected day off. What to do, what to do??


Running

Over the last 4 days, I have been taking the dog out for a quick 1 mile run at night. Thank God the weather has been cooler and actually bearable to run in. I have taken my iPhone with me and used several different apps with GPS to track my mileage and time. Here's my last 3 runs:

Thursday - 1 mile - 12:00  (really fast for me!)

Saturday - 1 mile - 11:14  (fastest time thus far!)

Sunday - 2 miles - 27:58  (what the heck, Cindy?)

What the heck happened last night? Shins were screaming, so I stopped at 2 when I was supposed to do 5. I knew from the first few seconds of that run that I wasn't going to make it 5. I know my body and can definitely tell when it's going to be a crappy run early on. I'd rather have a slow, short run than no run at all, I guess. 

Ripped in 30

I am on week 4 now, and I am just going to continue a few times a week, mixing up which week a do from this point on. I really, really love this workout. And I really, really hate this workout. 

I love it because it has changed my body. Running has done a lot for my confidence and cardiovascular endurance. But I never lost weight. And I really didn't build much muscle. Ripped in 30 has given me a weight loss boost (just a few pounds, but still good for someone petite like me) and I can see a difference in the muscle tone in my arms and legs. I feel stronger. I have "slimmed down" as my husband has told me. He says I've lost weight in my face. That's interesting. 

I think a combo of running and this workout have been the 1-2 punch that I needed to build strength and lose a little weight. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a quick strength workout for cross-training. I hope now that I'm going back to work I can keep it up. 

Today I guess I will do a Ripped in 30 workout, take the little one for allergy shots and run some errands. I need a running break today to let my shins rest. I will try to run again tomorrow, hopefully completing the 4 miles on my schedule. Today is one of those days I think that a half marathon is not in the cards for me. But a big part of me says don't give up. Only time will tell...

Maybe one day I'll learn

I'm kicking myself right now because I indulged a little too much today and now I am paying for it. I took the little one to see the new Winnie the Pooh movie, which was so cute, by the way, and perfect for little ones with short attention spans (it only runs 1 hr 3 mins). Before the movie, my mom and I took her for lunch at our favorite fast food restaurant, Chick-fil-a. Let's just say I did not make good choices, and then proceeded to eat an entire bag of these during the movie:

425 calories of yumminess

Those sugar filled drops of goodness paired with a huge cup of sweet tea from Chick-fil-a, and I was ready to crash at the end of the movie. I was dizzy and sick to my stomach. Why did I think I could just eat like that after two weeks of eating nothing but healthy balanced meals and drinking only water?? I dunno either.

I have no self control when it comes to fast food. That's why I only allow myself to eat at Chick-fil-a once every 2 weeks or so, if that. I almost never eat at McDonald's or other fast food places. That's a disaster waiting to happen. Besides the bad food choices, almost every restaurant in this city has sweet tea now. It haunts me, every where I go...

 I also think that I really need to go to an optometrist and have my eyes checked. I have been getting headaches, neausa and feeling dizzy when I sit here at the computer, read a book for long periods of time or watch t.v. So during the movie today I noticed that a headache was starting. I don't wear glasses or contacts. Haven't had my eyes checked since I was in college.  Definitely time to have the eyes checked out.

Later this evening, after mowing heartbreak hill the yard, I hit the treadmill for a quick run. Had to stop a few times because of intense indigestion and reflux. When I finally thought I had my stomach settled, I hit it hard, running my fastest mile yet! But when I got to around 1.42, I accidentally hit the emergency magnet thing (doh!), stopping the treadmill, and losing my time. I guessed at where it was, started again, but only lasted for another .2 miles or so. The reflux was back with a vengence, and I didn't want to lose my dinner. That'll teach me to eat greasy, sugar-filled food and drink sweet tea like it's water. Until I forget how horrible I felt today and find myself at Chick-fil-a. I found out they are building a new one only a few miles from my house. I'm in TROUBLE!!

Do you struggle with self-control when at restaurants? What food can you not resist?

Will run for ice cream...

Today's weather was more like your typical summer day. Hot but not so humid. Satan decided to release us from his armpit for a few days...we'll see how long that lasts. Thanks a lot, Satan.

Here's a recap of the last 2 days' workouts:

Tuesday:
Elliptical - 20 mins.
Treadmill - walk at 4% incline for 15 mins. (1 mile)
Day 6 of Ripped in 30

I was feeling a little extra energetic and mixed it up a little. We have an elliptical, but in my opinion, elliptical workouts suck. My least favorite form of exercise.  It doesn't get used much. So I dusted it off, did as much as I could stand and then walked on the 'mill. Then it was on to week 2 (day 6) of Ripped in 30. All I can say is, crap. I'm screwed. Today I am very sore, therefore I did not attempt to do day 7 yet. I know my body and I know I need to rest those muscles. Week 2 is going to be the death of me. But I will finish!

Today:
Treadmill - 2 mile tempo run

This was hard, I really had to push myself. I don't know about anybody else, but running does not come easy to me most days, and today was just like most days. Good news, though, I got a mile PR for the second mile. I have cut about a minute of my mile time since spring. Not bad for a non-athletic lazy bum. Still slow, though, and I'm sure I always will be. 

I have found a training schedule that works for me, and I am going to listen to my body and only run 3-4 days, cross-train 2-3 days and rest one day. That is what I have been doing, and I have been getting faster, as well as increasing distance.

The training schedule that I have from the "elite athletes that create training schedules" requires 5 days of running, with 4 of those being consecutive. Not for me. I will injury myself that way. I need to build strength through cross training. It's the only way I am going to stay injury free and be strong enough to run 13.1.

Here's some pics from today's activities:

A yummy snack...

Playground fun...(thanks to better weather!)

A nice cold treat...

 A nice cold treat all over our face...

 And some blogging...

I ran a 5K!!!!!

I know, you're saying "whoopty-doo". But for me, it is the longest distance I have done since April 2010. It wasn't an "official" race. Just me and my treadmill, avoiding the wrath of satan outdoors.

 I felt strong.

 I felt good.

I could have kept going, but I knew I still had the other wrath of satan to deal with: Jillian Michael's Ripped in 30.

Today was day 5 of week 1. The final day of the first week. I have to say, so far, so good. I can do a few more push ups and crunches than the first day. I can hold my plank pose longer. And I increased my weights for some of the arm strength exercises. I am already noticing changes in my arms. They feel more toned. So do my legs. But maybe that's from running, too. Dunno. All I know is, I'm going to keep it up. I guess any workout video works if you actually do it. I'll keep you posted on my success (as well as my failures, as always!)

Lastly, I'll leave you with a little motivation:

OH. MY. GOD.

OMG! I just (finally) registered for the half-marathon I have been pondering over for the last month! Ahhhhhh! No turning back now. My heart feels like it is going to jump out of my chest! I guess because I had a good run this morning I felt moved to 'just do it'! Wow, I'm still in shock!

www.lscmarathon.com

 Now comes the hard part...training for this race starts at the end of July. The actual race is on November 12th. So essentially, I have 4 months to get myself used to running longer distances at a reasonable pace...piece of cake, right??? God, help me...

In other exciting news, Fit Crafty English Teacher is giving away a pair of Auria Earphones. She tested them out herself and had great things to say about them. If you are like me, earphones are very important because music is what keeps me going during those long workouts! Head over to Megan's blog, the giveaway ends on Friday, July 8th. I just realized that because I am sharing the news of this giveaway, it really lessens the chance that I will win...in that case, stay away!!!!!! (Just kidding, Megan!)

Yesterday was a cross-training day, so I did The Biggest Loser's Cardio Max DVD. Let's just say bending over, getting dressed and reaching for things has not been fun today. Very sore. But it's a good, "hey, where did those muscles come from" kind of sore. Bob never fails to kick my butt. I do this video at least once every 2 weeks and I have stuck to level one because I felt like level 2 and 3 were easier than level 1, and they are also 10 minutes shorter.

Today I had a good 2 mile run and I had a PR for that distance! As I've said before, my PR is slower than most people speed walk, but that's okay, I'm slowly shaving time off. I am cutting out the walk breaks and when I do take them they are very short. Hopefully by November, I won't get passed by speed walkers in the half-marathon.  If I do, I'll just yell obscenities, turn my iPod up louder and keep running. I'll get to that finish line, slowly but surely...

What if...?

I have yet to register for the half-marathon that I would like to run in November. I've gone to the page several times and stopped myself before I get to the part where you pay. $65 is not a huge amount of money, but parting with it still kind of scares me. There are no refunds. What if no one else I know is running it? What if I get injured during training (happened before)? or get sick and can't run ( I have been feeling icky all week...what if I have some crazy disease)? I keep coming up with all these "what if" questions and they seem to be preventing me from just doing it. There was even a code to get $10 off registration last Wednesday, I didn't even attempt to register. Major fail on my part...

On a more positive note, I had a great day. Went to church, had lunch with the in-laws. My MIL is the best cook. She makes lunch for us after church almost every Sunday. Sundays have to be my indulgence days because of her wonderful not-so-fat-free cooking! Today she had made an awesome raspberry torte.

 Sorry for the horrible iPhone picture, I was carrying it down the stairs as I took it.

This afternoon I got to take a long, much needed nap. Then the hubs cooked a wonderful dinner of grilled asparagus, brown rice and some kind of cajun grilled fish. I'm not a lover of fish (just a little too "fishy" tasting for me), but it was rather delish.

Weirdo cut the tops off the asparagus!

Then I did my supposed-to-be "long" run for the week. It was supposed to be 3 miles, but I have not been feeling myself this past week, especially this weekend, so I only did 2. But I did get my fastest time per mile so far. It's still slower than most people walk, so I will not post my time. One day I will get there...

Almost forgot to mention...I'm now on Twitter. You can follow me @SanitynSweetTea if you're a Twitterererer....you know what I mean!

Here's hoping this week will bring more energy, motivation and healthy eating...