Getting Back into Running + The Philly 10k

 

philly10kUp until the past two weeks, HQ and I haven’t been doing much running, even before the hot chocolate 5K. Now that it’s finally starting to warm up, we’ve started to run a bit more. Although I’ve already dealt with some issues like tight calves (and running in the wrong shoes), running seems to be going relatively well for us only being two weeks back into it.

It’s felt like I’ve been running really slow lately–I keep forgetting that I haven’t been running that long and it’s going to take a while to get back to where I was before I stopped last September. It’s been something that’s been really tough to do, and I usually end up pushing myself too hard. I’m debating doing couch to 5k again (or some other sort of interval series) so that I can do a better job of making sure I don’t push myself too hard, even though I’ve yet to stick to the program for more then a few weeks. Any suggestions for doing so would be greatly appreciated!

The reason we returned to running so late was partially due to me trying to take it easy post-stress fracture as well as lack of motivation. I think to solve this motivation issue, I’m going to try and find a 5K for mid-summer (around the time I’d be finishing C25K) and then start 10K training for the Philly 10K.

I’m excited for the Philly 10K for a few reasons:

  • motivation for HQ and I to finally get past the 5K distance and actually train
  • running through the city vs the river trail
  • supporting Philadelphia Runner (one of my favorite stores)
  • awesome shake shack with cannolis and free beer

Now I just need to find a 5K for the summer. If you’ve got any suggestions for 5Ks in the area–let me know!

Guest Post: How I Became A Runner

(Editor’s Note: It must be guest post week here at ABP! Today’s is brought to you by Laura Roeseler of Project Lovely Laura on why she started running as part of a Girls Gone Sporty Ambassador Blog Exchange. Make sure you head over to her blog then to read my post on why I started running!)

Laura Roeseler post-10K Race (1)For as long as I can remember, I’ve despised running.  The memory of achy legs, burning lungs, and disappointment are seared into my brain from childhood gym classes.  I could never run a complete lap during the timed mile, much less the entire mile.  I only ran when I thought the gym teacher was watching and I almost always finished last.

Having been overweight nearly my entire adult life, I decided to get serious about my health last January and much to my surprise, I decided to start running to lose weight.  I’ve met some amazing runners in my life and I am always intrigued by their passion and determination.  I could never understand what would possess someone to run, but there was always a small voice in my head thinking If they can do it, why can’t I?  I downloaded the Couch-to-5K app and set off on a path that changed my life.

If you aren’t familiar with it, the Couch-to-5K program is designed to get beginners to go from sitting on the couch to running a 5K (or approximately 30 minutes) in 9 weeks.  The first day of the program consisted of 9 intervals of 60 seconds of running and 90 seconds of walking.   I didn’t even think I could complete one interval, much less 9, but I decided it was worth a try.  Running was exactly as difficult as I remembered; each second was a struggle and I checked my phone obsessively to count down the seconds to my next walking interval.  I ended up completing all 9 intervals that first day and I was sweaty, out of breath, and incredibly proud of myself.

As I progressed through the weeks of the Couch-to-5K program, I was faced with an ever present battle of mind over matter.  I would look ahead to the scheduled intervals and think that each was impossible.  Never once though, did my legs give out and I quickly learned that my mental strength was holding me back in my running, not my physical strength.  I was always able to complete the intervals, although sometimes I had to repeat a day or a week to build up my strength.

I deviated a bit from the Couch-to-5K program last summer and decided to try my own interval training.  Shortly after changing gears, I ran a mile non-stop for the first time in my life, which was a huge milestone.   I ran my first 5K in September 2013 and followed with my first 10K on October 13th.   Crossing the finish line in those races was incredible; I was elated and felt such a sense of accomplishment.   Those races did more for my self-esteem than I can ever express.

late Summer 2013 iPhone pics 048I will be running my first half marathon in early April and while training is challenging, I love pushing the boundaries of what I thought I was mentally and physically capable of doing.   I love the sense of incredible accomplishment that running provides and the self confidence that it gives me.  I’m more confident as a mother, wife, friend, and in my professional life and I know that I can do anything I set my mind to!

 

 

Help me Pick a May Challenge!

Yoga Class at a Gym

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

So I’ve used challenges recently to try to get me to get more motivated to actually do the exercises I need to be doing, but I’m kind of clueless about what I should be doing for May (yeah, I know, it’s already May 3rd, but I’ve been busy bee). So, while I’d like to keep it kind of related to ballet–a lot of things do, when it comes down to it–pretty much anything is fair game. I will create a post detailing the challenge as well so anyone who wants to join in can. No matter what I end up doing, I plan on updating at least once a week with how I’m doing.

Here are a few ideas I’ve come up with (I’m slightly leaning towards yoga or the ab challenge, but don’t let that influence you):

-Mile a Day (I’m still going to be doing #c25k, but this would push me to get a little extra mileage on my off days)

-Ab Challenge (I’ve done planks for about the past month, but this would mean doing more exercise ab-related exercises)

-Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred (it’s $8.99 on iTunes and could help me get in better all around shape, something I really need)

-Yoga Challenge (A different yoga video everyday to help improve my overall flexibility)

-Split Challenge (Yes, I’ve done it before, but if this wins I promise to give you photos on bi-weekly basis)

Vote in the poll below for one of these options, or leave your own suggestion in the comments.

If you suggest something new and exciting and I pick it, I’ll send you a pair of pink shoelaces from Sweat Pink as a reward!

Dancers=Clumsy?

Is it possible that dancing could be making me even more clumsy?

Dance requires a fair bit of balance and coordination, but according to an article by the The Dance Training Project, it could be making you clumsy.

Now, I’m a pretty clumsy person to begin with–and I’m clumsy in my dancing too–but part of me wants to blame these reasons that dancers are clumsy for the reason I tripped and fell on my ass yesterday when attempting my first Couch-to-5k run.

I was doing my second walking portion of the training and trying to fix my headphones–when BAM!–my foot landed at an awkward on the part of the track where it just begins to slope downwards and landed on my butt, just barely scraping my knee. Now, there weren’t too many people on the track to witness me being a complete klutz, but the two guys who were walking near me asked if I was okay cause they saw it happen. I’m just glad they weren’t laughing.

Otherwise–it was a really good first training run and I finished 2.64 miles and got an exciting e-mail with some exciting news which I’ll be sharing next week!

Have you noticed that you’ve been more clumsy as a result of dancing?