I'm running a half marathon in almost 6 weeks! And I'm more excited about running 13.1 miles than I thought I could possibly be. Reason: The timing is right, I'm doing this totally and completely for myself and I'm doing it right. I tend to be the person that shuns over preparation and embraces "winging it" more than I should. It's not because I love having mediocre results, but because when I do tap into my perfectionism side, I often fail hard, stress myself out and physically fall apart (i.e. weirdo heart beats, sickness and migraines). All the bad things happen when I try to do something amazing and I don't ask for help. Usually I can pull things off with little (or last minute) effort and everything is "fine". But at least I can say to myself, "well, but I wasn't even trying that hard". You know?
But this time, I have a training plan that I'm actually sticking to and I'm not doing it alone. I feel confident that I'm not going to just finish those miles, but I'm going to meet my goal of under 2 hours!!! Guys, I've wanted to do this forever.
So I'm doing an 8 - week "crash training" I found on women's running because I was already running 3-5 miles. Did I mention we got a dog? He's a 25 pound Corgi/Beagle mix and I didn't expect him to be totally into running. But he literally begs as I tie my shoes and he's developed a habit of racing to get into the car before I box him out. I wouldn't mind, but I also have two babies already and my thoughts race too often between "oh we have such a fun dog!" and "I wasn't ready for three babies!!!"
I've been running on the Razorback Greenway (paved trail) and it goes along a river. I laughed so hard when after 3 miles, Eli was slowing down and dragging along behind me looking sad. We came up to this section of trail and he raced into the water, took a drink and splashed around, then raced off like a rabbit. It reminded me of that time on a hike I gave my tired little sister a single skittle, saying it would give her a super boost. She took it with wonder and sprinted off, running straight up a steep mountain! Haha where is my magic super boost?
But this time, I have a training plan that I'm actually sticking to and I'm not doing it alone. I feel confident that I'm not going to just finish those miles, but I'm going to meet my goal of under 2 hours!!! Guys, I've wanted to do this forever.
So I'm doing an 8 - week "crash training" I found on women's running because I was already running 3-5 miles. Did I mention we got a dog? He's a 25 pound Corgi/Beagle mix and I didn't expect him to be totally into running. But he literally begs as I tie my shoes and he's developed a habit of racing to get into the car before I box him out. I wouldn't mind, but I also have two babies already and my thoughts race too often between "oh we have such a fun dog!" and "I wasn't ready for three babies!!!"
I've been running on the Razorback Greenway (paved trail) and it goes along a river. I laughed so hard when after 3 miles, Eli was slowing down and dragging along behind me looking sad. We came up to this section of trail and he raced into the water, took a drink and splashed around, then raced off like a rabbit. It reminded me of that time on a hike I gave my tired little sister a single skittle, saying it would give her a super boost. She took it with wonder and sprinted off, running straight up a steep mountain! Haha where is my magic super boost?
I've been running with the girls in my Baby Trend double jogger since June and I'll just say I don't think I've ever spent $150 so well. That thing has been everywhere and it's basically an extension of my arms and legs. I've gone twice with all FOUR of us and while it's very entertaining (and distracting), my pace is terrible and the continuous stop and go drives me crazy. I've taken the dog by myself and he's a pretty good buddy. And then there's the me and my stroller combo. Saturday long runs are a treat because Aaron lets me run away from home for a while and get my fast-running and friend talk fix. (I plan on giving him my medal because he deserves it for everything he does!)
I am not the kind of person that can work out every day and run on 8 hours of sleep. Really, not even 9 is enough. It's kind of embarrassing to be totally honest… I would only run in college occasionally because I couldn't possibly get enough sleep while working and get all my homework done. So I didn't. I don't really ever "work out" every single day because the amount of good food and sleep I have to get is insane! I'm sure the fact that I'm still nursing and haven't had an uninterrupted night's sleep for over a year and a half takes its toll too. Anyway, this is another reason why me training for a half is kind of a big deal. Fortunately P&Z take naps and so do I.
Last week I stressed out over silly things and did too much and still trained. I paid for it by spending Valentine's weekend in a dark house with sunglasses on, napping the day away with a migraine. So lesson learned okay?
The other thing I've noticed is the fact that I have to eat so much food (again). I actually love it, because I love to eat! The more room for food, the better. Right? Except I can't just fuel up on high-calorie, low-nutrient junk because then I'm running on junk. And I run like junk. And I feel like junk. So I've been trying to remember to just make two PB&J's and eat like my dad in college. (except he would eat an entire loaf of bread's worth of sandwiches, no joke.) Maybe I'll remake the snack think tank. :)
Last week I stressed out over silly things and did too much and still trained. I paid for it by spending Valentine's weekend in a dark house with sunglasses on, napping the day away with a migraine. So lesson learned okay?
The other thing I've noticed is the fact that I have to eat so much food (again). I actually love it, because I love to eat! The more room for food, the better. Right? Except I can't just fuel up on high-calorie, low-nutrient junk because then I'm running on junk. And I run like junk. And I feel like junk. So I've been trying to remember to just make two PB&J's and eat like my dad in college. (except he would eat an entire loaf of bread's worth of sandwiches, no joke.) Maybe I'll remake the snack think tank. :)
Ra-ra-random. Speed work is my favorite!!! I know that's weird, but it's just the best. Basically this is how I look always because do I shower? Clearly not enough. This is Zoe and she ain't too happy in this pic, poor chica. Can I just brag a bit about where we live? We had winter sort of, and then it ended. It was definitely more wintry last year, but the temperature this week has been in the 50s and it's going up! I am loving it. May all your running dreams come true!
Love,
Lauresa
Love,
Lauresa