The "R" word...

Running. In all honesty, I was convinced that I would never be a runner. Unless I was placed in some life threatening situation, where running was my only chance of survival, that is. Oh, how wrong I was.

In February, I had been dealing with a plateau of sorts, having had a consistent workout plan that I had been following since the holidays. I distinctly remember that cold day when I went in to the gym to work out and Jess stopped me and said, "Today I want you to run". I told her it was not possible. I, Amanda Bailey, was not capable of running. She didn't care. So onto that blasted treadmill I climbed, and while I walked to warm up she explained to me some of the basics about form, breathing, and how we were going to turn me into a runner.

I started with intervals. Walk for X number of minutes, jog for X number of minutes, push hard and try and run for a few minutes. We worked on various running programs, interval runs, tempo runs and hybrid runs mostly to start. Tempo runs were the hardest to start. Running at the same speed for longer periods of time, without the changing of speeds to distract you.

A few weeks later Jess and Erin told me about a VA Sponsored 5K that was happening at the end of April, and how I was going to run in it. Obviously I still doubted my skills and myself in general, and told them that they were crazy to think that I could run a 5k barely 2 months after running for the first time in my life. How wrong I was. I ran 2-3 times a week, along with my other workouts of step aerobics, spinning and strength training. And on April 22, I ran my first 5k in 33:34. Beating the goal I had set for myself of 35 minutes.

I eased off the running after that. I still am not the biggest fan of running. I get bored and need more distraction than my music can provide. I can vouch for the effectiveness of it, however. The weight was not coming off as quickly as it did while I was running multiple times a week and training for the race.

So, last weekend I registered for my 2nd 5k, a Halloween race! It is here in Hatboro, which is great for me, since I will be familiar with the route. I would like to say that my goal is 30 minutes, but I am going to err on the side of caution on this one and say now that I will complete the Skeleton Skurry in under 32 minutes.This also means I am going to be getting back to running multiple days a week, and this should also help me with the current plateau I've been dealing with.

I am hoping that I will become a fan of running, or at least dread it less. Its hard on my hips and knees, and my body is still adjusting to these new motions I am putting it through. But the feeling I get after finishing a long run, in a good time, is unlike any other. It feels really, really good.

That brings me to the end of my story of how I started running. I tend to stick to the treadmill, since it helps keep my feet moving when I otherwise would slow down or stop. I have, on various occasions, gone for runs around Hatboro and my neighborhood, and down on Kelly Drive in Philly. They are very different experiences and I know that running outside is something I need to continue to help me in training for races. Who knows, maybe next summer I'll be doing a 10k!

As always, thanks for reading! :)

Speedbumps

It has been a few weeks since my last post, but there have been lots of things going on here. First off we had my birthday, which was smashing, and probably my best birthday yet. :) Thanks to everyone who helped make it that way! Then last Tuesday I tripped up the stairs and smashed my kneecap pretty badly. It was swollen and sore for the week, so of course I stayed off of it, which meant staying out of the gym. I went 11 days without setting foot in a gym, and it was definitely the hardest thing I've done in recent memory. The realization of how dependent I have become on the fitness center really hit me after a few days away.

So now its Wednesday September 1st. A new month and halfway through my first week back at the gym. Since there have been a number of speedbumps thrown out me in the last few weeks, I thought it would make a good blog topic.

I've been fairly lucky in the fact that I am incredibly clumsy, and this is the first "injury" I've had since I began working out with fervor. I wasn't entirely prepared to modify my lifestyle to accomodate for the injury. Meaning, I kept eating my usual diet without taking into consideration the lack of movement. I definitely felt more sluggish, and should have kept a closer eye on what I was putting in my mouth.

I only re-gained 2 pounds, which obviously was not the direction I wanted to see the scale move. However, given how many times I ate out, and all the birthday related goodies that were consumed, I will not gripe over 2 pounds.

I think that in the long run the week away from the gym was a good thing. I came back this week with a new intensity, and a major bonfire under my butt. Today I ran my fastest yet, 2 miles in under 20 minutes. When I started on the treadmill it felt so awkward and I was miserable. I was barely a half mile in to my run and I was ready to quit. How did I get through it and last for 2 miles? Mind games. I was running at a 5.6mph pace and said to myself if I could make it to the mile mark I would let myself stop. When I got to the half mile mark, I was feeling a little stronger, and thought if I bumped my speed I could reach the mile mark faster. So I did. I bumped to a 5.8, then a 6.0 and finally a 6.4. I had never lasted more than a tenth of a mile at that speed. So I said to myself, do it for a tenth and stop. And I didn't stop. I kept saying "just one more tenth, you can do one more tenth" until I was at 1.5 miles done and was feeling on top of the world. So much so that I wanted to keep bumping my speed up until I hit 2 miles. I am SO glad I didn't give up, and now I have one more moment to keep in my mind as motivation when I think I can't do any more.

As many of you know, I have a horrible guilt complex, and frequently associate guilt with my eating. I am trying my hardest to NOT focus on the last few weeks, because the past is in the past, and I can't change it now. All I can do is recognize what led me to the decisions I made, and acknowledge that I know how to avoid those decisions in the future. It is easier said than done, but I have the tools to make it stick. That is what I remind myself every day.

Weight loss is a battle, a war, a struggle, a never-ending, uphill-in-the-snow-both-ways trek. But when you can accept that you have the power and the tools to make small changes each day, soon you will feel like you are Xena, Buffy, Wonder Woman and the pink power ranger all rolled into one, ready and armed to fight that battle another day.

Enough sounding like a crazy preacher for today. By putting those self-motivational thoughts down on virtual paper, I hope that they can become a mantra, something to turn to when I don't feel like I can go on another day. And hopefully for some of you reading this, it will do the same for you.

If you have questions or comments for me about any of these issues, please feel free to leave them, or to email/facebook me, I'm not a professional but a friend recently reminded me that its easiest to talk about these issues with people who have been there, and who understand where you are coming from.

As always, thanks for stopping by and thanks for reading!