The Slug Club

Running Personal Record!

Sun, 18 Jan 2009 18:43:27 GMT

I joined a running group to keep myself motivated over the cold winter months. I've been running with them on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and we do about 4 miles. Today I joined them on their longer weekend run and I ran 8 miles! I'm so proud of myself. I'm only a little sore, but it's a good sore, not an I've totally injured myself sore. My half marathon training program starts in February, and it looks like I'll be more than ready.

Running Update

Mon, 15 Dec 2008 14:59:27 GMT

It's been awhile since my 5K and I know that you are all chomping at the bit to find out more about my running life. :)

I've kept up with my running, gradually adding time and mileage to my weekend runs. This weekend I did 3.3 and 3.5 mile runs on Saturday and Sunday. I've also joined a running group that does 3-5 mile runs twice a week. I guess I could say that running has become my happy hour.

But here's the big news...I've signed up to do a half marathon (13.1 miles) in October and I'm contemplating signing up for one in May. I'm shooting for a 13-14 minute mile pace (which is what I do now in my shorter runs). I'm nervous, but I know with the right training and preparation I can do it.

Race Results

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 15:19:34 GMT

I completed the United Way 5K in 32:08! I'm totally stoked about my time, considering I wasn't able to train for most of the month of September. I'm still going to keep running and next year I'll shoot for breaking 30:00.

Thanks, as always, for all of your support during my training.

My first 5K...

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 22:39:55 GMT

...is in less than 2 weeks. I had to take a little over a month off of my training because of my doctor's orders, but I'm hoping that I'll be ready for the race. It's a week from Saturday. I know my time won't be great, but my goal is to finish. I'll let you know how it goes. :)

I finished! (Sort of)

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 14:22:34 GMT

Well, this was my last week of the Couch-to-5K program. I had really good runs on Monday and Wednesday, but I am unable to do the last run because my doctor told me I can't run for the next few weeks. However, I still plan on continuing my training once the restriction has been lifted.

I really enjoy running and I would highly recommend the Couch-to-5K program to everyone that is interested in starting to run.

Week Nine, Day One

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 15:38:02 GMT

I had another good run yesterday. Well, except for the heat and humidity, but I guess I have to be able to run in all conditions, right? :)

Only two more days left of the program!

Week Eight Complete!

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 16:40:12 GMT

I had two more good runs this week, but Wednesday was better than today. I was about halfway through today's run when I realized I didn't eat dinner last night. That's the last time that will ever happen because my last half of the run I was really running out of steam and I couldn't push it in the last minute like I usually do.

One more week left!

Week Eight, Day One

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 20:45:41 GMT

I had a great run today. All 28 minutes felt awesome. I was even able to really push it for the last minute. Of course, the fact that I was coasting downhill probably didn't hurt. ;)

Week Seven Complete!

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 15:55:59 GMT

I completed week seven. It is amazing to look back to just a little over a month ago when I thought that running 3 or 5 minute intervals would kill me, and now I've done three days of 25 minute runs. Next week I increase my time to 28 minutes, and I inch closer and closer to the 3 mile mark.

Week Seven, Day Two

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 15:17:40 GMT

I know, I didn't update day one, but I did do the 25 minute, 2.5 mile run. I did the same today. I'm glad to be back on my Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule. Now all I have to worry about is making sure that I'm hitting my distances properly. I brought my pedometer out on my run today, but I'm not sure how accurate it is. I'm going to go to the local park on Friday for my run because the path there is 2.5 miles, which is what I need to be running now.

Week Six Finished!

Sat, 02 Aug 2008 15:38:22 GMT

I finished week six of the Couch-to-5K running program! I ran 2-1/4 miles today continuously and it felt great, other than the heat and humidity. :) Next week I'll have three days of 2-1/2 miles and the following two weeks I'll be gradually building up to 3 miles. I feel like I have accomplished a lot in the last six weeks, but I know I still have three weeks of hard work in front of me.

Continuing my Couch-to-5K Journey

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 14:54:52 GMT

I know I haven't updated much in the past two weeks, but my schedule has been a bit crazy. I did complete week five and I have started week six of the Couch-to-5K program. Last week I did my first 2 mile continuous run. It felt great. By the end of this week, I'll be doing 2.5 mile continuous runs. Hopefully the heat and humidity here won't kill me. :)

I finished week four!

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 23:04:31 GMT

But it was on a treadmill, so I'm not sure that I got the same workout that I do when I run outside. I'm going to try to move on to the week five workouts starting Monday because I felt really good after the treadmill workout on Friday. We'll see what happens when I workout outside and I don't have the tv and air conditioning to distract me. :)

Week Four Day Two Went Much Better

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 14:03:26 GMT

Still doing the same intervals that I did on Monday, but I slowed waaaaaay down and my runs were much easier. I completed the entire workout and I was even able to push myself the last minute of the final 5 minute run. I'm much happier with my workout today and now I do feel better about being ready for my race on October 11. I know I was really slow running today, but my goal is to finish the race, not win it. :)

My schedule is going to be a bit wonky for the next two weeks, so I may not be updating as often but I will still be running (quite possibly repeating week four just to make sure that today wasn't a fluke).

Week Four is Totally Kicking my Butt

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 20:54:14 GMT

I started week four of the Couch-to-5K Running Program today. Yikes. The length of time spent running dramatically increases in week four. This week, after the five minute warmup walk, the intervals consist of the following twice: jog 3 minutes, walk 90 seconds, jog 5 minutes, walk 2-1/2 minutes. No easing into the running this week. And I wasn't kidding last week when I said that my cardiovascular system needs a lot of help. I made it almost all the way through the entire workout, but I could only do about half of the last 5 minute jog because I just couldn't breathe (I have exercise-induced asthma and I'm not going to take any risks). Hopefully Wednesday will be better--it always seems to be, but I wouldn't be surprised if I decided at the end of the week that I need to repeat week four so that I can kick my cardiovascular system into shape.

On a somewhat scary note, I've entered a 5K on October 11. I hope I'll be ready. My goal is to finish the race without killing myself. :)

Week Three Complete!

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 15:42:07 GMT

I finished week three of the nine week Couch-to-5K running program, so I'm a third of the way done! I felt really good on the longer runs, but I do have to work on my cardiovascular a little bit. I was gasping for air at times--I think I tried to run too fast too soon. I'm definitely going to work on that next week.

Next week the program goes into overdrive. I took a sneak peek at what's in store for me next week, and I think it's better that I don't think about it, LOL.

I'm also contemplating entering a 5K in October if there are slots left. I think I should be ready by then.

I'm a few days behind in updating my progress...

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 16:16:46 GMT

but that doesn't mean that I haven't been running. I was visiting a friend and I made sure that I had time to continue my running program. I finished week two and moved on to week three while I was away. Today, I completed week three, day two of the Couch-to-5K running program. It was a little easier than on Monday, which is good because the intervals are getting harder. This week I'm doing the following pattern twice: run 90 seconds, walk 90 seconds, run 3 minutes, walk 3 minutes. It felt pretty good today, and I'm sure I'll be cruising by Friday.

Week Two, Day Three

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 11:37:24 GMT

It's raining. I don't have a treadmill. But I'm not upset. We went to a golf tournament yesterday, so I didn't get the proper rest my legs (and shins, especially) needed. I'll be redoing Week Two next week because I really, really, really don't want to get shin splints again, and my shins were really, really, really sore after all the walking we did yesterday.

Finally, I've found a 5K to enter in October. I hope I'm ready!

Week Two, Day Two

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 16:28:52 GMT

I made it through day two. The first interval was tough, but I started to get into my stride about the third interval. Unfortunately, I had to stop after the third interval because I noticed an ambulance at my next door neighbor's house and I wanted to check to make sure everything was OK. I did finish the workout after checking in with said neighbor, but I had tightened up a bit and never really got my groove back. If my workout doesn't get well on Friday, I may repeat week two because I don't want to hurt myself.

Week Two, Day One

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 23:31:26 GMT

I started the week two workouts today in the Cool Running Couch-to-5K Running Program. I'm also continuing to use Robert Ullrey's podcasts to help me train.

This week, instead of doing 8 60-second running intervals with a 90-second recovery, the intervals are now 90/120 seconds, and there are only six intervals. I was excited to increase my running time until I hit the first interval. It was quite difficult, but I pushed through and I felt good up until the last interval. That one was a really hard push, but I made it. I know the workouts will get easier as the week progresses, but I am definitely going to bed early tonight because this one wiped me out. :)

Week One Completed!

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 14:13:15 GMT

I did it! I completed all three workouts in week one of the Couch-to-5K running program. It was hard the first two workouts, but today I felt like I was cruising--especially once I realized that I didn't have to run fast to get an effective workout. I eased up on the pace, and the intervals just flew by. I can't wait to increase the length of my intervals from 60 seconds to 90 seconds next week. And now, I get the weekend off. :)

Week One, Day Two

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 21:13:53 GMT

Even though I really didn't want to work out today, I did. It's too early into the program to not be motivated, right? I'm glad I worked out, though. I changed my route so that I only had to run up one hill, and that was at the beginning of my workout. The running part was a little bit harder this time, but I think my body is getting used to it. I'm looking forward to seeing how I recover for Friday.

Couch-to-5K Running Plan Day One

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 14:17:56 GMT

I have been working up to adding running to my weekly routine of walking, and this week I am starting a new program called The Couch-to-5K Running Plan. The program is a three-day-a-week program, so my days are going to be Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I'm also using Robert Ullrey's podcasts to help me with my training. My goal is to finish the program by the end of August and enter a race in the fall.

Day One

One of my other goals is to get up and out early with the running because the heat and humidity can be a bit oppressive. Today I was halfway successful--I got up early. I had some water to hydrate and I was almost ready to go.

However, I didn't get out to exercise as early as I'd hoped. I still had to sync the podcasts on to my iPod, which was a little more difficult than it probably should have been. I wanted to put the podcast on my shuffle because, frankly, it's much lighter than my clunky 1st gen video and I can't find the arm strap for my workout cover so I have to carry the old clunker when I use it. Alas, the podcast wouldn't sync on my shuffle, so I had to carry the old clunker. I don't know why it took me 30 minutes to decide to just use the old iPod. Maybe because I didn't have my usual big cup of coffee to clear my head. Nevertheless, I did successfully add the podcasts to my iPod.

After the doing my stretching, I was ready to go. The first 5 minutes were great--just brisk walking. Then I had to run. I was feeling good. I was loose and the 60 seconds of running flew by. By the fourth interval I was feeling it. I managed to plan my route so that every single 60 second running interval was uphill. Needless to say, I was totally wiped out by the end of the 20 minutes. I did enjoy my cool down--5 minutes of walking.

Even though I am totally exhausted today, I will be ready to continue on Wednesday, but I am definitely changing my route. Running uphill is not exactly fun for a beginning runner.

I'm using my LJ to keep track of my progress, so I'll be posting regular updates. I appreciate everyone's support as I work through this nine-week program.

Be prepared for some crappy TV...

Tue, 06 Nov 2007 01:42:45 GMT

That being said, I am in total support of the strike by the Writers Guild of America. The studios are getting rich, and the writers are not being compensated for their hard work.

Let's all storm out in Norma Rae fashion and support the WGA.

I do hope that the strike does not last long, because I know that many of my favorite shows are already being affected by the strike. However, the writers should be compensated and the studios seem to refuse to budge on issues such as DVD residuals and on-line residuals. Those residuals, even though they may be very small, can make the biggest difference to someone who is trying to fulfill their dreams.

Kudos to Steve Carell, Rainn Wilson, and Greg Daniels for showing their solidarity on the set of The Office.

Even more kudos to James Gunn for putting the strike in the perspective of a writers viewpoint. (Warning: NSFW)

Support the WGA in their effort to gain what they should have been getting all along--compensation for their hard work.

VOTE!VOTE!VOTE!

Mon, 06 Nov 2006 22:23:09 GMT

To all my US friends--

For the love of pete, if you are registered to vote, please exercise that right tomorrow! It doesn't matter which party you support, or if you even support a party at all. Just vote!

PS--voter apathy is totally one of my pet peeves if you haven't noticed. :D