So after my 15 mile run....i needed to recover. I needed to eat (got really hungry the next day) and i needed to STRETCH!!!...I ended up postponing my Sunday run to Monday just because I was still tired from the 15 mile.
So on Monday I went to the gym and ran 3miles followed by some strength training. Tuesday morning run was a bit of a wash. I got up early to do 3miles, but with the time change found it difficult to get up in time- I ended up being able to just do 1 mile before having to get ready to head to San Diego for my taxes. Yet I will say later that day I walked with my friend to Hulda Crooks Park (~2miles, 4mile round trip) and played tennis for about 2 hours...so I feel that more than made up for my missing 2 miles..
Wednesday I repeated my "feel-good" 5 mile run, which felt good :) I really enjoy that track. The beginning of my run was difficult, my legs felt like lead but after about 1.5 miles my legs felt better and I got into my stride. Unlike my last 5mile (which was under 60 minutes), this was about 5 minutes over but it still felt good :)
Today (friday) is a nice overcast day and as I start my day in the coffee shop, I am very grateful for what God has given in my life. Things in life are great! I plan on going to the gym today for my 3 mile and some strength training....until next time!!
Friday, March 16, 2012
Saturday, March 10, 2012
15 miles.....but Ive only done 13.1 thus far...
So mixed up my run schedule this weekend so to be able to run with the Redlands Runegages. It was my first time running 15 miles. We met at the Redlands Panera at 5am and started off with a 5 mile circle which ended at Panera around 6am. Once everyone was at Panera, a new cycle started with more people and we went on a long 10 mile run. It was wonderful. I ran into someone from my program and we ended up both having the same running pace which was nice. So we ran and enjoyed the views while caught up. I have to admit I was a bit discouraged in the morning stint because everyone that did the 5 mile run was at a much faster pace than I was. It was great to run with someone who was the same pace and not feel as though I was holding people up. I got to see several areas of Redlands I had never seen and it was a beautiful day….and that was only the start of the day!
I gotta say great first experience for 15 miles!
Friday, March 9, 2012
Reflective Friday
So I may have not shared this from the get-go, but Mondays and Fridays are my days of rest. I am supposed to do nothing or a bit of recovery- like a walk or stretching. So today instead of talking about my running, I would like to share what I have been learning from my leisure-read book titled “Winning with People” by John C. Maxwell. So far I have read two of his books and have 3 others that I purchased that I plan on reading.
The chapter I want to share is titled- the High Road Principle. To give you a bit of background concerning the book, it is not about how to win with people through manipulation but how to better interact with others by being more open-minded and receptive to the differences in people through the use of working on your own character. Most of you can probably guess what the chapter “The high road principle” covers such as rising above in tough circumstances. The author breaks it down this way….” We can take
The low road- where we treat others worse than they treat us
The middle road- where we treat others the same as they treat us
The high road- where we treat others better than they treat us
He goes on to state that the low road damages relationships and alienates others, while the middle road doesn’t necessarily drive people away but doesn’t draw people to us either. The high road aids in the creation of positive relationships and draws people to us. He went on to share a quote from a newscaster- “ A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him”. I really enjoyed this chapter because its something that I struggle with. I would say that I usually fall under the “middle road” with rarity of the other two options. I drew my own conclusions from this chapter because as I am training you learn that while the hills (or high roads) are more strenuous and difficult it is how you built stamina and grow in strength. The same goes for the spiritual and emotional component when you decide to take the “high road” in a circumstance. It is almost never easy because it goes against our human nature to be justified and right (even when we are wrong…..DANG that PRIDE!).
The author shared a story that I really liked which Id like to share…its something I hope to take into marriage…
The story a grandmother going into her golden wedding anniversary tells the secret of her marriage-
“On my wedding day, she said, “I decided to make a list of ten of my husband’s fault that, for the sake of the marriage, I would overlook.” As the guests were leaving , a young wife asked the older woman to name some of the faults that she overlooked. “To tell you the truth,” said the grandmother, “I never did get around to making the list. But whenever my husband did something that made me hopping mad, I would say to myself, ‘Lucky for him that’s one of the ten!”
“Because the high road is uphill, no one travels it by accident!”
In closing, it’s the hardships in life that really help form and fashion us into the children God designed us to be. Its best to look at hardship as a chance to grow and become an even better person that resembles God more. The best thing about hardship is we are NEVER alone when we go through it. We can have the attitude that we are alone, but God is always with us. He “never leaves nor forsakes us” and He never gives us something that we can’t handle!
Well that’s all for today!
Reference: Winning with People by John C. Maxwell, The High Road Principle, p221-223.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
the Feel-Good 5 mile
Since the last blog, I have continued on with my training only missing to this date two 3 mile-runs which all were supposed to occur on Saturdays which ended up being fully-packed runs. Anyway I wanted to tell you about my last 5 mile run. I changed things up recently due to the fact that I noticed I was getting bored with my usual route. I am the type of runner who has to have a nice scenic route with new things, if not I tend to lose my motivation and thus my run becomes more like a walk. So I charted out a new run around Loma Linda which ended up being my favorite course for a 5 mile run. It really boosts your attitude because basically it is composed of several long stretches of flat road and downhills. The time I set out really added to the run too. The sky was beautiful with stripes of purples, pinks, and golds. I look forward to doing this course this coming week!
Thursday, March 1, 2012
about a week's work of updates lol!
So last I left you with my 5 mile run in the rain....well since then there have been a number of runs, including my second attempt of a 4-mile fartlek, an 8 miler, and a 10 miler (among other shorter runs- 3,4,5 miles).
So my second attempt of the fartlek was successful. If you recall the last time I tried the fartlek, I failed to follow the steps of a "true" fartlek. So this time, I took the first mile to warm up then I began my 2 miles of medium followed by fast pace running. I decided to try for 2 minutes stents. My first stent of medium and fast was great. My second stent I lost my breathing and ended up going from medium to fast to almost a complete stop...lol...I tried to calm my breathing again in the hopes of being able to finish strong. Unfortunately, the end of my 2 miles was more along the lines of medium then slow followed by my cool down. So I still have more to work toward but its best to see what I was able to do rather than what I failed to accomplish!
My 8-mile run brought me to uncharted territory, which was exciting. I enjoy runs where I dont know what I will see. This helps me remove the focus from my body and its aches to the beauty of nature. Something I learned on this run was the people of Loma Linda are very friendly to runners. I was about to cross a road and a car stopped for me to pass. A bit further on my run, I stopped for a car who waved me to continue so I ran quickly across the car and the guy rolled down his window says, " Its fine no hurry!". In the end, I was able to finish my 8 miles with an average of 12min/mile, which for me is pretty good! :)
My 10-mile run was actually pretty interesting. I had gone rock climbing with a friend earlier during the day (definitely an upper body workout) and ended up getting back later than I had intended which meant my run was going to be at night or not at all....well you know I can't NOT run, especially one that is SOO long!! So I got back, charted my run- 5 miles into Redlands (which from my apartment is to Church street in Redlands), and set out on the road as the last rays of sunlight disappeared with the sun bringing the night. During my run, there were several moments were I was uncertain about being able to make the distance and several times I wanted to turn around. Yet I didnt...I just continued the course telling myself "you're almost there" or got completely lost in thought to the point that I had lost a lot of ground. Once I was near downtown Redlands (one of my favorite areas), I found a burst of energy- probably because I like the area a lot. I ended up getting to my halfway post quickly. On my way there I saw a new creamery opening off of Citrus (which I WILL visit one of these days). As I headed home, the temperature dropped and I saw the clouds accumulating. Thankfully there was no rain, but the temperature drop and the winds made the last stretch a bit difficult. My legs became tight, but I made it. It felt good and I had a great time. Its amazing to see how much your body can do and how your mindset can make the biggest difference!
So there you have it! The highlights of my past week and half! Sorry for not staying on top of things!
More to come!
So my second attempt of the fartlek was successful. If you recall the last time I tried the fartlek, I failed to follow the steps of a "true" fartlek. So this time, I took the first mile to warm up then I began my 2 miles of medium followed by fast pace running. I decided to try for 2 minutes stents. My first stent of medium and fast was great. My second stent I lost my breathing and ended up going from medium to fast to almost a complete stop...lol...I tried to calm my breathing again in the hopes of being able to finish strong. Unfortunately, the end of my 2 miles was more along the lines of medium then slow followed by my cool down. So I still have more to work toward but its best to see what I was able to do rather than what I failed to accomplish!
My 8-mile run brought me to uncharted territory, which was exciting. I enjoy runs where I dont know what I will see. This helps me remove the focus from my body and its aches to the beauty of nature. Something I learned on this run was the people of Loma Linda are very friendly to runners. I was about to cross a road and a car stopped for me to pass. A bit further on my run, I stopped for a car who waved me to continue so I ran quickly across the car and the guy rolled down his window says, " Its fine no hurry!". In the end, I was able to finish my 8 miles with an average of 12min/mile, which for me is pretty good! :)
My 10-mile run was actually pretty interesting. I had gone rock climbing with a friend earlier during the day (definitely an upper body workout) and ended up getting back later than I had intended which meant my run was going to be at night or not at all....well you know I can't NOT run, especially one that is SOO long!! So I got back, charted my run- 5 miles into Redlands (which from my apartment is to Church street in Redlands), and set out on the road as the last rays of sunlight disappeared with the sun bringing the night. During my run, there were several moments were I was uncertain about being able to make the distance and several times I wanted to turn around. Yet I didnt...I just continued the course telling myself "you're almost there" or got completely lost in thought to the point that I had lost a lot of ground. Once I was near downtown Redlands (one of my favorite areas), I found a burst of energy- probably because I like the area a lot. I ended up getting to my halfway post quickly. On my way there I saw a new creamery opening off of Citrus (which I WILL visit one of these days). As I headed home, the temperature dropped and I saw the clouds accumulating. Thankfully there was no rain, but the temperature drop and the winds made the last stretch a bit difficult. My legs became tight, but I made it. It felt good and I had a great time. Its amazing to see how much your body can do and how your mindset can make the biggest difference!
So there you have it! The highlights of my past week and half! Sorry for not staying on top of things!
More to come!
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Rain or shine....you run
So on Wednesday I headed off to the cafe to study for my RD exam (the test before I can start my career as a Registered Dietitian). It was a gorgeous overcast day (Yes, I am that weird Southern Californian that LOVES clouds and rain). Well the overcast day became a day of torrential downpour. It was a great start to my day sitting and watching the rain. Then the hail came and my smile grew more.
After about 4 hours of studying, I headed home and that's when it dawned on me....I still have to do my 5 miles run! So I waited to see if it would die down a bit. Two hours later and still nothing had changed! So I got on my long, tight-like running pants, long sleeve thermal, my huge windbreaker/snow jacket, and hat. I had signed up to train and that means even in the rain!
I have to admit, I LOVED it!! It was wonderful to run to the quiet patter of the rain and within God's nature! The rain remained constant for the majority of my run. Once I hit my half way point, I was happy to be heading back home because by this point my legs were getting pretty cold. Out of anything I would have to say cold legs, or should I say muscles, make running quite difficult! My speed and endurance started to ebb, but I keep going as much as I could. I made it home, even though I was probably about 0.5 miles short of my 5 miler. But I am proud that I still went out and did the best I could. Sometimes that is more important that the actual success- the drive to try! Like John C. Maxwell says in his books, "the first step to success is to try" (paraphrased).
Needless to say, I ended up opting out of yoga that night! The yoga class I go to is heated. So I didnt want to go from cold to hot and chance getting a cold!
Until next time....
After about 4 hours of studying, I headed home and that's when it dawned on me....I still have to do my 5 miles run! So I waited to see if it would die down a bit. Two hours later and still nothing had changed! So I got on my long, tight-like running pants, long sleeve thermal, my huge windbreaker/snow jacket, and hat. I had signed up to train and that means even in the rain!
I have to admit, I LOVED it!! It was wonderful to run to the quiet patter of the rain and within God's nature! The rain remained constant for the majority of my run. Once I hit my half way point, I was happy to be heading back home because by this point my legs were getting pretty cold. Out of anything I would have to say cold legs, or should I say muscles, make running quite difficult! My speed and endurance started to ebb, but I keep going as much as I could. I made it home, even though I was probably about 0.5 miles short of my 5 miler. But I am proud that I still went out and did the best I could. Sometimes that is more important that the actual success- the drive to try! Like John C. Maxwell says in his books, "the first step to success is to try" (paraphrased).
Needless to say, I ended up opting out of yoga that night! The yoga class I go to is heated. So I didnt want to go from cold to hot and chance getting a cold!
Until next time....
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Day 14- My first Fartlek….ya you heard me!
For most of you (which also included myself initially), you are probably wondering to yourself what is a Fartlek!! Well to my limited understanding, it is composed of a warm up easy run, following by a specified distance at a fast pace that ended with a cool down run (much like the warm up in speed/ pace).
With this idea in my head, I set out for my first 4 mile fartlek. According to the above description, I failed to maintain my fast-pace for 2 miles. It was more like a medium, fast, fast, “Oh my gosh cant do that anymore”, slow, slow, and deciding to stay with a medium pace. LOL
Later that night, I was talking to a friend about my run and how I just did not meet up to the definition of a fartlek when I was told that my definition was incorrect! Thank God! J
So Everybody…..a Fartlek is “ a run in which the runner varies his pace during this run” (according to http://www.coolrunning.com.au/expert/1997c002.shtml). So what my 4 mile fartlek should have looked like was 1mile warm up, 2 mile varied paces (2 minutes fast pace, 2.5mins medium pace, repeat until finishing 2 miles) and end with 1 mile cool down! Now that I have a better idea as to what I am supposed to do, I am excited to try my next fartlek, which will be next Tuesday!
Motivational song for this run:
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