Getting more consistent!

So I managed to run this weekend and on Monday like I was supposed to! Saturday's run was actually pretty bad, but I was so glad I just did it. In my book just getting out there and trying is a success. Anything to help keep the routine going is good. Why was it bad? When I am not in tip top shape my ankles get a little whiny. Case in point - about three steps into my run Saturday my ankle had a sudden sharp pain, so I ended up kind of hobbling the next few steps until I got my bearings again. I eased back into running, and the pain did go away as I ran. Since I had a rocky start I kept the run to a mile and eased up on the speed. I had also planned on running that evening with Rex, but he was tired and said he'd make up the run on Sunday.

Did Rex run on Sunday? Nope! Am I surprised? Nope! This is what happens when we allow our minds to determine the course of action. We allow the mental blocks to creep up and get in our way. I know this because it happens to me all the time. I'm not immune. The good part was Rex acknowledged this and ran with me on Monday. Monday's run was.....

Awesome! Rex is working on his pacing, which is really hard to do. Last week he wanted to start the run at about an 11 min mile pace, which is really fast for him. Consequently he runs out of energy, and the latter part of the run is really hard. This time he slowed it down to about a 13 min mile pace, which allowed him to run more towards the end. In fact, he finished that run a little faster than the last, and the distance was the same. We got to the last .10 of a mile and sprinted home. Well, I sprinted the whole way and he sprinted most of it. The feeling of accomplishment was great!!

The science behind running and weightloss

As some of you know, I subscribe to Runner's World magazine. This magazine has a lot of really great articles about training, diet, and anything else that relates to running. I read in March's issue about how your body burns sugar vs fat. It suddenly made my training make more sense. I don't have the issue in front of me, but the gist of the article was that in the first 20-25 minutes of your run you're using quick energy (sugar). Once your quick energy is used up, your body switches over to long-term energy (fat). Getting the fat to start burning can take a little bit, but once it starts burning you have your "second wind". I really identify with that. It's always around the 25 minute mark that I start to feel a bit fatigued.

Why do I bring this up? Well, I noticed a more significant weight loss when I was training for the Peachtree last year, when I was running 50-60 minute runs. I wasn't eating less. In fact, I was eating more because I was hungry all the time. I wasn't trying to lose weight, but it happened. So it seems like to maintain this weight loss I should have been running at least once a week for 30+ minutes. I guess it's one more incentive to keep training!

The rain that will never end!

This has to be the wettest winter I've ever experienced in Georgia. I feel like we barely have the time to dry off before the next rain comes to soak everything all over again. Needless to say it's raining now, and it's supposed to rain all week. *sigh*

I skipped my run on Saturday because it was my birthday weekend, and quite frankly I enjoyed being a hermit. I slept, read books, played video games, and just hung out at home. To make sure I didn't fall too far behind, I did run on Monday. Let's just say I see why people are getting sick. Last week I was running outside in all my warmest winter gear. Monday I was in shorts and a t-shirt. I hope to run today, but it's raining pretty badly. Go to the gym you say? Well, let me give you an update on that one.

See, Rex had his complimentary session with a personal trainer. Unfortunately that went really wrong once he got home. Let's just say I totally disagree with all the guys (guys always think this is okay) who say puking after working out is okay. No way! If you ever feel like you're pushing yourself to that limit pull back. Not only did Rex get sick, but he had some serious issues with controlling his blood sugar for a few days. I think it actually made him a little hypoglycemic, which is not normal for him. See, he's a type-2 diabetic. Poor thing felt horrible for a while.

Fast forward a week. What shows up on our credit card statement? A charge for over $300 from the gym for that session. *sigh* So needless to say we're canceling the memberships. Oh well. Oh and we got our money back.

So it looks like since I live in the boonies (seriously, I drive past several pastures with cows and goat plus many horse farms just to get to work), I will have to stick to my el cheapo method of working out. Outside. At the parks. In my neighborhood. I love all of these things, but when it rains I have a tough call to make. Cross train at home, or run in the rain?

Boy it feels good to run!

I finally ran yesterday. It's a couple days later than originally planned, but it's a run which is all that counts. I decided to take it easy time wise, so I planned to just be out for about 20 minutes. To see how far I could go, I ran a full mile as best as I could. My time was 11:48, which is pretty good for a mile in my condition, but unfortunately my heart rate was really high after that and I ran out of steam. I ran a little more after taking a walk break, but it didn't last long. I walked the rest of the way home, but I made the whole trip around the neighborhood in about 23 minutes. In my book that's awesome. I felt really good afterwords too. The best part? I didn't feel like cooking, and the Papa John's by my house is really fast. Hot fresh pizza!! I am eating the left overs for lunch today YUM!!

Despite good intentions...

I got no runs in this weekend. What did I do instead? Sleep. For about 10 hours Friday night and Saturday night each. Am I tired? Apparently!! I took a cue from my body and just relaxed. I think I'm super tired and trying to cram in workouts when I'm this tired leads to disaster.

On another note, I am planning on racing in a 10k in April. It will be the Run the River, benefiting a local charity called Homestretch. The weather ought to be really nice, and I hear that this is a course that is flat and fun to run. It will be a good race to finish before the Warrior Dash, and a do-over for last year's Peachtree Road Race. I'm looking forward to it, but I don't have a whole lot of time to get ready. There's plenty of time if I am consistent, but we all know that I have not been the model of consistency lately. We'll see how it goes.

I will try to run this afternoon since it's in the low 50s today. It's time to start easing back into this!