Monday, July 16, 2007

Magical 7

My seven miles today went so well!!! I had lots of energy. I did the entire run at just under an 11 minute/mile pace and kicked it up to a 10 minute/mile for the last quarter mile. At one point I was feeling so good that I actually smiled to myself, then realized I actually did smile and felt silly. LOL Oh well! I felt great!!! I think the extra cup of coffee in the afternoon helped. (o: Just another excuse for more coffee! hehe.

I hope everyone is having a splendid day!

Thursday, July 12, 2007

Next week's schedule

Perhaps if I post my schedule here, I will make sure to stick with it! (Keep in mind that I rest on the weekends, it seems to be the best way for me to get through my long run on Monday).

Exercise plan:

Monday: Run 7 miles. Try to go to spinning, but listen to my body to see if I can.
Tuesday: Arms, abs and spinning
Wednesday: Run 3.1 miles and spinning.
Thursday: Arms, abs and spinning
Friday: Run 6.2 miles (no spinning class available on Fridays for the summer).


Daily food plan (which I was sticking to before and plan on going back to):

Breakfast: 2 eggs, yogurt, and 2 pieces of toast (I eat the light wheat bread so 2 pieces contains approximately the same number of calories as one regular piece of wheat bread)
Snack: Sipping my coffee until lunch time (1:1 coffee and skim milk)
Lunch: I usually make these on the weekend to last me for the week... I usually have a bit of either brown rice or whole wheat pasta, some protein (typically a small piece of chicken breast or ground turkey), and lots of steamed veggies. Then I have a 60 calorie pudding snack as my dessert (the chocolate mint one is absolutely delicious!!!!)
Snack: Piece of fruit, usually an apple. This helps with my energy level before my work outs.
Dinner: I have either Kashi Go Lean cereal with a banana, or Kashi waffles with some peanut butter and a banana since I love peanut butter on waffles.
Snack: Chocolate milk (using sugar free chocolate syrup) I usually have this later after spinning when it is too late to eat anything, but I'm hungry from having just worked out.
I also drink about 4.5 L of water a day. (I buy the 1.5L bottles, and I like to add one of those crystal light packages to it for flavor... plus then the flavor isn't as strong.)

On Monday, Wednesday and Friday I run after work then have my dinner when I get home. This gives me a little bit of time to rest before going to 8pm spinning (except for Mondays now that my runs are taking longer... which is why I may not go to spinning on Mondays... that is dependent on how I feel after running). Tuesdays and Thursdays I go to the gym after work and do arms and abs then the 530pm spinning class. This way I have the evenings free to "have a life" (LOL), and I eat dinner after spinning. As I mentioned above, I take the weekends off, but sometimes will try to fit in the 90 minute spin class on Saturdays. It is just difficult some weekends, because it is in the middle of the day. I also stick with eating similarly on the weekends, but I allow myself to have little treats every now and then. When I go out to eat, I try to eat something that is pretty healthy as well.

Anyway, that is how my training and diet have been for the past few weeks (well previously my run distances were shorter), and I have really been seeing great results (other than this past week with my eating more on the weekends and treating myself too often... which I will fix). I am going to try my best to keep eating healthy on my vacation and try to do whatever work-outs I can. I am determined to do well on my first 10K when I return!!!!!

Time to quit slacking off

The past couple weeks I have been off of my routine and eating way too much food. I am feeling very guilty.

Last week the 4th of July holiday threw off my running schedule, so rather than running my 13 miles over 3 days I ran it in 2. (I was proud of myself for still fitting it all in at least). I also did two less days of spinning (gym was closed on the 4th and on the 5th my foot was still hurting pretty bad). [EDIT: I almost didn't give myself credit for the intense 90 minute spin class I did on Saturday!!!! My roommate and I went to that to make up for missing Thursday due to the pain in my foot... and I believe that the pain in my arch was due to having my foot in the wrong position during spinning. Since I corrected that, I seem to be doing fine. YAY!]

This week I ran 7 miles on Monday, but didn't go to spinning because we didn't finish running until 45 minutes before the spinning class started. My legs needed time to recover. Tuesday we did arms, abs, and spinning. I even pushed myself harder in spinning to make up for not going on Monday. I was happy with that. Then yesterday I didn't go to the gym at all, because I went to see Harry Potter (LOL... lame excuse I know!). I still plan on running 6 miles tomorrow, so I will have my 13 miles for this week. (Next week I hope to run 15 miles). I am going to spinning tonight as well as doing arms and abs.

Unfortunately, I have also been eating a lot more food in general and more junk food. I have been giving into the chocolate cravings. And some evenings I am just so hungry I eat way more calories than I need (probably better described as binge eating). Now for those people who know me, I am well aware that I do not need to lose weight. I am however trying to become more tone, and eating healthier has helped that. Eating healthier has also made me feel a lot better and have more energy. It is because of this reason that I am sitting here typing this blog to keep myself from going downstairs to eat cake with the rest of my co-workers. I know that I will feel better if I just don't give in, especially since the past two weeks I have been working out less than usual. Maybe I need to start drinking more water as well instead of giving into eating more food than I need.

I suppose I am also feeling guilty since my vacation is almost here. I was hoping to get in better shape before my trip. I must at least mention that I am seeing improvements. I am much more tone than I was before, and as long as I go back to "being good", I am sure I will keep seeing improvements. I will allow myself treats every now and then, because it makes me happy, but I'm going to do better. Even while on my vacation!

Also, I am nervous about my upcoming 10K. I am certain that I can do it (after all, I can run 7 miles now!!!!); however, I leave for my trip on July 23rd and will not return until August 1st. In that time frame I will not have a chance to run, because I will be in a car or on a ferry. I will also come back suffering from jet lag I'm sure, then I have to run on August 4th. I really want to do well, but I'm worried about all that time off. I am going to make it a point to eat as well as I can as well as continue to stretch daily and do abs, etc.... ugh, I need encouragement.

I hope that writing this out will help me to focus on my goals and stick with them. Now I'm going to eat my apple and be proud of myself for not giving into the cake.

Sorry about the venting!

Wednesday, July 4, 2007

Runner's World Quotes of the Day (Updated 8/26/07)

I subscribe to receive quotes of the day from Runner's World... I just thought I'd share some of my favorites so far (I'm sure I'll add to the list as the quotes keep coming):

"With ordinary talent and extraordinary perseverance, all things are attainable." Sir Thomas Foxwell Buxton, British abolitionist

"What counts in the battle is what you do once the pain sets in." John Short

"I've always taken the philosophy that you have to dream a little in this sport, if you stay in your comfort zone, you're not going to do anything special." Deena Drossin, America's top women's distance runner

"You have a choice. You can throw in the towel, or you can use it to wipe the sweat off of your face." Gatorade

"Never, never, never quit!" Winston Churchill, British prime minister during World War II

"The greatest pleasure in life is doing the things people say we cannot do." Walter Bagehot, English social scientist (I am a very competitive person, so I love this quote!)

"Run like hell and get the agony over with." Clarence DeMar, 7-time Boston Marathon winner

"True sport is always a duel: a duel with nature, with one's own fear, with one's own fatigue, a duel in which body and mind are strengthened." Yevgeny Yevtushenko, Russian poet (This quote is absolutely perfect!)

"I like running because it's challenge. If you run hard, there's the pain - and you've got to work your way through the pain. You know, lately it seems all you hear is 'Don't overdo it' and 'Don't push yourself.' Well, I think that's a lot of bull. If you push the human body, it will respond." Bob Clarke, Philadelphia Flyers General Manager, NHL Hall of Famer

"Running is the classical road to self-consciousness, self-awareness and self-reliance. Independence is the outstanding characteristic of the runner. He learns the harsh reality of his physical and mental limitations when he runs. He learns that personal commitment, sacrifice and determination are his only means to betterment. Runners only get promoted through self-conquest." Noel Carroll, Irish track trailblazer (I think this is one of my all-time favorite quotes. It describes how I feel perfectly!)

"You have to have a dream so you can get up in the morning." Billy Wilder, Austrian screenwriter/director/producer

"Start by doing what's necessary, then what's possible and suddenly you are doing the impossible." Saint Francis of Assisi

"Long distance running is particularly good training in perseverance." Mao Tse-Tung, former Chairman of China's Communist Party

"Running is the greatest metaphor for life because you get out of it what you put into it." Oprah Winfrey, talk show magnate (This is soooo good as well!)

"Running is real and relatively simple - but it ain't easy." Mark Will-Weber, editor of The Quotable Runner (Haha, so very true!)

"Success is to be measure not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed." Booker T. Washington, anti-slavery activist (This makes me think of the song "Survive" by Rise Against. I love that song...)

"The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it." Moliere, French Playwright

*****Added 08/08/07*****

"Running allows us to define our weaknesses and make them strengths. It supplies those missing attributes that diminish us and keep us from functioning fully. It makes us whole." George Sheehan

"Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least." Goethe

"If you set a goal for yourself and are able to achieve it, you have won your race. Your goal can be to come in first, to improve your performance, or just to finish the race - it's up to you." Dave Scott

"Fear is probably the thing that limits performance more than anything - the fear of not doing well, of what people will say. You've got to acknowledge those fears, then release them." Mark Allen

"You learn you can do your best even when it's hard, even when you're tired and maybe hurting a little bit. It feels good to show some courage." Joe Namath

"Accept the challenges, so that you may feel the exhilaration of victory." General George Patton


"Running gives a new meaning to the word spiritual, and it can bring you to that place."
Sister Marion Irvine, who qualified at the age of 54 for the Women's Olympic Marathon Trials

"There will come a point in the race, when you alone will need to decide. You will need to make a choice. Do you really want it? You will need to decide." Rolf Arands, a runner

"If you don't invest very much, then defeat doesn't hurt very much and winning is not very exciting." Dick Vermeil

"Don't listen to negative influences. Believe in yourself, and show others what you can do. Only "you" can find your potential." Marla Runyan

"Running gives me creativity. It provides the meditative setting. It opens up areas in my mind I seem not to use otherwise." Dr. George Sheehan

"It takes as much courage to have tried and failed as it does to have tried and succeeded." Anne Morrow Lindbergh

"Courage is being afraid but going on anyhow." Dan Rather

"Running has given me the courage to start, the determination to keep trying, and the childlike spirit to have fun along the way. Run often and run long, but never outrun your joy of running." Julie Isphording, winner of the 1990 Los Angeles Marathon

"Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for; it is a thing to be achieved." William Jennings Bryan, early 20th Century politician

"You have to take it as it happens, but you should try to make it happen the way you want to take it." German proverb

"Don't ever accept anyone else's preconceived limitations. If there's something you want to do, there isn't any reason you can't do it." Amy Dodson, running amputee



*****Added 08/26/07*****

"Anything is possible, but you have to believe and you have to fight." Lance Armstrong

"I often wondered why runners could accomplish what they did. It's like analyzing love or passion. Why I had to run remains one of the mysteries of my life." John J. Kelley, one of America's greatest marathoners

"I've always felt running is a form of meditation. Running enables us to stop our lives, to go out and find a safe place for ourselves." Nina Kuscsik, first official women's champ with her 1972 Boston Marathon win and two-time NYC Marathon winner

"To me, running means freedom, but you need the discipline to gain the freedom. Find nice places, find people to run with. Use your runs as 'devotions,' a time to be thankful for life's beauty." Doris Heritage, five-time world cross-country champion; set six world records and 17 American records; won 14 AAU national titles; two-time Olympian

"Running gives me a sense of strength and power. On the way in from a run, I'm a new woman." Lynn Jennings, three-time World Cross-Country champion; Olympic bronze medalist in the 10,000; and winner of a record 38 U.S. national titles in track, road, and cross-country

"It all comes down to having a dream. You have to know why you head out the door every day to run. Your purpose will motivate you in every mile you train." Brian Diemer, three-time Olympian steeplechaser and 1984 bronze medalist

"Running country is everywhere. Open your door, and you're in business....Run in a schoolyard....at the beach....in a vacant lot." Bill Bowerman, coaching great

Tuesday, July 3, 2007

New PR!

I made it 7 miles today!!!!!!! My original goal was to run 7 miles yesterday, but I got a terrible side stitch and couldn't run.... so I made up for it today! Only 3 more miles until I reach my 10 mile goal!!!

Have a wonderful day all!!!!