"Promise me you'll always remember: You are braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think."
-- Christopher Robin (to Pooh)
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47 minutes ago
Monday, May 14, 2012
Daily Inspiration
Friday, May 11, 2012
On working hard (and working out).
I'm not sure if I've mentioned this yet, but I've moved away from running 5 times a week and I'm working with a trainer.
At our first meeting, she told me she wanted to guide me through heavy lifting. And much to her surprise, I was completely on-board!
While some women balk at the concept of heavy lifting, I'm actually very excited about it. I know that my upper body is weak and I know that muscles weigh more than fat and burn more calories per hour. I'd rather have 100 pounds of muscle than 100 pounds of fat on my body.
And as I was reading the New Rules of Lifting for Women (NRLFW), I was beginning to understand that my 3 x 20 workouts at the gym were pretty ineffective. With those low weights, it would take me forever to gradually build strength. But with fewer reps and higher weights, I can build muscle more quickly and become stronger faster. So with those concepts in mind, I was beginning to get excited about lifting.
When my trainer told me she wanted to take me in that direction, I knew we were on the same page.
To begin with, she's given me a 2-day split (legs, back, bicep and chest, abs, tricep) to work the large muscle groups and build strength. Eventually we'll move into different splits and target different areas, but for now, we're building a base.
Each workout, with warm-up and cool-down, takes me about one hour. And by the end of it, my muscles are fatigued, but I feel great! Because I know that what I'm doing for my body is beneficial and I know that I'll start to see changes in my body over time.
Time to get back to the gym and pump some iron!
At our first meeting, she told me she wanted to guide me through heavy lifting. And much to her surprise, I was completely on-board!
While some women balk at the concept of heavy lifting, I'm actually very excited about it. I know that my upper body is weak and I know that muscles weigh more than fat and burn more calories per hour. I'd rather have 100 pounds of muscle than 100 pounds of fat on my body.
And as I was reading the New Rules of Lifting for Women (NRLFW), I was beginning to understand that my 3 x 20 workouts at the gym were pretty ineffective. With those low weights, it would take me forever to gradually build strength. But with fewer reps and higher weights, I can build muscle more quickly and become stronger faster. So with those concepts in mind, I was beginning to get excited about lifting.
When my trainer told me she wanted to take me in that direction, I knew we were on the same page.
To begin with, she's given me a 2-day split (legs, back, bicep and chest, abs, tricep) to work the large muscle groups and build strength. Eventually we'll move into different splits and target different areas, but for now, we're building a base.
Each workout, with warm-up and cool-down, takes me about one hour. And by the end of it, my muscles are fatigued, but I feel great! Because I know that what I'm doing for my body is beneficial and I know that I'll start to see changes in my body over time.
Time to get back to the gym and pump some iron!
Monday, May 7, 2012
On the day after (the half).
My runner's high lasted all day. And now I move into the "What next?" phase. I trained for four months and proved to myself that I could run a half-marathon in under 2 hours. I surpassed my goal significantly and I've finished the training schedule I've stuck to for the past 19 weeks. So what next?
Do I keep running? Do I train for a full? Do I move into a different sport?
The things I love about running are the freedom, the constant improvement, the chance to clear my mind, competing with myself and feeling strong and fast.
The things I don't love about training for a major running event are the time commitment, the days when I don't feel like running and the slow decrease in the enjoyment of my runs.
Having said that, I don't want to lose the running ability I've acquired thus far. I want to keep challenging myself and I want to use my running base.
But this is how I feel about running at the moment:
The main objective of running (as a sport) is to run farther or to run faster. After a while, running doesn't help you continue to lose weight. And generally speaking, running doesn't help you to build muscle or develop strength. You build endurance, stamina and speed. While these are great cardio qualities, they're not the only parts of my health that I'm interested in improving.
So having said that, I would like to move in one of the following directions (or a combination of these):
1. Improve my PRs for 5 and 10 K races. Aim for at least one race for month.
2. Take some time off from long runs and begin training for another half-marathon in the fall.
3. Transition towards triathlon training.
There are numerous options and I have to pick the one that's right for me.
Current Weight: 145.6 lbs
Do I keep running? Do I train for a full? Do I move into a different sport?
The things I love about running are the freedom, the constant improvement, the chance to clear my mind, competing with myself and feeling strong and fast.
The things I don't love about training for a major running event are the time commitment, the days when I don't feel like running and the slow decrease in the enjoyment of my runs.
Having said that, I don't want to lose the running ability I've acquired thus far. I want to keep challenging myself and I want to use my running base.
But this is how I feel about running at the moment:
The main objective of running (as a sport) is to run farther or to run faster. After a while, running doesn't help you continue to lose weight. And generally speaking, running doesn't help you to build muscle or develop strength. You build endurance, stamina and speed. While these are great cardio qualities, they're not the only parts of my health that I'm interested in improving.
So having said that, I would like to move in one of the following directions (or a combination of these):
1. Improve my PRs for 5 and 10 K races. Aim for at least one race for month.
2. Take some time off from long runs and begin training for another half-marathon in the fall.
3. Transition towards triathlon training.
There are numerous options and I have to pick the one that's right for me.
Current Weight: 145.6 lbs
Daily Inspiration
"I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again."
-- F. Scott Fitzgerald
Sunday, May 6, 2012
On running half of a marathon.
After four months of training, the day finally arrived. Race day. The day of my first half-marathon. The day that I accomplished something I once thought impossible.
I woke up early, my nerves buzzing, and made my way downstairs. I slowly sipped my lemon water and A woke up and made me scrambled egg whites. I made a small smoothie with protein powder and thought about my mission this morning: to run 21.1 km through Mississauga.
I put on my race day outfit, making sure everything fit, and laced up my shoes. Quietly, A drove me to the starting line and I told him I felt nervous, but excited. At this point, I knew I was going to finish the half. The only question was whether or not I would cross the finish line within 2 hours.
We parked near Square One and walked by an outdoor stand at Whole Foods selling bakery items. I instantly craved a muffin and made a joke about it to A. As I walked towards the corral, I kept scanning people to find hte "2:00" pace bunny. I found the "2:00 run/walk" pace bunny, but, as I explained to A, he'd be travelling faster than me during the run sections and the considerably slower when walking. I wanted to find someone who was going to run the 2:00 pace consistently and then do my best to stay ahead of them.
Shortly before the race was about to begin, I spotted "2:00 continuous" a few people behind me. By this point, we were all squeezed into the corral and the announcer was wishing us the best of luck. Then, POW! the gun went off and I jumped a little at the sound. And then the crowd was moving forward and I was slowly picking up my feet and moving.
I tried to stay calm and focus on the task at hand. "You've run this distance before." "You can do this." "It's just 21 kilometres." I set my Ipod to a fast-paced song and began running.
Immediately, I was grateful that A had driven the route with me two weeks prior. All of the familiar landmarks gave me cues and helped me feel more comfortable with the grade changes and terrain. As I began to ran, my excitement and adrenaline were revving at all time highs and I tried to keep reminding myself not to start out too fast. "You have to maintain this pace for the next two hours," I kept thinking. "Are you going too fast?"
I listened to the song playing on the Ipod and I felt great as I ran down Burnhamthorpe and moved past a number of runners. I knew I was ahead of the 2:00 pace bunny and that meant I was on track to reach my goal. As we ran along the bridge, I remembered my comment to A on the drive: "It's too bad the bridge rails are so high that you can't see the river below." My sentiments were the same on race day. I stayed near the outside edge of the pack so that I could pass people as needed. My legs felt strong and I tried to remember to smile each time I saw a photographer.
When we passed the 5 km mark, a clock read: 27:20 and I beamed with excitement. 27:20? I was way ahead of schedule for a 2:00 time!! I tried to do the math in my head, calculating that I was on pace to run the 10 km in 54:40 and the 21 km in... what, approximately 1 hour, 54 minutes? I wasn't exactly sure, but I knew it was ahead of pace. As we reached the 6 km mark, the runners moved to left and I remembered the turn onto Mississauga Road. I skipped the first few water stations, not wanting to lose time and ran steady down the hills on Mississauga Road.
Before long, we were at UTM and I remembered the scenic ride through the campus. I'd said to A, "Wow, this section is really pretty." With confidence, I bounded past a few more runners and took advantage of the inside edge. I decided to get a drink at the water station at 8 km and slowed to take some Gatorade and get it down my throat. As we neared the end of the ring road and made a left back onto Mississauga Road, I began to feel even more excitement. My boyfriend and family were waiting for me at the finish line and I wanted to make them proud by finishing this race in under 2 hours. I had to keep running for them. I had to run for myself. I'd worked so hard for this day. We ran down Mississauga Road, past several smaller roads and large mansions that I recognized from the drive. A woman was cheering with a sign that read, "Pain is temporary. Internet results last forever!" and I grinned as I ran. After passing one large intersection, I suddenly found myself on a winding road that I didn't remember from the drive. I knew that just after the halfway point, the marathoners and half-ers split, but I didn't think it had happened yet.
Frantically, I began checking the bibs on other runners to make sure I was still among half-ers. At this point, there were only four or five people in the bubble around me. Each time I caught sight of one of their bibs, it was white, signaling a marathoner. I began to worry. What if I had missed the turn? There was no way I could run a full marathon. Should I turn back and look for a race marshal? Were there even any race marshals out here? I kept running, but I was looking around for cues that I was on the right track. The road still seemed unfamiliar, but surely it would have been more obvious when the two runner categories split. Finally, I caught sight of a man on my left wearing a purple bib and relief washed over me.
The road began to ramp upwards and I knew that this was the 10 km hill I'd been preparing for. I watched as others began to slow, but I didn't let up. I tried to maintain my pace and angled my body forward as I moved up the hill. "C'mon, hill runs. This is what you were for!" I thought. When I was halfway up the hill, I saw another clock which read 53:20. I could hardly believe my eyes! I was running just slightly slower than the 10 km race pace I'd run two weeks earlier at the Toronto Yonge Street 10K. Again, I knew I was on pace to reach my goal time.
I stopped at the next two Gatorade stations at the 12 km and 14 km mark and then reached the point where marathoners turned right and half-marathoners stayed on Mississauga Road. By the change in scenery, I knew we were nearing Port Credit and that meant we'd be at the waterfront soon. Kilometres 14 through 17 were a blur and I felt my legs slowing down despite my best efforts to fight it. I swallowed my chocolate Gu pack bit by bit, trying to time it with a water station for better absorption and digestion. It was thick and sticky in my mouth and I felt my legs losing their stamina. I couldn't keep running this hard 'til the end. They needed to ease up. I let them ease up as I kept thinking about how far I'd already run. If I was at Kilometre 16, then I was 75% finished this race and just half an hour from seeing my family's reaction. Five kilometres to go. I ran downhill underneath a bridge and saw a hill on the other side, so I used the momentum from the downhill run to push myself up the hill and didn't lose much time as a result. It was probably the last hill on the course, I thought, since we were almost at Lakeshore. Up ahead, I saw the runners approaching water and then heading to the left. The waterfront trail was close! I kept running towards the water wondering when I'd see the 17 km marker.
As we turned onto the trail and ran alongside the lake, I realized how pretty the water was in the morning light. My heart was pounding and I realized I must be about 4 km away from the finish line. If I was running 5:30 kms, then I was only 22 minutes away from finishing this race and I still felt on pace to finish in under 2 hours. A few runners passed me and I let them, but I fumbled with my Ipod to find the song I wanted to hear as I neared the end of this race. I chose Artist: Sigur Ros, All Songs, Hoppipolla. This was it. This was the song I wanted to hear as I crossed the finish line. I hit play and the chords started flooding through my ears giving me much-needed hope and inspiration. The trail wound along the lake and my legs were re-ignited. I wanted to run, run, run, run hard until the end. I passed a few women who were slowing down and kept scanning the route for signs of 18 km or 19 km. I had no idea how close or how far I was from the finish, but it felt imminent.
A few moments later, we were leaving the watercourse trail and turning onto a local road with large houses on the lake. A and I hadn't driven this portion of the route, but then I saw the 18 km marker and knew I had just 3 km left to go. "Only fifteen minutes until you run over the finish line!" I thought. My heart swelled and emotion flushed through me, but I was careful not to get teary-eyed yet. I ran where the arrows told me to run and I kept fighting for these last 15 minutes.
"You're gonna break 2 hours; you're gonna break 2 hours," I kept telling myself. "Keep going. This is it. This is the end. This is it. This is four months of training. Go, go, go!" We ran through a gorgeous forest and came out on the other end by the water again. Up ahead, I saw people lining the finish chute and cheering and I felt power rush into my legs. The last stretch. I was almost there.
I slowly sped up and scanned the chute looking for A or his family or my family. I didn't recognize anyone. Hoppipolla had come to an end, so I started it from the beginning again. I kept looking at these hundreds of people cheering for their loved ones, but I didn't see mine. I tried not to worry since I knew they were here somewhere. I thought I saw people trailing off up ahead, but realized there was no Finish line, so it must not be the end. I maintained my speed as we curved to the left and then I saw the Finish banner up ahead and people cheering and screaming and I knew I was almost there.
To use my co-worker M's words, I "dug deep" and found power in my legs that I couldn't have dreamed was there as I maxed out my legs to full capacity and made my body compact as I zoomed towards the finish. I felt like Sonic the Hedgehog. My head was down, I darted around other runners and I sprinted hard over to the finish line with just enough time to throw my hands in the air as I crossed. I caught a glimpse of 1:55:20 as I crossed the finish line and knew I'd beaten my goal. It took me a few seconds to slow down and then someone was handing me a medal and giving me a warm blanket and I was walking in a daze towards the food tables.
My dad called out, "Ozzazz!" and came to greet me and I smiled and felt happy that he saw me cross the finish line. He said he got a picture of me at the end and he hoped it turned out well. I told him I was in line to get food and I'd meet him on the other side. And then he was gone and I was standing in a line of people desperately waiting for bananas and bagels and water bottles.
As I stood there, reflecting on the last two hours, I realized I'd just run a half-marathon. I'd just run 21.1 km straight. And as I thought about it, tears began to well up in my eyes and I put my hand to my eyes to stop the potential flow of tears.
I did it. I did it. I did it.
When I left the runners' area, A greeted me with a bouquet of flowers and his family and mine were waiting there to congratulate me and give me hugs. Everyone was excited for me and I was elated. And as we made our way towards the shuttle buses, having agreed to go to Cora's for brunch, I thought about every time I'd laced up my shoes over the past four months, all of my training and efforts, all of the runs in the snow and the rain, all of the hours on the treadmill and suddenly it all seemed worth it.
Today's Workout
Mississauga Half-Marathon: 1:55:20 (1:53:20), 13.1 miles (21.1 km), 8:39/mile, 5:22/km
I woke up early, my nerves buzzing, and made my way downstairs. I slowly sipped my lemon water and A woke up and made me scrambled egg whites. I made a small smoothie with protein powder and thought about my mission this morning: to run 21.1 km through Mississauga.
I put on my race day outfit, making sure everything fit, and laced up my shoes. Quietly, A drove me to the starting line and I told him I felt nervous, but excited. At this point, I knew I was going to finish the half. The only question was whether or not I would cross the finish line within 2 hours.
We parked near Square One and walked by an outdoor stand at Whole Foods selling bakery items. I instantly craved a muffin and made a joke about it to A. As I walked towards the corral, I kept scanning people to find hte "2:00" pace bunny. I found the "2:00 run/walk" pace bunny, but, as I explained to A, he'd be travelling faster than me during the run sections and the considerably slower when walking. I wanted to find someone who was going to run the 2:00 pace consistently and then do my best to stay ahead of them.
Shortly before the race was about to begin, I spotted "2:00 continuous" a few people behind me. By this point, we were all squeezed into the corral and the announcer was wishing us the best of luck. Then, POW! the gun went off and I jumped a little at the sound. And then the crowd was moving forward and I was slowly picking up my feet and moving.
I tried to stay calm and focus on the task at hand. "You've run this distance before." "You can do this." "It's just 21 kilometres." I set my Ipod to a fast-paced song and began running.
Immediately, I was grateful that A had driven the route with me two weeks prior. All of the familiar landmarks gave me cues and helped me feel more comfortable with the grade changes and terrain. As I began to ran, my excitement and adrenaline were revving at all time highs and I tried to keep reminding myself not to start out too fast. "You have to maintain this pace for the next two hours," I kept thinking. "Are you going too fast?"
I listened to the song playing on the Ipod and I felt great as I ran down Burnhamthorpe and moved past a number of runners. I knew I was ahead of the 2:00 pace bunny and that meant I was on track to reach my goal. As we ran along the bridge, I remembered my comment to A on the drive: "It's too bad the bridge rails are so high that you can't see the river below." My sentiments were the same on race day. I stayed near the outside edge of the pack so that I could pass people as needed. My legs felt strong and I tried to remember to smile each time I saw a photographer.
When we passed the 5 km mark, a clock read: 27:20 and I beamed with excitement. 27:20? I was way ahead of schedule for a 2:00 time!! I tried to do the math in my head, calculating that I was on pace to run the 10 km in 54:40 and the 21 km in... what, approximately 1 hour, 54 minutes? I wasn't exactly sure, but I knew it was ahead of pace. As we reached the 6 km mark, the runners moved to left and I remembered the turn onto Mississauga Road. I skipped the first few water stations, not wanting to lose time and ran steady down the hills on Mississauga Road.
Before long, we were at UTM and I remembered the scenic ride through the campus. I'd said to A, "Wow, this section is really pretty." With confidence, I bounded past a few more runners and took advantage of the inside edge. I decided to get a drink at the water station at 8 km and slowed to take some Gatorade and get it down my throat. As we neared the end of the ring road and made a left back onto Mississauga Road, I began to feel even more excitement. My boyfriend and family were waiting for me at the finish line and I wanted to make them proud by finishing this race in under 2 hours. I had to keep running for them. I had to run for myself. I'd worked so hard for this day. We ran down Mississauga Road, past several smaller roads and large mansions that I recognized from the drive. A woman was cheering with a sign that read, "Pain is temporary. Internet results last forever!" and I grinned as I ran. After passing one large intersection, I suddenly found myself on a winding road that I didn't remember from the drive. I knew that just after the halfway point, the marathoners and half-ers split, but I didn't think it had happened yet.
Frantically, I began checking the bibs on other runners to make sure I was still among half-ers. At this point, there were only four or five people in the bubble around me. Each time I caught sight of one of their bibs, it was white, signaling a marathoner. I began to worry. What if I had missed the turn? There was no way I could run a full marathon. Should I turn back and look for a race marshal? Were there even any race marshals out here? I kept running, but I was looking around for cues that I was on the right track. The road still seemed unfamiliar, but surely it would have been more obvious when the two runner categories split. Finally, I caught sight of a man on my left wearing a purple bib and relief washed over me.
The road began to ramp upwards and I knew that this was the 10 km hill I'd been preparing for. I watched as others began to slow, but I didn't let up. I tried to maintain my pace and angled my body forward as I moved up the hill. "C'mon, hill runs. This is what you were for!" I thought. When I was halfway up the hill, I saw another clock which read 53:20. I could hardly believe my eyes! I was running just slightly slower than the 10 km race pace I'd run two weeks earlier at the Toronto Yonge Street 10K. Again, I knew I was on pace to reach my goal time.
I stopped at the next two Gatorade stations at the 12 km and 14 km mark and then reached the point where marathoners turned right and half-marathoners stayed on Mississauga Road. By the change in scenery, I knew we were nearing Port Credit and that meant we'd be at the waterfront soon. Kilometres 14 through 17 were a blur and I felt my legs slowing down despite my best efforts to fight it. I swallowed my chocolate Gu pack bit by bit, trying to time it with a water station for better absorption and digestion. It was thick and sticky in my mouth and I felt my legs losing their stamina. I couldn't keep running this hard 'til the end. They needed to ease up. I let them ease up as I kept thinking about how far I'd already run. If I was at Kilometre 16, then I was 75% finished this race and just half an hour from seeing my family's reaction. Five kilometres to go. I ran downhill underneath a bridge and saw a hill on the other side, so I used the momentum from the downhill run to push myself up the hill and didn't lose much time as a result. It was probably the last hill on the course, I thought, since we were almost at Lakeshore. Up ahead, I saw the runners approaching water and then heading to the left. The waterfront trail was close! I kept running towards the water wondering when I'd see the 17 km marker.
As we turned onto the trail and ran alongside the lake, I realized how pretty the water was in the morning light. My heart was pounding and I realized I must be about 4 km away from the finish line. If I was running 5:30 kms, then I was only 22 minutes away from finishing this race and I still felt on pace to finish in under 2 hours. A few runners passed me and I let them, but I fumbled with my Ipod to find the song I wanted to hear as I neared the end of this race. I chose Artist: Sigur Ros, All Songs, Hoppipolla. This was it. This was the song I wanted to hear as I crossed the finish line. I hit play and the chords started flooding through my ears giving me much-needed hope and inspiration. The trail wound along the lake and my legs were re-ignited. I wanted to run, run, run, run hard until the end. I passed a few women who were slowing down and kept scanning the route for signs of 18 km or 19 km. I had no idea how close or how far I was from the finish, but it felt imminent.
A few moments later, we were leaving the watercourse trail and turning onto a local road with large houses on the lake. A and I hadn't driven this portion of the route, but then I saw the 18 km marker and knew I had just 3 km left to go. "Only fifteen minutes until you run over the finish line!" I thought. My heart swelled and emotion flushed through me, but I was careful not to get teary-eyed yet. I ran where the arrows told me to run and I kept fighting for these last 15 minutes.
"You're gonna break 2 hours; you're gonna break 2 hours," I kept telling myself. "Keep going. This is it. This is the end. This is it. This is four months of training. Go, go, go!" We ran through a gorgeous forest and came out on the other end by the water again. Up ahead, I saw people lining the finish chute and cheering and I felt power rush into my legs. The last stretch. I was almost there.
I slowly sped up and scanned the chute looking for A or his family or my family. I didn't recognize anyone. Hoppipolla had come to an end, so I started it from the beginning again. I kept looking at these hundreds of people cheering for their loved ones, but I didn't see mine. I tried not to worry since I knew they were here somewhere. I thought I saw people trailing off up ahead, but realized there was no Finish line, so it must not be the end. I maintained my speed as we curved to the left and then I saw the Finish banner up ahead and people cheering and screaming and I knew I was almost there.
To use my co-worker M's words, I "dug deep" and found power in my legs that I couldn't have dreamed was there as I maxed out my legs to full capacity and made my body compact as I zoomed towards the finish. I felt like Sonic the Hedgehog. My head was down, I darted around other runners and I sprinted hard over to the finish line with just enough time to throw my hands in the air as I crossed. I caught a glimpse of 1:55:20 as I crossed the finish line and knew I'd beaten my goal. It took me a few seconds to slow down and then someone was handing me a medal and giving me a warm blanket and I was walking in a daze towards the food tables.
My dad called out, "Ozzazz!" and came to greet me and I smiled and felt happy that he saw me cross the finish line. He said he got a picture of me at the end and he hoped it turned out well. I told him I was in line to get food and I'd meet him on the other side. And then he was gone and I was standing in a line of people desperately waiting for bananas and bagels and water bottles.
As I stood there, reflecting on the last two hours, I realized I'd just run a half-marathon. I'd just run 21.1 km straight. And as I thought about it, tears began to well up in my eyes and I put my hand to my eyes to stop the potential flow of tears.
I did it. I did it. I did it.
When I left the runners' area, A greeted me with a bouquet of flowers and his family and mine were waiting there to congratulate me and give me hugs. Everyone was excited for me and I was elated. And as we made our way towards the shuttle buses, having agreed to go to Cora's for brunch, I thought about every time I'd laced up my shoes over the past four months, all of my training and efforts, all of the runs in the snow and the rain, all of the hours on the treadmill and suddenly it all seemed worth it.
It was all worth it for this moment.
Today's Workout
Mississauga Half-Marathon: 1:55:20 (1:53:20), 13.1 miles (21.1 km), 8:39/mile, 5:22/km
Friday, May 4, 2012
On my last fast run before the half-marathon.
I left work early to get to the gym and crank out 6.3 miles at race pace (or close to). When I was finished, I was a hot sweaty mess (it felt like dying), but I showered, changed and went to meet up with my mom and brother.
I couldn't help thinking about how hard it was to run that pace for 10 km. I hope I break 2 hours on Sunday morning.
Today's Workout: XX:XX, 6.3 miles (10.14 km), XX:XX/mile, XX:XX/km
I couldn't help thinking about how hard it was to run that pace for 10 km. I hope I break 2 hours on Sunday morning.
Today's Workout: XX:XX, 6.3 miles (10.14 km), XX:XX/mile, XX:XX/km
Thursday, May 3, 2012
On a busy, busy week.
This week has been so crazy I've barely been to the gym! On Monday and Tuesday, I started my first two personal training sessions with C. She showed me the proper form and technique for each of my exercises and explained my two-day split. After our session, I went for my 8 km steady run through the neighourhood.
On Wednesday, I was in a meeting all evening and came home to fit in a quick 5 km run at the gym.
Tonight, I had another meeting that took most of the night.
On Friday, I'm planning a 10 km run at race pace and on Saturday, I'll be going to hot yoga and then fitting in a short 3 km steady run. And before I know it, I'll be waking up on Sunday morning in anticipation of my half-marathon.
Four months ago, it seemed like I had all the time in the world to train and now I find myself mere days away from the biggest physical accomplishment of my life. I'm excited, but apprehensive. I'm nervous, but confident. I have mixed feelings, but I'm excited to run and ready to run my first half-marathon.
Current Weight: 147.2 lbs
On Wednesday, I was in a meeting all evening and came home to fit in a quick 5 km run at the gym.
Tonight, I had another meeting that took most of the night.
On Friday, I'm planning a 10 km run at race pace and on Saturday, I'll be going to hot yoga and then fitting in a short 3 km steady run. And before I know it, I'll be waking up on Sunday morning in anticipation of my half-marathon.
Four months ago, it seemed like I had all the time in the world to train and now I find myself mere days away from the biggest physical accomplishment of my life. I'm excited, but apprehensive. I'm nervous, but confident. I have mixed feelings, but I'm excited to run and ready to run my first half-marathon.
Current Weight: 147.2 lbs
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