Summer lovin!

I am highly anticipating the return of warm weather running!  I know, I know!  This is Texas and it doesn't get that cold here, but there is just something highly unmotivating about running in the winter.  When I first started running last summer, I never had a problem getting out of bed and going for a run.  This winter, I have become and expert at finding reasons why I shouldn't do my run for the day.  I will take running in Texas heat over winter running any day of the week!  Running in the cold is just not enjoyable for me.  My nose runs constantly, my fingers and lips go numb, I have to wear layers of clothes to start out with and then end up sweating the rest of the run.  Plus there is the chilling winds, the watering eyes, and the pitch black of the early morning.  This summer, I will probably be begging for a chill, some wind, anything to help me survive the humidity, but for now, I miss the summer and the heat!
By the way, I did convince myself to run this morning and I did 4 miles in 40 min 57 sec.   

January Race

Today I ran my 5k for January.  I chose the 5k Pink Out that was hosted by a high school track team and was raising money for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer.  There were only 38 people running and most of them were highschoolers. I came in 23rd place and I ran at my best time of 29 min 9 sec (although Dave got 29 min 10 sec and I got 28 min 54 sec).  It was a very chilly morning -28 degrees to be exact- but Dave and the girls still came and supported me.  It was a great morning and I can't wait to do more!  

Tuesday run

Tuesday my mom was in town so I got to run in the afternoon during the kids nap-time.  I actually had a really great run time-wise.  I ran 4 miles in 39 minutes which is a new record!  The bad part about the run is that my ankle has been hurting me a lot.  I sprained the inside ankle over the summer and I took time off to let it heal.  After I started running again, it was fine for a while and then it started getting sore after runs.  Now it hurts worse and worse as I increase my time and pace.  I am not sure what I am going to do about it.  I am in a really great place with my running and I don't want to have to stop.  I also don't want to do permanent damage to my ankle. 

Great run!

Today I got to run at Hermann Park in downtown Houston!  I loved the change of scenery and running around other runners.  I ran for 51 min 38 sec.  My goal for the day was 5 miles.  I am not sure exactly what my mileage was but my pace is usually about a 10 1/2 minutes/mile.  It was a great day for running!  Dave even got up early this morning and went for a run!

Cold Run!

I HATE running in the cold!  It was 30 degrees this morning during my run and it was windy!  My nose was running non-stop.  I have learned to carry a tissue or two with me when it is cold.  I would take running in the summer over running in cold weather any day of the week!  My time was slower this morning than on my Tuesday run.  I ran 4 miles in 41 min 36 sec.  I am not sure why I ran slower, possibly the wind or the fact that I kept having to wipe my nose, but I felt like I was running better than my Tuesday run.  Tuesdays run was 4 miles in 40 min 10 sec.  I have one more run this week, on Saturday.  I am going to try for 5 miles.  I am hoping to go to a park to run and get a change of scenery.  Since I have increased my mileage, there are only so many places to run in my neighborhood.  It gets boring fast!  I have recently switched up the days that I run.  I used to run Monday, Wednesday, and Friday but now I am running on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.  I like the new schedule much better because on Saturdays I can run at any time of the day, not in the dark.  I can also go somewhere new to run.  I am also trying to do more weight training along with my running, but I know once school starts, my free time is going to have to go to school work.
No matter how cold it was this morning, no matter how early or dark it was, I am so glad I got up and ran.  I feel more energized on my running days and I can go through my day knowing that I accomplished something big this morning! 

Running Accomplishments

11-25-2010 Turkey Trot
My finish time was 32 min 1 sec.
I finished number 156 out of 574 people for my gender, 20th for my age group, and 380 out of 1019 people for the overall race.
Photos of the race can be seen here.

Runing Goals

Here are my goals and intentions for running.  They are set to keep me motivated and give me something to look forward to as I run alone in the dark.  I hope my list of goals will grow as I grow and advance as a runner.

Day-to-day- Run 3 times a week at least 40 minutes per run.
2011- Run a 5k once a month.
In the next 5 years- Run in the Disney's Princess Half Marathon.
In the next 20 years- Run the Great Wall Marathon.

My intro into the running world

A year ago I gave birth to my third daughter.  I had gained 50 lbs which is about the average I gained with each of my pregnancies.  After the birth of my first daughter I lost all of the baby weight except for 10 lbs within a year of giving birth.  After my second daughter was born, the weight came off a bit slower, but I was able to lose all of the weight except for that same 10 lbs from the first pregnancy.  I was never satisfied with how my body looked after the birth of my second daughter.  When going to the pool or beach, I always wore shorts and a one-piece swimsuit.  I had that stomach pudge that would just not go away.  The reason it didn't go away was because I made absolutely no effort in trying to make it go away.  I did not exercise and I ate terribly.  When I got pregnant with my third daughter, I continued my bad eating habits.  It wasn't until after she was born that I woke up to what I was putting in my body.  I was eating fast food 3-4 times a week.  I was doubling my portion sizes at dinner when I did cook at home.  I was always finding excuses to get dessert after dinner.  It really hit me on what kind of example I was setting for my family.  I am in charge of buying and cooking food for us.  I really became convicted about what I was doing for my family and my own health.  I was teaching my kids to eat huge portion sizes, that fast food is good, and that fruits and vegetables are not necessary in their diet.  I did a little bit of research online and found out about the Eat-Clean Diet.  I really liked what they had to say and I bought a cookbook and started reading more about it.  I also subscribed to Clean Eating Magazine and Oxygen Magazine for extra motivation.  In April of 2009, I committed to not drinking sodas.  At first it was a short-term goal until our first beach trip that summer, but when the deadline came, I didn't have any interest in drinking a soda, so it became a long-term goal.  Dave and I also started working out a couple of times a week to a Jillian Michael's DVD.  It was hard and very intense for both of us, but once again, it was a short-term goal for us to do it until we went to the beach.  I lost a little bit of weight, but not as much as I had hoped to.  When we got home from the beach, I knew something else had to change, I just didn't know what.  I sat down one afternoon and started doing some research on the computer.  I read something about running a 5k and instantly I knew I needed to start running.  This was not easy for me at all.  I hate running and I hadn't done it since I was on the basketball team in high school.  I talked to Dave about it and he said he would love to do it with me!  So we started running.  We started out just trying to run for 10 minutes.  What a feat that was!  I thought I was going to die while running and I was really sore the following day.  But I kept at it.  Eventually I worked up to a mile, then 2, and finally 3.  I had many hurdles to cross including bad knees, high arches, 2 sets of wrong running shoes, a sprained inner ankle, and getting sick.  My goal was to run a 5k.  I finally was able to run in my first 5k on Thanksgiving day 2009.  It was an awesome run!  I had worked so hard to get to that point.  I get up at 5:45 am, by myself, and run in the pitch black.  I do not enjoy getting up and it is hard to stay motivated, but running in the 5k made it all worth it.  The feeling of running with other people is such a rush!  I wish I had that everyday!  After the race, I vowed to do more 5k's to help me stay motivated.