Ok, I have to be honest.
I am feeling horribly fat and lazy these days. Well really, just in the last two or three days. It's like I turned some strange corner where all of the sudden none of my clothes looked good on me anymore and I realized that I had far more hips than I thought I did, and I've honestly been in a pretty serious funk because of it (well, amongst other things).
Today, despite the fact that it's been rainy and gross all day, despite the fact that it was dark when I got home (thank you very much, Daylight Savings Time), despite the fact that I was anxious about whether I'd feel good or gross on a first run back post-surgery (and a first run since, what, March??), I finally hit the end of my rope and decided to go for a run this evening.
In the past few weeks, I have felt lonely and tired, and sort of like the walls are closing in around me, especially at work. Nothing specific going on that I could put my finger on to have caused these feelings, but they are definitely feelings that make you feel like you're constantly breathing stale, stuffed up air.
So today, the ONLY thing I wanted to do this afternoon was get my body out in the chilly, wet air, and to let myself feel the goosebumps on my arms and the wind on my face. I wanted to get moving, as if doing so would somehow be a way to thumb my nose at all the insecurities and anxieties that have been keeping me down.
It was a short run compared to other runs that I've done, but a pretty decent run for a first run in more than six months: 1.84 miles. And let me tell you...
...IT FELT GOOD.
Showing posts with label running. Show all posts
Showing posts with label running. Show all posts
11.08.2011
10.27.2011
Can't you hear the crickets?
It's been a litte...ahem...quiet around here.
Didn't end up finishing my 10k training, and as it turns out, it was probably for the best that I didn't try to run a 10k at the very beginning of Holy Week. But I don't have a great excuse for why I haven't done much, if any, running since then.
June was wrapped up with planning to be away from work for three weeks, and both planning and going on a trip to Tanzania. July was hot. And I went to the Boundary Waters with the HS group. And was generally busy. In August, well, we started fertility treatments AND got pregnant, so I pretty much wrote of running during that process. In September, we found out it was an ectopic (tubal) pregnancy, which meant surgery (and the loss of the pregnancy)...and after that, I've only been cleared to start running again since this past Tuesday.
My only real running-related story in many months comes from today, actually.
It was going to be a long day today, with a chunk of free time between my afternoon and evening activities, so I brought running clothes with me to work. I was really excited to go running. Except that I packed my running clothes in the same bag as a blueberry pie that I baked for my evening festivities...and even though it was wrapped, and I never once tipped the bag...I still managed to spill blueberry juice all over my running clothes. In mass quantities. Thick, sticky, purple juice. So...without anything running-appropriate to wear, and not feeling like it would be the best idea to lace up my sneakers and run around town in a skirt, this meant no running for me this afternoon. :(
Maybe tomorrow?
Didn't end up finishing my 10k training, and as it turns out, it was probably for the best that I didn't try to run a 10k at the very beginning of Holy Week. But I don't have a great excuse for why I haven't done much, if any, running since then.
June was wrapped up with planning to be away from work for three weeks, and both planning and going on a trip to Tanzania. July was hot. And I went to the Boundary Waters with the HS group. And was generally busy. In August, well, we started fertility treatments AND got pregnant, so I pretty much wrote of running during that process. In September, we found out it was an ectopic (tubal) pregnancy, which meant surgery (and the loss of the pregnancy)...and after that, I've only been cleared to start running again since this past Tuesday.
My only real running-related story in many months comes from today, actually.
It was going to be a long day today, with a chunk of free time between my afternoon and evening activities, so I brought running clothes with me to work. I was really excited to go running. Except that I packed my running clothes in the same bag as a blueberry pie that I baked for my evening festivities...and even though it was wrapped, and I never once tipped the bag...I still managed to spill blueberry juice all over my running clothes. In mass quantities. Thick, sticky, purple juice. So...without anything running-appropriate to wear, and not feeling like it would be the best idea to lace up my sneakers and run around town in a skirt, this meant no running for me this afternoon. :(
Maybe tomorrow?
3.05.2011
The end of week 2
Last week, I took Thursday off like I was supposed to (rest day).
Friday's goal was 40 minutes of cross-training. It was the HS ski trip day, and even though I only skied half a day, I definitely got the 40 minutes in.
Saturday's 3 mile run DIDN'T happen. Too tired from the ski trip.
Sunday's cross-training didn't happen. I went right from church to a baptism lunch to church-sponsored Whirlyball to my parents' house for pizza.
Definitely didn't go running on Monday. I don't quite remember why. Icy? Maybe.
On Tuesday I "rescheduled" Saturday's 3 mile run and did it after work, then turned right around and played almost 2 hours of volleyball. Ended the day feeling pretty athletic!
Matt had a meeting on Wednesday, and I did the Pilates/cardio DVD that is pretty much my favorite exercise DVD ever.
Thursday: rest day. Woohoo!
Friday, late in the evening (midnight, really), after a relaxing morning, an afternoon of sermon-writing, and an evening of theater (the NNHS production of "Footloose"), I did an hour of Pilates and Wii fit and felt REALLY good.
Today was a 3.5 mile day. I felt like I've never run before in my life. Sort of like running uphill through pudding the whole way. I walked. A lot. And had a few despairing moments ("I'm so far from home and I'll never get back there and why didn't I bring my cell phone so that Matt could pick me up???"). Here's hoping next week is better. Up to 4 miles next Saturday...eeks....
Friday's goal was 40 minutes of cross-training. It was the HS ski trip day, and even though I only skied half a day, I definitely got the 40 minutes in.
Saturday's 3 mile run DIDN'T happen. Too tired from the ski trip.
Sunday's cross-training didn't happen. I went right from church to a baptism lunch to church-sponsored Whirlyball to my parents' house for pizza.
Definitely didn't go running on Monday. I don't quite remember why. Icy? Maybe.
On Tuesday I "rescheduled" Saturday's 3 mile run and did it after work, then turned right around and played almost 2 hours of volleyball. Ended the day feeling pretty athletic!
Matt had a meeting on Wednesday, and I did the Pilates/cardio DVD that is pretty much my favorite exercise DVD ever.
Thursday: rest day. Woohoo!
Friday, late in the evening (midnight, really), after a relaxing morning, an afternoon of sermon-writing, and an evening of theater (the NNHS production of "Footloose"), I did an hour of Pilates and Wii fit and felt REALLY good.
Today was a 3.5 mile day. I felt like I've never run before in my life. Sort of like running uphill through pudding the whole way. I walked. A lot. And had a few despairing moments ("I'm so far from home and I'll never get back there and why didn't I bring my cell phone so that Matt could pick me up???"). Here's hoping next week is better. Up to 4 miles next Saturday...eeks....
2.23.2011
Late in week one of my 10k training.
Saturday - 2.3 miles. TERRIBLE.
Monday - 2.0 miles and pretty decent.
Wednesday (today) - 2.5 miles. Pretty good. First and last third were GREAT. Middle third was a bit of a struggle. Mostly having to do with motivation, best I could figure. I didn't feel tired or weak at all, I just had momentary motivation lapses and found myself giving up for no apparent reason.
My stretch/strength/cross training days have been great, however!! :)
Monday - 2.0 miles and pretty decent.
Wednesday (today) - 2.5 miles. Pretty good. First and last third were GREAT. Middle third was a bit of a struggle. Mostly having to do with motivation, best I could figure. I didn't feel tired or weak at all, I just had momentary motivation lapses and found myself giving up for no apparent reason.
My stretch/strength/cross training days have been great, however!! :)
2.18.2011
10k Training Week One - 2 miles
Technically, week one begins tomorrow, when I begin day one of my "official" 10k training plan, in preparation for the April 16 Boom & Zoom at the Morton Arboretum.
But I was planning to be at the Arboretum today anyway, and it was nearly 50 degrees, so I decided to take a lap around the West Loop road. Doing it the "cheating" way - beginning at Thornhill Education Center and ending at the Visitor Center - put me somewhere just around 2 miles. Not an exact science by any means.
It was a hard-work sort of run. Many hills. Much walking. But it felt good.
I'm nervous about increasing to a 10k race, but I look forward to a good run through the Arboretum when the world looks less like winter and more like this:
But I was planning to be at the Arboretum today anyway, and it was nearly 50 degrees, so I decided to take a lap around the West Loop road. Doing it the "cheating" way - beginning at Thornhill Education Center and ending at the Visitor Center - put me somewhere just around 2 miles. Not an exact science by any means.
It was a hard-work sort of run. Many hills. Much walking. But it felt good.
I'm nervous about increasing to a 10k race, but I look forward to a good run through the Arboretum when the world looks less like winter and more like this:
11.25.2010
Turkey Trot!
Distance: 5k
Weather: cold and drizzly
Time: 33:19
Verdict: Fun and awesome! Lots of St. Timothy buddies running, and all of us in matching teal fanny packs, just for fun. Ran the whole thing without walking (my #1 goal for this race!), said hello and Happy Thanksgiving to as many police officers as possible, and felt good and strong. A great race.
Weather: cold and drizzly
Time: 33:19
Verdict: Fun and awesome! Lots of St. Timothy buddies running, and all of us in matching teal fanny packs, just for fun. Ran the whole thing without walking (my #1 goal for this race!), said hello and Happy Thanksgiving to as many police officers as possible, and felt good and strong. A great race.
11.23.2010
Two days out - 3.15 miles
Today's run felt long. Not terribly difficult, which is a good thing. This means that I'm in better running shape than I was last year at this time (though generally worse off in general shape than I was last year...). But it means that I get bored easily, and somehow "bored" translates into "let's walk for a bit," which is COMPLETELY silly, because if I'm bored, wouldn't it make more sense for my brain to tell my feet to run FASTER so that it would be over with sooner?
I knew ahead of time that this route today was 3.15 miles (sometimes I run for a comfortable or convenient distance and only look up the miles later on), which might have made the run feel particularly long and trudging from the start. That's not to say that there weren't good moments on my run.
It was a beautiful evening - I set out just as the sun passed below the horizon, but the edge of the world was lit up in red and gold that blended upward into that perfect blue of twilight. I ran around a large pond that I didn't know existed, and enjoyed the warm lights from the surrounding houses as they glowed in the midst of the dark evening, matching the color of the golden horizon, with bare winter trees standing in silhouette against the inky blue of the sky.
And I ran past homes and through neighborhoods that I'd never been through before, counting the handful of houses that were already lit with Christmas lights. I listened to a Being podcast full of beautiful poetry and wise thoughts about spirituality and the earth. I turned off my iPod near the end of my run and put it away in my pocket, enjoying the rhythm of my feet against a quiet evening.
All in all, it was a perfectly pleasant run that simply felt longer than I wanted it too, despite feeling generally strong. I get mad at myself that I don't have better willpower. I stopped and walked a few times tonight, none of those times for any great distance, and really not because my breathing was labored or my legs hurt or anything. My brain just sort of "gives up" from time to time, and despite my best efforts to tell myself "keep running," somehow I find that my pace has slowed to a walk, and I have to recharge myself to get going again.
I think that I was worried tonight as I ran. Worried that I'm not going to be able to succeed on Thursday (even though I haven't even defined for myself yet what "success" should mean). Worried that I'm going to get bored or not enjoy myself. Worried that everyone that I've recruited to run on our St. Timothy "team" is going to love the experience while I end up feeling only mediocre about it.
Now the truth is that I'm going to be excited to run on Thursday. It's the adrenaline of a race. It's the rush of proving to Matt that this is something important to me. It is the excitement of being part of a crowd, and the sense of accomplishment when it is all over. The buzz of the morning will help me feel motivated to do the race, and will help me to do it well. Adrenaline is great like that - I will run better on race day than I have run in any of my training, simply because it is race day. And when it's over, I'll think to myself that I need to sign up for another race, and I'll even have the crazy thought that since I've accomplished the 5k, I should try for something longer.
And so, in short, I will love it.
I knew ahead of time that this route today was 3.15 miles (sometimes I run for a comfortable or convenient distance and only look up the miles later on), which might have made the run feel particularly long and trudging from the start. That's not to say that there weren't good moments on my run.
It was a beautiful evening - I set out just as the sun passed below the horizon, but the edge of the world was lit up in red and gold that blended upward into that perfect blue of twilight. I ran around a large pond that I didn't know existed, and enjoyed the warm lights from the surrounding houses as they glowed in the midst of the dark evening, matching the color of the golden horizon, with bare winter trees standing in silhouette against the inky blue of the sky.
And I ran past homes and through neighborhoods that I'd never been through before, counting the handful of houses that were already lit with Christmas lights. I listened to a Being podcast full of beautiful poetry and wise thoughts about spirituality and the earth. I turned off my iPod near the end of my run and put it away in my pocket, enjoying the rhythm of my feet against a quiet evening.
All in all, it was a perfectly pleasant run that simply felt longer than I wanted it too, despite feeling generally strong. I get mad at myself that I don't have better willpower. I stopped and walked a few times tonight, none of those times for any great distance, and really not because my breathing was labored or my legs hurt or anything. My brain just sort of "gives up" from time to time, and despite my best efforts to tell myself "keep running," somehow I find that my pace has slowed to a walk, and I have to recharge myself to get going again.
I think that I was worried tonight as I ran. Worried that I'm not going to be able to succeed on Thursday (even though I haven't even defined for myself yet what "success" should mean). Worried that I'm going to get bored or not enjoy myself. Worried that everyone that I've recruited to run on our St. Timothy "team" is going to love the experience while I end up feeling only mediocre about it.
Now the truth is that I'm going to be excited to run on Thursday. It's the adrenaline of a race. It's the rush of proving to Matt that this is something important to me. It is the excitement of being part of a crowd, and the sense of accomplishment when it is all over. The buzz of the morning will help me feel motivated to do the race, and will help me to do it well. Adrenaline is great like that - I will run better on race day than I have run in any of my training, simply because it is race day. And when it's over, I'll think to myself that I need to sign up for another race, and I'll even have the crazy thought that since I've accomplished the 5k, I should try for something longer.
And so, in short, I will love it.
11.20.2010
Running at Lutherdale - 2.42 miles
This weekend was our confirmation retreat. We brought nearly 40 middle school students up to Lutherdale Bible Camp in Elkhorn, Wisconsin. It is a beautiful camp that is situated on a lake, and the camp property is flanked by winding roads and quiet, peaceful neighborhoods of lake houses.
I went running this morning, not quite sure where I was headed. I turned on some pretty choral music - Psalm settings, to be exact - put my headphones on, went out the back gate of camp toward the road, and found out that I had accidentally picked the hilliest running route ever. But I pressed onward, admiring the sleepy lake houses as I ran by them. The road was quiet, without any traffic, and despite being surrounded by houses and the lake, I felt as if I were the only person alive. As I continued to catch glimpses of the lake and the slow sunrise, a setting of Psalm 8 started playing:
O LORD, our Sovereign,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
Out of the mouths of babes and infants
you have founded a bulwark because of your foes,
to silence the enemy and the avenger.
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars that you have established;
what are human beings that you are mindful of them,
mortals that you care for them?
Yet you have made them a little lower than God,
and crowned them with glory and honor.
You have given them dominion over the works of your hands;
you have put all things under their feet,
all sheep and oxen,
and also the beasts of the field,
the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea,
whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
O LORD, our Sovereign,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
I ran the winding road all the way to a bridge, where suddenly, there was lake on both sides of me, reflecting the sunrise. The music on my ipod shifted over to Psalm 23, and as I ran over the bridge, surrounded by motionless morning water, my ears were filled with the words "The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name's sake."
Across the bridge was a small island of more quiet houses. I ran until the road ended in a cul-de-sac, turned around, and headed back over the bridge and through the hills toward camp, grateful for the beauty of creation, grateful for a body that can go for a jog, even if it is a slow and awkward one, and grateful for the capacity to notice and appreciate the world around me.
I went running this morning, not quite sure where I was headed. I turned on some pretty choral music - Psalm settings, to be exact - put my headphones on, went out the back gate of camp toward the road, and found out that I had accidentally picked the hilliest running route ever. But I pressed onward, admiring the sleepy lake houses as I ran by them. The road was quiet, without any traffic, and despite being surrounded by houses and the lake, I felt as if I were the only person alive. As I continued to catch glimpses of the lake and the slow sunrise, a setting of Psalm 8 started playing:
O LORD, our Sovereign,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
Out of the mouths of babes and infants
you have founded a bulwark because of your foes,
to silence the enemy and the avenger.
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars that you have established;
what are human beings that you are mindful of them,
mortals that you care for them?
Yet you have made them a little lower than God,
and crowned them with glory and honor.
You have given them dominion over the works of your hands;
you have put all things under their feet,
all sheep and oxen,
and also the beasts of the field,
the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea,
whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
O LORD, our Sovereign,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
I ran the winding road all the way to a bridge, where suddenly, there was lake on both sides of me, reflecting the sunrise. The music on my ipod shifted over to Psalm 23, and as I ran over the bridge, surrounded by motionless morning water, my ears were filled with the words "The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name's sake."
Across the bridge was a small island of more quiet houses. I ran until the road ended in a cul-de-sac, turned around, and headed back over the bridge and through the hills toward camp, grateful for the beauty of creation, grateful for a body that can go for a jog, even if it is a slow and awkward one, and grateful for the capacity to notice and appreciate the world around me.
11.17.2010
3.1 Miles...but ugly.
Definitely a long day stuck at work today. I'm glad I brought running gear along! I've been pretty crabby all day, partly because I'm tired, partly because I have too much on my mind, and partly because I'm stuck at a meeting tonight while Matt gets to hang out with friends of ours from college in the city.
As far as the "too much on my mind" part of the equation, I'm trying to figure out what an ideal balance is, for a church, between a) leading by building on the passions and energy of the congregation (instead of forcing the congregation to fit a particular mold of programs and activities), and b) leading by pushing, educating, and directing the congregation in ways that they might never have thought of on their own. It's the tension between serving the congregation humbly and leading the congregation as I have been equipped, educated, and - ultimately - called to do. I want the church to be organic in many ways - that is, letting the identity of the church and its priorities grow out of the energy of the congregation. But at the same time, I want to be able to nudge the congregation in things that are important and have goals and visions for the future of the community's life together.
These voices in my head became particularly acute during worship planning today, when we tried to figure out what to do come January, if we want to celebrate the midweek feast of Epiphany on a Sunday, if possible. The conversation had little, if anything, to do with liturgical integrity (which would say that Epiphany is on a Thursday, and so if we want to celebrate Epiphany, we do a special service on that Thursday night, and catch whomever we happen to catch). It had everything to do with convenience (when the choirs were available to sing, when we would switch over from our Advent/Christmas liturgy to a new setting, when people would be back in town after Christmas, and whether people would ever come out on a Thursday - the assumption being a big fat NO on that one). And so we're shuffling Baptism of our Lord a week later so that we can squeeze Epiphany onto a Sunday so that no one is disappointed, because of course, they will only come to worship on Sundays, and we don't want them to be frustrated.
Anyway, the point here is that by late afternoon, I was so muddled and frustrated that I was glad to be able to head out for a jog. I only intended to go about 2.5 miles, but ran into one of my HS kids as I was running, took a break to walk with him for a bit, and then felt guilty about walking, so kept running past where I had intended to turn around. Not really my best move. I walked a lot today. I covered a lot of ground, but not particularly well.
Nevertheless, it felt good to be outside (can I say again how much I love running on cool weather??), I feel happier and more balanced than I did when I started, and, for whatever it's worth, I covered the distance of a 5k today, so I know that I can do it in another week, even if I can't manage to run the whole thing without stopping.
As far as the "too much on my mind" part of the equation, I'm trying to figure out what an ideal balance is, for a church, between a) leading by building on the passions and energy of the congregation (instead of forcing the congregation to fit a particular mold of programs and activities), and b) leading by pushing, educating, and directing the congregation in ways that they might never have thought of on their own. It's the tension between serving the congregation humbly and leading the congregation as I have been equipped, educated, and - ultimately - called to do. I want the church to be organic in many ways - that is, letting the identity of the church and its priorities grow out of the energy of the congregation. But at the same time, I want to be able to nudge the congregation in things that are important and have goals and visions for the future of the community's life together.
These voices in my head became particularly acute during worship planning today, when we tried to figure out what to do come January, if we want to celebrate the midweek feast of Epiphany on a Sunday, if possible. The conversation had little, if anything, to do with liturgical integrity (which would say that Epiphany is on a Thursday, and so if we want to celebrate Epiphany, we do a special service on that Thursday night, and catch whomever we happen to catch). It had everything to do with convenience (when the choirs were available to sing, when we would switch over from our Advent/Christmas liturgy to a new setting, when people would be back in town after Christmas, and whether people would ever come out on a Thursday - the assumption being a big fat NO on that one). And so we're shuffling Baptism of our Lord a week later so that we can squeeze Epiphany onto a Sunday so that no one is disappointed, because of course, they will only come to worship on Sundays, and we don't want them to be frustrated.
Anyway, the point here is that by late afternoon, I was so muddled and frustrated that I was glad to be able to head out for a jog. I only intended to go about 2.5 miles, but ran into one of my HS kids as I was running, took a break to walk with him for a bit, and then felt guilty about walking, so kept running past where I had intended to turn around. Not really my best move. I walked a lot today. I covered a lot of ground, but not particularly well.
Nevertheless, it felt good to be outside (can I say again how much I love running on cool weather??), I feel happier and more balanced than I did when I started, and, for whatever it's worth, I covered the distance of a 5k today, so I know that I can do it in another week, even if I can't manage to run the whole thing without stopping.
11.12.2010
Two weeks out - 2.99 miles
It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is two weeks from yesterday. From a running standpoint, all of my grand plans to train hard over many weeks for the upcoming 5k have obviously not happened, though I still have gotten myself out and running a few times and am still planning on running the event.
From a life standpoint, I want to complain about how it's too early for stores and commercials to be Christmas-focused, and yet it truly is already halfway through November. Thanksgiving will be here in the blink of an eye, with Advent and Christmas quick on its heels. I'm the girl who, in college, deemed November 1 the date upon which it was legal to listen to Christmas music, for goodness' sake! And yet this year, I tried listening to some Advent-y Christmas music yesterday, and shut it off halfway through the first song, because it just felt too early to be thinking winter and Christmas.
Anyway, back to running.
I tried out a winding path tonight to a familiar road, and then decided to close the loop the long way. I picked up my pace and remembered just how much I love running in cool weather. Even though I let my brain get the better of me and ended up walking a few short distances throughout the run, overall I felt quite strong and energetic. I felt less exhausted after this run than I have ever felt, and this is after running one of my longest distances ever (outside of the actual 5k's themselves).
So I don't know if it was all the orange juice that I drank today or the adrenaline of finishing a long and tiring week, but tonight was awesome.
Two weeks until the Turkey Trot...and I'm going to ROCK it. :)
From a life standpoint, I want to complain about how it's too early for stores and commercials to be Christmas-focused, and yet it truly is already halfway through November. Thanksgiving will be here in the blink of an eye, with Advent and Christmas quick on its heels. I'm the girl who, in college, deemed November 1 the date upon which it was legal to listen to Christmas music, for goodness' sake! And yet this year, I tried listening to some Advent-y Christmas music yesterday, and shut it off halfway through the first song, because it just felt too early to be thinking winter and Christmas.
Anyway, back to running.
I tried out a winding path tonight to a familiar road, and then decided to close the loop the long way. I picked up my pace and remembered just how much I love running in cool weather. Even though I let my brain get the better of me and ended up walking a few short distances throughout the run, overall I felt quite strong and energetic. I felt less exhausted after this run than I have ever felt, and this is after running one of my longest distances ever (outside of the actual 5k's themselves).
So I don't know if it was all the orange juice that I drank today or the adrenaline of finishing a long and tiring week, but tonight was awesome.
Two weeks until the Turkey Trot...and I'm going to ROCK it. :)
10.26.2010
2 x 2.39 miles
I'm back.
I've been away from the blog for over a month...because I sort of stopped running for about a month. I'm not quite sure what happened. Some of it, I'm sure, is lack of willpower. You skip one day, and then another, and then before you know it, it's as if you never tried to begin a running program in the first place.
That, and lots of evening meetings. When I have evening meetings, I tend to stay at church through the afternoon, and I don't always come to church equipped with running clothes. I've also had an unusually high number of late-afternoon meetings that bleed into evening meetings, with very little opportunity to run, even if I remembered to bring running clothes. And mornings are pretty much useless. It's dark and I'm sleepy and even if I could manage to pull myself out of bed, I don't like running in the morning anyway. I don't run well when my body isn't fully awake.
We had no Confirmation this past Thursday, and being free on a Thursday afternoon/evening felt so bizarre and liberating that the first thing I wanted to do when I got home in the afternoon was go for a jog. I ran a route that I've run only a couple times before, along a nearby street that is a straight shot down to the next major road. Our neighborhood is full of twisty, short, dead-ending roads, so this particular road is one of very few that actually go through. I ran it on Thursday (it was a little much for me, so I walked a bit, but really tried to push myself to run most of it). And then, after taking the weekend off of running (for no particular reason), I ran the same route again yesterday afternoon.
When last I ran this route, I looked it up on gmaps pedometer, and I thought that it was a 2-mile route. But when I just looked it up again for the purposes of titling this post, it turns out that the route is a bit longer.
Both of my recent runs along this route have been pretty good. I've walked a little, but really worked hard to push myself to keep running when, at other points, I might have stopped. I've quickened my pace just the slightest bit, and even though I'm running faster and harder, I'm much more comfortable and feel more efficient. Overall, the new pace just feels better.
I was thinking last night that if I can push myself to successfully RUN the entire 5k in November (without walking), and if I keep up this new, slightly faster pace, I should easily be able to shave a couple minutes off of my slow, 34-minute time from last year. It's a nice goal.
I've been away from the blog for over a month...because I sort of stopped running for about a month. I'm not quite sure what happened. Some of it, I'm sure, is lack of willpower. You skip one day, and then another, and then before you know it, it's as if you never tried to begin a running program in the first place.
That, and lots of evening meetings. When I have evening meetings, I tend to stay at church through the afternoon, and I don't always come to church equipped with running clothes. I've also had an unusually high number of late-afternoon meetings that bleed into evening meetings, with very little opportunity to run, even if I remembered to bring running clothes. And mornings are pretty much useless. It's dark and I'm sleepy and even if I could manage to pull myself out of bed, I don't like running in the morning anyway. I don't run well when my body isn't fully awake.
We had no Confirmation this past Thursday, and being free on a Thursday afternoon/evening felt so bizarre and liberating that the first thing I wanted to do when I got home in the afternoon was go for a jog. I ran a route that I've run only a couple times before, along a nearby street that is a straight shot down to the next major road. Our neighborhood is full of twisty, short, dead-ending roads, so this particular road is one of very few that actually go through. I ran it on Thursday (it was a little much for me, so I walked a bit, but really tried to push myself to run most of it). And then, after taking the weekend off of running (for no particular reason), I ran the same route again yesterday afternoon.
When last I ran this route, I looked it up on gmaps pedometer, and I thought that it was a 2-mile route. But when I just looked it up again for the purposes of titling this post, it turns out that the route is a bit longer.
Both of my recent runs along this route have been pretty good. I've walked a little, but really worked hard to push myself to keep running when, at other points, I might have stopped. I've quickened my pace just the slightest bit, and even though I'm running faster and harder, I'm much more comfortable and feel more efficient. Overall, the new pace just feels better.
I was thinking last night that if I can push myself to successfully RUN the entire 5k in November (without walking), and if I keep up this new, slightly faster pace, I should easily be able to shave a couple minutes off of my slow, 34-minute time from last year. It's a nice goal.
9.17.2010
Week Two - Summary
It's already Friday and I have yet to post anything this week.
To be honest, when last weekend ended and this one began, I was sure that I was going to quietly abandon my running plan without meaning to. I went Friday, Saturday, and Sunday without running. Friday and Saturday were spent cooking, prepping, and executing a big church potluck dinner. Sunday was Rally Day, which meant that we went back to our fall worship schedule, kicked off Sunday school, and celebrated all afternoon with a big church picnic. I was exhausted on Sunday evening, and could barely rouse myself to eat dinner, let alone try to run.
So then came Monday. It was a quiet enough day, and I managed to get home a little early, so I decided to go for a quick run before I had to pick Matt up from the train. It was a warm day - eighty degrees - and I hate running when it's warm, but I pushed myself to do it anyway. I tried out a new route, a loop this time. Since I hadn't managed to easily run the 1.5 miles prescribed during week one, I decided to repeat week one this week. Ugh. Monday's 1.5 miles was absolutely terrible! It was hot, I was tired and unmotivated, I was still recovering from an exhausting weekend, and I hadn't drunk nearly enough water during the day. So my "run" was pretty much evenly split between running and walking.
Due to some evening meetings and later nights, I didn't run again until Thursday. On Thursday, we at church learned that one of our members - a young, active person with two small kids - was diagnosed with a rare form of treatment-resistant cancer. It was a stressful day for all of us, and so I was glad that I had (again, providentially) brought my running clothes with me to work. I went out running before my evening meeting, and really just ran off my stress. I did a lot of thinking, and let my mind wander to all sorts of life questions. It was praying, in its own way, and with my mind focused on so many other things, I barely noticed my run. I went just over 1.6 miles and didn't bat an eyelash. Running is indeed therapeutic.
Today was kind of a crazy day as well. Being my day off, I made plans to do breakfast and head to the arboretum with my parents. Halfway through breakfast, I got a phone call from church, asking if I could get over to see a member of the congregation who was going in for surgery and pray with her before she went under. So I finished breakfast, scrapped plans to go to the arboretum, ran home and changed, drove over to church to grab a prayer book and some oil, and booked it to the hospital. When I got there, they informed me (and none-too-nicely) that she had gone to surgery earlier than her scheduled time. So, defeated, I headed back home, sad that I had cancelled plans with my parents for what turned out to be no reason. I fretted at home for a while, took a short nap, and then tossed on my running clothes and headed (alone) to the arboretum. My run was short - only around a mile - but with a couple long, steep hills. I might not have gone a great distance, but I definitely worked my butt off. After my run, I changed into non-running clothes and spent a lovely hour wandering around the arboretum with my camera, which is one of my favorite things in the world to do.
So in summary, I've run three days this week (thus far), and seven days out of the last twelve. Hopefully I'll get a run in tomorrow or Sunday, and feel confident enough to increase my distance next week.
To be honest, when last weekend ended and this one began, I was sure that I was going to quietly abandon my running plan without meaning to. I went Friday, Saturday, and Sunday without running. Friday and Saturday were spent cooking, prepping, and executing a big church potluck dinner. Sunday was Rally Day, which meant that we went back to our fall worship schedule, kicked off Sunday school, and celebrated all afternoon with a big church picnic. I was exhausted on Sunday evening, and could barely rouse myself to eat dinner, let alone try to run.
So then came Monday. It was a quiet enough day, and I managed to get home a little early, so I decided to go for a quick run before I had to pick Matt up from the train. It was a warm day - eighty degrees - and I hate running when it's warm, but I pushed myself to do it anyway. I tried out a new route, a loop this time. Since I hadn't managed to easily run the 1.5 miles prescribed during week one, I decided to repeat week one this week. Ugh. Monday's 1.5 miles was absolutely terrible! It was hot, I was tired and unmotivated, I was still recovering from an exhausting weekend, and I hadn't drunk nearly enough water during the day. So my "run" was pretty much evenly split between running and walking.
Due to some evening meetings and later nights, I didn't run again until Thursday. On Thursday, we at church learned that one of our members - a young, active person with two small kids - was diagnosed with a rare form of treatment-resistant cancer. It was a stressful day for all of us, and so I was glad that I had (again, providentially) brought my running clothes with me to work. I went out running before my evening meeting, and really just ran off my stress. I did a lot of thinking, and let my mind wander to all sorts of life questions. It was praying, in its own way, and with my mind focused on so many other things, I barely noticed my run. I went just over 1.6 miles and didn't bat an eyelash. Running is indeed therapeutic.
Today was kind of a crazy day as well. Being my day off, I made plans to do breakfast and head to the arboretum with my parents. Halfway through breakfast, I got a phone call from church, asking if I could get over to see a member of the congregation who was going in for surgery and pray with her before she went under. So I finished breakfast, scrapped plans to go to the arboretum, ran home and changed, drove over to church to grab a prayer book and some oil, and booked it to the hospital. When I got there, they informed me (and none-too-nicely) that she had gone to surgery earlier than her scheduled time. So, defeated, I headed back home, sad that I had cancelled plans with my parents for what turned out to be no reason. I fretted at home for a while, took a short nap, and then tossed on my running clothes and headed (alone) to the arboretum. My run was short - only around a mile - but with a couple long, steep hills. I might not have gone a great distance, but I definitely worked my butt off. After my run, I changed into non-running clothes and spent a lovely hour wandering around the arboretum with my camera, which is one of my favorite things in the world to do.
So in summary, I've run three days this week (thus far), and seven days out of the last twelve. Hopefully I'll get a run in tomorrow or Sunday, and feel confident enough to increase my distance next week.
9.09.2010
Week One, Day Four - 1.5 Miles
I was tired this morning. Definitely didn't get to bed early enough after a long (but good and productive) day yesterday. And am battling some allergies.
But I dragged myself out of bed at 6:15 anyway, pulled on my running shoes, and headed out. It was chilly this morning - hovering a few degrees under 50 - and I briefly considered skipping out and going right back to my warm bed, but I pushed myself to go anyway.
I think it's time for a new or at least a revised route for me. The there-and-back model of my route gives me too good of an excuse to take a break and walk at the turnaround point. So we'll see if I can play with the gmaps pedometer and find a route that is a loop instead.
That's about it for today. Not a great run, not a terrible run. We'll see how the next couple days go - I might be repeating week one of my 5k training if things don't get markedly better. I really want to master this distance before moving on...it can only help things.
But I dragged myself out of bed at 6:15 anyway, pulled on my running shoes, and headed out. It was chilly this morning - hovering a few degrees under 50 - and I briefly considered skipping out and going right back to my warm bed, but I pushed myself to go anyway.
I think it's time for a new or at least a revised route for me. The there-and-back model of my route gives me too good of an excuse to take a break and walk at the turnaround point. So we'll see if I can play with the gmaps pedometer and find a route that is a loop instead.
That's about it for today. Not a great run, not a terrible run. We'll see how the next couple days go - I might be repeating week one of my 5k training if things don't get markedly better. I really want to master this distance before moving on...it can only help things.
9.08.2010
Week One, Day Three - 2.02 Miles
Let's be perfectly clear here: I did not intend to run 2 miles today. I intended to use today, my "rest" day, to do a light jog if I had time for it - something around a mile or so. And only if I got around to it.
This weekend is when our fall schedule and programming kick off here at church. And so as we creep closer and closer to this weekend, I find myself being more productive during the days (out of desperation, probably), and yet find myself feeling more stressed in the evenings, even as I cross more things off of my to-do list.
And so, by 5pm today, I was feeling a little more anxious than I wanted, and grateful that I had decided to bring my running clothes with me to church. I decided to go on a quick jog before my 6:30 meeting tonight. I looked up a route along the streets behind church, and even though I had really only wanted to do a mile, there was an easy-to-remember route that would take me 1.5 miles instead. So I went for it.
I made it to my halfway point, turned around, and started heading back toward church. I approached the intersection of my street and another street that I had run on a few months back. Turning onto this new street would surely increase my distance, and I was already feeling a little tired and frustrated. I had already walked part of a block, and didn't really think that I'd be any good at running any farther.
And yet, I felt completely drawn to turn. So, for reasons bigger than my own mind can figure out, I turned down this street, knowingly extending my run, but feeling like there was some reason to have turned nonetheless. I got about halfway down the street, when I noticed two boys walking down the middle of the street with pamphlets in their hands. It was one of my confirmation kids and his friends, who were going door-to-door selling magazines for school! I love all the youth that I work with, so it was great and fun and funny to see one of them! I'm sure that I startled him a little...me, his pastor, out running near his house, all red and sweaty and gross. Haha.
I continued along, and another block up, I ran into two of my good friends from church, who also live in the area! And so I stopped and talked to them for a bit. When I finally continued my run and finished my new route back to church, I realized that not only was running itself going to be the cure for some of my stress, but that it was also energizing and life-giving to see people whom I love and whom I love to serve.
There's a reason I chose to bring my running clothes to church today. And a reason that I left for my run a little later than I had wanted. And a reason that I turned on West instead of continuing on my route. 2 miles was definitely worth the effort today!
This weekend is when our fall schedule and programming kick off here at church. And so as we creep closer and closer to this weekend, I find myself being more productive during the days (out of desperation, probably), and yet find myself feeling more stressed in the evenings, even as I cross more things off of my to-do list.
And so, by 5pm today, I was feeling a little more anxious than I wanted, and grateful that I had decided to bring my running clothes with me to church. I decided to go on a quick jog before my 6:30 meeting tonight. I looked up a route along the streets behind church, and even though I had really only wanted to do a mile, there was an easy-to-remember route that would take me 1.5 miles instead. So I went for it.
I made it to my halfway point, turned around, and started heading back toward church. I approached the intersection of my street and another street that I had run on a few months back. Turning onto this new street would surely increase my distance, and I was already feeling a little tired and frustrated. I had already walked part of a block, and didn't really think that I'd be any good at running any farther.
And yet, I felt completely drawn to turn. So, for reasons bigger than my own mind can figure out, I turned down this street, knowingly extending my run, but feeling like there was some reason to have turned nonetheless. I got about halfway down the street, when I noticed two boys walking down the middle of the street with pamphlets in their hands. It was one of my confirmation kids and his friends, who were going door-to-door selling magazines for school! I love all the youth that I work with, so it was great and fun and funny to see one of them! I'm sure that I startled him a little...me, his pastor, out running near his house, all red and sweaty and gross. Haha.
I continued along, and another block up, I ran into two of my good friends from church, who also live in the area! And so I stopped and talked to them for a bit. When I finally continued my run and finished my new route back to church, I realized that not only was running itself going to be the cure for some of my stress, but that it was also energizing and life-giving to see people whom I love and whom I love to serve.
There's a reason I chose to bring my running clothes to church today. And a reason that I left for my run a little later than I had wanted. And a reason that I turned on West instead of continuing on my route. 2 miles was definitely worth the effort today!
9.07.2010
Week One, Day Two - 1.5 Miles
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| Still smiling on day 2! |
But, given the fact that I have evening meetings most nights of the week, morning running it is!
This morning's run was better than yesterday's run. I paced myself better, and felt generally stronger during both the first half of the run and especially the last quarter mile or so. I still gave up and walked a short time, so I need to keep working on my stamina.
Part of the problem, I think, is that while I picked an easy there-and-back route, along familiar road that has a great biking/walking path running alongside...it is also a route that is downhill all the way from home to my turnaround point, and then uphill all the way back. So the front half of my run always feels easier than it should, and the back half feels harder than it should. But this, too, should get better with time and practice.
9.06.2010
Week One, Day One - 1.5 Miles
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| Frustrated, but smiling! |
It's been a long time since last I ran, so I pretty much figured today would be humbling. I threw some Ben Folds into my ipod and headed out. I'm not sure if it was the music, my desire to get this run over with, or my overoptimistic assessment of my current level of fitness, but I bolted down the street at a crazy pace. I knew it was stupid, but I pretended not to care.
This means that when I hit my half-way turnaround point, I was exhausted. I did way more walking on the way back than I had intended to do, which made me feel pretty lame. Note to self: tomorrow, remember that you are a slow runner, and that you'll do much better if you don't kill yourself on the first half.
I got home feeling hot, tired, and frustrated. Ugh. I am quite out of shape. But at least things can only look up from here!
The history
Anyone who knows me knows that I've been trying to turn myself into a runner for something like 10 years now. The truth is that I have never grown to love running, no matter how hard I've tried. But I have gotten to points in life where I have liked it, and so I feel confident that if I can get myself back to liking it and then stay committed, I will eventually love it.
The problem is that I'm terrible with sticking to it. I've run three 5k races in my lifetime. Well, let's be honest. I've run/walked three 5k races:
For each of those races, I did some quick crash training in the month or so beforehand - enough training to survive a 5k, but not enough to create a habit of running.
So last week, I realized that it is now September, and that means fall is pretty much here, which means that the Naperville Turkey Trot is looming in the distance. I did it last year - mostly running, a bit of walking - and I plan on doing it again this year. My goal is to train well for it so that I can run the whole thing. So no two-week crash-course training for me this year. Eight weeks to build me up to the 5k distance, leaving me another three or so weeks to keep running at that 5k distance before the race. If I can stick to the plan and stay dedicated, I really believe I can be in good shape for the race, and hopefully have created a good running pattern for myself.
So my adventures in plodding along begin (yet again)...
The problem is that I'm terrible with sticking to it. I've run three 5k races in my lifetime. Well, let's be honest. I've run/walked three 5k races:
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| St. Olaf College Homecoming 5k - September 2008 |
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| St. Olaf College Homecoming 5k - October 2009 |
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| Naperville Turkey Trot 5k - November 2009 |
For each of those races, I did some quick crash training in the month or so beforehand - enough training to survive a 5k, but not enough to create a habit of running.
So last week, I realized that it is now September, and that means fall is pretty much here, which means that the Naperville Turkey Trot is looming in the distance. I did it last year - mostly running, a bit of walking - and I plan on doing it again this year. My goal is to train well for it so that I can run the whole thing. So no two-week crash-course training for me this year. Eight weeks to build me up to the 5k distance, leaving me another three or so weeks to keep running at that 5k distance before the race. If I can stick to the plan and stay dedicated, I really believe I can be in good shape for the race, and hopefully have created a good running pattern for myself.
So my adventures in plodding along begin (yet again)...
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