Loving 2012!

Well so far this year has been pretty awesome, and it's only 9 days in.  My New Year's Resolutions are numerous, but they are more like goals than resolutions.  To start, and I'm sure you would have never guessed this one, I am going to run my first half marathon (shock and awe!).  I am also going to graduate with my Master's degree (hopefully with a 4.0?!), start learning another language (maybe Russian, maybe Arabic, maybe French), and try to do some yoga at least once a week.  I also have smaller resolutions, like never go to bed with dishes in the sink (my hubby saved me on that one the other night when I went to bed at 8:00pm), and take care of my teeth more (read: go to the dentist...you know, the doctor you haven't seen in a few years!).

Well all that being said, I've done pretty well so far.  Not to mention, I have a NYC trip planned with my sister in law/best friend in March! I can't wait to have a "sissy" weekend. I've also (finally) started making some pretty awesome friendships, thanks to me new job, which has me super excited to see what else 2012 has in store for me.  The hubs and I have promised to "do" more, meaning not just go home after work, do school work, pass out, and repeat.  We went to trivia night on Friday and it was fun (we got 2nd place with the help of two friendlies!) so we hope to keep that a tradition.  We also want to do some snowboarding, camping, and just finally getting ourselves into living in Boston.  We've been here 1 1/2 years but for some reason just now feel like we're getting into a groove.

As for running, I had my first (!!) run in self-training on Sunday.  We went to the Minuteman Bike Path which runs from Cambridge to Bedford, MA.  We ran a little stretch in Arlington and I really liked it!  I downloaded Bridge210K (bridge to 10k) right after I did my second 5k in October and decided to start my new training on half way through the program.  Week 5 of the program called for 9 minutes of running followed by 1 minute of walking (repeat 4 times).  I ended up going 3.28 miles during that time, which I was stoked about!  To be honest, I haven't been running consistently AT ALL since about September (maybe even August!? gasp!), so I was really surprised at how fast my body bounced back and remembered how to run.   That being said, I am pretty dang sore today, but it feels good knowing I actually did something.  This was also my first winter run, which brings me to a little tutorial in winter running.

If (as I hope), I have inspired any of my Boston friends to start running, here are some things I think are absolutely necessary!:

#1. Running tights.  If you are comfortable enough in them to wear sans pants, great! I did it yesterday and felt WARM in 35 degree weather.  However, I am sure I will feel the need to add layers/pants as it gets colder, and there are definitely people who wear them under pants all the time anyway- especially men (like my hubby).

I got mine at East Bay for Christmas and I am about to order about 4 more pairs.

#2. Running gloves!  It takes a while to get the blood pumping to your hands, and they get really cold easily.  I actually had to take mine off about 10 minutes into my run yesterday, but it was nice to have them while I was warming up.  As it gets colder, or windier (is that a word?), I will definitely need them more often.  Again, East Bay has a good selection and a lot of time they are on sale.  

#3- Wicking running shirt- I LOVE mine.  It's not quite the same as above, as mine doesn't have the neck part, but I don't think I would have been able to run yesterday without it.  It's not really flattering and shows even a morsel of fat, but I promise no one cares.  And if you care, you can always put a wind breaker jacket over it- it's a super twofer! 

And my favorite, absolutely necessity is....

#4- Running hat! Again, a Christmas gift, and probably one of the best things I got from Santa (Mr. C- it works!).  When I run, even in mild temperatures, my ears get SO COLD, which causes them to be physically painful to the point where I sometimes have to cut in early.  This was a lifesaver yesterday and I will absolutely have to wear it well into Spring time here in Boston.  There is a hole in the back for my ponytail, which is great, and I never felt overly hot in it, which I was worried out.

I have a few other things I think are important, but those are some things I really think anyone who wants to try winter/fall/spring running should have.  It's not enough to just put extra layers on- you definitely need material that will get the sweat off of your body and evaporate it- instead of being a soggy-freezing mess! 

I start my next semester of grad school today, so I hope to keep up the posts as much as possible.  My next run is scheduled for Wednesday! Until next time!

-A

Yikes

Wow- it has been a LONG time since I blogged...5 months?!  Bad blogger!  Well I now reemerge and not just because of a New Year's Resolution.  I have signed up for my very first 1/2 marathon with Team in Training! I don't start group training until February but will be getting out there by myself for a little while to make sure I'm ready.

For those of you who read this thing (echooo- are you thereeee?), here is my fundraising page with Team in Training.  Please consider donating to the cause and supporting me along the way to my first 1/2.

I promise I will post more about my training as I start (hopefully tomorrow!).

Confessions of a Honeymooner

I hate to say it, but it has been a while since I've ran.  A while being 3 weeks...yikes!  I am signed up for two 5ks in October but since I've already done one, I have been realizing that it is not enough motivation for me.  So I just signed up for my first 10k on November 6th.  I start training tomorrow and will be able to update more and more as it goes on.

That being said one of the reasons I haven't been running (besides sheer laziness) is that I just got back from a delayed honeymoon.  It was actually our one year anniversary of being married but we never took a honeymoon after the wedding so we took a week off and went to Quebec City and Montreal, Canada.  Such an amazing country! If you ever get the chance to go to Quebec City- do it! It is just like Europe and has great French culture influence.  I wish we had stayed there longer than the two days that we did.  Instead, we headed to Montreal, about three hours away.  Montreal is a fun city but since we live in Boston, I feel like we were a little disappointed.  While there though, we got to see The Lion King Broadway tour that was coming through Montreal, we "hiked" up Mount Royal, we rented bikes and cycled through the outskirts of the city, went to the Botanical Gardens (one of my favorite parts of the whole trip) and just spent a lot of time exploring.  I'll update more with pictures and stories, but for now I am going to cuddle with the two pups I missed so much and enjoy being home!

C25K- I did it, so can you!

I have had a lot of people ask me about how I started running.  No one, not even my mom,  is as surprised as I am that I now love running.  I was never very active, besides dance class and a sad little dabble in junior varsity basketball my sophomore year in high school (we were 0-13 by the way).  Anyway...

I have always wanted to be a runner, but literally could not run a block, or so I thought.  Long story short- I joined an online community called The Nest (the Knot for married folk) and I started reading the Health and Fitness community boards.  So many of the women on there had started running with C25K and were already running half marathons and even marathons.  I decided to give it a try and began Couch to 5k- a nine week program that slowly gets your body used to running and works you up to running your first 5k.  Most people who have followed my journey have asked if they could do it.  My answer? ANYONE can do it.  I truly believe that anyone, fat, skinny, old, young, injury prone, lazy boned...anyone can run.  It is 100% (ok, maybe 98%) mind over matter.  To prove my point, at least in my case, let's take a look at my first plea for help on The Nest- I wrote this on April 1st:

I'm a lurker that needs some serious help with running.

I want to run.  I envy people when I see them running.  I just can't.  I once ran .5 (as in 1/2) a mile and thought I had just finished a marathon (I literally threw up my arms on the treadmill and screamed out "WAHOO!"...needless to say the guy on the treadmill next to me got a good chuckle). 

I can't BREATHE when I run- I literally cough and gasp for air for about 10 minutes after running a block.  I have tried an inhaler when my doctor thought I might have exercise induced asthma (years ago) but I don't remember that helping all too much.  I have looked at the C25K program, and even running for 2 minutes straight seems like I would pass out from it. 

 I'm not overweight (that is NOT to say I am in shape, however). I weigh 130 and I am 5'6"- I don't eat terribly bad (but not as healthy as I could, either).

Am I alone or are there other people who started like this, too?  Is there hope for me or should I just accept that I will never be a runner?

The friendly strangers' responses were some of the best advice I have received up to date with running.  They told me to SLOW down.  When I finally got the courage to try the program, I ran consciously way slower than I wanted to.  Previously, I ran WAY too fast- I ran how I thought I should run, i.e.- how other people ran (aka WAY TOO FAST for me!).  I slowed way way down, and started jogging slower than a snail.  Almost literally.  I had 80 year old men passing me as I ran for only 2 minutes straight.

But I kept at it.  My husband (we'll call him Mr. C for the purpose of this blog) was training for a half marathon, but that did not stop him from running every single day by my side.  Even when it was just two minutes at a time, he would make me feel like I was running the biggest race of my life.

Five weeks into the program, I wrote this on The Nest:

I DID IT! Remember me?  The girl who couldn't run a block without dying?  I just ran for 20 minutes straight.  It also happened to me my first mile.  Ever.  Even in grade school, I walked the mile.  I ran as slow as I could so I could control my breathing but I ended up running 1.67 miles.  And I could have gone further. EEKK!

I don't think words can describe how I felt after that first mile.  Mr. C. was wearing the GPS running monitor I bought him for his birthday, and the second I hit the one mile mark for the first time in my life he grabbed my arm and announced to anyone who would listen that HIS WIFE (me!!) ran an entire mile.  And then?  I kept going.   Now if you are any good at math, you will realize that I was running a 12 minute pace.  For most people, that is slow.  But, I didn't care one single bit.  And you know what?  The speed came, eventually (and when I say speed I don't mean an 8 minute mile- we're talking holding steady around a 10 minute mile- but that's fast- for me!).

I don't want to get too much into the actual 5k I ran in July- because I will do a total race recap later on.  But I did end up running my 5k just a few days after finishing the C25K program.  And I ran it in 32 minutes.  I ran three miles, without walking ONE step, and I ran it at 10:19 pace.

So the moral of the story is if you have ever wanted to run, start with C25K.  I mean it- YOU can do it.  YOU can run.  If I can, anyone can.  It won't be easy.  There were days I wanted to quit so bad but I had the good fortune to have a great support system to keep pushing me.  Motivation is overrated.  Just do it (thanks, Nike).

And to finish out my first real blog post- here is a picture that proves just how not easy my first 5k was.  Take a look at this beaut:

Now off to train for my first half marathon! (Did I mention runners have short term memory?  We don't remember the pain or the tears- just the glory!)

Holy blog!

Well, here goes nothing! My first ever blog post! I decided to start one because a lot of friends and family have been asking about my success with couch to 5k (C25K) and my continuing love of running and all things fit.  As I get more comfortable with the set up I will be writing about my training toward my first half marathon (yikes!) and just my life ramblings in general.  Feel free to ask questions, send feed back or just say hello!


Thanks for stopping by!


A.