Quick Mile

I ran today with Laura in the jogging stroller and we all nearly got blown over by the wind! Even with her jacket and blanket, Laura said she was freezing so I knew I had to be quick. I decided to try a 'fast' mile so that I at least felt like I accomplished something. I really was pushing myself hard the whole time, and was pleased to get a mile done in 9:14. Since that was with 35+ pounds of kid and stroller, I think that's pretty darn good.

I definitely couldn't have run another step once I finished, so don't be looking for that as my pace anytime soon. But it's good to know I can do it! Kind of tempted to do another mile sometime next week with just Moxie and see if I can get even lower. Although for all I know, today could have been a fluke and maybe I shouldn't push my luck!

One Week Later

Luckily I can still run after taking a week off! I don't think it helped that I did the 30 Day Shred yesterday and have thighs that are currently so sore I can barely walk down the stairs. My knee felt okay-started out great and at about 1/2 mile it spoke up, just to say, "Hey, remember me? Your knee that hurts sometimes?" I told it that I remembered and kept on going. Maybe it just wanted acknowledgment or something. Made it to 1.25 miles and stopped to walk and stretch and finished out at 2 miles. Not my best ever but glad that 2 miles now seems to be what I do as a minimum. It was really cold today, about 34 degrees and the wind was just ridiculous. Surprised I was able to keep up a decent pace. Overall was 10:01.

Was chased by that stupid miniature pincher again, and once again the owner was outside and did nothing-not even a half-hearted attempt to call the dog back. The more nonchalant they act, the less guilty I'm going to feel one day when I snap and call animal control. I wish we had running trails here where I could run without nearly being run over by cars or chased by loose dogs.

Running Without Moxie

Moxie is off getting a bath today and I decided to carry on without her. It feels SO weird not holding a leash in my hand, and as odd as it sounds, I almost felt off-balance or something. Not like I enjoy always reeling her back in when we run, but I'm definitely used to it. Sadly I didn't manage to go much faster, so my theory of her holding me back isn't true. It was so windy again today, and my left knee is still bothering me-although not enough to get me to stop running!

I ran until 1.75 miles and stopped to walk and stretch, probably for a total of 2 minutes this time. Usually I don't stop for so long, but I wanted to go put my gloves back on the porch. It was definitely hard starting back up again after such a "long" break! I finished out at 2.35 miles and did it in the same time as Wednesday (23:18). My pace was 9:54 which is all thanks to the second part of my run. My pace up until I stopped was hovering around 10:05 but I managed to kick it up a notch for the last .6 miles. Still, it looks good on paper, so I'm not complaining.

Finally Passed 2 Miles

Today I was finally able to push past that 2 mile mark. It was insanely windy, and it's always a bad sign when no matter what direction you run, you're running into the wind. I love seeing Moxie's fur get blown back by the wind, it makes her look so funny and provides a much needed diversion while I run. I don't however enjoy how much I get blown around by the wind. It's funny when it happens to Moxie, but not to me!

I ran 1.75 miles and walked for about a minute and then finished out at 2.31 miles. That was enough to make me happy, and with the wind, an overall pace of 10:06 really thrilled me. It took just over 23 minutes. Can't wait to keep (slowly) increasing my miles.

Running Out Of Titles

It's hard to think up titles when you seem to do the same run day after day. I did like that I got a tiny pun in there though, about running. Ha ha. Anyway, I did 2 miles again without walking. I had planned on stopping to walk at about 1.75 miles and then trying to do an extra 1/2 mile to bump up my mileage, but something told me if I stopped all I was going to be able to manage was an extra 1/4 mile, and I'd rather do 2 straight than walk with 1/4 mile left. So that's what I did. Maybe I can do some extra mileage next time. We'll see.

Today it took me 20:21 which was a 10:09 pace. I'm okay with that. It was pretty windy and when I attempted to do a last little sprint at the end (something drilled into me when I was a kid doing track and field) I basically went nowhere because it was so windy. It was definitely a pathetic sprint.

The Truth Hurts

I've been in denial to myself that my left knee hurts, but it definitely does. Luckily it's not bad at all, just persistent. I took Wednesday off from running due to our incredible wind. Downed trees everywhere and debris like you wouldn't believe...not to mention Moxie almost got blown away in the backyard! I also skipped my 30 Day Shred yesterday since we were gone all day, so I had hoped that giving my knee a rest would clear things up. Not totally, but it did help. I'm also making a point to run with traffic in a few less traveled parts of the neighborhood, to hopefully even out the impact on my knees.

Knee issues aside, this was one of my worst runs in a while. The distance and time were fine, I just felt so awful. Usually if I feel crummy I can power through and will feel okay once I stop, but this time just walking back to the house took all of my effort. My breathing was awful and my stomach was not feeling so great. At least I managed to finish, and I didn't do any walking breaks today. Maybe that was the problem.

20:35, 2 miles even. 10:18 pace.

2 Miles Exactly

Maybe I'm just not ready yet for running two days in a row. Moxie and I set out this morning and immediately I felt exhausted. My lungs felt tight, and my legs were tired and sore. Made it to 1.25 miles and walked for about a minute. Finished out at 2 miles exactly. Funny that just a few days ago I was saying I couldn't stop to walk...it seems to have become a habit already. All I could think during the first leg was, "Just make it to the stop sign and you can walk". I think that's all that got me through the first part of the run. Definitely couldn't have done 2 miles if I hadn't taken that break. I wonder if this will be something I do all the time. I don't really mind, although I do want to get to the point where I can run several miles without stopping for any breaks. Not sure why that is so important to me....

This Run Takes The Cake

So today will go down in history as my closest call yet while running. It's a beautiful, clear day and after all of our rain it was great to go out. I had Laura in the jogging stroller and Moxie on my right, going against traffic as usual. I was still doing my warm up walk and was walking up a small hill near our house when I heard a loud noise behind me. I looked back to see two cars flying up behind me, driving next to each other! I guess they were racing each other or something. The one coming up behind me was an SUV and the driver slammed on his brakes and was able to stop in time (obviously).

I had a few choice words for him, although being the sweet innocent thing I am, I don't think any of them were curse words. He just sat there laughing at me which was just infuriating! I did my run and wouldn't you know it, ran past the house he was parked at. I memorized his license plate and when I got home called the non-emergency sheriff's number to report it. The bad part is that the operator transferred me to 911 (huh?) and I had to give a full report including all of my info. I requested that my information not be revealed should this person be found, but the operator didn't inspire much confidence that that will happen.

So now, in payment for reporting the fact that I almost got squished today, I get the unsettling feeling of wondering if crazy people are about to find out that I narced on them and get my address. What a great run!

PS. 1.51 miles in 15:28. 10:18 pace. Stopped to walk at 1.25 miles for about 45 seconds.

Rainy Day

The rain is coming down hard and I felt absolutely no desire to go in search of a treadmill today. Instead I did day 6 of the 30 Day Shred. At least it was some cardio and strength. It doesn't seem to be getting much easier, although I did notice I was able to go a bit deeper into the lunges than I had been, and the whole workout didn't seem to drag on quite as long as usual. The bummer is that my weight just keeps going up. I know the number shouldn't matter, as long as you're fit, but I don't really notice a difference in my overall fitness yet, and seeing those numbers keep rising is hard.

My goal is to do days 7 and 8 this weekend, and keep my fingers crossed that I can go back to running on Monday.

To Walk Or Not To Walk

I usually don't do walking breaks while running, only because once I stop to walk, I can never start again. Today I gave it a shot though. I ran 1.25 miles and had quite a stitch in my side, so I stopped and walked for about a minute. I also stretched my calves a bit (or at least I tried to stretch them) and then I started back running. It was really hard the first minute or so-my legs were resisting every step! But I ended up going .8 more, so that was great. My total time was 20:42 with a 10:05 pace (2.05 miles) which I was very pleased with.

Here's a question though-when you stop to walk, do you stop your watch? I did, mostly because I didn't want my overall pace dropping (silly, I know) but I also didn't want the time or distance to count either. I don't start my watch during my workout until my running has started, and I know some people who start their watch right away, and include the warm up walk. I guess it's up the individual.

I forgot to add that I'm still doing the 30 Day Shred! Yesterday was day 5 and it's as hard as ever. I really like it though-it's a hard workout and I can tell it is already starting to change my body.

Sweet Relief

Our weekend was full of snow and ice, and therefore, no runs. Our yard was covered in ice the entire time, so I couldn't even send the dog and daughter outside to play. 48 hours of the 3 of us trapped in the house...it's a miracle we all survived. School was canceled today but the roads were clear, so the three of us were able to head out for a run. I don't know if I'm just that out of shape or if Laura is really getting heavier, but pushing her in the jogging stroller is just murder these days.

There were actually a lot of people out walking their dogs so Moxie was pulling a lot. One of our old "friends", a yippy white dog named Max came tearing out of his front yard to try to bite Moxie again. No wonder Moxie likes big dogs so much-it seems like the tiny ones are always after her! The same teenage/20 something kid from last time chased the dog down (all while keeping his cigarette in his mouth) and did apologize. I really wasn't feeling very sympathetic and yelled that his dog was vicious, which in retrospect was probably the wrong thing to say. It's true, the dog is vicious, but that probably only made the kid laugh. I should have said something about calling animal control if his dog tries to bite mine again, but I was too winded to think properly.

Anyway, we made it home, despite being chased later in the run by a miniature pincher. I was happy to even have done a mile, so doing 1.26 in just 12:32 felt like quite a victory. A 9:55 pace with the stroller is pretty good indeed. And at the end of the walk, we saw our doggie friend Chloe (a boxer/pit bull mix) who is such a sweet dog. She and Moxie greeted each other and I got to talk to a grown up for a few minutes. Sweet relief, indeed.