Sunday's Stroll

I had a nice four-mile walk today. It took me a while to get there and then I wanted to quit after walking two miles. I reminded myself why I was doing this. I want to run my next 5K nonstop. I want to participate in the Peachtree Road Race next year. I am not going to reach my goals by sitting on the sofa surfing the Internet. I am going to have to walk (and run) more than two miles to get across those finish lines.

There was no reason to stop. I wasn't tired. I wasn't in pain. I just didn't feel like doing it. So for this coming week part of my training plan is to spend each day visualizing myself running in the Big Pumpkin 5K. I still need to take a drive and check out the route. Perhaps I will do so after I write this blog. :)

I Can Do This!

Today was a good day. I needed to have this run without any walk breaks. I was starting to have huge doubts that I could run. I have been doing much better with my hydration. In fact, yesterday during my four-mile walk I thought my bladder was going to burst. I had to walk another mile before getting to the restrooms. It was not cute. I managed to get some restful sleep last night so this helped too.

I really need to focus on not worrying about what other thinks. I go through the same mental scenario. I’m too slow…. I’m too fat…. This is crazy…. While I know I need to work on the physical, improving my endurance and form. I also need to work on the mental aspects of running. I need to keep the negative self-talk at bay.

All in all it was a great week. I lifted weights twice this week and I complete my three runs. Consistency is going to get me across that finish line!

Thirsty Thursday

Tonight’s run sucked! I was not happy at all. Within the first five minutes, I was taking a walk break. I am becoming more accepting that walk breaks are supportive of my running goals. I just do not understand why I am having such a hard time lately running nonstop. I’ve done it before.

More than anything I think it has to do with inadequate sleep and hydration. Even though I have been going to bed at a decent hour, I still find it hard to fall asleep until 11 or midnight. Tonight I plan to meditate for 15 minutes before going to bed. Hopefully, this will help.

I also need to do better with my hydration. Today I took a look at my pee. It’s way too yellow. I would say I was about a 4. Not too bad, but not good either.

I’m not good with drinking plain water consistently and I do not like putting a bunch of artificial sweeteners in my water. I’ve tried lemons and limes. This last for a couple of days and then I’m bored with it. Today when I was at Whole Foods I picked up some packets of Ultima Replenisher. I’ve had it before. It was pretty good. I feel comfortable drinking more than one packet of this a day before it doesn’t have any artificial junk in it. I think I’m going to get a large container tomorrow.


I also think I need to push myself more to build my endurance. Tomorrow I plan to walk four miles. The Elliptical is great exercise but I’m thinking my primarily cross-training activity should be walking. I have actually one month until the Big Pumpkin 5K and I’m feeling a little nervous….

On another note, I saw buzz on Twitter about FitBloggin’ being in Savannah next year. Since it’s only a six hour drive for me, I really should go. I mean I lurk on quite of few blogs and it would be nice to meet some of the people I follow.

Workout Wednesday

Today was supposed to be a run day. It's been raining all day. I haven't worked up the courage to run in the rain. I debated about completing my run on the treadmill. I decided against it. I've been doing so well. My knees don't do so well on the treadmill, even when I'm walking for more than a few minutes.

I decided I'd do weights and the Elliptical and pray it doesn't rain tomorrow. I was so sore yesterday. I felt pretty good until about 2 pm and then DOMS set in. I need to be more diligent about stretching and using my foam roller. This is one of the reasons why I'm not consistent about lifting weeks. So, I'm going to do my best to keep up with the twice a week routine, maybe add another day.

One of my Facebook friends posted something about a class she will be teaching. It starts October 3 and will run through the end of the year. Supposedly, this is the last 90 days of the year. This has me thinking about what I can accomplish for the last 90 days of the year. Well, I have three 5Ks planned. I plan to be more consistent with meal prep. If possible, I may take additional swim lessons.

During my ride from the gym I started thinking about what I'm going to do about running throughout the winter. I really do not like running on the treadmill. I guess I need to figure out what it is about my form or shoes or whatever it is that causing my knee to hurt after running on a treadmill.

I have one month until the Big Pumpkin 5K. I am starting to get nervous. I am not going to doubt myself. I am going to keep on working out. As long as I have done my best to prepare, this is all I can ask of myself, right?

Bulu Box and Other Products

I did something very spontaneous this morning. I signed up for a subscription of Bulu Box. Right now they're having a 50% off sale. I signed up to a six-month subscription for $30 -- that's $5 a box! It was such a great deal I couldn't pass it up. I've seen reviews here and there on blogs and YouTube. I also figure that the stuff I don't use I can save and create a goodie box for my brother.

Speaking of trying out products, I purchased some tart cherry juice. Running While Chunky mentioned it on her blog so I had to try it. I was pretty good but way too sweet for my taste. I started adding water to it. I was worried about it being too sugary and spiking my blood sugar. Fortunately, my local Whole Foods starting selling the light version. So I was pretty happy about that. The main reason I wanted to try tart cherry juice is because it is suppose to have anti-inflammatory properties. We'll see....

A few weeks ago I also grabbed a tube of nuun. This was the same day I purchased that pepper spray. Now, it has been sitting on my dining room table. Someone I follow on Twitter mentioned it. I don't even remember what she said about it. I guess I'll give it a try one of these days.

I'm not one for taking a bunch of pills and supplements. I just decided to try all this stuff out of curiosity. I figure it can't hurt and it might help.

Motivational Monday

Today was strength training day. My goal is to lift weights at least twice a week. For the past two weeks, I have only lifted once a week. As much as I love lifting weights, I don't like the feeling the next day. I think I'm overdoing it so I tried to take it a bit easy today. I really need to create a plan and stick to it.

I also did 35 minutes on the Elliptical and a 10-minute cool down on the stationary bike. I feel pretty good.

Tomorrow I'm going for a four-mile walk. I want to make sure I keep up my cardio endurance. My 5K is a month away!

#RunChat

For the past few Sundays I am been lurking on Twitter's #RunChat. Not much to say about it. I do try to find beginning runners to follow. Today while running, I notice a woman ahead of me who was running at my pace. I really wanted to caught up to her and have a chat. There are days I wish I had someone to run with. The only people I know who run are way too fast for me. They were be totally bored running at my pace. It would be more like fast walking for them.

Today's run was not so great. I had to take walk breaks but I finished. It was a great reminder that I need to get proper rest and eat properly..