Muggy summer runnin'

As promised, I will be sharing my initial measurements going into my half marathon training for the second time.  From head to toe, drum roll please...

Neck = 13.25"

Upper arms = 11.5"

Chest = 38.75"

Upper rib cage = 35"

Waist = 33.5"

Hips = 41.5"

Thighs = 25.75"

Calves = 16"

Weight = 167.6 lb

Size = 8-10

I'm far from Sir-Mix-A-Lot's dream lady, but whatever.

Thanks to my mom for helping me awkwardly take all of these measurements!  Some things I'm hoping to improve upon are shrinking my arms, thighs, and hips since these appear to be the least toned.  I know the last time I was training, I was down to 150 lbs, but really, I'm trying not to focus on the weight, but rather how fit I feel and toning of my body (which I hope that's how EVERYONE feels about fitness).  Muscle weighs more than fat anyway folks!

Today was my first legitimate Saturday run which consisted of 3 miles.   Since I've been sporadically running this distance with my "regular" workout routine prior to this, I wasn't terribly worried about it.  I was hoping to increase my speed to under a 11 min/mile, but unfortunately my body had other plans in mind.  I went to the Madison farmers market earlier this morning and was not patient enough to wait for my "ultra healthy" blackberry scone to digest a bit more before tackling the run.  

I had a side stitch for the first mile and a half, but once I conquered my breathing strategy, I was able to finish strong enough to cut off a minute off my original pace.

I'm actually rather proud that my boyfriend and I had to go out to eat before a party tonight, and I stuck to my guns and got the chicken cashew salad with fat free raspberry vinaigrette.  I think focusing on the little accomplishments is what's important.  Looking forward to a night of drinking and running a 4 mile hangover cure Sunday morning.  I'm hoping to try a new healthy recipe this next week and post how it goes.  Stay tuned!

Getting the running gears greased up

Since I last blogged I've been a bit of a lazy bum unfortunately.  Apparently there's been a summer cold going around and I just had to catch it.  Seriously, wtf.

Today I finally felt up to par enough to get back on my training schedule and keep up with my race preparation.  I was at a bit of a time crunch since I wanted to put in an extra hour at work (to make up for taking sick time on Tuesday) and I had a newbie dinner with an executive of my company at 6pm.  Instead of skipping my workout and pigging out on free and yummy food, I decided to push myself and run the fastest 5K I could.

The result?  I ran with an 11:36 minute/mile, which wasn't my fastest, but was still challenging after a few days of sickness.  I actually ran faster (11:03) the previous Friday in Lodi with more hills, not on a treadmill, which I thought was strange.

I decided to take a picture of my sweaty self before madly dashing to dinner, so here ya go:

Cotton makes workouts look WAY more impressive/sweaty.

I also decided to finally mark up the ol' calendar with my training regimen.  I'm a bit further along than I "should" be according to "The Non Runner's Marathon Guide For Women", but I'm viewing this as a good thing; allowing me to focus on speed the second time around.  Tomorrow is a rest day (which I might cross train for since I skipped so many days earlier this week) and I have a 3 mile run on Saturday.  Hopefully I can push for under an 11 min/mile!

I'm hoping to take some measurements before my next blog and record those so I can let the cyber world know my physiological changes as well as my physical accomplishments during this journey.  So... don't judge ;)

Back on the bandwagon!

Well hello again my digital brothas and sistas!

Long time no see!  I have been looking at my last postings, and I realized I have not posted since the beginning of my final year in college.  A LOT has changed since then, but one thing apparently hasn't... my will to run and tell the world-wide-web about it.

I did indeed graduate from UW-Madison with my geological/geophysics & geoscience degree in May 2014 AND found myself a big girl job.  After hours upon hours of resume sending and mostly digital rejection, I got a position as an environmental scientist with Ayres Associates in Madison, WI.  I am lucky enough to work with engineers and geologists and it's pretty neat using my 6 years of knowledge I've acquired.  I have a wonderful new boyfriend that I adore and am currently looking at apartments closer to work that I can afford with all the college debt I now owe.

Anyway, now that I'm in the grown up world, it will be a different experience training for ANOTHER half marathon in October :)  My first half marathon went splendid if I do say so myself.  I did acquire the good ol' runners toe on my left foot which I am STILL covering with nail polish for the summer flip-flop months.  The half marathon was challenging, but it was rewarding and it didn't scare me away!  I ran the whole way (even up the hills) and got a time of 2:36:45 which is an 11:58 minute mile on average.  My boyfriend at the time got a sweet action shot of me finishing up the race and I still have a smile on my face!

Tyranena Half Barrel Run: Nov. 2nd, 2013

My plan the second time around is to improve my time a bit since I've dropped a few pounds and inches since then and have more free time now that I'm not studying every waking second.  Ayres Associates is participating in a run in Eau Claire, WI October 19th and I've been upping the mileage on my runs for the past few weeks now.  The original plan after Tyranena was to do the Madison Marathon in November, but with the new demands in my life, such as a new career, that got pushed to the back burner for now.

This training may prove to be a bit more difficult than last time since I did start smoking for a few months before graduation up until recently.  It wasn't until I was running 3 miles on the treadmill a couple weeks ago and feeling AWFUL that I thought "why the HELL am I still doing this to myself again?! I ran 13 of these babies a few months ago with no major problems!"  So from then on, I quit and I'm upping my goals.

This time around, I look forward to posting more frequently, posting pictures of my newer diet (but that's not to say that I don't eat fast food sometimes with my naturally high-metabolized boyfriend), posting my physical results if any, and my goals/accomplishments as I go through this process once again. 

I guess I decided to start this blog again to not only document my progress for my self benefit, but that I may also inspire someone to look at their own life and decide to make some changes too.  I'm just an average 20-something that likes to party and have a social life, but also aspires to kick butt in her new dream job and stay healthy in the process.  I have seen many of my old college/high school friends struggle with their fitness as they move on to this new chapter in their life, and I just hope those people realize that they can do what I'm doing or find their own way of adapting.

School and running

Since I last blogged, I started my last year of school!! Since I only have class 3 days a week and don't have class until 1pm Wednesday, it leaves plenty of time to study, work, and run!  The first few weeks seem like they'll be tough since I have 2 field trips in 2 weekends (those are my long run days), but I'm moving around my schedule to keep on track.  Speaking of field trips, here's a couple of shots I took on my first one:

Conglomerate rock from the Cambrian

Stromatolite!!

I'm currently trying out my new schedule with different rest days. I have rest days on the days I have 8am class and I'm finding it's kind of tough in the beginning of the week since I'm running 4 days straight.  Minus the drawbacks, I've increased my mileage up to 9 miles! Unfortunately it had to be done on the treadmill with the hills built in... lame.  Last week I skipped my cross training on Friday and didn't have time to run this past Sunday after my 12 hour field trip.  I have to be better about keeping to my schedule!! Today I did a 7 mile run outside once my clothes dried... laundry isn't as easy with a busy schedule!  It was hot, but I think my time was better than my 8 mile run outside.  BUT here's a little caveat to anyone who's reading this: DON'T let the excuses cause you to give up!

I've had friends as well as myself let this distract me from the goal at hand.  Is it hard to force myself to run in 90 degree weather when I have school work to do or better yet, trashy shows to watch? YES.  But I have started to change my view on my workout schedule as not something that sound like a good idea, but rather like an assignment that I need to do.  We've all had an assignment notebook at one point or another (whether you enjoyed it or not is a whole other topic), but it essentially tells you, "Hey! Lazy-ass! You need to get this crap done t-t-t-today junior!".  That's what this training has taught me.  There's no "late assignments" or "extra credit", it's get it done or hurt yourself in the long run.

Also, it's called a "workout" for a reason.  It takes work.  There's no way around that.  There's going to be some pain, there's going to be sweat, probably even some curse words, but it's all for a better good.  Hell ya my knees hurt and hell YA my hip hurts. But I know that it's within my threshold of pain and it's not something that should hold me back (unless it's SUPER bad, then ya know... go to a doctor).  I have the belief that this society, probably American since I'm not sure about country norms elsewhere, is that we want things fast and we want it now.  Any quick fix is what is wanted, but you just can't do that.  I have to remind myself of that almost every time I have to go for a longer run!

So anyway, I've still been having trouble with my right hip.  It's usually when I'm super sedentary, which is pretty much throughout the class-day.  I've been increasing my stretching and movement and it's been manageable.  It's feeling really great making sure to incorporate running since it seems to give me a lot of energy and certainly helps manage my mood throughout the week.  Looking forward to keeping to my schedule a bit better to make sure I can finish strong in my half marathon!

Hey, it's been awhile!

So life has gotten slightly busy and I've put off the blogging thing for awhile, but I figured after my backpacking trip and before school starts next week is a good time as ever to add another addition to my blog!

I'm now in week 4 of my training and it's getting a bit more difficult, but nothing I can't handle.  I took last week off to go on a backpacking trip in the Porcupine Mountains with my boyfriend and our best friend Cody.  We did 19 miles in 5 days which I thought was pretty good for one first timer and someone who hadn't gone backpacking in 8 years.  They were good sports :)  Since I'm so in love with that park, I have to post some photos before I talk more about running:

First day of the trip after driving for 6 hours. Excited for the trail ahead!

The boys super excited that our second site had rock chairs. Oh, and it was right on Lake Superior :)

Lily Pad Lake on the last day.  I progressively took less pictures as the trip went on unfortunately, but still gorgeous

So after we got back Thursday night I had a rest day Friday and could not motivate myself to run 7 miles Saturday, so I pushed it to Sunday and skipped my first rest day this week.  This lack of rest is reminding me how important keeping to the schedule is since my hip is starting to bother me a little bit.  Aleve liquid gel and ibuprofen are keeping my joints at bay.  I feel like I've accomplished so much in just a month nonetheless.  I ran 7 miles Sunday and ran 6 yesterday and didn't feel like death, but rather refreshed.

I have officially run 68 miles since having started my training!!

Tonight I'm just running a 3 miler FINALLY outside.  The past 3 workouts have been on Anytime Fitness' treadmills since it's been at least 95 degrees with ridiculous humidity.  Since it's currently nighttime, my best friend Angela has offered to ride her bike alongside me so I don't get attacked.  She's pretty much amazing.

I think my hips will be very thankful for my cross training day tomorrow and a rest day after that.  I've been upping my stretching during the day too when I think about it, so hopefully my body will get over itself and just work with me ;)

Anxious to see how well the training schedule will go once school starts next week Tuesday.  I've planned my schedule so I don't workout on the days I have 8am class.  I'm in my last year and luckily get to only have class 3 days a week! Most of the days are super long, but less driving on my part and time to sleep in and work Monday and Friday!  

First Saturday run!

So I went to see Les Miserables last night and it was wonderful! I cried, I laughed, and cried again.  I decided to wear a dress to the musical:

I didn't get home until 11pm and it was difficult knowing that I had to wake up at 6:30am the next morning to go for a run, but I did it!

I was feeling a little congested before I went to bed, but I have finally attributed that to my excessive sobbing from the musical.  I had a vanilla protein shake for breakfast and started my 5 mile run.  It went wonderfully!  I really didn't feel restricted by anything.  Unfortunately, Devils Lake got cancelled today and I've been stuck around the house doing not much really.  I did officially sign up for my half marathon (since I got paid Thursday, $58 ain't cheap) so it's definitely real.

Tonight Mike and I are going to a jorts party in a barn with some of his coworkers.  Should be pretty fun. Spending the night in our tent so we don't have to deal with getting home.  I'm sure I will need lots of gatorade and ibuprofen before my 4 mile run tomorrow, but it'll be worth it :)  Tomorrow will mark my first ended week of training

Longest run yet!

Hello yet again.  Since I last blogged I have run my longest mile I've ever run and did my first cross training.  All the while life happened of course.

Like I said in the last blog, Mike and I caught 2 salamanders and decided to make them pets.  Who knew that keeping a couple of tiger salamanders would cause so much trouble!  Currently we're having problems with their food.  They eat smaller insects such as crickets and earthworms, but I decided to try to take the easier route and feed them little pellets that are sold at the local pet food store, but since they're wild, they don't seem to be eating it.  I'm not the biggest fan of crickets (mostly because of the constant chirping) so I'm heading to a bait shop today to grab some small red worms.  My many years of fishing has prepared me for how gross worms can be for some people.  Below is our current terrarium:

We are planning on adding a divider that will allow us to have half the tank as a water environment where they can swim and the other half as a dryer/mossy area with a water bowl and places to hide.  In the meantime, I'm making sure they're moist by checking on them in the morning and night.  I've grown up with salamanders my whole life (Angela and I used to catch at least 30 of these a day from our windowsills and release them in a safer place closer to the pond).  I'm hoping they decide to eat the worms, if not I'll get crickets... the sacrifices I make.

ANYWAY!  This is a running blog right?  Wednesday I was scheduled to do field work on the same day I was supposed to run 5 miles.  If you've ever had a job that is in the sun all day, you know how tiring that can be.  We ended early and Mike "forced" me to go tubing on his family boat that afternoon.  Before I knew it, it was 8pm and sunset is around 8:30... crap.  Running at night makes me nervous with all the creeps in the world, but I decided to go anyway.  It was actually really nice having cooler weather and a beautiful sunset to watch.  The only downside was a side stitch that happened around mile 3 probably from the Scoopie Kids meal I got from Culvers earlier that night for dinner around 6.  But, I pushed through it and ran the entire way.  And according to my RunKeeper, I set TWO records:

Longest run and longest time run.  It's the little accomplishments and hurdles that I have decided are worth celebrating.  It's great having a wonderful boyfriend who's supportive in every accomplishment I make as well. He's great :)

Yesterday was my cross training day.  These days I have decided to dedicate to light/low-joint work.  Since I don't go to a gym with a swimming pool (which would be GREAT for my joints), I've decided that the elliptical and some strength training would be just fine.  I had field work that day and didn't get home until about 5:30 and had forgotten I had made dinner plans with my dad.  So, I ran out there and had a DELICIOUS meal with marinated steak, twice baked potato, and possibly one of the best salads I've had.  We played with the dogs he was dog-sitting and played a game of pool.  I ALMOST won!  Around 9pm we had to call it a night and I still had to run to the gym!  I was exhausted, but it felt so good to commit to my workout and work on my arms/core.  Once I got home I crashed and it was wonderful :)

Today is my rest day and I'm looking forward to biking to a coffee shop and getting food for my pets on my way home.  Tonight I'm going to see Les Miserables by Four Seasons Theater with my friends Becca and Angela.  I'm so excited since in high school I did two youth musical workshops with their company as well as a youth production of Once on this Island.  I am so excited to see some familiar faces in the show and enjoy my rest day.  Tomorrow I'm waking up early for a 5 mile run before going to Devils Lake State Park all day, can't wait!