How tired can one person be?!

After my 8 mile run yesterday morning I was excited that I made it through my day without a nap and really feeling tired at all. I even managed to stay up until after midnight. But oh my goodness ... when I woke up 8 hours later for work, I was exhausted! I felt like I needed another 10 hours of sleep.
I was sluggish all day long and while at work I just wanted to lay down on the floor and take a nap. Since that wasnt an option, I just thought about coffee all morning/afternoon. Was this exhausted really from the 8 mile run 24 hours earlier?!

When I got home from coaching gymnastics at 7pm, Josh was all ready to go to the gym. I was hungry and irritable and just wanted to nap, but I put on my shorts, sports bra and running shoes and slowely walked myself out the door. I wanted to just say, screw it, and go to bed ... but Josh was so motivated that I just didnt want to kill his spirit. Oh and did I mention that I wanted 'In 'n Out' ... I know I mentioned it to Josh like 10 times. But he kindly pointed out that if I ate a double double and animal style fries that I would hate myself and feel like complete and total crap. I agreed and so we decided that we would hit Trader Joes on the walk home from the gym. Thank You Josh :)

At the gym there were no treadmills which was a good thing, because the last thing my legs needed was another run. My joints needed a rest after all that pounding the day before. So we hopped on the bikes for 20 minutes and pulled out a solid 7.2 miles. Though there were times when I thought for sure that I was grinding to a hault. I comtinued to complain and whine for a few minutes into the bike ride and then became too tired to even try forming sentences .... Thank you Josh ... again .... for being patient with cranky me :)

After a little bit (and I mean minimal) strength training (for me) we left and I got a healthier meal at TJ's. I'm pretty sure it was delicious, but I inhaled it so fast that I cannot really remember lol. Just kidding ... it was Indian food, which I love!
It is now 10:10pm and as soon as I post this I am going to bed. Thankfully I will just sleep in tomorrow (until 8:30am), go to work and come home ... I need to rest. Then back at it on Thursday :)

Onwards and Upwards fellow runners ... and non-runners of course!

It has been a wonderful week to run.

It has been a while since I've had time to blog ... but don't worry ... I've had plenty of time to run! I ran every day last week except last Monday and yesterday (Sunday). I took the time to post it all on my daily mile profile just so that I can keep track.

The most exciting thing this week was that I gained a fabulous running buddy. Her name is Pam and she is a fellow gymnastics coach who used to run and is trying to get back into it. She ran with me on Wednesday and Friday morning. The cool thing about having a running buddy is that you stay out of your own head. We also keep each other going. I am less likely to walk or slow down when we run together. I look forward to our morning runs!

Also, it was Josh's birthday this past weekend and I bought him a bike ...  a beach cruiser to be exact.

His very first ride was with me while I was running. He wants to go with me on my long runs, to keep me company and so that we can spend more quality time together. I love it  :)  He can also carry my water bottle and snack on the long runs! hahaha  ;)

Lastly, we had lunch with Josh's cousin Jeni and her husband Mike yesterday. We went to Native Foods (the Vegan cafe I work in) because they are Vegan. Josh loved it ... it was only his 2nd time to eat the vegan food. Mike hasnt been vegan for very long but almost instantly felt the benefits! Josh was inspired and motivated by Mike and so we have decided to eat mostly vegan from now on. We will still eat fish, chicken and beef from time to time, but we want to have a diet consisting mostly of plant and soy based products as well as lots of veggies and whole grains so that we can be healthier as a couple.

Today Josh prepared his first vegan dish ... Fajitas baby!

We used Tempeh, lots of onions and peppers, refried beans, soy cheese, whole grain tortilla and home made guacamole. It was delicious! We both very much enjoyed it! Tastes just like the real thing!

Anyway, I must sign off. I am quite tired and would like to get an early night  :)  Sorry for the chaotic blog haha.

Fighting for every last second!

Awesome 5k run today. It was a little chilly to start off, but the sun was shining and it wasn't long before I was nice and warm. Before today, the fastest time I'd ever run 5k was 00:32:00. Going out, my goal was to try beat that, if only by a few seconds. However, less than a mile into the run I could feel how tired my legs were from the 11 mile bike ride yesterday. But I kept going. I figured I could at least try to maintain my 32 minute 5k.
There were a few times that I looked ahead and felt like I wasn't getting anywhere, and you know how that can just get inside your head and ruin your entire run. So I pulled my visor down closer to my eyes so that I could only see 10ft in front of me. It worked because I didn't stop or slow down.
I completed the first mile in just under 10 minutes. That excited me, because I knew that I was ahead of myself. It was enough motivation to make me push a little harder. I could vision a little me 1/4 mile behind me and Lordy knows I couldn't let her beat me!  ;)
After a few minutes of pushing harder I wanted to walk ... perhaps I pushed a little too hard. Never-the-less I kept going, determined to beat myself. I got to the half-way point in just over 15 minutes. I was slowing down. But I could still make up time if started trying now. But my legs were aching.
When I could see the end of my run, I checked my watch. I was still winning, so I pushed. I ended up finishing the 5k run in 00:31:13! I was stoked. I had pushed myself hard considering my legs were tired. Funny what we can do when we really try. Unfortunately I felt like I was going to pass out for a brief moment after stopping, but that didn't dampen my spirit.

Beating your own time feels good. But I wasn't even home when I started asking myself if I could beat 31 minutes next time. Because what is 13 seconds?! Nothing really. I have been thinking this entire time, "In a few weeks running will be soooo easy!" ... but if I keep wanting to do better, I need to keep pushing hard, so it will never feel easier. So if some day it does feel like a cake walk, then I'm not pushing myself, and I could do better.

Anyway, I am working a double tomorrow so no running. Guess I have to take at least one day off a week  ;)  
Still feeling my runner's high ... hope you have one too  :)

And on the forth day I shall rest ... I can't wait till the seventh.

I woke up this morning with an exhausted body and a few sore muscles after yesterday's run. I wasn't 100% sure if I would workout today but I ate a salad for breakfast just in case. Sure enough 2hours after breakfast I was ready to go.
I decided to do some cross training today. I did 30 minutes on the sit down bike and then some strength training for my abs and obliques as well as some dips and pull-ups for my upper body. Having done that, tomorrow is most definitely a mandatory rest day  :)
May the awesome workouts continue!

Too stressed to workout?

Today was another awesome day in the gym with my love. We were both on the stationary bike for 30 minutes, competing as usual haha. But unfortunately, the bike is not something I can beat Josh at. Just a few minutes on the bike and my legs burn. I have never been a big fan of the bike, but it is great cross training, a nice break from running and I get to spend that time next to Josh rather than on the other end of the gym.
Being as small as I am, I have to gave the saddle on the lowest setting so I can reach the peddles, but sadly I could use one more notch down, if you know what I mean ... it is not a comfortable 30 minutes! Besides that we did strength training for abs, back and obliques. It was a lovely Sunday workout.

Yesterday was a different story though. I woke up already stressed. This might have been brought on by the dreams I had. But I was in a crabby mood for the entire day. I had planned to workout but I got myself into such a tizzy, that I ended up laying on the bed and doing nothing for the entire day. Before my evening shift at the pub, I was getting ready for work and while washing my face I just started crying. It was a solid 10 minute cry after which I felt exhausted but better. A very wise friend (you know who you are!) once told me that crying is scientifically proven to help you feel better and think more clearly because of the hormones it sends through your brain. So I was still stressed, but thinking more clearly and able to get myself to work on time.

However, I still missed my workout. Usually I feed off of the stress, anger etc to make myself work harder in the gym. But there is a line, and when I cross that line I become useless and don't want to do anything. If only I had cried earlier in the day! But my lack of workout was quickly forgiven, as it was only my 2nd rest day of the week and they weren't in a row.

Anyway, today I am feeling better today. Still stressed because the problem hasn't gone anywhere, but better non-the-less. Onwards and Upwards!

Getting back on that Darn Horse.

So yesterday (Monday) I got back to my training. I hadn't worked out since Thursday cause I'd been feeling like crap with the sore throat, chest and intermittent headache. Sunday I felt ready, but my family came down from Santa Barbara to celebrate my 24th birthday, and so I decided to take one more rest day.

Monday I went to the gym with the plan of running for 20 minutes at 6.0 mph but after just 8 minutes my lungs were giving out and I started to feel physically ill. I didn't want to completely give up on my workout so I decided to walk for at 3.5 mph at a 4.0 incline. My legs were burning a little bit and I still got a decent sweat but more importantly, I still felt like I got a workout. There were a few moments where I felt almost guilty for walking instead of running, but I reminded myself that listening to my body was much more important.

Today I went to the gym with Josh. I wasn't quite feeling the treadmill, and after yesterday I didn't want to push it, so I hit the stationary bike with Josh. We both did 30 minutes at level 3. I did the cardio workout where my target heart rate was 158 bpm. It took me 27 minutes to get it there ... but my highest heart rate ended up being 161 bpm, and I was happy with that. The best part was that at about 25 minutes Josh and I both got very competitive where the miles were concerned and started seriously biking. I was sure I was going to win, but when our clocks hit 30:00 we both had gone exactly 10.8 miles. Not to worry .... I told him I would win next time hahaha!
After the 30 minutes of cardio I did some weight training for my upper back and chest. I didn't push it, but did enough to feel it.

Tomorrow I will be back on the treadmill feeling awesome :)

Working-Out While Sick

I wanted to write here yesterday but by the time I got back from the gym all I wanted to do was go to bed. For the past few days I have been feeling like I've been getting a cold, but it wont quite break.
Whenever I am not feeling good, the first thing I think about is whether or not I will get to work-out that day. I plan most work-outs days in advance and hate to veer from that schedule. So despite feeling horrible for most of yesterday, when 7:30pm came around I put on my running clothes and hit the gym.

I ran on the treadmill for 20 minutes at 6mph. That can be tough to keep up on a regular day for me, but despite not feeling good I finished the run. Half way through I could feel it in my chest, but I was glad I kept going, cause the good sweat made me feel a little better. I did, however, have an early night!

Today when I woke up I was feeling pretty congested but I decided to hit the gym early anyway. I was a little sore from yesterday's work-out so I went with cross training on the stationary bike. I just did 30 minutes and got to just under 11miles. I did a little bit of weight training and decided that was enough until I am feeling 100%.

Hopefully I am feeling stronger tomorrow because I have a 60 minute run planned and would really like to get that done. But we will see how I feel.

Onwards and Upwards! xox