I got up at 6:30am, ate half a protein bar and hit 24hr fitness at 7am. I wanted to get my run in early today because I work at both jobs today and was afraid I would be too tired by the end of the day to put on my running shoes.
3/4 way through my run on the treadmill my Ipod died ... I always forget to charge it ... and I was forced to run in silence for the remaining time. During that time, while trying to distract myself from my aching legs, I noticed something. Looking around the gym I noticed that the 7am scene is quite different from the 7pm scene. There were a lot more older people, but more interesting than that was the fact that there were no college girls with perfect hair, brand name work-out clothes, and full face make-up pretending to workout. There were also no college men in shirts two sizes too small watching their muscles contract as they lifted weights. It was refreshing.
For once I didnt feel like little miss frumpy girl with my hair in a knotty mess, target sweat pants and a tshirt two sizes too big. I just felt like I was there along with everyone else getting an honest work-out in. Every single guy and girl in there had sweat running down their face. I am thinking that I might do my long run work-outs in the early morning more often :)
My only complaints with this morning's workout was that I had mentrual cramps the entire time, making the whole run a little uncomfortable. However, if I could run 5 miles in 53 minutes with cramping, then it means tomorrow's run will be more comfortable and I will hopefully be able to go for a little longer.
Anywayz, time to start my day!
Onwards and Upwards my running (and non-running) friends :)
Have a beautiful day!
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Monday, April 11, 2011
Gettin my sore ass out the door!
Look at this ... two days in a row :)
After two days of not running due to being so sore from gymnastics, I finally got myself out the door today. My shoulders and quads were still a little stiff, but I knew that I just had to get them moving and I would be fine.
When I started running I felt really heavy and kind of sluggish but after about a mile I got into the grove and just took in one step at a time. It was a beautiful day out, somewhere in the high 70's when I hit the road, and somehow that always makes me want to run more.
The thoughts of running one of my regular routes was a little off putting though, so I put on my Garmin Forerunner 405 GPS watch and just ran. I ran a completely different and sponaneous route. I went around a nature reserve that's near my house. I wasnt completely sure how long the run would be but it was just nice to have something different to look at. The run ended up being 3.64 miles, which was perfect for a first day back after some recovery time.
After running into a coyote on the Brown trail run last week, I've been a little scared to go that way by myself. Even though it has only happened once in the 100's of times I've been on that trail, I have some how convinced myself that it will happen again. But I am sure I will get over that soon!
Anyways, Onwards and Upwards :)
Keep running!
After two days of not running due to being so sore from gymnastics, I finally got myself out the door today. My shoulders and quads were still a little stiff, but I knew that I just had to get them moving and I would be fine.
When I started running I felt really heavy and kind of sluggish but after about a mile I got into the grove and just took in one step at a time. It was a beautiful day out, somewhere in the high 70's when I hit the road, and somehow that always makes me want to run more.
The thoughts of running one of my regular routes was a little off putting though, so I put on my Garmin Forerunner 405 GPS watch and just ran. I ran a completely different and sponaneous route. I went around a nature reserve that's near my house. I wasnt completely sure how long the run would be but it was just nice to have something different to look at. The run ended up being 3.64 miles, which was perfect for a first day back after some recovery time.
After running into a coyote on the Brown trail run last week, I've been a little scared to go that way by myself. Even though it has only happened once in the 100's of times I've been on that trail, I have some how convinced myself that it will happen again. But I am sure I will get over that soon!
Anyways, Onwards and Upwards :)
Keep running!
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Where does the time go???
Oh my, I cannot believe my last post was back in March ... Where does the time go?! Well luckily my time has been spent working and running as well as spending some time with my family, so I havnt been lazy or anything.
My running is going well ... though I may be just an inch behind where I would like to be as far as milage goes. I am up to running 6 miles approximately 3 days a week and running at least 4 miles on my other running days. I was hoping to add a mile last week, but that is okay. My race in May is a 10miler. It is also a trail race which is why I have been focusing on trail running on Monday's and am hoping to be running 12-13 miles per run before race day, just to ensure that I will complete the race. Though I have never dropped out of a race before, if it is anything like last years 13 miles trail race (SB Mountains = 90F at least!) then I need to make sure that I am completely prepared.
Pam has been both an awesome running buddy and motivator. There are days that I probably wouldnt make it outside the house without her!
I did gymnastics for the first time in 1.5 years on Friday night. I thought it would be good for some core training as well as upper body because I spend most of my time running. I took it easy, did some conditioning as well as some handstands, cartwheels and trampoline. I also took advantage of the vault runway and did multiple 60ft sprints just to work some different running muscles.
Needless to say I have been very sore both yesterday and today. It is mostly my shoulders, which I was expecting due to my decreased muscle mass in that area. So the past two days have been all about walking and stretching. Tomorrow I will be back out running :)
I know I always say this, but I will try to post more often, especially coming up to the race. But no promises.
Onwards and Upwards!
My running is going well ... though I may be just an inch behind where I would like to be as far as milage goes. I am up to running 6 miles approximately 3 days a week and running at least 4 miles on my other running days. I was hoping to add a mile last week, but that is okay. My race in May is a 10miler. It is also a trail race which is why I have been focusing on trail running on Monday's and am hoping to be running 12-13 miles per run before race day, just to ensure that I will complete the race. Though I have never dropped out of a race before, if it is anything like last years 13 miles trail race (SB Mountains = 90F at least!) then I need to make sure that I am completely prepared.
Pam has been both an awesome running buddy and motivator. There are days that I probably wouldnt make it outside the house without her!
I did gymnastics for the first time in 1.5 years on Friday night. I thought it would be good for some core training as well as upper body because I spend most of my time running. I took it easy, did some conditioning as well as some handstands, cartwheels and trampoline. I also took advantage of the vault runway and did multiple 60ft sprints just to work some different running muscles.
Needless to say I have been very sore both yesterday and today. It is mostly my shoulders, which I was expecting due to my decreased muscle mass in that area. So the past two days have been all about walking and stretching. Tomorrow I will be back out running :)
I know I always say this, but I will try to post more often, especially coming up to the race. But no promises.
Onwards and Upwards!
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Not a good week.
It has been a week of bad decision making, negative emotions and stuff beyond my control going wrong. The idea of this blog is to write it all down and let it all go as of midnight tonight. So starting tomorrow (Monday) a wonderful week will start.
My motivation to workout has been non-existent. On Monday I went to a morning yoga class and then made excuses for every other day of the week. So for the whole week my exercise consisted of standing at work and the little bit of working out I do while I am coaching gymnastics. At the beginning of the week I thought, "Well, running is supposed to be fun, so I will take a day or two off because my mind clearly needs a few days." But that obviously turned in to a whole freakin week.
So my lack of exercising made me feel guilty and lazy which lead to mood swings (which were already bad enough with Aunt Flow in town) and then to bad eating decisions. When I run, I tend to crave food that is actually good for me ... food that fuels my body so that I can perform better. But because I was getting into a lazy pattern, I was sleeping more and craving sugary foods and coffee. And of course I caved to almost every craving.
I attempted to go to the gym last night, but they closed early for cleaning. I was 9pm, so it was too late and dark to run outside. Today I also attempted the gym, but that fell through and I remained on the couch for the evening. In order to make sure I get back out tomorrow, I text Pam. We are running together at 11am.
The whole student loan thing came up again this week. After they had declined me due to my immigration status a few months ago, I had put it behind me and started looking for other options. But last week a letter came in the mail to say that I had been accepted for the loan after all. I afraid to get excited. Dad called the loan company to see what it meant. After they explained to dad that all I had to do was accept the terms etc I called them to get ready to do so. I started getting excited thinking that I was finally going to return to school and finish my degree. Then on Friday morning I get a voicemail from the loan company saying that they were ready for my signature and that they just needed a few documents.
My heart sank at the word 'documents' because I knew they were talking about my permanent resident card, which I do not yet have. The tears started rolling before I even called them. I didnt want to call because I wanted to hold on to that tiny bit of hope they had given me. But I plucked up the courage to call. After a ten minute conversation I had come to realize that I was not getting the loan. I was devastated all over again and cried on my drive to work. Fool me once, shame on you ... fool me twice, shame on me.
A few months ago I told them to cancel my application ... they obviously didnt. It feels like they are dangling my future on a string in front of me and it is just out of reach.
So that has been my week. I am now taking a deep breath and hope that midnight will bring me to the greener grass. But dont get me wrong, there were some wonderful moments in my week ... My anniversary, I love my job at Native Foods and I love coaching gymnastics. So may my jobs and my love continue to fuel my life :)
My motivation to workout has been non-existent. On Monday I went to a morning yoga class and then made excuses for every other day of the week. So for the whole week my exercise consisted of standing at work and the little bit of working out I do while I am coaching gymnastics. At the beginning of the week I thought, "Well, running is supposed to be fun, so I will take a day or two off because my mind clearly needs a few days." But that obviously turned in to a whole freakin week.
So my lack of exercising made me feel guilty and lazy which lead to mood swings (which were already bad enough with Aunt Flow in town) and then to bad eating decisions. When I run, I tend to crave food that is actually good for me ... food that fuels my body so that I can perform better. But because I was getting into a lazy pattern, I was sleeping more and craving sugary foods and coffee. And of course I caved to almost every craving.
I attempted to go to the gym last night, but they closed early for cleaning. I was 9pm, so it was too late and dark to run outside. Today I also attempted the gym, but that fell through and I remained on the couch for the evening. In order to make sure I get back out tomorrow, I text Pam. We are running together at 11am.
The whole student loan thing came up again this week. After they had declined me due to my immigration status a few months ago, I had put it behind me and started looking for other options. But last week a letter came in the mail to say that I had been accepted for the loan after all. I afraid to get excited. Dad called the loan company to see what it meant. After they explained to dad that all I had to do was accept the terms etc I called them to get ready to do so. I started getting excited thinking that I was finally going to return to school and finish my degree. Then on Friday morning I get a voicemail from the loan company saying that they were ready for my signature and that they just needed a few documents.
My heart sank at the word 'documents' because I knew they were talking about my permanent resident card, which I do not yet have. The tears started rolling before I even called them. I didnt want to call because I wanted to hold on to that tiny bit of hope they had given me. But I plucked up the courage to call. After a ten minute conversation I had come to realize that I was not getting the loan. I was devastated all over again and cried on my drive to work. Fool me once, shame on you ... fool me twice, shame on me.
A few months ago I told them to cancel my application ... they obviously didnt. It feels like they are dangling my future on a string in front of me and it is just out of reach.
So that has been my week. I am now taking a deep breath and hope that midnight will bring me to the greener grass. But dont get me wrong, there were some wonderful moments in my week ... My anniversary, I love my job at Native Foods and I love coaching gymnastics. So may my jobs and my love continue to fuel my life :)
Friday, March 4, 2011
ABC's of me.
A fun little blog so that my Blogger friends can get to know me a little better :)
A~Age: 24
B~ Bed Size: Queen
C~Chore you hate: Laundry, because I have to plan my whole afternoon around it. But I do love having all those clean clothes once it's finally done.
D~Dogs: 1: Rat terrier mix named Brutus.
E~Essential Start your Day Item: A filling breakfast, whether it's cereal, eggs, or something more. I cannot leave the house without breakfast. If I do, it better be because we are going to Ihop or something.
F~Favorite Color: Don't really have one. I like all colors ... but most of my clothes are black.
G~Gold or Silver: Silver or white gold. I am really not a fan of yellow gold.
H~Height: 5 feet 1 inches ... well, almost haha
I~Instruments you play: I have tried and failed to learn many instruments. I will leave all the musical stuff up to my sister.
J~Job Title: Student/Server at a Vegan restaurant/gymnastics coach
K~Kids: Brutus is my only child.
L~Live: Irvine, California
M~Mom’s Name: Paula
N~Nicknames: Little Taco (which was shortened to LT), Mini ... those are the main ones.
O~Overnight Hospital Stays: Absolutely none :)
P~Pet Peeve: When other people make me late. Taking food off my plate without my permission. Talking on your cell phone while ordering food with me (at the restaurant).
Q~Quote from a Movie: My all time favorite comes from 'Finding Nemo' --- "Just keep swimming ..." because it can be applied to anything in life.
S~Siblings: One little sister, Laura who will be 18 this month. Guess that means she isnt so little any more.
T~Time you wake up: Different times everyday ... but anywhere between 7:00am - 10:30am ... It just depends on my work/running schedule for that day.
U~Underwear: Necessary. But I will happily admit that I chose comfort over style.
V~Vegetable you Dislike: Do pickles count? --- I like almost every single vegetable that I have ever tried.
W~What Makes You Late: Facebook! Or sometimes walking to dog.
X~X-rays You’ve had Done: ummm, dental, foot, chest ... so 3.
Y~Yummy Food you Make: I love experimenting with vegan and vegetarian dishes. My seasoned roasted carrots are pretty awesome ;)
Z~Zoo Animal Favorite: Elephant, hands down!
Personal Record :)
I cannot believe that it has been almost a week and I am only getting here to write about my 5k race now. Last Saturday, February 26th, I had a 5k race. It was called the Hope and Harmony 5k and it was benefiting cancer patients.My goal for this race was to beat 30 minutes, which I did twice during my training. Almost a year ago I ran a 5k race in just over 34 minutes, so just to beat that would have been cool.
Anyway, long story short, I totally blew my last time and my fastest training time out of the water! My fastest 5k training time was 00:29:40 ... I ran the race in 00:23:44!!! Can you believe that?! I ran three 7.5 minute miles in a row. I have never ran a mile in less than 9 minutes before. I guess the training has been paying off and determination has a lot to answer for!
We had perfect running weather. It had rained all night long and stopped just about two hours before the race started, so the air felt clear and crisp. It was a little chilly though, so layers were necessary. Feeling pretty confident I stood near the beginning of the pack with plans to stay upfront as much as possible.
In the first mile quite a few people passed me, but having trained quite a bit, I knew my pace and stuck with it, even though I felt like I was being left behind. I just had to stay in my zone. My friend Pam, who I have been running with, told me that when it starts getting psychologically tough (around mile two), just focus on passing one person at a time, and to count every person that you pass. I did exactly that.
Around mile two, a lot of people that had passed me started walking. Having kept my pace, I didn't need to walk. So I started counting all the people I passed to keep my mind off of my tiring body. I passed a total of 14 people before I was just keeping up with the people running the same pace as myself. By the time that happened I was in my groove and there was no longer a need for distraction.
I remember only one person that I was keeping up with. It was a male runner probably in his 40's. I only remember him because of his lime green shoes hahaha.
I remember rounding the last corner and thinking, "What? I'm finished?? Noway!" I couldn't believe that I had completed the race already. I crossed the finish line and suddenly felt exhausted, but the runners high set in almost immediately and I felt great.
I was a great race to start off my year. I have plans for a 10k race on March 26th and a 10 mile race on May 14th. So I am upping my miles slowly and Pam is sticking right by my side :)
Onwards and Upwards my Fellow runners!
Keep Running :)
Anyway, long story short, I totally blew my last time and my fastest training time out of the water! My fastest 5k training time was 00:29:40 ... I ran the race in 00:23:44!!! Can you believe that?! I ran three 7.5 minute miles in a row. I have never ran a mile in less than 9 minutes before. I guess the training has been paying off and determination has a lot to answer for!
 |
| L-R: Travis, Lisa, Amanda and Myself before the race. |
We had perfect running weather. It had rained all night long and stopped just about two hours before the race started, so the air felt clear and crisp. It was a little chilly though, so layers were necessary. Feeling pretty confident I stood near the beginning of the pack with plans to stay upfront as much as possible.
In the first mile quite a few people passed me, but having trained quite a bit, I knew my pace and stuck with it, even though I felt like I was being left behind. I just had to stay in my zone. My friend Pam, who I have been running with, told me that when it starts getting psychologically tough (around mile two), just focus on passing one person at a time, and to count every person that you pass. I did exactly that.
Around mile two, a lot of people that had passed me started walking. Having kept my pace, I didn't need to walk. So I started counting all the people I passed to keep my mind off of my tiring body. I passed a total of 14 people before I was just keeping up with the people running the same pace as myself. By the time that happened I was in my groove and there was no longer a need for distraction.
I remember only one person that I was keeping up with. It was a male runner probably in his 40's. I only remember him because of his lime green shoes hahaha.
I remember rounding the last corner and thinking, "What? I'm finished?? Noway!" I couldn't believe that I had completed the race already. I crossed the finish line and suddenly felt exhausted, but the runners high set in almost immediately and I felt great.
 |
| Getting ready to cross the finish line. |
 |
| My finishers Medal |
I was a great race to start off my year. I have plans for a 10k race on March 26th and a 10 mile race on May 14th. So I am upping my miles slowly and Pam is sticking right by my side :)
Onwards and Upwards my Fellow runners!
Keep Running :)
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Long time no post!
Time has just been getting away from me lately! But not to worry, because I have been running almost every day :) Its just under a 2 weeks before my 5k cancer run and I am feeling more than ready. Something awesome happened last week ... I reached a personal goal! My goal was to be able to run my 5k in under 30 minutes before the race. Last week I finally did it!!! I ran the 5k in 00:29:40 and just a few days later I ran it in 00:30:03. I was very proud. The runs felt strong :) Since I did it those two times (and will do it again before the race) and have no doubt I will succeed during the race with the adrenaline that will be running through my entire body. I am stoked!
I discovered something new this week. Zico coconut water. Only the mango flavor though. Did you know that it has more potassium than and banana? No matter how far or hard I run, a little pouch of the coconut water and I feel amazing. I'm sorry I didnt find it sooner!
My running buddy, Pam, has been awesome. She gets me up on the mornings that I dont want to run and gets me through the tough runs (the mentally tough runs). It's always easier when you have a running buddy! :)
Anywayz, I want to try blogging more often, especially coming up to the race. But no promises.
Happy Running!
I discovered something new this week. Zico coconut water. Only the mango flavor though. Did you know that it has more potassium than and banana? No matter how far or hard I run, a little pouch of the coconut water and I feel amazing. I'm sorry I didnt find it sooner!
My running buddy, Pam, has been awesome. She gets me up on the mornings that I dont want to run and gets me through the tough runs (the mentally tough runs). It's always easier when you have a running buddy! :)
Anywayz, I want to try blogging more often, especially coming up to the race. But no promises.
Happy Running!
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