Running for Jen

I was fortunate enough to run this one outside this afternoon. I thought that I would give myself a break and sleep in an extra 1:15, go in early and then leave work on time.  I was able to do just that and was out running before 5:00pm.  It felt great outside, probably in the upper 50's.  I even had shorts on.  I felt great when I started, but unfortunately the feeling did not last too long.  Getting up the hills was not pretty and I felt a bit nauseated.  I am sure that my body was just not used to running after work as I haven't done so in quite a few months.  I would like to do this at least once a week so that I can get the extra sleep and the additional day of running outside versus the gym.  By around mile 4+ and after a bathroom stop, the nausea went away for the most part, although my legs still felt a bit heavy.  My plan was to go at least 7 miles, therefore I am content with the mileage, although I had hoped to possible go 8 since I had the daylight hours.  I considered pushing it, but then thought to myself, that it wasn't necessary. 

I ran at the gym this morning just over 12 hours after starting my previous nights run. My legs felt it.  It took me 4 miles to get to my 10:00 minute/ mile pace, which is ridiculous.  I am looking forward to taking tomorrow off so that I can give my body a rest.

This run was once again at the gym.  It took me a couple of miles for me to get to my 10:00 minute/ mile pace, but once I got there, I was alright.  I had contemplated stopping at 6, but knew that I needed to get to 7, which I did.

Today's run was similar to yesterday.  It took me a couple of miles to get to my 10:00 minute/ mile pace.  I am still having issues with my right leg feeling weak.  I have started to temporarily slow at down at the mile markers to give my leg a break.  This tends to help, even if just for a little while.

I was happy to be running outside again, but I am not thrilled with how long it is taking to me to complete my mileage.  I did take one potty break and had to blow my nose a lot.  The hills tend to feel like mountains.  I am making an assumption that this due to a lot of mental stress that I am dealing with at work.  Once again, I am always glad to have completed my daily run, but it shouldn't take me 1:54 to do this run.

It was once again a nice day outside.  Sunny and cool.  Today was better than yesterday, but I decided prior to beginning that if I wasn't up to ten miles not to worry about it.  I woke up this morning tired, as usual, and not feeling too motivated to run.  I know that I always feel better once I get going, therefore, I got dressed, ate and was out the door.  I did stop after 8 miles and I am okay with that.  My goal is to run with no regrets, and I am content with what I did.  It is still not at the pace that I would like, but I just may have to deal with this for a while.

Another Monday at the gym.  I was planning on running 7 miles, but after two stops to the potty, I was limited to 6.  I was not thrilled at the time, but was okay.  I also felt a bit stressed about work and wanted to get their earlier versus later.  It took a couple of miles to get to my 10:00 minute/ mile pace.  Once I got there, I maintained that pace until I was done.

I almost thought that I was going to have to cut this one down to 5 miles, which would have not been cool.  My legs were tired and I felt beat.  The 6 hours of sleep per night during the workweek is not working well.  I was barely running at a 11:00 minute/ mile for the first mile.  By mile 3, I was finally able to get to my 10:00 minute per mile pace.

I was back at the gym today after a day of rest from running yesterday.  It took me a couple of miles once again to get to my 10:00 minute/ mile pace.  Once I made it there, I was able to hold that pace for the last 5 miles.

This is also a delayed entry.  I ran 5 miles at the gym.  It took me what has become my typical 2 miles to get to my 10:00 minute/ mile pace.  I stayed at that pace the rest of the way.  Even though I was tired, I did feel relieved as I got some good news at work the day before.

I am a bit behind on my entries.  I did run 10 miles today and it went fine.  I was able to run in shorts, which made me happy.  Unfortunately, I still went through a lot of tissues along the way.  It took me just over an hour and 50 minutes to complete this run, which is slow, but it is faster than the past couple of weeks have been.  My mind was definitely on work at the start, but I did feel better, as usual at the end.

Since I am writing this 4 days after it took place, I started to become feverish by that afternoon.  I took some Tylenol 8hour that afternoon and evening.  I slept on and off for about 10 hours, but knew that it was not in my best interest to run. 

It is now Tuesday and I am hoping to do some type of physical activity tomorrow. My fever has gone away, but my head is now a bit clogged up.

I have been sick all week, first with a fever, then with a cold.  I really wanted to get moving, therefore since the weather was nice and I didn't feel like I was about to drop, I decided to get some exercise today.  I first took my dogs for a 2 mile walk to get me moving as well as them.  The fresh air felt so good.  My nose finally cleared up for a little while.  When I got back with them, I wanted to try running.  I decided to just run my normal first 1 1/4 miles of my normal route.  Unfortunately, it is hilly, which may not have been one of my smarter moves, but it was convenient.  It took me just over 12 minutes to get through the first mile, but I was happy just to be running.  My legs felt like jell-o, since my last run was on Saturday, even though I am on my feet every day at work.  I then ran another half mile to my house.  I was done when I got home.  I was tired.

 Even though the first 2 miles were not running miles, I included them because it was the only exercise than I had done since the weekend.

I signed up for this race about three weeks ago.  If I hadn't signed up for it ahead of time, I would not have run it.  I have been sick all week, first with a fever, then with a cold, which I still have.  The only other day that contained any kind of exercise was on Thursday.  I am feeling better, but I was not in race shape.

Fortunately, the race started at noon, which normally I would detest, but today it was perfect.  The late starting time allowed me to sleep in, which I did.  The weather was also beautiful, actually a bit warm for racing, but it didn't bother me.  I did my normal warm-up and new that this could be a bit challenging.  I felt tired after the warm-up.  The course had some mild hills, more inclines in my opinion.  I finished the first mile in 8:10, which is slow for me (there was a girl with a watch giving out times).  I left my watch at home, because I thought it would be better if I ran based on how I felt.  Before I got to mile 2, the effects of the cold started kicking in. I had to blow my nose multiple times and slowed down for some water.  Then at around the mile 2 marker the coughing kicked in.  My breathing felt labored.  I finished, but my time was over 2 minutes slower than what I have been doing.  I was a bit surprised with my 2nd place finish considering my time.  Placing did make me feel a bit better, though.  I knew not to expect too much today.  I was happy to get through the race without having to stop.  The only down side is that my record of PR's finally came to an end.  It was bound to end sometime.  At least I have a valid excuse.

I decided to get some rest this morning and run after work.  My legs were actually a bit sore even considering my slow pace on Saturday.  The only down side to my little plan was that it was cold and rainy when I got off work.  I still got out there and dressed appropriately.  It wasn't bad, although I think a turtle could have kept pace with me.  I just checked my watch for the mileage since the time tends to be depressing.  I also chose to run 5 miles as a way to ease my way back into running on a regular basis.

I was back at the gym this morning on too little sleep. The treadmill felt fast, therefore, I didn't push it.  My plan was to get 6 miles in, but was only able to get 5.5 miles.  I kept thinking that I needed to be at work by 7:30 this morning, although I could not remember what for, so I made sure that I was done running and out of the gym by 6:15am.  I also had to stop on more than one occasion for a potty break and blowing of the nose.  Yes, I know, TMI.  

So that I could get some rest, I decided to run after work today.  The only downside with my plan is that I got out of work later than expected.  The good thing was that I managed to get my run done in between rain showers.  I started out fairly well, pushing myself up the hills, but based on my time, I slowed down.  I did feel decent and it was nice not to have to blow my nose every 5 minutes.  The weather was mild and I think that I am finally on the road to recovery.  I was happy to be able to get 7 miles in.

I was back at the gym this morning. I felt fine running, but my speed on the treadmill was slow or it was in comparison to what I was doing a while back.  I was only able to feel comfortable at my 10:00 minute/ mile pace during the last mile.  Hopefully, with the additional sleep that I am trying to get and with my workload hopefully slowing down, things will get better.

I had a really nice run this morning.  It was sunny and cool, as well as quite windy.  I felt good and really noticed it when I was running the hills and not slowing down.  I need to get back to where I am pushing myself up them, because I know that doing so will make me stronger.  I finished in 1:46:03, which I am content with, especially considering how I have felt and ran lately.

When I got up this morning, I felt ready to go for my run, which was great, because the past few weekends, I have had to push myself out the door on Sundays.  I dressed for rain, because it was suppose to pour most of the day, which it did not.  I was rained on for a few minutes during my 7th mile, but that was it.  I felt pretty good and finished up in just under an hour and 50 minutes.  It was cool and overcast the whole time.

I decided to run after work so that I could get the extra hour plus of sleep this morning.  I was able to get off work on time and be out the door running before 5:00pm.  My legs were tired as usual during the first 2-3 miles.  They finally loosened up, but then the fatigue kicked in.  I found myself slowing down to walk every few minutes, although it would be for just a few seconds at a time.  It wasn't a bad run.  I think that I am just getting used to running after work.

I was back at the gym this morning.  I got my six miles in as planned.  I was tired when I got started, probably due to running last night and barely getting 6 hours of sleep.  By the beginning of the 4th mile I was able to get my pace up to a 10:00 minute mile without it feeling too hard.  I was content when it was all said and done.  I am now ready for my day off from running tomorrow.