Get it!

It's amazing what a difference a few weeks can make! Over the last three weeks, I have put in over 30 miles. Last week alone, I got 18.25! Also, last week was the first time I ran 4 miles without stopping in years. My 4 mile run was meant to be my long run for the week, and that's exactly what it ended up being. Starting my week off like that was awesome, but I didn't really end up having anymore lengthy runs the rest of the week. I had a 3.1 miler on Saturday, but that was about it.

So, for this week, I've decided to bump up my milage a bit. Monday night, I did 2.25 as an interval run on the treadmill. I forgot what an amazing workout that is! I literally had sweat dripping off my face when I was finished. Last night, I knew I needed to work on tempo, so I set out for 4 miles again at a faster pace than last time. I killed it! My last 4-miler was 14 minutes per mile. Last night's....drumroll please...12:27 per mile!!! I had to stop at the half way point because my shin was killing me and my quad was starting to cramp. I stretched for maybe 20 seconds and kept going. My last mile split was actually 12:01! I was definitely tired afterward, but felt like I could do anything!

My hang up now isn't time. My hang up is the fact that I LOVE food, so, even though I'm ramping up my miles, I'm not losing any weight. :( I started a Little Black Dress 30 Day Challenge on Monday because I have a LBD and can't fit into it anymore. Plus, my arm jiggle could knock someone out. Also, wall push-ups have become my new best friend. My wrists hurt too bad to do actual push-ups, so wall push-ups are right up my alley. Each workout for my LBD Challenge is short, so I do 2 sets of everything. I should probably take some before pictures and measurements, so I can see the change.

Another thing I'm doing is #100bysummer. The goal is to run 100 miles by the first day of summer. I'm already 30 miles in for this challenge, and there is still 6 weeks until summer. Woot woot!

Until next time...
Happy running!

4 miles

So, my desire to run a half marathon by my 30th (ugh!) birthday has taken me to a new level. On Monday, because I was sore on Sunday from running 5 miles in two days and planting flowers on Saturday and Sunday, I set out for my 4 mile long run. Please keep in mind I had also really psyched myself out on Sunday with the fear of not being able to actually run 4 miles, so I was a little nervous. I knew that if I wanted to run the whole thing, which is ultimately my goal every time I lace up, I was going to have to keep my pace slow. So, that's what I did. 14 minute mile slow. However, I was able to actually run the whole thing! By mile three my big toes were starting to cramp, so I really had to push through. At mile 4 I met up with a friend who was just starting her walk, so I ended my run and did a short cool down with her. Now, for some reason I am constantly hung up on my time. I'm not sure what this hang up is or where it came from, but I just can't seem to shake it. I want to be a fast runner, but I just feel like that is something that will probably never happen. It is for that reason that I always end up running solo. Oh well!

Last night I did a quick recovery with my neighbor and was able to knock out a short 12:30 mile. I didn't run far, but I knew that if I didn't run I would regret it when I crawled into bed. So thankful I did! Tonight, I'm going to go for 3 miles or so. I need to lead up to either a 4.5 or 5 miler on Sunday, so I can't keep running short distances. I seem to have plateaued on my weight loss. I'm not eating as good as I was, and I'm just doing cardio. I know this is the problem, but I haven't had time to go get my gym membership. If I don't get it before school is out, I will have time to do it this summer. I just have to keep pushing myself and stay motivated. I know I can do it!

Until next time...
Happy running!