16 days

Whoowie!

16 day until the SLC half marathon!

Yikes!

I have been been doing pretty good keeping up on training.

I was hoping to run 12 miles at least twice before the race,

but I am sure I will be fine.

I was excited to run while we were visiting Utah.

Do some of the old routes I use to enjoy.

And it didn't happen.

I was having too much fun and never got around to running.

Since being home I have jumped back into it.

I ran my hill run yesterday,

and did a strength train DVD yesterday.

I was hoping to run 6 today,

but as I am feeling tired I decided to just do the run tomorrow.

Sometimes it's nice to just sit back and rest.

Let your body and mind take a break and push it the next day.

Eight is great!

I have been incredibly nervous to run 8 miles.

Who knows why.

But today I set out and at the end of the run all

I could keep thinking to myself was,

"Was that really 8, cause that was way too easy."

I am so proud of myself for sticking with running.

Pushing through the bad times.

Improving myself all the time.

And reaching new limits on days where all I can

think about is taking a nap.

So my new motto for mileage is Eight is Great!

My mind

Nothing is stronger than our minds.

I was SO TIRED this morning.

I did not want to get my butt out the door to run 6 miles.

I tried to keep being positive and tell myself,

I can run. I can do it.

Surprisingly I did it.

and I'm not so tired anymore.

I feel rejuvenated and stronger that I pushed through

that little block and did the run.

Sigh... I love running!

Hill running

I'm not the fastest runner.

I wish I was more faster than I am,

but I know I may not be able to be the fastest.

I'm ok with that.

But as I have been working on increasing my speed

I have noticed that with strength training

and challenging my muscles I am able to run harder.

There is the dish by where we live.

A 3.5 mile hill run that is intense.

The first hills you run you start at 150 ft

and increase to an altitude of 580 ft.

Ya, I am panting by the time I reach the top.

It's a challenging loop that I aim to do every week,

and hopefully soon will be able to run twice in a row.

But as I have done my normal runs I credit my

stamina on those runs to the hill runs.

I will forever love hill runs!

Even if I curse for most of the run. :)

Running is a love hate relationship

I secretly have always wanted to be a runner.

I never truly got into it until I ran my first half marathon

in April of 2008.

I kept getting so surprised at how much further and further

I could go every week. It's amazing what our bodies can do!

I have noticed as I train for each race I do

sometimes it's like starting over...

only because running is fun and it feels good

and my bodies responds well weight loss wise by running.

but sometimes it is daunting.

It can be boring, hard, and challenging.

As much as it is a love hate relationship

I truly love running.

I love when I get stronger and am able

to push through the barriers that could otherwise hold me back.

I started speed work yesterday.

It was hard, but I survived.

Whenever I am working out and it's really hard,

I always think of what my SIL says,

"It's only for certain amount of minutes,

out of your 24 hour day, you can do it!"

Truth. When it gets tough i think,

it's only for 10 more minutes,

one more mile,

I can do it!

Today kicked

Literally!
I did 20 min cardio with Turbo Jam,
Then did the 40 min Turbo Sculpt
Boy I felt awesome all day!!

I really want to become a faster runner.
I start next week trying to improve.
Researching the different ways will be cool.
I don't need to be speedy gonzalez,
Just faster than my pace now.

Signing out.

Week in review

I've lost my mojo.

You know, the exercise mojo.

It's awesome when you're on it and it's easy to get out

that door to do the work you want to do.

I'm happy to say I have been giving myself mental pump-ups

to keep the mojo going.

I have been able to only work out 3 times this week.

But hey, I was able to work out 3 times this week!

The re-did the sidewalk for my usual run and

how dorky is it that I can't wait for the run today

to experience the new sidewalk!

To next week... I wish myself and anyone exercise mojo happiness!

Review of last week

Last week went pretty well.

I shot for working out 6 days,

and I worked out for 4 of them.

I clocked 12 miles total for the week

and feel good about what I did.

Well to be honest I wasn't feeling good about what I did.

But I am working on being proud of the times

I do get a work out in,

and also being ok with the times I relax and have down time.

Exercise to me is a joy and something I look forward to.

I never want to do it if I hate it.

Like today,

I was feeling sick and had a headache.

I usually don't force myself to workout,

but I am glad I did today.

My mood improved, I feel better,

and now I don't have to feel guilty about

the ice cream I had for a late night snack!

The training begins

This weekend I signed up for the SLC half marathon.

It will be my third time running this race,

and I am excited for this one because I am running with my eldest brother.

The training officially begins this week.

I am so glad to be in a training program again.

As much as sometimes it is hard to stick to a schedule of exercise,

I crave the consistency.

Today I completed my 4 miles.

It felt good and I stayed within my usual time frame

I am not shooting for a personal record this race,

since my only goal is to run and finish this race with my brother.

But my goal leading up to this race is to condition myself better.

I want to become faster and stronger

and I hope that I can be diligent in doing so.

2011 is going to be one awesome running year!