Thursday, June 10, 2010

>Apparently I had a lot to say....

>It's been several days since I have popped over here and blogged anything. I have sat down several times to do it but just can't seem to get the words out. And of course here I sit again trying to decide what to bore you with today. haha

Today I am slightly frustrated. BUT before I go into that and have you assuming that this is going to be a completely negative post..it is not!

Running Progress
 Today I am also happy and very pleased with my latest progress. Two years ago when I started running it was all I could do to keep a steady pace on the treadmill and jogging at 4.8 was pure torture. Yesterday I had that bad boy at 6.7 and even as high as 7 as I ran my intervals. I've said it before how I just hate intervals. I dread them all day on the days I will be running them, but usually by the time I have made it halfway through an interval run I am totally fine with them and even after when I see my time I am happy. I have a love/hate relationship with intervals. But over the last few months I have realized what an important part of my running they play and how they do help with my speed. Last night when I jumped on the treadmill and set it to 5.5 I felt sooooo slow. Ha! And a good steady pace for me last night was 6. When I got off and told my hubby that I had completed 3.25 miles in 29 something minutes he told me to slow down so I don't catch up to him. Double HA!! ;)

Anyway, I guess I typed all that to say that I am proud of where I have come with my running. My goal is to hit 30 minutes or less in a 5k before the end of this year. We have another race coming up on July 3rd but as with any race I don't expect to do anything but cross the finish line. So many factors come into play with a race... new course, weather.. and that is why I never expect anything other than to finish but it would be awesome to hit that goal!

Jumping hurdles
No I don't mean the actual track kind. I mean the type that are LIFE. Ugh. I think this may be one reason I have avoided blog posting. I typically am not (or maybe I am but I am in denial) an emotional eater but I can be an emotional person. However, I tend to hide it or bottle things up. Recently (the last 2 weeks) I found out that my dad has cancer (colorectoral stage 4, lymph nodes - that's what I heard). He is 2645 miles from me. So, this has been difficult and it seems like every other day is a new phone call with new information.. some good/promising and some not/or confusing. But I have made a promise to myself to not let this get me down and know that he is a fighter and with that I need to push harder with my goals (running and towards my health). Now don't go feeling pity on me because that isn't why I post this, but if you have any words of wisdom on how to gain stregnth from such news or coping with it when he is so far away, ways to help.. or how to not let the stress interfere with my success.. I am all for that. :) 

Trying new things
Hubby and I hadn't been to the gym together much since the kids have been out of school and his schedule with football changed. He's been able to be home so much more with the kids so instead of dragging them out he has been working out after practice in the morning and I have been going right after work. But last night I wanted him to go with me because I tend to do better with the whole stregnth thing and trying new things when he is there to push me. Most of the time when I go alone I run on the treadmill or crosstrain using either the elliptical or bike and then call it a day. That isn't bad, but I need to branch out and do more. So, last night after hubby did his swimming he planned to do some rowing and encouraged me to hop on the rowing machine beside him. And I did. I kept up pretty well for someone who had never done that before! I was pretty proud of myself. I did 3200 meters in 17 minutes. Whether that is good or bad as far as distance and time, I have no clue.. I am just proud that I found something new to do and actually can say I enjoyed it. Now he told me my whole body would hurt today and I was prepared to have him pull me out of bed this morning but I am ok. I feel like my muscles have definitely been used but I don't feel dead. However the more I sit at my desk today the more stiff I feel.

Here is where I talk about frustration
I have had this one particular goal for months now. Months. In the last year I have lost 50 lbs. And while I am happy as I could be with that I had hoped it would be more. I wanted badly to hit 175 before my summer vacation. Yet, here I sit this morning still at 1 flippin 80. Ugh. I know I still have 9 days until we leave but can I honestly lose 5 lbs in 9 days? Probably but it is going to be hard. Why? Because my scale or my body, whichever, likes to taunt me. It has me down a bit one day and two days later up some. No fair!  The frustration with that is how hard I work on making sure I do not fill myself full of crap foods and work my butt off burning calories. I won't let it get me down though. I will keep pushing through and so what if I am not at that goal by this time next week? It isn't a free ticket to go on vacation and act as though this journey is over. Nope, it means that I have to keep working hard if not harder than I have worked before. And I will.

Sorry for the long post! I guess that's what happens when I don't post often. :)

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