Running Faster, Running Farther (Open to Comments)

[slp1650]

I've been on a journey for longer than I could remember to achieve and maintain and a fit and healthy lifestyle. There have been times when I've been really good about it and other times when I've taken detours. While I would like to think that this journey is almost over, I know it's not even close to being halfway. I'm young and the healthy lifestyle I want is going to be a journey for my entire life.

About a year and a half ago I started running and training for half marathons. In all honesty, I thought half marathons were going to be as far as I was going to be able to run considering I was constantly fighting knee pains, shin splints, and various other issues. Not to mention crazy student and work schedules, life, and whatever random things pop up. But, that's exactly it, I thought that half marathons were all I could do, but I'm beginning to see they're not.

I have decided to train for the Disney World Marathon in January. This is going to be a huge undertaking for me considering my past with injuries, but also because I was am not built nor do I have the natural talent of high competitive athletes. I do have one thing I rely on to get me to the finish line... passion. So that's where I'm headed... the 2013 Disney World Marathon. Well, at least for now.

Along with my running goals, I have some lifestyle goals to go along with the change. I'm trying to eat better and smarter. I've joined weight watchers to lose some weight and have already lost 12 pounds, but I have 5-10 more pounds I want to lose.

The journey has already been tough, but I'm always up for a challenge.

 

[dragitoff]

My journey is much like yours (I have a journal here too you can read more about it). I recently completed my first half and have started trianing for my first full which will be the Walt Disney World Full in 2013. A few of my team members (Donald's Defiant Dashers) have pushed me to go Goofy next year! That may be a little too soon, but I've learned you can accomplish anything if you are determined to do it. Don't let anything get in your way. I'm a husband and father of 2, a Sales Manager of a large company, a youth pastor at a large church, and avid runner. How do I do it all? Determination and careful planning. You can do it too!

 

[Terapin]

Hi! Just popping in to say hi and welcome!

 

[slp1650]

My journey is much like yours (I have a journal here too you can read more about it). I recently completed my first half and have started trianing for my first full which will be the Walt Disney World Full in 2013. A few of my team members (Donald's Defiant Dashers) have pushed me to go Goofy next year! That may be a little too soon, but I've learned you can accomplish anything if you are determined to do it. Don't let anything get in your way. I'm a husband and father of 2, a Sales Manager of a large company, a youth pastor at a large church, and avid runner. How do I do it all? Determination and careful planning. You can do it too!

Well, I guess we'll both be doing our first full marathons in January! I was thinking about just going and doing a goofy, but I've been advised against that from a close friend and experienced runner. Thanks for the encouragement!

Hi! Just popping in to say hi and welcome!

Hello! Thanks for popping in!

 

[slp1650]

It's been an interesting week as far as my schedule and workouts go. I have been able to run just as much as I planned, but it's been rough. I went to the midnight showing of Hunger Games and that just drained my physically and mentally.

Still, I got 10 miles in this week (barely, but I did). I did a few circuits, but not too many.

In good news, I was able to refocus my diet and start losing weight again. Just .5 pounds, but it's something. Considering I've refocused, I'm back to eating smart, even though there have been a lot of sweets around the house and at work.

Looking ahead, this week won't be too bad, but the first week of April is going to be a nightmare. I'm working everyday that week (serious overtime) and my hours vary almost daily. Luckily, I've already noted some good days to run and workout, and I'm starting to get into the mindset of what days are going to be hard to eat right on and what nights I'm pretty sure I'm just going to collapse and fall asleep as soon as I get home. Should be an interesting week if I survive.

 

[Terapin]

10 miles is great!

 

[slp1650]

You know those days that just seem to hold unending surprises? Well, today was one of those days for me.

I had some great and not so great surprises at work (considering I work directly with the public... not surprising I'd have good and bad surprises). I also had a wonderful surprise at home... fire ants had decided to claim my house as theirs. We argues, I bought bug spray, I won.

The best surprise was the fact I actually put my workout clothes on, tied my running shoes, and got out for a run this afternoon. Now, I hate running the afternoon because there are lots of people out and it's usually hot and yucky. Plus, I'm usually exhausted by the end of the work day.

Yet somehow today I mustered the energy to get out there and run. I didn't need to go far to reach my weakly goal of 10 miles. I just needed to run 2.5 miles. I got 3.1, which means I only have 1.9 miles left to run for this week. I'm pretty darn happy with that if I do say so myself

 

[dragitoff]

You know those days that just seem to hold unending surprises? Well, today was one of those days for me.

I had some great and not so great surprises at work (considering I work directly with the public... not surprising I'd have good and bad surprises). I also had a wonderful surprise at home... fire ants had decided to claim my house as theirs. We argues, I bought bug spray, I won.

The best surprise was the fact I actually put my workout clothes on, tied my running shoes, and got out for a run this afternoon. Now, I hate running the afternoon because there are lots of people out and it's usually hot and yucky. Plus, I'm usually exhausted by the end of the work day.

Yet somehow today I mustered the energy to get out there and run. I didn't need to go far to reach my weakly goal of 10 miles. I just needed to run 2.5 miles. I got 3.1, which means I only have 1.9 miles left to run for this week. I'm pretty darn happy with that if I do say so myself

It's always good to achieve those goals that keep us pumped up and motivated for our continued success! Keep it up and do whatever it takes to hit those goals!

 

[slp1650]

These last few weeks have been intense... and unfortunately it's not my workouts that have been intense, but my work schedule. I worked 60 hours last week and counting all the days surrounding that week, I worked 14 days straight!

There just wasn't any time or energy really for me to get any workouts in, let alone run. I would fall asleep almost immediately after getting home and I felt so guilty for not running and not working out. My weight just rocketed up and my mood dropped.

Luckily, today is a day off for me. I was able to get in a 2.6 mile run a few days ago, and today I ran 4.7 miles. I'm not feeling my best, but today definitely felt better than the 2.6 miles (they felt absolutely terrible). I've also been able to get my eating and weight back under control and have already lost most of the weight that I gained last week.

So overall, it was a bad week followed by an ok one so far. My work plans show my schedule slowing down a bit, but I know the temperatures and humidity are about to start rising so we'll see how I handle of that when that time comes...

In other news... I signed up for two more races yesterday. The Wine and Dine Half Marathon and the Disney World Full Marathon! I'm finally going to do it, I'm finally going to run a full marathon!

 

[slp1650]

I managed to get back out and run again today. I got in a grand total of 5.25 miles.

Recently, it hasn't been work sabotaging my workouts, but life in general. I've been having a social life which has been interesting. I had a social life growing up, but it was impacted by my athletics quite a bit. Now it seems to be the opposite and I'm not quite sure how I feel about that. Obviously, I love hanging out with my friends, but I also love running and working out.

So I am still working on balancing out my life, but I feel like that's just a constant war. You win one battle, and there's already another to fight...

Still, today my mind was on running. Even after my run, while I was on errands, I started to look at all of the landmarks along my running route. Some of those I have been able to reach, others who are still just out of my path. I started thinking about where I would like to run in the future and some dates that I might like to reach some of the landmarks by. I'm calling them my mini-goals. My big goal- finish my FULL marathon. And now I have mini goals to meet before that one... just to keep myself motivated.

 

[Terapin]

I totally hear you on the balance thing: I have 3 kids and a super busy job. Our house is taking a huge hit in this all, and is quite a mess.

Good luck in finding a balance that works for you.

It is a cool idea to find a goal place to run to. I like that.

Have a great day!

 

[slp1650]

I finally had a semi-calm week. I had 2 days off from work (which is a first in a long time) and I was more than ready to take advantage of these last 2 days.

I'm supposed to run 10 miles a week and usually it takes me 3-4 days to get that run in since I'm running around my work schedule. This week was definitely different. I was able to run 7 miles yesterday, and then I took the rest of the day completely off (as in I sat on the couch all day). Then this morning, I got up and ran 3 more miles. 7+3=10!

I might run some more this week, but I might not. For this week, it doesn't matter. If I run, it means I'm catching up on the one week I wasn't able to meet the 10 mile goal. It's nice, not having the added pressure to keep up with my training goals.

Next week, I know I only have 1 day off again, but I'm already planning my runs around work... now the question is whether or not I'll keep up with that plan.

 

[slp1650]

I know I haven't posted in a while, but I have been thinking about it. I tend to post more on my blog, but this gets me to think about my runs as well.

I find that to be pretty important... thinking about my runs. I like to analyze how I felt before/during/after and what I did surrounding the runs. That's how I know when I've gotten out of shape, when I've been gaining strength, when I'm dehydrated, etc. I've seen trends in my running that coincide with what I've been eating and drinking...

Of course analyzing my workouts is nothing new considering that's pretty much the life of a competitive athlete. We go over every second of a race or practice until we know what works and what doesn't.

I guess some habits just never die...

In other news, runs are feeling ok. I got up to an 8 miler last week and then took this week as a recovery week, running about 7 miles total. I definitely needed that recovery week considering I am definitely sore from all of my other workouts as well.

 

[ToontownPrincess]

I've been on a journey for longer than I could remember to achieve and maintain and a fit and healthy lifestyle. There have been times when I've been really good about it and other times when I've taken detours. While I would like to think that this journey is almost over, I know it's not even close to being halfway. I'm young and the healthy lifestyle I want is going to be a journey for my entire life.

About a year and a half ago I started running and training for half marathons. In all honesty, I thought half marathons were going to be as far as I was going to be able to run considering I was constantly fighting knee pains, shin splints, and various other issues. Not to mention crazy student and work schedules, life, and whatever random things pop up. But, that's exactly it, I thought that half marathons were all I could do, but I'm beginning to see they're not.

I have decided to train for the Disney World Marathon in January. This is going to be a huge undertaking for me considering my past with injuries, but also because I was am not built nor do I have the natural talent of high competitive athletes. I do have one thing I rely on to get me to the finish line... passion. So that's where I'm headed... the 2013 Disney World Marathon. Well, at least for now.

Along with my running goals, I have some lifestyle goals to go along with the change. I'm trying to eat better and smarter. I've joined weight watchers to lose some weight and have already lost 12 pounds, but I have 5-10 more pounds I want to lose.

The journey has already been tough, but I'm always up for a challenge.

I understand everything you said because I feel the same way. I'm not a natural athlete but I love running. I have trouble finding the time to get our for runs alot but it defiantely my passion. I have run 4 half marathons and I too plan (only because I haven't registered yet) for the 2012 WDW Marathon! That's great about your weight loss. And I love what you wrote about a healthy lifestyle being a journey your entire life. I'm trying to stick to that healthier way of living as well. Good luck on your training and I look forward to reading your journal!

 

[slp1650]

I've been in a rut. That's right I haven't been getting out there like I should. I've felt bad, but I've been so tired and so busy there hasn't been much I could do. Yes, I could force myself to get into the runs, but I just haven't had the energy.

It was my birthday this last week, as well as a few friends of mine so we've been celebrating something almost every night. I think I've said this before, but having a life is tiring!

The guilt is really chewing at me, and just tonight I hauled my *** off the couch and was able to get a short ab routine in. Tomorrow I have an arm routine planned. Who knows what I'll be able to get in the next few days as well. Luckily, my social life is finally going to be slowing down soon.

This next week and a half is going to be hard because I'm working 11 days straight... well 9 more days straight at least. I think I'm going to collapse on my first day off in a few weeks, but hopefully this gets me out of whatever rut I'm in and I get the motivation back to run.