Alice is a Runner!

45 minutes on the treadmill.  It was nice to watch two football games at one time on the flat screen.  I love it! Feels good to get the goo out!

15 minutes on the exercise bike. 

It's hard to run away from things on the treadmill!

Much needed run.  It was one crazy day.  Felt good but I really wanted to stop a lot.  I am thinking of training for both a 10k and a 1/2 this spring.  Days like today on the treadmill, where I want to quit after every five minutes, make me  think that would be a crazy idea.  13.1 miles just seems like an awful lot!  Maybe it would build character or something.  Like I am not character enough already! 

Good goo burner.  I still hate the treadmill but it is better than running in the cold and falling on my face on the ice that surrounds Provo.  Seriously, what is up with this cold weather?  

You have two months exactly today to get ready for my birthday! :)

I am glad that I did not post this after running yesterday.  I actually had my first ever running dream last night.  It was about the first 5k of the season and I was so pumped up to beat my PR.  It was kinda crazy.  There were a bunch of people in my dream both from my past and my present which was kinda weird, but dreams are never normal are they?

The run was good.  I slowed it down a bunch because my right shin has been giving me some issues  lately.  I think it might be because I can't figure out how fast I am actually running on the treadmill so I run too fast.  It could be because I have also been running more than I have been lately.  Who knows which is making the little leg hurt?  I think I am getting a little better at figuring out my treadmill.  I guess it is an okay thing to have to be trapped inside and have to run on it so I will figure it out.  I am trusting it's distance even though I have a hard time with that.  Is it just me or do different treadmills seem different both at speed and distance?  I guess just trusting it is better than being frustrated by it.

 Running slower was good and I was able to run the whole thirty three minutes.  I am going to try and run more than just three times a week so on the days that would be my off days, I am going to run slow and shorter distance.  Good plan, no? 

Alice+Treadmill=Friends; Alice+Shinsplints=Foes

Good run.  I was actually excited to get to this run.  I liked watching football again while running and I have found that if I pump music while watching football, I am not as bored on the treadmill.  Good stuff.  

The first two miles, I ran at about a 12mm.  It started to hurt just before two miles, so I decided for my shin's sake, I would run slower the last mile.  It isn't my favorite to run so slow, but sometimes you must listen to what is best for your body, right?

 Overall great workout.  Feels good!  I have to mention that I have been thinking a lot about a year ago and how I couldn't even run more than 30 seconds.  Being able to run for more than 20 minutes straight is quite a feat.  I am still proud of this girl!  Cheers. 

Kept a 12mm most of the run.  I am very sore today.  Maybe too fast for now.  I feel like a slacker because I am running so slowly.  I need to get over it.  I am just trying to build up distance right now.  Still finding it amazing that I can run for forty minutes without stopping. So different than those thirty seconds from the beginning.  Actually watched some TV while running and didn't get bored.  Maybe I am getting used to this whole running inside business.  I still wish an early thaw would come.  Why is it so cold this year?  Global warming?  Yeah, right!!!

I went to a fight and a hockey game broke out!

I am counting the thirty minutes I played hockey with my Boys' PE class as my workout for today.  It was fun when I didn't know the score...frustrating when I did.  Somebody may be a little bit competitive.   I really do have one fun job.  What a lucky girl I am!

What Happens In Vegas...

Ran on treadmill in the hotel.  It was fun to look toward the pool with the palm trees above it.  I love palm trees.  The girl next to me had to go 5.5 because I was going 5.4.  It made me smile.  We really do compare ourselves to other people don't we?  The next girl who was next to me was going 7.5.  I felt slow!!! 

Watching Chuck made this run bearable.  I was very proud of myself for getting on the treadmill after getting back from vacation.  Go me!

Nice little run outside.  The sun was shining at lunch and I knew I had to take advantage of the semi-warm weather.  It was so much fun to be out and running.  Too bad the snow is expected to come later this week.  That makes me sad.  I have never ran two days in a row.  It is a good feeling.  Hopefully I won't be too sore tomorrow!  When I was passed by three girls running oh so fast, I kinda felt slow.  But I did keep my pace up today as much as I could.  One day I will be fast.

 Oh and I wore these fabulous miss matched socks on my run.  It doesn't make people see you any better, if you were wondering.  I totally got cut off twice while out.  But I am sure I brought loads of smiles and laughs into people's lives.  Almost as much as the man on the elevator in Vegas who said about my shoeless feet before the elevator door was closed after I got out, "That girl was not wearing any shoes!"  Funny.  It is weird how people have a hard time when you do abnormal things.  Running is abnormal to a lot of people.  I thought it should be even more spiced up by these sexy socks.  It totally did the trick and made me happy! :)

I Love Running Outside!!!!!!!  And I love to use exclamation points!!!!!!!

I was worried that this run would make Hammy(my injured hamstring) angry at me.  I made sure I did a good warm up and paused a few times along the way to stretch Hammy. He is not angry at me tonight, which is a great sign.  On the other hand, my side is killing me. Ultrasound tomorrow to see if there is anything amiss.  Crazy.  

I took a different route from the usual and was very happy I did.  I was reminded again how changing it up makes me have an easier time running.  I ran past the Provo Tabernacle, one of my old apartments, and one of the softball fields I have played on many times.  It was like running through one of the many slices of my life.  It was nice.  

Did a real good cool down and stretch.  Now I am just being a couch potato and watching TV and finishing my book on my nook.  That is just fun to say.  I am hoping the weather continues to be semi-warm this week so I can get out and run some more! :)

Oh...and I bought a new pair of running shoes today.  It will be my third pair.  I am thinking I need them to be able to run back to back days.  My first good pair is actually almost due to be retired.  Weird to think I have been a runner for almost a year now.  Crazy! 

"Not One Thing Can Bring Me Down"

"Felt the sun shining on my face
It became so clear to me that everything is going my way 
I feel like there's no limit to what I can see
Got rid of fears that were holding me
My endless possibilities has the whole world opened for me
That's why I'm feeling...

CHORUS: 
I'm feeling so good
I knew I would be taking care of myself
Like I should 
'Cause not one thing can bring me down
Nothing in this world gonna turn me round..."

*From Jennifer Lopez's "Feelin' So Good"

 This song was playing during part of my run today and it felt so appropriate.  Running in a little warmer weather with the sun shining on my face just made my day.  It was a good run. I felt like I was running faster and wasn't stopping as much as I sometimes do.   I am thinking of adding more days but in the past when I have, I get hurt.  I am thinking I will start adding a Saturday run.  It will be short at first and then I will add a bit each week.  I think that would be a good start.  If it is warm tomorrow, and "Hammy" is feeling okay still, I might sneak in a mile or two.  I just can't resist when the weather is nice! :) 

January Thaw is My Favorite!!!!

 Cute little run.  I wanted to get out and run in the sun again and I know I will probably skip tomorrow because I will have a friend visiting from out of town.  Gotta get in what you can right.  It felt good to run two days in a row.  I went a little bit less today to try it out.  I think I will be adding a Tuesday or a Thursday run these days.  Or I have also thought that Saturday will be an add on too.  Whenever I get the chance I guess I will be adding the fourth run.  

 It was a Paramore kind of run.  I love them.  They get me excited to run.  Music is critical to my success, if you haven't noticed on the past few posts.  I smiled a few times during the run.  Once was when I was running past the old apartment of a friend who now lives in Logan.  The song blaring in my ears was something about everything changing.  Life totally changes in five years, doesn't it.  This friend is having an awesome life right now and it made me smile to think about her and how she is finding happiness on her journey.  I also smiled when I saw a man walking with a cane, but actually not using it and kinda stumbling along.  It reminded me of the man who finished just after me on the Run for Red 5k last year.  Even with the disability he was out there racing and not quitting.  The man today seemed to have that same attitude.  A limp wasn't going to keep him from walking around and enjoying the pretty day.  I like it; it makes me smile because if people in that situation don't give up and keep moving, so will I!!!

 It is late.  I should be sleeping. 

The Long Run!

So, I have decided to add a saturday run.  I figured that because I had a day off on Friday, I could add a four miler and be okay.  During the run, I totally thought this could have been a bad idea, but I ran through the wanting to vomit feeling and stomach squishy and it actually turned out to be a great run.  Today I am feeling good and that is the true test.   

I guess eating a pie shake and sweet potato fries is really not the best choice for a pre-run meal!  Even after digesting for two hours, I felt a bit sluggish and I do believe this is why I felt horrible between miles 2 and 3.   Next time, I will plan a bit better, but I had a friend in town and wanted to show her Sammy's, a really cool diner here in Provo!

It was pretty chilly on the run.  I really wasn't bothered too much by it.  Amazing how you don't get cold as long as you are moving.  I think it was good motivation to keep me moving. I am finding that I am walking less and less and running more and more and faster.  My regular tempo is now what my fast tempo was.  If I am running slower than 12 mph, I feel like a slacker.  Progress is great!  Most of the run I was at about a 10:40 mile.  Sometimes I checked and I was in the eleven minute range(mainly during the feeling like vomiting moments).  I am excited to see what a race day will do for my speed. :)  I am hoping to blow my PR out of the water come March 5 and the Run for The Red. At the end of the run, I actually thought that I could go longer.  That 10k is looking more and more like a reality.  And who knows, maybe a 13.1 run can be done! :)  It is crazy to think that at one time a mile was something that made me go: "I don't know if I can do that."  I am starting to believe that I actually can do anything!  That could be dangerous!  Watch out world, here comes Alice and she is a runner!!! 

The Last Run in January!!!

It was cold on this run.  It was okay because it kept me running.  I even made fun of the girls who were running in shorts(only mentally of course and this is coming from a girl from Wisconsin.  Crazy!) I ran a very fast first mile.  Well, fast for me.  I kept my speed between 9:30 and 11:00 minutes per mile.  That is pretty spectacular for me.  I remember when 11:00 minutes per mile was fast for me.  Cool how that has changed.  

Was a bit worried after the run that Hammy was going to be upset again.  Seems like he is doing okay and being a good boy.  Maybe Hammy should be a girl!  Hopefully, tomorrow will still be good and the tightness will stay away.

 Weird that it will be February in a few hours.  Time is flying.