Just 2 miles

Since I am training (again!) to be able to increase my running mileage from 3 miles to 6 miles (hopefully it will only take me 8 weeks to do this), I only ran 2 miles today. AND, since I only ran 2 miles I told myself I was going to see how much time I could cut off of my miles. Not a lot, but enough to tell a difference. AND enough to feel a difference. 🙂

Usually when I run I do so at a SLOW pace of about 12 1/2-13 minute miles. YEAH-real slow. But at least I’m running-that’s what I tell myself!

Today I ran 2 miles in 23:02 which comes out to about 11 1/2 minute miles. So I felt pretty good. I mean, I felt good about having run at that pace-not that I felt good while I was running! 🙂

Here is my training schedule, and I skipped week 1 and have replaced a 3.75 with a 4 miler this week.

WEEK 1: 2, 3, 2, 3, 3.25-Totally skipped using the schedule for this week because I just ran what I had been doing.

WEEK 2: 3.5, 2, 3.5, 2, 3.75-This is the week I am on and so far I have done 4, 3.5, and 2.

WEEK 3: 3.75, 2, 2, 3.5, 4

WEEK 4: 3.75, 2, 4.5, 2, 4.5

WEEK 5: 4.75, 3, 3, 2, 5

WEEK 6: 5, 3, 3, 2, 5.5

WEEK 7: 5, 3, 3, 2, 6

WEEK 8: 6.25, 3, 2, RACE DAY

I am using this training program to be able to run a continous 6 miles, NOT to run in a 10k race. That will have to wait until next year. I’m only planning on doing 5k races this year (hopefully 1 each month). Of course, I might have to repeat weeks once I try to run more than 4 because let me tell you. 4 miles is a KILLER right now!

This is probably the best way to describe my facial expression when I have run 4 miles (which has only been twice now).

LOL!

So far this week I have run a total of 9.5 miles in 3 days. Tonight I decided that YES! I am going to start doing SOME kind of strength training. I started REAL easy-just to say I had done something. I did some squats, some bicep curls and tricep thingies with my teensy weensy weights. I did 50 crunches. Whew! We’ll see if I can get up early enough in the morning to do it again (Have I mentioned I am NOT a morning person?). 🙂 I’m going to try to do this little strength training (and I really need to plan/write it out) about 2-3 times per week. Tomorrow I’ll try to post some before pictures and then after about 30 or so days I will post some after pictures. Here’s to hoping they look different! 🙂

Goodnight!

Total miles in 2012

I keep up with my mileage/workouts on this fantastic website called Daily Mile. You need to check it out. It’s like a social media fitness site.

Since I started walking/running on January 1st my total mileage for this year is………………………………….

139!!!

Woohoo!! That’s 139 more miles than I have done in the last 15 years! I can’t wait to see my statistics at the end of this year. You better believe I’ll be posting them!

The good, the bad, and the ugly

Monday, January 16, 2012

I really don’t know why I’m naming this post-The good, the bad, and the ugly. But it is sort of catchy isn’t it? 🙂

Every Monday I’m going to “try” and post my stats. Key word being “try”.

I have been weighing myself for 2 weeks now, but had not measured anything since this past summer. So here’s the good, bad, and ugly!

Before starting training-163 lbs

After week 1-160 lbs

After week 2-157 lbs

Woohoo!! 🙂

  Summer                                   End of week 2 

Neck                               14                                                 13 1/2

Chest                              38                                                 37

Waist                              36 3/4                                        34

Hips                                42 1/2                                        42

Thighs                         R-21 1/2 L-20 3/4                   R-21 1/4 L-21 (WTH?)

Top of thigh              R-24 1/2                                      L-24 1/2

Calves                         R-16 3/4 L-16 1/2                    R-15 1/2 L-15 1/4

Hopefully, these are accurate numbers. The summer numbers were measured by one of my friends, and I tried to measure the same way this time. Now let’s categorize.

The good-Check out the waist measurement!!!! Over 2 inches! Really? 🙂

The bad-Why would my hips have only lost 1/2 an inch when they are SO INVOLVED when I jog/walk??

The ugly-WTH is going on with my right thigh??? Is the food that I am eating landing there? 🙂 Seriously, my right thigh is BIGGER than it was before I started training. OK-I’m just going to say that the measurement was messed up from this summer. 🙂

I might make a spreadsheet to keep up with my measurements. I think that would be easy to add to and to see changes.

I’ve been keeping up with my exercise on Daily Mile.I love this site. It keeps up with your stats for the week and everything in the past, too. You can also add friends and chat with them. Great motivator! You can join challenges, too. Super site and very user friendly!!

My total miles for last week-16 This does not include the hour of zumba!

My total miles this year-29.5

So what are your stats for last week? This year?

I’m feeling pretty good about everything so far. Just wondering when the soreness goes away. 🙂