2.5

around the neighborhood this morning. 1:1 walk/run the whole way. yay!

3 at gym

Today at lunch.

2 mile walk

I walked two miles this morning. I was on the verge of not doing it and deciding to do it at work, when I realized that my calendar is full today and I would have a very hard time fitting it in at work.

lazy 3

After dinner. Felt like a fat man slogging along with giant belly in front of me. Felt my dinner every step of the way. Oh and the cookie I ate for dessert. Ugh. I'm sick of this shit.

3 Miles

I did three miles on treadmill at work today, so all is goodness. I always run the whole time on the treadmill now, no walking, which is pretty cool. I like getting three miles in in only about forty minutes, so I can do three miles in my hour lunch break, so I don't even have to feel guilty or justify a longer lunch break. Which should technically mean I could do it every day, but naturally it's not as easy as all that.

I'm thinking I'll cross train tomorrow, perhaps take a walk in the morning if I can manage to get my sorry ass out of bed. If not, I'll have the fall back of the exercise bike at lunch.

Remember the Name

I did 2.5 this morning, walking most of it. I started out with 1:1 ratio walking to running, then went to 2:1, then just walked. My time was 16:24 minute miles. I wore both knee braces and I really felt it in my calves. I think my stride must be really wanky when my knees aren't stabilized. Weird!!! The first song I listened to was Remember the Name, (thanks Mari) and I thought, it should really be 50% concentrated power of will. That's my biggest stumbling block!!
I have been listening to Rhythm of Love by the Plain White Tees, Magic by B.o.B, and Stuck Like Glue by Sugarland. I am getting really excited about the trip... making a list of things to pack and such! Marianne, since I am coming Friday morning, it doesn't matter if I check a bag right? I will have to see if they charge more for checking bags.

Here is an article that tells us all that not only are we completely insane and risking injury doing this nonsense, it is in no way shape or form helping anyone to lose weight.

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1914857-1,00.html

The Couch of Righteousness

Well, I have earned my spot on the couch of righteousness, as Marianne put it. I am freakin exhausted and in some significant pain. I did 10 miles at the gym. It was a wonderful surprise that the Cards game was on right when I got there, so I had something to keep me distracted along with my tunes. I did the first 5 in 63 minutes, and I did the incline at 2, 1.5, 1, .5 and 0. In retrospect, I'm not sure what possessed me to do that. I was feeling pretty good and I ran almost the whole 5, but was largely beat by the time I was done. Then I started my second 5. I did two running .4 and walking .1, and then had to take a poo break. Then it was halftime, so I did two on the track. And by this time I was really suffering. I was walking every 5th lap. The last mile I went back on the treadmill to watch the game, and I was truly suffering. I ran maybe half of it. But by the end I could hardly walk. I mean, it was really a struggle to keep walking the last quarter mile. Now I'm sitting on my bed watching the end of the game. I've already made plans to get take-out for dinner. Fuck my promises of making dinner. And fuck this shit, really. Why do we put our bodies through this? My feet ache. My legs ache. My hips ache. I'm not sure I can stand long enough to even shower.

Here's my convo with Marianne this morning, cause it makes me chuckle. And thank Goddess for the two of you, who keep me motivated and accountable on a daily basis. The only reason I'm able to drag my ass out again and again is the knowledge that you guys are fighting through this with me, and cheering me on.

Me: I didn't go yesterday. Didn't get outta bed early enuf. Having a really hard time thkng abt 10 at gym today. Did u go?
Mari: I went baby! 9.69 miles
Me: Ugh. I don't want to go :(
Mari: Just do it!! I did it. It was miserable and shitty. Just get it done! Then you can lay on the couch of righteousness.
Me: Haha! Couch of righteousness!
Mari: That's right! But no couch unless u put in ur miles!
Me: It will be ugly. But I will go. In the name of the couch of righteousness
Mari: Yrah!!N!Nn (I still don't know what this means Mari)
Me: And lo, I shall worship at the couch of righteousness
Mari: Hahaha! Nice one! Now get going!
Me: And the couch shall bring great comfort unto me!
. . . several hours later . . .
Me: I need more like a bed of righteousness
Mari: Ha!

9.69

Jesus great christ with crampy calves!! The stupid run got done, and that is nearly the best that can be said about it. I was doing just fine and even enjoying myself right up until around mile six, and the last three were just a bitch and no two ways about it.

The more short runs you do during the week, the better the long run is. I know this. Which is why I continue to surprise and kind of disgust myself with how well I ignore that basic fact.

But it got done. My time was 128:29, which is about 13:13 miles. Perfectly okay.

10 miles next week. Goddess help me be better prepared!

Also, just so you guys know, it was 48 degrees outside when I first started and that was around 7:00 AM. It will be colder than that by the time of the race, so you really need to plan on layers, probably three layers. That is what I plan on doing. Sweatshirt layer, long sleeve shirt layer, tank top layer. And the first two layers I need to go purchase at goodwill this week, so I can just leave them on the course. When I finished, two hours later, it was 67 degrees out, and the tank top definitely felt good.

hilly 4.5

I had signed up for a 4.5 miler at Sabino Canyon. It was an Everyone Runs event and there were about 300 people there. I haven't been going at all, so I decided to just walk. No pressure... just cross the damn finish line. That organization doesn't have time limits. I had bought a better knee brace for my right knee, so I had the other brace on my left knee. There were lots of walkers. The temperature was about 68 degrees when we started and the sunrise in the canyon was beautiful. It was so nice I forgot I wasn't wearing my ipod until about half a mile in. Even though I haven't been exercising I did get my food together and lost about 9 lbs so far. So the XL exercise pants that I bought and wore once were literally falling down. I had to take a safety pin from my bib and pin them to my underwear. Heehee!!! It was funny. I forgot to eat breakfast so I ate some sport jellybeans and thought, this is gonna be ugly. But it wasn't. My time probably would have been better if I had eaten, but even at the end of the walk I could have kept going, no problem. A couple of the hills were really steep. There were 7 hills on the course. I tried once to run down hill but my knee said what the fuck are you thinking??? So I didn't try that again. So I did about 18:30-minute miles. Yikes!!! I am thinking, I am going to start that half marathon. I am going to walk and if I can, I am going to run a little bit. If I get picked up by the sag wagon, so be it. If I can't finish and ask them to pick me up, so be it. I may not be able to finish but I can start. I will go as fast as my body will let me and then just let it be. What I won't do is give up.
I am worried about not being able to fit in the airplane seat.