Successful 3 miles

I did not forget my shoes today and ran a simple 3 miles. Also, I forgot to say that yesterday I ran all 6 miles with an average of a 2% incline. I want to retrain myself for not flat ground before I start running outside again. My between class shuffle went very well today because none of my stuff got wet during my shower, I was able to use a big locker in the locker room, and the treadmill I wanted to use was not being used. I even was 15 min early to class! I am probably going to buy a fitness pass so that I actually do some cross training on the days that I'm supposed to. But it costs money....... So we shall see.

6 miles

Yesterday I ran 6 miles at the gym. I was all ready to run 3 miles on Tuesday but realized I had forgotten my shoes (fail). The 6 mile run was fun; I ran the first mile with my boyfriend who is beginning to suffer from shin splints (ouch). So from now on we are going to do shin strengthening exercises! Does anyone have any favorites?

I ran my 10 miles!

I successfully finished my 10 mile run. I ran 1.6 with my boyfriend on the track and the remaining 8.4 on the treadmill. I watched movie "The Aristocats" on Netflix on my phone while I was running to help pass the time. I was running a little under 10 min/mile and finished fairly easily. Now I have a break until Monday but I might do an exercise class or something to work on my muscle tone (and burn some calories). I also got some new running pants today!!! Which I'm very excited to try on Tuesday!!!

Locker Room Woes

Today I tried a new plan I have of squeezing in my running between two of my classes. I have an awkward 1.5 hour break between two classes across from the gym on Tuesdays and Thursday. On those days I have my short runs (3 or 4 miles). So today I packed all my running gear and shower supplies and ran my three miles in the afternoon. When I went to take a shower in the gym I realized how small the shower stalls are and how much stuff I actually had to carry! Once I started taking the shower I noticed that the floor was totally flooded and was soaking my backpack!!! Frantically I rescued everything and dried my shoes with the hand dryer. I have decided to by my own lock so I can use one of the day lockers and avoid any water damage in the future. I'm just glad that nothing got ruined!

Half Half Run

This post is for yesterday (Wednesday). My boyfriend is training for a 5k (after my *cough cough* subtle *cough cough* encouragement). I ran my first two miles with him on the track and then ran the last three miles on the treadmill. I was running on one of the cool treadmills that lets you pick a professionally filmed path that it displays while you run. So I ran all over Germany in 30 minutes (I must have broken some kind of records). Anyways, I'm glad I finished that run.

Failure :(

I have been procrastinating on writing this post because it makes me sad. I tried running 10 miles on Monday with a biking buddy but after 2.5 terrible miles I decided it wasn't worth it. I was completely exhausted and it was a horrible struggle getting my legs to even move. My entire body felt like lead and I wasn't enjoying it at all. It felt like I was trying to go for a run after an all-nighter. I think I really just needed a rest day. I felt really horribly terribly enormously awful but it just wasn't worth it.
:( So I failed. :(
I took a rest day on Tuesday to make sure I didn't have any excuses on Wednesday. If my body needed a rest then I wanted to give it a real rest.

BUT I AM GOING TO KICK 10 miles' BUTT THIS SATURDAY! I will even run all ten stinking miles on the treadmill if the weather is too bad.

 RAWR! A determined Zita is on the loose.

Boom Boom Beat

I just finished running my three miles for today. I really cranked my music up so that I couldn't hear myself breathing and it helped me ignore the other students on the overcrowded track. All the students are back in town for the start of the semester on Tuesday. I still don't think I ran very fast because I ate quite a bit of food today and my stomach didn't hurt as much as it should have if I had really exerted myself. I was tsk-tsk-ing myself when I started running because I knew I should have eaten healthier/less today. With the students back, my insecurities are coming back full force. All the girls with their fancy gym clothes make me a little jealous, so it feels twice as good when I pass them on the track. I might be wearing t-shirts from high school and shorts with holes in them but going to the gym isn't about what you wear, its about how hard you work.

P.S. I think when I post from the blogger phone app it doesn't send the emails to the people who are subscribed. So I won't do that from now on.

Five musical miles

Today I ran five miles at the gym (with a short break to blow my nose). It was uneventful but I was happy to have found a way to make my headphones stay in while I run. I adjusted my calendar at the top to present what my modified plan is for this week. I'm also happy because my boyfriend can bike the ten miles with me in Monday! Now let's just hope the weather cooperates!

Returning after a short hiatus

This post is for yesterday. I ran three miles with my roommate at a conversational pace. It is amazing how much easier it is to run with someone else. It astounds me every single time. I guess I should explain that this week I had an interview and was traveling. Therefore running got put on the back burner. But I'm trying to make up the mileage!

Surprisingly uneventful yet slippery 9.3 miles

I ran 9.3 miles this morning outside. I was only able to do this because on Friday I went to the doctor and they gave me some antibiotics that actually seem to be helping! Also, the weather was considerably warmer than it has been recently. My friend biked next to me which helped to provide me with the "kick in the butt" to actually do my run. The sidewalks are mostly clear now but they aren't safe because most have nearly invisible layers of ice from the daily thaw-freeze cycle. So I choose to run on the road because I didn't want to break my ankle and I hoped the bike would add visibility. It is always interesting to see the way people respond to me running. I often get a jesting "I should be running with you!" or "Wait for me!". But what irritates me are the drivers who take it upon themselves to "teach me a lesson" about running in the street. They drive past very fast and honk at me from behind; they sometimes don't even change lanes. Which is absurd when there are multiple lanes and often I am even running in the bike lane. Though they don't know that the sidewalk is icy, it is rude to purposefully put a person in danger due to their belief that they have been inconvenienced. Enough of my ranting. I want to give a quick shout-out to randomly located portable toilets and bid you adieu!

Troubled tummy and competition

I ran four miles yesterday after dinner and convinced my dad to come with me. The problem with going to the gym after dinner is that my stomach always hurts while I run (because I eat chocolate and cheese and other unhealthy foods). I decided to run on the track because I get really bored in the treadmills. However, I also tend to get competitive when I run on the track. For example, yesterday I was basically racing this guy for almost a mile. Every time I almost passed him he would speed up. By the time he finally gave up and let me pass him, my stomach hurt so bad I was worried I would throw up on the track. So I ran the next half mile with my dad to give my body a break. I really should just not eat before I run, but I guess I still haven't learned my lesson.

minimal motivation

So, I ran the three miles today I was supposed to run yesterday. I'm honestly struggling to keep up with my runs. The only reason I was able to convince myself to go to the gym at all today was because a neighbor/acquaintance came with me. Tomorrow I am going with my dad so I will definitely go. I am not looking forward to the 9 mile run on Saturday though.... ug.

Why are gyms so awkward?

I ran five miles on the treadmill with music. It was boring.

I kept accidentally making eye contact with people running on the track. That was awkward.
I kept accidentally running in rhythm with the people next to me. That was awkward too.
Sometimes I zone out and it looks like I'm starting at people's butts. That is always awkward.

I didn't eat too much before I ran. That was pretty cool.
My knee doesn't hurt too much anymore. Which is really awesome.
I keep running 10 min miles. That is kinda slow.
But I ran five miles. So that's pretty cool.

Murphy's Law

So, this post is for Thursday. My training feels like it is following Murphy's Law. On Thursday morning one of my alarms went off REALLY loud at 4:30 am in my sister's apartment while I was in the bathroom. I wanted to turn it off as quickly as possible because cranky sister = the Kraken. And nobody wants to wake the Kraken. In running across the apartment to turn off the alarm, I accidentally slide sideways on their floor and injured my knee. Even just running from the car to the gym I felt a sharp pain on the left side of my left knee. I was torn between sticking with my training and listening to my body. My internal monologue was as follows:

Body: "Zita, you are training for a marathon, and if that means taking one day off, so be it."
Brain: "But all the millions and billions of people who read my blog will be disappointed!"
Body: "Well, you can't help it that you are a celebrity, your health needs to be first priority. Besides, weren't you worried about running making you more sick anyways?"
Brain:"Yeah I guess. But can I at least do elliptical?"
Body: "Hmmmmmm.... let's see if it hurts you. Maybe."

It turns out that it didn't hurt too bad so I did four miles on the elliptical. But even if you do the elliptical the same distance and pace as running, it is much much easier. However I am please with my compromise because I can't afford to have a bum knee once I start running higher mileage.

New year, old struggles

I didn't go running yesterday but I promise I will fit in all the runs this week. Right now I'm in Chicago visiting my sister. I ran three miles at her gym today and I made the same mistake I often make, I ate food before I went running. Also, I'm still feeling pretty sick so my running wasn't very fast. I'm not sure that running isn't preventing me from getting better. On a tangent, I am growing to detest treadmills; the one I was using today had a very inconveniently placed emergency button which I accidentally hit with my hand while running. The program erased my progress and I didn't have anyway to know how far I had run before I hit the button. But I just estimated my distance based on the time I started running. I am hoping to feel better soon.