My dear child: “Why we stopped”, Me: “Because Mommy is dying.”

I haven’t been feeling well the last few days, but I told myself I was going to be consistent with running.  I’m not so much about the distance as I am about just staying committed.  My weekday runs are around 4 miles as I typically only have about an hour to run.

I don’t always feel like running.  I talk myself into it by saying I won’t push hard but every time I get out there the legs just take over and I run harder and faster, sometimes making really fast times.  I always feel better after running.  Accomplished, even.

The title of today’s post comes from one of the many conversations I have with my 2 year old.  This is what happens… I get a good stride, the wind is flowing through her hair and then I run out of breathe and we stop/slow down.  She is sure to point it out…

A little more about me…

I have a daughter who will be 3 in August.  If I skip a morning run (they’re all meant to be morning runs), I will have to make it up with an evening run pushing The Jeep (our nickname and the stroller brand).  Dad works overnight so that leaves me as the primary caregiver in the evenings.  If I want to get in a run I have to bring her.

She looks comfortable, doesn’t she?

Out for a stroll

Though the morning runs give more flexibility with the type of work out, location and time… it’s really great taking my daughter.   We have conversations and get explore the historic neighborhood we live in together.  She often gets out and runs along with me (sometimes really fast).  The only downside is I can’t go as far as I would have if I were alone.  She gets in and out very often.  I don’t mind though,  she really enjoys going “for a walk”.  One day I will build to the point where I do 2 runs a day. One in the morning for “training” and one in the evening for mommy/daughter time.

This evening we took a route along the Flood Wall.  In total we covered 2.6 miles (in 40mins) she probably ran about .75 miles off and on.

After the run I am very sore.  It’s similar to my recovery after long runs (11+ miles).  I think it might be the illness.  I thought with running while sick I could sweat out the illness.  We will see in the morning.

Ugh, summer colds.

Me: “I’m going to blog about this!” Rosa: “It’s therapeutic.”

Rosa and I started blogs at the same time  We both want to document our separate and COMPLETELY opposite journeys.  She is 100lbs lighter than me, ran cross country, wants to get faster and…. gain weight (ugh).  On occasion we meet up in the real world and train together.  Our latest of which was interval training…

We both have been following serval blogs for quite some time, one of the most influential is 50 after 40.  Reading his blog we had an epiphany: To run faster you have to train faster.  I’m paraphrasing a bit but if you train at a 10min pace with a 8min goal in mind how will you ever show up on race day and pull off that miracle.   Here is the blog post for more accuracy.

May and June this year, I ran a CONSISTENT 17min pace average (yes, I have a long way to go).  After one session of interval training I was running  4 miles with an average 14min pace.  There is some about running fast that really stretches your legs.  My body really adapted to the form.   Prior interval training my “run” was mostly a shuffle.  Let me tell you, it feels really good to run fast!  What’s horrible and I mean horrible is running out of breath.  Horrible…  Horrible.  (Thus the , “I’m going to blog about this” comment because I was suffering!)

Regardless of the breathing setbacks…  I need to add a weekly interval workout

Stats from the training:

5 – 400 meter intervals

1 – 2:17 mins
2 – 2:10 mins
3 – 2:18 mins
4 – 2:25 mins
5 – 2:20ish mins ( I was timing Rosa’s 8:59 1600 meter interval and had to manually count)

Legs: Fine, barley felt them.

Lungs: No words, literally, because I couldn’t speak.

Note to self: Your VO2 Max stinks.

Step one, you start running. There is no step two.

I have lofty goals and intend to accomplish all of them.

But I digress, my backstory at a glance.

I am considered obese.  I have probably been most of my life.  I never really considered my weight until I was an adult because it wasn’t then till I really started to see the difference between my size and others.  As a child I was outgoing and artistic, never playing any sports.  There was this one time in high school, “the softball conditioning incident”, when on the first day, in the first drill I nailed a girl in the face breaking her nose and bruising her eye.  I quit in shame (note: she missed school for a week).

In 2007 I started running.  I was living on my own in a new city and just wanted to do something.  Quickly it became an obsessive.  I signed up for a race (10k or less) every month for nearly 2 years. I would read blogs and watched all sorts of youtube videos about running (notice no books… it’s one of my goals).  I ran off and on for 2 years never getting faster than a 11min pace.  Not sure why I stopped.

Fast forward April 29, 2013, 33 days before a half marathon on a trail, my self and a few friends sign up and begin training.  In the 33 days before the race I covered about 100+ miles.  Race day I was nervous, but I gutted it out and finished 4 hrs and 14.6 miles later (thats correct 1.5 miles over the traditional half). The race organizers copped to the mistake and made available these pretty nifty bumper stickers.

This time I don’t want to stop.  I love the feeling of running.  It’s often hard to start but there is so much gratification I get from the accomplishment of it.

My ultimate goal…  I want to be athletic.  I want to be competitive.

This blog is my record.  My commitment to never lose that running feeling…

(It was a good song!)

 

Disclaimer: I may often use quotes and song lyrics to express myself, I can’t help it!