Today I learned two things:

1. The importance of keeping your arms close to your body when running.
2. When it is windy and you're running, no matter in which direction you are running, you are always running into the wind.

1. For some reason, I randomly pulled my arms closer into my body during my run. There is a tendency there to scrunch up the shoulders, so I think that in keeping my shoulders down I have felt the impulse to keep my arms out to the side a little. But not so! Keeping them in close to the body makes for more efficient running. I love when I discover new tricks that improve my form.

2. Whenever the wind blew, it was always against me. And it seems to just happen to blow when I'm running up inclines. Which I hate. I have grown to love hills, but the long, gradual inclines, not so much.

Anyway, I ran for 4 1/4 miles today. It took me about 45 minutes. It was hard. I was breathing hard pretty much from the get-go. Sometimes I forget I have asthma and that it makes running difficult. : /
I feel like it makes it that much more satisfying when I finish, though. I wanted to quit on multiple occasion, and wasn't running very fast, but I did it. :)

Hi guys.
I know I said I'd post last weekend, but I didn't. I'm sorry! I promise it hasn't been that long since I've run.

I didn't run on Friday, but I did buy my new sneaks! Woo hoo! I got the Asics Nimbus 11, which just came out. My previous pair were the Asics Nimbus 10. I like these one a lot, but they've made some changes in the fit. They're firmer than my old ones (I know they're new and need to be broken in, but still).

So, I headed back to school Sunday night. At school, I try to run Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays (I have time in the morning before my first class) and work out on Tuesday and Thursdays when I get back from work at night (my day is jam-packed until I get back!). I didn't run Monday, because I woke up a half-an-hour before I had class. Thus, no running. :( Tuesday I could have worked out after work, but I chose to watch American Idol instead. Whoops! For the record, though, I planned on working out after I watched it, but I didn't know it was going to be on until 10. Oh wellll.

Wednesday I did run, but I still woke up late so I only had time to run for 20 minutes. I was tired. And, had major issues with shoelaces. I don't know what my deal is-- I don't know if it's just that I'm really picky about how my shoes fit, or if I have weirdly shaped feet, or what. But I had to stop to retie my left shoe like 8 times within 20 minutes. And each successive time, I grew more and more frustrated. It was either too loose, or too tight, or too constricting on my ankle, or.. whatever. My right shoe was just fine. I couldn't figure out why I couldn't get my left shoe to tie just like the right one, but I couldn't. I vowed that whenever I ran after that, I'd do a little test run and make sure my shoelaces were tied satisfactorily before I actually headed out on my run.

Last night I did actually work out after work. I borrowed Maya's Jillian Michaels' Thirty Day Shred DVD, and she kicked my butt--literally. Well, actually, I kicked my own, but she made me. It was worth it, though. I'm definitely feeling it today.

Okay. SO. Now for today's run.

I fought off a wild dog that was trying to chase me. Just kidding. ;) But I did have blood all over my shirt when I got back. The reason why was not all that exciting, though. I got a bloody nose.
I had a runny nose, so I blew a snot rocket. Gross, I know. (I'm so ladylike sometimes, aren't I?) Then I went to spit, another gross habit of mine when I run (what? it's not like I do it when I'm not running... it's kind of a necessity, okay?), and I noticed it was red. Oh, no. I held up my hand to my nose, only to pull back a bloody hand. Great. I still had a little bit of a ways to go before it was going to be time for me to turn back, but I realized I just needed to go back and turn around then. I balled up the bottom of my shirt and held it up to my nose to block the gushage, and continued to run. After a little bit, I thought, "Who am I kidding?" So I stopped and walked the rest of the way.
Bloody noses are bad, but they seem intensified when I'm running. I've gotten them twice before while running--not fun.
So I walked back to the school, blood-stained t-shirt and all. Megan ran past me and stopped and walked with me for a little bit to make sure I was okay, which was nice.
I felt pretty embarrassed-- I didn't want all these people driving by and whatnot to think, "What's wrong with that girl?" But then, I couldn't help but laugh at myself. It is pretty funny. And besides, it makes for a good story. I mean, I had you going there for a second with the wild dog story, right? (Humor me--say yes).

Needless to say, the bloody t-shirt is in the trash can. I didn't get to finish my run, but stuff happens.

I didn't run today. Or, rather, yesterday now. Tomorrow (aka today, or when I wake up from sleep, which should begin right about now), I will run. And post. And buy new running sneakers perhaps? Ooh I hope so!

:(

One day done, and my ankle is messed up. And, I have a cold.. or something. Probably because of the weather, and running outside yesterday without adequate clothing.
I really want to run today. I'd hate to be one day in and then not run, but I'm afraid I'll hurt my ankle worse. :/ I don't know what to do. It's not as bad now as it was when I woke up, but I'm still not sure I want to take the risk. I blame my shoes. I've been wanting to get new ones for a while, and this is kind of the last straw. They're a year and a half old, which is old for running shoes. But, for the record, I didn't think I used them often enough to justify buying a new pair sooner. Anyway, I think they're too big. I think my ankle was rolling around in them because they didn't fit well, and that's why it's messed up this morning. Theres' a Marathon Sports in Wellesley right down the street from the wrestling place I take the boys I babysit to, so I'm thinking that tomorrow I may just pop in there and treat myself to a new pair of running shoes.
And, I may just suck it up and run today. Not sure. I may regret it later. We'll see. I'll let you know if I do.

Day 1

Okay.

I said I would write after my run, so here goes. I headed out at around 1:55, and got back home at just about 2:55. However, I stopped at the entrance to my neighborhood like I usually do and walked up the hill, which took about five minutes. So I actually ran for about 50-55 minutes. Woo hoo!
So as you can see, that was a while ago. Annnnd I haven't showered yet. Gross, I know. I'll take care of that when I finish this up.

The run.
It was good! Really good, actually. I decided that I want to start training for a 5k in May, so I'm starting up by laying a base of distance for the first week or two.

For the next two weeks, I will be hooked on LSD (Long, slow, distance). :D

So.
Monday I asked my dad if it was nice out, and if I'd be okay in just a t-shirt. He said yes. He was right.
Today, I asked him the same questions. He said yes again. He was wrong. Well, maybe that's a little harsh. But when I got outside, there was a noticeable difference in the temperature from Monday. I was wearing running tights, shorts, and a short sleeve t-shirt, and for the first few minutes contemplated turning back and changing. About halfway down the hill heading out of my neighborhood, I actually did turn around for about a split second. But when I was facing the sun, and not the wind, it felt a lot better. I knew I'd be hot eventually if I put something else on. So, I braved the elements and continued on. I kept reminding myself that once I warmed up I'd be fine, but felt kind of like a wuss. When I was in high school, I ran meets in less clothes and colder weather. Surely if I could bear it then, I could bear it now. It wasn't bad at all when the wind wasn't blowing, but that was a small minority of the time. But, just like I kept telling myself, once I got going a little more, I was okay. Although, it did cause me to alter my route. I was going to run along the water, but decided against that and ran along Sandwich/Main/Court Street instead.
This whole running with the right form is coming easier and easier (if you haven't read my last entry in my other blog, check it out). It's feeling less and less forced, although I have to keep constantly checking myself. It just feels so much better. I can tell that I'm running so much more efficiently. I had to keep reminding myself that it was okay to take it easy (but, of course, that doesn't mean letting up on my form), because I'm doing long, slow, distance. My natural tendency is to run at a quicker pace, but it does feel good to just enjoy a nice, slow, relaxing run. (Some people might think me insane for using relaxing and run in the same sentence, but maybe I am ;)).
On my way back, I was feeling so good that I decided to keep going further than planned and instead of turning up Nook Road (I know these street names mean nothing to those of you who don't know Plymouth), I kept going and turned up Obery instead. It felt good that I could keep going, and felt good about it--I wasn't dying.

The only thing I don't like about running downtown are the creepy old man stares. It's almost flattering. Wait, no. It's not. It's disgusting. They would've done it to any girl running down the street. Gross.

Anywayyy...
There's my first post! The first real one, anyway. Woo! I'm not sure of the exact date on the 5k, but once I find out I'll put it up. Maybe even incorporate a countdown or something. Yeah. Okay. Bye.

First Post!

Hi.

First post!

I'm about to go running right now. I'll write when I come back.