Hanging my head in shame

No, I haven't been to busy to blog. I've just been ignoring my own blog. I only use it to check other blogs I follow. All the while, I ignore the fact that I fell off the exercise wagon again. No suprise there ... it's the story of my life. But it doesn't make it any less sad to see that I gave up again.

After that last run in August ... OMGosh was it that long ago??? Anyhow, after that run I got really sick that weekend. So I lost a few days, and should have jumped right back in there to finish Week 3. But I didn't. That week Chad called his branch manager and started the process for us to PCS to the mainland. Shortly after, we learned that we'd be moving to Ft. Stewart, Georgia. I can't tell you how much of a funk this put me into and I've been battling it ever since. I am depressed about leaving Hawaii, to the point where I don't even care about where I'm at with my running. When I think about all the madness of moving over the holidays and not having a place to live for over 30 days, I can't even focus on the day to day things that need to get done - let alone an exercise program. And I really don't know how to pull myself out of the funk. It's not like this is my first PCS - far from it, but everything in our life is so perfect here in Hawaii that I don't want to leave it. Sigh.

Maybe what I do need is to hit the pavement again. It can be very therapeutic. I've thought about getting started again many times, but I always come up with an excuse or something else I "have" to do. If anyone has some extra motivation lying around, send it my way!

Week Three - Day Two

Today, Chad was supposed to bring me to Hickam AFB to run on the path that follows the harbor. Apparently, there is a good 2 mile loop there. I was really looking foward to that, but when he got up this morning he had a bad sinus headache. So, we ditched those plans and I just ran after I brought the boys to school. The block in front of the boys' school is simple and flat, but it's getting kind of boring. I definately have to change it up for my third run this week. Today's training went well. This week has gone really smoothly.

After visiting the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet (which provided me with lots of extra exercise as we walked the entire perimeter), Chad and I headed to the Navy Exchange. My intent was to find a replacement pair of running shoes. Should have been an easy task. I mean it's shopping after all! And I'm a GREAT shopper! The Navy Exchange has the running shoes seperated for normal feet and for feet that have high arches. I think I have a high arch and my feet have always been very narrow. My mother used to shop at expensive shoe stores for me when I was a kid, because the stuff in regular stores was way to wide. Anyhow, since having children I've gone up a half size and my feet are wider. Chad says it's because I've lived in Hawaii too long and never wear real shoes (therefore my feet have flattened out!) LOL If you live here, then you probably know that there may just be some truth to that! Anyway, that just made my shopping even harder. I don't know if I need extra cushioning for my arch or not. I tried on Saucony, Asics, Etonics, Nike, and New Balance in several different styles. I liked one pair of New Balance, but they were a little wide. The Saucony didn't feel too bad. The Nikes I run in now is the Air Pegasus and of course they didn't have my size. The Asics didn't fit me at all and the Etonics arch support seemed to press in the wrong place. I just got super frustrated and did not feel comfortable buying any of them. That's too much money to waste on a wrong choice! So I guess I'm going to have to bite the bullet and get a proper fitting at the Running Room or Runner's HI.

Week Three - Day One Training

Today was the start of Week Three training for me. This week's training consists of 90 sec run/90sec walk followed by 3 min run/3 min walk. Both intervals are then repeated. Three minutes is the longest run in the training so far. I have to say that I LOVE this training. Because the intervals are longer, there are less of them. It seemed to go by so fast! I was also pleasantly surprised that I handled 3 mins of running rather easily.

I have discovered though that it is NOT a good idea to eat Taco Bell for lunch and then run 3 hours later. I've also discovered that energy drinks prior to running are not a good idea either (at least not for me). Oh my, my belly did not feel good during this run. And if I could ask that all residents in Ewa by Gentry in the block near the school not cook gross, greasy food with their windows open when I'm running, I would really appreciate it. It's not too much to ask is it? That smell combined with the Taco Bell sitting in my belly really didn't make for a very pleasant experience.

I've decided that I need new running shoes. I swear my shoes are probably 6 years old (which goes to show you how much they've been used.) I was waiting to see if I'd really stick with this before spending money on running shoes. It's going well and I'm still sticking with it, so new shoes it is! Now to decide on where to go to get properly fitted and what to buy. I've always run in Nike, but not sure they're the best for me. How do you know?

Last run of Week Two training

Well, this is it. The last day of Week Two training! Finally! And just when I'm getting comfortable with it. I did feel like I could run an extra interval and keep going at the end of the podcast today, so I guess that's a sign that I'm ready for Week Three. Little nervous about starting a new routine. But I've got the weekend to relax in Waikiki, and I'll start Week Three on Monday morning!

I ran this morning at the boys' school again. Jacob has JPO (Junior Police Officer) this week, so I get to run through the crosswalk where he's working in the morning. He's a Lieutenant this year, so he gets to train and supervise the kid who holds the stop sign. LOL He takes it so seriously that it makes me chuckle. Super proud of him! He's going to be a great leader in the military someday!

Things to add to my list of irritations while running - the smell of fresh dog poop and humidity.

Have a great weekend!

Still on track this week (Week Two training Day 5?)

I'm continuing with Week Two training after my illness last week. Before I got sick, I had completed day 1 & 2 of Week Two training. Then I didn't run for 7 days, so I'm finishing this week with Week Two training. I ran Sunday, Monday and now again today! Today I ran a new route around the block near the boys' school. It's flat and easy and I know the distance for it (as we ran the Steve Favela race there in November.) The run went great, but I don't think I ran very far. Maybe two miles? But I guess at this point I should just be concerned with completing the intervals and not worrying about how far I got.

I noticed on this run how many LITTLE things annoy me when I'm running ... smokers at the bus stop, my iPod headphone cord, a little rock or something in my shoe, being held up at the crosswalk, a plane flying overhead and drowning out my podcast (and gosh doesn't that happen like every 10 mins in Hawaii), the tightness of my shoelaces, stress incontinence (TMI I know, but very annoying), the sun in my eyes, my stupid watch that is 10 mins fast and on and on. Gosh I'm a whiner! But truly, what else is there to think about while you're running!

Back in the Saddle

Even though I just ran yesterday, I decided today would be a good day to run too. I wasn't looking foward to it (given yesterday's disaster), but I knew I had to get back out there and prove to myself that I can do this. I ran at Iroquois Point around the lagoon (which I love) and it went so well! I felt absolutely great afterwards. I worked really hard to keep my breathing under control and probably paced myself better.

I've decided these key things made the difference from yesterday:

1. Today was an early morning run (7:20am) and much cooler.
2. I ate an energy bar and drank water over an hour before I ran (I didn't eat or drink anything before I ran yesterday.)
3. I ran on a scenic, flat running path (yesterday was on hilly, noisy, messy Fort Weaver Rd.)

I think those three things made the difference for a successful run today. I'm going to stick with the Week Two training for the rest of this week. I want to be confident and comfortable with this week's training before I move on to Week Three. It will set my training back, but I think I'll be more successful at this pace.

Yes, that was me lying by the side of the road

This week was AWFUL! AWFUL! Last Sunday (the day after my last run), I got really sick with a horrible head cold ... sore throat, congestion, fever .... the whole thing. It took me all week to feel normal again, so I didn't run at all. This is so typical of me. Something like this happens and then I can't get back to the exercise routine. I MADE myself go out and run this morning before church. I was at the end of Week Two training when I got sick, so I decided to repeat that today. After the first 2 intervals, I knew it was going to be bad. My breathing was labored and that made my throat hurt. It had rained this morning and it was so humid out. By my last interval I was struggling. Worse than any other run I've done so far. I guess I shouldn't be surprised after a whole week of not running, but I was really disappointed. I hated it today. Really hated it. By the time I finished the last interval, I was very overheated. I felt very dizzy, my fingers were tingling and then I started losing peripheral vision. Well, I've fainted enough times in my life to know what that means. I found a shady spot and sat down trying to regain my composure. I felt like throwing up. I wasn't sure I'd make it the short walk down the block to my house. I had to lay back in the grass and wait until the nausea and dizziness passed. I was still shaky when I got back to the house. It was awful. I'm not looking forward to the next run. I guess I'll continue with Week Two for the rest of the week. I'm a whole week behind now! Ughhhhhh! Not a good week.