Running is a road to self-awareness and reliance … you can push yourself to extremes and learn the harsh reality of your physical and mental limitations or coast quietly down a solitary path watching the earth spin beneath your feet. But when you are through, exhilarated and exhausted, at least for a moment everything seems right with the world…

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Furious!

The title is because I'm currently enjoying a wonderful Surly Furious. It's yummy!
So my injury is not shin splints. I did something to my ankle and I have no idea what. I've been looking at picture of ankle bones/muscles, and it appears it's in my fibula. This is the most tender part of the injury.

To say I've had a difficult time dealing with the injury would be an understatement. It's not that I'm in a huge amount of pain or anything (far from it) I just am unable to run in this gorgeous weather. I mean, seriously, someone is punishing me for something. I get injured and for the next 3 or so days the weather is perfect for running. It's so frustrating. I've been walking home from class everyday, but that's about all I can handle. I bought some athletic wrap and an ice pack from target on monday and have been wearing the wrap almost all day long, and am icing it about 3-4 times a day for about 10 minutes each time. I really hope it gets better by Saturday because the weather is supposed to be super nice, and I don't have anything to do except laundry and a shit ton of homework. I want to drive down to the Mississippi and run 5 miles or so. I might have to either cut the mileage down or not go at all :( :(

Other than that this week has been a breeze. I spent Monday and Tuesday night house hunting, and I think we found a really great one, but we are going to scope out our options and look at two more next monday. As far as summer jobs go I still have not heard back about the nanny job. I have an interview for the summer reads program on friday, but they would pay me less than minimum wage and I'd only be working for 6 weeks of the summer. I talked to my boss today and he said I could work part time at the library, although I would not be making as much as I would need to be. It's nice to have a backup plan though. I might talk to him about the possibility of working there in May at least. Even if I do get a nanny job I won't be starting until the kids are out of school in June. I do not want to be sitting around doing nothing for 4 weeks. I'd want to kill myself! I have 4 papers and a midterm next week though so it's time to get on top of my game. My grades have been way, waaaaaaay down this semester. In fact, I don't think I've had a grade this close to failing in my entire life. On that note, it's time to go work on some of these papers.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Going Vegetarian/ My First Injury

Things are not going well! I turned down Daryn for happy hour on Friday to go to the gym. This was an alright workout, surprisingly. I went out to the bars Friday night and woke up saturday morning feeling great. I had to work Saturday, so I skipped the gym, but did walk the 2 miles home :) it was so sunny out! Saturday night me and Chris went to Spoon Fusion in Apple Valley, and I tasted Mock Duck for the first time and Tofu for the second. I fell in love with the Tofu!

I've been wanting to go Vegetarian for quite some time and decided last week, once I used up all the meat in my house on Sunday, that I was going to try it out. So far I've been very good. I don't eat meat very often anyway, so it hasn't been terribly hard. I know the worst will be giving up burgers. I love them. But veggie burgers are good too :P I also realized I need to branch out what I eat. I plan on trying to do oatmeal for breakfast everyday. I'll class it up by adding some craisins, yogurt, and a bit of brown sugar to it. If i don't have time to make breakfast I'll plan on a granola bar. For morning snack I'm going to have a piece of fruit. (since I wake up so early morning snack is necessary, unless I want to fall asleep in class.) Lunch will consist of salad with low fat dressing of some sort, and some form of snacky food(pita chips, carrots), and some form of protein (cheese, peanut butter, hard boiled egg.) Dinner will be my chance to branch out. I usually eat pasta or pizza. This is okay to do 2-3 nights a week, but I really need to try new things at least once a week. I have a large stock of recipes I've been saving from allrecipes.com, and it's time to start making my way through them. I started tonight. I made Zucchini Herb Casserole. (shown above) I switched the recipe up a little bit, but it was really good and best of all there are leftovers! I had some low fat yogurt for desert and it was delicious :) I'm really bad when it comes to sweets and this is something I really need to work on. Last week I made myself homemade fro-yo a few nights. I used frozen strawberries, low fat yogurt, and chocolate milk and blended them together in my magic bullet. This was delicious!

In other news I injured myself on my run this morning. I ran 2 and half miles and felt fine, but afterwards I walked the 2 miles to go see "Hamlet" for my performing arts class. The walk was fine, but I think sitting in such a small area for 3 hours straight after that much exercise was not what my leg needed. I wanted to walk home, just because it's so nice out, but ended up taking the bus. I think I have shin splints, probably due to either uneven surfaces or just working my body too hard too fast. I would blame it on the new shoes but I wore my old ones today.  I have just been mostly resting since I got home and have already iced it once. I plan to do so at least 2 more times tonight. It feels a bit better already. I'll be taking tomorrow off anyway to go look at a house and meet up with some friends I haven't seen in awhile. I'll probably try to take the rest of the week easy, depending on how I'm feeling. I may just do cross-training all week, or light walking.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Life, It Rents Us!

Friday I went for a short run outside, but it was much cooler and I was all sorts of hungover from St Patty's Day, so I only made it 2 miles. (damn you 2 dollar you call-it's at B-loco!) Saturday I met my mom, grandma, and niece in Eau Claire for a bit of shopping and lunch. ! I got a few new shirts, one being an awesome $4 flannel, a $10 pair of jeans, a pair of shorts, and some new white tanks. and best of all my dad told my mom to buy me some new running shoes! my old ones were getting quite worn out so I'm super excited about the new ones! I tried on a bunch of "female" ones and none seemed to fit me right, so i thought, what the heck, might as well try on some male ones and I loved the first pair I tried on! I got a pair of Asic GT 2150's for only 60 bucks! Thanks for the early graduation present Mom and Dad!

Saturday night I went to Vertical Endeavors with Adam, Tony, and Chris. It was a really good day of strengthening. My arms were all sorts of sore on Sunday. I climbed about 3 walls all the way up to the top and did an additional 5 or so half walls. I want to go again sometime soon. On friday's they have ladies night and college ID night, so it's half off if you go after 5pm and are either a lady or a college student. Let me know if you want to go! I think it was around $25dollars this time, so it'd be less than $15. It's a good deal for such a great experience.

Sunday I got to run for a bit with my training buddy. I ran without my iPod, which was different, but a nice change, surprisingly. Afterward we did some lunges and jump roping, which made my legs super sore. I did a bit of arm lifting, but was extremely weak from the rock climbing.

Monday I ran outside, but it was super windy and not much fun at all. Plus I was hella sore from sunday. I could hardly bend over to get books from the bottom shelf at work, and don't even get me started on climbing the 3 flights of stairs to math class. Monday night I went to the Roe Family Singers at the 331 club. They were amazing! Best bluegrass in town. And their monday night special is 2 vodka or gin and tonics for $5! woohooo! Tuesday I had off of practicum (their spring break is this week, ) so I went to St. Paul gym to run the track for a bit and I did a bit of lifting, but was once again very sore. I tried to do lunges, but couldn't even do half as many as on sunday.

I felt loads better on Wednesday. I went to Gradfest after math and did my stupid exit interview for graduation. Basically they just tell you how much you owe the University and show you how impossible it will be to pay off the loans even if you get a good paying job. I felt like life was crashing down on me after this so I headed straight to the gym to work off some of the pressure. It helped while I was there (thanks Modest Mouse and Rage Against the Machine!), but upon returning home I immediately locked myself in my room and did a bit of crying. It's been quite some time since I have done this, and I have to say it felt good. I allowed myself 5 minutes of self-loathing and then decided it was time to start studying for my midterm.

I was going to go to the gym Thursday morning, but I had an interview at 11 and really needed to do some more studying for my midterm, so I made a cup of coffee and did another hour of studying. Then headed to my interview. It went really well. I'd be working for a family who has adopted 11 children with special needs (and they are getting two more this summer!) I'm going to go to their house some night next week to meet them all, and it sounds like if I think it'll be a good fit the job is mine! woohoo!!!

Gonna try to make it to the gym a few times this weekend since early next week I have a lot of other stuff going on. Can't wait until the snow is all melted (again) and it's sunny out so I can run outside again :)

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Love is Just a Shackle I See

I wasn't going to blog again this soon, but yesterday I went for my first run outside, and today I read a great chapter in my book and I just feel like I need to write.

So I plotted out about a 3 mile course yesterday to one of the schools I worked in last spring and back to my house, and of course cutting through my favorite running trail. It felt so nice to be outside again! I started out jumping around and over puddles and sometimes I would slow down to walk around the big ones. When I reached my favorite short 2 block "trail" a particular song came on. The same exact song that came on when I first discovered the trail last fall. I dont' know why I love this trail. It's so short and located right next to the noisy I-35, but there's just something about feeling like I'm out in the woods and knowing that I'm near the center of the city. About a mile in I started running through the puddles. The cool wetness felt good on my feet anyway. When I was almost home I knew I needed to do a cool-down, but I just wasn't ready to stop running yet, so I did another loop around part of my old course. When I got home I realized I still needed to do a cool down, but at this instant "Corrina" by Taj Mahal came on and it was the perfect pace for jogging, so I jogged to my "cotemplation" spot. This area is only about 3 blocks away from my house, but it's where I always go when I'm feeling down about life. It reminds me what I want, and what I'm working for. I wanted to see if the snow had melted enough for me to get there yet. If I wore water proof boots I could trudge through the slush and make it. I then walked home.

I felt really good about my run, although for some reason I was bloated afterward? I had some fizzy water and made some pasta for dinner and then headed to Daryn's new band's show. Wow! They were awesome. Anyway today I'm sore. Especially my legs. When I went back to process books at work "Multiply" by Jamie Lidell came on. I moved and grooved a bit and felt better after this.

This afternoon I have been sitting at the desk for what feels like forever, and I'm not currently on chapter 25 of my book. I love it. So many tips and pointers. Anyway the last chapter was very interesting. Scattered throughout the books are chapters that have almost nothing to do with running. She writes these, mostly, about relationships she been in. The last chapter I read seems like something I could have written. She titled it "The Breakup" and it begins with her talking about how she doesn't want to run, but after she gets going she feels better somehow, as if shes working out all the anguish and bitterness of her recent breakup. In then end she finishes her workout feeling better, but as soon as she gets in the shower she starts crying, realizing that she can't run away from her emotions. This is it. This is the reason why I started running. To escape. And she's right, it doesn't work. But those 20 or so minutes, when you feel like you've worked through your issues, feel so great and are so addicting, that you keep coming back for more.

She then comments about how she later becomes friends with her ex and when he asks her why it didn't work out she responds by saying "It did. This is what it looks like, sometimes, to have something workout." This is it. This is what I want. I need to get to this point. Last year when I commented that I needed to "get over the relationship"  a very important person told me that it's not about "getting over" the relationship. He said the relationship is still here, but it's changing into something new, something new and better. I want to get there, and I know I will, in my own time.

Running has become my escape. But not just from my self-loathing, or my pain anymore. It's the stress of everyday life. All of the assignments,  the waking up at 5am to get to work, the fear that I have no idea where I'm going or what I'm doing with my life. The fear that I won't be a good teacher. Running is my escape from all of this. And that's why I love it. Running is my "me time." Me and my music :)

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

When I Die I'll Rot. But When I Live, I'll Give It All I've Got!

So yesterday I went to the gym and ran on the treadmill. It was horrible. I ran at a 10:54 pace except for during "Age of Adz" where I ran at a 10:31 pace. Amazing what great music can do:) Thus the title of this blog post. It should be noted that I considered get these lyrics permanently engraved on my body.Anyway, my right foot fell asleep again. Damn treadmills! I wanted to do strengthening, but felt like an idiot trying to use the equipment so I hopped on an elliptical for about 7 minutes and used a super high cross-ramp. I ran into Becky, so I stretched out with her and had a nice talk about boys. Then I walked home cause it was super nice out :)

Today I was so excited to run outside, but when I got done with work it was rainy:( I also didn't feel well so I came home and told myself if i was running a fever I wouldn't go to the gym. I was not running a fever so I headed to the gym. And boy am I glad I did :)

I started with 5 minutes of stretching and a 10 minute ab workout. After this, I did about 15 minutes of lifting. I only used 4 pieces of equipment, but I'm still proud. Then I walked one fourth of a mile and jogged about a fourth of a mile for a warm up. Then I started running to Sufjans song "Too Much." at the end of this song I noticed I had already finished a few laps over a half a mile (a mile is 18 laps.) The song was only a little over 6 minutes long, so I was kind of proud and decided to power through and do an entire mile and time myself. I ran it in 10:23! woohoo!!! (That's really good for me) The plan was to jog a half mile after this, but "Brickhouse" was on, (Thanks for putting it on the Badger Hers mix Rod) so I ran another half a mile! It was the perfect song to keep me going. Then I slowed down and did a few laps of jogging and then a few of walking, followed by a few more jogging and a few more walking. Then I did some more stretching, and walked to my car. It was of course sunny and gorgeous by this point. It was one hell of a workout.

Afterwards I decided it was about time to do some baking. I've been under some serious emotional stress recently, and baking always helps me relax. I decided to do something for St. Patricks day and thought what could I bake with Guinness? So I looked up a chocolate stout cupcake recipe and decided I would just have to add coffee to it, since coffee goes so perfectly with chocolate. They were amazing! Picture on the side.

Tomorrow I plan to head to the running trail over by the school I work at. It is right on the Mississippi and I really want to try it out while I have the time to drive.I have been trying really hard to not eat as much sugar, and use portion control, but somehow in the midst of this all I've gained like 2 pounds. Not to mention the 4 pounds I gained the first six weeks of this year. This is what I get from switching from working out 1-2 days a week to working out an average of 4. Oh well! I'm just gonna blame it on all the muscle I'm gaining.  Notice also I've started a list of songs for my "marathon mix" on the right side under my about me section.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

I see what I cannot hear. I fear what I cannot fear.

Things have been going good. Other than my sickness. I ran for 30 minutes on Sunday and did 2.7 miles. I realized however that while my lungs are in fairly good shape my legs are not. The first mile was extremely tough on my legs, and if I took a walking/water break it was even harder to get back into running. But after the first mile I felt great! This made me realize I really need to do some lifting to strengthen my muscles.  I tried a few pieces of equipment, but was sort of confused. Would anyone be willing to show me their lifting routine? I really want to start lifting one day a week.
Monday I did 30 minutes on an elliptical. This was great because I had a migraine all day, and working out helped me get rid of it for about an hour. Then it came back so I went to bed at like 9. I was super duper sick on Tuesday (I think I had a miniature stomach flu) and I had to work on a presentation for my Behavioral Analysis class. This morning I had class cancelled! So I made it to the gym and did about 2.8 miles in 33 minutes (see how much I hate treadmills?) and my right foot fell asleep around mile 2 yet again. I need to get this checked out if it keeps happening, cause it's not fun.
I also started reading my book "Personal Record" and love it so far. The author set it up just like a marathon, so the first chapters are easy and short and then they get longer and harder. There are 26.2 chapters as well. Hilarious! The first chapter is about the runners body. It all sounds very displeasing to me, except for the flat belly and the skipping periods. The chapter I just finished is about how many shoes runners have in their closet. This made me realize that I need to get at least one pair of running shoes soon.  Spring Break shopping anyone???
Well I'm gonna skip the gym tomorrow for another happy hour date, but I'll be running Friday after work and then Saturday I'm going to try to do cross training and lifting. I'll be heading to Cloud Town on Saturday night, but i'll try to make it to the gym again Sunday night. Spring break week will be training central.

Saturday, March 5, 2011

It's Still A Little Hard to Say, What's Going On.

So I made it to the gym after work. I ran 2 miles at about a 10:40 pace and walked half a mile as well. Toward the end of my 2nd mile my right foot fell asleep. Unsure as to why this happened. I've also been noticing that my right leg is a lot more sore than my left. This may be because I severely bruised the right side of my hip/ass. It could also be due to the fact that I broke my right leg when I was 2 and thus my left leg is slightly longer than my right. It was overall a terrible work-out, but I had a good night afterward.
I went home and had a few drinks and dinner while listening to Daryn's band play. Then I went to a "progressive rock" concert in Maple Grove with Chris and Becky. I wasn't sure what to expect, but they were a really good band. I was only there for about an hour and a half and they played 3 Led Zeppelin songs. Picture of me and Becky at the concert is at the left. All of Chris's friends were super nice, and best of all they all wanted to dance :) Anyway I was suppose to do cross training this morning but opted out because I needed to do laundry and I feel like I may be coming down with some sort of sickness. I'll cross train at Daryn's bluegrass concert tonight, where I plan on dancing my ass off.
Today I got to the Library for work a bit early so I decided to find myself some reading for over spring break. I found a book titled "Personal Record: a Love Affair With Running." It's all about a girl's experience with training for and running the Boston Marathon. We will see if I have time to get around to it with all the traveling, working, and homework I will be doing. Speaking of homework I should probably get back to working on my paper.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

My Own Training Program

So forget being sore from running, I haven't run since Monday and I'm super duper sore. This morning I took a huge fall on the ice and hurt my hip/ass. I was fine all day, but after walking home from Harry Potter with Daryn tonight it suddenly started to hurt and I'm in pain.

The past few days have been so busy that I haven't had time to work out at all. Tuesday evening I helped at an event for the CEHD undergraduate student board. We got together with several alumni to "Make a Connection." It was a great event about 9 alumni showed and about 20 students. I got to meet an older gentleman who worked for the MN department of education for 20 years, so that was quite interesting and I brought home a ton of leftover food. I've been trying to eat as vegetarian as possible, but I brought home chicken, and that is all I have been eating since. Wednesday I had a meeting with the CEHD alumni (I'm the student representative) and then immediately had to head over to west bank to see a play for my "creating identity through arts and performance" (aka bullshit) class. I got home at about 10:30 and passed out. Tonight I met Daryn, a few of his co-workers and my friend Chris for happy hour (best breakfast stout ever!) and then went to see "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 1." I know I could easily have skipped this, but relationships are also a priority in my life, and Daniel Radcliffe just couldn't wait.

Anyway I've been talking to a lot of people about my training and the more I talk to them the more I realize I have no idea what the hell I'm doing. I talked the CEHD alumni president about it and she's taken part in 6 marathons and 3 half marathons. When she asked me what training program I was using I replied with "my own" and she gave me a really weird look. So when I got home I began researching and found that most of them were the same, but were all 3 month training programs. So, the plan is to stick to my own right now, until about July or August, depending on which race I take part in. Here's what my plan looks like for March:
Running- 2-3 miles 2-3 days per week.
Cross-Training- 30 minutes elliptical 2-3 times per week
Stretching/Lifting- 20 minutes- 1 day a week
1-2 rest days.
All my days will of course include stretch, warm up, cool downs, and an ab workout.

Well that's all for now. I'll probably up the mileage in April and might switch my cross-training to biking when it gets nice out. I fully plan to do 2-3 miles after work tomorrow, but we will see how sore I am.