Some Days I Should be Resting...

But then those days are my birthday and I eat too much and get embarrassed with myself and have to run. 

Luckily, just when I thought I was going to go to bed early for the night, I saw my neighbor walking home and asked if she maybe thought running sounded like a good idea and she was totally down!

It was the hardest workout so far! 

Surprise runs are the best, though. I don't get to spend all day nervous about the weather or my asthma or if I'll find somebody to run with or any of that. The run just happens and I go. 

And it felt SO GOOD!! 

But because I didn't plan on it, I didn't hydrate before... so I got a little light-headed. 

I hate getting dizzy, and I always try to just blame it on my asthma, even when I totally know it's my fault. 

When I get dizzy, I always just focus on my breathing and remind myself that it won't last forever. 

Now don't get it twisted!

I would never keeping running while light-headed if I was out by myself! 

I only keep going if I have a partner that I know will help me if anything serious happens.

I ALSO don't run without my ID band.

It has my full name and birth year, my dad's phone number, my boyfriend's number, my insurance plan and number, and a reminder to "just keep trying."

So it's pretty cool and I like it and it keeps me feeling safe.

I like to think it brings peace of mind to my running partners knowing that all of my vital info is right there and available.

Pictures to come tomorrow!

Night!

PS- I got this picture from my bestie!

Soreness, Cats, and Family Commitment

Good morning everyone!!

Today I woke up to a cat pawing me in the face. She's a pretty big, kind of lumbering, type of cat, so she doesn't move quickly at all. So when she manages to get up on my bed, she plants herself in one spot and only starts to move when she realizes that I'm asleep. When she was first getting to know me, she only tapped my arm, or back. Apparently she feels closer to me now, and will paw at my face instead. Such a sweetheart. 

Gahh, today I am very very sore. Yesterday I had a great day of working out! 

I did some cross training in the morning using my mystery box! I'll talk about that more another time, but it's amazing and makes getting a workout for my arms, abs, and legs more fun and easy. What could be better than that!?!

I also ran my personal best for distance in a half hour! 

I'm on week 4 of couch to 5k. I tried 4 times to do the week 4 workout, and I finally got it done yesterday! It's such a great feeling! 

...Except for how sore I am today. My bum is not so happy with me... Or it's really happy with me and has a very funny way of showing it.

My soreness solution: 

1 NO ALCOHOL: alcohol is dehydrating and you need to stay hydrated to be able to work out anyways, but things like "drinking the pain away" only make the hurt worse the next time you work that muscle group. 

2 ICE ICE BABY: and heat. I like to switch between ice packs, then stretches, then a warm bath. If it's extra sore, I use Epsom salts. I'm pretty sure that they're lit bits of magic. 

3 SUPPORT: If it seems like more than a sore muscle, and I might need support in the area the next time I run, I use KT tape. Like epsom salt, it's made of magic. Various websites that try to explain how it works say things like, "it adds an exterior support to interior weaknesses" or "it brings extra blood flow to a recovery muscle group" but really, I think it's just magic. 

4 MASSAGE: it's least painful to do this either immediately after icing or in warm water. Usually soreness is caused by lactic acid, so digging into the sore area can help break it up and relieve the pain. It kind of hurts to do it effectively, but it will lead to a faster recovery. There are also a TON of tools out there to help you reach all the potentially painful areas on your body. I prefer to use the boyfriend method of, "if you help my soreness go away I'll make dinner!" Haha.

5 GET MOVING: Many times, going out and being active again will help you get through minor soreness. My knees get sore if I do lunges or squats in the morning, but the ouch goes away after a little warm up to my jog, or even during a brisk walk. Just getting blood flow in the area can help break up the lactic acid that is a typical cause for soreness.

That all being said, I'm not a doctor. I just know what works for me. If you're experiencing pain that doesn't resolve itself, you should go see a doctor. Your primary care physician can recommend a sports medicine doctor if that seems like something you'll need. 

Have I mentioned that I'm horribly slow? I'm horribly slow. Like, embarrassingly slow. My mile pace, if I ran a mile straight, would be like, a 12 minute mile. No joke. But I keep going, hoping that one day I'll be a little bit faster, and sometimes I am!

My personal motto when running is:

"I may not be fast, I may even be as slow as a heard of snails through molasses, but I'm running."

And that's more than most people can say!

But family commitment:

I told my mom that for mother's day, I'd like to do a 5k with her.

This evolved into deciding to do the Tinkerbell Half Marathon in January 2014, and it's so motivating! I open the page every day to see the countdown. Right now, I haven't even done a full 5k, but I will run a half marathon. And in a year, hopefully a whole marathon.

It won't be easy, but it will be worth it.

I talk to my mom a few times a week, using the excuse of wanting to stay motivated with her. In actuality, I just love my mother, and I love talking to her! She sees a personal trainer at the gym she was once really active at, and now (after a few years off) she's back working out with him!! I'm so proud of her!! She's my inspiration some days and others I'm her mentor, but I just can't believe that at 54 years ols, she's going to train for a half marathon. How freaking cool is that?!

I'm sure I'll have more to say later. Have a good day every body!