10.02.2012

a running update

i had a good run today, much needed after the past two runs being very difficult.

one was difficult because i stayed in the slopey first half of our street near the house (a group of young men were loitering around at the entrance to our dead-end street and i had that intuition-paranoia feeling that i never ignore. they made me uncomfortable, so i stayed away), and the second was after a long day of teaching, with humid weather.

today though was great. it was cool, overcast, in between a morning storm and the still approaching afternoon storm.

i felt like i could run forever. or at least interval run forever. i'm using interval training to get up to running 3 miles straight, which is what i did at the seminary when i was at what i call my fighting weight (not so skinny as my grad-student-weight and not so comfortable as my post-baby-weight).

there's a free app, C25K, that i use. i've lost 3lbs and a jean-size in the past few weeks (not sure how that happened off of just 3lbs) and want to lose about 7 more, since i gained back some of my baby weight over the summer, unfortunately, most likely due to stress (bryan losing his ministry job, all the traveling around, us trying for baby #2 for a few months with no results) and stress-eating. it was a bummer though to have worked so hard to get back to pre-baby weight just to go back up almost 10lbs over the summer. i've been working on finding more productive ways to handle stress, not baking-related ways.

so, my running goals: instead of working toward training for a marathon, i'm going to focus on being a little faster than my wobbly little jog. 30 minutes is about as much time as i can commit to exercise any given day. i want to work up to running 3 miles straight (almost there), then work on running faster (my personal best from seminary-days is 3 miles in 30 minutes). i feel like that is a workout i can sustain--ideally running for 30 minutes, 3 or 4 days a week.

besides sustainability, i like that running is free, something i can do with zu, and that i have time to just be in my head. i don't listen to music when i run, and i don't talk, i just think. i love that. it makes me almost look forward to going on a run, 30 minutes of uninterrupted quiet time.

3 comments:

  1. I can only run about half a mile with the stroller, so you're doing better than me in that department! I only have about 30 minutes to run most days too, and I've found that it really has helped me focus on running HARD, and I've gotten faster as a result. My goal is to run a 5k in under 30 minutes. I'm close, but not there yet. I am proud of you and your running. You are doing great!

    Oh, and it isn't so annoying how it takes FOREVER to lose 10 pounds and then we can gain it back practically overnight?? Ugh.

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  2. So exciting! I'm loving running/walking with Krystle (I've been doing both). You've had so much stress lately - and I haven't noticed that you look like you've gained anything at all! You were so skinny before you got pregnant with Zuzu that it probably didn't matter if you gained some weight.

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  3. thanks y'all for the encouragement--it is really hard to decide to go out and run almost everyday when there is so much else that i need to have done.

    lol and i'm glad you haven't noticed the 10lbs, i definitely have! i feel better when i workout consistently anyway so even if i don't have a lot of weight loss, i do hope that i can reach my pretty meager running goal and feel a little bit more energetic and strong

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