Vanessa's Running Blog

Ran three miles on the treadmill today after work. Felt better than I have been today.  Made it a New Year's resolution to run a marathon this year. I have piked a marathon, it is on April 16th. This will be my first marathon. I have downloaded a training plan and have hanged it on my tack board next to my calendar. Some of my other resolutions are to:  

•  Sleep more, an average of 7 to 8 hrs a night (have been averaging 4 to 5 hrs a night)
• Reduce caffeine intake. No more Diet Coke and Diet Dr. Pepper. Only one cup of coffee in the morning is allowed.  (Today was my first day to accomplish this. Yeah!)
•  Drink more water.
  
• Tone my stomach. I plan on accomplishing this by cleaning up my diet, eating more fresh fruits and veggies, and by doing more circuit training. 

I get daily Runner's World quotes of the day and I like today's, I find it fitting to my desires and goals and find it inspiring.

The music of a marathon is a powerful strain, one of those tunes of glory. It asks us to forsake pleasures, to discipline the body, to find courage, to renew faith and to become one's own person, utterly and completely.

George Sheehan

Ran 2 miles on the treadmill after work. Hadn't got to run since Tuesday due to illness. Feel almost normal again. Very sleep deprived, haven't been sleeping. Felt better after running today, felt that it calmed me down and felt happy afterwords. After running I did a lot of stretching and some weight lifting. Hopefully I will stay well now. I can't stand not feeling well enough to exercise.

Felt tired all day but woke up after running three miles on the treadmill. 

Again felt tired all day but woke up after I ran on the treadmill after work. After running I did some weight lifting. Been stressing alot lately running makes me feel better.

Need to clean up my diet and remember to take my multi-vitamin. 

Happy that I am feeling up to getting my runs in this week after being sick for a few weeks was worried that I would fall too behind in my training to run in the marathon on April 16.  Wish it wasn't so dark and cold after work so I could run outside instead of the treadmill.

Ran a slow forced three miles on the treadmill after work. I am so tired. I didn't feel as stressed out after running though. 

I was planning on getting up early this morning to go trail running but didn't have the motivation to get up. After noon I decided to get out and run 7 miles around the neighborhood. Sometimes running I have to use my mind to force my body but today my will was forcing my mind and body. Running west was especially tough because I was running against the wind. Around mile 5 my heart started to palpitate. Something that only happens once awhile anymore, use to happen constantly. Doctors haven't been able to tell me why this happens but I think they are panic attacks cause they always happen when I am extremely stressed out. Had a doctor that didn't agree with this theory because he didn't think a panic attack could last seven hours. I think they can because when I was in college during the week of finals my heart would palpitate the entire day and would stop when I was done with finals. If I am dreading something my heart will palpitate and then will stop once whatever I am dreading is over with. Since I have been running the past few years my heart palpitations have decreased by like 95%. I have read that running releases endorphins that create a sense of calmness and well being. I think today was a failure because I was feeling overwhelmed with emotion. This has happened two other times running upset. 

Today I set out to do what I couldn't accomplish yesterday, run seven miles, and I did and at a faster pace than usual too. It was a cold run, couldn't feel my ears or fingers, still felt awesome though.

Ran two slow miles after work on the treadmill and then ran another two slow miles on the treadmill after eating dinner and watching the Biggest Loser. I was into my after dinner run, right after work run not so much. Not feeling stressed like I was last week and during the weekend but feeling down, fighting to snap out of it.

This morning I felt the need to run. Wished I could have gone trail running but had to work. On my lunch break I ran 3 miles on the treadmill at work. Got rid of some of the muscle tension I had in my shoulders and neck.  Processed a ton of pages at work today, totally slammed at work, that brought back some tension. After work I ran another 5 miles on the treadmill. All tension went away. 

Was planning to get up early and run with a group this morning but since I went to bed at midnight decided it would be a bad idea to run a long distance with only 5 hours of sleep, my body tends to hate me when I do that. Woke up later in the morning ate breakfast and went running at a local mile and half nature trail. Saw geese in the pond when I got there, aren't they suppose to be somewhere south and warm for the winter? Half mile in I thought why am I doing this, it is cold and I can't feel my fingers but another half mile later I had warmed up and was enjoying the scenery. Got done with the first loop and decided to go around again. After completing three miles I walked another loop to take pictures.

Ran a slow 3 miles on the treadmill. Ate good today. Yesterday I stocked up on healthy food. Going to eat better and loose a few pounds.  

Felt miserable all day because of a stiff neck and shoulder and a headache. After work I forced myself to run on the treadmill. First mile was tough, second mile I was starting to feel better, after four miles I felt great and was enjoying jamming out with my ipod. After running five miles I wanted to run more but decided I better go home and get some things done around the house. I will run tomorrow. 

Wasn't to sure about getting up this morning and running but decided I would be sorry if I didn't take the opportunity since it is only suppose to be nice this weekend and then white stuff is coming this week. It still was cold though. I wanted to stay in my warm bed but I went trail running. As always the first mile I was thinking why in the world am I doing this I can't feel my fingers or toes. But after warming up I enjoyed the run until on the way back because the sun was in my eyes and reflecting off the frosted grass and trees. I felt like I was running blind. I need to get sun glasses.

Tried out my new trail running shoes I got in December and hadn't took to the trails yet. I liked them. A lot less shoe. Feet felt light. My calves didn't hurt like they do in my other trail running shoes that are heavy. Felt weird having the thin shoes though. I could feel the ground and felt like I figuring out how to strike the ground again. 

Glad I went running this morning. I feel refreshed. 

Was running through the neighborhood and a car started driving behind me and then slowly next to me and the two guys in the car were looking at me. I moved up onto the curb. They went on ahead and then turned around driving on the wrong side of the road, so I turned around still running on the curb, car came close to me again and the two guys in the car looked at me, I sped up and took a quick right on a road that led to a main street. After that I decided to go home and just run on the treadmill.  Those guys gave me the creeps. I ran home and moved my treadmill from my bedroom to the living room so I could finish a movie I was watching last night but feel asleep watching and then watched a few Scooby Doo cartoons. Ran a total of 5.5 miles on the treadmill, not as fun as running outside but much safer. Guess I shouldn't run in the neighborhood anymore. Perhaps a busy park would be a better choice or join a gym that has a indoor track. 

Didn't run today, so tired. Just did a Jillian Michales 30 Day Shred 20 min workout, it was tough, got the work out video last week and excited about it. Only had morning coffee today. No diet coke, third day without it. I was craving it Saturday but yesterday and today I wasn't, sign of improvement, think I will sleep better without it. Ate good today mostly, around 4pm I lost self control because I was feeling so tired and ate dark chocolate, at least it was dark chocolate. Dark chocolate has antioxidants, so it's not that bad that I ate 8 little blocks of Hershey's special dark chocolate right?

Yesterday I decided to start avoiding high fructose corn syrup, I noticed it was in my peaches and cream oatmeal, peanut butter and salad dressing I eat daily. So got natural oatmeal and frozen berries with no added sugar, natural peanut butter and salad dressing. Only being day two I have noticed a difference, the natural oatmeal and berries is more feeling. The natural peanut butter sticks and agrees better.

The ball of my right foot hurt today and felt a little swollen so I didn't run today, instead I biked 15 miles on my trainer while I watched the Biggest Loser and then afterwords I did my Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred workout. Ate good today, drank my water and remembered to take my multivitamin. Feel like I'm on a roll. Have been tracking what I eat on livestrong.com using MyPlate, using MyPlate has really helped me see what areas of my diet I need to improve, looking over my totals I have discovered there is too much sodium in my diet. Had my bike trainer on more resistance than usual, first 10 min was intense but I feel that my body adapted. Felt that I did better during my 30 Day Shred workout all except for the push up part, I can't do very many push ups before collapsing onto the floor but that will change.

Foot felt better today so I ran five miles on the treadmill while watching The Spirit of a Marathon. Thank goodness for treadmills. Have been snowed in since yesterday afternoon, would have gone nuts by now without a run. Seven and half weeks until I run my first half marathon race and twelve and half weeks until I run a full marathon. I know I can do the half marathon. I have completed a 25K trail race so there is no doubt in my mind that I can complete a half marathon, but the marathon will be a challenge and I have a little doubt but feel the need to find out. Crazy to think that last February I was training for my first 5K and was wondering if I could run that third mile because I had never ran more than two miles. By October I had ran a 25K and now I see no challenge in running a half marathon. Have gone from uncernity about 3.1 miles, positive about 13.1 miles, to uncertainty about 26.2 miles in about a years time.

Ran six and half miles at a easy pace on the treadmill while I watched a movie. 

Ran 7 miles on the treadmill while I watched RED, that movie is hilarious. Feel like I am behind since I didn't get to run this weekend.  Ready for Spring, I want to run outside. 

Is it Spring yet?

Ran 4 miles on the treadmill. Really picked up the speed tonight, that made it more fun.  Held a 10min pace for awhile, that is fast for little me. 

Haven't slept well these past few nights. Only had a mile in me today.  

Ran 9 miles on the treadmill at a steady pace. 

So tired. Just had 2.39 miles in me today.  That was probably only a dent in all the Valentine goodies I have ate. 

Been tired and not feeling so well. Jogged almost 2 miles. Might have been a bad idea felt worse later. 

Finally almost feeling normal again after being sick for a week and a half. Was planing to just run three miles but three miles was such a blast and felt great so I ran another two miles. Glad to being exercising again. Drives me nuts not being able to exercise, afraid I'll get fat again.

Didn't feel that great today, think I am having allergies. Felt better about an hour after work so I jogged a slow three miles on the treadmill while I watched the Biggest Loser. 

Ran a easy two miles on the treadmill.

Ran five miles on the treadmill, every few min I would increase or decrease the speed or increase or decrease the incline. Was a tough fun workout. 

Ran a easy 2.25 miles on the treadmill while watching TV.

Ran 8 miles on the treadmill while watching a movie.

Ran five miles on the treadmill while watching cartoons.