Summer Training

Since my last blog posts a lot of unexpected things have happened...

1) I was offered a full-time job! 

This was excellent news and a long time coming. I am so grateful for everyone who has been encouraging me and keeping me calm over the last year. I am now a full-time college counselor at a high school! 

2) I went on a business trip! 

Yes... really. I was given the opportunity to go to a college counselor training anywhere in the country I wanted, and I chose to go to Seattle, WA. Now, there are a lot of reasons I wanted to attend the conference at the University of Puget Sound. First, a lot of the kids I work with are interested in this school. Second, my aunt, uncle and cousin, and my closest friend from high school live in Seattle. I learned a lot at the conference, and seeing my friend and family made the traveling worth it! (If you didn't know, I hate traveling). 

3) I went on a run while I was out of town! 

I never thought I would be the kind of person who exercised on "vacation." I was on a business trip, so I know it doesn't count as vacation, but it's still something out of the ordinary. My closest friend from high school drove to the University of Puget Sound to hang out with me, which was awesome. But even more awesome? She went on a run with me! We went on the most beautiful run with views of Mt. Rainier. Afterwards, we were able to celebrate with some fresh fish and chips! 

View from the running path

Running selfie with Mt. Rainier in the background

4) I went to ADPi Grand Convention!

I traveled to Scottsdale, AZ at the end of June to attend convention as an advisor for my sorority. As an advisor, it is my role to mentor the women currently in the chapter and support them in any way I can, while making sure they are acting within the rules. Arizona in June is HOT, and I don't really recommend visiting at that time, but there was a pretty sweet waterslide at the resort that was fun. Unfortunately, I was not able to exercise in Scottsdale for a variety of reasons. We were in meetings for most of the day, from about 8am-midnight. Also, it was between 100-120 degrees every day, so that eliminated running outside. The good news is that I got all my steps everyday since the resort was massive. 

5) I ran a 10K! 

Yesterday, casually on a training run, I ran 6.3 miles without stopping! I couldn't believe it and was so proud of myself. I ended up going 7.05 miles in total. It wasn't a formal race, but now I know that I can complete a real 10K. 

Proof

Do you want to know something crazy? I don't feel like a runner. I mean, I know that I run, and I am capable of running, and it's something that I do 2-3 times a week. However, when people say: are you a runner? I don't feel like I fit in to that mold. My pre-conceived notion of a runner is someone who is: thin, strong, has great hair, wears shorts, and has killer calf muscles. I have great hair, but that's just about the only thing I really identify with from that list. I'm working to reconstruct my idea of a runner so I can fit in to that mold. If anyone has any advice on this I'd be more than happy to hear what you have to say.

10K Training

If I have learned anything about running during my training, it is that it is all mental. And you need to be hydrated. So I guess that's two things.

For some reason I decided to conquer a 10k - and now I am in the midst of that training. My beloved C25K app is taking me to a C210K, I suppose. I am currently in week 10 of 14 of the training program. That means that this week I run 3 15 minute intervals with 1 minute walks in between. This is hard! And one minute goes by so quickly!

The idea of running 60+ minutes without stopping is incredibly daunting. But honestly, that's how I've felt each time I started a new week or day of the training program. I immediately would see the plan for the run, and convince myself that it was going to be too hard for me to do. This started as early as running 3 minutes at a time. I was like "there is no way I can run for 3 minutes, no way!" But, alas, I did. I don't know why our bodies do this to us. Our brains make us fear what our bodies can handle. Or maybe it's just my own brain that does this. I'm working on overcoming it.

C25K

I am going to assume that some of you may have heard of the Couch to 5k running program. It used to be a training program you could follow online, but now it is a fantastic app for your phone. 

Disclaimer: I LOVE IT! 

Here is why. When you have never in your whole life run more than one mile at a time, the thought of running 3.1 miles without stopping is, well, horrifying. The thought of running 60 seconds at a time sounds totally manageable and doable. And that is exactly what the C25K program has you doing the first week. Your first day of training you have to run for 60 seconds, walk for 90 seconds, alternating for a total of 20 minutes. To break that down even further for you - that comes down to only 8 minutes of running. Over the course of 8 weeks you will be able to run for 30 minutes without stopping. I know that you might be thinking that sounds impossible, but I did it! And if I can do it - you can do it, too! 

Now that I have registered for two 10k races, I am using the 10K trainer app that is also published by zenlabs. The first 8 weeks are the same exact training as the 5k, and then the next 6 weeks will push you to running 60 minutes without stopping. Right now I am about to start the 7th week of the program, and it's going great, again. I am a little worried for weeks 9-14, but the program hasn't failed me yet! 

How the app actually works: You start the workout on the app. Every workout starts and ends with a five minute walk. The app will vocally tell you when it is time to start running, when it is time to start walking, when you are halfway through the workout, and when there is one minute left in the workout. I don't have to time anything - and that's what makes it so easy! I just run or walk until it tells me to change what I'm doing. 

I hope this helps you and maybe encourages you to start running with the C25K app (and no, no one is paying me to write this review about it).

Back On The Wagon Again

Well hello there, blogosphere. I hope things have been good out here for the last two years. My life has changed drastically since the last time I blogged. I got a dog, and I graduated with my Masters degree from Columbia. I moved back to Los Angeles and became an aunt! And I started working as a college counselor at a local high school - and I love it!

Probably the most exciting news in relation to this blog is that I successfully completed my first 5k! I ran it, in it's entirety, on Thanksgiving Day 2014. I was, and still am, incredibly proud of myself! I finished the race in 30:51, which definitely exceeded my expectations.

Photograph by Rob Nelms

The only bad thing about completing this race was that I immediately lost all motivation to run, because I no longer had anything to train for. I bribed myself to finish the training for this race with a new pair of running shoes. Spoiler alert: I LOVE my new running shoes, albeit I used them for the first time 4 months after I bought them. Better late than never, right? 

I trained for my first race, and ran my first race, in the Lady Isaac shoes made by Newton. I previously reviewed them here. Since I bought these shoes in January 2012, I decided that I deserved a new pair of running shoes for completing my first 5k in 2014. I really wanted to get a new pair of the same exact shoe, but I soon learned that these shoes were discontinued. I am now the proud owner of the Newton Kismet. The are the new version of my old shoe, with the added bonus of having a stabilizing factor, which will hopefully help my ankles from rolling in. 

It also doesn't hurt that they're pretty! 

I did run twice in December after my 5k, but I tried to do too much too fast in my new shoes, and my feet hurt like crazy. I registered for the Disneyland 10k in order to motivate myself to continue running. Since this race is not until Labor Day 2015, I registered for a much more casual 10k in June. In order to train for these races, I am using the 10k free app from zenlabs. I used the Couch to 5k app to train for my first race, and it was incredible. I recommend it for anyone who is running starting at any level. I literally couldn't run at all when I started, and 9 weeks later I ran a 5k without stopping. Amazing! Now I am trusting the same company to get me to successfully complete my 10ks this summer. I will do a more comprehensive review of the Couch to 5k program in a few days. 

All the best, 

B