Nicole's Journey-Marathon Dreams (Comments appreciated)

[npullen]

Well, I did my 3 miles today. I was able to run the whole thing, but my throat is so raw now! It was a pretty good run, I did the 3 miles in 35:15,
mile 1- 11:48
mile 2- 12:06
mile 3- 11:19

It was kinda weird, I ran around the .8 mile track by my DD's preschool, it is a pretty good course, and has a good uphill at one side of the oval, with a nice downhill on the other. On one side, there was a head wind, that at times, especially during my second mile made it feel like I was standing still, but then you go down to the other side of the track, and since it is pretty sheltered, there is nothing, barely even a breeze, so it felt very hot. It was a beautiful day, clear and sunny, with temps in the mid 50's, and breezy. So it was pretty much perfect for running except for the head wind. I felt pretty good, with the exception of my throat. I was able to push it the last mile, which kind of suprised me. But it turned out pretty good. I have a rest day tomorrow, and hopefully will feel much better for my 3 miles on Thu, which will be the same course.

Laurie- Glad your back and had a great trip! Pretty crazy to be allergic to an allergy medication! But from everything we are hearing here, it is going to be a very bad season. Thankfully the Claritan seems to be helping DD some, unfortunately she can only take it once a day, so that makes it a little harder. And as always, thanks for the encouragement. I keep reminding myself that less then 2 months ago I was running only 15 mins at a time, and struggling with that, so 3 miles is pretty good. I just hope the speed starts to pick up a bit soon, I am hoping to hit at least 10 min miles for these 3 milers.

 

[hockeygirl]

Hey Nicole!!

Great job on your run! Sounds like some crazy winds! I hate running into a head wind, it makes me feel like I am not even moving. And it seems that it has been really windy around here lately.

Hope your DD is feeling better. and I hope your throat is better too!

Have an awesome rest day!!

 

[npullen]

It is so weird to have a mid-week rest day! I have felt like I was slacking all day. I have to admit that I am glad, my throat is still feeling raw, and it is really hurting in my ears when I swallow. I am taking Sudafed and Advil, and hoping that it goes away quickly. I have already decided I am only going to give it until Mon, and if it isn't better, I am going to make a dr appt for Tue. I want it to get better as fast as possible, so it doesn't interfere with the training.
I have done ok on the diet. I am over a little it, but I found that I needed to eat with the Sudafed, or it made me feel weird, but I didn't realize that until it was to late to account for it with my calories. I will know for tomorrow, and do better.
DD is doing a bit better. The Claritan seems to be helping, but since she can only take it once every 24 hours, she is pretty congested right before it is time for her next dose. But I am hopeful that this will work pretty well, once it has gotten in her system.

Laurie- Thanks for the support. It is so weird to run into a head wind. I felt like I was running so hard, but I was barely moving! I try to remind myself that it is only going to make me stronger! Hope the winds get better in your area soon!

 

[npullen]

Got my 3 miles in today! It was a good run. Took 33:46, much faster then last time.
Mile 1- 11:11
Mile 2- 11:34
Mile 3- 10:59

I was very happy with the times, I didn't feel like I was going that much faster. Although I did feel very tired at the end, and really had to push myself to keep going.
I also had my first run in the rain. It was not a very nice day, the temps were in the low 50's, but cloudy and windy and rainy. Thankfully the rain only lasted through a little more than the 2nd mile.
I have another 3 miles tomorrow. I am kinda looking forward to it, since this will be the biggest change to my normal workout routine. I usually only run every other day. I am also hoping to do an easy run tomorrow, because after todays run I pushed so hard I wouldn't have been able to go much farther, I am hoping that if I go slower, I will feel more confident going into the 6 miler on Sun. I feel certain that I can make it 6 miles, I just don't know how much of it I will be able to run.
Thankfully I feel better today. My throat still feels a little raw and swollen, and it is still hurting in my ears, but it does feel much better today. DD is a bit more congested today. I am not sure what to think about that. I am still very hopeful that the Claritan will work.

 

[npullen]

Forgot to post, did pretty good on eating today. I will be at 1590. But I still need to really work on what I am eating, still eating way to many carbs, and not nearly enough fruits and veggies. It is so hard to find good fresh fruit here, and I do not like veggies, although I do try!

 

[hockeygirl]

Hey Nicole--WTG for getting your workout in despite the rain! And you had a great time.

I hope you are feeling better, hopefully it is just allergies and your sudafed and advil will help. But I think it is a good idea to head to the doctor next week if you are not feeling better. You don't want it to get worse and then linger. We both know that feeling after our bouts with not feeling well earlier in the year.

Good luck with your 3 miles today. And of course your 6 miler this weekend, you will do great! Remember don't worry about running the whole way, it is important to make the entire distance. The running part will come over time!

Have an awesome weekend!

 

[npullen]

Just a quick stop, did 3 miles on TM yesterday due to freezing rain. First 1.5 miles felt very off, then my knee started hurting to the point I had to walk, then I ended up having to stop all together. Knee hurt from under kneecap thru to the back of the knee, and radiating out along the outside. I iced it and rested for a while, then went back and started walking, worked up to running, and ended at 6.5 mph. Felt good at the end, and my stride was good. Not sure what happened, knee is sore today, but not hurting.
Good diet day yesterday, and weigh in showed me finally down a bit to 215! Lowest I have been this year. Hopefully this is the start of good things to come!

I will stop back later to catch up.
Nicole

 

[npullen]

Did the 6 miles today, in the snow! My first run in the snow, of course the temp was 37, so it really wasn't even to cold! It was a great run, and I know I will be ready for next weeks 7 miler! I ran the whole thing in 1:09:77! I even had the energy left to do a good sprint the last 1/4 mile. It was great! Unfortunately I forgot to track my mile times, but here are the times I noticed
Mile 1- 11:24
Mile 3- 33:36 (total time)
Mile 4- 45:57 (total time)

Plus we did a hill that I have never had the guts to tackle before. All last year I avoided it. I would run down it to get into the park, and then take a different exit to get out of the park at the end. But today, we did it, and I ran the whole thing, it was in the last 1/2 mile of the run! I was really happy about that! And for the first time, I was not nervous before a run. I knew I had done this distance before, and I knew I could and would walk whenever I needed to. I felt really confident going into it, and I think it showed throughout the run. I can't believe I actually ran the whole thing!!!

 

[hockeygirl]

NIcole--You GO GIRL!!!! WTG for getting in your 6 mile LR!!! And a great pace too......that is awesome that you did the hill that you always avoided, what an awesome step for you!!

Keep up the good work, you are doing soooooooooo....awesome!!

 

[plgrn]

Good for you! Way to show that hill who's boss.

 

[npullen]

Wow, it has been a weird few days! DD got pretty sick Sunday evening, took her to dr's on Tue, couldn't get in on Mon, and she has a bad ear infection and the starts of bronchitis. She is on antibiotics and a prescription decongestant, and she is already much better! We decided to stop taking her to her pediatrician, and start to taking her to dh's and my dr, who sees all ages, and it seems to be a much better fit for us. Her pediatricians office was always so busy, and the last 2 times I have been there it seemed like we were more a bother then patients.
Monday was an ok day, I didn't do to great on the diet, we ended up going out for dinner, and I just gave up, but I did do a really good toning session.
Tuesday, I did great on the diet, making better choices, and I did 3 miles on the tm, it was sooo windy and cold outside! It was not a great workout, my left knee is really bothering me, and the tm seems to make it much worse. But I got through the 3 miles, doing the last 1/2 mile at 6-6.5 mph. So very fast for me.
Today is my rest day, still feels like I am cheating to take a weekday off, but I definitely needed it, my legs are very sore. But I will have another great diet day.
Tomorrow is another 3 mile day, and I am hoping to be able to do it outside, but the weather is supposed to get rotten again, windy and snowy, with a possible 12 inches of snow!!! I can't believe it! I am just hoping it will hold off until I can get my run in. But I am taking money to run the track at the rec where my DD has her preschool, just in case. I have never run an indoor track before, so it will be an interesting experience.

Laurie and Jen- Thanks for the encouragement! It was definitely one of my best runs yet, and the funny thing is when things got tough I was thinking how great it would feel to come here and post that I was able to run the whole thing! This site has definitely helped! You guys are awesome!

 

[npullen]

Well, not feeling to great today, I have a headache, I think due to the lovely storm that is coming through. It has not been very nice here today, windy, snow/rain mix, temps hit 48, then quickly dropped. We are just waiting to see how much we will get. They are saying 8-12 inches here. Thankfully it will be gone on Sat with highs in the mid 50's.
I did manage to get my run in, but had to do it on the indoor track. Not fun, it is 12 laps for 1 mile! I had some trouble, because I had no way to tell how fast I was going, since my Garmin won't work indoors. I did the first half mile in 5:24! Way to fast, since I still had 30 laps to go! But I made it through, in 36 mins flat, I did walk some, I ran the first mile, then ran 2 laps, walked 1 lap for the next 2 miles. I will most likely be doing the track tomorrow also, so I am going to really focus on keeping a slow steady pace. I can time myself and make sure each lap is about 55-60 seconds each, and that should help me to maintain a decent pace. It is also very hot where the track is, it is on the 3rd floor, at the very top of the rec center. But I got it done, and I am glad for that. Trying to mentally prepare for Sun long run.

 

[npullen]

Haven't been here in a few days. Things have been kinda hectic. Friday I managed to get my 3 miles in outside. It was not a great run, but I got it done. Fridays seem to be a rough day for me. I don't know why. Sat was a reast day, then today we did our 7 mile LR. I did it in 1:26. Not a great time, but for some reason I got really nauseous at about the turn around point. Not good. But we did it, and I have now made it thru week 2 of my marathon training, and this has been my longest run to date. I feel pretty good about it, although I did end up walking alot more than I wanted to. This week should be an easy one. I up one of my mid week runs to 4 miles, but the LR on Fri is only 5 miles! My poor feet need an easy week!
I have been doing really good with the diet. My weight was down again this week by 1.4 lbs.

 

[goldcupmom]

I'm just trying to FINALLY catch up on journals. Looks like your training is coming along REALLY well!

Have a good week this week!

 

[hockeygirl]

I hope you and your DD are feeling better! Sorry about the nasty weather, I know the feeling as we are getting a TON of rain here today!! It is awful, thankfully today is an OFF day and tomorrow I use my hockey game as my XT, so I don't have a run planned until Tuesday! When is spring coming?? LOL how long have we been saying that!!!

Keep up the good work!! And congrats on losing the 1.4 pounds this week!!!

 

[npullen]

I am definitely not as sore today as I thought I would be! My body feels tired, and my upper back is sore, but I did a good toning workout, taking it easy on the legs, and I feel pretty good. My legs just feel tired. The only thing that really hurts is my toes, they are really sore! I am also having a good diet day.
DD is doing much better. Her allergies are still acting up, but she is so much better.

Laurie- Thanks for the encouragement! I hope spring gets here to stay, very soon! I am just afraid that we will go from this to the heat of mid-summer! I don't know what I'm going to do in the heat!

 

[npullen]

Well, I got thru my 3 miles yesterday, but it was not a good run. My knees hurt soooo bad. I was not sure for a little bit during the 2nd mile how I was going to make it back. But I did manage to get thru it, even though I walked more than I ran. Thankfully today is a rest day, and I have managed to stay off my feet pretty well. Hopefully tomorrow will be much better, I have to do 4miles, and I am hoping that I will be able to run alot more. Then I do 3 miles on Fri, and after that I am going to the dr's to get my back adjusted. My primary care dr is a DO, and she does adjustments without any of the crunching and popping of a chiroprator, and so far they seem to really work. I think my back is pretty far out, my hips are hurting, and with my knees hurting like this, I am hoping that it will help everything. I have been doing really good with the diet. Still fighting sweets, but doing great with my calories.

 

[hockeygirl]

Sorry to hear you have a had a few rough workouts. Hopefully this is just a down week and you will feel better next week. Maybe after you get your back adjusted you will feel better!!!

Glad to hear your DD is feeling better!

Keep up the good work!!

 

[npullen]

2 decent runs, the 4 miler yesterday went pretty good, knees still bothering me some, but definitely much better. I finished in 47:26, not great, but I was able to run most of it. Then the 3 miles today, also went pretty well, did it in 35:51. Walked a bit more than I had hoped, due to my legs feeling really tired, but I still ran at least 3/4 of it.
I had my dr's appt today, and as I figured, my back was way out. My pelvis was so messed up that she wants me back next week to make sure it is completely aligned, and staying in place. My legs already feel so much better! This was the first time I could really feel it work, normally I can tell the next day, sore in some weird places, and my hips no longer hurt, but this time, when she was done my left leg felt week, like I had been working out for a really long time, and moving it felt so much looser and lighter. My knee also feels better, just for walking at this point, as I am not allowed to run on it until Sun, but I am very hopeful that this will fix everything!
I also weighed in today, and I have lost another 2.2 lbs, I am down to 211.4! Only 12 more lbs to go to get below 200 for the first time in my adult life! And 15 lbs to go to get below my weight when I was 19! That is my goal for my b-day, it is only a little over month away, so I may not quite make it, but I would love to be at 196 by then!
Laurie- Thanks for the encouragement! It really helps, I was not expecting this to hurt like it has been, and I am only on week 3!

 

[npullen]

Well, I am having a good week! My weight is down again, to 210.8, a loss of 7 lbs in 3 weeks! I also did my 5 mile run today, ran the whole thing, and finished in 57:36! I was very happy, since the fastest I have done 5 miler before this was 1:02. It felt pretty good. My right knee is pretty much back to normal, my left knee is much better, but still sore. I go back on Monday for a check and another adjustmen, so hopefully that will fix it the rest of the way. Right now, I am actually looking forward to 9 miles next week! I am sure I will be very nervous when it gets here, but the 5 miles felt good today, and I am excited to run a 9 miler!