Week 6

Hello Blog,

I am still alive. The end of February has been tough! I've been feeling sick off and on-- and I have been slacking overall... taking an extra day of rest or blowing off my cross training day. However, I am not feeling guilty because I've had a lot on my plate... and Frank is going underway in less than 2 weeks so I will have more time to "pump it up" or "take it up a notch" if you will...lol

So I have been a slacker... but this weekend I did make-up for it be going on a 5 mile hike in Muir Woods. We hiked uphill and ran downhill... the running down hill was a lot of fun! It feels like you're flying! And the ground was soft so my hip does not hurt at all. Plus I've been running indoors because the rain keeps falling in the Bay Area. So here are some pictures of our adventure.

Week 5 of Training

I haven't had the opportunity to write as often as I have wanted to because I have been so busy with school, internship, and all my other extracurricular activities-- but today I felt like I really needed to.


So, I haven't quit yet. I have been keeping up with the schedule but this week has been really tough. Sunday through Tuesday really sucked! I did the workouts but I felt really tired and winded. I was really cutting corners and I did more walking than running-- which in turn made me feel really bad about myself and my training. I have been feeling guilty that I am not doing enough. Just really putting myself down about the whole thing which I know is NOT what I should be doing. Then I talked to my trainer and she hyped me up and said it was totally normal... blah blah blah... and that helped a little, but she's always so nice that it really didn't make me feel that much better. However, I went back to read the journal entries in "The Non-runner's Marathon Guide for Women" by Dawn Dais-- and she totally was going through the same thing. Long story short... I psyched myself up and I had an amazing workout on Wednesday morning. Plus my trainer advised me to eat half a powerbar 30 minutes before with 2 glasses of water-- and I don't know what combination of things it was but I had energy for days! So that was a small victory for me this week.

However, I have been feeling really unbalanced and a little depressed. I am just so busy and it's really hard to push myself. I have been feeling really bloated and I think I gained 5 lbs. which is really ridiculous with the amount of activity that I have been doing. I think my womanly hormones are out of control. Don't laugh I am being serious! My diet has changed though... I have been really hungry and I have been eating too many carbs, which I had been really cutting back on before. I love carbs but they really make me feel yucky. But when you are eating them it's so hard to stop! So I think I am going to have to go through that withdraw again. Detox!! Ouch! I am honestly not doing this half-marathon to lose weight. I have started to really just not care about how much I weigh-- but I want to be toned and feel like I am fit.(I just recently came to this realization.) However, I do feel like being a few pounds lighter would make me run a little faster, and would make all the running easier on my joints. And it would be better on my HIP!

So, I have to write about my HIP. When I was 19 or so I fell off a ladder and fell on my right hip bone. I was in a lot of pain but never saw a doctor or anything. The pain eventually went away and I only felt it occasionally-- well, since I have started running it has been like "HELLO HIP!!!" Ouch! I have been in so much pain... especially when I run outdoors! I can barely walk afterward. Not only that, but if I am sitting for a few hours (like when I am in class) when I go to stand up and walk again I am really stiff and in so much pain it's ridiculous. I can't even lay on that side in bed. Motrin really helps though-- but I am concerned about this hip situation. I do have a doctors appointment next week though-- and until then I have been running on the treadmill-- which feels a lot better on my body!! Seriously! And I have had a good excuse because this past week it has been really rainy and cold in the Bay Area (See images above).

So my training goals for next week are to...
1. Lay off the carbs and eat better overall (i.e. no more chips!)
2. Supporting #1 start my food journal again! You can see my online food journal at http://www.fitday.com/fitness/PublicJournals.html?Owner=denisegil
3. Get my hip checked out by a professional
4. Stay alive and keep to the schedule

Wish me luck!
Denise

Venice Beach

Aren't these pictures amazing!


Week 4 of half-marathon training is starting out great! I was at a weekend board meeting in Los Angeles and-- Yes I woke up at 6:30am everyday to do my running! I deserve props for that! Especially since I went to sleep later than usual. We were staying right on Venice Beach so the view was beautiful and I got to run down Board Walk Avenue (I think that's what it was called). Did 4 miles Sat./Sun. On Sun. it went especially well... since I had a breakthrough and can now run for 30 minutes without stopping outdoors! That's a huge accomplishment!

The whole thing wasn't that bad... I have to admit. The beach and mountains ahead of me were just amazing. There were also tons of surfers out trying to catch a wave-- which reminded me just how much I want to learn how to surf one day... and just as I was returning back to where we were staying-- and getting ready to stop running I ran past a group of women running together with "roadrunners.com" t-shirts on, and they all smiled and waved at me... and I totally got a second "wind" and was able to make it all the way back without stopping! Hooooooray! Plus I found out that I really love breathing... and oxygen! lol

Running sucks.... without an ipod!

Before Run:
I spend my life helping people and caring about the world... so why am I being punished?! The middle button on my ipod is not working! I have charged the thing... reset it... and it still doesn't work!! How can I run without music?! It's impossible! I am going to the apple store today... and somebody better fix my ipod or somebody is gonna get hurt! lol Just kidding!

If this problem doesn't get fixed soon... then my whole running thing is doomed to failure!

After "Run":
So it wasn't THAT bad... but it definitely wasn't the best run ever. I did miss my merengue! Oro Solido! lol I did find that my mind wondered though and I did like that. I was also more aware of my breathing and realized that I hadn't really been pushing myself that hard because I was breathing comfortably. However, I wasn't trying to push myself that hard today-- because Thursdays are my hard day... since I already did strengthening with my trainer this morning! However, for this weekend I'll be more mindful about my body since I doubt my ipod issues will be resolved by then.

Today's workout:
6:30am-7:40am Strengthening w/ trainer
Jogging in intervals-30 minutes/2 miles
12 minute jog
3 minute walk
10 minute jog
2 minute walk
3 minute run all the way home! lol
Total: 1 hr. 30 min.

P.S. My new running shorts were totally worth the $32-- my thighs were just gliding away! glide baby glide... disco inferno... glide baby glide...

Got my first blisters....

I had a wonderful workout this morning! Warmed up for 5 minutes, ran 20 minutes then a 2 minute recovery walk and then ran another 20 minutes-- then cool down for 15 minutes then 10 minutes of stretching. I am really proud of myself! Wooo-hoooo! I got a blister on both of my arcs, but I think it's because I broke the rule and wore cotton socks--plus I think I need new shoes. Luckily my birthday is around the corner and I plan to get fancy running shoes! So I feel good... other than the blisters I felt a lot more comfortable running today. It actually felt good. Surprise! I am still very slow though... total mileage was 4.50

Week One

The other day I posted my first blog post-- but what you don't know is that I have been preparing for this since early December (when I decided on this insane idea). I have been "jogging"/walking about an hour 3-4 times a week since then plus meeting with my trainer the other two. It's been casual workouts. Trying to get used to the whole idea of running and cross training. Working on my core through pilates and yoga. The half-marathon was still so far away-- but now we are embarking on the last week of January and it pretty much marks 17 weeks until the event which is on May 30! Now it's time to get serious because everyone knows that if you are a beginner you need at least 18 weeks to condition your body to run a half-marathon! Ahhhhhhhhhhh!

So the first week hasn't been very difficult, I've been running for 30-45 minutes using the Jeff Galloway method-- which basically means that you train in intervals. You get your heart used to running by running for 10-14 minutes then walking for 1 minute and repeating several times until 45 minutes is up. It sounded like a great idea at first, but honestly when I stop for the 1 minute walk-- I do not what to start again! So my minute stops have been more like 5-10 minute walks! And I am not going to lie... as of now, I don't like running. I know this may sound weird but I feel like I am carrying my body around when I am running outside! It's pretty awful! I am a superstar on the treadmill but when I hit up a running trail outside it's like a million times harder, but since the marathon will not be on a treadmill, I have to condition myself to get used to the outdoors.

Let's get to some specifics...
What race will I be running?
See Jane Run on May 30th in Alameda, CA. It's really the perfect event for me. It's an all female race through Alameda and Bay Farm Island. It's perfect because I live here and the race route has beautiful views of the San Francisco Bay-- and because it all benefits Girls, Inc. which is a national youth organization just for girls. Go girl power! Check it out: www.girlsinc.org

The race itself is also at the perfect timing because I am scheduled to graduate on May 16 or so and then Frank and I will be gearing up for our move back to Miami at the end of June! So this will be like my last hooray before leaving the Bay Area and the beautiful island-city that is Alameda! So sad!

Why would I want to do this?
I want to challenge myself. I want to see what my body could do! But most importantly I want to see how strong I am mentally. It's all mental! More than training your body you also have to train your mind... when you feel like you have to stop you have to train yourself to push harder... push through the pain... push through any discomfort. I want to challenge my mind and body! Wish me luck! lol

And it begins...

So, if you know me well... then you know that I like to challenge myself in crazy ways. Unless I am drowning in all the things I need to do-- I am unhappy. Having endless time to do whatever I want drives me completely insane. I can't deal with it. So, since going into the last semester of grad school, working at least 24 hours a week at my internship, working on my thesis project, volunteering, serving on a steering committee, and being a wife doesn't take up all my time. I have decided to start training for a half-marathon! I know it's crazy... and part of me still thinks I can't do it... which is where this blog comes in. I need accountability. I need the support of my friends and family. I need the fear of failling and everyone knowing about it...lol. So I ask that you follow-up with me and ask me how my training is going. I ask that you be understanding when I can't go out for drinks on Friday night because I have to wake up at 7am to run 5 miles! In short, I am starting this blog to get support, have accountability-- AND to also document my progress! They say (my trainer and other runners) that this journey will "change my life blah blah blah"-- so I want to be able to document the markers of my journey. I also hope to be able to take pictures of the various running trails in the Bay Area and of any other interesting things that happen along the way... so stay tuned... and wish me luck!