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