Success!

Last night was another 2-mile run, and I did the whole thing without walking!!! (To be fair, I stopped for 30 seconds in the middle to tie my shoe. But still.) I'm so excited because this is definitely something I couldn't have done back in January. Now for that 3-miler coming up on Sunday...

Relief

Last week, I was feeling really discouraged with running. It wasn't feeling like it was getting any easier and it sure wasn't fun. Luckily, I had a couple of good runs last week and I'm feeling a lot better now.

On Sunday, a group run day, we were set to run two miles again. I ran with my friend Lisa, who is definitely a better runner than me. That really pushed me and forced me to run more than I would have had I been running alone, AND it was a lot more fun. I walked a LOT less than the week before! It also gave me a necessary confidence boost so I'm feeling better about the whole ordeal. (Though I still refer to running as "an ordeal." :)) Thanks, Lisa!

I am seriously considering doing the YMCA Riverbank Run on April 24th. It's a 5k, so it is farther than I've gone at this point, but we're set to do 3 miles this coming Sunday and I'll conceivably have done 5 by the 24th, so a 5k will be a piece of cake! Setting a short term goal like this is good for me, because I'm a procrastinator so preparing for something that's not happening until July just really isn't my style. This gives me a reason to run NOW, not put it off like I do everything else! (Also, bonus: I love the YMCA preschool and youth programs and this helps benefit them!)

Life Happens

I'm discovering it is harder to keep a training schedule than I initially realized. Sometimes, life just gets in the way. And I've never been one to let working out get in the way of life. :)

As you probably have guessed by now, I did NOT make it to The Lift last night, nor did I get my mile in. It was Ryan's birthday and I should have anticipated that working out just wouldn't be happening.

That said, I do need to be better about anticipating ahead of time when getting a run in after work just isn't feasible, and force myself to get up early those days for a pre-work gym trip. (Though running in the morning makes me tired and ravenous all day.)

To make up for my lost mile yesterday, I will hopefully be running a mile after work and then meeting Ryan for a hike up the M, weather permitting. I'll also be running quite a bit the rest of the week. I know I need to be better about getting my runs in, or it will never get easier!

"Official Training" Day 2

So Sunday was the second day of Run Wild Missoula training. This time, we took a lovely 2 mile jog from The Runner's Edge to Greenough Park and back. It went...ok. Before the run, Anders talked about taking walk breaks early and often on the long runs, which made me feel better about the fact that I wasn't going to be able to run the whole thing. I think I did wait a bit long to take my first walk break, and ended up walking more than I wanted to. Luckily, this week's training program is exactly the same as last week's, so I get another chance.

I feel really overwhelmed with the training schedule. I'm just not sure I'm going to be able to do it. Running even 1 mile doesn't feel like it's gotten any easier. However, this is just the second week so maybe it will get better by the end of this week. I'm told there is some sort of threshold that you cross and adding on miles doesn't seem so painful anymore. I'll be waiting anxiously...

In any case, today is a "rest" day, which I am grateful for!! Stay tuned to see how tomorrow goes. I'm going to attempt to go to The Lift AND run 1 mile, in order to stick to the mileage recommended on the training schedule.

"Official" Training, Night 1

Well, $80 later I am a proud member of Run Wild Missoula and an official participant in RWM's Missoula Marathon training class. I am an "HB", a Half Beginner. That means we are starting very slow. Which is great!

Last night's run was one mile. I was able to run almost the whole way, except one little part in the middle that was up a steep hill. (By the end, I was definitely more shuffling than running, but both my feet were off the ground at the same--albeit, brief--time so that counts as running in my book.) I think that's pretty good considering I haven't run much lately, and it was my first time running on something other than a treadmill.

This Sunday's run is 2 miles (Sundays are "long run" days) and I'm mostly positive I won't be running the whole way. I'm OK with that because I get another chance the following week.

Classes are Wednesday nights at 6:00 and Sunday mornings at (gulp) 8 a.m. I will DEFINITELY miss my Sunday mornings sleeping in, but they'll be back in July. I don't really sleep in after winter is over anyway. I'm looking forward to the time change so that it stays lighter and warmer for our Wednesday night runs!

I'm supposed to run 1 mile today (which might take place tomorrow morning or might be replaced with a hike up the M) and then 1 mile on Saturday. We get two "rest" days per week(!!): Mondays and Fridays. (I'm sure you can mix it up to suit your schedule though.)

Going to the class has definitely jump-started my motivation! There are three women who work at MFCU that go as well, and we're all HBs, so that should hold me accountable!! I just hope I can keep up with the pace of the class!

Has Anybody Seen My Motivation??

Wow, I haven't blogged in almost 2 weeks! Which also means, unfortunately, that I haven't run in about a week and a half. Whoops. I guess I kind of lost motivation. However, I have hiked the M a few times, and, though I have had appointments and meetings that conflict with The Lift, I've been doing some lifting on my own. I definitely need to get back into the swing of things!!

The Runner's Edge marathon training classes started Sunday. I was out of town and had to miss the first session, so I will be going to my first one tomorrow night. The first run is only 1 mile. I was doing a little more than a mile the last few times I ran. However, I've never run outside/not on a treadmill before so I'm feeling a little nervous about it. I will definitely blog about it on Thursday!

Wish me luck and send good "strong legs and lungs" thoughts my way!!