June/July Running Update

I let another 2 months go by without updating my running today. June and July were low in the running department. I did have 3 extra runs in July (while on my cruise) that didn't get recorded. Tri training definitely reduced my running time. 

Still on track to meet my goal of 400 miles in 2014!

~Kari

April/May Running Update- I MET MY GOAL!!!

Ooops! I missed my running update for the past 2 months. That's because I've been busy running. 

In April I ran 69.3 miles. This included some serious 1/2 Marathon training!

Major decrease in May. 1/2 Marathon taper + sprint tri training started.
"Only" 41.7 miles

Year to date: 247.8 miles!

I MET MY RUNNING GOAL FOR 2014. Time to retire my shoes until next January. ;)

Now what?! 244 miles seemed crazy at the time. We are only half way through the year... 

300 miles?

400 miles?

I think 400 is totally achievable even without any more half marathon training.

400 it is. 

By December 31, 2014, I will run 400 miles.

~Kari 

1/2 Marathon?!?!

Do you run?

Have you run a half marathon?

Did you finish???

Did you die???

Tell me everything!!!

I really enjoy my runs. Yep, running still scares me. Even with the fear, I still find it energizing and rewarding. Earlier this week a friend on Facebook suggested that I run the Seattle Rock 'n' Roll half marathon. It's on June 23, 2012. That would give me tons of time to train. Could I really run for 13.1 miles? There is a 4 hour time limit. Could I run 13.1 miles in 4 hours? So many questions! I *think* that I could do it. I can't stop thinking about this.

I ask again- Have you run a half marathon and survived to tell about it???? I want all the details!

~Kari

So much to say, so little time

I've had great intentions of blogging over the past week, but haven't been able to find that time. Recently I have found myself being very busy playing Citiville on Facebook. Have you played this game? It's pretty fun! :)

First off- I know that I owe you a 4 month post-op post. I hope to get to it tomorrow. I promise it's coming.

Second- I ran my second 5k this past Saturday. Last year I ran the same race and it took me 43ish minutes. On Saturday I ran the 5k in 34:43. Yep, that's an improvement of nearly 9 minutes and 30 fewer pounds to lug over the finish line. I felt so strong during my run. It was fantastic! I had 3 other friends run with me. They were such an encouragement.

Third- I've been experience horrible lower back and hip pain. It comes and goes, but this time it doesn't seem to want to leave. I decided to see a chiropractor today. Chiropractors scare me a little bit. Have you ever gone? I went in today to have an initial eval. They did a bunch of tests, including x-rays, and then I was adjusted. I don't know what he did, but I do feel better than I did when I went in. The doctor (are they doctors???) wants me to come back on Thur. to go over my results in detail, but he did say that I have a compressed vertebra and some other stuff. I don't fully understand that, but he said he's explain more later. I'm thinking that this might be what make my butt hurt when doing sit-ups.

Fourth- Our district voted tonight to go on strike. :( It's been a really stressful start to the school year. I'm sitting here tonight trying to figure out what healthy foods one can eat on the picket line.

Whew, like I said there is a lot going on. Thanks for sticking with me- even when I don't get to post as much as I'd like to.

~Kari

You say it's your birthday???

It's my birthday too! :)



I had two different ideas last night....

1. Start my day by taking care of myself. I read an article that other day that say that for every hour of exercise you do that you add an hour to your life.

2. Sleep in. It is my birthday after all.

I started my day with an early morning run. It was great! :) I am running a 5k on Saturday and have a goal of getting a sub 40 minute time. I ran 3.12 miles this morning and came in at 39:08. I am so ready for this race. Today I gave myself and those that love me the perfect gift- I chose to take care of my health. Tomorrow is my 4 month post-op anniversary. I hope to get some pictures up along with an update of how healing is going.

Happy almost Friday.

~Kari

Running Celebrations!!!

Just last night I posted about how I was dreading my run. This morning I got up and had an AMAZING run! Wanna see the proof???? 

That's right baby! 37:48 and 3.12 miles! I've set a goal of running my 5k on Sept 10th in under 40 minutes. I'm hoping that today's run is a good indicator of future success.

Here's the strange part...last week I only ran once! You'd think that running 3X a week would result in better running times overall. Apparently I really did need a running time out. :) I'm not sure what I am going to do with this...do I reduce my runs to twice a week? Do I keep going on with 3X a week? What made me so much faster this week?

I have a lot of questions! Do you have any answers???

~Kari

Confession: Running scares me

I run.

I run because it clears my head.

I run because it gives me a great calorie burn in a short amount of time.

I run because I feel empowered when I finish.

Running scares me! The thought of lacing up my shoes and going for a run causes me anxiety. Once I start running all of those fears disappear. For example, tomorrow morning I am going to go for a run and tonight I am dreading the idea of running. It's so hard. I have to push myself the whole time. It's so hard. What if I fall down? It's so hard.

Why post this blog? One of my motivations for starting this blog was to encourage and inspire. Here's my encouragement for the day: You may not struggle with running. What do you struggle with when it comes to healthy living? Can you push through it just one more time? Tomorrow morning I am going to lace up my shoes and head out the door. What's your plan????

Fit Friday

I love my Friday morning runs! Thursdays are my "day off" from exercise and I *usually* feel pretty good on Fridays. Here's my run from today:

I am running a 5k on September 10th with Free to Breathe. I ran this same race last year in a little over 43 minutes. My goal is to complete the race in less than 40 minutes. Today I ran a 5k in 40 min and 48 sec. Hey! I never said that I was fast. :) The route that I ran today was full of hills and the course for Free to Breathe is flat. I have my NikePlus set up to tell me the miles at 1/4 mile increments. My run today went like this: walk a 1/4 mile, run 1 mile, walk a 1/4 mile, run 3/4 of a mile, walk a 1/4 mile, run .62 mile.

I felt great after my run. It's not always like that. I ran on Tuesday and felt horrible at the end. Running, or any exercise for that matter, isn't about how you feel today. It's about lacing up your shoes and getting it done. Some days are easier than others. Sometimes you feel amazing afterwards, sometimes you want to puke. I've found through this experience that the days when it's the hardest are the days that I see the most growth. There is a strength to be found in taking care of your body even when you don't "feel" like it.

~ Kari

High-speed Withdraws

Getting ready for vacations can be very stressful. I couldn't find the charger for my camera this morning. Ugh! I must have been horrible a bit cranky because he pretty much pushed me out the door for my run. I complained that I didn't have time to go and he insisted. Exercise really does bring clarity to foggy situations. On my run I remembered where I had stored the camera cord for safe keeping. Hurray!

I will be away from the computer for 4 whole days! I have to admit that I'm a bit worried. No blogging. No Facebook. No e-mail. No SparkPeople. Ohhh this can not end well. I might find a hot spot along the way to check my e-mail. :)

I've packed my running shoes!

Healthy snacks are in the cooler!

Everything is going to be ok.

Have a healthy weekend.

~Kari

Don't tell me I can't!

*I am on vacation right now and have been pretty quite in blog world, but had to share about my workout this morning. I'll be back later in the week to recap my amazing vacation.*

My sweet, caring, wonderfully supportive husband said something to me this morning that rattled me a little bit. He said, "Honey, it's ok if you can't run a mile. You just had major surgery". He's right- I am only 7 weeks post-op. He's wrong- I can run a mile. I was given the ok to run about a week and a half ago. Since getting the all clear I've been running and walking 3 miles every other day. My runs have gone like this- walk .5 miles/run .5 miles, repeat 3 times. As I was lacing up my shoes this morning I was griping about how hard running is since surgery and how frustrated I've been getting during my runs. In his kindest voice he started explaining to me (for about the millionth time) that recovery takes time and that I need to be patient with myself.

I got out there to do my run. I was a ways into my .5 walk and his words resonated with me..."It's ok if you can't run a mile....". No, it's not ok. I dug deep and decided that I would run a mile and then I could quit when I was done if it was that hard. Well, I am happy to report that my 3 mile run went like this- walk .5, run 1, walk .5, run 1, collapse on the couch in a pool of sweat! :) I felt amazing! I felt alive again. I love finishing a run and feeling like I have really given it my all. My legs are jello right now and I couldn't be happier. They weren't fast miles (13 min miles), but they were miles and I was running them.