Why do we run??

Posted on May 16, 2011 by teri

Greetings!  A little blurb came through on Facebook today, from some guy, (linked to active.com), asking why we run.  There were comments from people, talking about why they run.  There were some common threads…..it gives people time to think, to lose weight, to live a healthy lifestyle, etc…..  The one I took the most notice of, I think, was that people had to work up to “being a runner” and they’d finish their comment with something like, “Now, I’m a runner!!”  You could just hear the enthusiasm coming through!  The sense of accomplishment!  I can totally relate to that!! 

At the same time, I feel a bit stuck.  Yes, I’ve run 20, 25 and then 30 minutes, but I can’t seem to do it with any consistency.  It bums me out.  I can’t say that I can go out and run for 30 mins.  I never know if I’ll be able to do it or not.  I only have five weeks until the run that I’ve set for my goal!  I need to work hard these next five weeks!  But, alas, I need some inspiration.  I accidentally washed and dried my pedometer!  Ugh.  Not happy about that.  I know, people think, “You know how far you walk/run….just do without!”  But, it helps me every day to see how far I’ve walked….even if I didn’t go for a walk….. just normal, everyday walking.  It makes me work to get extra steps in, every day.  I’m hoping it’ll dry out…..but, I don’t know.  So far, no success.  (Yes, I changed the battery.)  :(

I haven’t really thought about why I run.  At first, I just couldn’t help it.  I was walking every day and, at one point, after about a month, I just needed to move more!  Now, I guess, I run to lose weight, to gain muscle and get toned up….basic better health, I guess.  I run because I feel good when I do it and especially *after* I’ve done it.  It brings a huge sense of accomplishment and it makes me want to continually push my limits.  I think it’s a stress-reliever, it helps me sleep better, my strength and stamina is better and I think my immune-system is better since I’ve been running.

My reasons may change as I go along, but that’s where I’m at now.  I have to just keep that race as my focus!  I will be so thrilled if I can just finish that race!  I don’t care about winning…. I just want to be able to finish it, running, not walking.  Did I say that it’s the Run, Walk, Ride for Habitat for Humanity?

Please wish me luck!

         ~Teri

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I hit the 30-minute mark!!

Posted on May 2, 2011 by teri

Well, I’ve hit the 30-min. mark!  Wooohooo!!!  I realized that I was bored with the music that’s on the C25K that I’m using.  It’s very electronica and doesn’t do anything for me… as far as music goes!  So, I put together a playlist, on iTunes, and put it on my iPod.  I made it just under 35 mins. long, figuring that the first song is my warm-up and the last song is for my cool-down.  That would mean I’d use the other seven songs for a 25 min. run.  So, I did use the first song as my warm-up…. it’s actually only about 4 mins. long, so I walked for a minute and then I started the song.  I was going to stop just before that last song started, but I realized that I could go on!!  So, I did!  30 mins.!!  And, then I just did my 5-min. cool-down to quiet.   Well, and my own, little voice in my head, saying, “Yes!!  You did it!!”  :)  

I still need to run on the outdoor track, to see how far I’m going.  I did that a month or so ago… after a sleepless night…. so, I didn’t run much.  I ended up walking for most of it.  But, I realized that my pedometer says I’m going less distance than I actually am.  So, my stride measurement must be off when I run.  Or it has changed even when I walk… not sure…but, it’s not totally accurate.  I know I’m a slow runner…..but, I think that 30 mins. was probably about 2.5 miles. 

I have a month and a half before race day!!  (June 18th is the big day!)  I need to get beyond 30 mins. and I also need to be able to run the actual course…. about two weeks before the 18th.  I’m pretty sure the course includes a little hill or two…. and I haven’t run on hills all winter!  So, I need to work on that so it doesn’t completely throw me off!

I bought some jeans that are a size smaller the other night!!  With summer coming, I feel like I’ll make some big progress.  I can get up and head right out in the mornings… and it’ll be warm, dry, sunny and beautiful out!!  (Unlike today; the indoor track is closed.  :(  )  Having said that, I do realize that I’ve made great progress!  I can run like never before!!  I’ve lost weight and I feel great.  So, I don’t discount any of that.  It’s just that the weight has come off ever-so-slowly and I want to be able to run more often.  That’s only going to happen when it’s nicer out.  Even after being in the northwest for 30 years, no matter how hard I try, I’m still a California girl!  (I’ve gotten waaaay better over the years, though!)

My dear friend from this blog, Kymm, is joining me for this run!  Some other friends, too, and my daughter.  If nothing else, it’ll be fun!  I am bound and determined, though, to run this race without having to stop.

Here’s to the final seven weeks of training!  Down to the wire now!  :)

Wish us all luck!

Happy Trails!

            ~Teri

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I’ve done 25 minutes, twice now!

Posted on March 15, 2011 by teri

Unfortunately, they were a month apart, but that’s okay!  I’m gaining strength and ability!  I just did a 25 min. run last week.  I’m so stoked.  When I head out, I usually think I’ll be able to do it.  I’m completely revved up for running 20 or 25 mins.  Then, after about ten minutes of running, I’m ready to quit.  I am only a little winded, ever….never in an oxygen debt state…. and sometimes a certain spot on one of my legs hurts or something….but, for the most part, I just get tired of it.  I’m wondering if I’m bored? 

So, one of the times that I ran for 20 mins, my friend, Jana, was running with me.  I think I told you all that.  She’d say, “C’mon, let’s do 15 minutes.”  Then, after that, she’d say, “Only 4 minutes to go before we’re finished!”  ….things like that.  So, last week, she wasn’t with me, but I imagined that she was!  I could just imagine her there, running right along with me, coaxing me on like that!  I actually imagined my friend, Kymm, partner in this blog, there with me, too.  It felt so good to accomplish that run!  And, to think, six months ago – I could barely run for sixty seconds!!

So, I started thinking the other day that, in order to be able to do that 5K run on June 18th, that I need to be able to consistently run for 25 mins….and more!  Although, I also figured that the adrenaline from the race would probably spur me on more than usual.  But, still,  I need to know that I actually can run 3 miles!  And, hopefully, do it consistently for about the last month before the race.  Plus, there’s the “taper” before the race.  You need to cut back a bit on your training so that you aren’t zapped of energy on the big day!  But, you don’t just sit around that last week, either! 

Amazingly enough, I was at Goodwill a few weeks ago, looking for an old book that had a sewn binding, not glued, for an altered book project that I’m doing…. and there was a Women’s Running book.  I bought it.  I was reading the other night and had just gotten into the part about races.  I had a hard time going to sleep!  I was so excited and revved up!  It’s funny, because I’m not running this race to win it.  I’m a slow runner and have no fantasies of winning.  This is for me…..just to do it… to know that I can do it.  A goal to keep me moving on my path.

After I ran last time, I saw a friend who’s been a runner since high-school.  She told me that the rule of thumb is generally that you only need to be able to run half of the distance that the race will be, because your adrenaline will make up for the rest.  I wondered about that, figuring that would probably be the case… just the excitement and energy of it all!

OK… chores await me.  :)

Take care… and happy running!

         ~ Teri

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I hit the 20-minute mark!!

Posted on February 9, 2011 by teri

Hey!!

So, about three weeks ago, I ran a solid 20 minutes!  It was a big jump from running two, ten-min. intervals to a full 20-min. one!  I had a friend with me, so I knew I had to be on my “best running behavior”!  Plus, she coaxed me on when I felt like stopping.  “Oh, let’s just do twelve minutes!”  After that, “Oh, c’mon, let’s do another four minutes.”  Pretty soon, we’d done 20 minutes!  Woohooo!!  Thank you, Jana!!  It felt so good!  For a couple of minutes, afterwards, my legs felt like wet noodles….but, that went away quickly.

Unfortunately, because of the indoor track being closed for two days a week, and the weather,  I wasn’t able to get out there for about five days!  (I hate when that happens!)  But, then, I decided to go for mileage instead of time.  I got in about a ten minute run, then, decided to just walk for longer than I normally would.  I got in 3.5 miles, all in all.  That felt good, too!

I felt pretty strong at that point… so, I threw caution to the wind, (which manifests itself as limiting myself to running every other day, per program instructions), and I went for it the next day, too.  I ran *25* minutes!!  No stops for water or anything else.  It felt so good!  Not only does it feel good, physically, but it feels SO great, emotionally.  The sense of accomplishment is outstanding!  A year ago, I never would’ve believed I could run for 25 mins., all at once!  Now, granted, I probably am not to the place where I can just go out and run that, at any time, but I’m getting there!  This week is Week 7 and it is, in fact, a 5-min. warm-up walk, then a 25-min. run, then a 5-min. cool-down walk.  I haven’t done that, yet.

I started playing racquetball with Jana, also.  We missed last week, but we’ve played about four times now and we’re shooting for once a week.  We play tomorrow!  We’re already improving.  Neither of us had played for about 20 years, so we’re still getting the swing of it.  But, the last time we played, we only got two games in, in an hour!  So, that was good.  They were hard-fought ones!  (Well, ok, with a little bit of chatting, but we don’t get too carried away with that.)

I’ve been thinking that I need to do the 25 min. run, or even 20 minutes, on a track so that I know how far I’m running.  The Couch to 5K that I’m using says that at Week 7, doing a 25-min. run should be about 2.5 miles.   In one week, three people told me, independently, about an outdoor track, at our local hospital, that I didn’t know about!  So, I figured I’m supposed to go there.  :)

I went there, yesterday, and it was nice.  I was the only one on the track; nice plantings around which will be nice this Spring and Summer!  It’s an asphalt surface, so more forgiving than the concrete sidewalks.  (The indoor track I’ve been using is made of leather… it’s really nice!!)  The sun was shining… felt so good on my face!

So, at the beginning, when I was only walking, I went out everyday.  I knew that if I skipped a day, it’s a slippery slope to getting completely out of the habit.  Now that I’m running more indoors than out, I have to deal with the hours of the indoor track, plus the inclement weather.  That’s why I’ve gone five days without any walking or running.  I can’t keep doing that, or it’ll take me another year to gain another ten minutes!  So, I’ve decided that, unless I have something else important that I have to do, I need to be attempting a run every day.  Or racquetball.  That’s more like a day of rest, compared to the 20-min. runs!  But, it’s still exercise.  :)

I’ve lost nearly twenty pounds!  I know I’ve said this, but I have to say it again…. I’m so excited!!

Happy Trails!

      ~ Teri

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Shoes….how funny!

Posted on January 14, 2011 by teri

Well, once again, it’s funny that Kymm is talking about getting the right shoes!  Just this morning, as I was running, I was thinking, “You know, if you’d gotten these shoes before you started walking, at all, you wouldn’t be having these shin issues!”  I firmly believe that.  I had “trail” shoes, but I didn’t realize that until two weeks later, when I was still having pain.  :(

When you go into an athletic shoe store, wear the socks that you’d wear when you walk/run.  Also, wear a pair of shoes that are worn a bit, so they can see where the wear is on your shoes.  But, they should also watch you walk - and run - if that’s what your intent is.  I went to Gallagher’s Fitness Resources, in downtown Salem (Oregon) and had a great experience.  The pain I was having in my shins, as I was walking, no longer happens.  But, they are still often tender to the touch, after I’ve been running.

Oh, how I wish I’d bought them before I even started walking, let alone running!  One of the wonderful things about running is that you don’t need a bunch of equipment; you don’t need a partner or an entire team and you don’t need a membership to anywhere!!  At least where I live, I can just walk out my door and go!  That’s such a cool feeling!  I did get a “track only” membership to my local community center, which would charge me a whole dollar per time to use their track.  A month or so ago they had a “runner’s special” and I was able to buy a six-month membership for $28.00!!  I figure within six months I’ll be back outside.  But, it has saved me from not having to run in the sleet, snow, rain and freezing rain!  :)   (Mostly rain.)

Anyway, the most expensive thing you should have to buy, in order to walk or run, is good shoes…. and they are worth every cent!!  Go for it!  And, please share your story with us!!

Happy trails!

      ~ Teri

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The right running shoe is so important!

Posted on January 12, 2011 by kymm

I should have taken Teri’s advice way back at the beginning of this adventure. She told me to get fitted with the right shoes. Well, I didn’t and now I’m paying the price. An old ankle injury has kept me from running (and even walking normally for about 3 weeks!). It started acting up when I started running again, but I ignored it. Now I realize how much my shoes matter! 

I’ve got several pair of over-the-counter shoes that I bought for looks or style. They feel fine when I run, but I can tell the difference afterward. My recovery time varies when I wear different shoes and my ankle really hurts after running when I wear one particular pair. 

So I’m doing research and getting ready to invest in the right shoes. I thought you might find this link to Running Shoes 101 helpful. Teri’s post discusses this, too. Like I said, I should have paid attention then. My body is screaming to pay attention now! Get the right shoe so that you start out on the right foot!

Happy trails,
Kymm

P.S.  Have you heard about Portland Fit? I’m thinking about signing up for Vancouver Fit, which I did a few years ago. The training prepared me to ran the Helvetia Half Marathon with my friend, Jacquie. It sure helps to have support, whether it’s a podcast or a group, or even a blog like this. Keep going for it!

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Happy New Year!!

Posted on January 8, 2011 by teri

Happy New Year!!

I hope you’re all having a good beginning to the new year.  For me, it’s such a time of new beginnings…time to…. _____________??  Get organized, get moving, be a better person, be more grateful, etc… etc….etc….

What is in that _____ for you?  Do you do new year’s resolutions?  I usually don’t.  And, I haven’t this year, so far.  But, the jury is still out for me.  I’m not sure if I’m going to or not.  Hehehe…. Like I said, I always feel like there’s new energy in the air… like it’s a time to start something new, whether you’re giving up something old (a behavior, a feeling, etc…), you’re still starting something new!  :)   I guess I started my resolution back in July, when I started walking, daily!!  :)   I think, for me, that’s the most important thing, right now.  Is there a cut-off date for starting new year’s resolutions?  When is the “new year” not “new” anymore?  February?  Beginning of March?  Someone tell me how long I have to decide.

As for the running, I couldn’t quite do the 20 mins., but that’s okay!  I probably did about 16.  I don’t know what it was… I just didn’t have the energy, I guess, to do it all.  I wonder about that.  What’s different from one day to the next?  My muscles are the same, pretty much.  My heart is the same.  Maybe I didn’t get enough sleep or something.  Anyway, I went back to Day 2, which has two, 8-min. runs and one, 5-min. run.  That was good.  Couldn’t run today….had too much going on in the morning.  Am hoping for tomorrow!

Have a happy, healthy, get-in-shape new year!

Happy trails….

      ~ Teri

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Wooohoooo!!

Posted on December 29, 2010 by teri

Well, as it turns out, I was right on track yesterday!  I was supposed to do three, 5-min. runs and that’s what I did.  I was supposed to take a break, as you always are, in between yesterday’s run and today’s… but, I just couldn’t.  I felt so strong after running yesterday that I didn’t want to take a chance of that going away!!  So, I went again today.  Today, it was two, 8-min. runs and then a 5-min. run.  When I was doing the 5-min. run, I thought I was on the 8-min. one and that I still had the 5-min. run to go!!  So, that was a pleasant surprise to hear that I was ready for the 5-min. cool-down walk!!  Yay!!  The next day is supposed to be a full 20-min. run.  But, I’m getting together with a friend for coffee in the morning, right when I usually run… and I just found out that the indoor track is closed on Friday!  Ugh.  If we had any decent weather, I could run outside.  But, I don’t think that’s to be anytime soon.  It was snowing this morning!

Anyway, it won’t be long before I can run 20 mins.  It seems like I’m reaching my goal quickly, all of a sudden!!

So, now, my run time is actually more than my walk time!!  Yay!!

Kymm, are you going to join me for the Habitat run on June 18th??  I hope so!!

Happy trails to you all!

                ~ Teri

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I did it!! (Well, sort of!)

Posted on December 28, 2010 by teri

OK… so, I got a little confused with the podcast.  It’s set up as one podcast, to be used all three days this week (Week 5), but all three days have different runs!  I need to listen to it before I go try it again, so I know just what I’m supposed to be doing.  LOL

But, hey!!  I ran three, 5-min. runs!!  I’ve never done that before, so I feel pretty good about it!  I never felt totally out of breath and I recovered quickly.  Yay!

I think I was supposed to do the warm-up five min. walk, run for five mins., walk for three, run for eight, walk for three, run for five and do the cool-down five min. walk.  But, I missed that eight min. run.  As I said, this podcast is really different than how the others have been set up.  Plus, I got an ipod for Christmas and so I’m figuring out how to use that, too.  I used my husband’s before and mine is a different model, so I have a little learning to do.  But, hey, it has a pedometer!  And, it keeps track of my running, personal bests, etc…!!  I’m excited!  I also use a regular pedometer, too; I keep it in my pocket all day long.  They say you should try to get in 10,000 steps a day.  I can only do that if I walk/run.  Other days, I get in about half of that.

I felt so good after my run this morning that I have a fair amount of confidence that I’ll be able to do the eight minute run, first try.  What I think was probably a shin-splint didn’t hurt at all when I was running today!  Yay!  I hope it’s gone!!

Enjoy the day/evening!  Happy running!!!

     ~Teri

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“100% or nothing”… the nasty perfectionist in us!!

Posted on December 28, 2010 by teri

Interesting that Kymm mentioned this.  And, just so you all know… Kymm and I don’t discuss what we’re going to put on this blog.  I’m as surprised as anyone else to see what she posts!  And, the same with her seeing my posts.  Makes it even more fun, I think.  :)

But, yeah.. that pesky “100% or nothing” that she mentions.  I feel that that problem is all about perfectionism.  “If I can’t do it perfectly, I’m not going to do it at all!”  I’ve had to look long and hard at perfectionism….seems I deal with it in many aspects of my life.  Yes, we get gung-ho and then it’s too much and we burn ourselves out, throw our arms up and quit!  (Or we don’t get started at all because we’re afraid we won’t do it “right”.  Art comes to mind here.)  I don’t know what made me start running… I didn’t set out to be a runner!  But, I do know that it’s something I’m enjoying and that I could handle doing for the rest of my life.  That’s the kind of exercise I need… the kind I’ll stick with!  Edgar Cayce was asked (back when he was doing his “thing”, probably in the ’30′s) what kind of exercises are the best to do.  His response was something to the effect of, “The kind you’ll do!”  Ha!  So true!

One thing I found that was happening, with my walking/running, is that I’d have this sort of nagging feeling like I was slacking off.  I had to start writing on my calendar when I walked, so that I could see it.  Maybe it was getting easier and so I wasn’t so tired afterwards?  I don’t know, but I’d start having this feeling like I hadn’t walked or ran in days!  I’d have to remind myself, “Teri, you just ran this morning!”  Or, “Teri, you ran yesterday!”  Otherwise, I started to feel like if I took a day off, I was slacking and I might stop altogether!!  After five months of consistent walking and three of consistent running… and being SO excited about it, I’m pretty sure I’m not going to stop anytime soon.  The Couch to 5K program even states that you should only do the runs every other day.  Yes, you can walk on the “off” days, but, you can also give yourself a break and trust that you’ll get back to it on your next “run” day.  (Really??  You can do that??)

So, I’ve been on Week 4 for several weeks now.   It has two intervals of three min. runs and two of five min. runs.  I feel pretty good after the five min. runs!  Tired, but not exremely winded, and I recover quickly.  I keep reminding myself that I could barely run two, 60 sec. intervals when I started!!  It’s amazing how quickly our bodies can adapt!  Tomorrow, I’m starting Week 5, which has three different runs in it.  At the end of it, you’re supposed to be running a full twenty minutes!  The first is eight minutes…. so, we’ll see how that goes.  I have a friend that recently told me that she sees me making some big strides, all of a sudden, soon.  So, I keep holding that vision.

I try to be mindful of my body, also, as Kymm mentioned, and while I’m running or walking, I envision as many body parts/systems as I can and feel the gratitude for them working so wonderfully!  I’m so grateful that my heart, lungs, nerves, muscles, brain, etc… work so well to make it possible that I can run!!  Our physical bodies are beautiful, amazing “machines”.

I’ve done pretty well with eating during the holiday season, too.  My family kept asking me, “When are you going to make fudge??”  It wasn’t fair to them that, just because I didn’t want to eat it, I wouldn’t make it for them.  So, I made some.  Amazingly enough, days later, we still have some.  And, I’ve only gained a pound through it all.  I haven’t walked or ran since last Tuesday, since the indoor track that I’m using is closed on Sundays and Mondays.  :(   So, I’m back at it, with a vengeance, tomorrow!!  And, I’m determined to go three days this week!  Wish me luck!

Did I already tell you that my goal is to run a 5K for Habitat for Humanity?  It’s on June 18th, next year.  Plenty of time. 

I cannot begin to tell you how happy I’ll be when I can run a full twenty minutes!!  I keep reminding myself of how good I’ll feel when that happens.  How happy and excited I’ll be.  And, it’s no longer an “if” it happens.  I know it’s going to happen… it’s just a matter of time now!!  I’m going to be a Runner!!   Wooooohooooo!!

Sweet dreams!

     ~Teri

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