Workout 195 & 196

Today, I am home with a sick kiddo which gave me a great opportunity to do a couple of at-home workouts.  I did Total Body Pilates and Stiletto Strength.  Since I'm now working towards a 10K, and after that will work towards a half-marathon, I need to make sure I maintain/build leg muscle.  Both of those workouts do just that :).

XOXO,

Workout 194 ~ Running

On Tuesday night, I decided to see if I could do 1 mile at 7mph and I did!  I did it in 8 minutes, 30 seconds.  Not bad for a 30-year-old non-sprinter :).

Before I began, I could tell my ankles were sore, but I did it anyway, adjusting my stride to lesson the pain.  Apparently, however I adjusted has now caused some pretty annoying heel pain.  Today or tomorrow, I plan to go to RunOn and get fitted for new shoes.  I have enough issues that justify the cost though I've been putting it off for awhile.

Tomorrow is Gavin's and my next Fun Run!  I promised him we can go as fast as he wants to :).  I'm going to GPS it and see how fast we actually go.

XOXO,

Workout #192 & 193

I had to edit this post because I forgot to blog about my workout on Wednesday.  I did Chris Freytag's 10-Pound Slimdown: Core workout and was sore like nobody's business on Thursday.  I know I need to incorporate more circuit training to maintain my muscles and support my running.

Last night I ran 4.5 miles!  I was only planning to do 4 but ended up doing an extra half mile.  I probably could have kept going but wanted to end feeling great since I have been ending feeling low the last few runs.

I started out with a bloodsugar of 322.  I did .8 units of insulin (because when starting out that high, exercise can actually raise bloodsugar instead of dropping it) and ate 1 Clif Shot Blok every mile (except the last half which was impromptu).  At the end of the workout, I was 148.

This Saturday, Gavin and I have another fun run on Saturday, though I'm not sure how long it is.  At $20/person it better be a mile and not a 1K.  I considered signing up for the 5K after but I promised Gavin we could run as fast as he wants to at the fun run, meaning I won't have the endurance for a 5K after.

XOXO,

Workout 191 ~ 4 miles

Last night, my bloodsugar was 238--perfect, or so I thought, for a run.  After the muscle strain a few weeks ago, I did not skimp too much on a warmup (did a 3-minute long one) and then jumped into the run at 5.5mph.  I finished out the first mile, and then an upbeat song came on, so I bumped up the speed to 6mph for mile 2.  At the end of mile 2, I dropped back down to 5.5, but did not quite feel myself.  By 3.5 miles, I knew I was low, but refused to stop before 4 miles--not my wisest decision, but I run on a treadmill in my house so treatment was steps away.  When I finished, I immediately tested and was 57.  That's a HUGE drop!

Thank goodness I ordered some Clif Shot Bloks to try out.  Basically, they come in 6-packs of gummies.  3 gummies = 24 carbohydrates.  I plan to have 2 after mile 1 and 1 more after mile 3 while running 4 miles--it's going to be trial and error so we'll see.  In a few weeks, when I increase to 5 miles, I will adjust the amount based on my trials and errors along the way.  I'm just grateful there are options like this that don't require filling up my stomach like I used to have to do with gatorade in high school.  I am going to carry these around in my purse too as a quick and easy fix for low bloodsugar on the go.  That box cost $30 on Amazon.com so I will use other options when available if I'm not running.

XOXO,

T1 diabetes will not stand in my way

I realized that the type 1 diabetes may become an issue while training at longer distances.  My goal is to be able to do a half-marathon next fall.  So... I did a little research, and found these informative and/or inspirational links.  If nothing else, I'm saving these to reference along the journey.  I figure it's better to be proactive than reactive.

A type 1 diabetic marathoner

Type 1 diabetes running advice from other diabetics

Another type 1 running story

Type 1 runner blog (Sept 2012 post has gear info)

XOXO,

Workout 190 ~ Running

Today, Gavin and I went out for another training session with the goal to complete 2 miles.  Well... He has a bit of a cold and kept wanting to walk.  We completed 2.19 miles in 30 minutes which all in all isn't too bad for a 6-year-old.  I'm thinking we need to start with the C25K Week 1 Day 1 workout and work up from there.  We'll give it a try and see how it goes.

XOXO,

My First 5K ~ Workout 189

Crossing the Finish Line, it's blurry, but notice the huge grin on my face

Yesterday was a huge day for me.  I completed the first thing on my fitness bucket list: a 5K.  When I began this blog, on December 24th, 2009, I had just gone for a short run the night before.  I found the Couch-to-5K running plan and had grand plans to complete it and get back into shape.  On January 18th, 2010, I realized my dream of getting back into running was not going to happen thanks to knee and ankle pain.

I did the elliptical for a couple of months and then got into Jillian Michaels and happily got into the best shape of my life over the next 2 years.  Then, this spring, at a wedding shower for my cousin, Ramsey, my Aunt Karen recommended I try Glucosamine Chondroitin for my joint issues.  I researched it and learned that it would take about 6-8 weeks of taking it to feel a difference.  I immediately ordered it and began taking it.  On May 6th, 2012, I went for my first run and was able to run 2 miles at a decent pace.  And so it began, my journey back into running.

All summer, I worked through the couch-to-5K running program (or really the Ease-into-5K running program with the iPhone app) and completed the program on September 5th, 2012, and yesterday, I ran in my first 5K race.

So how did it go?  Well... My friend Jessalea and her husband, Marshall, ran with me and we did a good job pacing the first mile.  I was shocked to learn we completed it in like 9:45.  At that point, we got excited and started going faster than we should have, making us have to slow down later on.  The last mile was a bit excruciating because a lot of it was at a steady incline and my lack of pacing for the 2nd mile made the 3rd that much harder.  BUT, we did it!  I ran the entire time (or jogged, only walking for 3 steps to down a bit of water at the halfway mark).  I finished in 33:28, 84th out of 172 finishers and 39th out of 102 female finishers.  Jess was only 2 spots behind me :).  Her in-laws came to cheer us on and thanks to them, I have documentation of crossing the finish line at my very first 5K!  :) 

I am so proud of myself for working towards this goal.  I took running for granted in high school.  I was never fast, but it came easy to me (not many people can say they transferred into cross country having only ran 1 mile a month before and were able to run an entire 3 miles with only mild problems--I refused to walk unless I had low bloodsugar and often would have to down 16 ounces of juice and then would continue running).  It was a fight to be able to run again, and I appreciate every day that I am able to run now.

Our next 5K will be November 17th, the Color Run in Dallas.  I can't wait!

XOXO,

Workout 187 & 188

I guess I never blogged about my last workout, but on Wednesday, I ran 3.1 miles at a 6mph pace and ended up with a badly strained something above my knee.  After 3 days of icing/heating it, I finally felt better yesterday, but waited until today to try to run again.

Tonight, I decided to be cautious and slow down my pace to 5.5mph.  I think I've found my pace!  I EASILY did 4 miles and would have kept going but I had VERY low bloodsugar at the end (it did not immediately occur to me that the racing heartbeat was from lowbloodsugar instead of the exercise).  I did not skimp on a warmup or cooldown this time and keep stretching just in case.

My first 5K is on Saturday and I'm sooooo excited!  My only goal is to run the whole time and finish.  Gavin will be competing in the 50-yard dash for which each kid gets a dog tag (or a small medal in Gavin's eyes).

XOXO,

Workout 186 - Running

Yesterday, Gavin and I decided to go for our first training run together.  We went 1.68 miles and he actually ran most of it.  After depositing him back at my parents' house, I went back out to run 2.1 more.  Yes, I should have held out for .22 mile more but I was ready to collapse.  I cannot believe I almost went 4 miles!!!!  CRAZY!

Only 3 more runs (probably) until my first 5K on the hilly course.  I can't believe it's almost here!

XOXO,