And I'm Back!

Went for a run today!! First time in nearly a week... and if felt good!

My leg isn't 100%, but it feels so much better, and felt great while running. I've been doing an ITB rehab routine that strengthens your hips and gluts. Apparently this can help prevent injury. I like the routine so far; I can definitely feel it working. Wooooooo!!!!!!!

Here is a picture of Melvin:

So handsome!!

Running Recap & More!

Last week was not good in terms of my running, I was just not in the running mood. I did have one highlight though; a 2 mile run with a sub 10 minute pace! Wooo!!!



Last few runs..

By Sunday my right thigh started to feel a little sore, dampening my style. What was supposed to be a 5 miler turned into 3.18 hard miles!!  Not good.  Since I'm not even training for a particular race, I've given myself a break and have been taking it easy on the running this week. By that I mean that I haven't run at all. Just doing some strength training (free weights) and light stretching.

I did, however sign up for the Rap River Run 5k on June 14th!! I'm pretty excited!

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Just for fun, here are some highlights from Memorial Day weekend:



Tailgating at the Ray's game




Thank you tree for your shade on a hot & sunny day!



Rays win!!!



My neighbor Rex and his spotted ear.

Saturday Kayaking

We have not been doing so well when it comes to fishing (up until today neither of us had caught anything other than sea grass). So we were determined to do everything we could to catch some fish while kayaking today. That meant waking up at 5 am and being on the water before the sun had risen.

No sleep 'til fishing!

Why hello there Sun.

We got the inside scoop on the best place to launch from Todd's co-workers (he works in the fishing industry). We kayaked out to a little known spot called the "North flats", and lo and behold we caught some fish! Todd caught a big Jack fish that almost capsized him, and we both caught Snooks! None of them were keepers, but we did manage to snag a friends keeper redfish! Fresh fish is on the menu for lunch today.  Oh yeaaaahhhh!!!

There it is... Todd's tiny Snook!

Todd and his Snook and his hat

We had a nice time out on the water today, but now I'm ready for a nap. Tomorrow we're going to the baseball game with my parents and Monday we're hitting the beach with some friends. Can't wait!

I'll be posting this week's runs at some point this weekend as well. I have another 5 miler tomorrow... we'll see how that goes.

Peace out suckas!



 

Equipment

Hey there!

I just wanted to use this post to share the gear I've been using.

Sneakers: I've been using a pair of Brooks something or other. I cannot remember the specific type/design, but I'll look into it. So far I like these sneakers; they're comfortable, lightweight, and supportive. I have no complaints, but I also don't have many other running sneaker experiences to compare them with.




My very own pair of Brooks something-or-other


Plan: I'm using Hal Higdon's novice 1 half-marathon training plan. I like how the plan incorporates strength training, cross training, and stretch days. I don't always follow the plan exactly; I'll sometimes switch around the running/cross train days to better fit my schedule (a.k.a lazy days).  I like it so far, but I think that when I do sign up for a race, I'll switch to the novice 2 plan for the last few weeks because the last long race is 12 miles compared to only 10 miles for the novice 1. I would feel more comfortable running a half-marathon race knowing I can do 12 miles.

Tracking: I use Map my Run to track my runs. I used the free version for about 2 weeks before I bought the ad-free version. It's so nice to not have to click through ads! I definitely like this app, especially for a beginner like me. It's easy, cheap, and gives just enough information to be useful without being overwhelming (distance, time, pace, etc.). They also offer more stats and resources on their website, which I've finally started using more. I would like a Garmin or other watch-like tracking device eventually, but Map my Run is sufficient for now.

Misc: I use a fanny pack that I bought from Dick's to hold my phone while running. I originally looked for an arm band, but they never had one for my giant HTC phone! WTF Dicks!?!?! I know I could have bought one online, but I like trying things before buying, also I'm impatient. It turned out ok though, cause I actually love the fanny pack! It's comfortable, holds my phone well, and because of its placement, reminds me to breathe through my diaphragm (I know this is sort of weird, but it really works!).



The whole get up, including my awesome fanny pack!

(please take note of our homemade cardboard cat house, Melvin loves it!)

I typically don't listen to music while running because I hate ear buds. They suck. They never stay in my ears and my focus goes right out the window when my only train of thought is: "oh, left ear bud coming loose... now the right one....this damn wire is in my face... fuuucckkhjehajhgfdkfd" and I take them out. The end.


PS. I also carry a small lipstick size pepper spray that I tuck right into my fanny pack. Don't mess with me!

My First 5k!

My first race was a 5k at the Tampa Airport! I chose that race because it was an awesome location, a 5k,  and I knew that registering for a race would be the best motivation for getting out there and running! (I ran this race in late April, before I was using any training plan).

Posing before the race

 

The 5k took place an a runway at the Tampa Airport, so cool! The downside to a runway race is... no shade! They did have a fire truck shooting water at us at least.



Coming up on the finish line!

As I mentioned, I did not follow any plan and just made sure that I was able to run 3 miles before race day. I finished the race around 32 minutes (I'm not exactly sure of my time as I didn't have my phone to use Map my Run). I definitely got caught up in the excitement of the start line and ran way too fast for the first mile. I ended up burning myself out early on. Lesson learned. I've been focusing more on distance than speed just because of this. I want to be able to run far without having to stop for walking breaks, even if it means going at a slower pace. Eventually, I'll focus more on speed and increasing my pace. Maybe I should rename my blog to Not So Fast Jogger.

Just like flying a jet plane

 

I had a great time at the Tampa International Airport 5k Runway Fun run. Registration and raffle ticket proceeds benefited the United Way Suncoast.

Official pictures of the event can be found on their Flickr page: Runway Fun Run (I'm not in any of them.... yes, I looked through them all). Although there are none of my handsome mug, there are cool pictures of the police helicopter that hovered over us (security yo!), the fire truck, and better views of the actual runway we ran on.

I finished!!!!
(p.s. that lady told me I needed to get quieter shoes, wtf lady? Get out of my pictures!)


I can't wait for my next race!!!

Love,
Constance

Weekly Running Recap

What up!
As I mentioned in my Introductory post, I've been following a half-marathon training plan (this one). I'm 4 weeks in and so far I'm feeling great! I can feel myself improving every week. Although, I'm not registered to run a half-marathon yet, I like following a plan because it motivates me and gives me an idea of what I should be doing, since I have absolutely no clue.

Here is my workout summary for last week from Map My Run (MMR from now on so I don't have to type it out):

WORKOUT SUMMARY for 05/12/2014 - 05/18/2014   4 workouts 3 routes 15.92 miles 2.9 hours 2043 kCal burned

Sunday, 5/18/14, was my first 5 mile run! Todd accompanied me on his bike, which was nice. According to MMR I finished in 56:53, which bummed me out at first, but then I remembered that we stopped a couple of times to chat with neighbors. One neighbor had their white American Bulldog puppy out. She was so cute! She wanted to run with me so I had to stop and love her up a little. This particular neighbor had another full grown bulldog who would charge at me and Walter (people love to leave their dogs loose out in my hood, so stupid). Apparently that dog got hit by a train. A train! Why someone thinks it's a good idea to walk a dog on train tracks is beyond me. Poor doggy.

My personal bodyguard patrolling the mean streets of Tampa

I also stopped to pet another neighborhood dog, Fluffy. Fluffy always barks and chases me during my runs but never lets me get close enough to pet him. During my 5 miler I really wanted to try and finally pet him, so I just stood there until he came and sniffed me! Progress! But, when I reached down to pet him, he ran off. Boo!! I just wanna pet your smooshy little face Fluffy!

Anyway, considering my puppy time stops, my first 5 mile run was ok. I started at 10:30am so it was some much needed practice running in the full sun (I usually run at the crack of dawn). That sucked, but I need to get used to it! I did take a few walking breaks the last 1.5 mile or so.

Peace out suckas!

Love,
Constance

Kayaking Weedon Island

What a beautiful day! Todd and I kayaked and fished around Weedon Island in St. Petersburg this past Saturday. We didn't catch anything... as usual, but we did manage to get in a good work out! We arrived and started paddling around 7:30am and finished up at about 1:00pm. It was a little bit windier than expected, but that just made it more challenging!

 

Starting off the day with a dumb selfie:

 

Standing up like a pro: 

 

Hanging out with my best friend:

 

 

Here we are fishing on a sand bar. Look at that water! This picture actually made the 11pm news! Todd's Famous!!

 

See you soon Weedon Island!

 

 

Love,

Constance

Introduction

Hi! I'm going to be using this blog to keep track of my running and to share my progress with family and friends. First things first, a little bit more about me and my fitness goals.

My new year resolution is to run a marathon by the end of the year (we'll see how that goes). I ran my first 5k at the end of April (Tampa International Airport Runway fun run; it was a great experience and really cool location!). I didn't follow any training plan, and that definitely did not work in my favor, but I learned a lot from it. I plan on writing a short post about my experience, including some pics! Wooo!!

I'm currently 3 weeks into a half-marathon training program, but I haven't actually registered for a race because the timing will have me run 13.1 miles at the end of July. Apparently there are race "seasons" and July-August do not fall into the Florida season (which makes sense because walking out of your AC filled house on an August morning is like walking into a wall of heat and humidity... no thank you).

So here's what I've been thinking; I can look for races going on elsewhere at that time (like maybe New York) or I can extend my training a little longer and do a half-marathon in September, orrrrr extend my training even further for a full marathon later in the year.

I'm still unsure of what I'm going to do. I have (some) time to figure it out though.

Lest the thought of reading only about my running bores you, this blog will also occasionally feature the cute faces of Walter and Melvin (my dog and cat, bff's, no big deal). Here's one to make you go awww:

I'll also include posts on my "cross training" which includes yoga and kayaking!! That's right, my cross training includes kayaking the beautiful water ways around the Tampa Bay and Gulf of Mexico.

Thanks for stopping by!

Constance