Running into a California Sunset

What a BEAUTIFUL run today! My co worker--who I will call Dannie--and I went on a run tonight after work. I asked him how far he wanted to go tonight and he said, "you're the boss." I gave him the look like, "are you sure" and laughed. So, I offered 5-6 miles--something he hasn't run in a long time, if ever! And he was down for the run, so off we went!! His lactic threshold is around four miles, so we pushed past that today. He struggled quite a bit, but pushed harder and harder and BAM! right on through that barrier. He finished VERY strong at 5.5 miles with a smile on his face. Granted, while we were running he was behind me muttering, "I hate you Karrie," but at the end he thanked me for keeping him going. I thanked him. He asked why. And I said, "for letting me help you." What a wonderful running partnership, eh?! Wow, I think the runner's high is still lingering as I'm writing this! haha!

I'm hoping this run has helped with his lactic threshold...hopefully pushing it to around the 4.5-5 mile mark. I also hope its helped his lung capacity and his mental strength..."i think i can, i think i can, i think i can." I want him to KNOW he can! The best part about all of this is that he's reached a goal. He has decided that he wants to run a marathon. He wants to be active, unlike the lifestyle he grew up in. What a wonderful turn of events. It started with a, "I was thinking about running tonight, you want to join me?" And has grown to, "I want to run a marathon, will you help train me?" I love it!

There are days...

There are days when I'm feeling pretty good about myself. I'm not too tired, I feel healthy, have energy that I normally don't have...then I look in the mirror and I'm stunned at what I see. Is that ME?? I look swollen. I have bags under my eyes. Is that MORE cellulite?!?

I'm beginning to think that this is just the side effects of growing older. I work out harder, I eat better, and yet, it's still hard to lose that last bit of fat right around my arse. Hmph! To be young again, right? Well, this is what has got me to thinking. If I feel great, then it shouldn't really matter about that extra bit of cellulite around the back of my thighs. I will continue to run, lift, and eat right so I can continue to feel great. If the weight comes off, then it comes off. I have decided to not let it discourage me into a pint of ice cream. Thank you very much!!

Round TWO!

August 8^th, 2009

My coworker and I logged 4 miles last night on our Thursday run. We ran the same route we did two days ago, but extended our turn around point to make it 4 miles rather than 3.5. He was in much better condition this time around. We didn’t slow down nearly as many times, and when we did slow down it was for shorter periods of time. I checked the Nikeplus sport kit and our 2^nd mile was done at a 5:11 min/mile pace! I was surprised but when I did the math, I realized it was the mile that was mostly downhill. Still, he’s listening to my little tidbits of advice which I think is helping him pick up the pace. I keep telling him that it’s okay to go slower UP the hills because he isn’t expelling as much energy as he would if he pushed it full throttle. Then, on the DOWN slope of the hill I tell him to just let his stride out and let gravity take him. It feels exhilarating actually! By doing those two things, he conserved energy and felt much better at the end of the run. The last .75 mile of our run I picked up the pace to just below 8 mins/mile (we have been running around 8:15-8:25) so he could really feel the run’s benefits. I said to him, “You’re really going to hate me, but we are going to pick it up at the end.” He just rolled his eyes and gave me the look like I was crazy. At the end of the run he was all smiles though! All in all, it was a great run! Can’t wait for our next Tuesday run!

A New Chapter in Running...

August 5^th, 2009

Yesterday, I began running with a co-worker of mine who is trying to lose that extra twenty pounds he gained since he became a family man. Being in the military we run about 2-3 times a week, so getting started wasn’t too hard. He wants to run faster and longer without any real goal in mind. I want to see if I can get him to commit to a race, goal, or something to keep him motivated. Until then, we are working on him getting up some anaerobic endurance. Our run consisted of 3.5 miles with two large hills. We were pretty steady at an 8:23 pace; although around mile 2.5 my co worker started to really slow down. Now we know where his initial endurance wall is. We will have to try to push his tolerance threshold through the 2.5 mile point so he can go further without feeling so depleted. Looking forward to another run with him in two days…