Retractions and Rethinking

I've been mulling it over.
And over.
And over.

I don't think the full marathon thing is going to happen for me this year. I was off to a semi good start. Then a small sickness, no big. Second good week. Then the shooting at my work. And since then, I've run once for 3 miles. A week ago.

Did I mention I'm running a half marathon in 12 weeks?

Yeah.

Well the half is going to get done even if I have to crawl across the finish. Hmm sounds like last year when I said the same thing about my first 5k. So I guess I'm still better off than last year.

I have a 10k in 2 weeks on Saturday. Yikes!

Time to really kick it back into gear.

I'm emotionally better since the whole incident on that Saturday. No, I wasn't at work (thank goodness!), but I was on my way and I have gotten to know many people in my store and surrounding stores well so I was worried and so sick the whole day. When we went back to work I was uneasy. Monday through Thursday was depressing to be at work. I just felt like I wanted to cry all day. Very little traffic so we didn't have anything else to think about. I can see the store from our store. People came and paid their respects. I got up the nerve on Tuesday afternoon to do the same. The candlelight vigil is what really helped. A lot of stores, including mine, closed down to attend for 30 minutes. There was something very healing about that cold as heck 30 minutes that helped me. I don't know if I froze the grief out of me, but I haven't been depressed on my way to or at work. What happened was awful and something I hope to never experience first hand. I do not ever want a phone call like the one I got last week ever again.

On the bright side, my friend welcomed her first son into the world! I got to hold him and he melted my heart. I didn't think I'd want children. I thought I'd be one of those happy older people in Cancun without kids living the high life. Yes, more champagne darling!

Maybe it was the awful tragedy at work, or maybe the woman baby hormones finally kicked in but I...I think I want a child. ONE child. I don't think I can put myself through so much physical pain more than once in my life. Mind you, I'm not gunning for one right away. After I got a glimpse at all the work pregnancy is (thank you friends and the internet), I figure it'd be a great idea to get at least 15-20 pounds off. Sure I have 30 to go, but sweets are SO GOOD DAMMIT! And the husband needs to get used to the idea and warm to it since we were all in the "no babies for life" party. But the way he babies our cat and talks with little kids, I'm sure he'll be just fine.

At work I'm officially in charge of the floorsets. Had my first on Tuesday night. I was rough and thankfully I had a ton of help. Between the physical prep and execution of floorsets and marathon training, I was burning the candle at both ends. Some people can work physical(ish) jobs and run marathons. Good for them. This pretzel loving, chocolate chomping, ice cream slurping girl just cannot handle it. Not yet. A half is a good challenge for this year. And perhaps I'll do a second half in the fall like I was planning. I like to jump the gun with things. My friends and family know this fact all too well.

But who knows, maybe I will do it.

For now, it is my stretch goal.

There are so many more things I want to accomplish before becoming a...*gulp*... mommy. Marathon isn't necessarily one of them. I'd love to train for one a year after my future baby arrives. Oh you bet your bottom dollar I'll be out rollin with my jogging stroller. Short mileages of course. Babysitting 12-24 month olds have taught me that they get real heavy, real fast. It'll be more motivation to have my son/daughter cheering me on at the finish line. Aw man, I'm getting soft and sappy already. SMH.

I am in the process of making a list.

Next blog post....The INFAMOUS THINGS TO DO BEFORE BABY LIST!

"You are going to want to give up. DON'T."

Back again!

I've been off in career search land, and I finally have time to breathe and write a post! I'm getting interviews, but so far no job offers. It's really early in the process so I'm not too worried. The right position will come around soon!

This past week I started half marathon training. Surprisingly, the first week was really, really tough. It's not the length of the training runs that is tough. Rather, it is the frequency of the training runs and the increase in mileage that was tough.

For example, the first week is three 3 mile runs and one 4 mile run. The second 3 mile run I didn't feel great at all and had to stop at 1.88 miles. I was bummed, but it was one of those times that your body demands a break... or else. I made up the mileage by running on Saturday before attending a wedding in my hubby's hometown. After the wedding, the groom asked me if I was out running that morning because he saw a girl that looked like me. It was me! Ha ha ha. I was slightly embarrassed since I don't want anyone to see me running besides my husband and my friend Nicole (who I dragged into running with me!). I set a PR though with a 10:45 min mile average! WOO! No wonder I felt so terrible and just wanted the 2.1 miles to be over with! Too fast for my blood. For now.

As I promised in my last post I'm going to do a small review of my hydration belt, Nathan Speed 2.

Source
Mine is black.

Pros and Cons time!!

Pros:
- Comfortable. Didn't cut into me or leave marks.
- Doesn't slide around. I wear mine around my hip bones and my bottom belly helps hold everything in place. I've always been a girl with a little extra so I don't know how it would fit on a flat tummy girl. 
- The water bottles don't drip or impede my running in any way. I wear mine with the bottles on my back and have no problems pulling them out and placing them back while running.
-  Great storage. I carry my keys, mace, running fuel, and can squeeze in my Ipod nano.
- Available in different sizes to fit all bodies. 

Cons:
- Not a fan of the rubber nozzles on the water bottles. I understand that it is made tougher so it doesn't leak but I'm not crazy about it. The one nozzle twisted, got caught and wouldn't close all the way. I managed to wiggle it back into place.
- Doesn't fit large smart phones. I have a large smart phone I use to track my training so I clip it to the belt instead. Also, I use a thick case since I'm accident prone making the phone bigger. 
- Water bottle fell out of the belt, but only once. I was passing a walker on the path through the grass and I tend to bounce more in grass than on pavement. The water bottle wasn't secured well after I had just taken a drink a few minutes before and popped out. I haven't had any problems since then though. 

Overall: I really like this belt. I'd recommend it for any runner (beginners or otherwise) that are in need of an easy, comfortable way to keep water and fuel on hand for longer training runs.

Next, I'm going to review my SPIBelt! I like to take this lightweight belt on short runs since I have to drive to good running locations around town and need somewhere to put my keys.

Have you hit walls in your training and how did you get through them? What's your preferred way to carry water/fuel on long runs?

“Treat yourself like a fat person with aches and pains and a suitcase full of excuses, and good luck--you'll stay exactly where you are. Train like an athlete and, though you may not look like one now, you will become one.” ― Chalene Johnson

God I love tumblr!
Yes, I've used this picture before, but I love it

That photo about sums today up. On Fridays I usually workout hard, but today reached a whole new level of pain. 

10K training is what one would call "easy" right now. Easy in terms of distance. Today was only 2 miles. I laugh at myself sometimes because I'm ashamed of only going 2 miles. Six months ago I couldn't even go 2 minutes without dying. Today I ran a 12:45 minute mile. It's plenty challenging but I didn't pull my knee like I did pushing it too fast too soon on Wednesday. I will be running a 12 min mile by November. 

From healthandfitness1st on Tumblr.com
Oh I ached today!

Any who, after the run I did Insanity. I screwed up and was supposed to do Pure Cardio and Cardio Abs on Wednesday, but I did Cardio Power and Resistence instead. So today was a Pure Cardio and Cardio Abs day. On top of the running (and I use the random setting on the treadmill to get in hills) with Insanity I burned 950 calories today. I had to do a double take at my HRM (heart rate monitor). Tomorrow is Plyometric Cardio Circuit day. I HATE that workout, but at least I get to rest on Sunday. Also, I'm hoping to get to the lake tomorrow to run my "EZ run" on my schedule. It is supposed to rain, but should be done by 11 am. 

Rain, rain, stay away!

So what else is there? Nothing much right now. Now that Doctor Who is done until November (::cries::), Saturday nights are no longer exciting. There's still Game of Thrones on Sunday night, so that's something to bugger on for! 

Oh, I did manage to get to the dentist this week, and I probably set the record for most cavities found in a single visit. Thankfully there are no root canals that need to be done (yay for healthy roots!), but it's my fault for avoiding the dentist for (almost) 3 years. So next Wednesday I get the first half of my mouth filled. I'm super nervous since it has been awhile since I had work done on my mouth, and I read horror stories about racing heart beats due to the epinephrine they put in the numbing shots now. Yeah, I can deal with the pain, but it's the possible side effects that terrify me. The second round will be in June after my race. So I'm happy that I'll have some time to heal, but angry that I'll probably have to skip a workout putting me off my game. I can see myself, mouth still numb with drool rolling down to chin, trying to push myself through a workout. It all depends how I feel. I'll probably be exhausted from the anxiety of the whole situation. That day will be a day for milkshakes, smoothies, and soup. Mmmm.

Until that day, I gotta keep training hard! This body isn't going to build itself. 

The foundation is getting there...
From healthandfitness1st on Tumblr.com

1800 Minute May Challenge: 970

(Almost at 1000! Goal now is to break that by the end of the month!)