Day 41: Exhausted Run and a New Personal Best

Hello one and all! Today was running again. I still feel sick. My stomach is still upset, my head still hurts, I'm still congested and exhausted. I worked 7-4 today, which the majority of my shift happening on the self checkouts, so lots of walking around and being busy. I was so exhausted when I got home, I caught myself trying to convince... Myself that missing one day of running was no big deal. Obviously, it didn't fly! So today's goal was to run 2 1/4 miles (or 22 minutes) without stopping. I think these run bits are incredibly unrealistic, so I set a personal goal to run longer than I did last time (15 minutes). How long was that? I ran for 21 minutes today! Was I exhausted and out of breath and sweaty while I did it? You bet your ass I was! Did I still adjust the time and run for my full 2 1/4 mile distance? You bet your ass I did! I did 21 minutes, walked for 3, ran for 4, then walked for two, then ran the last two to to make up the whole 27 minutes to get the mileage right. I'm wiped, but proud. I know it's not much for fit people, or even people who are moderately fit, but this was a huge accomplishment! Is, I mean. I feel great. And I couldn't have done it without my cheerleader, so a big thank you to Dan again! Happy Saturday, folks. Be safe tonight!

Day 35: Another Small Victory and The Best Cheerleader Ever

Hello one and all! Yesterday, I was supposed to run 2 miles, or 20 minutes, without stopping. I ran for 15 minutes straight, which means I didn't make my goal of doing the 20 minutes. But I did something that surprised even me. I ran for a full six minutes longer in a single go than I ever have before. And you know what? I'll take that. At first I was bummed out, then I decided to still run the twenty minutes total. So I walked for two minutes, ran for three, walked for two and ran the last two. After I finished, I was so proud! I'm not a runner, or fit, or an athlete by any stretch of the imagination. But I pushed hard, and I made progress I feel I can really be proud of.

And I couldn't have done it without Dan. He was there for me the whole time, supporting me and encouraging me. Without him, I probably would have made myself run for ten minutes before quitting. But he gave me the strength to really find my limits. And to push them. He talked me through the wall I hit at 8 minutes in, and he encouraged me when I had to take a break, and when I started up again. Thank you for being so amazing, Dan!

I learned a valuable lesson yesterday. You're much stronger than you think you are.

Happy Sunday, everybody!

Day 32: Small Victories

Hello one and all! Let me start by saying I'll edit this post later to include a picture of my breakfast. Because it was delicious. But I'm blogging from my iPad right now, so no can do! Last night, I decided to find some motivational quotes, and write them on Post-Its to have next to my mirror. Sounds lame, right? Wrong! It was great to wake up this morning and see them. It made me feel quite positive about today's run. Which brings me to the small victories thing...

Today, I ran 3/4 of a mile (about 1.2 km, I think) without stopping. And I did it twice.

Unreal, right? I'll have another victory post on Saturday. Stay tuned!

On another note, I feel amazing today. My weights yesterday went great! I'm actually a bit sore in my glutes, thighs, shoulders, and abs. Great feeling! It lets me know I'm working hard.

Happy Thursday, everybody!