10 Things Week 11 in Which I Enjoyed Listening to Birds on My Morning Run....Who Knew?

1. We were waiting at the dentist's office the other day and my 12 year old told me there was an article in the magazine she was looking at that I might like. It was titled, "Running for Beginners".  I was happy. I always love to read quick things that help me move forward in this running journey.  So I took a look. And guess what? I am beyond the tips in the article! I can already do what they talked about and I can already run the intervals they suggest.  Wooohoooo!

2. I bought a few more treats. Two great shirts from Lululemon.  As for now, I think I am pretty set. I seem to have what I need to do the workouts I am doing. I have one shirt I love for running indoors and a few that are okay. I have yoga clothes I like and a great yoga mat. I have new running shoes and good Lulu running/yoga pants.  I think I am set for a while. I do need to figure out what clothing works for outdoor runs. It is a little trick but I am trying things out.  And I don't feel like I need to buy myself a treat every two weeks to keep going. I think I can continue without having new things to wear:-)

3.  I am loving all of the running blogs I am reading. They are really helping. I appreciate every runner who writes regularly.  It makes a big difference in me sticking to it.  One of my favorite blog posts this week was one from THE GREAT FITNESS EXPERIMENT about makeup made specifically to work out. Seriously, not for me!

4. I had my first successful run outside this week. I worked on going VERY slow. I was actually slower than people walking their babies in strollers and only a teeny tiny bit faster than a 4 year old on her bike with training wheels. But it was a REALLY good run. Maybe my best yet.  I was probably running a 13-14 minute mile and kept the slow pace the whole time. It was 70 degrees which was absolutely perfect for me. Sunny, no wind and 70. Warm enough but not spring yet so not a huge pollen issue.  I have a new idea of what outside running might be.  I am a bit more hopeful about it:-)

5. I have found some great new blogs to follow. Really fun people who blog.  I found these through Heather's blog-365 DAYS OF AWESOME, which took me to Rose's blog-EAT, DRINK, AND BE MEIRI, which took me to LITTLE FRUITFLY IN RAINBOW COLORED SOCKS and to THE ALMOST RUNNER. I knew I liked this girl when I read this line in her bio/goals:  "Running is hard, and it's uncomfortable at first. But then I got it- that's the point. You don't start running because you love the feeling of wheezing exhaustion. You do it because, once it's over, it feels great; you're proud of yourself. It starts getting easier and you feel like you did something. Hah! You don't start running because you like the feeling of wheezing exhaustion.  I feel like I made three new friends finding these three new blogs. 


6. I can't believe how many running events are hosted by Disney.  They all sound REALLY fun and I can see why people are hooked. I am a HUGE Disney fan. I am just not sure I'd want to spend even one second of a Disney vacation getting up at 4 am to run and then be tired. It seems there are races every few weeks at one of the parts and people always seem so happy.  And it seems that Disney races have turned some people  into runners. A new-to-me blog especially for Disney fans is EAT, SLEEP, RUN DISNEY.  I guess if you have to run long distances, having Disney characters cheer you on is the best way to do it.


7.  So I had my best Yoga workout ever this week too.  Monday's yoga class was killer. I hadn't been there in a while. I was almost ready to give up and then I emailed the instructor to ask about some more beginner classes, that I didn't feel like I was getting better. She laughed and said everyone thinks that and that it felt like I wasn't getting better because I was doing more.  So I gave it a shot on Wednesday and it was a great class. I realized that I am doing way more.  Trying more.  Getting through more.  Getting stronger. Slow, of course, but there is progress. I have to remember this because it seems that right after I want to get up, I realize I am glad I didn't.  Summer Yoga is even hotter than Winter Yoga.  With the heaters on, it was REALLY hot in yoga this week. I only have one sleeveless yoga shirt but it was clear this week that I will need more.   Lucky I got over the stress of showing my fat arms several weeks ago.  Lululemon--wondering if this counts as a treat since I NEED it.....


8.  ANOTHER MOTHER RUNNER had a blog post about running mantras that I loved. I loved reading these. I am not sure what my mantra is. I need a million of them to get me through these runs. I know there are times when I have to talk myself into continuing running. I need mantras to get out there more than I need them to keep going.  Today I was going to put my run off until tomorrow, but my husband said, "You have to run when you can."  It made sense. He said if I put it off til tomorrow, something might come up tomorrow. I had no reason not to run today. So I think I will remember that line to help me run, rather than put it off for a day.  Once I get out there, I have to work to get to the 1/2 way point.  Then I am good after that. I have found that on outdoor runs, if I turn around at my 1/2 way point, I like it better. Changing directions makes a difference.  Lots of strategies, no mantra yet.  So, this week I will pay attention--see if I have a mantra.


9.  Okay, so I have been really good about focusing on the run and hitting fitness goals, rather than on losing weight. But this week, I got bummed out about the weight.  I've lost about 6-7 pounds in the last 11 weeks.  I guess that is better than nothing, but I haven't lost any in the last week or two. Not a big deal but I am hoping I can continue to focus on the running/yoga/fitness and not get hung up on the weight right now.


10.  I did my long run outside today.  I am trying to run outside more and I am actually liking it more than running on the indoor track. Today, it was 55 degrees but really sunny. It felt hotter than last time I ran when it was 69 and cloudy.  Something to note. I ran in the morning today.  It was nice and I decided to try most of the run without music. My running friend, Clare, is certain that I would love to listen to the sound of nature while running. So I tried. I must say, the sounds of the morning are nice. Totally different than the sounds on an evening run. I am not an outside person but today was a great outdoor running day. Really pretty. Good temperature. And lots of birds singing.  Clare was kind of right. Who knew?