Thank goodness for rest days!

Y'all, I have done NOTHING as far as fitness goes today and it's been awesome!  I'm now running four days a week and going to a fitness class two days a week, so I look so forward to an off day.  I'm not saying I don't feel fabulous after a workout, just saying a day to do nothing is nice, too.  Today I am SO SORE from yesterday's fitness class and run!  If you're looking for a good class to work every muscle in your entire body, check out Natalie at Jay-Lo Fitness in Olive Branch.  She'll tear you up on Mondays and Fridays at 5am!  SO worth the $5!

So my training just gets harder and harder which means it's easier and easier to become discouraged.  I've reached so many milestones since I started running.  It's just hard sometimes to keep that in mind in the midst of a difficult run.  I was thinking as I was running last night about all the people that tell me they LOVE running.  They CRAVE running.  Can I please get to that point???  I think I can honestly say I crave it.  Usually getting out the door to run is not the problem and on days I don't run I almost feel guilty.  But once I'm actually doing it, I can't wait for it to be over.  It's tough.  It's hard work.  Sometimes it just plain sucks.  So I don't think I can say I love it yet.  Is it possible to crave something you don't yet love?  Apparently so.  Or maybe I just have a love/hate relationship with running for right now. I know I've complained a lot recently.  I'm not giving up.  I just want to be able to come back to this after I finish that 13.1 and know exactly how I was feeling today.

If it was easy, everyone would do it, right?! :)



                                                                                         Jessica

Some Lessons Learned

Saturday I added a mile to my training.  I felt every bit of that extra mile.  The whole run was absolutely terrible, one problem after another.  But...all of the problems could have totally been avoided.  First off, I make it a point to NOT run in the heat of the day.  Saturday, however, had been cloudy, rainy...absolutely no sun.  In fact, I hadn't really seen sun in a week.  I had to be out of town early Saturday morning, so I put off my run until the afternoon thinking it'd be fine since the sun wasn't out.  Well, don't think the sun didn't decide to finally make an appearance right when I started running.  It was SO HOT!!  Lesson 1 learned: ONLY early morning or later evening runs in the summer time...even if it's been cloudy and/or rainy!

I didn't take water with me on my run and I already promised myself I wasn't running without water anymore.  Oops.  Yeah, BIG oops.  I was dying!  I actually had to take a break about 3/4 of the way through to rest a minute and get some water.  Turns out I rested a little too long and downed too much water considering I still had a little ways to go.  It was really hard to get going again and when I did get going I honestly thought I was going to throw up.  I could literally feel the water sloshing around in my stomach.  Lesson 2 learned: take water with you, but don't down too much at a time while you're running!

I was dogsitting (imagine that) this weekend so I wasn't at home.  I didn't have my shoes with me so I borrowed some.  Don't worry, I was dogsitting at my sister's, so it's not like I  borrowed some stranger's shoes.  Although I might as well have.  That was a huge mistake.  I have the worst blisters on my heels STILL.  I got up this morning (it's now Monday) at 4:15 to get ready for my Monday a.m. fitness class and when it came time to put my shoes on it killed so badly.  I couldn't do it.  Lesson 3 learned: be careful changing up shoes!

So Saturday was probably the worst run I've had so far but it was also the farthest distance I've gone so far, so what an accomplishment!  (That's me trying see the good and think positively...)

Like I mentioned, I missed my fitness class this morning but there was no way I could skip running tonight since I didn't run yesterday.  So tonight I slapped some band-aids on a sucked it up for one of my best runs yet.  Tonight was awesome.  HARD, but I did it.  The only regret I have from today is that I didn't slap on the band-aids and suck it up at 4:15 this morning and make it to my class.  Really missed it.  Won't miss that again.



                                                                                                  Jessica

Discouraged

Hey blog friends!  It's been a little while, huh? 

Well, the half marathon is 21 weeks away and I'm right on target with my training.  HOWEVER, I'm totally frustrated today.  My run today was awful.  In fact, the last few times I've run have seemed so hard.  Today I just feel like I'm not getting any better.  Granted, each week I run more and walk/rest less.  I guess I just need to focus on that fact.  I just feel like I need a breakthrough, you know?  I want to really feel like and notice that I'm getting better.  It's so hard to keep going when you're discouraged, but I refuse to let that get me down.  I'll be better tomorrow...I'm just grouchy about it today.  :)

I started some cross training. Started yoga and a new fitness class on Monday mornings that includes cardio and full body strength and toning.  I'm loving both!  I'm hoping that my class this morning may be part of the reason my run tonight seemed so hard.  My legs are SO tired!  I may have to rework my run schedule if I keep up this Monday morning class.  I'm super excited about my cross-training and hope this might help to give me that breakthrough I'm looking for. 

I'm lucky to have a super awesome support system full of people offering nonstop words of encouragement.  I have an awesome marathoner friend cheering me on and two really good friends training alongside me.  There's no chance of giving up...it's just not an option.  I just hate feeling discouraged!

Sorry for the negative nancy post, but thanks for listening!  Hopefully the next one will be much better!



                                                                                                     Jessica