Three Things: Exercise

Here are three things about exercise and us right now. (I'm back-scheduling this because I realized that it didn't publish when it was supposed to before).

1. I've been doing a push-up challenge for a little while now. For 100 days, you do 100 push-ups a day. That's every day. I haven't been doing them on days where I'm sick or travelling the entire day, but for the most part, I've been fairly faithful. I've noticed a little difference in definition, but nothing truly amazing yet. Maybe if I hadn't skipped those days?
2. An app I found that's actually pretty great is the 7 Minute Workout. I mean seven minutes is nothing, but by the end of it, I'm typically a little sweaty. When I do it, I do usually a few rounds in a row. The app remembers that and rewards you for days worked out in a row, multiple circuits in a day, and will open new sets of workouts once you meet your goals.
3. Carson's been running a lot, but I haven't. My knees have gotten to the point where running or too much stress on them is pretty painful, and I can't tell if it's the sort of pain where you push through or where you don't, so I haven't been running. I'm trying to build them up and to do other forms of cardio that aren't running, instead. 

The Key is Pacing Yourself

I found this post in the drafts folder, written in December 2009. Since it's "Throwback" Thursday, it's as good a time as any to post it. 

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I love to run.
I hate to run slowly.

I know, "run" and "slow" aren't equal. What I mean is that I don't like to jog. I like to see how fast I can go. Unfortunately, my endurance level is at a level -7 which means that I can go about 45 seconds before I get winded (okay, perhaps this is hyperbole... I can run for at least 50 :) ). Also, I don't love to run with others because I can only actually run with them for a short time (this is also hyperbole - by "short time" I mean two minutes tops; after that, I fall over).

With this background, our story begins:

My plans for today were as follows: get up at 6:15, go to school at 7:45, come home at noon, take a nap, do laundry, take another nap, go to work.

For one reason or another, the nap didn't happen. I'm disappointed by this, because it seems that when I plan a nap, it doesn't happen. And I got four hours of sleep last night.

It all started when I realized that I should wash the jeans I was wearing. I haven't done laundry in awhile (not enough quarters) so no clean pants were available. I changed into leggings and shorts and tennis shoes since flip flops were way out of the question (because it's cold, not because I'm too good for such a marvelous ensemble), so that I could wash normal clothes.
At that point, I got really ambitious, or stupid. My belief is that it came from the really weird adrenaline rush of not sleeping, but I decided to go for a run. Did I mention that it's 26 degrees outside?

So I grabbed my iPod, zipped my jacket as high as it could go, sipped some water, and went for a run. Somewhere during the first five seconds, I decided to pace myself this time. I usually go down a certain long stretch of sidewalk first, and try to run about half of it (it's half a mile... yes, my endurance stinks, remember?). This time, I ran slowly and made my way to the end without stopping. Then I kept on running, not stopping. This went on for a very long time, until I found myself back at my apartment, 1.8 miles later.

My lungs are not thankful that I did that to them and for some reason a bunch of pressure is hanging out in my head now... but I don't care... even though it's a small accomplishment, I'm super proud of myself :) I will be trying that again soon!

The key IS pacing yourself!

more race pictures

So pictures from last weekend's race are up online. They're pretty funny, so I thought I'd share.

I don't even remember seeing anyone with a camera here...

Crossing the finish line... we're on the far right. The time on the clock is the time since the race began, not our finish time. 

Immediately after crossing the line. We look terrible. I honestly thought I would throw up, and I guess the picture is just proof. It was SO hot!

Bloomsday Number Three

The first weekend in May is Bloomsday. It's one of the largest races in the world (about 50,000 people) and people from all over the globe come to Spokane for this 12k. This was my third time participating (last year's recap here), and the only time I decided to actually try and run. I've been training for a little while with Isabel, but not too long... and my time confirms that. 

I was awoken at a little before 7 in the morning by music from across the street. The same five upbeat songs were playing at a law firm across the way... we live on the Bloomsday course and they were just getting ready early. 

 So I got dressed in my running attire and joined friends in the hallway who were running also. Heidi, Stephanie, Isabel and I all ran Bloomsday... Carson decided to pick up a shift at work instead of running because he still can't run very far (since he fractured his foot last summer), so he took this picture. Heidi was an earlier start time, so she had left for the race already. 

Stephanie was running Bloomsday with her sister-in-law in a later color group, so Isabel and I walked downtown and joined the blue group. The sea of people in this picture is all our color group, and there were so many more of them. Where we were standing for this picture, we were in the way of the bathroom line, so we moved along and got closer to the front. 

We crossed the start line and couldn't run because there were so many people, but we started off soon enough. I can't run very far and this race made me realize that I should have trained for SO much longer than I did, but I was able to run a little bit. Isabel was so sweet and very encouraging; she can run way faster and longer than I, but she stayed with me and was great at pacing. 

Our time wasn't that great (because of me)... 1 hr 40 min. I'm a little disappointed, but in all fairness, I never did that well on inclines anyway, and the Bloomsday course is rather hilly, so I guess I didn't stand a chance.

Looking back at the finish line:  

Post-race sweat

The finish line from the t-shirt line

The line to get t-shirts by the mall... I think we waited for a good 25 minutes.

Back at the Reilly... our shirts! We think they're a little on the ugly side, but whatever. 

Bloomsday people from my living room, after I was finished: 

I iced my muscles for the first time ever after running, which makes me feel like I'm something of an athlete, which I'm not (or I would hopefully have run in less time than I did). I had no idea that icing actually worked, but now I'm a fan.
If you're wondering, the answer is YES... I have ventured out to run twice since Sunday. It was more of a walk because I'm terrible, but muscles are building and endurance is growing... small steps! I'm hoping to really get back into running this summer.

Bloomsday!

I've already mentioned that we did Bloomsday. 

Carson and I didn't run together... I ran with a friend from work! 

7.46 miles of pure joy. And pain. And sweat. And sunburn. But we didn't feel like we were going to die or give up at any point so I guess that's a plus. I think it helped that we were running with 50,000 of our closest friends... people watching and commenting on the outrageous costumes people wore made it fun.

We didn't train, weren't in shape, and pretty much did it together for moral support. Our time was horrible, but we both have bad knees (and probably worse endurance) and the 20 minute long line for the bathroom didn't help either. All this to say... at least we did it! 

Pictures: 

1. A nice random person took one of us before we started. And by the way, about ten minutes before our color group even began, someone had won the race. We're talking 30 minutes!

2. People throw their jackets and sweatshirts into the trees, later to be collected for charity. Can't imagine how much work that took, getting them down! 

3. All sorts of characters, bands, people selling cold treats, people passing out water, and singers greeted us on the way. Jessica asked me to take her picture with this guy. 

4. Definitely not mine, brightroom photography took pictures as we crossed the finish. This way, I got to see Carson finish! All three of us look really worried about crossing that line.  

5. The joy on our faces with the finish line behind us. And the next picture is the finish line itself. 

So fun, and hoping to run the whole thing next year! Who knows, maybe next time we'll win!

tidbits

- Never in my life have I frequented Craigslist so much as I have this week. Carson always says that until you get a job, finding a job is a job. (And not my favorite job, I must add. Which encourages me to pursue one so I don't have to keep looking!)

- A discovery: Running to Frank Sinatra makes even running feel classy :)

- A note on that - I've been running... three miles or so, which is NOTHING compared to the PT Carson does but I'm still impressed with the small amount I can run!

- Carson's mom came for a visit Sunday-Monday. She's our first overnight visitor. Since you are now wondering how that worked, Carson slept on the floor... our guest couldn't very well do that, could she?

- My brother, Scott is coming this weekend. We'll be heading over to the Leavenworth area for hiking/camping/exploring. Scott desperately wants to climb a mountain. Though climbing one is doubtful, we will see mountains.

- Carson still hasn't gotten to go on a fire. The time with him has been wonderful, but he's still hoping to get that experience before going back to school. So, we're praying for that...

- We have been married for TWO months! And it doesn't seem that long... probably because weddings are such a memorable thing and we can still visualize and process through that day as if it were yesterday. Carson, apparently, thinks it's been longer: "Happy twelve - wait - two - month's anniversary!"