Feeling Strong

For the past two weeks, I took a kickboxing class that I loved.  I loved the teacher, loved the studio, and loved bringing people there to test it out.  I was super excited about joining but didn't know how it would work with my late work schedule during the school year.

After the urging of a friend for a closer place, yesterday I tried a new place.  It is closer to work, closer to home, has about the same hours, and offered a special for signing up that day.  Although, I did not like the new place as much, I went with them because of the money situation.  Both places have a $99 enrollment fee which pretty much pays for your gloves and wraps and then for 12 months it is $59 a month, unlimited classes.  With Memphis Fitness Kickboxing, the $99 enrollment fee was waived if you signed up that day so I did.  I now have hot pink boxing gloves and purple hand wraps.  I went with the pink ones so I would know which ones are mine when I go.  The workout out at Memphis Kickboxing was a lot more intense than with Urban Fitness which I truly did not think was at all possible. 

I am really enjoying all this new activity in my life.  The only exercise that I have truly ever enjoyed was yoga, which can be extremely intense but is nothing like running nor kickboxing.  I think the kickboxing is really going to help start shredding the weight and make me stronger.  I feel invincible after the classes, every muscle burns and I feel like I am slowly dying during the class but afterwards I can't believe I was able to do everything I just did.  I think this will really help with the endurance aspect of running, especially with that 4 miler coming up in just over a month. 

Right now my biggest concern is balancing all of this exercise out with my normal life.  This morning I hoped to get up about 30 minutes early to get in a run but ended up sleeping 30 extra minutes instead, oops!  I guess I will have to work on that!  Yesterday, I did a lazy mile before the kickboxing class and don't know if that was a good thing or bad.  Poor Shelly told me she hated me at one point during the kickboxing class but I know exactly how she felt!

In running news, I have gotten new shoes which are spectacular and have officially signed up for the Cooper Young 4 miler in September.  Yay! 

Changing It Up

So this past week, I really changed up the routine a little bit.  I did some running but because of rain and pain did not get in the miles that I was hoping to do.  I did go to a kickboxing class for the first time at Urban Fitness Kickboxing in Bartlett TN and I also did a Yoga class for runner's at Fleet Feet Sports here in Memphis.  Kickboxing was a totally surreal event for me.  I made it through the class without dying although there were some instances that I didn't think that was going to happen.  I don't know if I have ever sweated that much in my entire life.  But after burning nearly 1100 calories, I am going back this week to give it another go.

I am going to take the running easy this week until I am able to get some new shoes.  Luckily, the awesome yoga teacher from YogaFest was able to give me some pointers on how to help handle some of the calf pain I've been having.  I am going to test that out today and see how it helps with the issue.  Yesterday was one of my running rest days and I haven't been able to do more than 2 miles in a run since the 5k.  Hopefully with the new added stretches and the new shoes, I can start doing 3 in a go which is what I would love to be at my August 13th.  If I am at that level by then, I am going to start doing 4 milers to help prepare for the Cooper Young 4 miler on September 13th.

The upcoming races I am planning on doing are:

Cooper Young 4 miler on September 13th
LuvMud September 28th
Color Run October 26th
Memphis Grizzles House 5k December 7th

First 5k Ever DONE!

And wow was it hard!!!  I've been working out since June 24th somewhat regularly and since July 8th nearly every day.  My most consistent work outs have been the Jillian Michael's Yoga Meltdown dvd and running/walking/jogging.

I've had some runner injuries over the past two weeks that I really worried about in preparing last week for the 5k.  I had several just 1 milers that I had to push myself through because of the pain in my calf muscles, peroneal muscles, and my ankles.  Most of this pain was concentrated in my left leg.  After going back to my old New Balance 990 and wrapping my ankles most of this pain was nearly gone by race day.  The first half mile of the 5k was brutal.  Shelly didn't think she was going to finish, I thought I may have sprained my right ankle, and I realized trying to run with Susan was a little out of my range.  Susan and I were hoping that we would be able to run together the entire time when I drunkenly registered for the race.  After last week's hiccups, I warned her I didn't think I would be able to do much running and I was right.  I let Susan take off and run the way she wanted to and the way I was just not able to yet.  Shelly was able to catch up to me and our first mile was complete in 16:47 and hearing that and knowing it was the best time that we had done together meant a lot to both of us.  It revamped us and we soon forgot that we had legs.

With less than a mile left to go, we were greeted by Tristan and according to the Nike+ app our speeds soared. It was just the happy pick me up that we needed to make it the last little bit.  It was an awesome feeling finishing the race.

After everything was done, I was sure I was going to go home and just pass out.  However, I truly experienced the runner's high that everyone is always talking about and it was nice.  Instead of sleeping, we were able to go thrift store shopping, take in a Red Birds game with some friends, and watch Evil Dead with a good buddy of ours.

On race day according to the Nike+ app, here are our stats:

3.63 miles
Total Time: 1 hour, 4 minutes, and 24 seconds
Average pace was 17:43/mile
Fastest Pace: 10:58/mile
Slowest: 38:57 (this is when we stopped to do some stretches because everything hurt)
5k time: 54:14 (this is the first even for the app that I had ran)
533 calories burned

The next race is September 13th and it is a 4 miler.  I'm hoping that all of these numbers are lower, well except for calories burned.

Tomorrow is the Day

Tomorrow will be the first 5k that I will do this year.  I'm highly nervous about this process.  I've worked out every single day this week.  It has been a mixture of running/walking and Jillian Michael's Yoga Meltdown. I'm still having some leg pain which makes me very anxious about actually doing it tomorrow.  Shelly has decided to do it with Susan and I.  I know that Susan is expecting to do a mix of running and walking but I really don't know how much running I will feasibly be able to do.  I am still healing from that twisted ankle and that has my shin splints acting up something fierce.

I have not had the sever pain in my lower calf since the run on Tuesday so the stretches are helping out a lot.  My black Nikes are being retired after today.  I did my work mile in them and could feel the pain starting to creep up on my right leg.  Wrapping the ankle really helped and I think my New Balances will be the best thing to do the race tomorrow.  I keep going in between being super excited and this dread that I am going to hurt something major.  Here's hoping that it all works out ok and nothing goes pop on race day.

I'm still not showing any good movement on the scale which has been kind of down in the dumps this week.  However, I feel a big difference in some of my clothes which is what all the experts say to look at.  I haven't done measurements this week like I was hoping to because of scheduling and not really wanting to do it lol.  I might just save the measurement tracking until I hit the working out a month spot.  For right now, here are some pictures to help me see that there has been some loss.

The bottom picture is actually a screenshot from my instagram from the first day I worked out.  The other was taken today.  I'm not smiling in either one mainly because I wanted to make sure my face kind of looked the same in both pictures.  So there's a bit of a difference but I'm working up toward a bigger one.

Gearing up for a 5k

Since my last updated, I've twisted my ankle and was volunteered by my husband to run a 5k with one of my really good friends (Susan).  After much pleading on her part, I decided to go for it so that she wouldn't be alone.  I'm only half way through my training for a 5k so I'm a bit nervous about actually doing one.  The only goal I am really giving myself is to finish the race and hopefully not be last.

Last week, my major achievements were how many times I actually worked out.  I walked/jogged/ran 7 times through the Nike+ app but I also added some jumping jacks to the routine a few days and also added in Jillian Michael's Yoga Meltdown. Yesterday I did a mile with Shelly and my second run of the day was rained out so I did Yoga Meltdown instead.  That dvd is no joke.  I've done yoga many times in all kinds of ways but this is the best and hardest at home yoga dvd to date.  There are some moves that I just have not gotten down yet but can already tell an improvement from Day 1 to Day 2.  Today, Susan and I have a work out date to put in a 5k.  Although, I've had some days where I've ran over 3 miles, I haven't done 3 miles all at the same time and I definitely want to get a couple of those in before Saturday.

Wish me luck!

Changing It Up

So today I left work a little bit later than planned and whoa did it make a difference.  I ended up getting up to the University of Memphis' track a little after 6.  Holy crap, there were so.many.people. Jeez.  I did one lap and could feel my legs protesting the walk.  I stopped to do more stretches and looked around at the nearly 20 people on the track and what looked like a hoard of professional runners about to take off-and by hoard I mean like 30 people.  After chugging some water, I decided that I would take my run elsewhere.  I parked my car at the rec center on campus and finished my mile there.

After today, I decided that I am going to stick to the runs in the neighborhood.  There is something about the runs that I do without the dogs and on the track that I end up not feeling the exhilaration that I get with the neighborhood runs.  I am able to do more distance and able to go straight into the air conditioning instead of a super hot car.

I am also adding jumping jacks and some jump rope action into the routine this week.  Next week will also start the training for the 4 miler in Cooper Young in September which will include lunges with my 5 pound weights along with measurements to track overall body improvement.

Lessons Learned:

• Track running is not for me
• Stretch.stretch.stretch
• Running with music helps wonderfully

Stats:

• Walk 1 with Shelly: 
• Total distance: 1.1 miles
• Total time: 22:30
• Mile time: 20:21
• Calories Burned: 136
• Walk 2 on Track/Rec Center:
• Total distance: 1.04 miles
• Total time: 20:03
• Mile time: 18:54
• Calories burned: 136 

Best Run Yet

I took 2 days off of running to help repair the blister on my heels and I'm super glad I did.  I didn't have the heel pain that I've had since the 2nd day I started running again.  This has got to be the best run so far.  I feel extremely energized and this is the furthest I've run thus far.  This run was also the best time as of yet and hearing the little voice in the Nike+ app tell me the first mile was done in less time was an amazing feeling.  It is little steps like this that is going to keep me doing this.  I also did this run on an empty stomach and it seemed like that made a big difference as well.

Lessons Learned:

• Try and always run on an empty stomach
• Stretch before going on a run
• Look up more stretches to help with shin splints

Stats:

Total Distance: 2.14 miles

Total Time:  40:23

Mile Time average time:  18:52

Calories Burned: 275

1k: 9:08* having issues getting the Nike+ app to since this is what I remember popping up after the run.  I will correct when I get it to sync and give me that time

**Update Edit**

Apparently the first mile, I did on 7/5/13 was clocked at 16:11 which I am totally thrilled with!  The first time I used this app which is the end of the first week I started walking/running again (6/27), my mile was done in 20:42.  Granted, I haven't done a mile that good since although that day my second part of the mile was just over 19 minutes.  My mile yesterday was 17:01 which is pretty close.