where I want to be when I grow up

On the eve of my upcoming birthday I had an epiphany...I'm going to be 28 and that means I only have two more years before I'm 30!!! *gasps and cue the dramatic music* I whine to myself....but, but I thought I'd be so cool by now!!! With the new quarter not even three weeks behind me I decided it was about time I started taking my life more seriously than my studies (please no one tell my advisor this).

As a result of my impending birthday I have decided it is time to meet some of those goals I set myself when I was like 12. By the time I am thirty I wanted to...

• be able to speak another language
  
• completed a triathlon
  
• written a novel
• be healthy (um, what does that mean?)
• play a musical instrument
  

There are more but I think those few are enough for now...no sense in overwhelming myself now is there?

So, three weeks ago I started on the list above. So far I've started cooking more delicious and nutritions foods (like, yesterday I made a delicious Mexican Bean Salad...so good!) . I also started working out three times a week and running.

While I'm nowhere near meeting the above goals I have at least started something. That's worth a little bit of celebrating right? RIGHT?!?!

Time to Pay the Piper...

In less than 48 hours I will be running my first half-marathon.

I'm kinda nervous and kind of excited at the same time. I'm really worried that when I get there I'm going to get so nervous I'm going to do horribly. But my plan is to tune everyone out except to cheer them on in my head. And the route is going to be GORGEOUS so I'm looking forward to distracting myself by looking out to the ocean.

I've trained enough, I know I can do the mileage. It's just making sure my mind doesn't get the better of me! And, seeing how fast I can do it :) I am aiming for under 2:30 but I'd really like to do it and average 10min. miles (so a little over 2:11). I generally can average 9-10min miles, unless there are hills and then it's variable (depending on different factors) - well this run has HILLS let me tell you.

Anyway, I am looking forward to it 'cause I think it will be fun, and I am gonna feel happy to have just finished it!

Wish me luck :)

I Did It!!

Well, I did it! I went for my 7 mile run, and I only stopped to take my gu, to stretch, and I hit 2 red lights. I finished the run in 75 minutes - not too bad for a slowpoke like me!

I took much of Jenny's advice to not get discouraged by faster looking people i.e. not comparing. Instead I pretended we were all out there training together and I encouraged them and was inspired by their stories...the ones I made up in my head as they passed.

Near the end, as I got really tired of going up block after block of uphill I began to sing inspirational songs in my head. Songs such as, "Another block bites the dust! And another one's down and another one's down, another block bites the dust!" It kept me going.

Working on my stride was hard though. I just can't tell if I'm even on the right track. Though I did notice focusing on my arms, actually, seemed to help a little...at least I felt less tense and I felt like I was being more efficient.

Anyhow, the point is I felt really good for most of the run, I finished it in no less time than usual (I thought I'd go way slower by myself), AND afterwards I ate a wonderful huge salad with lots of carrots in it. So if that cat from the last post doesn't want his, I'll take it.

Oh yeah! AND I used my sexy new sweat band. That thing is awesome! I didn't have to wipe the burning sweat out of my eyes once! I think that helped me a lot, since I didn't have to worry about being able to see and stuff. I was able to focus more on just running. Yay for sexy accessorizing.

It is time

Today I am running alone again. Jess has hurt herself and is probably not going to run again EVER.
haha no, she'll probably run again on Thursday, a shorter one.

Anyway, so in the spirit of setting my own goals and not comparing with anyone but myself, I am going to go for a 7 mile run today. My goal is to try and lengthen my stride every other section (I'm running on the Ohlone Greenway Trail and it is split up into 1 or more blocks per section), and to only stop at lights and at the 3.5 mile mark (to take some gu of course). I want to get more comfortable with the long runs, because I can do them but they still always seem insurmountable at the beginning.

The trail is pretty flat so I think it will be a good place to attempt to achieve such goals. The only uphill is the last 1.5-2 miles or so and at that point the only goal will be to survive.