I love it how I say I’m going to be really great and start posting more, then completely miss my music post by 2 days. Urgh. Oh well. So this week is Stronger by Kelly Clarkson. What an appropriate running song. The lyrics are great, the beat is great, makes me run a bit faster and makes me feel good about it. The video of the kids at Seattle Children’s Hospital singing it is also very good, check that one out here.
I’ve decided to add a bit more meat to my blog. Not the edible meat, but more info besides my progress and race reviews.
So for now I’m going to add two new ‘segments’ if you will. Starting today with Tuneful Tuesdays where I will be posting a good running song. If you know me, you know I love music, and am a sucker for good running music. Hopefully I’ll get to this once a week on Tuesdays and provide you with an awesome track.
Title: Little Talks
Artist: Of Monsters and Men
Album: My Head is An Animal (2011)
I came across this band maybe a few months ago, and love it. The whole album is worth a listen, but this song is the most catchy and upbeat I think.
Yes! Finally hit that 30 pound mark. I can’t believe I lost that much or believe that I weighed that much just about a year ago. But the journey isn’t over yet, still would like to lose 15-20 pounds, and don’t worry it’s still in the ‘healthy’ weight range.
The half marathon is tomorrow. I’m getting excited but also nervous. I’m going to have to leave at 6 am to make sure I arrive early. So that will give me enough time to digest a bagel before the race. I’ll be sure to post tomorrow with a recap!
I’m so nervous but also excited… I really hope to run it in 2:30, which seems possible. But I just have to keep the mental state of running rather than giving up and walking. What’s also really important is music. I’m trying to put together a mix that’s just about 2:30 with some really upbeat songs. I have been downloading some mixes but I’m so fussy with music that they aren’t perfect. So we’ll have to see.
IN OTHER NEWS! (in the non-fitness/running life)
I’ve been hired as a new music therapist for a hospice in Newton, MA. This will be their first music therapist and they are looking for someone to start the program. HOW EXCITING! I never ever thought I’d have the possibility of doing this only 9 months out of school, but heck I’ll take it and run!
Alright up a pound… oh well. It was Richard’s last week in town before he goes home (England) for 3 weeks, so it was a splurge. It was also the beginning of tapering for my half marathon which is SUNDAY! AH!
I’m not too nervous about it as I’ve done one previously (you can read the description here) and practically walked the last half as the hills were insane. So this time, I’m almost positive I’ll beat my previous time of 3:04, and hope to aim for a 2:30, but we’ll see. Just finishing will be an accomplishment!
But this week I did tons of biking! As you see, I have a mini folding bike which is perfect for getting around the city. However, Richard lives in Fenway and I live in Watertown, about a 5 mile trip one way. I can take the river paths almost the entire way, which is awesome and beautiful. So when I go home (new jersey) for memorial day, I plan on bringing my regular sized bike back. It will get me there quicker, and I can also use it for forms of exercise.
Not bad for birthday week! I have so much to update about so get ready…
My birthday was Tuesday and yes I pigged out. I’m happy to say I made cupcakes for myself and gave about half of them away and still have the other half in the fridge. So I didn’t eat all of them last week.
This weekend was one of extreme exercise. Friday night after work I headed to the gym and did about 40 minutes of cardio. Then I cycled over to Richard’s place (about 5 miles) but somehow managed to drop my bike on my foot, leaving a hefty bump right on the top of my foot.
Saturday was my scheduled 12 mile day. So yep, I did it. I went out wearing a tank top and spandex shorts, looking super scandalous even though it was only 60 and overcast. I went from Fenway to Museum of Science, crossed the river, then all the way back to Harvard (or nearby) and then back to the Mass Ave bridge then up comm ave to the commons and then back to fenway. 12 miles is far. I did pretty well, meaning I should be okay for the half in a couple of weeks. The one bad thing was water, I didn’t bring any because there are tons of fountains by the river, but I was wrong. There are tons between mass ave and museum of science, but the other way, there are none. I passed by 2 and was so thankful to see them only to realize they had no water! So I stopped by duncan donuts to get some water. But running that far made me realize how far I’ve come. ALMOST down 30 pounds but realizing I can run the full length of the mass ave bridge (and much more) without dying.
Then this morning I cycled back to mine only to realize the walk for hunger was today! So I ended up biking against it for most of it, but thankfully memorial drive was closed (and is closed every sunday ?) so that made it much easier.
Phew, maybe this next week will be the one where I reach that golden 30 number!
Yes! Good week! I made it a point to really hit the gym and burn at least 400-500 cal through running or other cardio. I’m really happy with how things are starting to turn out. All of my clothes are too big but I’m not letting myself go shopping until I lose those last 21 pounds. I did buy a new belt today because mine is way too big now! I see success!
I had no weight loss in week 15, but 1.5 lbs in week 16. So that’s good. It’s been a stressful couple of weeks, but I managed not to go overboard. As for running, this past week I only logged 4 miles. I did a lot of cross training but had a lack of miles. However, I did a 10 mile run today, and it felt nice (despite being drenched by rain after 2 miles). I’ll be ready to do a half marathon in a few weeks.
My next race is next weekend, a 10k, and the last one at age 22!
Pretty good, pretty good! I’ve been keeping around the same weight for about a month now and I’m ready to start losing again. I guess I hit a plateau (or maybe just making excuses for not being as strict as I should be). This week may be a bit tough as I had a death in the family and will be heading to michigan this weekend. But I’m determined to keep going.
I’ve also decided on a race for April and May! April 29-10k and May 20-half marathon! That means I have to up my half marathon training a week as I was planning on doing one a week after, but I think I can handle it.
Race 8: April 14, 2012 - Barefook 5k - Brighton, MA ??
Yes! More than halfway there. Yesterday was the 7th run out of 12, and I did pretty well for how much stuff I’ve been doing over the past couple of weeks. In the course of 2 weeks I was in DC, NJ, and VT, yet live in MA. So it’s been a lot of road travel and stress. My time was 29:30 which is AWESOME, as that is probably my fastest 5k. I’ve done longer races at a better pace but for a 5k that was my shortest time. I’m excited about the April race. There is a barefoot festival in April and I really would love to do the barefoot 5k. It is tricky training for a half marathon and getting adapted to running barefoot, but I still would like to do it. I ran barefoot a lot over the summer but then when I was training for my first half, I realized I wouldn’t be able to do it barefoot. But I’m pretty sure I can handle a 5k.
