All of that and then some!

Hello Dear Reader,

Every time I will myself to conquer the fear of failure or overcome a challenge previously labeled "too difficult", I am propelled closer and closer to the woman I want to be...a woman who lives by the belief that all things are possible. Who knew that something seemingly so simple as running is helping me do that?!

Yesterday, I had a very motivating run! As I mentioned in the previous post, I'm not exactly sure how long I ran, because my program was reset after accidentally hitting the emergency stop button. Although today (Saturday) is generally reserved for my "off day", I felt so inclined to see what I could do...could I really run 7k in 50 minutes? This morning, I took my time getting out of bed (8:30-ish), threw some workout clothes on and got to the gym at around 9:00 am.

The treadmill was set for 5 minutes (warm-up). Check. After a nice warm-up, I chose a random song in the middle of my "Couch to 5k" playlist, selected the interval program with no less than a 1.0 incline, and set the timer for 50 minutes and a pace setting of 8.9. Initially, I started feeling a bit tired around 20 minutes, but almost immediately after that, something came over me and I kept going...and going...and going...until my 50 minutes were up! I bet you're wondering if I managed to fit 7k into my run. Well, the answer is no...instead, I ran 7.6k!!!!!!!!! That's (7.6k/50 minutes= 6.57 minutes/kilometer x 1.6=) 10.52 minutes/mile! Appropriately enough, Carl Carlton's "She's a bad mama jama" was the last song!

Ya'll, I can't tell you how great I feel right now! Surely I looked crazy with a huge smile plastered on my face as I took my 5 minute cool down walk. Woohoo! I certainly never thought that I'd have the nerve to run that far a few months ago. But you know what? I did and, with time, I'll keep progressing! Soon enough...26.2 miles will be under my belt and I'll be singing Jay-Z's song "On to the next one!"

Woohoo!!!!

After stretching, I worked on my arms:

• 3 sets of 15 triceps curls
• 3 sets of 15 upper back and shoulder exercises (using a machine)
• 3 sets of 15 triceps push-ups (sit on the side of a bench, slowly lowering myself up and down with arms bent).

As a reward, Couch Potato # 2 (aka Beef-Wellington) and I are going on a nice, long walk! Oh, and since it seems like this running thing isn't going anywhere anytime soon....It's official, my new, personalized iPod nano (touch) is on the way!

Well folks, since I got my long run in today instead of Sunday, I'm telling Beef to "take a hike"...with me. We both deserve it! I'll make sure to take pictures aaaaand post the pics of my seaside run from last weekend!

Until next time, one foot in front of the other! Keep it movin'!!!!!

Yours in (good body) training,

Dani

"I just want to be successful" (Drake)- Pavement Pounding Playlist

Hello Dear Reader-

Earlier last week, I received a group email from a friend who happens to be an avid runner. She requested a few of her friends to suggest new playlists for her to listen to during her daily runs. When I first received the email, I was a bit surprised to be included on the list as I didn't know that she's ever seen me at the gym. Perhaps this inclusion was destiny, because as I sat down to develop a playlist for her, I got the idea of training for a marathon for my 30th birthday...the Georgia Marathon to be specific.

Because my friend thought to include me on her email, and for the fact that I knew she'd actually use it, I took the request seriously. During my previous exercise kicks, I created several playlists, but they were always a bit off. Some of the songs were just annoying. Other songs were just too slow, albeit inspirational...just not the right fit. Hmm...what kind of music would I want to run to? Nothing too slow. Inspirational lyrics, yet up-tempo beats would help. I'd actually have to like the songs. Bingo!

Here is the end result:

Couch to 5K (Hop along Sally)

• Dream Big- Jazmine Sullivan

• Green light- John Legend

• On to the next one- Jay-Z

• Single ladies- Beyonce

• Just dance- Lady Gaga

• Tightrope- Janelle Monae

• All I do is win- DJ Khaled

• Live your life- T.I.

• Imma Be- Black Eyed Peas

• Fergalicious- Fergie

• Hey Ya- Outkast

• OMG- Usher

• Heavy cross- Gossip

• Push it- Salt n' Pepa

• Sexy back- Justin Timberlake

• Empire state of mind- Jay-Z

• Go!- Common

• Bulletproof- La Roux

• I see the sun- Vikter Duplaix

• She's a bad mama jama- Carl Carlton
  

• Every little step I take- Bobby Brown

• When she smiles she lights the sky- Plantlife

This playlists is over two hours long. Hopefully, at some point I'll be able to run straight through the entire collection.

Do you have any songs/playlists that help/motivate you to keep it moving? If so, I'd love to know! Also, let me in on some of the things that help to motivate you.

The next playlist title will be something like "Tent to Brick House: That lady's stacked and that's a fact!" This song will lead it off...



Well, until next time!

Yours in training,

Dani

P.S.: Training update- just as I said I would, after leaving work yesterday, I headed straight to the gym. It's strange...now that I have this goal of running a marathon in 7 months...that's all I can think about- how to prepare. Working out yesterday morning felt so good, I just had to test out my "running legs"...wanted to see if I could run an entire 30 minutes. Guess what, I could...and physically speaking, it wasn't that difficult. There were definitely times that I could feel my legs tensing up...but I could feel that all over my body. As soon as I became aware that I was tightening my muscles for no particular reason...and told myself to "just relax"...my muscles didn't hurt and I could push myself to go further.

What also helped in keeping the momentum...was my playlist. Instead of keeping my eyes glued on the treadmill timer, I focused on the songs. Most of the songs are 3 to 5 minutes long. I'll go ahead and do the math for you...after listening to about 5 or 6 songs, I realized that I'd reached my goal. Wow! That felt great! I'm definitely excited about this accomplishment, but I don't want to go too far, too fast...I'd like to be able to maintain 30 minutes comfortably/effortlessly before I progress to the next level. I'm not there yet.

After completing my 30 minutes on the treadmill, I hit the "circuit" again and focused on core muscles, calfs, and ham strings. I certainly was stiff all day yesterday at work (my coworkers laughed at me because I'd developed a bit of a waddle), but as soon as I hit the treadmill and other equipment later on in the day, I felt much better. Oh, and unbeknownst to me, my trainer was at the gym (I didn't see her) and saw me running. I received a text message from her, which let me know that she saw me...to keep it up...and be ready for my next workout! Eek!

By the time I reached home, my muscles were stiff. Years of P.E. in school and participation in sports taught me that, when your muscles are tight/stiff, the solution is to STRETCH, STRETCH, STRETCH!

Courtesy of Marathon Rookie, here are a few stretches that help with sore/stiff muscles:

Stretching and warming up are very important parts of training and should not be overlooked. Do it right after a run when your muscles are warm and loose. This will help you feel better after a run, improve your stride, and help to prevent injury. Within 15 minutes after every run, be sure to do the following:

• Calf Stretch: Stand up straight and place both hands on the wall. Arms should be fully extended. Take one step back with your right foot and put that same right foot flat on the floor. You will feel the calf muscle begin to pull. Gradually lean into the wall to feel the calf muscle pull. Do the same process with your left leg. During your first weeks of running, hold for 10 seconds. As you begin to increase mileage, work your way up to 20-second holds on each calf.

• Quadriceps: Stand up straight. Place your left hand on the wall. Pick up your right leg so that your right heel is coming towards your right buttocks. Take hold of your ankle or heel with your right hand and hold for 10 seconds. Do the same with the other leg. Again, like with other stretches, begin by holding the position for 10 seconds and gradually build up to 20 seconds as you move into high mileage weeks.

• Hamstrings: Sit on the floor with your legs crossed and tucked in. Extend your right leg so that it is straight in front of you while your left leg is still tucked inside. Extend your arms toward the toes of the right leg as far as you can reach and hold for 10 seconds.

• Groin: Stand with both legs spread apart about twice your shoulder width. Reach your hands towards your toes on the right leg. Then reach straight down with right hand on right ankle and left hand on left ankle to work both at once. Reach both hands towards your left leg to work the left side.

• Lower back and outer thighs: Sit on the floor with both legs stretched in front of you. Pull your right knee in so that your right leg is bent and shift your right foot to the left side of your left knee. The right side of your right ankle should be touching the left side of your left knee. Then twist your torso to the right as if you are turning to look behind you. As you turn, place your left elbow on the right side of your right knee and hold. Put your left leg over the right leg to stretch the other side.

• Inner Thighs: Sit on the ground with your feet tucked in. Push your knees down with you elbows and you will feel your inner thighs begin to stretch.