No, I haven't been abducted by aliens...

Yes, I've been M.I.A.
Yes, I've been a bum.
But, I'm back now.
Be easy on me.

Running
I ran on April 14th, and didn't run again until this past Thursday, the 13th of May. Gosh, it hurts just to see that in writing. I ran/walked 2.5 miles just before my Group Power class.

My plan is to run again on Tuesday, Thursday and maybe Friday. There's a 5K on my schedule for Sunday, but I haven't decided if I'm ready to run it yet. I'd like to keep beating my 5K times, and I'm not sure I'm in any shape to beat 28:36.

Life
Life has been interesting. I've been in and out of a funk lately... forced to learn a lot about myself in a short period of time. It's amazing to look back at your life through the awakened eyes of a mature almost-30 woman, to learn from your mistakes and to truly consider what type of person you want to be.

Not just a person who reacts to her surroundings, her routine or what's expected of her, but a person who decides who she wants to be and is just that. I know what that looked like 7 years ago, but what does it mean now - after a degree, a child, a marriage come and gone, years of varying emotions, and many, many changes?

After all of that thinking, and terrible 12-hour days at the hospital, I haven't had energy for running or much else.

Turning 30
I've spent most of this blog talking about running and ignoring the other part of the blog: turning 30. It's coming. Today starts the 70-day countdown. I'm excited and nervous at the same time. I have such high hopes for my 30s... I hope I can do right by them.

I've decided to forego a big party and have an intimate dinner with some close friends in NYC on the big day. Until then, much work to do -- getting to know myself, bettering myself, and taking chances one day at a time.

What about you? Are you who you want to be?

My Updates

The biggest update: I ran my 100th mile today.

Running
The running has slowed down a lot since my race. I've only run 6.6 miles since then -- 1.5 miles last week and 5.1 so far this week. I have to admit, since the race, I've lost a lot of my motivation. Between traveling, and working a lot to make up for the days I went away, I just haven't had the time or energy I had at the start of 2010. This week I've been running faster than I trained before the race (since I've obviously proved I can run faster!), but I definitely have been dragging myself to the treadmill. Maybe once it stops raining, and I can run outside I will feel differently.

Diet
During the Phoenix girls' weekend my carb-counting went out the window. Coming back home, it was hard to look at my low-carb options quite the same. I have been sticking within 40-60 grams, but it's a lot harder than before... and the content of those 60 grams hasn't been the healthiest. I had pizza and a sliver of cake at my kiddo's 5th birthday party Saturday. I had a Filet O'Fish and some fries today from McDonald's.

I'm on a bad path... but it stops now! I finally went out and bought some Atkins shakes and bars so I can start substituting again. Despite the indiscretions, I'm still 17 pounds down. I didn't meet my goal of losing 22-27 pounds by the end of March, but I'm not totally discouraged.

Life
Work and family stuff has me stressed out, which is likely affecting my motivation also. In keeping with my vow to enter my 30s in peace and happy, I am working on all of these aspects. It's just taking time and a lot of energy. I have started meditating again. Just a few minutes every couple of days, but better than nothing. I've also been making time for my nice hot baths, and my mint tea breaks.

Races
My next race is supposed to be this Saturday - the 5K Bunny Dash outside of Chicago. I'll make a final decision by Thursday about whether I feel up to it. I'm going out there for a conference, so I may choose to just relax instead.
4/3 - Bunny Dash (Palatine, IL)
4/10 - Essential 2 Life, Jersey City, NJ (My Hometown!)
After the 10th, I have no idea when my next race will be. My work schedule is conflicting with all of the other races I was interested in. I'll do some more searching and post new races soon.

The Things I've Learned

This week marked the start of my second month of training, and I've learned a few things about myself over the past five weeks.

1. Sneakers make a difference. My old workout sneaks gave me shin cramps. In my Dr. Scholl's work sneakers, I run like a pro (or something like that).
2. When I overheat, I don't run as well. More importantly, I overheat when I run inside on the treadmill, and my heart rate shoots up to the high 180s. Outside in 40-degree weather, it's 140s-160s max.
3. Slow and steady wins the race. When I started the run-walk intervals, I tried to run at a 10 minute/mile pace and I was barely finishing the assigned intervals. Now, I run slower (11:30/mile), but I'm able to increase my distance daily.
4. Warming up = Finishing. The days I rush into running without a good 10-minute walking warm-up, I'm usually sorry.
5. Running in place isn't for me. My best times (on the clock) and my best times (as in, enjoyable) are when I'm running outside. Can't wait for Spring.
6. Music is not enough to distract me from watching the treadmill clock. I need to get drawn into a dialogue, like on television. I'm gonna try audiobooks when I run outside.
7. I am an afternoon worker-outer. Despite the warnings that working out at night will keep you from falling asleep, I snooze just fine. I also run the best in the evening.
8. When I wear frumpy gym clothes, it affects my drive. If I can see the muscles developing in my arms or calves, it makes me push harder than if they're hidden or I'm wearing an outfit that makes me look heavy.
9. Treat my medical ailments. Now that I am adequately treating my allergies and asthma lately, it is much easier for me to withstand long-term cardio activities.
10. Respect the Process. I'm an all or nothing type of person, so a part of me wants to just go outside and run 3 miles, but that's also how I tend to get injured or lose motivation. I am respecting this incremental progress and watching my body change and strengthen week-by-week. Even with my ankle, I have to learn to respect the healing process, and get back out there as soon as I'm ready -- not before.

Net Carbs: 45 grams yesterday (had an emotionally-snacky day), 10 grams so far today.
Days 'Til 5K: 41
Workout: Still on break for the left ankle injury.      6EF57M4BQ49P