Today, we are taking the kids to a Holidome for the night (courtesy of my mom) for a last hurrah before school starts next week. Since I do speed work on Thursdays, I figured I'd do it this morning instead--that way I don't have to do it on the hotel dreadmill. Running on the dreadmill just feels so much easier than outside, so I think I'd get the most benefit of speed work if I'm actually doing it outside.
I had a 40-minute tempo run scheduled. That means about 10 minutes easy running, 20 minutes hard running, and 10 easy. The hardest part about this is figuring out just HOW hard the middle segment should be. I always read that it should be "comfortably hard"--but running is NEVER comfortable to me! ;) I decided to try and go just over my goal race pace, so about 8:50-9:00/mi. It was tough. I'm glad to have it over with for the week. At the hotel tomorrow morning, I'll just have to run 4 easy miles.
Speaking of running, a couple of people asked me questions that I figured I'd answer here in case someone else was wondering the same thing. 1) My runner's knee. I actually haven't had any problems with my knee lately. Probably because I cut way back on my mileage in June and July. And lately, I've been focusing on going EASY on my easy runs and saving my strength for my speed work. That has actually made a world of difference in my overall energy--I feel so much better all week, even though my mileage has more than doubled since I started 10k training.
And 2) Why do I prefer the compression fit running pants? There is a difference between the compression FIT pants and using compression sleeves or socks. I don't know much about the sleeves and socks. I choose the compression fit pants because of my loose skin. My belly bounces up and down and it's really painful unless I wear really tight clothing. Wearing compression fit spandex helps out a lot.
So I tried on my bridesmaid dress last night, and it's tight. I hate that there is a little bulge between my armpit and boob on each side. I'm really going to have to step up my game and drop about 10 pounds before the wedding. I'm feeling the pressure now!
I didn't intend on anyone seeing this picture, and I had Noah take it just so I could do a comparison later (for my eyes!) So what do I do? Naturally, I post it to my blog. I have learned a lesson though, about taking "before" pictures. Even if you think nobody will ever see it, make sure you SMILE. Because someday, you might actually use it as a before picture. I have a before picture that looks SO HIDEOUS thatI'll never show anyone of course I'll post it just to show you what I'm talking about. (But I insist on putting it next to an "after" pic, so you can see that I'm not actually that messed up looking!)
So anyways, my whole point was that I'm going to work my ass off for the next 6 weeks to look GOOD in the dress. I'm already doing the exercise 6 days a week to train for the 10k, so I just need to be super strict on what I eat. Count every calorie. Then hopefully, I'll be able to post a 6-week comparison pic in my dress :)
I've written a guest post for Krista at My Journey to a Healthy Berg--she just posted it this morning, so feel free to check it out here. Krista is super inspiring, so you should check out her blog as well! She's lost over 100 pounds herself, the HARD way (diet and exercise).
Do you have tons of "before" pictures on your hard drive? I've taken so many over the years, and never thought I'd actually make it to the "after" pic. It's kind of fun to go through them :)
I had a 40-minute tempo run scheduled. That means about 10 minutes easy running, 20 minutes hard running, and 10 easy. The hardest part about this is figuring out just HOW hard the middle segment should be. I always read that it should be "comfortably hard"--but running is NEVER comfortable to me! ;) I decided to try and go just over my goal race pace, so about 8:50-9:00/mi. It was tough. I'm glad to have it over with for the week. At the hotel tomorrow morning, I'll just have to run 4 easy miles.
Speaking of running, a couple of people asked me questions that I figured I'd answer here in case someone else was wondering the same thing. 1) My runner's knee. I actually haven't had any problems with my knee lately. Probably because I cut way back on my mileage in June and July. And lately, I've been focusing on going EASY on my easy runs and saving my strength for my speed work. That has actually made a world of difference in my overall energy--I feel so much better all week, even though my mileage has more than doubled since I started 10k training.
And 2) Why do I prefer the compression fit running pants? There is a difference between the compression FIT pants and using compression sleeves or socks. I don't know much about the sleeves and socks. I choose the compression fit pants because of my loose skin. My belly bounces up and down and it's really painful unless I wear really tight clothing. Wearing compression fit spandex helps out a lot.
I didn't intend on anyone seeing this picture, and I had Noah take it just so I could do a comparison later (for my eyes!) So what do I do? Naturally, I post it to my blog. I have learned a lesson though, about taking "before" pictures. Even if you think nobody will ever see it, make sure you SMILE. Because someday, you might actually use it as a before picture. I have a before picture that looks SO HIDEOUS that
 |
| See what I mean? It looks like a mugshot! |
I've written a guest post for Krista at My Journey to a Healthy Berg--she just posted it this morning, so feel free to check it out here. Krista is super inspiring, so you should check out her blog as well! She's lost over 100 pounds herself, the HARD way (diet and exercise).
Do you have tons of "before" pictures on your hard drive? I've taken so many over the years, and never thought I'd actually make it to the "after" pic. It's kind of fun to go through them :)
