Tag Archives: fitness challenge

What I learned from my 30 Day Challenge

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My 30 day challenge was to run/bike at least 2 miles every single day. Mid month I added walking.

This is just a list of the things I noticed. I starting writing these down after my runs, so some of them are really random, but I wanted to share my little realizations with you too!

  1. I am not an every day runner. My body needs rest and functions better with less but longer runs.
  2. I like running in the morning… Seriously. Who knew?!
  3. I need to figure out how to fix and maintain my bike on my own because I’m really really terrible about taking it to the shop. It’s been a month and it’s still languishing in the garage, flat and broken. Ooops.
  4. Despite running for nearly my entire life, I still have to work on my nutrion, electrolyte balancing, salt…. all that, since it still throws me off once in a while
  5. I think I want a running buddy once a week… I haven’t quite decided, but after running for so many days, sometimes I think it might be nice to have someone to chit chat with while I run. But then I think, I also love love love running alone because it brings me peace.
  6. When I don’t run for a couple days, I’m a huge bitch. I just have too much energy and I need to expel it into the universe in a positive way or I get cranky and needy, and I kinda bitch at everyone. Running = happy.
  7. I’m a super duper uber lazy walker. I walk SO SO SLOWLY. I need to work on picking up the pace and treating my walks like I treat my runs… seriously!
  8. I need to work on core fitness, weight lifting, and other all around body fitness. I think I am at the point where I can run forever and nothing about my body changes. I would like to firm up my core and work on muscle definition elsewhere in my body. I have super toned and defined legs, but that’s where that ends. Just my legs. I also think that if I were to improve core strength and upper body strength that I would be able to run faster. So I need to vary my workouts.
  9. For those of you curious about this – My weight is probably 1 pound different. I weigh just about the same as I did when I started, but everything on my body has firmed up just a bit. This goes back to my previous bullet, about how I am so accustomed to running that my body doesn’t change much, so if I want to see change I need some change in my work outs too
  10. I used to run exclusively in running tops that covered my entire back, shoulders, and most of my arms because I didn’t want sunburn, but as I have been running in very hot weather, I’ve been getting into running tanks and slathering on sun screen.
  11. I like running in spandex shorts more than regular shorts. I find that I like my clothing to stick to me so that nothing rubs, moves, or bothers me when I’m running
  12. Most running hats that are sold are possibly the stupidest and the worst caps ever. They don’t cover anything and they don’t shade enough of my face. It’s still my biggest irritation when I look for running gear. I have ONE hat that I love, and the rest I put up with out of necessity.
  13. I need to find a new running mix because the music I have right now is about 10 years old, and I actually know ALL the lyrics and for the most part could probably sing my entire playlist without turning my music on.
  14. I have a lot of running shoes

So. There you have it!! I hope that you had a healthful and productive June as well! Let me know what kind of “challenges” you have participated in the past and whether I should try them too!!

Picking Up the Pace

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Yesterday and today I picked up the pace for my runs. I’ve been running the same 3 mile loop around a nearby lake, but I can’t seem to drag myself to run anywhere else. The path is partially shaded, by the water, and easy to access from my home – so I naturally gravitate to the path.

Normally, I run with my Sony headset, my Nike watch, and occasionally I’ll drag my cellphone along with me… but I’ve really been enjoying the “electronic” free running. I stopped using my GPS watch a few months ago, instead choosing paths that I knew the mileage for so I wouldn’t drive myself INSANE looking at my watch. Since, I’ve been a little scattered and have been forgetting my music too… and that has been surprisingly nice. It’s nice to hear my breath and my feet on the pavement.

Since I am planning on running/biking every single day for 30 days straight, my priorities have shifted. I know that I can’t just decide to run 12 miles one day because it’s nice out, I have to weigh whether or not I’ll be able to run the next day. So… I’ve been strategically running low mileage every day and resisting the urge to just keep on going when the weather is agreeable. It has been an interesting challenge, and I have to have a certain degree of self control over my running whims. I’m often tempted to run extra mileage, but I have been resisting so that I can continue my 30 days of running. However, since I have been keeping low mileage, I have decided to pick up the pace on the days where I’m tempted to run more. Yesterday and today were absolutely gorgeous out and I knew that I would be tempted to do extra mileage, so I simply picked up the pace so I would be ready to be “done” at the end of my runs. It’s been a good exercise, since for the last 3 years I’ve been more interested in the number of miles instead of the speed.

Anyway – that is my update for the day. For some pictures of my gorgeous runs and the beautiful lake I run by, check out my instagram. I post the temperature, my shoes, and a scenic shot after each of my runs!

xoxo!