When my motivation to run flags, I like to watch this video. It gets me laughing and in the mood to jog.
My monthly mile challenge is going pretty well so far. Here are my times:
Monday, 10/19 – 15:50, .5% incline
Tuesday, 10/20 – 15:23, .5% incline
Wednesday, 10/21 – 14:58, .5% incline
Thursday, 10/22 – 14:16, .5% incline
Friday, 10/23 – 13:54, 0% incline
I took Saturday off because I had an intense headache all day and didn’t want to make it any worse. I’m actually considering taking weekends off for this project, because I discovered that throwing myself headlong into this challenge has made for some SORE legs! I’ve been tired all weekend, so I might just rest today and then go for it tomorrow. On days when I’ve had lots of energy, I’ve put the treadmill on a slight incline to mimic outdoor terrain — we’ll see if I can maintain that. I’m really happy about my progress, but I also worry that I’m improving too quickly and heading for a plateau. We’ll see how it goes…
I just read this book last weekend, and it’s great. A review is coming soon, but in the meantime, here’s a sneak peek!
When I was a little kid, I was a sprinter. I was the fastest girl in my class, and I loved to race. However, time, puberty, and vegetarianism apparently caught up with me, because as I got older, I got slower. By the time I reached high school I could barely run at all. I had knee problems and lacked endurance; my first year of college I was diagnosed with exercise-induced asthma. Rather than trying to prove to myself that I could run again if I wanted to, I accepted my troubles and became a dedicated walker, and as I walked, my mile time actually got slower, until my average became a 20-minute mile. On energetic days I sometimes muster up an 18-minute mile.
A few weeks ago I read this post on RawBeets about Lisa Paris’s Chubby Kid Challenge. Like me, Lisa had convinced herself over the years that she wasn’t a runner, until one day she decided to change things. She challenged herself to run a mile every day, and by the end cut her time nearly in half. Inspired, I decided to do the same. Today, October 19, is my first day. My 30th birthday is November 17, so I’m actually giving myself just less than a month to see if I can improve my time, stamina and running skills by the end of my 20s. We’ll see what happens.
Today’s time: 15:50. Not great, but the fastest I’ve done it in years! Stay tuned for updates!