Caterpillers and Cotton

I ran 11 miles this morning!!!!!

Can't believe it!

 
Not even three years ago, when I first started my weight loss and running plans, I struggled to run for 30 seconds. This morning, I had no problem running for over three hours straight! And yes, I realize I'm slow as dirt-- but I still run!!

Some views from my run:

 
Cotton fields 
  

Blurry close up of cotton!!  

Saw this fat little guy and a bright green one that I didn't get a good shot of.   

Nature!!
  
What do you see on your runs?

How's your running going?

What's the furthest you've gone?

Weight Watchers Weigh in #1

As a long time user of weight watchers, I feel I know a lot about the program. I started using it three years ago on a free trial basis and within what felt like a few moments had lost over 50 pounds. 

But counting points grew tedious and I longed for a change. Something more exciting!  Flash forward to gaining back 20 of those demons due to floundering, fad diets, and stress eating. 

Now I'm back to weight watchers for the very same reasons I started years ago -- it's doable, it's flexible, it fits my lifestyle and it works. 

Yesterday was week 1 back on track. All the running I'm doing is earning me gazillions of activity points which is awesome!  

Results:  -1 pound!  A whole pound!!

That's motivation to keep me going!

How did your week go?

What do you do to lose weight?

Do you have any tips or tricks for me?

Tuesday treat day!

Today I treated myself to 

• a treadmill run to beat the heat and humidity 
  

  

• Starbucks snack after run!  This tasty passion tango tea and a chocolate chip cookie!  They were BOGO!!

• Pancakes and turkey sausage for breakfast!
• A nap!!
• Homemade pizza for supper!!

How did you treat yourself today?

What's your favorite pizza topping?

Do you take naps as treats??

Gross, great?

Tried these the other day. 

Don't know if I like them or not.  With each bite I'm at once grossed out and struck by the tasty cheesiness of a cheese it Cheeto combo. 

Has anyone tried these yet???

Week 6 of Half Marathon Training

 

This week:

• 2 - 3 - 2 walk/run/walk -- Tuesday on Treadmill, rescheduled due to meetings for Wednesday... Was a terrible run...
• 4 MIle Run -- Friday on Treadmill -- Great run :D
• 9.5 Mile run -- Sunday on long winding country roads... 

Thoughts from this week:

Ups and Downs

This week started with the crappiest run ever.  I was supposed to walk 2 miles, run 3 miles, and walk 2 miles.  With the start of the school year, chaos, and last minute meetings, my plan for a Tuesday treadmill run went down the drain.  Instead, I had to push my run to the end of the day Wednesday which meant running on tired feet at the end of the day.  Late in the day running also meant that I had to contend with other gym-goers.  

The start of a new school year means a rush of newbs to the gym.  Watching these rookies diddle around with the machines, weights, and exercise equipment is like watching monkeys at the zoo.  While it's amazing to see youngsters dedicated to their health, it is also a little irritating that my favorite treadmill is taken by a teenager walking 1.5 miles per hour.  

By the time I got on a treadmill, I only had time to do the 3 mile run (not the 2 - 3 - 2 that I needed).  As I got into the groove, my ankle pain started flaring up -- resulting in  my ability to complete only a mere 2.68 miles.  

Disheartened, I vowed to push further on the other runs of the week.  Friday's 4 miles took a lot of mental effort.  Another end of day run, a slightly less crowded gym, and a still annoying ankle pain meant constant mental reminders of why the heck I'm doing this!  By mile 3, my ankle had loosened, the gym had cleared, and I actually felt good.  This helped pump be back up, though I was still worried about my long run.

Something about the weekend long run -- it feels like a monumental weight I carry all week.  Knowing I had to tackle 9.5 miles first thing Sunday morning was a fact that loomed like a dreaded to-do list task! (dishes, yuck!)  I just had to view it like a deposit into my running bank.

"Depositing in to my running bank"

On one of the many blogs I follow, I read about how a girl training for a marathon views all her workouts as little deposits to be withdrawn on race day.  I loved this analogy, so I borrowed it this week when I felt overwhelmed by the thought of 9.5 miles.

Random ankle pain 

Breaking in new shoes means new aches and pains for me.  One such random pain was in my ankle and really affected me early in the week.  To address this, I switched to my older trainers for a few runs AND I made sure to wear sneakers to work where I stand on my feet all day.  Both of these adjustments meant happy feet/legs for my long run over the weekend.

How was your week?  

Do you use any tricks to motivate yourself for running?

How do you get through your long runs?

9.5 mile run

Today I ran the farthest I've ever run... ever. 

I'm at the point in my half marathon training where each long run is the longest ever - so each week I surprise myself. 

Here are some sights from my run:

Lots of farm land on these quiet country roads

 
One random tree that doesn't quite belong amongst the pines and farms. 

These pine trees are so tall and thin. They are like the supermodels of pine trees. 

  

Sunlight peaking out past the pine trees. 

  
Rows of trees make the best shade!!

  

What do you see on your runs?

How did your latest long run go?

Set any personal records for length or time?

Running

Background

I've been running off and on for three years now.  I started weighing 225 pounds and could only run for 30 seconds before feeling like I might die.  To help get me started, I used a couch to five K podcast that was available for free.  It was a run/walk program. 

Since first lacing up, I've completed a handful of 5K's, a 10K and am currently training for my first Half Marathon.

I can literally run for hours without stopping -- My current personal record is an 8 mile run completed in about 2 hours.  Clearly, I don't run fast -- I just run.

Why run?

At my heaviest, I was truly unhappy and unhealthy.  I wanted a way to workout that didn't cost anything and would make me feel like I was working towards my goal of getting healthier.  My family has a scary healthy history with almost every possible risk factor -- I wanted to do anything to avoid history repeating.  

Now that I've been running regularly, I've noticed that I'm much nicer, calmer, and happier after a run.  Each run is its own battle, but afterwards I'm so... zen...  It's definitely been a therapy for me, as it helps me work through some anxiety as well as renew my self-confidence.  

Currently Training Plan

My current training plan has me running roughly 3 days a week.  Any more than this and my body starts to rebel.  Running 3 days a week gives me a bit of a break in between each run even though I'm still able to rack up some miles each week.

I adapted my training plan from an 8-week Half Marathon Training plan I found in Fitness magazine.  I piggy backed this right after a 9 week "couch to five K" adaptation which also had 3 runs a week.

Here's a pic from my most recent treadmill run

I plan to continue training after my half marathon until I hit all my goals.

Running Goals

To complete a half-marathon

To complete a full-marathon

To complete a sub 40 min 5K

To complete a sub 90 min 10K

What are your running goals?
How do you maintain your weight?
Do you run for speed or distance or both?

Leave a comment/reply and let me know!! ^_^

Spicy Cold Noodles -- Thanks Maangchi!

Made these noodles for lunch yesterday. They were delicious!! They were cold and spicy and tangy and sweet and SOOOO GOOD! I'm going to make them again today!!! And INHALE them! Chubby asian kid style ^_^ *slurp slurp, munch munch, pant pant*

I started by making the special sauce -- It's basically kimchi, kimchi juice, sugar, sesame oil, vinegar, and hot pepper paste.  

This was enough for two plates of noodles, so I used some and put some away for later. I was going to make enough for both hubby and I, but hubby has to be in the mood for Korean... (more on this later).... MORE FOR ME!! Once I made the sauce, I boiled the noodles. I got these at the Korean store closest to my location -- which isn't close -- so I know you can also find them online...

Once you boil the noodles, you drain them and run them under COLD water -- then add the sauce on top with a sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds. TA DA! 

Maangchi's video and recipe will show you the way of the warrior... no fail every time! Yum Yum! Just thinking about these noodles is giving me the Kimchi Sweats!! 

Do you have a favorite noodle dish? 

What do you eat when it's hot out and you're looking for something filling?


Leave a comment/Reply and let me know!! ^_^

Kimchi Sweats

I ran this morning… even though it’s so hot out! 

It didn’t feel bad at first, but then about ten minutes into the run it started — the KIMCHI SWEATS! 

What are Kimchi sweats you say?

Well it’s a special kind of perspiration that starts out as a red face, transitions into a glistening layer of moisture on your nose, and finally climaxes in every single pore spilling gallons of the salty stuff in unrelenting currents!! 

They are called Kimchi sweats because my mom likes spicy foods but usually needs a sports towel to mop her face and neck as she eats… (There's also a special way to breathe, apparently, similar to "the food's too hot" or lamaze... but that's another phenomenon entirely) I inherited both the love of spicy foods and the kimchi sweats. 

Seriously, this is a real thing! If you don’t believe me, go to a Korean restaurant… a REAL Korean restaurant… and watch the natives eat! It needs to be a real Korean restaurant to spot the Kimchi Sweats. Not some hipster, L.A.-esque, “Korean barbecue”… I’m talking the kind of place where you’re not sure if English is understood and once you order there’s yelling in Korean in the kitchen. You’ll find the Kimchi Sweats there… just wait, you’ll see! 

As a self proclaimed and unafraid Kimchi Sweater — I often sweat like a hog. This didn’t used to be such a bad thing. I grew up in the midwest where summers weren’t too hot or too long, so the Kimchi Sweat season was super short. Sadly, I’ve spent the better part of the last decade in the south *gulp* where its rarely cold *sniff sniff*. 

It’s a shame really. Living in the south means I had to get used to phrases like, “fixin to”, “ya’ll hush”, “I might could”, and “sweet tea”. I also had to get used to suffering through Kimchi Sweats just for stepping outside the AC — for about ten months out of the year.

Take today for instance, it’s partly sunny, 79 degrees with 80% humidity, at 6 am — and it’ll easy get to 100 today, if not higher. Since it’s clear that I sweat like a running wildebeest even in the coolest coldest weather — hydration is going to be a focus for today.   

Do you suffer from the Kimchi Sweats? No Shame here -- be proud of your hard earned perspiration!!! 

Have you seen native Korean Mom's in their natural habitat? Wiping away their Kimchi Sweat between bites of Kimchi Jigae?

Leave a comment/reply below and let me know!!  ^_^

Japchae love!

Made this yummy bowl of Japchae a few days ago for lunch. 

 It was SOOOO YUMMY!

I am a firm follower of all things Maangchi, so I used this recipe. I made a few alterations -- only veggies (no beef), extra mushrooms (cuz I like 'em), and a bit of extra sesame seeds (again, cuz I like 'em). 

SOOO good and super filling. 

For those of you that aren't Point.Five.Korean, or are but (shamefully) haven't tried this dish -- DO IT! It's a great all in one dish that can be jazzed up or tweaked to accommodate Vegetarians (carrot eaters), meat lovers (sane people), or anyone following a restricted diet. 

It's also great warm, room temperature, or chilled -- making it a great thing on these 100++ degree days where the heat and humidity make your face melt off.

Also please note the size of the bowl... Yeah ... those carrot pieces are about two inches long. I like big bowls and I cannot lie.

 Knowing full well my passion for big bowls, my mother-in-law recently found me two big bowls - both white, one round and one square. I used the round one for my Japchae in the photo. She's great like that :D. Why big bowls? Growing up half korean, there were always a variety of bowl sizes in my house. Super small condiment/side dish/banchan bowls. Super huge mixing bowls. Super Deluxe Extra Big Kimchi making bowls. 

 All kinds of bowls. Some with lids, some without. Some with intricate patterns, some plain white. Some heavy, some light. Some made of metal, some made of wood, some made of "shatter-proof" ceramic.

When it came time to eat a meal that I particularly liked, I made sure to reach for the biggest bowl I could find. This love for big bowls filled with my favorite foods has rolled over into my adulthood. Big bowls of popcorn. Monstrous salads. Humongous batches of bibimbop. Big bowl lovin' comes complete with a preference for one bowl dishes. Anything that can be tossed together and munched on is a huge win in my house.


  Do you love a big bowl when you see one?
What's your favorite "one bowl" dish/recipe?

Leave a comment/reply and let me know!  ^_^

Safety Schmafety

Hello All! 

Remember back in the day when the “big” kids in school were considered responsible enough to help their peers cross the street? 

I saw a photo of a Neon Green Safety Sash and memories came FLOODING back!! 

 My sister was one of these select few – she was an elementary school safety. I remember she used to carry her cornet and safety sash on our walk from home to school. Back then, we were able to walk all by ourselves the quarter mile back and forth– something that wouldn’t fly today. We didn’t have cell phones, ipods, ipads, or other electronics. On the way to and from school we used to talk or look around or just think quietly to ourselves. We were in elementary school. Sixth graders got to be safeties. Could you imagine elementary school kids, first through sixth grade, walking home by themselves with no other supervision besides the chosen few elected mature enough to don the neon safety sash? 

 Still, I don’t remember anything eventful ever happening on our walks home. There were several kids that would all walk the same way, but no one was bullied, jumped, picked, or robbed – at least not anyone I knew of. Would this still fly today? The school safeties would be stationed on corners and would watch out for traffic. Once every other student had successfully crossed the street, the safety would then cross and finish their own walk home. Their bright neon yellow/green sashes would reflect headlights in early morning darkness and provide a blinding glare during sunny spring days. Alas, the honor of being chosen a safety was never to be mine. Not because I wasn’t mature enough. Not because I couldn’t handle the responsibilities. Not being a safety had nothing to do with me. It was simply because of rezoning and regrading of schools. You see, up until my sister’s year as a safety, all elementary schools in our district were K-6 schools. Then 7^th and 8^th grade would be at a single junior high to be followed by high school. My class was to have the distinct honor of being the first group of 6^th graders to join the 7^th and 8^th graders at the junior high – changing it forever to more of a middle school. This drove my sister MAD… As the little sister, I was nipping at the bit – trying to keep up with my sister who was a whole year older and wiser. She hadn’t had a single moment of peace past that first year she inhabited the earth. Instead, she had me – always around – always watching – always wanted to be a part of whatever, it didn’t matter. 

 So to her, the thought of leaving me in 6^th grade in the elementary school while she moved on up to the junior high sounded like a blessing of freedom. Freedom to be who she wanted without me calling her down from the clouds. Freedom to only worry about herself – instead of having to “watch out for” her ‘lil sis. Freedom to forge a new identity as a more mature adolescent without my naivety crowding her style. Instead she got a little shafted. She didn’t feel her freedom for another few years when she went on to high school and I went on to 8^th grade. To be fair, I got shafted too! Robbed of being the big kids for once. Robbed of ever being able to wear the school safety sash with pride! Robbed of all the normal 6^th grade rites of passage.


 I never ASKED to be moved up to the junior high earlier than ever before. I never WANTED to give up being the oldest kids in school just to be guinea pigs. I never THOUGHT I would be forced into a few more years in the purgatory of “younger than”. There’s nothing fun about being the smallest and youngest. Nothing. Being the youngest grade in a school means the older kids find you annoying. They don’t think you know what you're doing. They assume you’re immature, inexperienced, and have nothing to offer their established norms. This clear separation was felt by others too, so we little kids stuck together in our own little pods. That's a sure fire way to make some awesome friends though!! 

Any school safeties out there? 

Where any of you "robbed" of being the Big kid? 

 The small kid? Did you like it/hate it? WHY?

Leave a comment/reply and let me know ^_^

Why PointFiveKorean??

Anyone thinking, "why Point.Five.Korean"?

I know right!
Okay maybe more like "WTF?" or "WTH?"

It's an inside joke that captures a little bit about me in a way that's just my style.  Is it grammatically correct?  NOPE -- and neither am I!  Is it profound, uber-intellectual, and mysterious?  NOPE -- not that either. What it is, is what I am -- straight to the point with a little humor.

I'm half Korean -- my daddy met my super cute mommy in a little town in South Korean.  They met, fell in love, and BOOM!! Since I'm a numbers fan and math nerd, I see "half Korean" and think 1/2 = 50% = 0.5 Korean... and there you have it, Point.Five.Korean it is.

So where's the inside joke?  Well anytime I'm feeling particularly awesome, I will scream "Point.Five.Korean!!" as if it were a sports broadcaster announcing a winning goal of a Stanley Cup finals hockey game.

Yup -- I've done this more often than I'd like to admit.  Yep. Deal with it ^_^ Thanks for dropping by!


Any of you have crazy inside jokes that won't ever die, no matter what??

Any other Point.Five's out there? 

Leave a comment/reply and let me know  ^_^

Scrubbies!

Oh man.... the Scrubbies!

My mother LIVES by these rough little beasts! For those of you that didn't grow up Point.Five.Korean, or didn't have a Korean Mom at your daily disposal, let me explain.  Korean moms use these to exfoliate their skin in the bath/shower.  Their mitten design (it's like a tiny hand sized pillow case) and rough texture (sandpaper, asphalt, gravel...) allow them to scrub off the top 3 or 4 layers of skin.  The goal is to get as much "dead" skin off as possible to reveal "new" skin that is smooth and soft and red from irritation.

My earliest memories of these so called "Italy cloths" was when I was young enough to share a bath with my older sister -- so YOUNG.  Bath time was at LEAST daily -- as Korean mom's love clean things -- and was a terrifying time.  I dreaded it.  Not that I like to be dirty -- anyone who knows me will know that I love clean, obsessively so -- I dreaded it because it HURT! *cringes at memory* Imagine being plopped down into water that was just a few degrees shy of LAVA HOT.  The water is so unbelievably hot that you can't breath!  You pant like a doggie trying to cool off and don't sit down in the bath -- instead you do a sort of stand/squat combo to find cool relief! 

As if being boiled alive wasn't enough, you were then (even as a small child) asked to offer up a limb at a time to the scrubbie.  You stick out your arm and your Korean Mom latches onto it and started scrubbing and sanding and buffing until your entire arm is red and slightly swollen.  The entire time you're wincing and cringing and huffing and puffing from the combination of scorching water and scrubbie pain! 

Only when the Korean mom is fully satisfied that all layers of skin possible were completely scraped off would she relinquish your arm... only to start the process all over again with another limb -- leg, arm, face... you name it, it's getting SCRUBBED! The sickest part is that now that I'm an adult, I'm a self-inflicting scrubber!!!  

I actually take SCALDING hot showers and SCRUB SCRUB SCRUB until I feel that baby soft skin beneath the first several layers.  I do prefer the long ones though, instead of the mitten ones... I have a yellow one and a blue one like this.

Same sandy texture, only LARGER so you can scrub MORE!

I can't explain it!  My Korean mom's good... real good.   Not only did she pass on her love for scrubbing and all things clean, she did it super ninja sneakily so that I wouldn't even know it was happening until it was too late! Hi I'm half Korean and I'm addicted to scrubbies...  Admitting you have a problem is the first step, right?

Any other scrubbie addicts or clean freaks out there?  Leave a comment/reply and let me know I'm not alone

Has anyone else suffered through these Korean mom bath time routines?  

Surely, I can't be alone in this...

Leave a comment/reply and let me know  ^_^

Week 5 of half marathon training

Progress Report

It’s the end of the week and time for another quick update on my training!  My legs are holding out and I'm feeling strong -- but still scared...

This week:

• 1-3-1 Tuesday on the treadmill
• 5 miles **skipped**
• 8 miles – Saturday morning outdoors 

Thoughts from this week:

This week was a struggle. I didn’t want to run, I didn’t feel like stretching, and I most certainly didn’t wanna eat right. 

I partly gave in (missed mid week run) and partly forced myself to suck it up. 
All in all it was a great week!!
Goals for next week:

• Complete all 3 training runs – don’t be a baby 
• Stretch – your body deserves it
• Rest up 
• Foam roll your knees and calves – I’ve gotten a few knots worked out this way!

What are your goals for next week?

Do you foam roll? Why?  How?

How was your week??

Week 4 of Half Marathon Training

Four weeks!!  We have reached the halfway point! 

Progress report

This weeks runs were all outdoors and a little later in the morning to get some heat training in. I was blessed by cool weather on my long run day!

Here’s what I had scheduled for this week:

• Tuesday – 1 mile walk 4 mile run 1 mile walk. On this day I ran two miles instead of four and had pasta in my stomach.  Not good!  Ended up throwing up – I was reminded of the scene in Band of Brothers when the mean drill sergeant fed his men a huge pasta dinner and then made them run in full gear up a 20 mile hill. Ugh. 
• Thursday – four miles easy.  This run felt good.  I was able to run out at a good pace without feeling exhausted.  
• Saturday – rested instead of racking up more miles
• Sunday – 6.5 miles at an easy conversational pace.  Pushed this one a bit too much and felt wasted!  

Goals for this week

• Try including different fuel and hydration strategies on long run
• Try new shoes!!!

How were your runs this week?

How is your training going?

Do you fuel and/or hydrate mid-run?

Week 3 of Half Marathon Training

Progress Update:

Yesterday marked the end of Week 3 of my Half Marathon Training.  In total, I've been in training for 12 weeks!  I can't even believe it!

This week I had the following scheduled:

• Tuesday -- Walk 2 mi, run 3 mi, Walk 2 mi -- Treadmill
• Thursday -- 3 Miles easy -- Treadmill
• (missed) --Walk 2 mi, run 2 mi, walk 2 mi
• Sunday -- 5 miles easy -- Road Run!

I was able to finish all the runs except the second walk/run combo.  I'm glad I missed it because the 5 miler ended up taking a toll on me.  I'll be stretching later today for sure -- maybe even doing a little icing!

Goals for This week:

• Complete all Runs -- make most of them outside!  (The race will be outside after all!)
• Eat Consistently and with Fueling in Mind (Since I'm addicted to tracking each bite I eat, I'll be using myfitnesspal.com but only to ensure I'm consuming enough fuel).
• Sleep in at least once (I love sleep!)
• Enjoy at least 1 fun outing with hubby

What are your goals this week?

How was your last week of training?  

Have you tried anything new lately?

Training for Race Day Elevation

My 10K experience

The first and only time I have ever ran a 10K was the most miserable race I’ve ever experienced.  Prior to this race, I had successfully completed a handful of 5K’s.  Each of these shorter races left me feeling strong and accomplished.  I completed each 5K quicker than the last and didn’t drive away feeling completely wasted.

As a rookie runner, I’ve only trained on the trails and roads near my home.  To prep for each race, I would just set my watch to the time or distance I was aiming for and head out.  It was easy, convenient, and so seamless it was hard to punk out.  This approach to training has its advantages; cheap, effective, simple, and of course convenient.  This approach to training also has its disadvantages… mainly, you train on the same terrain day in and day out which isn’t necessarily the same terrain for race day.

I showed up to my 10K on a chilly day in March completely unaware that the course ahead of me wasn’t just longer than an actual 10k (6.5+miles instead of 6.2 miles) but there were MONSTER hills on the course!  A total gain of 279 ft when I was used to training completely flat — nearly no gain.

The hills broke my spirit from the start.  The course’s starting line was a huge hill for the first quarter mile.  Then you round the corner to be faced with an even steeper hill (15% incline) for the next half mile.  To make matter worse, the course was designed around a tiny campus, so to get the mileage in loops were formed.  You have to face the starting and follow up hill FOUR times before you can “move on” to the next segment of the course.  Knowing that I had to take on that hill not once, not twice, but FOUR times broke me!  Mentally I just wasn’t prepared.  Physically I wasn’t prepared at all!

Lesson learned — TRAIN ON HILLS!

I ended up biting down, cursing each hill, and finishing the race.  I decided to just embrace the downhill stretches and use every curse word I knew to get through the uphills.

Putting my Experience to Work for me

I vowed never to feel that unprepared and broken (before a race ever really started) again.  Never again!  Now I prepare for the race day course by doing my research!  Here are my steps:

1. Go to the race’s website and find the course map & elevation map if they have it posted — most do.  If they don’t, I recreated the course using MapMyRun.com — they’ll make an elevation map for you!  They’ll look like this:
2. Grab a notebook, pen/pencil, and calculator to start calculating inclines…  Each of those peaks and valleys is a red flag in my mind and about this time in my training (week 4 or 5) I’m going to start incorporating hill runs in my training using either designed road courses that match or a treadmill.
3. For each hill/valley, calculate total elevation increase in feet and divide by total distance run in feet — (using conversion relation 1 mile = 5,280 feet).
4. This number, written as a percent, is the incline or grade of that portion of the course.  On a treadmill, you can make a workout to run however far (quarter mile, full mile, etc…) at that incline to prep for race day.

I’ll be working on this course later today and will provide updates on how this has impacted my training!  Stay tuned!!

---

A quick note — I should mention that this route includes some highway running — the stretch from mile 7 to the end… THANK GOODNESS!!  When I saw this, I swear I heard angels sing!

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Do you train on hills?  

How do you incorporate them into your workouts?  

How else to you make sure you’re “Race Day Ready”?

Week 2 of Half Marathon Training

Progress Report

First of all, sorry this post is so late!  I didn't realize until I started to write the Week 3 update that week 2's had slipped by!

Secondly, week 2 whizzed by!  I'm getting so excited to say that it's almost FALL!  WOOHOO!  I prefer running in cooler weather but still love the sunshine and clear roads, so Fall is by far my favorite season.  Although here in the south, Fall only lasts for about twenty minutes -- I make sure to include a run in that time!

These were the runs scheduled for this week:

• Tuesday -- 2 mile walk, 2 mile run, 2 mile walk -- on Treadmill
• Thursday -- 3 miles easy -- on treadmill
• Saturday -- 2 mile walk, 2 mile run, 2 mile walk (missed)
• Sunday -- 3.5 mile easy -- Outside!

I missed the run leading up to my longest run of the week, 3.5 miles, for two reasons:  (1) I didn't think running with two days so close together would lead to success on the long run and (2) I couldn't get out of bed!  A wimpy excuse, but really I didn't wanna!

Missing the 2-2-2 was actually okay... I felt strong on my 3.5 mile run and not stiff or overworked.  When the mileage starts to creep up I'll have to be more dedicated and "on top" of things.

Goals for Week 3:

• Stay calm on each run -- don't worry about pace/time/cadence -- Just run!
• Repeat positive mantra to push out negative self talk -- you CAN do it!
• Eat reasonably!

What are your training goals?

How was your week in training?

How do you push out negative self talk?