Time for the pink outfit!

Time to live up to my name! I have severe farmers/runners tan and it's time to even it out and wear my pink outfit which will help to get my shoulders some sun. I also have to remember to put sunscreen on my face before going out. My cheeks are really burnt and I'm soon going to have raccoon eyes from my glasses. :P

It was waaaaay hot out there today. Did a 5k but really had to walk a huge majority of it. I could barely breathe. Eitherway I am happy I got out there. :)

A quote!

I always run alone, away from phones and stress. Running is a major part of my life because it keeps me sane.

-- Michael Roux Jr.

Love itttt.

Just updated my paper training log after months of neglect and found out I have logged over 209 miles!!!

So excited. :) Many many more to come!

Another post!

Yes! I also have a RANT to post today.

Why is it that I get so many dirty looks when I'm on my runs? Some people just give me the total STINK eye and look me up and down. The only people who smile at me during my runs are OTHER RUNNERS. I feel so weird sometimes and discouraged when I get really mean looks from people I don't even know. Shouldn't people be happy that I'm overweight and doing something for my overall health and fitness? I don't know. It made me feel really bad.

I just realized my 5k Brooklyn Bridge run is a bit more than a month away! Really need to kick the training up a notch.

Am I weird?

I went for my run today and I felt such satisfaction when I walked in the door and saw how sweaty my shirt was. It is always one of the things I check and get great happiness out of seeing drenched with sweat from my hard workout. I know some people probably get all grossed out and rip off their shirt and go immediately into the shower but I love seeing how much I worked and kicked ass out there.

Am I weird? Am I the only one who does this? I even look at my shirt before going into the shower and I'm just like "Yeah Jennuh. You kicked ass. ;D"

It makes me so happy and proud of myself for going for my run. Today was great, btw. I took a week and a half off mainly because I was visiting my sister in NC and because I had a really bad shin splint in my right leg. But all seems a lot better now. I went out there and tore it up. :D Definitely pounded the pavement today. Might do some cycling at the gym tomorrow and get the new class schedule. I feel really excited to get back into my workout routine and really get onto my weight loss adventure. So going to be thin and healthy soon and happy. ^^

Heat and smog

I had a hard run today. Got very frustrated with my splits on my Garmin so I just ended up turning it off and trying to get some relaxing untimed unpressured run in. I just am not a good summer runner. I would rather run in 20-30 degree weather with snow on the ground like I did in Potsdam. Blerg. Once it starts hitting above 70s I feel like I'm dying. I probably also feel terrible because I'm not running in the country anymore but now I'm running in heat AND smog. Smog is just terrible. It's not even officially summer yet and I feel like death out there. :( Sigh. It's really making a dent on my motivation.

I really really want to do the Brooklyn Bridge 5k in 36 minutes. I don't know if I'm going to get there. But for now.. that is my goal.

Motivation.

Lately, I've been finding it particularly hard to remain motivated. I do enjoy running alone.. but lately a lack of support has put me down. It is very hard being the only person in your family who works out regularly, attempts to eat healthily, and the only one making strides towards living a healthier lifestyle. I don't have a picture of me racing or crossing the finish line.. or an afterwards picture because simply.. I have no support system. I love seeing pictures of other runners crossing the finish line or pictures of them along the route. I would hope to have pictures of myself like that one day. I just don't know if that'll ever happen.

I am a solo-runner. I am part of the North Brooklyn Runners but I haven't gone to a group run in a while (taking off, gaining weight, slowing pace, losing endurance has really made me stop). How do I get motivation otherwise? I suppose I am very self-motivated and disciplined.. but sometimes it would be nice to hear encouragement from others -- especially my family.

I guess I won't let this bother me too much. About to lace up my sneakers and get out.

Garmin turned not-so-friend.

I have noticed over the past year of using my Garmin Forerunner 305 that is off by like 1/10th of mile most of the time even on the clearest days. This has become quite annoying after a while. I would like to trust my Garmin 100% but when I track myself on maps and see that the Garmin was off.. it upsets me. I also see this when I view the route the Garmin thinks I have taken online. It seems like I could fly and cut through the middle of buildings etc. As much as I still love using it for working out the fact that it takes FOREVER to find satellite reception and then isn't even accurate is very annoying. It takes my Garmin about 5-10 minutes to get satellites and even when I updated my maps and firmware.. it made so difference. I think I will eventually have to invest in a better watch once I get a job. I did get my Garmin 305 for free from my Dad so I can't really complain.

I just wish it made me feel better about my progress rather than me having to get home to really find out how well I did.

Here I am! :)

I'm back! I graduated from college with my Bachelor's degree. I'm now certified to teach elementary school Pre-K through 6th grade. :) I'm home now and taking a break from school. I got accepted into my master's program but I decided to defer and take a year off and focus on myself and weightloss. Also, I needed to find out who I am when I'm not in school. With schoolwork I become such a workaholic that I can't imagine what I'm like without it. I've never been out of school before.. so this will definitely be interesting. I also want to finally get to losing all of this weight and being finally happy in my own body. :)

Been on a few runs since getting home. I did a lot of relaxing. I still have yet to unpack. It feels great to be reunited with my family even though we are having some hards times with my grandma right now. It makes me really glad that I'm taking a break from school to be here to support my family.. mainly my Mom.

I have 1 race lined up so far. I will be running the Brooklyn Bridge 5k again this year. Time to get to training so I can try to beat my time from last year! :) Planning to run the Williamsburg bridge in the coming weeks and get used to the bridge runs which are definitely long and have steep climbs. :P