Marathon Monday: January 28

I know today’s actual topic is supposed to be marathon Monday, when I discuss training for my half-marathon, but today I’m feeling as though motivation Monday, Mind Game Monday or perhaps even Manic Monday might be more accurate to my state of mind.

Over the weekend a friend, who is a real runner and who is training for her second marathon, and I were discussing running.  As we were talking about the various blogs we read for running motivation and to understand running, we came back to the same conclusion with most of the runners we follow.  Whether it was Katie at Runs for Cookies or Meghann at Meals and Miles, two of the individuals who I read daily, most people don’t start as runners.  They start as individuals wanting to shape up, lose some weight, or start a new hobby.  And running becomes a passion.  I am definitely not at this stage yet.

Thus far I am doing an okay job with running.  My mindgames are getting to me.  I have lots of friends who do all of their training on a treadmill, but I just can’t wake myself up early to hop on the treadmill and run.  So, I find myself running immediately after I return home from work, so my running gets crossed off my list.  I’m hoping to get up and run at least one day this week, as running in the morning is one thing I have enjoyed in the past.  I am needing to focus and struggling to run more than a mile consecutively on the treadmill.  However, even running a mile seemed problematic earlier this year, so we’ll just keep trucking along.

Hope all is well in blogland!

Marathon Monday: January 15

I ran last night in my continued preparation for the half marathon in June. I am still running on the treadmill, and especially more now because of the weather being so cold – I don’t think it got above 15 today. On the campus where I work, we started classes again today and I am anxious to get back into a routine, with cooking, eating, running, studying. I am still only at a mile, but need to pick one of the upcoming days to run as far as I can. One of my good friends said to run as far as I think I can, then run two more minutes, because sometimes this passes. I’m sure this advice will come in useful. Another friend who has run several halfs over the past few years suggested that when I get to my long runs, I should run another tenth of a mile afterwards and then when it comes time for the next long run, I’ve already run further than I think I can.

Nevertheless, it is going well. I am enjoying running – not always while I’m in it, but afterwards I feel strangely gratified. I am planning to run again tomorrow night and Wednesday morning because I’m out of town Wednesday through Saturday. I can run Saturday night and Sunday as well.

Pretty soon I’m starting my actual marathon training, but I’m glad to be increasing my mileage slowly in anticipation of getting outside in a month or two!

Thursdays on Track: Reminder — I’m a Human

This week has been really great for being on track – or it was, until lunch today.  Do you ever go to those meetings where you are part of a really small group?  And then they’ve ordered food?  And it would be highly noticeable if you didn’t eat?  That’s how today’s meeting was.  They ordered pizza for our lunch meeting today.  I ate one small piece with a lot of veggies on it, and I feel okay.  But now my Catholic guilt is springing into action and I am struggling.  I have a one mile run ahead of me today, and for that I am excited.  But my food choices are bogging me down.  Why didn’t I just say, “Oh, I brought my lunch” (which I did) or “I’m eating with someone else later” instead of sitting down and eating that one piece of pizza.  I’m also having some guilt for feeling guilty about it.  That talk goes a little something like, “We make choices.  I chose to eat pizza.  It’s not the end of the world.  I need to get past this.”

Do you ever have those moments when you enter the cycle of guilt and bad decision making?  I know that at my next meal, I’ll be back to paleo and I might have a little discomfort from the grains later, but for the time being, I’m trying to remind myself that I’m in control and I can make it better…no explanations needed.  In this moment, I am trying to remember that I am human.  I need not be any better or worse than that.

Writing Wednesday: January 9

I am taking a little break from academic writing.  Next Wednesday I start the beginning of my semester and I feel like this is most likely my last break with an actual break.  As I continue to narrow down my topic for my dissertation, I have no doubt that once a semester ends, another will not begin and until I receive my degree, I’ll be in a constant state of work from this point forward.

I have been doing a little bit of research on my projects, but I have not been writing significant amounts.  This weekend will likely be one where I jump back into it.  Writing Wednesdays will be more exciting in the future.  For now, I’ll watch some episodes of “Cheers” and relish in the wit that is included in the writing here, and express sadness for the fact that academic writing often has little or no wit within it.

Tasty Tuesdays: January 8

Yesterday I started a real food challenge with a couple of my colleagues.  They are not going as full paleo as I am, but it’s great to have some support as we move into the start of going paleo hardcore again.  It’s been a delicious two days.  Not only am I eating paleo myself, but I am so thankful to have other people help me get into a routine.  Already my television consumption has decreased dramatically.  And, with 10 days until my classes start, it’s time to wean myself off of the television shows I watch so frequently to relax.

It has been Brussels sprouts mania the past few days here.  I’ve eaten them the last three days in a row and so today was searching for a new preparation for them.

More soon…just happy to be writing each day again.

Marathon Monday: January 7

Over the weekend I adjusted my training schedule. The half marathon I am trying to run this summer is a lottery entrance and the lottery starts in about a month and is a couple of weeks later than the half I had originally planned to run. I changed to this new half because it matches with the marathon a couple of my friends are going to be running.

As I start training for the half – and I’m starting already, with a 20+ week training schedule in hopes of less injuries and being able to meet the needs of the training, working it into my schedule, etc. I have a few weeks before the training schedule officially starts, but I am needing to finish increasing my mileage to match the needs of the start of the training program.

Confession: I do not like running. I know that I’ll get to a point where I won’t dislike running, but at the moment, I am not at a peaceful place with my running habit. I am, however, walking to work, which is uphill on my way to work in the morning, so that is a plus. We’ll see what the weeks ahead bring.
Anyone else starting to train for a June half marathon?

Writing Wednesday: January 2

I hadn’t necessarily planned on posting about writing today, since I’m not in my semester yet – two weeks until classes start – but I remembered I have not yet posted about a couple of exciting writing projects I am working on.  In December I learned that a monograph chapter I am working on with a couple of colleagues has been accepted and today we met to break down the pieces we are working on and go over our aggressive timeline.  I also learned in December that one of my faculty members and I had a paper accepted for a conference in May and so now we are busy working on our article to move forward, still in our analysis portion of the project, but will return to the writing portion soon!

Just a quick update on some writing for now.  It will undoubtedly increase as the weeks go forward!