Day 93

Ran 3.5 miles today. Not a good day. Mentally could not run any further. Ready for this week to be over with. Good thing for a rest day tomorrow. I need to do something other than study and run. It is taking over my life...

day 92

3.5 mile run today in about 38 minutes. It was cold so my muscles seemed extra tight. It wasn't too bad of a run though. I did see an owl and 2 deer which was nice. I hadn't seen any wildlife on my runs in awhile. Now I am just going to stretch some more and make myself some chocolate milk before I shower and go back to sleep before studying for class.

day 91

I am back on track with following the training schedule, so today is a rest day following my long run yesterday. I really don't notice my legs being sore until I walk up or down stairs, but I will be stretching throughout the day and maybe relax my muscles in a warm bath later. The fact that I ran 8 miles last night, even though I stopped several times to stretch, is amazing to me. I can't believe I am definitely more than half way to running a half marathon. This is definitely a personal transformation for me.

day 90

Today I ran 8 miles in 1 hour and 27 minutes. This is a little bit slower of a pace than usual, but I ran with and talked to Jen the whole time. My legs were tired and felt like they did not want to move at all. I stopped to stretch several times, but the run seemed very very long.

day 89

Today was suppose to be crosstraining, but the gym closed early for the holiday weekend without me realizing it. Because I have an 8 mile run tomorrow, I didn't think I should run tonight, so I am just going to do some stretches, ab exercises, and some other exercises that I can do in my own apartment.

day 88

Today is a rest day! My legs are surprisingly not really sore at all today despite running the Turkey Trot yesterday. I am really enjoying my day off with relaxing, family time, and not much homework. I will get back into the homework and running tomorrow.

day 87

Ran the 10 K Turkey Trot this morning! 6.2 miles in 55:57! I think I did awesome and I am very proud of myself. The run was pretty hard and had some hills. The road was also slanted on the sides so I kept trying to switch between sides to even out the pressure on both my legs. It was also crazy running with 2500 people. There were people as far as I could see in front of me and behind me! I was shocked to see that many people there. Good run overall. Now time for relaxing with family and eating!

day 86

Today is a rest day. I am doing the 10 K Turkey Trot tomorrow morning. My leg is doing much better and not nearly as swollen or sore anymore. I will also be doing some stretching tonight and making sure I eat appropriately tonight and in the morning.

day 85

I only ran 2.5 miles this morning. I took it easy because my bite is still very painful when I walk/run. It is not getting any worse though, which is good. Still hoping it will be fine for running the 10 K Thursday.

day 84

So I got bit by something last night.... maybe a spider. It is red, swollen, very warm and right on my shin bone. It hurts throughout my entire shin when I step down, so I did not run today, but did 3 miles on the elliptical so it would be less weight bearing. If the bite doesn't get any better tonight, I will be going to the clinical first thing in the morning. I have a 10 K turkey trot run Thursday morning so this is not good timing. I should be fine by then though.

day 83

Today is a rest day after the long run yesterday. My legs are actually not sore or tight at all. They feel a little tired but that is about it. They will have some good rest and then if I have time Monday, I will run again on Monday.

day 82

7 Miles tonight! WOOO HOOO!!! It felt awesome. I stopped 3 times for about 30 seconds each time to stretch and once for a few sips of water. It was a very nice run and a perfect temperature out with a nice cool breeze. I did come across a huge snake though. It by far the biggest snake I have ever seen on campus. It really scared me and made my adrenaline kick in to get away from it. If I had to guesstimate, the snake was between 3 and 1/2 and 4 feet long. Overall great run! It made me feel wonderful!

day 81

Cross trained today. I did the bike for 5.5 miles in 20 minutes, followed by some arm weights. It was all pretty easy, but I was extremely tired. I would rather go to sleep than go to class, but I would never actually do that. I do feel good about my training at this moment though.

day 80

Had a great 3 mile run today. It felt really good and really easy. ONLY 10 MORE DAYS OF CLASS THIS SEMESTER! WOO! Hopefully when class ends I will have no problem fitting running into my schedule.

day 79

As the last few weeks of the semester are approaching, I am finding it more and more difficult to have the time to work out. 4 papers, a final presentation, and 7 exams in 3 and 1/2 weeks. I am hoping to find the time just to run as a stress reliever! Considering I began by talking about school work, today has been a rest day from running, but taken up by homework and studying. I am going to try to run tomorrow for 30 minutes and before class Friday. Muscle recovery and homework for the rest of the night!

day 78

Quick 3.25 mile run this morning. Stopped a few times to stretch, which I really think helped my legs. It was very foggy which made the run worse. It was very hot and sticky. I have decided that I do not like running in foggy weather for that reason. I was hoping to see some wildlife on the run this morning, but I think it may be too light out at this time from the time change.

day 77

Went for a quick and easy 5 mile bike ride tonight. I also did a few reps of shoulders and triceps. I was really tired and hungry so cut the weights a little short. It was also an easy day since I ran yesterday but it felt good.

day 76

I had my long run of 6.5 miles today! That is an estimate based from mapmyrun.com, but I have found the site to be pretty accurate thus far. I ran it in 64 minutes, which is also about right for a 10 minute pace. It was hard, but not too hard. I am trying to work on lengthening my stride in intervals, so hopefully I will be able to run my whole run with a longer stride soon. The weather tonight was also perfect for a long run! It felt great. Now going to cook a good dinner!

day 75

I took today as a rest day because of my cousins wedding. I need to do my long run of the week tomorrow after I drive back to Fort Myers.

day 74

I ran 3.1 miles today! Even though it was cold it was very easy and actually a very good run. I ran through my neighborhood back home and never realized how many hills there are. The hills definitely made it challenging, but the run itslef was very easy. This has been a weird week for training due to my schedule, so tomorrow will be another rest day. I did buy new running shoes today too! I have extremely high arches, but still run neutral, so that is good. I also learned that I drag my left leg a little bit and overcompensate with my right leg. I will have to learn how to adjust my running technique to correct this.

day 73

Today is an off day consisting of clinical, driving home, and hopefully throwing in a nap. It will be good to rest for the day. I am going to stretch my legs later tonight so they do not tighten. I am back home for the weekend, so I will try to run tomorrow night so I can take Saturday off for my cousins wedding. I am so excited for a home cooked meal tonight!

day 72

3 mile run today. It was hard and my legs were tired. I am going to take a nice warm bath to relax them tonight, even if I only have time to do it for 5-10 minutes it will feel awesome. I have so much going on these next few weeks, it will be very hard to fit in running. I am really trying to stay on top of things and stay organized, but more and more things keep coming up. Luckily, running is relieves stress. Tomorrow will be an off day due to clinical and driving home.

day 71

Woke up early to run this morning. This week is not my week, and today is definitely not my day. I woke up with a cold and can't breathe through my nose, which made running harder and my stomach was cramping for 95% of the run. I did run 3.5 miles though, so that is good. My legs now feel like mush but I have been stretching. I can really tell a difference in the tone of my legs. Yay for leg muscle. Time to lay back down until my medicine kicks in and then get started on a massive amount of homework.

day 70

Went to the gym today for a 7.5 mile bike ride! I also did all of the stretches that we did the other day in the HP lab, so it turned out to be a good workout. My schedule for working out is a little messed up this week because of the other things I have going on, so hopefully it will work out well still.

day 69

Ran 4.5 miles and speed walked another .25 miles. It was not an easy run and my body felt exhausted even though I tool yesterday off. I was also incredibly hot and sweated more than I usually do (which still is barely nothing). My guess is that I did the elliptical to many times last week instead of running, but my knee does feel a lot better so I think the few days off elliptical helped more than hurt.

day 68

First of all, my legs are so incredibly sore from going to the HP lab yesterday. I do not want to move. I have decided to take the day as a rest day since my muscles are sore just walking. I am also running short on time today as well and will be leaving for work in 45 minutes. Good day for a rest.

day 67

Woke up before the crack of dawn to go to the HP lab today. Even though I wake up this early almost on a daily basis for clinicals, it was extra hard to get up and go knowing it wasn't required. I am very glad I went though, especially since it was the first chance that I actually could go. I think it helped me out a great deal. I also ran from, campus, to the gym, and then back to my dorm for a total of about 1.25 miles. Very easy, slow run, followed by more stretching. I will need to stretch over the weekend or I know my muscles will tighten. No class today, so it will be a day of homework, rest, and cleaning the dorm. Woo hoo.

day 66

Today is a rest day! The knee that I banged pretty hard was bothering me a little bit today, so I am going to ice it and make sure to stretch really well. I may even do a couple sets of ab exercises since I've been eating cupcakes everyday from my birthday. I think that will help me a little bit without being a workout.

day 65

I banged the inside of my right knee the other night, and even though it doesn't hurt when walking, I realized that it does hurt a lot when running. (My assumption would be from the added pressure of running, because it also did not hurt when I switched to the elliptical.) So like yesterday, I did the elliptical for 3 miles. I actually think the elliptical is harder than running now, but it felt better on my knee. It is kind of weird though, because I barely have a bruise but it hurts to the touch because it is right on that bone. I will try not to run or aggravate it and just let it get back to normal I guess.

day 64

Went to the gym today and did 3 miles on the elliptical. I wanted to take it easy after the long run yesterday so I did. Other than that, it's my birthday today! woo hoo! So I am going to keep this short and just say that the elliptical went well and easy!