"I really regret that run"- Said No. One. Ever

I have a bit of catching up to do since my last post. I started my student teaching and life got a little bit crazy. Not to mention the crazy weather we have had in the south. I clearly have not been a huge fan of it. We had 4 snow days total in this wonderful state. We aren't equipped to deal with the ice/sleet so what else is a state to do but shut down?
Anywhoo.. I digress. Back to my running:

I have been trying to run at least 2-3x's a week. Somedays my runs are awesome and sometimes I can't wait to be done running. The weather has put a damper on my running goals because it's too cold or too icy. I managed to make some runs in between and after the "snow" days which I am grateful for. Let me share a few of my thoughts from my last few runs...

January 21 & 25:
(21) I ran around the indoor track at SELU because it was just too cold for me to run outside. I was not a huge fan of this run because I really don't like running around in circles on the track. I ran a whopping 2.01 miles but I ran. I don't regret the run. I felt good after the run even if it was a slow pace. I went running and to me that's all that matters. The run on the 25 was awesome though! It was after our first "snow" day of the year. My running friend K.J and I decided to venture out into the icy tundra that was our town. K.J let me lead the way and I decided it was time to go on a little adventure so that we weren't just running around campus like we normally do. I have learned my way around the areas/outskirts of the places near the college and felt comfortable going a different way. I am really glad we did. By running a different route we only had to make the SELU loop once and managed to run 4.2 miles! It was a lot of fun even if it was cold. There was one point where I thought, "hey let's cross over this little wooden bridge that connects the park back to SELU" Well, I clearly didn't think there would be ice on it but I was definitely wrong. haha We had to stop running at that point and walk very slowly and carefully over the bridge.  Our pace was really great this day. I managed to run an 11'37" minute miles which I am proud of. Slowly but surely I am getting better! It took us about 48 minutes to run. I definitely didn't regret this race and it was just what I needed for the days to come. Enjoy this lovely picture. (I have decided I am going to be the girl who doesn't match her running clothes) Thanks to my running partner K.J for following me on our running adventure!

I <3 to run!

February 3 & 8:
These two runs haven't been my best time but I still enjoyed them. On the 3rd I managed to run 3.53 miles and the weather was actually fairly warm. It was in the 60's and I loved it!! I managed to run this in 43 mins. My average minute per mile was 12'18". This definitely hasn't been my slowest minute per mile but it hasn't been my fastest either. Even though this was slower than I have been running I still felt better after running. I am trying to be grateful for even the "bad" runs. I don't regret that run :) My run today was as equally as slow but longer. I ran 4.25 miles at a 12 min/mile pace. It took me a total of 51:02 miles.  I ran a few stairs while I was running today. It probably wasn't the wisest idea because my calves were in a bit more pain than normal but it was a nice workout. I decided to run a different route today as well. I feel like it will be easier for me to run longer if I have different scenery to look at. It worked today. I ran longer because I simply wasn't just running around main campus. I hope to be able to look up, different & safe, routes depending on how many miles I plan on running that day.

What I have learned (thus far anyway)
No runner is the same. I was told by a good friend that I should train a little easier than I would a race. I have been trying to consider this as I run but sometimes I just like to take off running. However, it leads me to run slower and slower as I get further along in my run. It's a trial and error thing and I am determine to keep it up till I find what works best for me. That's what I recommend anybody to do. No runner is the same which means what works for me may not work for you. Even though every run doesn't turn out the way I envisioned I am still grateful that I am able to run and live an area where I can run. I may run at a slower pace than some and I may not love that particular run but I never regret the runs!

Next Race:
My next race is coming up this Saturday. A few of my running peeps and I are participating in the annual Mardi Gras Mambo and of course we are planning on wearing matching shirts. I mean I wouldn't be me if I didn't try to match in some form or fashion right? Don't worry there will be pictures! Wish us luck!!!

(On a totally different note I am going to begin P90X3 and I am considering blogging a little about that and showing my progress via pictures. I have completed the original P90X twice and the results were pretty awesome. Any thoughts on blogging and sharing my progress through pics?)