Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Week3, Day1

Ok, so I didn't run yesterday because it monsooned. So I did it today instead.

The pattern for Week 3 is:

Walk 5 minutes

Run 90 seconds
Walk 90 seconds
Run 3 minutes
Walk 3 minutes
Repeat once

Walk 5 minutes

I won't lie - I was nervous at the 3 minute run. That's double what I did on Saturday. I almost made it. On both 3-minute runs, I gave up just before time was up. That's the downside to not watching a timer (I'm just listening to the podcast), I guess. If I'd known I only had 10-12 seconds left, I might have pushed through.

I'm pretty confident I can do it next time, though.

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Week2, Day3

I did it! I went ahead and ran just after getting AJC up, because Bryan needed to go to work. On to Week 3 on Monday!

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Well-Being Rewards

Bryan mentioned this months ago, but I finally got around to looking up the Well-Being Rewards program at work. You get points for doing things like getting an annual physical, getting your teeth cleaned, and 30 minutes of physical activity.

So I dutifully entered the things I'd done in the past 60 days (thanks for keeping track for me, Secret Blog!) and quickly racked up 75 points. Then I went to see what that was worth in redemptions.

Dude. They're worth $1/point! At real places I shop like Target and Amazon.com! Hello, Wii!

Looks like you max out at 340 points per year, and it's vague about whether they carry over between plan years at full value... my guess is they don't. And the benefit is taxable... no big deal.

I figure I'll rack up 15 points/week with my jogging program, and I'm scheduled for a teeth cleaning in May! Maybe Bryan can rack some up, too, and we can buy a new toy!

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Tips for Shin Splints

Most distance runners land on their heels or midfoot and roll forward to the toe. Running up on the toes, by contrast, tends to be the form of sprinters. You'll find that if you try to run on your toes for too far that your shins will probably start hurting and your calves will get tight. (link)
Many new runners are preoccupied with their breathing as they run their first few miles. We get questions about whether it's best to breathe in through the mouth or through the nose ...
Don't worry about it ... You've been breathing all your life, and your body will figure out the best way to get the air it needs. Just breathe as naturally as possible and put it out of your mind. (link)
Do your best to stay off the pavement, or you may find your legs punishing you with shin splints. (link) [I can't wait for the jogging trail behind our house to be finished!]
For shin splints, there are a number of steps you can take to speed recovery.
first, to reduce the pain, ice your lower legs after you run. Use a commercial freeze-pack that you can wrap around your leg (or just put a wet towel in the freezer before you go out for a run). Keep the ice wrap on for ten to fifteen minutes, keeping your foot elevated. To help reduce the inflammation further, take aspirin or ibuprofen with food. Never take it on an empty stomach or before running. In the evening or at bedtime wrap a heating pad around your leg and put it on a low setting.
Cut back on your running. If you can stand it, you might consider taking a few days off altogether. The important thing is not to run through the pain. You'll only make it worse. (link)
Do wall pushups, and be particularly careful not to overstretch; ease into your stretches gradually. Do these several times a day, and especially before and after you run. To strengthen your front leg muscles, try the foot press and the furniture lift. (link)

Week2, Day2

Done! I had to take the boys to daycare for Bryan this morning, so I ended up running at lunch time. It's 90 degrees here today - made me wish I had run this morning!

My shins are pretty sore and tender to the touch. I'm hoping this will just work itself out? I think I'm going to poke around on the internet and see if anyone has any ideas for me.

Monday, April 20, 2009

Week2, Day1, Take2

Decided to bump back up to Week 2 today, and it was hard. It's embarrassing how difficult it is to run for 90 seconds. For real. BUT, I'm sticking with it, and I'm encouraged by how quickly I seem to recover. It was much warmer today. I'm not looking forward to 100+ degrees coming up soon!

So far so good on the shoes preventing shin splints! Thanks for the great suggestion, LauraC!

On Saturday, I didn't run, but I did the 5-mile Walk for Babies while pushing my baby in a non-jogging stroller. I figure that counted for something. =)

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

My Adidas


Who can resist a post with that title? Who?
These are my new kicks.

Week1, Day1, Take2

I'm back! My shin splints have finally subsided, and I'm not sick anymore. Time to get back on the horse!

I did the Week 1 workout this morning, and it was much easier than the first time I did it. I wore my new running shoes that were fit at a real running store, so we'll see how that goes. So far so good!

I probably won't run on Saturday because we're doing the 5-mile Walk for Babies. Maybe I'll run Friday instead. I haven't decided if I'm going to jump back up to Week 2 or not. I probably will.