Well it’s the time of the week again, to hold myself accountable for my workouts, or my lack there of. Last week was good, I got in two Turbo kickboxing classes and a couple of long runs. Then this past weekend happened…Greg got super sick with some random flu-like stomach virus and it knocked him out cold. Friday and Saturday were a total wash with him being stuck in bed all day, so I wasn’t able to get out of the house for a workout. Honestly, when my boys get sick I am in a constant state of worry and can’t really concentrate on anything but them…even when it’s my biggest kid that’s the sick one. Leaving them to go for a run is the last thing I feel like doing.
I did manage to get out for a run on Sunday and I really wanted to make it a good one. Unfortunately my body had other plans. Maybe I was thinking about Greg not feeling well and it made me not feel well, maybe I was just emotionally exhausted from being worried and from the lack of sleep, or maybe it was just a random off day. My legs just wouldn’t move and I just wasn’t mentally into it. I kind of felt like I was starting to hate running, and that was super discouraging to feel that way.
Fast forward two days to yesterday. I really wanted to give it another go and really push myself. I chose a longer and more difficult route and I was determined to stay in a good state of mind. I felt SO much better and couldn’t believe the improvement I made. Running is such a mental game and it’s crazy the way your body reacts to your attitude. (Or it could have been adding Kelly Clarkson’s “My Life Would Suck Without You” to my playlist…GREAT running song haha) I took a minute off my mile pace!
So just like that I fell back in love with running…it’s such a fickle little sport isn’t it? The only problem is my hips are really starting to hurt me. Shins, knees, ankles…all very common running injuries and my weak point seems to be my left hip! Anyone able to give me some advice regarding hip pain? Special stretches, is it my form, can you even tape a hip? I have been running in my new sneakers and I’m loving the ankle support and cushioning, so maybe I’m just adjusting to new shoes, or maybe getting injured while running is just inevitable.
Speaking of new gear, it’s getting warmer out there so I just bought these Lululemon: Run Speed Shorts to try out. I’ll let you know if I like them. I can’t stand having to adjust my clothing while working out, so to me, it’s worth the extra money for good fitting workout clothing. Of course I buy all my regular clothing on sale at Old Navy, but my workout clothing at Lulu…the irony! If anyone else is a fan of Lululemon did you see their No Limits Tanks are back out and in new colors?!?! Greg, if you’re reading this…Mother’s Day is Sunday ::hint hint:: ::cough cough::
Looking forward to a healthy and active week, and celebrating this Saturday at the 5K Color Run with some of my girl friends. This will be my first race, and even though it’s not timed and strictly to have a good time, I’m excited to get into the spirit of participating in races. Hoping it will be my first of many more to come!
PS- Did you enter my Stella & Dot Giveaway? It ends tomorrow so make sure you get in on it HERE
Go, Lauren, go!
I meant to ask you yesterday – what is a long run for you these days? 5-6? You are getting so good so fast! I have to remind myself, though, to not necessarily run every single day for injury avoidance, but it’s tough!
Also, as you know, love the Lulu
Thanks Liz. I guess all my runs are between 5-6 miles so I don’t really have a “longer run”…I need to start increasing distance on the weekend, but you’re right, take days off too. I’ve been alternating running days with TKB and tonight I’m going to do Bodypump. I really want to start Pilates, I think that stretching will be good for my aches and pains. What have you been doing for cross training?
It’s funny that you are talking about cross-training because that was something I was going to bring up to you earlier (before reading your blog about TurboKick). I was interested in seeing what else you were doing besides running because I know you don’t run every day.
Yoga & spinning are what I’ve done, but I need to be much better about it. I might sign up for a Pilates class if it fits into my summer schedule, but we’ll see! I still like running the best, so it’s hard to force myself to do something else.
And you will totally start increasing distance eventually. It’s hard to do that when you don’t necessarily have a specific distance to train for. I doubt I’d ever have started run 10 miles just for fun!
You are FAST!! I have those shorts and really love them!!
Thanks girl! I’m feeling beat up today though after it…took the day off lol. Hope you had a good Workout Wednesday!