Week 52: Day 3 - 2014

• easy trail run with one dog = 3.1 miles, time = 37:11, pace @ 12:00
• easy walk with dogs = 1.46 miles

Last run for the year, bringing the total YTD mileage to 690.24! My total mileage for last year was 553.09, so I did 137 more miles than last year!

I kept up with this challenge for the whole year:

1. Never go three (3) days without running
2. Run at least three (3) days a week
3. Never miss a Monday (...or a Tuesday)
4. Never give up!

Last year (2013), my running was sporadic. While I did have a 10K race and a half marathon to train for last year, I didn't have a specific challenge, goal or plan like mentioned above which was why my YTD was much less than this year. For 2015, I do plan to keep up with the same plan/challenge/goal as mentioned above, however, I'm not sure if I can run the same or more miles. I'm not sure if I have enough interest or motivation to run another half marathon in another year. I do wish to do a few more themed shorter races though such as a Halloween 10K race locally. This may be wishful thinking and it may never happen, but I hope the race officials find a location local to me so I can run a Chocolate 10K race next year (Ok, so I know I can sign up and run the 15K race in San Diego, but it's at the end of March and I'm not sure if I can mentally handle more training after finishing a half marathon on Feb. 1 and a Chinese New Year 10K race on Mar. 1).

Week 52: Day 2 - 2014

• trail/road RUN with one dog = 5.3 miles, time = 1:02:40, pace @ 11:49
• easy walk with dogs = 1.46 miles

In December 2013, I was inspired by I <3 to run facebook page to get a calendar and mark an X for each day that I ran. Sometime during the year (after the summer), I wanted to make my own calendar for 2015 because I wanted a calendar that replicated the I <3 to run calendar. (It looked something like this calendar). I like making my own stuff, but making this calendar was time consuming - measuring each square for each date and drawing lines. I think I'll still make a calendar for next year, but I'll add stickers (if I can find running ones and karate ones) in random places.

Week 51: Day 7 - 2014

• trail/road run = 10.25 miles, time = 2:00:48, pace @ 11:52
• easy walk with dogs = 2.4 miles

Total Running Weekly Mileage: 19.00

Total Running Monthly Mileage: 91.83

Total Running Yearly Mileage: 681.84

Total Running Shoe Mileage: 241.40

Getting caught up on sleep really helped me this week. My long run today was so much better than my last long run. So I need to remind myself to take a nap during the day at least once a week. I hope my motivation doesn't crash this bad again until after my 10K race on March 1.

Week 51: Day 5 - 2014

• easy trail/road RUN with one dog = 5.22 miles, time = 1:01:55, pace @ 11:52
• easy WALK with two dogs = 1.5 miles

I had planned to do my five mile run yesterday, but I had food poisoning on Wednesday, Dec 24 and still had some residual food poisoning yesterday that kept me from getting out for a run. I feel better now, but having food poisoning is not fun!!

I really enjoyed the weather this morning. It was sunny and really cold. So cold that my hands were hurting from being frozen stiff. Sucks for my hands, but they finally warmed up after three miles into the run.

I was also going to do a seven mile run with a meetup group tomorrow, but the run was cancelled this morning for reasons I don't know. I guess I will have to a run alone with my dog.

Week 51: Day 2 - 2014

• hilly trail RUN (solo) = 3.55 miles, time = 49:10, pace @ 13:51
• easy walk with dogs = 1.3 miles

I'm not super motivated to run, but I'm feeling better today than I did over the weekend. I think making myself getting some sleep by napping during the daytime helped. Luckily, I work in the evenings most of the time so I can get away with it.

Week 50: Day 7 - 2014

• easy walk with dogs = 1.63 miles

Total Running Weekly Mileage: 25.1 

Total Running Monthly Mileage: 72.83

Total Running Yearly Mileage: 662.84

Total Running Monthly Mileage: 222.4

I just wanted to update my blog mainly to keep track of my running mileage. The year is almost over also....

Week 50: Day 6 - 2014

• road "run" = 10.2 miles
• easy walk with dogs =1.3 miles

I did my "run" this morning instead of tomorrow. I'm working really late tonight so figured getting my run done today would be easier and I would never get up for it tomorrow. Also, the weather would be nicer today. Overcast and cooler while tomorrow would be sunny.

My run today was bad. My motivation really crashed and I really didn't want to run. I ran part of it, but I walked a lot. If I included all the walks and stops, it took me three hours to do ten miles. A few weeks ago, I did "run" with a group of people, but my motivation was already borderline not good...it just happened to get worse.

After my "run" today, I took a nap. It wasn't great, but I think I need more sleep which caused my motivation to crash and burn. I normally take a nap at least once a week, but I can't remember the last time that I took a nap during the daytime. My sleep quality isn't all that great at night time for some reason even if I get eight hours so I have to make up for it by taking a nap during the day.

Next weekend, I've a joined a group run. I hope that reminding myself to take a nap during the week and running with a group will help my motivation and boredom a little bit. I have six more weeks left until race day and I can't keep training with boredom and no motivation.

Week 50: Day 5 - 2014

• road RUN (solo) = 6.6 miles, time = 1:19:27, pace @ 12:02
• easy walk with dogs = 2.2 miles

My motivation has crashed, but not so bad that I have a really hard time getting out and can't pick up my feet. (My motivation had crashed so bad before that my feet were shuffling along and I really didn't want to run after 1/2 mile. I had a really hard time picking UP my feet.). My legs and feet felt like heavy lead this morning. I didn't want to run. I felt a tiny bit better after a mile and a half into my run. There was also a big hill near the halfway (turn around) point. After I got to the top of the hill and started going downhill, I felt a tiny bit more better. From this point on, I have to figure out how to play mind games with myself so I can finish my training. After this weekend, I have six more weeks left until race day. It seems so far away! I hope my work schedule is ok for next weekend so I can run with a group of people from meetup. I think and I really hope that this may help me feel a little better.

Week 50: Day 4 - 2014

• easy bike ride = 7.35 miles, time = 37:15, pace @ 11.8 mph
• easy walk with dogs = 1.45 miles

I had planned to do a run this morning, but gosh darn nice sleeping weather! As much as I like running outside with the sun and really cold weather, I slept in instead. Didn't have the motivation to get a run in a little later in the morning, but found enough motivation for a bike ride.

Week 50: Day 3 - 2014

• easy RUN with one dog = 3.2 miles
• easy walk with two dogs = 2.2 miles
• easy walk with Pet Rescue = 1.8 mile (?)

I didn't run on my normal challenging trail just to be on the safe side because of the rain this morning. So I went on an easy run with my dog instead.

I did walk some shelter dogs at the pet rescue, but I lost track of how many dogs I took out for a walk. I think I took out about four dogs and each dog got walked for 20 minutes (about 0.45 mile each). There were other volunteers helping out and walking dogs also.

Week 50: Day 2 - 2014

• easy trail/road RUN with one dog = 5.1 miles
• easy WALK with two dogs = 2 miles

While I was on my run this morning, I went on a trail at a local junior college. Part of the trail was taped/blocked off from the parking lot because of mud. But I came from a different side that wasn't blocked off and I had no idea that my dog and I were going into mud. I saw a small puddle off to one side of the trail, but I thought it was on asphalt and I thought I would be ok running on it. I was so wrong about that. I was angry and really frustrated about going into mud, and I almost lost a shoe because it got stuck in the mud!! My dog wasn't too happy about running in mud either. It took me five minutes to walk ten feet of mud because the mud was so thick. I didn't have a choice to finish the last two miles of my run with mud. My dog didn't have a choice to finish running covered in mud either. I'm not sure if I want to participate in mud runs anymore now if it meant that I would lose my shoes that got stuck in mud!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Week 49: Day 7 - 2014

• long run (solo) = 8.84 miles, time = 1:43:27, pace @ 11:42
• easy walk with dogs = 2.2 miles

Total Running Weekly Mileage: 24.09

Total Running Monthly Mileage: 47.73

Total Running Yearly Mileage: 637.74

Total Running Shoe Mileage: 197.30

I ran on one of my normal routes that I've done in the past for half marathon training. For a long time, I thought that this was a 9.3 mile run!!! I should have double checked the distance on my "running route map" (similar to mapmyrun) before heading out for my run. I'm a little disappointed now because I didn't check. I should be ok to do my 10 mile run next weekend as long as I don't skip my six mile run during the week. For the next few weeks, I really do have to check the distance for my long runs. I don't know where I'm going anyway. So I have to figure out where I'm running while figuring out the distance.

Week 49: Day 5 - 2014

• easy road RUN (solo) = 6.6 miles, time = 1:15:16, pace @ 11:33
• easy walk with dogs = 1.18 miles

I think had I done my run on Wednesday and not skip it, I could just used today as a rest day. It rained pretty good all morning today. I had no idea when it would stop. I finally went out for a run at 10:30am because the rain seemed ok - light drizzle/sprinkle. During the first half of my run, it went between drizzle and rain and it finally stopped during the second half of my run. I can't do my run tomorrow because I have a job opportunity in the morning and I really have no motivation to run in the afternoon (if I don't get a run in by 11am with an overcast sky or by 8am with full sunlight, I will never get it done later in the day). Even though I had to run in the rain today, I'm really glad that I didn't get sick! I think my immune system has gotten better since 2011 (I got sick from running in the rain that year).

Week 49: Day 4 - 2014

• challenging trail RUN (solo) = 3.55 miles
• easy walk with dogs = 2 miles

Second run without being timed. (First one was the last run on Tuesday.) I thought that I had pressed the start button on my stop watch, but I think I pressed the wrong button and the stop watch never started. I didn't realize this until 1/2 mile into my run. Oh well.

Week 49: Day 3 - 2014

• easy bike ride = 8.1 miles, time = 45:20, pace @ 10:7 mph
• easy walk with my dogs = 1.9 miles

So I lied about doing a run this morning. However, I did get a bike ride in instead. That felt nice, but at the same time, I didn't feel as strong as I used to. Maybe because I hadn't been riding as much. Maybe from being sore all the time. I don't know.

I did put in my volunteer time today. Instead of walking the shelter dogs, I helped out with the cats instead. Cleaned up after them, checked their food/water bowls and played with them for two hours. They were a lot of fun. I want to take home every cat from there, but I can't!! I think I will be a cat volunteer next week...

Week 49: Day 2 - 2014

• easy trail RUN with one dog = 5.1 miles
• easy WALK with two dogs = 2.1 miles

I decided to change up my running routes a bit. My Tuesday's challenging 3 mile run has been moved to every Wednesdays while my 5 miles (+ or -) will be on Tuesdays instead. Most of my runs start and end at my house. My Tuesday's (now on Wednesdays) runs didn't which meant that I had to get in the car and drive to the trail even though it was only a two-mile drive. Wednesday mornings are also trash day and when the trucks (we have a paper/plastic recycle truck, plant truck and a trash truck...three different trucks) come, I don't want to get out of house and I don't like them to watch me go for a run. I don't know why I feel so self-conscious with them watching me on Trash Day. Lately, I had been avoiding my Wednesday Runs because I had been trying to avoid Trash Day workers.

Week 48: Day 7 - 2014

• Trail/Road (long) Run = 8.91 miles, time = 1:46:30, pace @ 11:57
• easy walk with dogs = 2.1 miles

Total Running Weekly Mileage: 23.64

Total Running Monthly Mileage: 23.64

Total Running Yearly Mileage: 613.65

Total Running Shoe Mileage: 173.21

I meant to run a full nine miles, but I stopped prematurely because I thought I had run slightly over nine miles. I could have ran another .1 just to make sure. I felt a little sore right after the run, but I feel fine now (it's afternoon now). I'm going to motivate myself to get out for a bike ride tomorrow morning. I'm due for one.

Week 48: Day 5 - 2014

• road RUN with one dog = 6.53 miles, time = 1:15:36, pace @ 11:34
• easy WALK with two dogs = 2.1 miles

I'm kinda having a hard time with motivation. Seems normal that I'm running out of motivation and getting bored of running after six weeks. But I have eight more weeks left!!! I told myself that if I went out for a run early (around 7am) enough this morning, I could go back to sleep (reward). It worked and I felt good getting it done, although I had a hard time going back to sleep.

Week 48: Day 4 - 2014

• easy RUN with one dog = 5 miles, time = 57:41, pace @ 11:32
• easy WALK with two dogs = 1.5 miles

I almost didn't want to go out for a run today. Overcast skies make me want to sleep in. Warm weather (anything over 60 degrees) makes me lazy. Instead of going out for a run at 6:30am or 7am, I slept in. When it was mostly sunny and bright, I was motivated enough to run, but I was also feeling lazy because it was so warm when I finally went out (it was 10am when I finally went out). Unless it's overcast and cool, I rarely ever get out for a run after 8am. I feel better now that I made myself go for a run today.

Week 48: Day 2 - 2014

• easy RUN (solo) = 3.2 miles, time = 36:22, pace @ 11:22
• easy walk with dogs = 1.33 miles

I almost didn't want to go out for a run this morning because of possibly getting rained on. I'm glad that I went and the rain held out long enough for me to do a run. However, I had to change route...instead of the trail I had wanted to run on every week (for fear that if I did get rained on, I didn't want to fall and injure myself on mud with no way of getting help because I would be in a spot that would be hard for help to get to), I went for a run along a street. Not that I want to get run over by a car, but at least, help would get to me easier. I didn't run with my dog, Jubee, but I now regret for not taking her out with me to run. Oh well...I hope the rain will hold out long enough for me to run tomorrow morning. I don't care if it rains after that.