Monday, March 26, 2012

No Running for the Weary


I had my first involuntary week of rest from running. My body (knees) told me they needed some time off. That was the most nerve wrecking week for me. All I could think about was omg what happens if this pain and soreness doesn't go away and I have to go to the doctor and find out that I tore something. This moment let me know that I had really become serious about running, and that it is now my "drug". A whole bunch of thoughts ran through my head, what if I won't be able to run and train for my next 5K next month or worse be out of commission for a super long time like some of my fellow running mates who have recently succumb to injury. So I was not going to have another "after school special" moment so I rested, iced and elevated my knees and wore a brace on the one that was hurting the most. Well, Friday I woke up with a feeling that I was not use to.... I felt no pain! Lesson learned is take advantage of rest days, one day will not hurt your progress...listen to your body and you will be just fine!

Mile Challenge


So today, out of boredom at work I said "let me see how many miles I've ran/walked, since I started my journey". Well folks the numbers are in, and to date I have covered 47.02 miles. So the competitor in me now needs to set a goal on how many miles I want to do before the end of 2012. Considering I was able to cover this amount in about 3 months, I've averaged 15.6 miles a month so by Dec 31, 2012 I hope to cover 187 miles.....let the journey begin, very excited about conquering the pavement!!

Friday, March 16, 2012

WAKE UP!!!!

I participated in my first early morning run today, 5:45am to be exact. When I went to bed last night, all I was thinking was am I really going to get up and do this? It's sooo early and I'm on Spring Break. After going back and forth with myself I set my alarm and went to sleep, with thoughts of I'll do it, and just go back to sleep when I get home (which I DID do). Two others showed up, thank God because it was super dark out there because of the time change, and boy did we had a great time. Something about the morning air made my run a bit more enjoyable and I must say I've never felt so refreshed after a run. I now have something to think about once I return back to work, if I want to sacrifice some hours of sleep to get in a better run. I have to be to work at 8am daily and we were done with 4 miles before 7 am, so it is doable. Now it's time for me to see how serious I am about running and it's looking like I'm officially addicted because if my crew can do this at least two mornings each week, I'll be in! I also want to thank my friend Shashu Franklin (in the pic with me) for pushing me to go the extra mile literally. I usually stop at 3 and today we did 4, a little more each time and I'll definitely be ready for my half. That's it for today, hope this has inspired some of you who dread getting up early because you love sleep like me, to get up and give an early morning run a try.

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Some Like it Hot!?!


Some like it HOT!?! Well, even though I live in S. FL I hate being hot! However, I am quick to check out the latest workout crazes I learn about, as I partake in my healthy journey to a new me. About 2 weeks ago I checked out Bikram Hot Yoga, oh boy, the longest and worst 90 minutes of my life. Oh Apryl, you are being so drastic, but hey it was just too damn hot! I found no pleasure in working out in a 105 + degree room. I found myself wiping away sweat and slipping and sliding from my own sweat then actually being able to get the correct forms. I can honestly say I didn't get much out that class. Just when I was going to throw the sweaty towel in and say down with Bikram hot yoga, some ladies in BGR suggested Sweaty Fusion Flow. It's a milder hot yoga; 75 minutes and the room is not 105 degrees.

Today I ventured out and went to Sweaty Fusion Flow yoga and I have three words after going "I'm in LOVE"! I don't know if it was the change of temperature (the room is still warm) or the time difference, or it could've been our great instructor Mara. I really felt I got all the benefits of yoga that people are always talking about. I can't wait for my next class on Monday night, I liked it so much I'm even going to rearrange my Monday training sessions with my trainer ( he will get over it). Now some like it hot, this girl likes it warm, but I say try Bikram and Sweaty Fusion Flow and see which kind of girl you are!

If you live in S. Florida (Fort Lauderdale, Pembroke Pines, Weston, N. Miami area) I suggest checking out this class http://www.danieldavids.com/yoga.htm the first class is FREE and they are willing to give you a discount on the classes you attend if you are a member of a gym on your second visit. Check it out and let me know how it went!

Monday, March 12, 2012

After School Special- NO GOOD


So one of my sister's nickname for me is "After School Special" if you are old enough to remember this show, it came on every day "after school" and taught us some kind of lesson...well I have yet to learn my lesson of eating enough when training, working out, or running. Yesterday, I knew I hadn't had much to eat but felt fine. I was like let me just eat a greek yogurt before this run and I should be just fine. Well, if things turned out just fine, I would not be here writing about it. I did 3.7 miles in 46 minutes, during this run I cramped up on my right side, but I was like ohh yes this is runner's pain (yes, I'm crazy) and I can run through this... no pain no gain!!! Well, after my 3.7 miles I was feeling just fine and waiting for the others in BGR to finish their miles. So every Sunday after our group runs we do a mini boot camp in the parking lot before we go home, I made it halfway through the 2nd set and was like "oh boy" somethings is so not right with my body right now. I took a sip of water and sat out the end of the second set thinking of this will pass. Well me being superwoman had to do the last set I just had to I'm not a quitter, long story short, my body made me quit! It took all of me to sneak away from the group and make it to my car. I have yet to learn how to drop the "P" and ride and let others help me so I muster up enough energy to drive, well nobody but God took my wheel, as I'm driving my eyes start rolling I'm assuming because all I started seeing was a little bit of the road and a whole lot of white. Luckily, I made it to the gas station on the corner into a parking spot. I laid their for at least 10 minutes thinking, 1.) should I call someone to come get me, 2). will I be able to shake this off and make it to Panera (closest place to eat) and put something in my system. I chose option 2 after resting up and composing myself and of course thanking God for watching over this fool!

This time really did it for me, guess the third time really is a charm, so take the advice of this "After School Special" please be sure to eat and fully hydrate before taking part in any vigorous exercising!

Just one of the many obstacles I'll face on my journey to my half marathon, I pray that this series will be canceled and that there won't be a rerun of this episode.

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Workouts to keep your Body Strong and Away from Injury


http://frugivoremag.com/2012/03/runners-corner-6-core-exercises-to-keep-your-body-strong-away-from-injury/

1st 5K- ICare ICure Feb 12, 2012



















February 12, 2012- I Care I Cure 5K- Bank Atlantic Center Sunrise, FL

My nerves were everywhere the morning of my first 5K, and let's just say the fact it was 40 degrees didn't make it any better. That week I prayed God please don't let it rain, all I need is a reason for me to not go through with it and I felt if I couldn't do the 5K I wouldn't build up the courage to do another one, I'd just put it off as much as I could. I remember when I went to register for the 5K online and how I kept hesitating before I hit the submit button, but pushing that submit button wasn't as liberating as crossing that finish line February 12th.
As I lined up in preparation for the race, thoughts like : did I eat enough, is my iPod playlist right, and most of all oh God please don't let me come in last!. I set the goal for myself to try and finish in under an hour (45 minutes to be exact) thinking about how long it took me to run/jog a mile on the treadmill I thought that was an achievable goal. So I'm looking at all the seasoned runners thinking I need to make sure I'm out of their way so I don't get trampled.

Time to line up, I'm next to my fellow BGR members who are encouraging each other and saying "run your race" stomach in knots and then I hear "GO!" We were off I took off like I was a freaking pro, in my head I'm like "umm Apryl, you know you don't run this fast, but hey just like when driving, just go with the flow of traffic. I was off to a great start I jogged the first mile and was ever so happy to see that water table (even though I think most of the water landed on me instead of in my mouth) which made me even colder. I slowed down a bit but I told myself, no matter what KEEP MOVING, now the goof ball I am bust out laughing because mid way through the race they have cheering squads telling up we could do it, and one of the squads were cows that said "KEEP MOOOOO-ving" as me and grandmother say "that tickled me so" and actually gave me a little more boost!...anywho moving along, I came to the 2nd mile marker and saw the time and was like wow Apryl don't get too comfortable you still have a long way to go....then finally I see the finish line and I see I WONT BE LAST lol, I push a little harder, there is no way I am going to walk across that finish line. I walk for about 1 minute then tell myself "let's get it" and I give it all my might and run across the finish line! What do you know, I crossed at 37:57 THANK YOU LORD!!! Not only did I not come in last or pass out during the race, I beat the goal I set for myself!
The first person I texted was my sister she had to know and her excitement got me even more crunk. From that point I knew this is something I want to continue doing!

Overall my net time for the race was 37:30 with 12:04 avg per mile.

Running from the Old Me

Let's just say it all started with a "vision". Yes, cliche I know, but it is true! My sister has had me and a group of our friends do vision boards at the beginning of the year for the past 3 years. Each year I kept saying "oh, I'll get in shape". This year, however thanks to our friend Stephanie Henry I was able to actually make my "vision" a reality.

I joined the group Black Girls Run (which I'll be referring to as BGR most of the time) toward the end of January 2012. I had no clue what I was getting myself into, but I am so happy I did! To date I have run 2 5Ks and set a new PR (personal record) for each of them.

I am now a runner, I NEVER would've thought I'd be saying that! However, I must say it has been one of the best new activities I've brought into my life. I finally have a HEALTHY HABIT!!

With all that being said, this blog is to track my journey, hence the name"Running to a New Me" as I train and prepare for a 1/2 marathon at the end of 2012.

As a part of this journey I will participate in at least one 5K a month, and participate in all BGR weekly runs and runner's clinics, just to make sure I stay moving a motivated.....In my next posts I will be back tracking a bit, but mainly to catch you guys up to where I currently am... thanks for coming along with me on my journey.