Curves & Running Shoes

Cris, 28. From 60lbs overweight to 4x marathoner. Documenting the highs and lows of running one mile at a time.

[curvesrunningshoes]

Base Training W2D2 - 3 Miles

💿 Futures - Jimmy Eat World

Chicago, it is the second half of June. Please stop it with these foggy, cold runs. I’m in dire need of some sunshine.

This was comfortable and pretty unremarkable, the signs of a good easy run. Now that my legs have the confidence from Sunday’s tempo that they can run fast when needed, I’m much more relaxed about taking easy runs easy.

[curvesrunningshoes]

Base Training W1D7 - 30min Tempo

I didn’t realize how badly I needed this run. I haven’t done any sort of sustained speed work since November and considering how slow my runs have been going lately I had extremely low expectations for this. But I think the hill repeats and long run did wonders to help me I’ve been build my confidence back up and my legs wanted to grind it out. I was expecting to try to keep this below 11 and trying to run at a sustained hard effort. But I wasn’t expecting to run consistent 10:30s on a cold, miserable, foggy morning. Runs like this remind me of just how mental running is - once my mind knew I was capable of running faster than I’ve been my legs were more than ready to put in the work and prove myself right. Perfect way to wrap up a humbling but reassuring first week of training.

[curvesrunningshoes]

Base Training W1D6 - 6 mile Long Run

🎙 I’ll Have Another Epsiode 186 - Jenny Jurek

It was rainy and windy but I genuinely enjoyed every single step of this run. I was a little nervous since I haven’t run farther than 3 miles in months so I had no idea what to expect. Not to mention it was the type of weather that just calls for staying in bed. But I put on a podcast, zoned out, and took this nice and easy. The trail was desolate so I felt like I had the entire city to myself. I felt so strong today my legs could’ve run forever. It’s crazy that my pace for this felt so relaxed and it was comparable to my Tuesday run, which was half the distance and felt incredibly hard. I’m starting to feel like my old self again and it feels so good.

[curvesrunningshoes]

Base Training W1D5 - 3 miles + Strength

💿 Foo Fighters - Wasting Light

3 very easy miles followed by some core work. Love how this running thing is getting a lot more comfortable and enjoyable the more I do it.

[curvesrunningshoes]

Base Training W1D4 - 3xHills

💿 Riot - Paramore

Hills you are so intimidating but oh so satisfying. I almost skip this workout every time and I’m so glad I didn’t - even if it did take me until later in the afternoon to motivate myself to do it. 1.36mi warmup, 3 hill repeats (2:09, 2:10, 2:13) + walk break back, 1 mi cool down. Considering I haven’t done a speed workout in a very long time these were very consistent and I’m proud of that. I forgot how gratifying it feels to do some speed work and get that run as fast as you can and set your lungs on fire feeling.

[curvesrunningshoes]

Base Training W1D3 - Rest

Morning thunderstorms meant taking my rest day for the week and sleeping in. Still trying to make sure I’m not lounging around on my non-running days though and got 10K steps in. Pretty sure rainy walks to get ice cream count as cross training.

[curvesrunningshoes]

Base Training W1D2 - 3 Miles

💿 State Champs - Around the World and Back

Weather was perfect. The lake was literally glowing. Had Gabe Grunewald on my heart each step.

Kept this really easy. Like don’t stare at your watch and feel comfortable the entire time easy. My legs were tight from yesterday’s strength and we have hills on deck for tomorrow so it’s so crucial to take easy days easy and not let myself get carried away. We’re not meant to break records on each run and I have to remember to be patient with these first few runs back.

[curvesrunningshoes]

One of the main things that drives me to keep going and pursue my dreams, on and off the track, despite all the adversity, is just the belief that we have to fight for the things that make us feel alive, that make us feel like ourselves. Running is one of those things, for me, and as long as my body and health allow me to do it, I’m going to do what it takes to get back out there. I’m also motivated by the idea that maybe, just maybe, other people out there can see my fight and my positivity and be inspired to tackle the challenges in their own life.

I’ve always been so incredibly inspired, motivated, and encouraged by Gabe Grunewald’s tenacity. She is the embodiment of bravery, strength, and grit and her story has always pushed me to live fearlessly - running and otherwise. My thoughts have been with her these past few days, and even more so today. Sending her and her family so much love and strength. 

[curvesrunningshoes]

Base Training W1D1 - 3 miles + Strength

💿 All Time Low - So Wrong, It’s Right

Getting back to training after some time off is so humbling. But I have to remember that the only thing I can control right now is my consistency, the speed will come back with time.

[curvesrunningshoes]

Happy Global Running day! I’ll take any excuse to celebrate the sport that helped me become the best version of myself. My life changed the day I decided to take on a couch to 5K. Who would’ve thought that lacing up my shoes and repeatedly putting one foot in front of the other would teach me how to challenge myself, the power of discipline and commitment, that I am capable of persevering through hard things, and how to irrevocably love and celebrate my body for all that it is capable for.

[curvesrunningshoes]

So much for no long distance racing this year. I really miss and need the structure of following a training plan. I tried focusing on 10Ks but my heart is not into short, fast racing. I have 4 weeks of base building before training starts and my legs are already itching to get some speed back in them. It’s been a while and I feel like I’m starting from scratch. I’ll go back to writing regularly on here to keep myself accountable too. I’m yearning for the discipline and commitment that comes from dedicating myself to training.

[curvesrunningshoes]

Is it spring yet? Finding motivation to run is a hard when the trail looks like this

[curvesrunningshoes]

Speed work is intimidating, getting back into shape is hard. But I find comfort in the fact that this will get easier by this time next week if I continue to put in the work.

[curvesrunningshoes]

The cold never bothered me anyway? Winter runs are actually my favorite. It’s peaceful. After a few mins your body gets comfortable. There’s a special type of camaraderie between the people who are out there running. And if you play enough reggaeton it almost feels like summer, almost.

3 easy miles to officially start off operation 10k PR training. After taking a few months to get reacquainted with running again after the NYC Marathon, I’m actually looking forward to getting back to a semi-structured training schedule again. I’m slow, I’m positive splitting but I’m getting used to this again and that’s ok.

[curvesrunningshoes]

Officially registered for my first race of 2019! No desire to do the half but I’m excited to race a 10K for the first time in years. It’s pretty freeing to allow myself to run short distances and realize that longer is not always better. I honestly think that push to run long contributed to my burnout. I’ll be following a plan to help me break 60mins that starts next week.Let’s do this. 

[curvesrunningshoes]

Runs in perfect weather that end with a dip in the ocean are my favorite thing.

[curvesrunningshoes]

Trading snowy trails for Florida humidity until the new year. Operation learning to love running again means more exploring and spontaneous runs with no set distance or route. It’s been so liberating to run because I want to and not out of necessity.