Riva goes for a Run

[puppygifs]

[x] Golden Retriever Puppy in a ball pit!

[uchicagoadmissions]

We know this has been a crazy week, so, puppy. 

[rivaruns]

I haven't updated in a while.  But...puppy.

[rivaruns]

DAY 4: Pizza & French Fries & Ribs, Oh My!

Pizza & french fries are my two favorite foods.  Healthy habits, right?  Well, today for lunch I had both:

1. Truffle fries -- rosemary salt & truffle aioli.  How could I not? 

2. I made the pizza myself -- whole wheat tortilla, excessive tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella and goat cheese, broccoli, and mushrooms.  Nomnonomnom.

I also went on a two-mile run.  I don't think that quite cancels out the pizza & fries, or the ribs & chicken cordon bleu (aka chicken stuffed with ham and cheese, covered in bread crumbs and cheese sauce...........oy vey) I had for dinner.  But I'm happy with the two-mile run in this crappy, cold, rainy weather.  And everyone has those days when they get to be gross and go out for a ridiculous dinner with their boyfriend.

[rivaruns]

Day 3: 3

I did not think that I was going to be able to run three miles, but I did it!  I was incredibly nervous before I went out -- it's definitely the longest distance that I have gone in a while. 

The first mile was the roughest.  I kept on checking the time and checking how far I had gone (I got the Nike+ app to work).  When my phone announced that I had gone a mile in 9m,30s, I was kind of disappointed -- that's so slow!  But I decided something that ended up being a pretty important mantra for me: it does not matter how slow you are going as long as you are running.

Mile two was not as bad.  It felt easier to get to 1.5 miles, and then I felt like it was all downhill from there.  I decided to run farther than just 1.5 miles and to walk the distance back after I had gone three.  As a result, I got to run along the Lakefront Trail and was treated to a really nice view of the Chicago skyline.  And once I hit the point at which I was turning back, I literally stomped my foot on the ground.  It felt like a serious win.

Mile three was slow and windy, but I kept it up.  And running along the lake was really, really nice.  When I finally hit my third mile, I did an extra tenth of a mile for good measure and then yelled.  ...And then was too sore to walk.  

Anyways, I'm proud of myself.  I feel like I defied my own expectations. 

[rivaruns]

Day 2: first run

My ears hurt, my ankle hurts, my stomach hurts, and I'm still short on breath like ten minutes later, but I have officially accomplished my first run.  I did not want to go for a run today.  I fought with my boyfriend today, so all that I really wanted to do was eat, but I ran anyways.  

My training program called for 1.5 miles.  I set out using the Nike+ Running App on my phone, but it turned out to not be working, so I decided I would run for twenty minutes to (almost) effectively guarantee I'd get that far.  I tracked my route on google maps afterwards & I think that I did manage to go a little over a mile and a half, albeit quite slowly :).  

I'm exhausted.  I miss when I used to be able to go for a run and come back refreshed, or end it feeling like I could keep going.  On this one, I ended it before I got home.  It had been the time I'd pre-allotted and I really felt like I couldn't make it all the way.  Not a great feelings.  But, the first half of the run was pretty nice.  I know I'll get better once I work at it and build up stamina and strength, but it's frustrating not being good right now.

Anyways, obligatory post-running selfie (probably not obligatory, but I like selfies): I look stupid because I was still breathing hard, and I wanted to record my immediate aftermath as soon as I stopped.

[rivaruns]

Marathon-running starts with eating healthy, right?  Vegetarian sausage, tomato sauce, spinach, and whole wheat spaghetti.  With cheese, of course.

....sidenote I'm going to a concert tonight, so beeeeeeeer.

[rivaruns]

Day 1: What I Want

The purpose of this blog is to follow my efforts to run in the Chicago Marathon this October.  The race is 28 weeks (194 days, 19 hours, 42 minutes, and 33 seconds) away, and I am starting to train this week.  I'm following Hal Higdon's "Novice Supreme" training program, and apparently Monday is a rest day -- so running starts tomorrow. 

I used to be able to run.  Actually, I used to love running.  This summer, however, I took an Organic Chemistry class and between fourteen hours of studying every day, I lost sight of making time to exercise.  I'm not any fatter, but I feel like a lil' shit.

It has been really difficult to motivate myself to get back into running.  And by really difficult, I mean that I have not been able to do it.  But this marathon? -- I want it.  I want it so, so badly.  And as a girl who tends to demand that she gets what she wants, I think I can do it.  The only difference is that this particular want is not something that can be satisfied by my typical methods -- spending my own or my parents money.  It is something that I have to work for, something that is entirely dependent on my efforts, and that is both terrifying and empowering.