Challenge Jog 28 - THE FINISH LINE!!!!!!!!

With only three miles to go, I knew that I could finish my challenge today. Since I am a scrapbooker, my mom agreed to go with me to Franky Carter Park to take pictures of me crossing the finish line. :) YAY! Being the last few miles, my body was very very TIRED. My legs, especially my left leg, was tight and my knees are hurting. So, instead of being able to be consistant, I had to stop between miles to stretch. That is not a big deal though. I got it DONE!! And that is what counts!! :) :) :) :) :) 12:09 mins - 1 mile - j 12:51 mins - 1 mile - j 12:15 mins - 1 mile - j There were a few moments in that time that I thought I would have to hobble my way over the finish line, but somehow right at the end I got a small rush and was able to finish decently strong. However, my mom wasn't in a good position to take the picture I needed/wanted so we had to redo the "finish" a few times to get a shot somewhat close to what I was hoping for. The whole thing was oddly anti-climatic. I was picturing this huge rush of pride and joy and possible tears of accomplishment like you see in Olympic runners who win the Gold medal. But, that was not at all the case. Oh - well. I am still VERY proud of myself! I have never made a challenge like this for myself before and would have never imagined that I would. :) I still can't fully believe that I actually did it!!! And - 2 days early!!! :) :) :) YAY ME!!!!!

Jog Challenge 27 parts 1 -3

WOW! Sunday was NOT an easy day. As was yesterday, today was a MUST DO 6 mile day, which was tough yesterday and killer today. My body is not at all used to this kind of punishment. So again today I had to break up my 6 miles into three smaller jogs. Again I started at Franky Carter Park and again it was too late in the morning to avoid the ridiculous heat. So, I only made it 2 miles. 12:21 mins - 1 mile - j 25:03 mins - 1 mile - j After that I went back to the gym at my complex to knock out another two miles. 23:01 mins - 2 miles - j By that point I really badly needed a shower and food. So, I took a several hour break and scrapbooked for awhile after having lunch. But, to my credit I did manage (I am still not sure exactly HOW) to drag myself out of the apartment to do the last two miles around the complex. 6:31 mins - .5 mile - j 12:44 mins - .5 mile - j 6:32 mins - .5 mile - j 12:34 mins - .5 mile - j untimed - .25 mile - w

Challenge Jog 26 parts 1 and 2

Saturday was a MUST DO 6 mile day. It was crazy. I was tired, my motivation was low, and my calves have gotten tight which makes jogging uncomfortable. But, with some spacing and dedication I managed to make it happen anyways. :) I started the day at Franky Carter Park where I was able to complete 2.5 miles before it just got TOO hot. I definitely should have gotten out there earlier. Oh - well. 12:26 mins - 1 mile - j 25:10 mins - 1 mile - j untimed - .25 mile - w 6:03 mins - .5 mile - j untimed - .25 mile - w 12:42 mins - 1 mile - j Later that afternoon I went to the treadmill at my apartment complex which worked out well since the gym is air conditioned. I still am not a fan of treadmills though. 2.5 miles - 29:48 mins - j

Challenge Jogs 24 - 25

Again, even though I have not been blogging consistantly, I really have been jogging - I promise. :) The time I took off for business, laziness, and/or illness caught up to me QUICK! Thus with A LOT of miles to go, I have had to go to an everyday routine. Well, almost everyday. After doing so many miles throughout the week, I had to give myself Thursday off. My legs really, really needed the break. Plus, my crazy work schedule (6 events in one week) on top of the insane jogging - my whole being was TIRED. But, I picked myself off the couch and got back out there on Friday. :) I will start with my Wednesday night jog times and then describe my crazy adventures in approaching the finish line. Wednesday's jog was alright. Every time I got out there it was a struggle between mind and body, but I did manage to squeek out the 3.65 miles I needed to give myself and even number to go from. That .65 mile was driving me nuts! June 20th at Franky Carter Park 2 miles - untimed - j .2 mile - untimed - w 1 mile - untimed - j .1 mile - untimed - w .65 mile - untimed - j .26 mile - untimed - j My motivation on Friday was difficult to muster. After getting off of work, I went resale shopping with my Mom and Nonnie for my upcoming birthday. We BANKED with a massive amount of nice clothes for only $65! (And by we, I mean me since they were shopping for birthday gifts). :) Following our spree we went for dinner at my Mom's favorite Mexican place. I LOVE Mexican food, but had to be careful not to over do it considering I had to jog 3 mils that night and had already eaten a TON at the office potluck the students threw for me. But, depriving myself of queso for the night paid off when I was successful in completing my miles later that evening at my apartment complex. Each lap is half a mile. 6:35 mins - j 13:12 mins - j 19:50 mins - j 26:17 mins - j 32:35 mins - j 39:04 mins - j .5 mile untimed - w

Challenge Jogs 16 - 23

Yes, it has been a VERY long time since I have blogged about my progress, but I PROMISE I have actually been jogging. Though, I must admit that I have not been making as much progress as I really needed to have. Some of the problem came from a dive in my motivation, then came legitimate evening time consumers, and then came the week in which I could barely move my hands. Yeah, the past few weeks have been interesting. Preparing for the baby shower took time, visiting Sarah took a weekend (which was a lot of fun and did actually include a morning of jogging), and one day I seriously almost passed out after giving blood. I decided that it would be a BAD idea to attempt a jog after spending the whole afternoon shaking. It was the following week that I encountered the problems with my hands and big toes. I have no idea what caused the problems and am still waiting on the results from the blood tests the doctor ran. Apparently he thinks I have a dog virus called Parvo. Awesome right?! I mean 6 years ago I had Cat Scratch, which is usually given by kittens under 2 years old to children under 10. UGH! Anyways, the doctor told me that I needed to take a few days off from working out to help myself get better and not hurt myself. He also told me that my blood pressure has dropped (not dangerously low) due to my weight loss which may have contributed to my illness following giving blood. He says I need to be even more careful about hydration now that I am working out regularly and have lower blood pressure. I had been doing very well with my personal water drinking challenge, but have gotten lax on that lately. It is something I will have to recommit myself to. Well, back to the jogging. At this point I have 21.65 miles and 8 days left of my challenge. I can't believe I have been backed into this corner with such a significant amount of my miles left which such a short time. Basically, I have to do 3 miles a night EVERY night in order to make it. I WILL make it - I am just not exactly sure how. I have jogged 15 miles in 4 days, but because of that I was only able to do 2 miles tonight. So, I am already 1 mile behind on my neccessary 3 miles a day plan. Hopefully, that "break" will make it easier for me to jog tomorrow and I can make it up without much trouble. We will see. As of now, I am anticipating spending pretty much my entire weekend at the park. Oh the joy! But, I have to do it! I am WAY too close to give up now. Plus, I have already bought a personalized "medal" that I can't wait to wear! (It is a necklace I had made.) :) I am already planning in my head how to talk my Mom and Dad or some friends into joining me at the park to hold up a streamer finish line and take pictures of me crossing on my 100th mile! :) :) As for my times I will start with tonight and work backwards. June 19 at The Bradford (each lap = .5 mile) 1st lap - 5:59 mins - j 2nd lap - 11:56 mins - j untimed lap - walking 3rd lap - 18:12 mins - j 4th lap - 24:03 mins - j June 18 at The Bradford untimed 3 miles - j June 17 at Memorial Park (each lap = 3 miles) 1st lap - 36:53 mins - j 2nd lap - 37:15 mins - j June 16 at The Bradford 1st lap - 6:12 mins - j 2nd lap - 12:20 mins - j 3rd lap - 18:28 mins - j 4th lap - 24:39 mins - j 5th lap - 30:51 mins - j 6th lap - 36:59 mins - j 7th lap - 43:04 mins - j 8th lap - 49:01 mins - j June 10 at track in Waco 1st mile - 13:25 mins - j 2nd mile - 26:50 mins - j 3rd mile - 39:55 mins - j .25 mile - 42:41 mins - j .25 mile - untimed - w June 5 at Franky Carter Park (each lap = 1 mile) 1st lap - 11:49 mins - j 2nd lap - 24:02 mins - j .5 mile - untimed- w June 4 at The Bradford 1st lap - 5:52 mins - j 2nd lap - 11:42 mins - j 3rd lap - untimed - w June 3 at The Bradford 1st lap - 5:46 mins - j 2nd lap - 11:27 mins - j 3rd lap - 17:11 mins - j 4th lap - untimed - w 5th lap - 23:15 mins - j 6th lap - 29:08 mins - j 7th lap - 35:03 mins - j .1 mile - 35:55 mins - j