Day 24: 3 mile run or cross

I did my 3 mile run on the treadmill at Crunch. It was a very very very light and easy run. I ran at 6.5 pretty much the whole time and just focused on my breathing and staying relaxed. I think I’ve said this before, but my 3 mile runs are getting really really easy and I love it. I can’t wait til my 5 and 6 mile runs feel like nothing.

Day 25: 5 mile run & strength

This run felt really good (as you can see by the happy face). I started this run at 7.0 and finished the last 2 miles at 8.0 and 8.5 respectively. I’m happy to know that I was able to run at those speeds for the last two miles. As much as I like running on the treadmill, I think I will make all my runs from now on outdoor runs. Of course if the weather is bad, I will have to use the treadmill, but there’s been some beautiful days recently and I’ve been choosing to run on the treadmill. From now on, outdoors for me; I’m excited!

Day 26: Rest or easy run

I decided to rest on Friday because my 10-K trail run was actually on Saturday instead of Sunday. I spoke to one of my young clients a few day earlier and asked her for advice for my first 10-K. The reason I asked her was because she was a cross country runner and a very athletic person. She told me to have some spaghetti for lunch the day before and more carbs with some protein for dinner the night before; so that’s what I did. For lunch I had Lemon Pesto Linguini and for dinner I went to my favorite sushi spot: American Sushi House. And hell yes, I had the All-You-Can-Easy sushi. This is what I had:

2 orders of  American Roll – Shrimp Tempura & avocado topped with 5 types of fish

1 order of Bruce Roll – Shrimp Tempura, spicy tuna & avocado topped with 5 types of fish

Day 27: Rest 10-K

The 10-K that I ran was the Diablo Trails Challenge by Brazen Racing. It was in Walnut Creek which is about a 45 minute drive for my place. The race was fun and that’s exactly how I wanted to attack the race; I wanted this race to be a “fun run.” As I continue to read Born to Run, I’ve been falling in love with running a lot more and have been trying to enjoy my runs. I’ve been looking at all my runs as “fun runs” as opposed to going on these runs with the mindset of beating my previous time, and this race was perfect for a “fun run” mindset. I did not expect all the “elements” that this race had to offer: the running through creeks where the water ran knee high, the mud, the pot holes, the high grass, and the 2 crazy steep hills. At the beginning, I tried to carefully step on the rocks that poked out of the creek so as to not get my Brooks wet, but midway through as I saw that there were going to be more than 1 or 2 creeks (there were about 15 total throughout the race), I decided to just get down and dirty and run in and through the water; and boy was it refreshing! Yea, my shoes felt heavy after and my socks were soaked, but I had a blast running! Just like I was a kid again, running through the “back woods” of my city with my cousins, jumping through puddles and shhtuff.

 

Like I did after my 5-K race, I think I summed up my 10-K experience best on my Instagram picture with my family after the race. Here are a few pics of me and Gordon before and after the race and a picture with my girlfriend, my eldest cousin and his daughter

I got to the start/finish line a little later than I wanted to, but it was just enough time to take care of everything. I used the bathroom twice, I was able to do a few lunges, put on some sun block and drink a cup of water.

Gordon and I were pretty damn elated after the race! We both felt very accomplished after our first ever 10K and I’m so happy to have shared this experience with him. I think today was the start of our love and respect for the “running world.”

“My fam came out to support! I run because I have a family who I want to be healthy for. I run so that I could tell my nephews and nieces that they could do whatever they want if they put their mind to it; that if they want something bad enough, they could get it. I want to be an example for my family. I want my nephews and nieces and my own future kids to know that sometimes in life you’ll want to stop, you’ll want to quit but you MUST keep moving. Health and fitness is a lifestyle. It’s NOT about how much you can lift, whether you have a 6-pack or not, how far or fast you could run or how high you could jump; health and fitness is being supportive, it’s respect, it’s love, it’s compassion, it’s motivation, it’s teamwork, it’s found in others. So many times during this run I turned to someone who was struggling and said “great job, you could do it!” The look on their faces was priceless and the sound of their “thank you” made my heart smile. I run for my family and friends and I run for thise experiences; nothing else. Why > How. #ypowr”

 

 

Day 28: 10-K Rest

Today my mother took me to a massage place that offered a 60-minute massage for $20….. only $20?!?! I was a little iffy about going to this place, but my legs were pretty sore from yesterdays run so I was willing to give it a shot. Out of 5 stars, I would rate it a 3.5. I specifically told the front desk girl that I only wanted my legs to be worked on, but I guess she didn’t forward the message to the therapist. I didn’t bother to correct her when she started with my head and neck because: egh, its only $20. The upper body massage was just “aiiiggghhttt.” The lower body/leg/foot massage was……. $20 worth? One thing I did like was that she kicked my feets ass (does that make sense?). She worked my feet pretty well, but too bad it was only for about 45 seconds. To be honest, my legs felt pretty refreshed after, but I’ve had massages before and I’ve had better. Would I go back to this place? Probably not, unless my mom pays for it again 😉