Week 1 of FIRST

So I tried out the FIRST schedule for a week. I can sum it all up in one word... BUTTKICKER!

Monday: Key workout #1 - 2 mile warmup/6 x (1 min fast then 1 min easy)/1 mile cooldown
Easy right? Wrong! I could whine all day about the heat and humidity, but the fact is that I've never really done legit speedwork, so it killed my body.

Tuesday: Cross-training - Biking (cycling?) Which is it? Gosh. I'm such a n00b :) Truth is... I haven't biked/cycled probably since 8th grade. I had to dust cobwebs off my mom's bike (mine had been sold at a garage sale about 5 years ago..ha), pump up the tires, and raise the seat up. But all the hard work paid off.. I loved it! I didn't get super hot because the wind was all around me.. why have I not done this until now!? I used to think it biking/cycling was easy, I mean it looks easy to an outsider - like they're just gliding gracefully along - not exactly. I went about 10 miles altogether and my thighs were on fire! But after the workout and shower I wasn't sore or exhausted; I could tell in my legs that I had used different muscles than the day before. Pretty cool stuff.

Wednesday: Key Workout #2 - 2 mile warmup/2 mile tempo pace/2 mile cooldown
Once again, sounds easy right? Wrong! I went into this workout pretty confident, but it was HARD. I cheated... I couldn't keep the pace for the whole two miles. I actually have no idea what my pace was. Just faster than the warmup. I don't have a Garmin or anything :( so I just went faster than my normal pace. But it just made me more determined to do better this week!

Thursday: Cross-training - Biking/Cycling

Friday: Key Workout #3 - 8 mile run
Definitely my favorite out of the workouts! I felt like I could have kept on going forever after #8.. but since its been a couple weeks since I've gone farther than 8, I decided to stick to the plan and not risk injuries or anything.

Saturday: Day off - Packing for school!

Sunday: Day off - Moving in and all that good stuff!

I can't wait to start back tomorrow. I have confidence that it will help me get faster by allowing my muscles to adjust and repair themselves. Plus now I love biking/cycling! :) Hopefully once school is back in full swing I'll still be able to keep up my running schedule as well.
--CheetahGirl

Remember me???

Probably not. But that's okay ;-)

So after over a months break from a single blog post, I've decided to get back on track. Why did I stop? Honestly... I was bored. Of course I've still been running and such, but my runs became monotonous and there really wasn't much to say about them. I was more worried about adding up the miles each week than enjoying myself and having fun. Well, I'm now in the process of changing.

I've recently found a book by Runner's World called, 'Run Less, Run Faster'** and incorporates 3 days running and 2 days cross training. At first I was skeptical because I usually run 6 days out of the week... but cutting that in half? The more I read the more it makes sense. I need to allow my body to recover and repair itself in-between runs. Each run should have a purpose instead of filling up on junk miles. I plan to attempt my first marathon in December (whoo!!), and feel like I should give this plan a shot. Has anyone read this or used its methods??

-CheetahGirl


**Okay, so I didn't really buy it... I've just been reading it in Barnes & Noble each morning after my run and shower.... for free :)

Addicted

Hello, my name is Cheetah Girl and I am officially a running addict.

Last week I finally got my NEW RUNNING SHOES!!!! a;lkdfjslkj;asfoieuroewirunmvcnfdherif!!!!!! (that's how excited I was, fyi) Seriously, is there anything in the world more exciting than new running shoe day? I didn't think so. You can ask everyone in my house, I resembled a blonde Tigger bouncing around the house for the rest of the day and refused to take them off until bed. They are Mizuno Wave Inspire 5's! :)

Today I ran an interesting 12 miler to break the new shoes in. Interesting because I have never run in fog before. Thick fog. Scary Halloween-y/grey/humid/nasty/IHATEYOU fog. Of course I was safe, running a straight 3 mile course on the side of the road with continuous sidewalk, but it was just weird. I don't think I liked it. And that's weird. It's weird that running in clouds bothered me so much I'm writing a blog post about it. Even though it blocked the sun, it was super humid and even the air I breathed felt thick. Like the way a milkshake feels to your mouth when you can't get it through the straw. Except not in a good way. Okay bad analogy. But still. WEIRD!

So anyway, you are probably wondering why I have suddenly had the revelation of christening myself as a running addict. Or not, but I'm going to tell you anyway. I didn't run for two whole days, and was absolutely miserable. (horrific, right?) Day 1 was just for recovery since I had run pretty good 5 days in a row, but Day 2 was out of my control; we had a surprise trip to Nashvegas...I got woken up at 4 in the all-that-is-holy A.M. My first reaction to supposedly exciting news was, "....can I run first?" The answer was NO, and so changed the entire mood of the trip. My legs had already been whining to run on Day Off 1, but Day 2 was terrible. I was seriously depressed. I tried not to be, honest(!), but I just felt like a huge blob. I was short with everyone, didn't feel like shopping (gasp!), and didn't have an appetite. And let me tell you, not only do I eat ALOT, I eat ALL THE TIME. Normally I am the bouncy, fun, outgoing one of the family, but with that gone plus the not being hungry part caused some eyebrows to be raised. SO, I ran the next day and my mood did a complete 180. Amazing! I'm in such a better mood when I get my run in. Call it endorphins, call it a feeling of accomplishment, call it a crystal meth (kidding), but I want it. Need it. I crave the feeling. My favorite part during a run is after the first 3 or 4, that's when I get my first runner's high and I actually smile and am able to pick up the pace. I'm smiling just writing about it! :)

Okay all done.
Run on cheetahs!!!!

First 5K and New Favorite Store

First 5K result..... 24:06! I'm totally okay and thrilled with it due to the lack of training and Bruster's Bulge. :) I knew it wouldn't be o-m-g worthy, so as to not let myself down like I did the recent 10K, I set the goal in my head to be 25 minutes. 24 < 25 = happy CheetahGirl! The humidity was terrible. At the end of the race I seriously looked like I had just gotten out of the pool, except the wetness was not bathing suit worthy! (ewwww) All in all, it was fun! I would love to train more for this distance and be able to kill some time. I was extremely upset when I found out a 10 year old and a 13 year old had beaten me. Really?? LAME. So yes, I am now determined to smoke them...next year.

I've only run in 4 total races, and it's pretty cool to see how much better I've gotten:
Dollars for Scholars 10K 2008- 1:00:19 (65/111) top 59%
Mercedes 1/2 Marathon 2009- 1:55:48 (821/2954) top 28%
Dollars for Scholars 10K 2009- 55:02 (60/311) top 19%
Cotton Row Run 5K 2009- 24:06 (136/1677) top 8%

So I'm gradually creeping up...haha. (does that make me a 'creeper'?!?)

Before the race, I had a magnificant discovery that will forever change my running....FLEET FEET! I fell in love as soon as I walked in. Runner's paradise! I learned so many things within the short hour I was able to stay.

Lesson of the Day: There are different kinds of running shoes. You think I would know this by now...nope! I have had two pairs of actual running shoes, some Asics which I got because they were cheap at the store, and the Mizunos I'm currently pounding because...they were pretty. I had never been videotaped to figure out my protonation or advised about which shoes to buy until last Sunday. Apparently I overprotonate, and the shoes I've been wearing are neutrals. I ran on the treadmill (which was kind of awkward in jeans and a not so loose-fitting shirt infront of customers who STARE), and discovered I also run in a straight line. So straight that the guy had to watch it a total of 3 times, because my foot kept covering up what he was trying to look for in the other foot. He told me he had 'seen nothing like it before' and showed interest in youtubing it. I hope he was kidding..(!)
Lesson Learned: Not all shoes are made equal.

I was also lectured on the importance of special socks. It seems as obvious as the newly acquired shoe knowledge, but is something I've never actually thought about. Two pairs of amazingly cushioned walking-on-cloud-socks for $20? Check.
On the back wall of the store was Nike Tempo Track Shorts HEAVEN. They are my absolute favorite and this place had one in every color imaginable. CheetahGirl's next 5 paychecks spent? Check.
The last coolest thing I saw were all the GU's and powerbars I have read about from other runner's blogs but never seen in real life (haha), so it was really neat to finally see and know what they were. Saved money due to ability to hold back no $ left from shorts and socks? Check.

Okay, that's all! I plan to incorporate speed workouts/intervals to try and improve my speed... any suggestions?? What training do you do to help you become more cheetah-like??? :)

The Bruster's Bulge

I'm a bad runner. It hit me today in a thunderbolt-like slap from the running gods that I have been abusing my body... and I'm going to pay. Everyone know that running causes one to be hungry, all the time. Unfortunately, I have taken full advantage of thinking I can eat whatever I want to, because hey! I'm a runner, I'll just run it off. No biggie. WRONGO! So, today I ran extremely slug-like and laughed to myself as those nice endorphins kicked in, 'Ha, you probably shouldn't have had that ice cream sundae from Bruster's last night! .... or 1/2 of that box of cheez-its! .... or frozen pizza for dinner!' That's when the thunderbolt hit. Whaaaaaaaaaaaaat. You mean I can't eat whatever I want? NO. Since I've come home for the summer, I've been fueling my body primarily with what I had been missing out on all year from the lovely college diet using the rationale of: 'oh, I NEVER get this! It's okay to have it.' Too bad that exception involves over half the pantry/fridge/freezer. I've also acquired a little bulge around the love handle region I'd like to call "The Bruster's Bulge". Let's just say I've had about every flavor on the menu since my homecoming. ;-)

SO, CheetahGirl needs to practice better eating habits. In order to perform better and faster and endure longer, I need to properly fuel my body. I'm running my first ever 5K bright and early Monday morning, but not expecting the time to have rainbows and cotton candy blowing out its back end. No.. most likely it will involve gackle of teenage first timers flying by with their fingers up their noses. Karma is a *****.

Anywho, more on running. I knocked out a reasonably good 7 miler yesterday, despite the awful awful humidity. I need to get up earlier. I set my alarm for 6 every morning, but haven't actually gotten out of bed this summer before 7. By the time I fiddle-fart around, eat, potty, and lace up the shoes, it's 9-10ish and feels like a sauna outside. I love the South.

Have a great Memorial Day Weekend, and Happy Running, Cheetahs!

Nobody Said It Was Easy

Getting back into the routine of things is always easier said than done. Hmph.

8-mile run yesterday... Felt sooo good! I was lucky too, the humidity only reached 77% as I headed out. It has been raining nastily non-stop here, absolutely miserable! But since there was only a 20% chance, I decided to head out. We have a Greenway trail about a mile from my house that is a 4-miler there and back run. There is a gargantuem mountain of a hill at the very entrance of said Greenway. When my family used to ride bikes over there when I was little, my dad would always bet me a Dairy Queen Blizzard I couldn't make it up the hill without stopping to walk the bike up. I always got one anyways... mainly because he would want one. I blame my good ole dad for my competitiveness. You know how most dad's let their kids win board games and such? Not mine! He never let me win.. which is why Monopoly is one of my all time favorite games. It was and still is one of the only games I can beat him in! :-) Anyways, After completing the Greenway and walking up monster-hill, I became incredibly irritated with my ipod. None of my music seemed to fit my mood and I was changing the song every 8 seconds. So I turned it off. *gasp* I've never run without music before... weird huh? (actually I ran without it for the 1/2 marathon, but that's besides the point) It was surprisingly extremely peaceful. The sun was bright but not scorching hot yet, the wind was ever so softly rustling the leaves, and the smell of freshly cut grass was all in the air. I had a very relaxing and enjoyable 3 mile dilly-dally run home uninterrupted by music. I know what you're wondering...was I one of those people who leave their ipods in but aren't actually listening to anything? You bet I was. ;-)

Happy running!

Back at it!

SO. Today was the first official day I motivated myself to pound out an 8-miler since my 1/2 marathon....and before you think 'Oh! That's great CheetahGirl!' let me remind you that the said 1/2.. was in February. 'Bad CheetahGirl!' I was even more surprised (and slightly proud) that I finished at a steady 8 minute per mile pace, considering I took Friday and Saturday off due to a frenzy of studying for finals...ugh. It'll all be over on Tuesday. YAY!

Let's talk endorphins. I love endorphins. LOVE ENDORPHINS. They always seem to come at the most random times during a run... today was around mile 4, which let me know I could do 4 more, but the weird one was at mile 7.5. I had started to feel fatigued and had to talk to myself to go another 1/2 mile, when all of a sudden I felt great. My knees no longer ached, and there was no struggle to breathe deeply. I like to call this when I stabilize. It's probably my favorite feeling. I get this rush that says 'pshh! you've run __ miles. You are awesome. 864712 more miles? Piece of cake! Watch this!' I actually involutarily smile when this occurs, which causes non-runners to give me the 'I think something is seriously wrong with that girl' look. So, taking advantage of these amazing hormones, I picked up the pace and finsihed the last 1/2 mile strong. Could I have run more? The answer is always yes, but because it was the farthest I've gone in so long I decided to play it safe.

All in all, a good day. Bring on the week! ;-) Happy running!

Dollars for Scholars 10K

So, the annual Dollars for Scholars 10K run was last Friday.. at 6:00 and 85 degree heat! I had high expectations, I knew I'd be making around 45ish minutes because that's what I'd been training for, and was ready to blow my time from last year (1:00:12) out of the water... unfortunately I forgot about the heat. I ended up walking. Twice. The course was a double loop, once for the 5K-ers and two for the 10K-ers. I had to walk at about 4.5 miles, and then again at 5. I was NOT happy. I didn't walk for long, just enough to catch my breath and not hyperventilate.. I almost passed out once before one summer because I got too hot... that was really scary. I had no phone on me and was about 5 miles away from home.. I never want to feel like that again. My time ended up being right at 55 minutes... at least I beat my last time I guess. Stupid heat!!!! My 1/2 marathon pace was faster than that! Grrrr.....

I dominated yesterday. That's right, domination occurred. ;-) 1. My huge organic chem. II test was a breeze thankyousweetbabyjesus, and I actually left the building smiling. I know, whoa! Hopefully I won't jinx myself! 2. I ran after taking two days off to study for said test, 4 miles in 31:20! Yeeeaayuhh! I felt so good I ate three delicious peanut butter cookies along with dinner.... so all that work for nothin'-ha! But, I still felt like a champ. Mission accomplished. I still need to get back in my running groove.
So many things to do. I love life. Life is good. Always. :)

On the side, I recently was driving around when the new Miley Cyrus song came on the radio, The Climb. Now I'm no fan of Miley whatsoever, I sort of think shes a spoiled brat that has had to grow up way too fast, and I think she sounds like a man. I know her song has been out for a while now, but I've refused to listen to it and change the station when it comes on, the other however I actually listened to it, and I really like it. Gasp. The words could be applicable to a lot of situations, and that night I really really needed to hear those lyrics. So thank you, Miley, for not letting me give up hope. (I still think you're a spoiled brat)

I'll end with a quote that I have up in my room:
"There are two types of people in the world:
1. Those who run.
2. Those who should."

Hello blogging world...

Cheetah Girl has been major M.I.A. lately... whoops. Full-nerd-mode has officially set in. Yep, finals are right around the corner. Organic Chemistry II has done a wonderful job of kicking my puny little butt, and Physiology is not far behind it. All that said, I'm not going to get to run the 1/2 marathon in Nashville due to my nonexistant training. :( I will however run in a 10K at the end of the month. :)

There's a saying about college:
"Enough sleep. A social life. Good grades.
You can only pick two. Welcome to college."
Try adding 'Go to gym and run 30-40 miles a week' to that list. You can still only pick two. Thank you for the pity party.

Running has unfortunately not been at the top of the priority list. After my 1/2 marathon, I stopped running double digit milers on the weekends.. probably because the race motivation was gone. I've been running less and less due to the piling on of tests and ridiculous-ness from professors. I'm running about 15-20 a week now. Surprisingly I can still fit into all my jeans, so this is good. This is also most likely due to the fact that my food supply has almost disappeared. Ahh the poor college kid. ;)

Needless to say, summer hurry up and get here! I can't wait to be school free - I'll be working full time but at least I'll be on a more predictable schedule so that I have time to get my run in. My non-running friends think I'm mental when I tell them that my legs are just itching to run... I was actually at Walmart with a friend walking down the aisle when the overwhelming feeling came over me. I just wanted to start running right there. It was definately weird but cool at the same time. My friend thinks I'm on crack. Maybe I am. HA!

From the official 1/2 Marathoner! [1:56]!

February 15th, 2009 I ran my first 1/2 Marathon!
The Mercedes Half in Birmingham, Alabama.
13.1 Baby! :D

Words can't even describe... It was absolutely AMAZING!!!

Here's my story:
The night before I didn't sleep at all.. I felt like a giddy kid on Christmas eve. I went to bed at 9 but was still tossing and turning at 12:30. Somehow I got up at 5, ate 2 pieces of toast and 2 cups of coffee and was picked up by my best friend who ran it with me. It was amazing.. I don't even know how to put it into words. There were sooo many people, it's just awesome to be around thousands of people who have the same passion for something as you do, you know? It was a pretty chilly 40 degrees, but when we lined up at the start line it felt like a perfect 72 degrees because of the body heat radiating from all the anxious runners. The course was really cool; we ran by the Alabama theatre, a bread factory that smelled like heaven, past the UAB dorms, through the famous '5 Points', by a golf course, and over a couple hills. I didn't stop or walk once! I also didn't take any water or gatorade because I was afraid of getting sick. I probably should have, and it probably would have helped, but I didn't want to risk everything I had been working for. The first 5 miles were the hardest, but after we passed #8 I was breathing fine with no cramps or anything, and it was at that point I knew I'd be able to finish it. The best part was the very end, after we passed mile 13 I looked at my friend Katie and said "c'mon girl!" and we sprinted the last .1 to the finish. It felt absolutely amazing to finish it strong. The crowd helped alot too, because we weren't allowed to have our ipods, which totally sucked because half the race was psychological. Our time was 1:56; 8:50 pace per mile!!!! :) I was pretty excited because my goal was to get it under 2 hours without walking. We got 2 shirts and a Mercedes medal for finishing. Then her parents took us out for breakfast to my most favorite restaurant in the universe (and pluto) : Cracker Barrel! We were about to eat a hole in the car on the way because we were ravonous and it took a good 15 minutes to get there! I talked the waiter into making chocolate chip pancakes even though they weren't on the menu, haha. We didn't even shower before, so we stank it up and ate like pigs. (Two biscuits, three chocolate chip pancakes, chocolate milk, and coffee) Best. breakfast. ever. Then I came back and took the longest shower of my life. The end. :)
I would definitely do it again! There's one in Nashville, TN in April that I reaaaallllly want to do, it's part of the Rock N Roll marathon tour thing. We'll see.
Have a fabulous rest of the weekend!
~CheetahGirl

Keeping the Beat

CheetahGirl's Playlist: ^^Totally looks like me, btw... ;)

Throttleneck - Brad Paisley
Real World - Matchbox 20
Live Your Life - T.I. feat. Rihanna
Feel That Fire - Dierks Bentley
Shake It - Metro Station
One Week - Barenaked Ladies
See You Again - Miley Cyrus
Green Light - John Legend
Burnin' Up - Jonas Brothers
Butterfly - Crazytown
Let It Rock - Kevin Rudolf and Lil Wayne
Vertigo - U2
Shut Up & Drive - Rihanna
So What - P!nk
Womanizer - Brittany Spears
Low - Flo-Rida
Lose Control - Missy Elliot
Pump It - Black Eyed Peas
Hey Ya! - Outkast
Whatever You Like - T.I.
You're So Damn Hot - Ok Go
Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes
All Summer Long - Kid Rock
Get Down Tonight - KC and the Sunshine Band

Dear Running Cheetahs -
I'm in need of a couple more songs, as this is only about 1.45 hours worth of music, during my long runs it has to replay itself, and I end up skipping around and becoming distracted. No fun. I like my warm up songs at the beginning and the last couple as ending songs, but I need some in the middle. Kind of 'pump me up' songs. As you can see, my range of music jumps pretty much everywhere; the very first song is strictly instrumental, but very peppy. Suggestions??? :)

My Worst Run

Hello running cheetahs! :)

I give up on the daily updates. It's definitely going to be a 2-3 times a week thing. I'm so busy! But not busy enough to get running off my mind!

Saturday was the worst run of my life. I was finally going to run with my best friend who is also running the 1/2 with me, and have been bragging that I ran 12 miles about a week ago, so we were going to try to go for 10. By 4.5 I was dying. Literally. My insides felt like they were exploding. Stupidly, I stopped and sat down, but that made my vision super blurry and I actually saw stars. I felt like I wasn't getting enough air and started hyperventilating. It was awful! Finally my friend brought me a gatorade and I sat up against a nice cold wall and felt better. :( Bad cheetah day.
I was so mad that I made myself go to the gym the next day, probably not the smartest idea, but I was so pissed! I ended up running 12 miles. :) And it felt...awesome.
Lesson learned though, and I'm now trying to drink some good ole H2O whenever I can... that was pretty scary and I am determined not to let it happen again. I'm glad it happened before my race though. Whew.
So, now I have run 12 miles on two separate occasions! I think I'm ready! I'm not running to race or place or anything, I just want to finish strong.
Happy Hump day, all!

The Good, The Bad, and The Pretty

The Good:
My NEW Mizuno Wave Rider 12's!!!!!!! :D
Absolutely LOVE them! The arch support in the Mizuno's felt sooo good when I tried them on, I tried on a new shoe shoe and an old one at the same time... there is no comparison. I have had my Asics (see 'The Bad') for about a year now, and the arch support is non-existant. I didn't even know because I just got used to them... So my feet are still getting adjusted to good shoes, my left knee aches and my right shin has splints, but other than that I am running on clouds! :)






The Bad:
My old Asics Gel Nimbus 9's R.I.P. They're actually my first official pair of running shoes that I have bought. They have served me well. Long live the Asics!







The PRETTY: My Cheetah rainboots! :D The weather has been Ridiculous with a capital R. Wednesday was a high of 70 degrees, Thursday rained from dawn till dusk (hence the rainboots!) and Friday was a freezing and cloudy 32. WTF? Seriously? Make up your mind mother nature! I hate hate hate the rain, but I love dressing for the part. Are you ready for this? I have cheetah rainboots, a cheetah umbrella, and a zebra purse. I get lots of (admiring I'm sure) looks/stares. I love it. ;)


The Workouts:
Monday - Five miles around the indoor track: Every other lap I pushed myself and then had a recovery lap
Tuesday - 3.5 miles at an about an 8 minute/mile pace
Wednesday - off
Thursday - 3 miles in the NEW shoes
Friday - 7 miles in the NEW shoes
Either tomorrow or Sunday - a long run. Distance - ???

The New Favorite Food:
5 Cheese Ziti from Olive Garden.
Oh. My. Gracious.
Try it. If you don't like it I will personally send you an Olive Garden gift card to redeem yourself. (Well... maybe not, but it's pretty much a-mazing)

Thanks for all the shoe hunting tips ya'll!!! :)
TGIF!

~Cheetah

Double Digits

"When you put yourself on the line in a race and expose yourself to the unknown, you learn things about yourself that are very exciting."
-Doris Brown Heritage

I did it.
The big 1-2.
Twelve.
YAY! :D

[ First off, I want to say thank you to everyone who has been motivating and sharing in my accomplishments... it is so awesome to have a group of people who understand and can relate to one of your passions. So THANK YOU running cheetahs!!! :) ]

I officially feel like a runner!!!! And it was outside! I figured its time to start logging the long runs outside since that's where I'm going to be running....haha the 'duh' lightbulb finally went off! It was a cloudy 50 degrees out and pretty windy, but other than that it was perfect. I parked at a grocery store parking lot and ran down the sidewalk on a busy road to a landmark that was exactly three miles...and did this route twice. It was absolutely amazing. After 6, I knew I could do it again. I was feeling so good! It even had little hilly-inclines which were BEASTS in themselves since I have never really run them, but after the ground leveled out it was like running on clouds. At one point it was pretty windy, and I think I actually was yelling 'stop!' to the...air... because it made my eyes all watery and tears were streaming down left and right. I could feel the salt lines on my face after they dried...gross. I didn't even have to stop for a long period of time, after 9 I walked for maybe .1 of a mile but then realized that if I kept walking the soreness would set in and I would be defeated, so I kept on chuggin'. I was pretty darn sore at #12 though, I really don't think I could have done another mile. So that 1/2 may just take all I can give, lol! I loved proclaiming on facebook and to my friends though, that I had just run 12 whole miles. They think I have mental issues. I tell them they don't know what they're missing out on :) Poor things.

Oh, and we definitely ate at P.F. Chang's for a celebratory dinner. MMMMMM!
[And we made homemade cinnamon rolls for breakfast....I don't think the 12 covered those calories too, but who cares!]

R.I.P. Treadmill days. Tuesday and Wednesday I ran 5 miles on the indoor track at the gym because I got there at rushour and all the mills were being used (not to mention the heatwave that was radiating from the aerobics room), and even though it's an oval with no really straight path to run its a million billon times better than the treadmill. I can't believe I've been running on that this whole time! Gosh! I thought ya'll were funny saying that it was an accomplishment to run on the treadmill that long, but geez louise ya'll were definitely right! I was alot cooler, and for some reason alot faster... I ran my 5 in 41 minutes! My normal pace on the treadmill is 45 minutes at the very least, and on a good good day.

So needless to say, today is an off day full of abs and weights, but hopefully tmrw I can resume the running addiction with an easy 3-5 miler.

Quick Question: I'm in need of new running shoes. I've had mine since last March, but have no idea how to pick new ones out. Ideas? Suggestions?

Have a grrrrreat weekend cheetahs!
~Cheetah

Nine!

Sunday was yet another milestone in my running career.... 9 miles! :) So exciting! Of course it was on the treadmill, and I averaged 9 minutes a mile. I took a break after 5 miles to go get some water and reset my time since the treadmills only count up to an hour before they make you cool down. The chick running next to me shot me a 'What is your PROBLEM!?' look when I came back and started running again. Haha! Love it. I just put a big grin on my face and ignored her. I was aiming for 10, but kept feeling the need to...um...... run to the bathroom, which was quite miserable, and I was tired, so I just stopped at 9. I think this also came from running in the afternoon instead of my normal mornings when there's nothing in my tummy. This coming weekend I'm going to attempt to run outside in the cold to prepare for the low temps. I'll be running for the 1/2 coming up. :/ hmmm.... I don't exactly have any warm running clothes that aren't cotton, which I've read is extremely painful..... Just another excuse to go shopping haha!

I set my alarm for 5 this morning, but since the obnoxious roommates kept me up until 2:30, I chose to sleep an extra 2 hours instead of going to Spin class.... which means I'll be heading to the gym after my last class at 5:00, which also equals rush hour at the gym. Grrrrrr.
So, 5 mile run today!

Groovy, Baby

Wow, so I've definitely been slacking on the post-age. I've been super studious with my Organic Chemistry and Physiology classes...ugh.... sometimes reality is such a let down! Kidding..! I'm actually really glad to be back on a routine. I'm a routine person. Not that I have nothing to do, but I don't like sitting around without an agenda. Yeah, that sounds right. Last night was a blast, my sorority had a disco themed mixer with a frat at a skating rink! Now, I haven't skated in probably 8 years, no joke, and let me brag by saying I didn't fall (on my own) once! I did hit the floor one time, but that was because some dummy thought it would be funny to play 'crack the whip' with blondey.... thanks guys. After that me and the girls went out to make our appearances at various nightlife activities and ended up dancing until 4:12 this morning! Ahem. So, it's a good thing I have no Friday classes! I did happen to hit the gym today at 5 this evening though, so I'm giving props to myself. Thank you, thank you.

Workouts:
Thursday - 5 miles tempo run
Friday - 30 min. elliptical + 3 mile speedwork.

I'll probably take the day off tomorrow and try for another long run Sunday... it's what Runner's World has prescribed the official 1/2 training plan. Pretty much the Holy Grail.

Time to watch the missed Grey's Anatomy online.
OH and SUPER excited about LOST coming back next week! AHH!!!! :) :) :)
~Cheetah

Spinning!

This week has started off extremely well... at least running-wise! Yesterday I ran 8 miles!!! EIGHT! And the best part is I felt as if I could run more, but didn't want to push my luck considering that's the farthest I've ever gone! It was at about a 9:05 pace the entire time, a little slower than my normal runs, but this definately helped me keep up the endurance. Ahh talk about feeling accomplished. :) I wasn't even sore this morning, but my toes had a couple blisters.

This morning I drug my roommate out of bed and we attended our first spinning class. We got there a little late, and was a little embarrassed when the leader had to help me put my bike together, pausing the class infront of everyone (!), not realizing the intensity knob was on high for the first 15 mintues, (thaaaaat's why I was burning the entire time!) but despite that I had a blast! It was intense! Yeah!
~Cheetah

Sunday = Laziday

"Top results are reached only through pain.
Eventually you will enjoy this pain.
You'll find the more difficulties you have on the way,
the more you will enjoy your success."

SO true! Yesterday's workout: 30 min elliptical and 2 mile run. The elliptical workout kicked my butt more than the running, I was jammin' on that thing man. This week my goal is to take a Spinning class at an ungodly hour of 6:00 in the morning before classes. I've heard these burn some serious calories and that some people are sore for days... bring it on baby! I need to kick my butt into action. Not today though. Off day! (Which includes pancake morning...yessss)
I've decided to sign up for the 1/2 marathon...thanks for the persuasion! :) It's the Mercedes 1/2 Marathon and looks like loads of people come out every year for it.. awesome!
Short, sweet, and to the point!
~Cheetah

1/2?

My best girlfriend informed me yesterday of a 1/2 marathon February 15th, we've both talked about doing one together, but that seems so soon? Is 5 weeks too little to train for one? Flashback to my last post, 7 miles is the most I've ever run before.....hmm. Plus yesterday I could hardly bring myself to run 4! I was ready to give up at 3, wahh! My right side started cramping with every breath I took; I haven't gotten cramps in forever! I was more frustrated with myself than anything. Grr! But I was also stressing out all morning about school stuff, looking at pharmacy school applications, realizing that I have a better chance of not getting in than of actually being accepted....So I also did the bike for about 20 minutes after my fail run. I whined my one of my girlfriends, but no sympathy from a non-runner. "Only 4 miles?! Oh yeah, what a letdown..." Thanks Courtney. I feel better already. Hehe. All whining aside, I think I'm going to train until the week of to decide if I'm ready or not. And if I'm not, well I'll be in pretty good shape nonetheless! I need to kick my butt back into a good routine anywho. No pain no gain, right?!

~Cheetah

2009!

Hooray for '09!

"Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end..."
-Semisonic

I love beginnings. Being able to have a fresh start is so very relieving. I started out my new year running AWESOME! Today I ran 7 miles - that's right 7!!! I haven't done that since June. Plus my time was equally awesome - 1:01!!!!! This isn't even the best part! I was approached by a random man at the gym and congratulated for my run!

(Story time)

So, after I completed my 7 miler on the treadmill (yes, I am a treadmill junkie) at the gym and slowed my pace down to a brisk recovery walk, a man comes up beside me and says, "I just had to come tell you that your run was awesome! I was asking myself 'is this girl ever going to quit?' I used to run when I was in the army, but you've inspired me to start back. Are you a marathoner?" My smile could have lit up the entire room. It was hard to stifle my fits of laughter with all the huffing and puffing when he mentioned me being a marathoner. HA! 7 is the epitome of my runs. I ran a 10K last March when I began running daily, and my time was 1:00:12. That has been my one and only race. I want so incredibly badly to train until my times are competitive enough to race. New years resolution/goal?
All that being said, I didn't even want to go to the gym this morning. I wholeheartedly believe that everything happens for a reason, and maybe this guy was the inspiration I needed to keep on truckin'. So thank you, random man. You totally made my day! :)

My running goal for '09 is going to be 1000 miles! It sounds like a lot, but I normally run around 20-30 miles a week. Give or take a couple in which I injure myself, have a couple really good long runs (i.e. today!!!) it should be close...

Hope the year has started off good for everyone! :)
~Cheetah