That's right. I'm in NYC. It's definitely been a long day. The plane ride was actually nice. I was expecting a full flight and to be sandwiched in my row (got stuck with an middle seat), but as luck had it, the row of seats in front of me end up completely empty. So the guy that was supposed to sit in the window seat took a seat in the empty ones and I scooted over to enjoy my first choice of plane seats.
They showed Footloose for our in flight entertainment as well as the sneak peak of the new NBC show, Smash. Which is amazing, by the way! I love musicals having gone to a performing arts school. I can't sing but that doesn't stop me from belting out my favorite songs in the car.
I got adventurous and took the AirTrain/subway into the city. Normally I would just take a shuttle but my friend said this would be faster. Not so bad. Just annoying with luggage.
Anyways, now that I'm here, I expect to get in a lot of walking during my week stay. My bestie is a dog walker so I'll be joining her for that. Plus she lives on the 4th floor in her building and there is no elevator so my legs will definitely be getting a workout on the stairs. I've already done it at least 3 times so far. I'm definitely out of shape. My first trek up with my suitcase was the worst. I could barely breathe. It's a good wake up call. I should be able to walk stairs easily. Granted a suitcase makes things more challenging. Maybe if I lived in the city permanently I would be like J and walk them effortlessly.
First meal in the city was ...
Shake Shack! They have amazing food for a burger joint. Just saying...
So let the New York adventures begin!
Showing posts with label asthma. Show all posts
Showing posts with label asthma. Show all posts
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
At The Starting Line Again
Wow. I can't believe it's been almost a year since I wrote. But, here we go again. I must be crazy. I've signed up for 2 events this year...so far.
The first is the yearly event in May with my parents to do the Relay For Life, which benefits the American Cancer Society. I like this event because it doesn't cater to one specific type of cancer. The money raised goes to help fund research for all cancers. And they don't ask you raise a certain amount of money. They just encourage everyone to raise at least $100 (if you want a t-shirt).
My mom was diagnosed 2 years ago with breast cancer. 5 days after her mastectomy, she demanded we go to the Relay event so she could walk the first lap with all the survivors. I had her out for 2 hours and then she was beat. Rest was definitely needed. My mom is a trooper. She's doing really well now - in remission and her hair has grown back.
I'm team captain again for our Purple Cancer Eaters team. I've recruited some new people to join our team and I'm hoping to have it more organized - at least with a scheduled walk list so everyone knows when they are going to walk. Last year, I walked longer than I should have in the middle of the night because people were sleeping and I didn't want to wake anyone. They kinda got upset about it, so I figure, with a walk schedule, everyone can sign up for when they want to walk. If I can get 12 people on the team, then really everyone only has to walk 2 hours. Definitely not that bad. I'll keep you updated as it goes. I really need to get fundraising. Only $150 so far. I know I can do better!
Event #2 is in July. My friends and I decided we wanted to run the Napa half again. I think we're crazy. But I'm excited to do it. We created a team of about 7 of us. Team Super Poopers. Jill, our team captain, who I ran Napa with in '08, didn't want to run AND fundraise with Team Challenge, but still wanted to be a part of TC. So, we created a team in honor of the poop diseases, Crohn's (which Jill has) and Ulcerative Colitis (which my mom has). We definitely need to start training because July will be here before we know it. Half the team lives in San Diego and the other half in LA and one in Indiana. So all of us getting together to train probably won't happen, but the girls that are in town, I can train with them.
There is one more event I think I might sign up for, but it's not until November. I did the Iron Girl last year with my mom and my sister. It was a fast 5K and my mom and sister's first one. I felt honored to do it with them. I'm hoping they'll want to do it again this year. I need to beat my 5K time. Stupid asthma.
Anyways, here's to a fun-filled new year full of running highs and running lows. I will try and write as often as I can (or at least when I remember).
The first is the yearly event in May with my parents to do the Relay For Life, which benefits the American Cancer Society. I like this event because it doesn't cater to one specific type of cancer. The money raised goes to help fund research for all cancers. And they don't ask you raise a certain amount of money. They just encourage everyone to raise at least $100 (if you want a t-shirt).
My mom was diagnosed 2 years ago with breast cancer. 5 days after her mastectomy, she demanded we go to the Relay event so she could walk the first lap with all the survivors. I had her out for 2 hours and then she was beat. Rest was definitely needed. My mom is a trooper. She's doing really well now - in remission and her hair has grown back.
I'm team captain again for our Purple Cancer Eaters team. I've recruited some new people to join our team and I'm hoping to have it more organized - at least with a scheduled walk list so everyone knows when they are going to walk. Last year, I walked longer than I should have in the middle of the night because people were sleeping and I didn't want to wake anyone. They kinda got upset about it, so I figure, with a walk schedule, everyone can sign up for when they want to walk. If I can get 12 people on the team, then really everyone only has to walk 2 hours. Definitely not that bad. I'll keep you updated as it goes. I really need to get fundraising. Only $150 so far. I know I can do better!
Event #2 is in July. My friends and I decided we wanted to run the Napa half again. I think we're crazy. But I'm excited to do it. We created a team of about 7 of us. Team Super Poopers. Jill, our team captain, who I ran Napa with in '08, didn't want to run AND fundraise with Team Challenge, but still wanted to be a part of TC. So, we created a team in honor of the poop diseases, Crohn's (which Jill has) and Ulcerative Colitis (which my mom has). We definitely need to start training because July will be here before we know it. Half the team lives in San Diego and the other half in LA and one in Indiana. So all of us getting together to train probably won't happen, but the girls that are in town, I can train with them.
There is one more event I think I might sign up for, but it's not until November. I did the Iron Girl last year with my mom and my sister. It was a fast 5K and my mom and sister's first one. I felt honored to do it with them. I'm hoping they'll want to do it again this year. I need to beat my 5K time. Stupid asthma.
Anyways, here's to a fun-filled new year full of running highs and running lows. I will try and write as often as I can (or at least when I remember).
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Results
Ok, so I'm a dork. I totally forgot to update my blog like 2 months ago to give you all the results from the race. I think the excitement of it all, totally just made me space out, though you wouldn't think it would. Duh.
Anyways, so let me tell you:
Saturday Morning, December 5, 2009
5:45am - Meet at the airport - UGH! Sooo early!!
8:30am - Arrived in VEGAS!!
December in Las Vegas is COLD!! Seriously. It was like 30* out and it totally rained, but luckily not on race day.
So we stayed at the MGM Grand, but check in took FOREVER. Ugh. I think we waited for our room for like 3 hours. The coaches wanted to do a group run to the race expo after everyone checked in. I totally didn't do that run. I walked. While most people changed into their running gear, I and a few others, just changed into our running shoes and we walked over with the group. I found some neat stuff over there. I bought a thermal long sleeve shirt with the Las Vegas RnR logo on it. Got a bag full of samples and free stuff. Can't go wrong with that, right?! :)
Once we got back to the hotel, we hoped our room would be ready. But we were wrong. It took probably another hour or so before that happened. But in the meantime, I was able to meet up with my friend, Sara, and her mom. Sara was gonna share the room with me and Caitlyn and Jessica.
We had our TC Pasta/Inspiration dinner. All of us mentors went down early to line up so that when our mentees came down to the ballroom, they'd have to walk through a pathway full of mentors, coaches, and endurance managers from all over the US. It was so neat. My parents met up with me for the dinner. That was nice. They stayed across the way at their time share place. I was excited to have my mom there as she's the reason that I was running this race.
After dinner, we had a group meeting with all the last minute details before the race. Everyone was anxious about the race. Even after already completing one half marathon, I was still anxious about this one. But excited.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
3:30am - Wake Up for Race!! - sooo early, I don't even know how I functioned.
We met our team down in the lobby of the hotel. There were HUNDREDS of people dressed in their orange Team Challenge jerseys. We were like a blob of orange. It was awesome. We all walked over to the Mandalay Bay together. It was freezing out! Next time, I might actually wear long pants instead of capris. Or at least search earlier for leg warmers. I checked in my "after race" bag at the bag drop and peed and then met up with the group for a warm up. We took pre-race pictures and before we knew it, we heard the gun shots for the start of the race. It seemed a little unorganized as to where to go. Everyone was pushing each other to try and get into the corrals.
I paired up with Tiffany since we were in the same corral, #28 out of 29. HA! But last year my race time was over 3:30, so the slowest are always in the back. I went searching for my parents because I knew they were looking for me. Found them - they took pictures and Tiffany and I took off. It took about 45min before we even reached the start line.
They were filming the race and had it playing on the jumbo screens outside some of the hotels. It was crazy. Just as we were finally getting out there on the race course, a few of the racers were almost done!! OMG. It was nuts. Those were some serious racers. I think the first person to finish, crossed that finish line in just over 1 hour! To be able to run that fast would be AMAZING!!
Tiffany and I kept a slow, steady pace. I wasn't sure how long I was going to be able to keep her pace since I was trying to keep my breathing under control. I was determined to NOT have any asthma attacks this year. I decided to do any early bathroom break in the course. I found some bathrooms that didn't have a long line (like the ones I ended up at last year). And that was a good decision. The ones further down, had the line, which totally made the early break justifiable. *And I didn't need one for the rest of the race!!*
We past Tiffany's boyfriend first. Then I found my parents, who took some motion shots. And then I got into super focus mode. I worked on my breathing, kept a good pace and was able to stay with Tiffany for about 1 hour and 45 minutes until I started to feel my asthma kicking in. I slowed down, she kept going. But I'm really proud of myself. I was able to run for 6.5 miles without stopping!! That's a record for me! I've NEVER done that before. Though my body wanted me to slow down and walk, my legs didn't. I tried walking but they wanted to run. It was wierd. Finally I overpowered them and made them walk.
I saw some guy working at a bar pass out beer to some of the runners/walkers. That was funny. I passed some of the brides and grooms who got married at the Paris Hotel. That's a neat idea. Get married while running a marathon. Who would have thought?
I passed some local HS cheerleaders, Team Challenge supporters/cheerleaders, and some random people on the sidelines in their lounge chairs watching all of us crazy people run or walk in the 30* weather.
The weather was insane. I never truly felt like I warmed up. I got warm enough to toss my jacket on the side somewhere along the course, and eventually my gloves, but even with my long sleeve shirt and TC jersey, I was still cold. Yes, definitely long pants next time.
Finally about mile 10, Michelle Layton, one of the TC honorees, found me and ran the last 3.1 miles with me. She kept me motivated and inspired. Jess Johnson found me too, and her words of inspiration always get to me, and I could feel that emotional asthma attack coming, but luckily I kept it in check. Yay me!
Those last three miles were the worst. Actually, no. Scratch that. The worst was the last mile. It's like I knew I was almost done but my energy level was on empty. I kept telling myself, "you're almost there!" and then I saw my parents. And I pushed it harder. Not walking, but not running either. Somewhere in between. Michelle was there by my side. And once I saw that finish line, I pushed it hard! And crossed it. And almost collapsed. I got all teary-eyed. But I did it! All 13.1 miles. AND, I beat last year's time by 20 minutes. I finished in 3:21. How awesome is that?!! 20 minutes! Amazing!
Now I have a goal to shave off another 20 minutes. If I could do a half in 3 hours or less, I would be soooo happy! So it's something to work at.
The rest of my trip was great. After the race, I hung out with my parents and my boyfriend. We ate, I got a massage, and waited for Sara to finish her marathon. Yes, she did the marathon. And did it in about 5 hours or so. I don't remember her time. But that's awesome. Go Sara!
We partied that night with friend and teammates. Monday morning I walked to the buses with everyone and said bye. Then went to meet up with Arnon at Excalibur and spend the rest of my time in Vegas with him. We had a great time.
Thanks to everyone who donated. I raised a total or $3,873.60! I couldn't have done it without your support.
So, now I have completed my 2nd half marathon. Still not brave enough to do a full, though Sara really wants me to do one with her. Maybe later.
Anyways, so let me tell you:
Saturday Morning, December 5, 2009
5:45am - Meet at the airport - UGH! Sooo early!!
8:30am - Arrived in VEGAS!!
December in Las Vegas is COLD!! Seriously. It was like 30* out and it totally rained, but luckily not on race day.
So we stayed at the MGM Grand, but check in took FOREVER. Ugh. I think we waited for our room for like 3 hours. The coaches wanted to do a group run to the race expo after everyone checked in. I totally didn't do that run. I walked. While most people changed into their running gear, I and a few others, just changed into our running shoes and we walked over with the group. I found some neat stuff over there. I bought a thermal long sleeve shirt with the Las Vegas RnR logo on it. Got a bag full of samples and free stuff. Can't go wrong with that, right?! :)
Once we got back to the hotel, we hoped our room would be ready. But we were wrong. It took probably another hour or so before that happened. But in the meantime, I was able to meet up with my friend, Sara, and her mom. Sara was gonna share the room with me and Caitlyn and Jessica.
We had our TC Pasta/Inspiration dinner. All of us mentors went down early to line up so that when our mentees came down to the ballroom, they'd have to walk through a pathway full of mentors, coaches, and endurance managers from all over the US. It was so neat. My parents met up with me for the dinner. That was nice. They stayed across the way at their time share place. I was excited to have my mom there as she's the reason that I was running this race.
After dinner, we had a group meeting with all the last minute details before the race. Everyone was anxious about the race. Even after already completing one half marathon, I was still anxious about this one. But excited.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
3:30am - Wake Up for Race!! - sooo early, I don't even know how I functioned.
We met our team down in the lobby of the hotel. There were HUNDREDS of people dressed in their orange Team Challenge jerseys. We were like a blob of orange. It was awesome. We all walked over to the Mandalay Bay together. It was freezing out! Next time, I might actually wear long pants instead of capris. Or at least search earlier for leg warmers. I checked in my "after race" bag at the bag drop and peed and then met up with the group for a warm up. We took pre-race pictures and before we knew it, we heard the gun shots for the start of the race. It seemed a little unorganized as to where to go. Everyone was pushing each other to try and get into the corrals.
I paired up with Tiffany since we were in the same corral, #28 out of 29. HA! But last year my race time was over 3:30, so the slowest are always in the back. I went searching for my parents because I knew they were looking for me. Found them - they took pictures and Tiffany and I took off. It took about 45min before we even reached the start line.
They were filming the race and had it playing on the jumbo screens outside some of the hotels. It was crazy. Just as we were finally getting out there on the race course, a few of the racers were almost done!! OMG. It was nuts. Those were some serious racers. I think the first person to finish, crossed that finish line in just over 1 hour! To be able to run that fast would be AMAZING!!
Tiffany and I kept a slow, steady pace. I wasn't sure how long I was going to be able to keep her pace since I was trying to keep my breathing under control. I was determined to NOT have any asthma attacks this year. I decided to do any early bathroom break in the course. I found some bathrooms that didn't have a long line (like the ones I ended up at last year). And that was a good decision. The ones further down, had the line, which totally made the early break justifiable. *And I didn't need one for the rest of the race!!*
We past Tiffany's boyfriend first. Then I found my parents, who took some motion shots. And then I got into super focus mode. I worked on my breathing, kept a good pace and was able to stay with Tiffany for about 1 hour and 45 minutes until I started to feel my asthma kicking in. I slowed down, she kept going. But I'm really proud of myself. I was able to run for 6.5 miles without stopping!! That's a record for me! I've NEVER done that before. Though my body wanted me to slow down and walk, my legs didn't. I tried walking but they wanted to run. It was wierd. Finally I overpowered them and made them walk.
I saw some guy working at a bar pass out beer to some of the runners/walkers. That was funny. I passed some of the brides and grooms who got married at the Paris Hotel. That's a neat idea. Get married while running a marathon. Who would have thought?
I passed some local HS cheerleaders, Team Challenge supporters/cheerleaders, and some random people on the sidelines in their lounge chairs watching all of us crazy people run or walk in the 30* weather.
The weather was insane. I never truly felt like I warmed up. I got warm enough to toss my jacket on the side somewhere along the course, and eventually my gloves, but even with my long sleeve shirt and TC jersey, I was still cold. Yes, definitely long pants next time.
Finally about mile 10, Michelle Layton, one of the TC honorees, found me and ran the last 3.1 miles with me. She kept me motivated and inspired. Jess Johnson found me too, and her words of inspiration always get to me, and I could feel that emotional asthma attack coming, but luckily I kept it in check. Yay me!
Those last three miles were the worst. Actually, no. Scratch that. The worst was the last mile. It's like I knew I was almost done but my energy level was on empty. I kept telling myself, "you're almost there!" and then I saw my parents. And I pushed it harder. Not walking, but not running either. Somewhere in between. Michelle was there by my side. And once I saw that finish line, I pushed it hard! And crossed it. And almost collapsed. I got all teary-eyed. But I did it! All 13.1 miles. AND, I beat last year's time by 20 minutes. I finished in 3:21. How awesome is that?!! 20 minutes! Amazing!
Now I have a goal to shave off another 20 minutes. If I could do a half in 3 hours or less, I would be soooo happy! So it's something to work at.
The rest of my trip was great. After the race, I hung out with my parents and my boyfriend. We ate, I got a massage, and waited for Sara to finish her marathon. Yes, she did the marathon. And did it in about 5 hours or so. I don't remember her time. But that's awesome. Go Sara!
We partied that night with friend and teammates. Monday morning I walked to the buses with everyone and said bye. Then went to meet up with Arnon at Excalibur and spend the rest of my time in Vegas with him. We had a great time.
Thanks to everyone who donated. I raised a total or $3,873.60! I couldn't have done it without your support.
So, now I have completed my 2nd half marathon. Still not brave enough to do a full, though Sara really wants me to do one with her. Maybe later.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
11 Miles Strong
Well I totally got over whatever it was that I had on Thursday. It was just a 24hr thing because Friday morning I woke up feeling 100 times better! I think doing nothing all day after my walk at the lake helped.
Saturday was awesome! 11 miles was on the schedule and I totally rocked it out! I had this plan to do some running, but with limited maps, I felt the need to hang back and make sure no one got lost. I think there was one map for 5 of us. But it turned out to be a good thing. We pushed each other to go a little faster than usual. Kept a good steady pace too. I'm glad I bought some Gu the other day. It really helped keep my energy level up. And I didn't forget my water this time. So happy about that. I think I would have died without it. AND I only had one pee stop about 1:30 into it. If I can make sure that happens again during the race, I'll be okay and not lose momentum like I did last year. The pee stops can totally mess with your time if there's a long line.
I started to slow down a bit towards the end. I think it was the hilly-ness of the bridges we had to cross. That was when my asthma started to kick in and I had to focus on my breathing. But I'm happy to report I didn't have an asthma attack. I kept it in check. Yay me! Walking only, I finished the 11 miles in just over 3 hours. And I am totally happy with that. Honestly, that's actually faster than my half marathon time last year. I think I did the 13.1 miles in 3:38 or somewhere around that time. So to do 11 miles in 3 hours just by walking, I totally have this in the bag. Add some running in there and I for sure can make it in 3 hours. At least I hope. But I'm thinking positive here. No asthma attacks. No early pee breaks. Just cross that finish line with the crowds cheering. Yeah. That's what I see happening.
Saturday was awesome! 11 miles was on the schedule and I totally rocked it out! I had this plan to do some running, but with limited maps, I felt the need to hang back and make sure no one got lost. I think there was one map for 5 of us. But it turned out to be a good thing. We pushed each other to go a little faster than usual. Kept a good steady pace too. I'm glad I bought some Gu the other day. It really helped keep my energy level up. And I didn't forget my water this time. So happy about that. I think I would have died without it. AND I only had one pee stop about 1:30 into it. If I can make sure that happens again during the race, I'll be okay and not lose momentum like I did last year. The pee stops can totally mess with your time if there's a long line.
I started to slow down a bit towards the end. I think it was the hilly-ness of the bridges we had to cross. That was when my asthma started to kick in and I had to focus on my breathing. But I'm happy to report I didn't have an asthma attack. I kept it in check. Yay me! Walking only, I finished the 11 miles in just over 3 hours. And I am totally happy with that. Honestly, that's actually faster than my half marathon time last year. I think I did the 13.1 miles in 3:38 or somewhere around that time. So to do 11 miles in 3 hours just by walking, I totally have this in the bag. Add some running in there and I for sure can make it in 3 hours. At least I hope. But I'm thinking positive here. No asthma attacks. No early pee breaks. Just cross that finish line with the crowds cheering. Yeah. That's what I see happening.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Silver Strand
Racing in the 5K was so much fun! Regardless of the fact that I had to wake up at 4:30am, it was still a blast. It was cool driving down to Imperial Beach so early in the morning. Just in time for the sunrise. Though I didn't make it there in time to watch it, but I saw a little from the car.
It was pretty cold this morning. My car temperature gauge read 51 degrees. Brrrr! And I know that it's going to be colder in Las Vegas! But I had my jacket, so I was okay. It was tolerable. I think for Vegas, I need to find like an Under Armour shirt to wear under my jersey so I don't have to worry about a jacket and still stay warm.
There was only a handful of us this morning. I'd say maybe 8-10 people. It was a nice size group. My plan was to try and stay the same pace as Tiffany, but unfortunately my asthma wouldn't let me. Now I don't want to blame everything on it, but I have a feeling it's because it was so cold outside. My lungs were tight and hadn't warmed up so it was harder to take in the air. I have to figure out something. I really want to be able to run a mile without this feeling of gasping for air and I don't know what to do. The 2 different inhalers that I have which the doctor prescribed me last year just don't seem to work. Though I will have one with me during the race just in case.
It's interesting. I was able to run for 20 min straight on Wed night, but this morning, I could barely run a mile without problems. I have only about 3 more weeks or so before the race to figure something out. Coach Dave wants to try something for our big long run next weekend. 5 min walk/1 min run for about 2 to 3 miles. Test it out and see if that will help warm up the lungs and get me going. I'm willing to try it. I've noticed that my running has been improving but usually at night and I'm thinking it's because of the time of day and air temperature.
But on the plus side, I did run the race faster than I thought I would. I had it in my head that I would probably finish the race in about 45 minutes. I clocked in at 41:39 (I think). And I think I was only about 5 minutes slower than Tiffany. Not too shabby. I was running between a 12:35-14:00 mile. At least Coach Dave clocked the first mile I ran at about 12:35. It's an improvement and I'm happy.
I don't know how I had so much energy today. After the race, I went down to St Vincent De Paul to feed the homeless as I do pretty much every Sunday. It was awesome. I was in a great mood. But once those doors closed and we stopped, I could feel the energy start to decrease. I got home, showered and have been just resting and eating all day. Seriously. Why have I been eating ALL day?! I feel sick. I'm done. I brushed my teeth so no more food for me. Just water. I'm done til tomorrow.
It was pretty cold this morning. My car temperature gauge read 51 degrees. Brrrr! And I know that it's going to be colder in Las Vegas! But I had my jacket, so I was okay. It was tolerable. I think for Vegas, I need to find like an Under Armour shirt to wear under my jersey so I don't have to worry about a jacket and still stay warm.
There was only a handful of us this morning. I'd say maybe 8-10 people. It was a nice size group. My plan was to try and stay the same pace as Tiffany, but unfortunately my asthma wouldn't let me. Now I don't want to blame everything on it, but I have a feeling it's because it was so cold outside. My lungs were tight and hadn't warmed up so it was harder to take in the air. I have to figure out something. I really want to be able to run a mile without this feeling of gasping for air and I don't know what to do. The 2 different inhalers that I have which the doctor prescribed me last year just don't seem to work. Though I will have one with me during the race just in case.
It's interesting. I was able to run for 20 min straight on Wed night, but this morning, I could barely run a mile without problems. I have only about 3 more weeks or so before the race to figure something out. Coach Dave wants to try something for our big long run next weekend. 5 min walk/1 min run for about 2 to 3 miles. Test it out and see if that will help warm up the lungs and get me going. I'm willing to try it. I've noticed that my running has been improving but usually at night and I'm thinking it's because of the time of day and air temperature.
But on the plus side, I did run the race faster than I thought I would. I had it in my head that I would probably finish the race in about 45 minutes. I clocked in at 41:39 (I think). And I think I was only about 5 minutes slower than Tiffany. Not too shabby. I was running between a 12:35-14:00 mile. At least Coach Dave clocked the first mile I ran at about 12:35. It's an improvement and I'm happy.
I don't know how I had so much energy today. After the race, I went down to St Vincent De Paul to feed the homeless as I do pretty much every Sunday. It was awesome. I was in a great mood. But once those doors closed and we stopped, I could feel the energy start to decrease. I got home, showered and have been just resting and eating all day. Seriously. Why have I been eating ALL day?! I feel sick. I'm done. I brushed my teeth so no more food for me. Just water. I'm done til tomorrow.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Asthma Sucks
Ugh. I hate that I have asthma. It totally gets in the way of a good workout.
Tonight we had training at the UCSD track. I really enjoyed it last time. I did A LOT more running than walking and was able to pick up my pace a little which was awesome. Tonight, not so much. I was looking forward to it too. But I guess my lungs weren't happy. My warm up run was no problem and the first couple of laps around the track were easy peasy, but I think when I started to pick up the pace a little, I pushed myself too much and felt the asthma attack come on. No bueno.
I really wish that my inhalers actually did something for me, but I don't feel they do anything other than make my heart race twice as fast. Acupuncture didn't really work, though I wasn't going consistently since it was a little too expensive. Though I have found that the more I work out, the better my lung capacity has been. I have my good days and my bad ones. I guess today you would call it a bad day. Oh well. We'll see how I do on our long run on Saturday. I think we're up to 9 miles now!
Tonight we had training at the UCSD track. I really enjoyed it last time. I did A LOT more running than walking and was able to pick up my pace a little which was awesome. Tonight, not so much. I was looking forward to it too. But I guess my lungs weren't happy. My warm up run was no problem and the first couple of laps around the track were easy peasy, but I think when I started to pick up the pace a little, I pushed myself too much and felt the asthma attack come on. No bueno.
I really wish that my inhalers actually did something for me, but I don't feel they do anything other than make my heart race twice as fast. Acupuncture didn't really work, though I wasn't going consistently since it was a little too expensive. Though I have found that the more I work out, the better my lung capacity has been. I have my good days and my bad ones. I guess today you would call it a bad day. Oh well. We'll see how I do on our long run on Saturday. I think we're up to 9 miles now!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Track Workout
I totally forgot to write to you about how the track workout went last Wednesday.
Let me tell you...
It was an experience!! Really, it was. I went to a performing arts high school, so there were no sports, thus no track and field, so I hadn't set foot on one. Plus, in college, the only fields I ever went to were the football and soccer fields. So no experience at Redlands either.
It was fun. The ground was nice a squishy. Very easy on the feet. And I'm so glad that I have my newly better fitting running shoes! :)
None of my mentees were able to make it to the training, but that's okay. They are working hard training at home. So I focused on pushing myself a little more than usual. Track training is kinda fun. Granted you run in circles the entire time, but it's easy on the joints and it goes by pretty fast. We did a 10 minute warm up running around the track with some stretching afterwards. Then we did pacing. One lap at race pace, one lap at slower pace (kind of like a cool down). I did awesome. I was actually able to run around the entire track a couple times before my asthma kicked in. I haven't run straight for 5 or 6 minutes in I don't know how long. I was super proud of myself. I think for the first time, I actually did more running than walking. I hope to keep that up!
45 minutes of that. I felt great afterwards. Super hungry, but great. My best friend from NYC was visiting so I felt kind of bad that she was sitting and waiting for me to be done, but my iPhone kept her entertained for most of it. :)
I'm looking forward to doing another track training. I think we have one coming up again in a couple weeks. Tomorrow we are back at Mission Bay Park again. It's all pavement running so it'll be a little harder on the joints, but I can do it. I hope to do just as well this week. I'll let you know how it goes (and hopefully sooner than later!)
I've been walking Lake Miramar again. Every Tues and Thurs morning with one of my many preggo friends. Joy is awesome and it's so fun to see her every week and watch the baby belly get bigger!
I received 2 matching donations. One from Intuit and another from Qualcomm. For a total of $600 more. I have finally passed the $3000 mark!! Yay! Thanks everyone! Keep it up! Only 2 more to go. I have a lead on someone who could be a potential super donor. I hope it works out.
There's a big fundraising event this weekend. We're throwing a P90X Bootcamp. I don't know much about them, but I hear they are pretty intense. I'm looking forward to checking it out. I hope some of my friends can make it out. It's free with a $40 donation and if you've already donated, then all you have to do is make up the difference to get to $40 or if you've donate more, than it's completely free! So you should come. It'll be fun.
Anyways, I'm going to get to bed. There's a meteor shower tonight and I want to watch it. I'm going to pick up my boyfriend at 1am. So I need a few hours sleep at least for now.
Good night!!
Let me tell you...
It was an experience!! Really, it was. I went to a performing arts high school, so there were no sports, thus no track and field, so I hadn't set foot on one. Plus, in college, the only fields I ever went to were the football and soccer fields. So no experience at Redlands either.
It was fun. The ground was nice a squishy. Very easy on the feet. And I'm so glad that I have my newly better fitting running shoes! :)
None of my mentees were able to make it to the training, but that's okay. They are working hard training at home. So I focused on pushing myself a little more than usual. Track training is kinda fun. Granted you run in circles the entire time, but it's easy on the joints and it goes by pretty fast. We did a 10 minute warm up running around the track with some stretching afterwards. Then we did pacing. One lap at race pace, one lap at slower pace (kind of like a cool down). I did awesome. I was actually able to run around the entire track a couple times before my asthma kicked in. I haven't run straight for 5 or 6 minutes in I don't know how long. I was super proud of myself. I think for the first time, I actually did more running than walking. I hope to keep that up!
45 minutes of that. I felt great afterwards. Super hungry, but great. My best friend from NYC was visiting so I felt kind of bad that she was sitting and waiting for me to be done, but my iPhone kept her entertained for most of it. :)
I'm looking forward to doing another track training. I think we have one coming up again in a couple weeks. Tomorrow we are back at Mission Bay Park again. It's all pavement running so it'll be a little harder on the joints, but I can do it. I hope to do just as well this week. I'll let you know how it goes (and hopefully sooner than later!)
I've been walking Lake Miramar again. Every Tues and Thurs morning with one of my many preggo friends. Joy is awesome and it's so fun to see her every week and watch the baby belly get bigger!
I received 2 matching donations. One from Intuit and another from Qualcomm. For a total of $600 more. I have finally passed the $3000 mark!! Yay! Thanks everyone! Keep it up! Only 2 more to go. I have a lead on someone who could be a potential super donor. I hope it works out.
There's a big fundraising event this weekend. We're throwing a P90X Bootcamp. I don't know much about them, but I hear they are pretty intense. I'm looking forward to checking it out. I hope some of my friends can make it out. It's free with a $40 donation and if you've already donated, then all you have to do is make up the difference to get to $40 or if you've donate more, than it's completely free! So you should come. It'll be fun.
Anyways, I'm going to get to bed. There's a meteor shower tonight and I want to watch it. I'm going to pick up my boyfriend at 1am. So I need a few hours sleep at least for now.
Good night!!
Monday, August 31, 2009
Training Season Has OFFICIALLY Begun
So here we are on Monday, my first "official" day of training at home. Saturday marked the start of Team Challenge Las Vegas! We had our first group Saturday run at Mission Bay. I got there around 8:30am at the temperature was already at 85˚!!! What is with this global warming?! Seriously. I'm ready for some cooler weather.
There was a good turn out on Saturday. And there was actually a good balance of guys and girls. Mostly girls, but there were a handful of guys. I think we only had like 5 guys when I did the run last year in Napa.
I'm liking the coaches so far. They seem very attentive to everyone and I think they will be an excellent support system. There were quite a few runners, actually mostly runners at this group session. There was one walker. Jess has officially asked me to be the walking mentor. There is one other guy, Jake, who will be mentoring with me. He did the Napa race this past July. He seems cool. Jess texted me the other day to tell me that there are a handful of other walkers and she'll be matching me up with them. Maybe I'll get to meet some of them on Wed for the mid-week group training session.
I did a 30 minute walk/run today with Zoe. I feel really good after it, too. I was really only planning on walking the entire time, but there was a downhill on the way home and I figured I'd take advantage of it and run a little. I really do love running, I just have my issues. BUT, on a positive note, I ran for 5 minutes straight! Twice. No stopping. A little downhill, to flat land, to half way up a hill. AND I didn't take my inhaler. I haven't taken them in a long time. I'm trying to not use them and naturally get my lungs to take in more air. I need to go back to the acupuncturist and see if she can help too. I had to stop since it started to get too expensive, but my mom has informed me that I have a $100 credit with her from referrals my mom sent and Dr Wang is planning on giving me a discount since she really wants to help me. So how can I pass that up?
And one more thing before I go.
Happy 1 year anniversary to my most awesome boyfriend who brought me flowers last night at midnight! We won't be able to see each other tonight since he works til after midnight, so he stopped by on his way home last night and surprised me with roses. He's so sweet! I think I'll keep him.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Holistic Medicine
Yesterday I decided to take a chance and go see my mom's acupuncturist. My mom goes for help while she has her chemo. Dr. Wang gets rid of any nausia and keeps her healthy (as can be). I took her there a couple weeks ago and talked to the doctor briefly. She said she could help me with my asthma. So I figured I might as well try. If it helps me run better and makes me healthier, I'm willing to try it.
I was a little apprehensive at first, but I got over the fact that needles were going to be stuck all over my body. It actually wasn't that bad. The nice thing about Dr Wang is that she's not just an acupuncturist. She actually has a PHD and then she studied acupuncture. So I feel very comfortable with her.
It was kind of weird at first seeing the needles protruding from different areas on my body, but I got over it quickly and took a nap. I don't feel immediate results, but I did feel very relaxed. She gave me some herbal tea to drink over the next 6 days. They are the strangest looking herbs, but they have a nice smell. I'm supposed to let them soak in water for 1hr and then boil for 5 min. Interesting.
I told her that I'm running the half marathon in December and so she has this goal to make me better or close to, within the next 21 weeks. Though that does mean I get to be a regular patient - like 4 times a week. But if it helps, then so be it. I'll keep you posted on my progress.
I was a little apprehensive at first, but I got over the fact that needles were going to be stuck all over my body. It actually wasn't that bad. The nice thing about Dr Wang is that she's not just an acupuncturist. She actually has a PHD and then she studied acupuncture. So I feel very comfortable with her.
It was kind of weird at first seeing the needles protruding from different areas on my body, but I got over it quickly and took a nap. I don't feel immediate results, but I did feel very relaxed. She gave me some herbal tea to drink over the next 6 days. They are the strangest looking herbs, but they have a nice smell. I'm supposed to let them soak in water for 1hr and then boil for 5 min. Interesting.
I told her that I'm running the half marathon in December and so she has this goal to make me better or close to, within the next 21 weeks. Though that does mean I get to be a regular patient - like 4 times a week. But if it helps, then so be it. I'll keep you posted on my progress.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Testing The Waters
So I took Zoe out for a walk today. Not a super long one, but it was a good 30 min walk. I really need to do it earlier in the day, because at noon, it's just too darn hot! But we did it anyway. While walking, I got the urge to see if I could run without any ankle problems. It actually wasn't so bad. I didn't feel any tightness or soreness or anything to make me think I couldn't start running again. It was a nice feeling. Granted my lungs need work. I didn't bring my inhaler since I wasn't planning on running, but I survived.
I have to start taking the steroid inhaler again on a regular basis if I expect to run. I hate having this exercise-induced asthma. It really holds me back from doing what I want to do. And I never really found the inhalers to work that much. I'm thinking of trying out my mom's acupuncturist. Apparently she helps with asthma and I'm willing to give it a try. If she could make it so that I can run longer than 3 minutes without becoming out of breathe, I think I'd be in heaven. I can't remember what it's like to run without breathing problems. I've had this issue since I was 17 and I've felt that all it's done is held me back from any type of sport. I was able to survive soccer because it's stop and go running, but for me to run another half marathon, I'd like it to be a little easier. I'm very proud of myself that I was able to run a half in the 3.5 hours, and with 2 asthma attacks (mostly caused by emotions running high); but I would love to be able to do it in less than 3 or even 3 hours would be awesome! So we'll see.
Anyways, I have the Team Challenge Mentor meeting tonight. I still have to fill out the application, but I'm excited to find out more about the position and what it entails. Being that I'm not a "runner" per se, nor am I a full-fledged "walker," I'm hoping there's a happy medium. Maybe to be the "wunner" mentor. Ha! We'll see.
I should probably go hop in the shower now. I feel so diiirty. :) But good after a nice walk/run this afternoon. I know Zoe is completely pooped out and that's a good sign. She's got so much energy that she benefits from my training sessions too. She's a happy pooch.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)