December 2nd- Abs

December 3rd- Rest

December 4th- Abs

December 5th- Rest

December 6th- Abs

December 7th- Rest

December 8th- Rest

October 28th- Abs

October 29th- 3.5 mile Treadmill Run

Tonight was a treadmill kind of run. I got out of class around 6pm and the sun was already setting! I can’t believe how dark its getting so early. Hopefully after day light savings this weekend I will be able to do more running at night after classes. Since I haven’t been to the gym in awhile, this run actually went fairly fast.

October 30th- Rest

October 31st- Abs

November 1st- 3.15 mile run

Today was a Lake Padden run day. The hills are getting easier every time I run them, which is a great feeling. I love that confident feeling I get when I run Lake Padden and my mile times or hardness of the hills decreases.

November 2nd- Rest

November 3rd- 3.1 mile run

Tonight I opted for a treadmill run at the gym. I was able to get 3.1 miles in and felt really good! I am glad I was able to end this week on a running note.

Another month over and another month to go until this blog turns 1 year old! It’s hard to not start reminiscing about what has happened this past year and all the things I have accomplished. I don’t want to go into too much detail about this now, as this is something for next month, but I think it is important to keep this in mind to help motivate me through this next month especially as classes pick up and the Holiday season approaches.

Starting October, my goals were to eat healthy, take care of my body, and run at least 3 miles each time I run. For this month, I really want to make sure I am getting at least 2 runs in a week. Already being a week into November, I have not had a good start with keeping a good routine as classes start to pick up. I want to make sure I take the time to get to the gym and get the workouts in my body needs.

I have started getting stress headaches and I think part of this comes from not working out. These headaches get so bad to the point where I have to lay down and try to sleep them off. As these are becoming more frequent, I have noticed I have been putting off going to the gym and this is doing more harm than good. So, my main goal for November is to try and cut down on these frequent headaches by running every other day and doing home workouts on the days I don’t run. I am hoping this will help cut down on the headaches and help keep me sane as finals approach and the Holidays begin.

Monthly stats

November was another month with a solid mixture of workout days with rest days. Time to carry that through and finish 2019 out strong!

November 4th- Rest

November 5th- Rest

November 6th- Rest

November 7th- 3.1 mile run

I finally was able to get a treadmill run in today. This week has been so busy and crazy, so I am glad that I was able to get a run in today. My goal is to get back into a good routine next week.

November 8th- Abs

November 9th- Rest

November 10th- Abs

October 21st- 3.1 mile run

I’m starting the week off right with a 5k on the treadmill. It’s been awhile since I’ve got a run in and I have to admit this one felt pretty good. It felt good to sweat and let all my stress disappear as I focused on my run.

October 22nd- Abs

October 23rd- 3.51 mile Arboretum Run

It was beautiful out today! The sun was out and so I decided I needed to be also. I decided to run up through the arb on campus. This was a high elevation gain run , but all the fallen yellow and orange leaves on the ground was beautiful and couldn’t be passed up.

October 24th- Abs

October 25th- Rest

October 26th- Rest

October 27th- 3.33 mile Lake Padden Run

This weekend I went home and came back up to Bellingham today. I got back and instantly felt like I needed to go for a run. Luckily it was sunny out, so I was able to get out and enjoy the sun while running around the lake. I was surprised at how many people were out walking around the lake. It made the run go by faster because of having something to look at while running.

October 14th- arms, legs, cardio

Today was a weird day at the gym. I couldn’t make up my mind on what I wanted to do, so I decided to do a little bit of everything. I did the stairclimber for 15 minutes, walked a couple laps around the track to stretch my legs, got to work on toning my biceps and shoulders, and then decided to sprint a mile on the treadmill to get my heart rate up.

October 15th- rest

October 16th- rest

October 17th- Gym Day

It was a weird mix of a routine at the gym tonight. I started out on the stair climber for 15 minutes, then moved onto arms (using various shoulder, bicep, and tricep machines), then finished with a 1 mile sprint.

October 18th- Abs

October 19th- Rest

October 20th- Abs

October 7th- Abs

October 8th- 3.1 mile run and arms

I was able to make it to the gym today after my evening class. It sucks it is starting to get dark out so early… it’s making those evening runs not possible to do outside. I hit the gym tonight I powered through a quick 5K and arm workout. It felt good and something I want to keep up, even with my super busy schedule!

October 9th- Abs

October 10th- 4.5 mile run

This was another gym run tonight. I got out of class a little earlier than I thought I would and took that as an opportunity to hit the gym and get some miles in. I’m starting to remember how boring the treadmill can get. I might need to start doing some speed or hill training workouts to change things up a bit.

October 11th- rest

October 12th- rest

October 13th- rest

I spend the day with Alex’s family. We went to the pumpkin patch and then spent the afternoon and evening playing games and eating!

September 30th- 3.1 mile run

I opted in for another treadmill run tonight. By the time I got done with classes and meetings it was already 7:45, dark out, and freezing! So I decided to hit the gym treadmill instead skipping my run for the day.

I think it’s going to be really important to make it to the gym and not make excuses for why I can’t run. I felt so much better after this run. It’s amazing how much more clear headed I felt. Can’t wait to see what the rest of the week has in store!

October 1st- 30 min bike ride

I decided to bike today instead of run. My legs have been sore the last couple of days so I thought biking might give them a break. I was also able to get a solid arm workout in tonight.

October 2nd- Abs

I didn’t make it to the gym tonight, so opted in for a quick ab workout.

October 3rd- Abs

October 4th- 5.11 mile run

I ran Lake Padden twice today! A couple weeks ago this was a goal of mine and I finally have gotten around to do it! My mile times were a little slower than my normal 3+ mile runs, but I was shocked at how easy this run felt. I was definitely tired when I finished but I thought the hills were way easier than what I had built them up to be in my head. I guess this goes to show you how important a positive mindset can be.

October 5th- Rest

October 6th- Rest

I feel like I start each new months blog the same way: “Wow! I can’t believe how fast time has gone this month.” Why does this seem to be the case? And, how do I slow down time? September did go fast, but I think this month went fast because I was more mindful of doing the things I enjoy. This included not only running or working out, but also reading more, taking time to go outside, and spending time with friends and family.

I tried to make the month of September one of my better running months. I really wanted to take the time to run and push myself to hit at least three miles on each run I did. This was a way for me to push myself, but to also make sure I was feeling good and confident after my runs. There were a few months where I would barely hit 2.5 miles and call it quits. These were the runs that never felt satisfying because I wasn’t pushing myself to run longer distances.

When looking back on my goals for September, I did a pretty good job of hitting them. I did run at least 3 miles with every run and I did (and still do) stretch after each run. The one area I still need to work on it getting abs in on the days I don’t run. There were some weeks where I was really good about this, but there were also a lot of weeks where I slacked off. This will have to be one of my continuing goals for this month.

Goals for this month:

• Continue to run at least 3 miles each time I run
• Do abs each day on my off days from running
• Stay motivated and don’t make excuses to not run, especially as classes start to pick up and the days continue to get shorter and shorter.
• Continue to care for my body after runs by eating healthy and stretching.

I am excited to see what I can accomplish this October. Having some cooler weather will fun to run in and the rain that’s bound to hit soon will remind me of my cross country days. I know it will be hard to stay motivated with classes and working a part time job, but keeping up with my workouts will pay off in so many ways! I’m really going to have to push myself this month, but I think I will be up for the challenge.

Monthly stats

October was a really good month for working out. Each week this month was filled with a good mixture of run, gym, and rest days. I’m hoping to keep this motivation throughout the November and December.

September 23rd- 3.73 mile run

It was dumping rain most of the day. While most times it rains I have to push myself a little harder to get out and run, today was different. I was excited to run in the rain! I’m not sure what my change in attitude was today, but it made my run a lot more enjoyable.

The temperature has started to cool off, making those longer runs feel a little shorter than they should. My goal this week is to get a few long runs in. I am hoping to run around Lake Padden two times tomorrow. This will give me a little over 5 miles total. I know this run will be difficult, as Lake Padden has some fairly hilly parts, but it something I have been aiming to do for awhile. With the weather cooling down, it makes this goal seem feasible. I can’t wait to write that post sometime later this week once I have accomplished this mini-week goal!

September 24th- 3.73 mile run

Today’s run was another Fairhaven one. This time I decided to go through Fairhaven Park and hit a little bit of the Greenway Interurban Trail. I want to look more into where all this trail takes you. It might be a new route to try out!

September 25th- Rest

First day of classes went well except for one minor detail… I forgot how hard it is to wake up for an 8am! When my alarm went off this morning I couldn’t believe how tired I still was. This feeling carried throughout the day and into the evening.

I knew fall quarter was going to feel this way. I am promising myself to get a run in at least every other day. I will need to push myself to accomplish this. Tomorrow after my class ends at 6pm I am going to go to the gym and try a speed workout or hill workout on the treadmill!

September 26th- 3.31 mile rolling hill workout

This was my first time back in the gym after summer break. It was weird being back, but even weirder realizing I only have two more quarters to utilize the machines I’ve gotten used to.

I decided to do a hill workout today. This was harder than I thought it was going to be but made sure to push through the 30 minute workout and give it my all. I wish the treadmill would have tracked how much incline I gained while doing this workout. I know my legs and butt will be sore tomorrow! I was also able to get some assisted pull ups in. It felt good using theses muscles again.

I am excited to see what results I can get with going to the gym on a regular basis.

September 27th- Rest

September 28th- Moving day

It’s the day Alex officially moves out of his apartment in Bellingham. Although he has been living back at home for a little over a month now, it’s finally time for his lease up here to end and all his stuff to get moved back home. I wanted to count today as a “gym day” because of all the heavy lifting, squatting, and sweating we all did.

September 29th- Abs

I though I should end the week with an ab sessions. Today I spend the morning and part of the afternoon cheering with Alex and his brother at a marathon for Alex’s brothers wife. It was awesome to see so many dedicated runners… way more dedicated than I sometimes am.

It was a good reminder for me to stay on a schedule and push myself every time I run. Whether it be going up that dreaded hill instead of finding a new route, running a faster mile, or just going a longer distance than 3.5 miles. It’s these small changes that will make the biggest difference in my running.