Week 11

March 11- Starting to feel better

Today I woke up to my alarm for my 8am. I still feel pretty sick, but I pushed myself to get out of bed and go to class. Not sure if I really learned anything, but took notes that I can read over later for the final. My cough is getting worse where my chest and back ache from the strain.

Going to the gym hasn’t even crossed my mind, as I have been focusing on getting healthy again and making it through my project and presentation that are both tomorrow. I’m hoping maybe on Thursday I will be able to go to the gym? I want to make sure I give my body enough rest to get fully better. I am starting to feel a little pudgy from not keeping up with running and weight lifting, so I know the second I feel 100% better I will make my way to the gym.

March 12- Slowly getting better

My presentation and project went well, finished both without getting into too long of a coughing fit. I am feeling way better than I have this past weekend, but I am still wanting to get rid of this cough! I took an hour nap earlier and that seemed to help.

My goal is to continue going to bed early and making sure I am getting better! I am optimistic I will be able to kick this thing by Thursday!

March 13- Feeling even better!

Today I am feeling better, not 100% back to normal yet though. I still have a head cold going on, so I don’t think I will be able to make it to the gym today. I am hoping tomorrow I will be feeling even better to try and make it.

March 14- Almost back to normal

I am feeling fairly good today! I decided to skip my 8am and sleep in instead. The extra sleep really helped and I woke up feeling a lot better today.

I am still a little nervous to go to the gym. I really don’t want to make my symptoms worse by over doing it too soon. Instead, I think I am going to wait until next week to get back into my workout routine just to make sure.

I did an ab workout tonight and will continue with this through the weekend. I am starting to feel a little unhealthy by waiting so long to go to the gym, but I really don’t want this sickness to return.

March 15- Rest

I am finally feeling very close to normal and it feels really good! I am starting to get the yearning feeling to go to the gym. This must be a good sign that I am getting back to normal!

Who knows, maybe I will end up getting to the gym before Monday… only time will tell.

March 16- Full body circuit

I did it! I got up to campus and completed my full body workout. I could tell my muscles haven’t been used in while. Everything seemed really heavy! I did my normal routine with 10 pound dumbbells and 75 pounds for squats. I was able to complete everything, but I could tell my body was feeling weak from being sick.

I am hoping I can get outside tomorrow to complete a 2.5 mile run. I don’t want to push myself too hard so I get sick again, but it does feel good to get out and begin being active after being cooped up for so long.

My only fear is not letting my body fully recover from being sick. I am going to take it easy leading into next weeks workout, with the hope of being back on a normal schedule by the end of next week!

March 17- Rest

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!! I wish I was able to go out and celebrate, but with finals being next week and being sick all last week, it is time to cram. I spent most of the day indoors trying to study and prepare for my finance final tomorrow.

I was going to go for a run, but ran out of time with trying to retain everything I have learned this quarter in finance. I am hopeful for being able to go to the gym the rest of the week (Tuesday through Thursday), as my finals are all on Monday and Friday.

Happy to be feeling back to normal again! I’m sure I will take advantage of this feeling by hanging out with friends and hitting the gym.

Week 4

January 21- Run 4 miles

One of the worst feelings is not meeting your goal for the day. Unfortunately, that was me. I planned to hit 4 miles on the treadmill and ended up only hitting 3.2 miles. I got this really bad cramp in my lung around mile 2. Usually I can dig them out or work through the pain, but this one was different. It was too high up to dig out and every breath I took I was in so much pain. I tried to brush it off for another mile or so, but eventually had to stop because it was so hard to breathe. I have never had a cramp like that.

Although the run I wanted didn’t pan out, I was still able to hit 3 miles and know I could have pushed through another mile if the circumstances were different. Can’t wait to hit the treadmill again Wednesday to meet that 4 mile goal!

January 22- Full body circuit

Tonight was a great night to go to the gym. I got to see a friend from my chem and bio classes whom I haven’t seen since last spring quarter. It was great catching up and before I knew it, I had been at the gym for about an hour and still hadn’t started my workout!

I powered through a quick arms and legs workout and finished up with abs at home. It was great catching up, but I noticed how much it changed my motivation to complete a full workout. I only finished one and a half sets, half of the amount I normally do. On the days I lack motivation, these are the ones where I need to make sure I stick with my routine and push through the mental mind block.

I came across this quote on Pinterest and I really liked how it resonated with me. I hope it influences you as well.

“A dream written down with a date becomes a goal. A goal broken down into steps becomes a plan. A plan backed by action becomes reality.”

This, to me, is what my calendar and dedication to try to hit the gym everyday is all about. I can’t wait to see what my reality will look like within the next six months are so!

January 23- Run

Wow! Today was PACKED. I got out of classes around 2pm, had to meet with a friend to study finance, and then had a meeting for a club (MISA- management information system association) from 6-7:30. Needless to say, I have been on the go since 8 this morning.

After getting back from the club meeting, I made a quick dinner and then dedicated myself to studying for a marketing quiz I have tomorrow.

So, I guess long story short, above are a bunch of excuses I listed off as reasons why my run didn’t happen today. I’m hoping to get a mile or two in tomorrow before doing my full body circuit routine. Hopefully this will help fill in the gap of not being able to make it to the gym today.

January 24- Full body circuit

This workout felt so good! I took a lot of time to complete my circuit. Usually when I come to the gym I feel like I’m on a time crunch. I try to rush though my arms and legs workouts. Maybe this is the runner part of my brain? Trying to push through and get done as quick as I can knowing this mental push will pay off in the end.

Instead I took more than enough time, allowing myself to not only enjoy my workout, but also feel successful that I was using the correct form. I am going to continue to try this trend of taking my time and making sure that I do block out enough time in my schedule to carry this out!

After doing this workout for about a month, it feels good to take time and reflect on what is working and things I need to change to help me get in the best workout I can. I am excited to redo February’s calendar and add these things in as reminders.

January 25- Bike

I woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. Immediately it seemed like nothing was going to go my way. To change this mindset I knew I had to hit the gym to get my mind off all the negative things.

The hardest part about getting to the gym was finding the motivation to hop on the treadmill to run at least 3 miles. So, instead I decided I would get my cardio in a different way! As I sit here typing this blog post, I am also currently biking in the gym and jamming out to some reggae music! I don’t think life could get much better, I’m currently doing three of the things I enjoy the most!

After talking yesterday on here about changing up my workout for February, I am going to include a bike day instead of long distance running. I have currently been biking for 18 minutes and it feels great. I can feel my thighs burning and heart rate up, but the stress on my knees is totally gone! Yes, I know that is the whole point of biking, but I can’t believe how good it feels.

I can’t wait to include biking into my weekly routine! I have my work cut out for me in trying to revamp my entire week workout, but I also know this will pay off in the end both mentally and physically!

January 26- Full body circuit

I decided to increase the weight I use on the dumbbells, increasing to 10 pounds on each side. I could defiantly feel the burn after two sets! Although three sets are harder to get through, it feels way better than the 7.5 pounds I am used too.

This must be a good sign, I’m starting to get stronger and needing to increase the weight more often! Can’t wait to see how long it will take before I need to up the weight again to 12 pounds.

January 27- Rest

Always feels good to have a day to rest and reflect on the week. Can’t wait to modify my February schedule and catch up on other posts!

Week 3

January 14- 3.5 mile Run

After class this morning, my boyfriend and I went to the gym in between our classes. While he biked, I ran 3.5 miles. After two days of hitting 3.5 miles, it is starting to feel like I need more of a challenge… So, on Wednesday my goal is to run 3.75 miles and see how I’m feeling. I’m hoping I will be able to push through an extra 0.25 of a mile and hit 4 miles on Wednesday. I will for sure try to hit 4 miles on Friday and hope to be around there on Wednesday as well!

January 15- Full body circuit

I am so glad I decided to go to the gym last minute tonight! It was 8:30 and I had gotten carried away on practicing for the VITA advanced test. Passing this test allows me to volunteer to help others with filing their taxes. Before I knew it, it was way past 7 (the time I had planned to go to the gym). I debated whether or not it was worth still going… I talked myself into it and I’m so glad I did!

There were a few of my friends who also happened to be at the gym late tonight. It was so much fun learning their workouts and talking as we did our own things as well. I got to learn a really fun and intense ab workout. One I will try and incorporate into my full body circuit.

January 16- 4 mile run

I can’t believe how much I missed running outside!! After getting over the mental block of “do I really want to run today? I am pretty busy…” I got all my running stuff on and started running toward Fairhaven’s Boulevard Park.

This run was BEAUTIFUL. The sun was getting lower in the sky, almost ready to set, creating a soft pink and baby blue sky. It was amazing to be running right next to the water and seeing all the vibrant colors and hearing the waves of the water crash around me. I wanted to take a photo to post on here, but also didn’t want to run out of daylight and therefore opted not to stop on my run.

This run was exactly 4 miles with many hills to get over. It took me about 36 minutes to complete this route. I was amazed at how much ground one can cover in 4 miles. I’m so used to running in one spot on the treadmill that I forgot how freeing running outside can really be! I can’t wait for nicer and warmer weather to be running outside more often! I am starting to find some fun spots around Bellingham to run to and can’t wait to find more this spring.

January 17- Full body circuit

I had one class today from 8am to 10am. I hit the gym right after class and it put me in a better mood for the rest of the day! Today I realized how much I like going to the gym and completing more workouts in the morning. It makes me feel productive and motivated for the rest of my day.

After getting home from the gym, I sat down to work on homework and was shocked at how much more focused I was. It made getting through my work more enjoyable and I felt like I was retaining the information way better than I would have without going to the gym.

This schedule of going to the gym in the mornings is something I am hoping to keep up on Thursdays and Fridays as these are the only two days that this works with my schedule. As for the other days, the afternoon will have to suffice!

January 18- 2 mile run

Today I took it easy on my run. I ran 2 miles and it was a good break from running the 3.5 to 4 miles I had been doing this week. I woke up feeling under the weather and was worried about pushing myself too hard and getting more sick.

I am glad I went to the gym, and it felt good to take a little breather on the treadmill and only go the two miles. I can’t wait to get back up to 3.5 or 4 miles next week though!

January 19- Full Body Circuit

This workout didn’t feel as satisfying as it normally does. I felt off doing the dumbbells and leg machines. I think it might be time for a rest day. Thankfully, that day is tomorrow!

Today was one of those days where it felt like I was just going through the motions to get my workout done. This feeling sucked! There wasn’t any passion or heart in what I was doing. It felt like it was just one of those things I needed to finish to check it off the to do list. I’m hoping after my Sunday rest day, I will get back into the right mindset of why I go to the gym.

January 20- Rest day

This day was much needed. It was nice to give my muscles and body a rest from the other six days I worked out this week. I have to admit, it did feel weird not putting on my gym clothes, lacing up my shoes, and heading to the gym. Instead, I got to relax, catching up on some Netflix shows, and finishing up the majority of my homework. My boyfriend and I also got out and drove up to Birch Bay. I’m hoping to take some time this upcoming week to post some of these photos to the photography part of my blog. As classes start to pick up, I’ve noticed it has become a lot harder to write on here each day. I’ve slacked off a bit and have been writing these posts a couple days after the fact. Next week, I will try to stay on top of it and write one each night after going to the gym.

Week 2

January 7- Run 3.5 miles

Today was a day where I needed a run. There was some unnecessary drama between a friend and I that put me in a funk. I don’t like drama and try to stay away from it as best as I can, but this time it wasn’t something I could look past.

Without getting into to much detail, after our hour long talk I felt emotionally drained and down. After getting back to my boyfriends apartment and spending some time with him and his roommates I made the decision to run Lake Padden. I can’t begin to tell you how good this run felt. I had good mile times (about 8 minutes and 30 second miles) and I was in the right mindset to push myself as hard as I could.

It felt so rewarding when finishing the lake out of breath and legs tired beneath me. It was at the moment when a feeling of gratitude rushed through me. I was thankful for the sun shining, my friend and I sitting down to talk, and that classes will be starting up again tomorrow.

Running helps give me a more positive outlook on my day and it is something that I need to remember as classes begin tomorrow. I’m a little nervous to hit the gym tomorrow with all the other college kids trying to fulfill their New Years resolutions, but I am hopeful that this week I will be able to obtain my workout goal.

January 8- Full body circuit

Today was the first day of classes and it went by so fast! It was great seeing and catching up with friends I have not seen since winter break, and others since last spring quarter. It also felt great being on a schedule and a routine again with a specific time to go to the gym, it makes my life so much easier and is so rewarding to make it one of the last things to do on campus.

I decided to hit the gym late tonight, around 7pm after dinner had settled in my stomach. My boyfriend and I both went to the gym, while he biked, I fulfilled all of my circuit. It felt great to lift the dumbbells again and focus on strengthening my leg muscles.

It’s amazing how much better I feel after hitting the gym. It puts me in a motivated mood. This is something I’m going to have to keep in mind as classes start to pick up and begin to get harder.

January 9- Run 3.5 miles

Today’s run was tough to get through. I was going to run outside after my classes, but realized I left my running shoes at my boyfriends apartment who had class from 2pm-6pm. What a bummer! I was pumped to run outside, but had to change my plan up a bit.My boyfriend and I decided to hit the gym around 7pm. I ran 3.1 miles on the treadmill.

As I continue to increase my mileage, I think I might have been a little too optimistic about how many miles to increase every week. I still want to increase my distance to 4 miles by the end of the month, but I think it is going to take a little longer to build up to that. Today’s run was a little challenging, but I’m hoping to increase it to 3.5 miles on Friday!

January 10- Full body circuit

I got done with classes at 10 this morning and decided to hit the gym on my way back home. There weren’t too many people in there, making my routine go by fast because all the machines I needed were open!

I’m hoping to stick to this time for the gym on Thursday’s and Friday’s to make sure get the best workout in that I can. I feel like I’m starting to get used to the 5 pound dumbbells as the arm workouts aren’t seeming too hard anymore… my goal was to increase the weight at the end of each month, but I’m thinking it might need to happen sooner!

January 11- Run 4 miles

Last night I ended up going to the Greta Van Fleet concert with my dad in Seattle. When classes were over I drove home from Bellingham, my dad and I went out for sushi, and then headed over the the Paramount Theater to wait in line until the doors opened. My dad LOVES live music and luckily I do too, so on occasion either my brother of I get to accompany him. The show was great, if you haven’t heard of Greta Van Fleet I would totally recommend checking them out- especially if you listen to rock or like Led Zeppelin.

With this being said, the show got done around 10:45pm and we were at home and in bed by 11:40pm. Unfortunately, I have an 8am class on Friday’s so I only got about four and a half hours of sleep before having to head back to Bellingham. Running on four and a half hours of sleep sucked, after class I took a two hour nap but still feel exhausted. With this being said, I am deciding to switch up my calendar routine… I honestly never thought there would be so many changes or interruptions in my workout plan! Good thing I haven’t started working on February’s calendar yet.

Here is my new plan for this weekend:

FRIDAY– Rest

SATURDAY– Run 3.5 miles either outside or on the treadmill

SUNDAY– full body circuit

Hopefully this will keep me on track for this weekend and next week!

January 12- Run 3.5 miles

I successfully took enough time out of my day to head to the gym and run 3.5 miles on the treadmill. It felt really good! I was able to finish in 33 minutes, a lot faster than I thought it would take me!

Overall, this run felt really good. I hit 3.5 miles and wanted to keep going. I’m excited to finally hit 4 miles… hopefully within the next week or so! Holding myself to running longer distances has been a mental block that I am excited to overcome as I gradually run longer distances each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

January 13- Full body circuit

This workout was a nice break from reading textbooks and preparing for the week ahead. It gave me a time to clear my head and focus on my body and building muscle.

I completed my legs, arms, and core workouts. I increased the dumbbell weight from 5 pounds to 7.5 pounds. This was more of a challenge, but I was able to complete the full workout. Hopefully I am not too sore tomorrow for my 3.5 mile run!

It finally feels like I am getting into a routine and it feels amazing! It makes working out everyday a lot easier and something I look forward to. I can’t wait for next week to see the progress I can make in both mileage and weight training.

My College Running Life

One of my favorite running spots in Bellingham: Lake Padden (a little of over 2.5 miles around the lake)

College is stressful. I’m sure most people can relate to this and some would even offer advice to make it seem less stressful. Well, here’s my advice: RUN! (or find some other type of physical activity to relieve stress). This is easier said than done, but my goal for this blog post is to share some insight into how I found myself as a runner in college.

Freshman year of college is crazy. You’re living on your own, there is no set curfew, you’re meeting tons of people, and its seems like you always either have way too much time on your hands, or no time at all. With all this new stuff going on in my life, I fell away from running. I honestly probably only ran a handful of times my freshman year of college and looking back, I regret it. I gained weight, my acne got pretty bad, and I felt stressed out all the time. There was so much “new” happening that I forgot about the “old” healthy habits I had left behind from high school.

Going into my Sophomore year, I had a plan: don’t let classes bog you down, and make sure to take time out of your day to hit the gym. This is the motto I stuck to for most of my second year of college. I found this awesome ab workout app that I used every night for ten minutes. The results were incredible! I was starting to feel confident about my body again and working out was something I looked forward too, much like I did back in high school. I was running 2-3 times a week, this becoming my main stress reliever. Whenever I was having a bad day I would try and run, becoming a habit: bad day = time for a run. This was an okay running mindset, but going into my Junior year I wanted to get away from running only when I wasn’t having a good day to running because I know how much better it would make an already great day.

So, as I sit here and write this post I reflect on the first quarter of my third year in college. I just took my last final (literally an hour ago) of fall quarter and I can’t believe how happy and healthy I feel. I consistently ran 3-6 times a week, EVERY WEEK!! That’s twelve weeks of straight running. Not only do I look and feel good, but I also was way less stressed out this quarter than I have been in the previous two years of college. I also found a lot of cool running spots around Bellingham which is a huge plus for next Spring and Fall when it starts getting warm out again.

It is crazy to sit here and think about how my dedication to running has changed in the past three years, and how it will continue to change in the future. As the new year rolls around I have started to think of a running new years resolution: run longer distances. Right now I stick to 3.1 miles for my runs, but I really want to push myself to do a half marathon (or at least start running that distance at least once a week), so 13.1 miles. I will obviously have to train for this and push myself, but in the end I think it is an attainable goal. I plan to make a running calendar over Christmas break, outlining the next couple of months which I’m sure will make its way onto this blog. In the meantime, I will stick to the 3.1 mile runs while I construct my new goals for the 2019 year.