HMT Week 15: "Clean and Long" How I run real far...real fast!

There are only 12 days that stand between me and my first Half-Marathon. I am so excited but also a little nervous. This past Sunday my running partner and I ran 11.5 miles. OMG! it was hard as hell but not impossible. This weekend, I won't be doing a long run because the race is next week. Amen! I am so ready to do this ya'll. I have that nervous excitement...called anxiety. Anyways as my miles are increasing, a lot of people seem to be interested in how I am doing what I am doing. This post is dedicated to the "How" of the "What." (because there is definitely a science to this). Now, I don't claim to be an expert, what I am going to share is my own personal schedule.

10.11

2.12

 I must be honest, I haven't lost as much weight as I had hoped but I my endurance and body strength is great. Here are some pictures of me.  The difference is slight...but I can see it. 

Keep reading for a detailed account of how I have been eating and training. Post ya comments!

HMT Week 10: MILE.Stone

The BEST shape of my Life!

At 11:19 am today I turned 30 years old. I still can't believe it, even as I scroll through the myriad of birthday texts  and Facebook messages. It's crazy because I have been half dreading half anticipating this day for months. Some days  I thought I would be on the 17th street bridge ready to jump and others, I couldn't wait to join all of my much older friends (lol) in the dirty/flirty thirties.  This morning, however, I feel nothing like I thought I would.  I'm not sad. I'm not excited. I just feel complete peace.

At 20 most of us had a list of things that we wanted to do before we turned 30. We wanted to be married, have children, be in middle management, have traveled the world, or jumped out of a plane. We thought that doing these things would somehow make us happier or more seasoned. Then when those things did or didn't happen, we realized that those types of accomplishments don't bring true happiness.  Plus,  in time we realize that 20 year olds don't have a clue about what it means to be 30. The plans that we make at that age are usually rooted in one of two things....ego or fear.  It's all about gaining some level of status to impress or fit in with others. As we age, we find that there are some things that are more important, like becoming a more well-rounded, self-actualized person. Our goals shift from being externally generated to internally manifested.  Think about it. Don't you feel most accomplished and at peace when you overcome a personal goal?  I know I do.  All this shit...especially aging is deeply personal.

For that reason this year I wanted to give myself something personal. I thought long and hard about it and decided that for my birthday I was going to run 10 miles...alone.  A lot of people thought I was crazy for attempting it but I knew I could do it and I knew how much it would mean to me IF I did. And I have to tell you, it was awesome.  Yesterday, I spent a little over 2 hours with only my heartbeat, my will, and the strength of my body. This experience has given me such a confidence and a peace that I never knew existed.. It also felt great to know that this is something, I would never have been able to do at 20! So there, 20 year old Kenya...what you got to say now! 

Anyway, I am going to close by sharing a few little tidbits that I have picked up in my 30 years of life. 

1. It's so easy to impress the ignorant- I say this all the time and I mean every word.  Our charge in life is to be the best US that we can be. But if we keep company with people who we know have not done what we have done and can't do what we can do, we do ourselves a disservice by allowing their opinions to color the way we view ourselves.  It's easy to be a big fish in a little pond, but harder in the ocean. My point, keep company with people who know more than you, so you can learn and so you can grow. Don't have a bunch of ego-strokers around who tell you that you are winning just because you are doing better than them. That ain't winning!

I run real far...real fast! 10.52 miles at 12:45-13 minute pace.

2. Shit seems hard until you do it- A lot of us look at other people doing things and count ourselves out before we even try.  We don't realize that just like ROME wasn't built in a day....skills are not perfected overnight. When I started running  in July, I would run 20 minutes on my treadmill at 3.6 and I thought I was doing something. When I heard runners say they ran 3 miles or more, I was in awe. I immediately thought I could never. Yet, yesterday...not even a year later...I ran more than 10 miles at the speed of 4.7 on the treadmill. It was hard but not nearly as hard as I thought it would be. My point, it you want something...try.

3. Your problems aren't your friends so stop being so loyal to them- This is pretty self explanatory so I will just get to the point. My point, stop letting the you of the past dictate the you of the future. What you USED to do ain't what you are doing now and it ain't what you want to do. Let the old shit and those old people go if they are not or will not help you advance. 

Oh and I lost 2 pounds! 

Don't judge me, I have runner's feet!

HMT Week 8: Authenticity

My sexy new Pedometer
that calculates pace, miles, and calories. (11 min, 10 sec mile)

I haven't written about my half marathon experience since December 15, ( not because I am not running it anymore),  but because I am not training for it the way I need to be.  Up until December 15 (which was week 5) I was running 4 times a week, and doing the mileage I was supposed to do on each day. But since then, that hasn't been the case. It started with Christmas and New Year's. I went home for Christmas and didn't run for 5 days. When I returned I had gained 2 pounds and added 2 full minutes to my mile speed.  Obviously, it took some time for me to bounce back...about 2 weeks in total. Luckily, I did. And 2 weeks ago, I was able to complete the longest run I have ever done...seven miles.  I look at that number now and I am impressed, but I can't ignore the fact that I was more ashamed of the two weeks prior to that when I only ran once or twice a week.  In fact, I was so ashamed that I didn't want to face all of you and tell you the truth...so I didn't. I just didn't say anything as if the HALF MARATHON TRAINEE tab on my blog just didn't exist!  Yep, that was smart.  It wasn't until I had a conversation with my mentor today that I realized how unfair I was being...to my readers and to myself.

In general a lot of us are in the business of posing.  You know, trying to convince other people we are stronger, wealthier, smarter, happier,  or have a better job than we really do. We think if we lie or withhold enough information it will somehow make our situation better. I guess deep down we know it won't,  but we figure at least it feels good when other people think we are amazing.  The only issue with that is our little cheerleaders don't live in our heads and there is no way to escape your true feelings about something simply because you can fool other people. Plus,  more often than not, the whole lying, withholding, and ignoring thing only makes you feel worse. There's is a certain shame involved in trying to hide a break up or forgetting to mention that you lost your job.  Which is more,  your honesty can be liberating for other people.  Since we all like the idea that we are not alone in the world and that other people have the same struggles that we do, being more genuine can actually draw more people in than it repels.

For some reason, though, we have gotten away from honesty being the best policy and instead we see the truth of who we are as a liability; something we want to hide for fear of being  judged or having our vulnerability used against us. It's sad. But more than that...it's lonely. Who wants to live in a world where they constantly have to hide from everybody else? Its an emotional prison. 

Before I got off the phone when my mentor he remarked that he likes talking to me because having a judgment free conversation feels like freedom. I agree with him and feel like fear of judgment is the reason a lot of us are not as authentic as we want to be, especially those of us who are in the personal development industry.  As such, I can definitely understand why some people aren't as honest about who they are (and who they aren't) as they should be. It takes a lot of courage to be "real" in a world of posers and false prophets. But I  guess, at its core, the call to live an authentic life IS a question of courage.

So, are you brave enough to be FORTHcoming about your SHORTcomings?  

Me and my chubby legs.

On to the weigh in:

Weight: 176.2 (up 2 lbs)

Waist: 26.5 (up 1.5 inches)

Bust: 35.5 (same)

Hips: 45 (down 1 inch)

Thighs: 23 (down 2 inches)

Timed mile, treadmill:12 (same)

Timed mile, street: 12.5*

*above you will see that my pedometer says 11 mins and 10 seconds mile, that was when I was speed training and only ran 1 mile. When I run, my average is 3 miles, and 12.5 minutes per mile is my more consistent pace*

Moral of the story: When you eat bad and don't run you gain weight. But at least my hips and thighs are getting a little smaller.

LONG RUN SUNDAY is 8 miles!!!!!

HMT-Week 3: Stand up for you life- Do something!

I have been reading this book and
 doing the excercises for a year now!

These last few weeks, I have noticed that I have been dealing with a lot of jealousy. Which is surprising, because I am not typically a the jealoust type. But I guess,  when I think about what I have been through recently (loosing my job and the contest within a month)  I can kind of understand why I've been so envious. What have I been jealous of??? Girl, everything! Especially other people. I am jealous that they seem to be more successful in their businesses. Jealous that they seem to have more support in their personal lives. Jealous that somebody else walked away with my book contract!  But at the core of my jealousy lies disappointment with myself....even deeper- the realization that other people are doing what I have not been brave enough to do. Other people are putting their business ventures and professional pursuits first. Because they deem it to be important. They understand that you can't do what you have been doing and get something different. In order for me to do the same, I know there are some changes I need to make.  I need to stand up for my life.  To make a decision to spend my time, money and energy on ONLY the things that will bring me closer to what I want. As I said before there is no prize in being a martyr.  Plus, we all know how to lose. Most of us have had our fair share of disappointment and pain in our lives...now it's time for us to win and order for us to win, we have  to DO what winners Do. And the first step in that is to DO SOMETHING.

*The book on the right is  great place to start, if you are ready to do something drastic with your life. It has help me soo much*

There are 3 things specifically that I am going to commit to DOing. Perhaps, you can identify.