Thoughts From The Duck

...with herself.  Patience with others?  I'm pretty patient with others.  With myself?  not so much. Shin Splints.  Shin Splints.  Shin Splints.  I hate them.  I loathe them. So, last night, I joined a training group at Charm City Run .  I'm excited about it.  I'm excited about not being in isolation when I'm running.  The trainer, Juda, has an extreme amount of faith in all of us.  She seems to think that all of us will finish in about 45 minutes.  The plan that she is putting us on is very similar to the plan that I was already on, which is nice.  It's good to know that I was and am on the right track. I've had marked improvement.  When I first started, I was doing 1.25ish miles in about 30ish minutes.  I'm up to 1.3ish in 30ish minutes.  That seems small, but hey, that's improvement.  I'll take improvement any day! I've been realizing something as I've been going through this whole process.  I'm a really good student.  Put me i

So Running.  Yeah, about that. I'm still working on getting into a routine.  Last weekend was complete craziness (in a really good way), so I didn't get any treadmill time in.  This week, I pushed myself a smidge too hard and had some killer shin splints.  Also, I realize that I need to change my eating habits, which has been a lot of prep work.  The flip side is that I've had some good brain storming sessions while running, which is awesome!  When I've made it to the gym, I have done at least a mile, usually 1.25 miles. So this week, I'm working on continuing to change my eating habits, and learning how to stretch to keep the shin splints at bay. A 5K has been chosen....the Shamrock 5K in Baltimore in March!  I really hope that I haven't picked one that is happening too soon, but we shall see.  I think I can do it.

"When I get sad, I stop being sad and be awesome instead. True story."  Barney Stinson, How I Met Your Mother I have been saying for a couple years that I wanted to start running, and actually run a 5K.  Because of what has been going on, now seems like a good time to start training for it.  So, guess what...2010 is the year!  Training for a 5K doesn't allow me to keep some of the really bad habits I've picked up since arriving in Baltimore.  It gets me up and moving.  So, what does this mean for you dear reader...I need you to keep me honest.  I'm going to need words of support when I don't want to keep going.  Many of you are runners as well, and know more than I do, so I will need questions answered when they arise.  And in general, I need you to be awesome.  Because, well, you are.  Honestly, I need me to be awesome, too.   The last time I saw the inside of a gym was while I was still in Minnesota!  So, the plan I have set up is a modified plan from Ru