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I RAN 6 MILES AFTER DOING A 1 HOUR PILATES CLASS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(Paige turning into a baby Hulk)

Tomorrow is another day...

Tomorrow morning is my first attempt at 5 miles...outside...with natural incline. Let me just state that I now have a hateful relationship with the treadmill. When I was getting ready for the 5k, the treadmill was great. You didn't run that long on it and it was rather comfortable. I have now discovered that running any length over 3.5 miles on the treadmill just plain stinks! It becomes tedious and the view in the gym isn't the most appealing. So now I am taking it to the streets. To be honest, I actually run better outside.

On another note, training for the 5k was much easier than this (duh). I have talked to some people and read about this "block" that can happen in training. It is this literal point in your run where you seem to have difficulty in pushing yourself to go further after a certain mileage. This has been the battle with me the past few weeks. My strategy is making sure I get the distance in no matter what. If I feel that I need to slow down to a fast walk to gain some composure back a few times...I will. I never let myself go more than 30 seconds...but that 30 seconds of time helps my body get back on track. This has been helping me mentally and physically to just get my body used to going further than normal. Pace and agility will come and I still have time to get this thing locked in.

On a cool note...my yoga/pilates instructor thinks I should become certified to teach. Whoa! Don't know if I feel comfortable enough to teach at this point but it is still very cool to think how much I have improved!

I did it!!

I ran my first 5k in 33 minutes and 26 seconds. I will say it was not my personal best and I was a bit disappointed in my time. I really wanted less than 30 minutes. I had misjudged the course and the amount of time running on an incline/hill (stupid campus) which made it much more difficult. I also got a horrible side stitch (those horrible cramps you get under your right side of your ribs due to your diaphragm practically shutting down...at least that is what it feels like). Halfway into the race I had to slow down to a fast walk so I could regain breathing and pinch my side/ribs to cut it off. I probably walked a good 30 seconds but once I started up again it slowly came back. Again, I slowed down to a fast pace walk doing the same routine for around 30 seconds and it finally worked. Once I saw Neyland Stadium, I picked up my pace and proudly ran onto the finish line which was actually the 50 yard line!! It was very cool to be on the field.

My sweet hubby was there to take me on a very COLD Sunday at 6:30 in the morning. There were over 5,000 participants for the marathon/half/5k. There was also a race for kids which was really sweet. I am proud that I finally did something challenging and new. It was inspiring to be around so many incredible runners. Seriously. There were some SERIOUS runners that could smoke you in a second. Regardless, I did my small 5k and now I want to do more. I am gonna start pushing my distance to do a 10k in May. I know I can do it.

And maybe a half at the end of the year in Memphis...but that is just rumbling around in my head right now. One thing at a time...

a little dramatic moment...

Less than two days...let the dramatic Paige struggling/running footage begin to this!!

4 minutes to save the world...

Not exactly...but I did run a pace of a 9 minute mile.! I got the Nike+Ipod thingy and I LOVE IT!! I was running faster than I originally thought and went further! Woo!! Less than a week!! I'm looking into more running opportunities...a10k is very possible...and maybe a half marathon? I don't know..but I am excited about my improvement!

Run Paige Run!

10 days from now I will be running my first 5k...I officially registered 5 minutes ago. I just came in from my morning run in my neighborhood. I ran 3 miles nonstop in exactly 30 minutes...not shabby I must say! I am pretty stoked since this was my first attempt to run in my neighborhood in quite some time. The weather has been sketchy the past two weeks so I have just been running at the gym. My neighborhood is absolutely perfect for training. It varies from flat to inclines in the distance so it keeps my body guessing. I am excited!!

Also, our 1 year anniversary is coming up on April 5!!! WOOHOO!! We are going to Charleston for a couple of days in the middle of April to celebrate. I am personally very excited since I have never been and have only heard raving reviews. Andy has always said it was a city that just seemed like me. We will see! It just seems like a very dreamy town with great history, food, activities and shopping! We are looking into going on a ghost tour. I've been told they can be pretty interesting with the history...but me...ghosts...never really a great match.

She's going the distance...she's going for speed...

At the end of January, I came across a new class at my gym...and I got hooked. It is a running class and it is absolutely fabulous. I know it doesn't sound much fun but it will push you in a way that I never knew existed. Some of you may recall that last summer I wanted to do a 5k. That failed since I started to have knee problems due to my right hip shifting a couple of years ago (Gentry...no jokes on my height). I was disappointed but knew it was not worth blowing my knee out with all the running.

This class has helped me so much that my instructor told me I should enter a race since I have improved so much in the past month...so I have decided that I am doing my first 5k on March 29th. My knee has not given me ANY trouble (thanks to some awesome and expensive Nikes, research for proper form, and a knee strap to support my leg).

I am proud to say my distance/time as of yesterday is 3.1 miles in 31 minutes. I am running 4-5 times a week and always add in yoga, pilates or weight lifting after my run. I can't believe the difference in my body in just a few weeks. My energy has improved and the muscle definition is starting to show (my sweet hubby was quite impressed in the definition in just my back and tummy). Just a couple of more weeks...