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[whenkitruns]

Love the way these goals are set out 😍

12.10.2020

Weekday morning activity: intro yoga session ✅

Water: ~60 oz / 64 oz ❌

Calories: ~2,000 cal

No eating out ❌ (2 / 6 allowances for the month)

No soda ✅

No alcohol ✅

Didn’t hit my water goal, which was purely due to laziness of moving from my bed at that point, because I was thirsty haha.

I have to say, I have been overall consistent with the AM activity, whether it be a workout or just moving my body.  However, it’s so rough in the morning.  I am not a morning person, and I also have been getting to bed really late.  That’s on me, I just am not wound down yet, and because I am working out, straight into working, straight into dinner and studying some days, I just want to watch mindless TV!  And don’t want to give in to sleep immediately because the second I do, I’m awake, haha, to start the cycle over.  Anyways, I just have to work on a more consistent nighttime routine to make this work more efficiently in the long haul.

Also ate out, but didn’t take a photo.  I got quesadillas and fries, which put me over in calories (on assumptions I feel are fair), but not where I’d usually be, because my lunch was more low-cal than typ.  So I’m good with my splurge :)

[whenkitruns]

Just to add to this, while this is important you also need to stop making excuses for their poor behaviour. "They haven't messaged me for hours on end and have been really short with me, which has made me feel really small and insignificant to them, BUT it's okay because they..." is such an unhealthy behaviour and will end in a very 'toxic' (for want of a better word) relationship. Also finding yourself in a position where you make excuses to your friends or family about them or, worse still, leaving crucial pieces of information out when talking about them for fear of them disapproving. If you think they won't like that, you think that for a reason and you perhaps should also question them on it.

Relationships are not a game. Quit the "well they didn't answer my text for two hours yesterday so now I'm gonna wait two hours to answers theirs." Quit the "I'm not gonna tell them that I'm upset cause if they really care they'll notice and if they don't notice they don't really care." Quit the "I'm not gonna text first cause it's their turn." Quit all of that. If you want to talk to them, talk to them. If you want to see them, ask them if they want to hang out. If you care about them, let them know. If you have something to say, say it. Stop playing all those silly mind games. It's a waste of everyone's time.

[whenkitruns]

[whenkitruns]

To any runner who thinks they are “Too slow”

To any runner who thinks they are “too slow”.

Most people who classify themselves as runners favorite pastime is to screenshot and post their latest workout around the block. Focusing on their pace and time it took them to do it. Which may leave you feeling a little inadequate knowing your own times without having to post them every time you take a trip around your usual route.

While there is nothing you can do to combat the never ending workout selfies and running timer’s people post on their own social media you can choose to ignore them. Every time you get out there and run, you are free.

You are never too slow to burn the calories and work on losing the weight. No matter how slow you go it is better than sitting still.

You are never too slow to watch the sunrise and enjoy and still quiet before the earth wakes up for the day while you’ve already began your journey.

You are never to slow to give a fellow runner a nod of approval or even a labored “Good morning” as you past each other on the dewy morning sidewalk.

You own the road.

You may start to overthink your runs. You may ever start to think am I good enough to be out on the road. No one is watching you (really), everyone else you see if just trying to hit their mile times same as you and if they are walking, well, they are probably trying to think about what to make for dinner. Or if he’s going to text back, but at least they are moving forward.

You will still get stronger

Your quads will get stronger; you will fall in love with the power of your feet striking the cement, or the dirt. Your will be amazed as the miles become easier and you begin to set your alarm clock at 5:45 am and even if that doesn’t get any easier. The miles will.

You revel in your success

You are not to slow to chug chocolate milk and remember doing the same thing as a 7 year old.

You are not to slow to become a runner, because you already are one.

[whenkitruns]

08.12.20

Okay so... let's talk mental health, running, and motivation. In the simplist way, this year has been sh*t in more ways than one. The start of this year I was struggling, lower than low. Then things quickly started looking up for me! The first UK lockdown in March came at the best possible time for me as my mental health had declined so far my physical health was starting to suffer. I had time, spring was blooming, and I could take care of myself... start taking my post-injury running to places I never thought possible!! I went back to work in July the best version of myself anyone had seen in years! Then as the months went on, things took a turn in the wrong direction. My mental health was on a downwards slope - as was my physical health - my relationship ended suddenly, then slowly, then traumatically. The UKs November lockdown crushed me and so here I am now. I'm quite happy to admit I have had to resort to a sticker chart to make sure I shower and leave the house every day (yes, its that bad). I didn't leave the house for days at a time, never ran at all, have become so behind on my studies and feel generally awful. So today, as I'm sat writing this, the following are things I'm struggling with:

• My room is a tip and I feel so out of control of my own time to tidy it

• I have barely any motivation to run, and no resilience when I'm out there meaning I stop to walk when I don't even really need to

• Work is a scary place right now

• I've neglected myself, I'm eating so unhealthily and its affecting more than just my tummy - I feel sluggish and slow in my daily routines

So what changed? I was happy today, for most of the day. I saw my beautiful niece, I passed an assessment... and then I had an awful run. I set myself a goal of running 1,000 miles next year (that's about 850 more than this year probably!) I need to start eating well to fuel myself, I need to start putting in the efforts, I need to clean my space to clean my mind, and I'm hoping this will keep me accountable- so here's to keeping a (mostly) daily diary on this little nook of the Internet to see how far I can come in my three main focuses; running, studying, and mental health!! Let's start by getting that 1.58 miles under 15 minutes again shall we?

[whenkitruns]

reblog and put in the tags something that you were looking forward to and can’t do it because of coronavirus

[whenkitruns]

30.03.20✨

Quite surreal to see the motorway completely empty of cars, in both directions, but that seems to be why running this specific route has been so grounding for me over the past week. Every time I head out I see how empty our motorways are - not such a bad thing, just very odd. I am also blessed enough to see that - as I’m running primarily through country lanes - life still goes on around us. The lambs are in the fields, insects are thriving in the hedgerows, birds are perching in the trees, all blissfully unaware of what is happening in our lives. It’s very comforting to see. 

Today was long-run day. First goal of the day was to run 4 miles - which I did - then to run it in 40 minutes - which I did - and finally to run it in under 40 minutes… WHICH I DID!! All goals achieved, one happy runner!

[whenkitruns]

[whenkitruns]

27.03.20✨

Such a good run, really happy with the time, really happy with the pace, enough said.

Although I do need to point out that I managed to run for a good 2-3 minutes at 7:35 /mi pace which is basically a miracle, AND I got a new 5k PB💁🏼‍♀️

[whenkitruns]

26.03.20✨

Not a run today, as I was itching to take advantage of the lovely weather and get out with my camera! Also, I’m trying not to push my body and instead actually listen to it, and resting on the niggle in my knee.

Short and sweet, managed to get out for a couple of miles through the lanes with my dad in the warmth of the afternoon, and found that even while we’re all cooped up indoors, outside life still goes on - spring is here and so are all the beautiful flowers it brings with it!🌷🌼

[whenkitruns]

25.03.20✨

Obviously the goal here was to match my face to my shirt…

This is the face of someone that has just run their best run in aaagesss! It might not be the longest run, but the feeling when you get back and see your time and pace being better than ever is quite something! 

I also looked on the Garmin Connect app try to work out why exactly after almost 6 months off from proper running I have managed to knock at least a minute off of my average pace, and add miles onto what I’ve been able to run. So, a few statistics for comparison;

4 ½ mile run in early October last year (probably my last run before injury)

~ 4.50 miles, 48:04, 10:41 /mi

~ Avg Heart Rate - 172 bpm, Max Heart Rate 188 bpm

~ Avg Stride Length - 0.96 m

Yesterday’s 3 ¾ mile run (probably my first proper run after injury)

~ 3.76 miles, 37:21, 9:56 /mi

~ Avg Heart Rate - 161 bpm, Max Heart Rate 183 bpm

~ Avg Stride Length  - 1.07 m

Today’s 2 ½ mile run (because why not)

~ 2.50 miles, 24:05, 9:39 /mi

~ Avg Heart Rate - 150 bpm, Max Heart Rate 162 bpm

~ Avg Stride Length - 1.09 m

[whenkitruns]

24.03.20✨

First run during social distancing 

One daily exercise definitely won’t be going to waste here! I’m really hoping to use the abundance of free time I have suddenly found myself with to do something productive - get back to where I was with my running, and maybe even improve it a little bit!

This run felt amazing. I decided to let go of any plans - how far, how fast, which route… I headed out and just let myself run and look at the result - one of the best runs I’ve had in ages!!!

Also, side note, this was my first run of the year in shorts, and man alive am I happy the sun was out…