ZombiesRun! Halloween Virtual Race 2017

Not exactly my best time but hey, I still did it.

With my knee as messed up as it is, this was more of a power walk than a run. But after resing the knee for two weeks, I was beginning to feel lazy and I’ve gained some weight. I know my weight is not a reason I run BUT I recently had my yearly checkup and all my bloodwork came out PERFECT. Blood pressure, cholesterol, thyroid; all completely normal. The doctor said to me “Whatever you’re doing, keep doing it.” What I was doing was running. Not being active will not keep those numbers.

For now, I’m just walking fast and going for endurance. Straight up calorie burn and leg strengthening. I’m also looking into a good orthopedist to protect my knees into the foreseeable future. I would hate to have to get a knee replacement one day because I didn’t take care of them properly now.

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April 10, 2017 atthequillsmercy

Well, cross that off my bucket list!

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I actually did it!! This past Saturday, I completed the Zombies Run Virtual 5k! It felt AMAZING to finish that race but, I have to say, the one thing I didn’t prepare for was a terrible blister. On race day, I wore different socks than usual and in the end, my time was slower than in all my practice runs.

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I am, however, very happy to say I completed the race and I didn’t get heckled once during the whole thing.

Where do I go from here? Well, I keep training! I signed up for two more virtual races in May and I am actually really excited for these. Maybe once I get 5k to be easier for me, I’ll aim for the 10k races. But for that, I will have to be able to run faster. With all the stuff I have to do in a day, taking two hours out to run daily is just not feasible. I follow runners on Instagram who run twice as fast as I do. I try to take that as motivation and not feel inferior to them (they have been training longer and are half my size). Since I’m on a mission to also finish all my unfinished writing projects that I started, speed is going to be my next goal.

I hope someone reads this and gets motivated, too!

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March 11, 2017March 11, 2017 atthequillsmercy

Running Update!

Yesterday I got my Zombies Run! Virtual Race packet in the mail and somehow it made all the training and running very REAL. There is such a difference between saying “Yeah, I’m gonna run a 5k” and having the pennant and medal right there.

I do have confidence in myself to run this race considering I’ve been very serious about my training; running at least 4 times a week and no less than 2 miles. I’ve been able to get to the three mile mark in less than an hour which means my pace is getting SO much better.

And can we talk about how the muscles in my legs are changing!? I remember reaching down for something, looking at my calves and thinking “Well, shit! Those muscle cuts weren’t there before!” Same goes for my front thigh muscles. I am aware of muscles I obviously wasn’t using before with other workout methods (not counting when I was doing P90X). I can’t say I’ve lost any more weight but every time I hit that 3 mile mark and get that runner’s high? I am filled with such pride. I am not a skinny person, I always HATED running, and I had the belief firmly in my mind that in order to be a runner, I had to lose 30 pounds first. I dunno what switch flipped but I’m glad it did.

The best part is I am not alone! There are so many plus size people out there not only running but doing these epic fucking mega marathons! (My knees ache just thinking about those) Thanks to these awesome blogs that I am now reading, I am even more inspired than ever:

And the group of people on Instagram who are following me; some of whom are NOT plus size and are not judging me at all (at least as far as I can tell). Doing this has made me appreciate the body the Goddess has given me and realize how fucking awesome I am. I’ve gone from loathing this to LOVING this.

At some point, I do plan to get into running meditations and I have registered for two other virtual races: May the 4th be with you and Supermom. There is not a single inch of me that is ashamed to say I signed up because the medals are awesome. I mean, if you’re gonna have a glow in the dark Yoda medal, you should EARN it.

The race is less than 30 days away now and I won’t lie; I am SUPER nervous. I feel addicted to running but actually completing a race (even a virtual one) is a real test of my abilities. I think being tested is what makes me nervous. Also, running outside where other people are… In my two experiences actually encountering other people who decided to make a comment; one teenager said something mean (I didn’t hear, my kid did) and some Jehovah’s Witnesses giving me encouragement. I am scared of someone saying something nasty to me during a race because I know I will absolutely lose it and screw up my time because I had to stop to curse them out. That’s just who I am because the girl who would go home and cry when someone decided to take time out of their day to oink at me (yes, that is a thing that happened to me) is LONG gone. Now, I’m a warrior.

A warrior with sore knees but a warrior nonetheless.

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February 18, 2017 atthequillsmercy

I Did It: Zombies Run! Virtual Race 2017.

I post a lot of stuff on Instagram that doesn’t get posted here (and visa versa) so if you have been viewing my activity there, you may have noticed I have been posting my workouts. I got into running and found that not only do I enjoy it, I’m not half bad at it for a big chick. Since I started; I’ve been able to go from taking 40 minutes to do a mile to my best time of 14:55 to do a mile.

I don’t know what it is in my brain but on my bucket list is to run a 5k; even back when I hated running. But the logistics of registering for a race, getting to the race, parking, getting home, or even making sure I don’t have work and all that stuff seemed like a nightmare.

Then I discovered Virtual Races.

The gist of that is, you log in (in this case, into the Zombies Run! app), switch on your GPS, and run wherever you want. You even get a shirt tag and a medal for the race! Seeing as how I’ve been using this app for awhile, I decided to go for it. I signed up for the race on April 8th.

And you all get to hear about me training, you lucky ducks…

If you’ve been reading my blog for awhile, you are already familiar with the fact I’m no skinny person. Currently, I’m 210 lbs and I lost weight to get there. I’ve had shitty knees and ankles for most of my life because I was always a pretty active person and I’ve torn, sprained, and strained them several times. Despite this, I not only started running, but kept at it.

I started my training and right now it takes me 40 minutes to do 2.11 miles if I walk the first mile (at 3 mph) and walk/run the second mile (running at 4 mph). I am slowly working my way up to the full 5 km (which is 3.1 miles).

I am pumped and TERRIFIED to finally attempt this. I know if I fail, I’ll be crushed. I have surprisingly found many people online who are plus size and do enjoy running so I don’t feel as self-conscious as I thought I would. I even roped my kid into doing this with me.

To hold myself accountable, I’ll be posting my progress. I really hope I can do this…

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