I completed my first half marathon just a few weeks ago on October 24th. It was a really hot day but I did it and I finished as strong as I possibly could given the circumstances.
The few weeks leading up to the race I started having some knee problems. I started working with another trainer at the gym and he worked on my IT band and showed me certain stretches I should have been doing all along. My last workout with my regular trainer convinced me to just go out and buy a knee brace for the day of the race. I just didn't want to chance getting out there and being in pain because of my knee.
So, I bought it, ran the race and didn't have any knee problems along the way. This was a HUGE answer to many prayers! I finished in under 3 hours and am hoping to improve on that time in the near future.
The next few posts are going to chronicle my training process for my upcoming 2nd half marathon race. I was searching around on the internet the other night and found a Rock and Roll Marathon in New Orleans around the same time as Mardi Gras. Well, being from Louisiana, I thought that was a perfect time for me to run my second race. Then, my roommate asked who I would get to run it with me (since my brother ran the 1st one). I looked over at her and now she's on board to run her 1st one!
As I was training for my 1st half I had so many questions and was always online searching for answers. So, I decided to track my progress and training schedule for this next one. Believe me, I am fully aware that I am NOT an expert by any stretch of the imagination. Everything I do in my training I have either found online, gotten from a friend, or from my trainer. I just thought it would be fun to track my progress.
Stay tuned...
Monday, November 8, 2010
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Random Thoughts by Niki
I have just finished my first full week off work for the summer. I must say it has been pretty amazing. I've celebrated my birthday, run my first 5K, worked out a lot, visited my grandmother now that she's here in Houston, and seen the niece and nephews.
I have been wanting to update the blog but haven't come up with one big amazing thing to write. So, I decided to just write a few random thoughts.
1. I watched the movie, The Invention of Lying, and did not like it at all. Apparently it is a lie for you to have feelings, express emotion, or admit the presence of God. Now, they did talk about a 'man in the sky'. However, it made me really angry (more than I expected) that they would dare insinuate the presence of God being a lie. I was also very thrown that saying exactly what was on your mind meant you cared nothing at all about others feelings. It was just all in all a bad movie, in my opinion.
2. I still love LeaderTreks. I love how connected my heart really is to this incredible ministry. And, the thing is that my heart is so connected not so much because of the incredible things it does in and through the lives of students. It's so connected because of what it did in and through my own life. I am a different person today because of the incredible people that poured into me during my 4 years there. This weekend we had an In & Through training and Doug came down to run it for our small group leaders. It was so great to be reminded of very key and basic principles when working with students. I'm excited to start applying some things this week! If you want to follow the thoughts of a great leader, follow Doug Franklin.
3. I'm very frustrated with this new lottery system they now have for the Houston Marathon. If you don't know what I'm talking about, just go here and it explains it all. My brother and I decided this weekend that we're still going to register as a team and try to get it. Since neither of us want to run without the other, we'll just take our chance that way. If we don't we'll either still run it or we'll join the Austin or Dallas one.
4. I've enjoyed being able to take a nap in the middle of the day if I want.
5. I still need more sun on my legs. Hopefully, that problem will be resolved by me laying out by the pool this week.
I have been wanting to update the blog but haven't come up with one big amazing thing to write. So, I decided to just write a few random thoughts.
1. I watched the movie, The Invention of Lying, and did not like it at all. Apparently it is a lie for you to have feelings, express emotion, or admit the presence of God. Now, they did talk about a 'man in the sky'. However, it made me really angry (more than I expected) that they would dare insinuate the presence of God being a lie. I was also very thrown that saying exactly what was on your mind meant you cared nothing at all about others feelings. It was just all in all a bad movie, in my opinion.
2. I still love LeaderTreks. I love how connected my heart really is to this incredible ministry. And, the thing is that my heart is so connected not so much because of the incredible things it does in and through the lives of students. It's so connected because of what it did in and through my own life. I am a different person today because of the incredible people that poured into me during my 4 years there. This weekend we had an In & Through training and Doug came down to run it for our small group leaders. It was so great to be reminded of very key and basic principles when working with students. I'm excited to start applying some things this week! If you want to follow the thoughts of a great leader, follow Doug Franklin.
3. I'm very frustrated with this new lottery system they now have for the Houston Marathon. If you don't know what I'm talking about, just go here and it explains it all. My brother and I decided this weekend that we're still going to register as a team and try to get it. Since neither of us want to run without the other, we'll just take our chance that way. If we don't we'll either still run it or we'll join the Austin or Dallas one.
4. I've enjoyed being able to take a nap in the middle of the day if I want.
5. I still need more sun on my legs. Hopefully, that problem will be resolved by me laying out by the pool this week.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
A 5K and a Birthday
This Saturday, the 29th, was my 31st birthday. Yes, I realize how amazing it is that I get to celebrate a birthday on a holiday weekend. Believe me, I took full advantage of it!
It started out on Friday after school with my incredible friend, Leslie, driving in from Dallas. We met up with some of my teacher friends and my roommate, Stephanie, for a happy hour at BJ's Restaurant. Then me, Leslie, and my roommate, Stephanie, came back to our place for some pool time. It was such a great night of hanging out and just enjoying time with great friends.
I woke up super early Saturday morning to be downtown in time to sign up for my 1st 5K. Yes, I realize how crazy it sounds to get up early and run on my birthday. I am so glad I did it! I needed to get a race under my belt before the big half-marathon in January, and this seemed like a great way to start. I didn't beat my treadmill time of 35:50 but, I finished. My time was 38:08. And, for my 1st race, I was pretty pleased with this time.
I came back from the race and got to spend the next few hours with Leslie before she left to shoot her first big wedding. You should check out her pics here, she's pretty great. Then, the night began...
Some of my best friends came over for my 'GREEN' party and we played games, laughed A LOT, and had a blast just hanging out at our apartment. Such a great night!
Sunday was filled by spending time with my sweet family. We all went over to my oldest brothers house where we played in the pool with the kiddos, grilled some amazing food, celebrated with tres leches, and loved on the niece and nephews.
As you can see, I had a pretty amazing weekend. I love my friends and family! Every day of the weekend seemed to bring a new adventure and I LOVED every minute of it.
It started out on Friday after school with my incredible friend, Leslie, driving in from Dallas. We met up with some of my teacher friends and my roommate, Stephanie, for a happy hour at BJ's Restaurant. Then me, Leslie, and my roommate, Stephanie, came back to our place for some pool time. It was such a great night of hanging out and just enjoying time with great friends.
I woke up super early Saturday morning to be downtown in time to sign up for my 1st 5K. Yes, I realize how crazy it sounds to get up early and run on my birthday. I am so glad I did it! I needed to get a race under my belt before the big half-marathon in January, and this seemed like a great way to start. I didn't beat my treadmill time of 35:50 but, I finished. My time was 38:08. And, for my 1st race, I was pretty pleased with this time.
I came back from the race and got to spend the next few hours with Leslie before she left to shoot her first big wedding. You should check out her pics here, she's pretty great. Then, the night began...
Some of my best friends came over for my 'GREEN' party and we played games, laughed A LOT, and had a blast just hanging out at our apartment. Such a great night!
Sunday was filled by spending time with my sweet family. We all went over to my oldest brothers house where we played in the pool with the kiddos, grilled some amazing food, celebrated with tres leches, and loved on the niece and nephews.
As you can see, I had a pretty amazing weekend. I love my friends and family! Every day of the weekend seemed to bring a new adventure and I LOVED every minute of it.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Running Update
I improved my 5K time by almost 2 minutes this week. I am now at 36:22. This week I focused on changing my speed every 1/4 mile. This helped out a lot since I was changing as soon as my body and mind started to get a little bored.
I'm now running outside on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with Wednesday being my 'long' running day on the treadmill. Running outside is still much harder than inside but, this week I was able to run the whole trail without stopping. Such a huge accomplishment for me! Good thing my 1/2 Marathon isn't until January. Lots of time left to improve!
So, there is the update! I'm now working on continuing to improve on my time and distance. In the meantime, I'm very focused on school almost being finished! Summer could not get here fast enough.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
3 for 3
The big new of the day today is that I passed my PPR test. I took it yesterday and I already received my scores. I could not believe it when I got the e-mail saying the scores were in. I first thought it was a bad thing and they were just e-mailing them to me early because I failed. NOPE! The PPR test was the final step in me getting my certification at the end of the year.
See, in Texas, you can become a teacher via Alternative Certification Programs. That's what I'm currently in right now. You can have any degree and you just need to take your content area test (and pass it), teach a year within that content area, pass your PPR, do a certain number of professional development hours, and have your principal sign off on your certification at the end of the year. After your first year, you are good to go! I know it sounds kind of scary but, a lot of students graduating in education are even going this route just so they get paid their first year of teaching.
So, all that to say I passed my final test and now I can just enjoy the rest of my school year with my 5th graders and RELAX! So much pressure has been released lately and it feels amazing. Thank you, Jesus!
See, in Texas, you can become a teacher via Alternative Certification Programs. That's what I'm currently in right now. You can have any degree and you just need to take your content area test (and pass it), teach a year within that content area, pass your PPR, do a certain number of professional development hours, and have your principal sign off on your certification at the end of the year. After your first year, you are good to go! I know it sounds kind of scary but, a lot of students graduating in education are even going this route just so they get paid their first year of teaching.
So, all that to say I passed my final test and now I can just enjoy the rest of my school year with my 5th graders and RELAX! So much pressure has been released lately and it feels amazing. Thank you, Jesus!
Monday, April 26, 2010
Reasons I Have a Trainer
My mom asks me frequently why I feel like I need a trainer to work out. Well, the answer is, I don't. Today I was reminded why I like my trainer so much, so I decided to write this post.
I choose to have a trainer for the following reasons:
1. Accountability
He asks me frequently about the calories I'm taking in, how my cardio is going (and if I'm doing it), and encourages me along the way. Don't worry, I also have great friends that keep me accountable. It's just also nice to have someone not connected to my every day life.
2. Expertise
In most areas of my life, I am a leader. This is not me complaining, just stating the facts. I LOVE the roles in my life and am thankful for those that trust me to be in leadership positions. For me, working out is one area that I don't want to control. Working out with my trainer, Frank, helps me to be able to go to the gym and not think about what I'm doing. It's one area I don't have to plan, organize, make decisions, or lead in any way...and I love it.
3. Challenge
The word alone gets me excited. Having someone push me further physically than I thought possible is so great. It sometimes reminds me of my first year at LT during our Boot Camp days with Dylan, which is always fun to think about.
4. Fun
It's always more fun to work out with someone. And, working out with Frank is way fun. Just like any of my other friends, I argue with him and really want to hit him most days. But, again, that just adds to the fun!
5. Discipline
I could always use more discipline in my life. Working out is just one of the ways to improve in this area.
As mentioned in my previous post, I recently met my goal and am now working on the next one. Today we talked about my next goal and there was a lot of consideration and concern that went into the final decision. See, for some reason I am completely okay mentally if we focus on body fat % as a goal vs. a weight goal. If I set a weight goal and am only going for that, I kind of go a little crazy. I don't deal well, mentally, with weight issues.
So, today we set a goal and the new focus is body fat % and my running progress. Wednesday will be my long runs (which, for now is 3-5 miles) and Tuesday and Thursday will be my normal runs. I'm very excited for this new set of goals. I'm really excited, too, that it's for only a month and half. Yahoo for shorter goals! I'll try to do a better job at posting my progress as I go. As the title says, this is my 'Life'. It is crazy most days, but I love it!
I choose to have a trainer for the following reasons:
1. Accountability
He asks me frequently about the calories I'm taking in, how my cardio is going (and if I'm doing it), and encourages me along the way. Don't worry, I also have great friends that keep me accountable. It's just also nice to have someone not connected to my every day life.
2. Expertise
In most areas of my life, I am a leader. This is not me complaining, just stating the facts. I LOVE the roles in my life and am thankful for those that trust me to be in leadership positions. For me, working out is one area that I don't want to control. Working out with my trainer, Frank, helps me to be able to go to the gym and not think about what I'm doing. It's one area I don't have to plan, organize, make decisions, or lead in any way...and I love it.
3. Challenge
The word alone gets me excited. Having someone push me further physically than I thought possible is so great. It sometimes reminds me of my first year at LT during our Boot Camp days with Dylan, which is always fun to think about.
4. Fun
It's always more fun to work out with someone. And, working out with Frank is way fun. Just like any of my other friends, I argue with him and really want to hit him most days. But, again, that just adds to the fun!
5. Discipline
I could always use more discipline in my life. Working out is just one of the ways to improve in this area.
As mentioned in my previous post, I recently met my goal and am now working on the next one. Today we talked about my next goal and there was a lot of consideration and concern that went into the final decision. See, for some reason I am completely okay mentally if we focus on body fat % as a goal vs. a weight goal. If I set a weight goal and am only going for that, I kind of go a little crazy. I don't deal well, mentally, with weight issues.
So, today we set a goal and the new focus is body fat % and my running progress. Wednesday will be my long runs (which, for now is 3-5 miles) and Tuesday and Thursday will be my normal runs. I'm very excited for this new set of goals. I'm really excited, too, that it's for only a month and half. Yahoo for shorter goals! I'll try to do a better job at posting my progress as I go. As the title says, this is my 'Life'. It is crazy most days, but I love it!
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Some Favorites
I was inspired by my sweet friend Shannon to do a post with a Top 5 Favorites list. So, as of today, here is my list:
1. I LOVE getting to spend the weekend with my family. I love having a job where I am free to have this time with them. Granted, I do still have work on the weekends, but at least it's flexible and can be done at midnight, or whenever I finally get to it.
2. I LOVE that I recently met a goal. I set out three months ago to lose 20 pounds and 10% body fat. Well, I accomplished that goal and am now working on the next one. It's still up in the air as to what it is, but as soon as it's set, I'll make another post. My long term goal is to run the half-marathon with my brother in January. So, setting smaller goals in the process makes it much easier and more fun!
3. I LOVE that I am about to have a full summer of no work, no traveling, and getting paid just for existing! I will, however, be very busy with the adult leaders for our Student Ministry. But, that's the fun stuff. I will also, obviously, continue working on my workout/weight goal.
4. I LOVE cooking! In this whole weight-loss journey I've developed a new love for making my favorite meals, but at lower calories. I just got the new Hungry Girl cookbook and am so excited to dive into the delicious recipes.
5. I LOVE my students. I am very proud to announce that 40 out of 42 of my students passed TAKS (Reading and Math). This is such a huge deal for my school, for my students, and for me personally. I am still walking on clouds because of this great news!
That's my new Fave 5. Until next time...
1. I LOVE getting to spend the weekend with my family. I love having a job where I am free to have this time with them. Granted, I do still have work on the weekends, but at least it's flexible and can be done at midnight, or whenever I finally get to it.
2. I LOVE that I recently met a goal. I set out three months ago to lose 20 pounds and 10% body fat. Well, I accomplished that goal and am now working on the next one. It's still up in the air as to what it is, but as soon as it's set, I'll make another post. My long term goal is to run the half-marathon with my brother in January. So, setting smaller goals in the process makes it much easier and more fun!
3. I LOVE that I am about to have a full summer of no work, no traveling, and getting paid just for existing! I will, however, be very busy with the adult leaders for our Student Ministry. But, that's the fun stuff. I will also, obviously, continue working on my workout/weight goal.
4. I LOVE cooking! In this whole weight-loss journey I've developed a new love for making my favorite meals, but at lower calories. I just got the new Hungry Girl cookbook and am so excited to dive into the delicious recipes.
5. I LOVE my students. I am very proud to announce that 40 out of 42 of my students passed TAKS (Reading and Math). This is such a huge deal for my school, for my students, and for me personally. I am still walking on clouds because of this great news!
That's my new Fave 5. Until next time...
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