Blog Post Number 3

Hey everyone! Thanks for checking back in!

So, this week I felt that school was really starting to pick up; however, I still managed to dedicate time to the gym and my genius hour project. I wanted to take some time in this post to connect back to some ideas and goals I set out for myself in my first post, instead of just summarizing my runs this week.

I am starting week 3 of my running chart, and this week I feel may be a struggle for me – the runs this week are starting to get much longer, and it’s a bit of a jump from what I’m used to. This past week I’ve been able to run for 5 minutes and walk for 1 minute, with some difficulty, I must admit. However, this week I’m a little nervous because now the intervals of running are getting longer – I’m talking 10-15 minutes of straight running, AHH! Considering how winded I am still getting at the 5-minute mark, this makes me a little nervous.

I also want to take this time to reflect on some of the research I did when looking into this project. I have re-posted some of the benefits I found that running has here:

• Decrease symptoms of depression
• Improves learning abilities and memory, as well as protects brain from aging
• Helps calm anxiety and acts as a stress relief
• Helps you sleep better and feel more engaged
• Boosts self esteem and confidence
• Increases creativity 

Rasa, Candice (2017). 10 Mental health benefits of running. Retrieved from runningcompetitor.com 

 While a lot of the benefits are difficult to measure,  I did think it was worth mentioning if I had physically noticed any changes in my body since this journey began. I definitely have noticed the stress reliever and calming effects of running. This program is starting to pick up, and with our practicum being assigned I’ve noticed a lot of my friends in full-on panic mode; however, I am feeling decently prepared and organized when it comes to the work load. I’ve been trying to use the nights where I go out for a run to clear my head, think about the upcoming week, and then wipe this from my mind and focus solely on the task in front of me. I’m a skier, so I’m finding that this is similar to going down a challenging ski hill – I only focus on each turn until I get to the bottom, when running, I focus on each step until I make it my set distance. As well, getting outside in this nice weather has really improved my mood; I’ve been more positive and upbeat with all this fresh air!          


I have been running 5km for the past few days now, and while I am really proud of the fact I'm able to do the distance, my time has not improved much! It is still taking me around 40 minutes to complete – not horrible, but I really need to take less walking breaks if I want to get my time down! Here are some screen shots of a couple of my runs from the Nike app that I am still using.




Also, here is a little gif I made from a video of me running! The video is pretty shaky and you can hear my loud breathing in the actual video, but hey, what did I really expect!        

                                      

via GIPHY

Anyways, I'm already really proud I have committed to this goal for so long – if I hadn't been doing this project, I would have given up a long time ago. I'm hoping I can get my time down, even by 10 minutes would be an awesome accomplishment! Let me know if you runners out there have any advice or wisdom to keep me motivated.

Also, I've added an intense movie trailer that documents my running journey so far. If you wanted to check it out, it is found in the GENIUS HOUR PROPOSAL page of my blog, just scroll down to the bottom of the page. My roommate and I had some fun filming this, so let me know what you think!

–Madeleine


References:

Campbell, Madeleine. (2018). Nike screenshot.
Campbell, Madeleine. (2018). Nike running map. 
Campbell, Madeleine. (2018). Running gif. Retrieved from https://giphy.com/gifs/k83fdh86uXlcVqBUSm