Sorry about the two week hiatus. But my lack of posts does not translate into a lack of running (-ish).
I did go out of town that first weekend in August to visit my runner friend and I joked about not being able to keep up with her on her run so I would just accompany her on her warm-up. She let me (gently) know that she does 9 minute mile warm-ups. There was some uncomfortable laughter, because, yeah, that was not going to happen for me. However, when she went out for her run, I did use her treadmill to do a run of my own at a slower pace. I was proud of myself for actually running on my "birthday vacation". Little victories, people. I could have been drinking wine (which I pretty much did every other minute of that weekend).
The following week is blurry (probably all that wine), but I think I only did the elliptical. We went out of town again last weekend to visit another friend, who happens to be training for her own half-marathon. She ran at a great pace for me, but her distance was something I couldn't match. It didn't help that halfway through our run my legs & toes had cramped up pretty bad and I just couldn't recover from it. We slowed down to a walk/jog combo and gossipped, which also happens to be great for your heart. Look it up.
Later that day we started talking about shoes and she took me to a running store she liked. I was in desperate need for running shoes anyway, as the soles of mine were literally peeling away from the shoe. I have to admit it was a little more than awkward to meet Mr. Super-fit Runner Man and have to run around the store for him so he could see how I run and what kind of shoes I would need. Thankfully he was non-judgemental, he knew what he was talking about, and he got me a great pair of shoes. It also turns out that my current shoes were a size too small. Apparently running shoes should be bigger because your toes need a little extra room and while my old ones fit, they weren't doing my new running feet any favors.
This past week I did the elliptical on Tuesday due to weather but tested out my new shoes yesterday. They made all of the difference. I did an easy 2.25 miles and actually felt that I could go further. I avoided all toe/leg cramps and didn't have the tiniest bit of soreness today. Plus, thanks to my awesome husband, I had some tunes to run with (new birthday ipod nano). This probably helped in my running as I no longer have to listen to my labored breathing. Trust me, hearing yourself sound like you are gasping for your last breaths constantly does not make you feel good about yourself as a runner.
I also conquered another fear yesterday - I ran along major roads. I have always been hesitant to do this, anxious of honking and screams of "spandex is not a good look for you!". I am happy to report that none of that occurred. Drivers seemed to keep their opinions to themselves and my run was -gasp- enjoyable! I took extra satisfaction from running past the McDonalds and looking down at all the people in the drive-thru while I did something healthy. I only say looking down in the literal sense, as the McDonalds is at the bottom of the hill next to the road that I ran along.
I've got another run planned for this weekend. I've been using a modified training plan that incorporates walking into your run. I have a book by Jeff Galloway who promotes injury-free running by incorporating short walk breaks into your route. The idea behind it is that if you give your running muscles a break before they get too exhausted they recover immediately. So I ran a full mile, walked .2 miles and then ran the rest. I'm not sure if it was the breaks, or the new shoes, but it really worked. I'll hopefully add a little more distance to my run and keep everyone posted on this new method. After all, I'm not running this half-marathon to break any records, I'm running to raise money and to cross that finish line.
Speaking of raising money, I had an excellent fundraising week - I surpassed my initial goal! I have now raised over $1000 for the kids of St. Jude. Much thanks to my brother, Leah's generous Uncle Charlie.
If you are interested in donating to the hospital, in honor of Leah, here is my page:
http://www.mystjudeheroes.org/LeahsHope
I can promise you that your money saves children's lives - my daughter is living proof.
Weeks until marathon: 15
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