New Shoes

When I decided to start running, I knew I wanted to be smart about training, equipment, etc. in order to not get hurt. So, one of the first things I did was go to Fleet Feet to get some running shoes. They put me in the Saucony Omni 8, which worked great. I've had a couple of pairs of those, as well as a pair of the Under Armour Charge RC. Everything was humming along fairly smoothly until I started doing more mileage. (Ok, for me that meant more than 2-3 miles at a shot, but it's all relative, right?) My left foot would get tingly and numb after a while. It would dissipate when I would walk for a bit, but it was quite annoying, and I knew it was a sign that something was amiss.

After seeking lots of advice, it seems like my wide feet are the likely culprit, so the first step in trying to solve this problem is new shoes. I put the good folks at Fleet Feet to work again on Saturday and tried on several options, but the ones I liked best overall were the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 12. I knew better than to have my first run in them be Sunday's race, and I can't wait to try them out in training this week. [Update: So far, so good. Did intervals at the track and my feet felt fine. Next test will be this weekend's long run.]

Here they are. Hooray to Brooks for making their shoes in wide widths!

Consistent

Yesterday was the Ravenswood Run 5K, my annual first race of the season. It was a beautiful morning for a run -- temps right around 50 and fairly clear skies. This was my first race with a run/walk game plan, and it is amazing the consistency it brought to my race. Every mile was within 15 seconds of each other, and the last was two seconds faster than the second.

I didn't PR, but I met my secondary goal of staying under 40 minutes (39:19), and I am quite pleased with my steady pace throughout the race.

Today I get a rest day in my training plan since I did the race yesterday. I think I should use that time to more closely investigate foam rollers. I've been thinking of getting one for a while, and it's going to be a necessary tool as the mileage starts increasing in the training program. In other equipment news, I got new shoes, but more on that later.

Breakthrough!

Yesterday was a breakthrough day in my training. After two weeks of the training program, I'm really starting to see results in endurance and how I feel when running. We had a 6 mile long run scheduled, which is the farthest distance I've done to date, and it went great. I never felt miserable and actually felt strong throughout the run. I stuck with the 4:2 ratio, which is working really well for me. Plus, since I walk so fast, I never really fell behind from the group doing 5:1.

You know it felt good when I'm itching to go out again. But today is a rest day, and I am going to respect the plan.

One Small Step for Me...

Tonight was the first group run for the half training program. So much about this is way outside of my comfort zone, especially running with other people, but it went great. I stood back and observed for the gathering, but the run/walk group was small enough (we started with 4 runners, a mentor, and one of the coaches) that it was manageable. The run was okay, but the 5:1 ratio was a bit more than I could do for the whole three miles, so I slowed a bit in the second half and took more walk breaks. Sue, the mentor/group leader, dropped back and ran with me and was very encouraging.

All in all, a good start and I'm looking forward to Saturday.

Always Falling Behind

So many reasons, but I don't feel like beating myself up or making excuses. Here I am now. Hopefully, I'll make this a more regular thing.

The big running news for 2012 is that I've decided to jump start my commitment by signing up for a half marathon!! I've known for a while that a half would be my biggest race ever but just wasn't sure when that would come together. Then, Fleet Feet announced that they are hosting the first ever Chicago Women's Half Marathon.   For some reason running the inaugural race is highly motivating to me, so despite my current fitness level, I decided to take the plunge and go for it. The only way this will happen is by doing it smartly, so I have signed up for a training program. This week is our first group run, which will be something totally new for me. Should be interesting. I didn't get my training schedule until yesterday because I was traveling and, lo and behold, I was supposed to start on my own this week. Oops. Behind yet again. So, today I went out for a four mile run.Off to a good start!