No time to run makes it the perfect time to run...

So in addition to my shoe drama (by the way, thank you all for actually reading that ridiculously long post - your comments are a testament to your love of running....non-runners wouldn't have had the endurance to read to the bottom!), I'm in the midst of one of my bi-annual "I have so much work to do between consulting, school and my "real" job, not to mention the daily work of taking care of my family which is what I'd rather spend my time doing, that I don't have time to sleep, let alone run" breakdowns.... 

As you all already know, I've not been running much lately as a result. So last night when I went to bed, I was sure that today would be another non-running day. After all, I was dressed to run all day yesterday and never found even 15 minutes to do so.

Well, the sleep must have helped because when I woke up today, I thought about all that I had on my schedule and decided I couldn't NOT run - I need every bit of energy and sanity that running seems to bestow on me. So I did. It didn't last long, but I ran. It felt good.  In fact, it felt great. No pain, good shoes, and more work than I thought it would be....I am happy.

Yuck

Today should have been a great run. It's slightly overcast but not cold, Laura was in a good mood this morning which always makes my morning better, and I was actually dressed and ready to run before I even took Laura to school. On the way home I charted a course that included some running on the main road, in a different section than what I've already done. New courses always add interest to my run.

So I got home from dropping Laura off, collected Moxie, and off we went. I could feel right away this run wasn't going to be a good one. I began the course I planned to run, but only went about half of what I had planned to run on the main road before turning back around. It's really tough running there-lots of pine straw hiding all the dips in the ground, making for very uneven ground. I was shocked and saddened by the amount of trash and debris, plenty of it the broken glass variety. Cars were whizzing by and even though I had several feet between me and them, I just wasn't liking any of it. Not to mention my legs felt like lead and my lungs weren't moving any air.

I got back home, checked my mailbox watch and saw it had only been 15.5 minutes!! So I pushed on for a few more and finished at 20.5. It was a disappointing run to say the least, and really made me wish we had better places to run.

*****
Edited to add: Checked the mileage when I drove to get Laura, and it was 1.8 miles. Yuck again.

New Shoes, New Shoes!

I doubt this is terribly exciting to anyone but me, but I bought a new pair of shoes today - New Balance 1063s. They feel great, but given the past few months, I'm going to wear them around the house for awhile before I declare my undying love for them. 

So why post about new shoes?  Well, it has to do with good advice, bad advice, more good advice, and lots of drama in between. Given the fact that I have forced you all to suffer this drama with me, I feel the need to post on the topic. First, the 18-year-old guy at Inside Out Sports said I need a neutral shoe, I chose my Sauconys, and loved them for three months. Then knee problems, the "insert recommendation," and so on. And then today....  

I have no time in the next couple of weeks to head to Raleigh or Wilmington in search of new shoe advice, so I assessed more local options. I ended up at John Allen Shoes (google it - it'll make you laugh when you see the photos they have on their website...), the destination of choice for the over 80 set - these older adults crave comfort - and ugly if you ask me - but the salespeople there actually know about FEET.  Mind you, I did enter the establishment with a healthy dose of skepticism (seriously, I looked around and nearly passed out when confronted with so many functional, comfortable beige shoes at one time), but the fact that I have trusted these people to fit my darling daughter's feet with expensive Stride Rite shoes since before she could walk, and the fact that they pop popcorn there which makes the place smell....festive?....I held my head high as I passed the Hush Puppies display. My hopes were almost dashed when I found the running shoe section - they had exactly two models of New Balance running shoes that didn't appear "orthotic" in nature - but the salesperson seemed official. He confirmed that I am in need of a "neutral shoe," and after looking at my feet, he said he wouldn't recommend any special arch support at all, other than what's in the shoe. He even used the foot measuring thing I remember from when I was a kid, and of all things, a shoe horn as he slipped the New Balance 1063s on my needy feet. 

They felt good. I pranced around the store, and even ran a lap feeling like a hero - the place was surprisingly packed, and I was the youngest person in there by at least 40 years so the crowd was in awe of my speed and endurance. The shoes felt better. Snug in the heel, roomy in the toe, no slipping. So $130 later, they were mine. And it must be mentioned that the salesperson, who had a daughter (or maybe it was a granddaughter) that ran, and as I was checking out, he congratulated me on my "accomplishments" and even said "Happy Racing" as if I were some sort of olympian.  Several customers chimed in as well. A perfect day for the ego, considering I doubt I can run 3 miles at the moment without wanting to pass out dead. But that's not the end of this ridiculously long, drawn out story about a simple pair of shoes.....

As I was leaving, I felt a little cheated, even with the ego trip considered. Had I really just bought running shoes at the store of "comfortable shoes for old people?" Seriously?  The further from the store I got, the more I was convinced that these shoes were second-rate, not "real" New Balance running shoes, and that I'd made an impulse purchase I'd live to regret. 

So, being the "real runner" I am, I checked out the Runner's World website and guess what?  These shoes won the "Best Update Award" for the latest round of shoe reviews. I'm not in love yet, but let's just say I'm ok with being the young, cool chick that impressed a bunch of old people with my fast new shoe purchase....Of course though, I'll keep you posted...

Running Out Of Titles

After my night out on Saturday, I was not in the mood for running on Sunday OR Monday! I knew that I had to get back into the swing of things today or I will loose any momentum I had gained last week. I broke my own rule of not running when it is below 40 degrees, but these are desperate times. It was about 33 degrees, but luckily it was sunny and not too windy.

I'm happy to report I'm slowly but surely increasing my time out. Today was 24:06, and the course I did was about 2.2 miles. Moxie and I were chased twice by the same loose dog, which added some excitement to our run. It seems like I can always find something to keep me moving!

I noticed that this time it was exhaustion in my legs that kept me from going farther-my breathing was actually pretty good. So good in fact that I managed a burst of speed at the end that made me look like a real pro-too bad no one was around to see it. That's actually probably good, because I don't need anyone telling me that my burst of speed is actually just a slow jog.

Just The Girls

This morning my husband was getting ready to go play with the boys (paintball!) so that meant it was just the girls on the run today. I am so proud that I kept up with running every other day since last Sunday. What an accomplishment compared to the last two months!

Today was cold but not windy, and I warmed up quickly and had to start peeling the layers off. I had Laura in the stroller and Moxie on the leash. Moxie got a bath yesterday and was inside all day, so she was ready for some action today! She really kept me moving quickly at the beginning. She usually mellows out about halfway through, but today she was strong until the very end when I wrapped her leash around the jogging stroller and made her help me pull Laura up the "hill" leading up to our house. I sprinted the last few houses and was very satisfied that she was running behind me.

We did a slightly different course today, a combo of parts of my two regular courses, so I have no idea how far I went. I ran for 23 minutes so I'm guessing at least 2 miles, which is good. I think later I will give into temptation and go map the course in my car. Running today wasn't my easiest or best run ever, but I did notice that I really didn't struggle as much as usual. Could it be that I'm finally getting back to the point where 2 miles is a doable run? And will I someday run enough each week that it will merit a mileage chart like Patty and her friends have on their blog?? I hope so!!

Almost didn't...

At the moment, I've got more work to do than I can handle (well, I can handle it, I just won't necessarily like it!) so when 2:30 PM rolled around and I was still at my desk, I though "there's no way I'm running today...." I put on my running shoes anyway and headed to pick Shelby up - but I still wasn't convinced that it was going to happen. The fact that I forgot my gym id card seemed like a sign.  Add to that the fact that I'm NOT enjoying the arch supports in my shoes, I forgot to charge my Shuffle, and I only had one component of the two required to monitor my heart rate, and things weren't looking good.... So maybe I'll just walk around the track for a few laps, and head home to do laundry....

Yep, you guessed it. It was the "head home to do laundry" thing that snapped me out of it. I don't do laundry unless I have exhausted ALL other possibilities, so I borrowed an access card, left my street shoes on (which are actually running shoes, but they're not really fit to run in anymore due to use), turned the iPod on using my phone, thanked God that no one else was in the gym to hear Metro Station urge me to "Shake It" - it's a church gym so I try to be respectful - and hit the "Start" button. Almost 30 minutes later I'd walked some, ran two miles, and walked some more. My feet are tired from the shoes, but whatever. 

Who knew that hating to do laundry would actually be a good thing?  I'm going to try to hate it more in the next year.....maybe I'll run that half-marathon someday after all! 

No More Wind Please!

When I moved here from California over 4 years ago, one of the first things I noticed was that it is nowhere near as windy here as in California. What I realized today is that is a big fat lie. It is so windy here and it is starting to piss me off. How is a girl supposed to run if she is being blown backwards?

All that complaining aside, today is actually a really nice day. It is about 60 degrees right now and the rain from yesterday stopped sometime over night. The streets are mostly dry and the sun is shining. I ran to the main road again today, and went a tiny (and I do mean tiny) bit farther than Tuesday. Today was a lot more difficult than it was the first time. It always seems really easy to run a new course the first time, mostly because of the newness. Now I'm already jaded because I know how tough it is. Moxie was also in her element today, trying to check out everything and pulling me along in all directions. Maybe the plus to that will be better upper body strength from pulling her back in.

My new brilliant idea for when I run in my neighborhood is to start my watch, put it in my mailbox, and then check it when I get home. That way I know how long I ran but it's not taunting me as I run. The bad news was today was only 19:10. I really need to increase my runs by AT LEAST 10 minutes. Hopefully that will be happening soon!