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Sunday, January 30, 2011

Ouch

So, I went for my first run in my new shoes. 

Good News: The shoes feel great, and are really comfortable.  They are supportive and don't hurt my feet/ankles at all.

Bad News: It was a horrible run.  My stomach started to bug me, and my lower leg started to hurt.  Its my left leg, to the right of my shin.  A little online research leads me to believe is posterior shin splints? But it could be a stress fracture by now since its been bugging me for a few days and hasn't gotten better. It was to the point where I couldn't walk on it without wincing.

I'm gonna try to get a doctors appt in the AM, but if I can't I'm screwed until Friday.  Hopefully it starts to feel better.  It hurts to the touch, and I iced it after my run.  But I'm gonna take it easy the next couple of days.  Too bad I have to work 10 hours tomorrow...

New Shoes!

Brandon and I went on an adventure yesterday afternoon for new running shoes for both of us, and some new work shoes for him.  I had a gift certificate to Berkeley Running Company from my parents for Christmas this year, so I decided to go there.  Tony was very helpful, and I'll definitely go back there for new shoes in the future. I tried on 4 pairs of shoes, I think.  Asics, Nike, Mizuno, and Brooks.  I like the way the Mizuno were not as cushy, my feet felt supported, but free.  Tony explained it well, something like feeling connected with the road/ground.  I'm really excited to go for a run.  I haven't been able to yet, so I'll keep you posted. 

Brandon went to Famous Footwear and bought some no slip boots, and some Nikes that look pretty fancy.  He was pretty pleased with all of the people that helped us today.  "My faith in humanity has been restored." he said. 

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Running in the Snow

Week 2 Day 1 was not as bad as I imagined it being.  Brandon and I went for a run this morning at 8:30 on the Starkweather Creek Path again, except that it wasn't unbelievably cold this time, it was just snowy.  I've never actually done a run in the snow, and I was worried that it would be pretty slippery, but since nobody had walked through it yet it wasn't so bad.  We almost got hit by a biker, and we had to stay out of the way of the truck plowing the path, but otherwise we didn't see a soul.
I feel pretty good now, except for a weird tickle in my throat, but that may be due to the cold air?

On a more random note, I had my blood checked yesterday, and I'm pretty anemic, or so my doctor says.  So I'm back to taking vitamins to boost my iron levels.  She said that it would help with my training, and make me not feel so tired, so even though they make me feel gross at first, hopefully they'll help in the long run.  :)

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

I Can't Imagine...

Running without freezing my face off, and slipping on ice right now.  So, I'm thinking that every couple of days, or maybe just Tuesdays, I'll post some info on a race where its no so cold and icy :) 
Today's race is....The Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon and 1/2 Marathon!
A rockin’ mix of running and live entertainment will be all aces along the Vegas Strip at the Zappos.com Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas Marathon & 1/2 Marathon. Expect a high-energy, rockin’ run, action-packed course that screams the excitement of Vegas and electrifying shows and concerts for post-race partying you’ll never forget! Join us for The Ultimate Vegas Experience, without the risk…Guaranteed rock ‘n’ roll!

Read more about this race here.

Its a winter race, of course since its not in the Midwest at the beginning of December.  The race this year is December 4th 2011.  Average temp for Vegas in December is 50ยบ, I would definitely not be complaining about that.  And walkers are even welcome! Even though there is a time limit and you have to finish the marathon in 5 hours and 30 minutes, and the half marathon in 4 hours.  

Doesn't that sound fun?  Maybe once I turn 21 I'll make my way to that...

Monday, January 24, 2011

Shocking

I did my last day of Week 1 in the c25k training program today, and I did all of the runs at my 10 minute mile pace.  The running part felt good, I didn't feel like I was getting tired, or out of breath, but when I would go to the walk part I was exhausted from the get-go.  Maybe that is to be expected? I don't know.. I was thinking about maybe running outside today with Brandon, but then it started to snow and I was walking around downtown in the cold already.  Running outside just wasn't in the cards.  I hopped onto my trusty treadmill, and it shocked me! Literally.  Every time I touched the railings/handholds the bugger shocked me!  Maybe that was worked into the design so people wouldn't cheat by holding on? On the bright side, my hands didn't get all tingly/itchy/painful like they did on Saturday during my run, so that makes me feel better.  I wonder why they did that...

I also did some strength training and yoga.  Boy will I be sore tomorrow.  At least it will be satisfying.  I'm not sure if you noticed, but I put a countdown timer to my first race of the year.  It seems like its a long ways away, but it definitely isn't.  I hope we're all ready. 

On a more random note, I bought markers yesterday to use for this journal I'm keeping about all of the races I've completed.  They are "Crayola Pipsqueak Skinnies" and they are the cutest markers I've ever seen!  I looked at the names of the colors, like Kitten Gray, Inchworm Green, and Small Potatoes, and I found that one was misspelled!  "Madarin Orange" is what it says on the packaging, but the marker says Mandarin Orange.   I'm considering sending in that snippet to see if I get a response?  Yes or no?


I also found a race that I really want to do.  But I'm not quite ready for it.  The Disney Princess Half Marathon.  How fun would that be?! Once I can afford to travel to Disney World and do this, it will definitely be done. 

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Brrrrr

I am training with a friend to do a 5k on March 13th called The Shamrock Shuffle.  I have run a 5k race before, but the last one was September 26th, 2010 and I have since stopped training/running/working out entirely.  Anyway, we had started this program back in November, and the weather got colder and it started snowing and we both decided to hibernate for that part of the winter.

Now that the holidays are over, we're back on track!  Brandon and I went for our first run together (Outside!) this past Thursday the 20th, and it wasn't as bad as I thought it might be.  We ran on the Starkweather Creek Path, running a distance of about 2 miles, alternating one minute running, 1 1/2 minutes walking for 20 minutes.   By the end of our run, my legs were so cold I couldn't feel them, and when I began to warm up they were the most painful during the thawing period.

Day 2 (Saturday the 22nd) for week one was a different experience entirely.  I ran by myself, on a treadmill, in my basement.  I used to think running on a treadmill was way easier, because you can't really stop moving, or else you fall off.  When I started running outside I found having houses, trees, people, and animals to look at is far more entertaining.  At least on a treadmill I can tell exactly how fast I'm going, and set my target speed.  I decided to do the running parts at 6mph, which would be the 10 minute mile pace I'm aiming for.  It felt pretty good, and I did the run portions at that speed for 7/9 runs.  The other two were 5mph. 

I finished this run with an ab workout consisting for supermans, planks, side planks, and metronomes.  I am pretty sore today, but I feel good about it :)