Running Fool

Can't remember whether or not I blogged about this, but our group wasn't chosen for the Nike Half-Marathon in the fall. I was really bummed at first, but as I've said before, sometimes things happen for a reason.

Last week, I signed up for the 3 Day Breast Cancer Walk for the late fall with another good blogger friend, Alyssa. We are stoked and there will be much more written about this in upcoming weeks. My original plan was to train for the half-marathon as well as the 3-day walk at the same time, but after reviewing the training schedule for the 3-day it quickly became apparent that it would be almost impossible to do. The recommended training is intense -- 6 days a week switching between easy and moderate training walks, strength training and cross-training. I've heard that even though you're only walking, your body (especially your hips and feet) still takes a beating and you should prepare yourself as much as possible.

So, for now, my half-marathon plans are being placed on hold. That being said, I still want to run a 5K before I start training for the 3-day in June. I've been following Hal Higdon's 5K program and will be done with it by the end of May, just in time to run a real race before my 3-day training begins. Wheee!

Tuesday was my first 2 mile run day -- yeah, I know it sounds wimpy, but it was a big deal to me. I'm running around a 12 min mile, which means I ran for almost 25 minutes straight! The kicker? My ipod ran out of juice just before I started my run, so I was without any entertainment, save for the TV in the gym whose sound I couldn't hear. And as much as I was dreading it, I found that I fell into a zone faster than I normally do and it was actually a very pleasant run. So weird! The only downside is I think I got a little overzealous towards the end and my shins and right ankle have been "talking" to me ever since. Poo.

My long term goal is to take a small break after the 3-day walk and then start training for a half-marathon for spring or early summer 2009. It kinda sucks that I can't do it all at once, but sometimes you just have to prioritize and take things one at a time.

Ready to Run

I'm really making a concerted effort to tackle this running thing head on. Since I already workout regularly, I have a lot of clothing that will at least get me started, but I wanted to make sure I was set with good shoes and had a music set-up that would motivate me when I start dragging.

Last fall I went to get fitted for shoes at Road Runner Sports in Torrance on the recommendation of a few friends. While the guy that helped me was nice, I wasn't thoroughly impressed with the whole experience. I also wasn't really shopping for running shoes so much as just a good shoe for general fitness. I learned that I needed a neutral shoe with lots of cushioning. Fair enough. However, my biggest complaint was that they only stock one, maybe two shoes in narrow widths and even then, they didn't carry most of them in my size (10.5 narrow).

In an effort to try the whole shoe fitting thing again, I tried FrontRunners in Brentwood. I had heard great things about this place from my step instructor. While everyone was very nice, they had only ONE shoe that they stocked in a narrow width. ONE SHOE! ugh. Although, I did feel a bit better when I looked at the sale table and saw these little babies on it:
They actually had my size and I scooped 'em up! Which led Jim to remark "Good job honey. I'm sure you can just run in those. They'll be perfect." Hmph.

I've now decided that while not the most popular places for buying running shoes, New Balance South Bay and Zappos are really my best bets. I've had the best customer service at that particular NB store and Zappos shipping and return policies are my besties. I have a pair of shoes that I've run in a few times and they are comfortable and offer quite a bit of support, so I ordered another pair in the new spring color so when my blue ones give out, I have replacement shoes ready to go!


After hearing great reviews about the Nike+ system, I decided to jump on the bandwagon. I remembered Jim and I had each been given the 1G ipod nanos as wedding gifts (engraved and all), but we had never used them since we already had ipods. Well, seeing as how the Nike+ only works with nano model, this was a perfect opportunity to give mine a whirl. And after using an Apple giftcard to purchase the Nike+ sport kit, my financial outlay was basically zip. Yay! I'm still need to get it all set up and finish putting my playlists together, but that should be done in the next few days.

The only downside to using the old 1G nano is that the armband that accomodates the Nike+ sensor has received pretty tepid reviews. I've heard that the new armbands for the 3G are fairly good, but no such luck for the older models. Ah well. I think I may get one anyways and see how it works. I'm just bummed that I don't have a lot of options. :(

Once I start running outside regularly, I'd also like to snap up some athletic sunglasses and a mesh hat or visor. But I think I can wait a bit on these fun accessories.

And I'm really thankful that my recent injury was a bicep strain and not something affecting my lower body. Even though I need to lay off the weights for a bit, at least my running schedule doesn't have to be altered. :)

Bring it on!

Tidbits

It's been sort of a boring week. Which, quite frankly, I've loved. Although it doesn't provide a whole lot of blog fodder. So, instead, how 'bout some random thoughts and comments! And yup, I'm still stuck on bullet points! :D

* I started watching Eli Stone when it debuted a few weeks ago and I still really enjoy it. Yeah, it's not a 'real' lawyer show and it has it's cheesy moments, but I find it quite charming. So sue me.

* I had a weights session at the gym last night with my trainer. It was much harder than normal and I'm still really feeling it today. One happy note: It's only taken me 2 years, but I'm thisclose to being able to get to 90 degrees doing real push-ups! He hasn't let me do "girl" push-ups for weeks now, saying that I'm strong enough to do real ones and what do you know, I guess he's right. It's a stupid little thing, but I'm feeling pretty proud of myself this morning.

* I lost my darn mind this week and signed up with an amazing group of girls in OC and LA to run the Nike Women's Half Marathon in the fall. Nothing is set in stone yet, as it's a lottery system on who will be allowed to run, but I'm excited about it nonetheless. I'm by no means a runnner, but what better way to prove to myself that yes, in fact, I can run, than with a group of other similarly motivated women. I'm stoked!

* As if the above isn't crazy enough, I'm also working with another blogger friend, Alyssa, to get signed up to do the 3 day breast cancer walk in November. I'm equally excited about this as I've wanted to participate in this event since college and just now have everything together enough to actually join in the fun. Again, so stoked!

* Monday afternoon I picked up my husband's 30th birthday present! There is a long story behind it, but I don't want to share details quite yet. I promise one heck of a blog entry about it next week though. I honestly can't figure out who is more excited about the gift, me or him. :)

* It's almost Friday! Thank God!