Barefootin'

I really want a pair of these babies:


Barefoot running = less running related injuries.

Something to think about for all you runners out there suffering from ITBS and the like.

The ultimate question is: do I have the guts to wear these in public?

Wanted: New Training Plan

With all this slacking and school prep, I keep forgetting about the half marathon in October.

I can't 100% commit to running the thing until I get a better handle on my school schedule (which is TBA at the moment).

I know that I will make time to run...there isn't a doubt in my mind about that. But if the past year has taught me anything, it's that running and training are two different monsters.

Running is fun and casual. Training is fun and...stressful.

Runner's World has a Three Day Half Marathon Training Plan that might work for me:

Tuesdays: Speed work
Wednesdays: Tempo runs (starts at 3 miles and tops out at 8 miles)
Saturday OR Sunday: Long runs (6-12 miles)


Seems pretty flexible...I'd add a couple days of crosstraining. Also I may convert Tuesdays into short distance tempos rather than gut-busting speed sessions, although a little speed work certainly wouldn't hurt.

But can three days a week get the job done?

Until I settle on a plan, I'm just keeping it steady as she goes as far as running. Hubs and I are running tomorrow, and I'd like to get 5 miles with some trail running thrown in for good measure.

Now I'm off to kayak with my coworkers (and I'm totally counting this as crosstraining).

My First Trail Run

Knee still hurts, but not enough to stop me from getting out in this GREAT weather and running.

And today I tried my hand (and feet) at trail running...

And it. Was. AWESOME.

It was a "short" 1.25 mile loop, but I went the wrong way (a couple times) and ended up doing 3 miles on the trail.

It took a while to get used to that wobbley feeling in my ankles, but then I felt like I was absolutely FLYING down that trail.

It was certainly a different running experience-- now my calf and quads are more sore than they've been in a long time.

But it was rewarding enough that I will do it again...and soon.

Heck, I've even made a new blog tag for it-- that's commitment!

About that "100%"

So...when I said I was "100% okay" after my week long hiatus, I may have lied a bit. I just didn't know it!

I did a brisk 3 miler on Tuesday and DANG did my knee object. I'm pretty confident it's good ol' runner's knee, I just don't know why it came on now.

After my run, I went shopping for some school clothes (ahh, back to school). And then my car wouldn't start. URGH.

And nothing says "Happy Birthday" like a busted knee and a car that won't start!

Yeah, yesterday was my 24th birthday.

The bright side? I'm getting faster. And isn't that what it's all about?

Pretty Lazy

Obviously, I've been pretty lazy when it comes in blogging.

In fact, I took a brief hiatus from running and thus had nothing to talk about in this here runnin' blog.

I didn't run at all last week. I went to the gym everyday and did 45 - 60 minutes on the good ol' eliptical, but alas...no running.

I went from 5k to marathon in 13 months and I think I earned a low impact week. Also my knee freaked me out (I'm 100% fine now) and I wanted a little break.

But I'll be back at it again tomorrow!

Bluegrass 10,000 Race Report

Let's play the "Good News / Bad News" game with the Bluegrass 10K:

WEATHER
Good News: Overcast, cool-ish at the start.

Bad News: It's still July in Kentucky...so I was still drenched in sweat. Also, not all runners want to be dosed with a fire hose during the race. I feel like I was dodging the spray every quarter mile.


COURSE
Good News: Flat and we passed Coach Cal's house!

Bad News: Surprise hill on Richmond road at mile 4-5.


PACE
Good News: NEGATIVE SPLITS! Wahoo! I'll post my Garmin times later, but I got faster each mile...Mile 0-1 was 10:09 and Mile 6-finish was 8:44.

Bad News: Way too much yo-yo-ing with my pace for the first 2 miles.


TIME
Good News: Technically, it was a 6.3 mile race...my time was 1:00:47.

Bad News: I stopped my Garmin at 6.2 miles (1:00:22), but either way I didn't PR.


INJURY
Good News: Starting a race with no injuries or pain was a great feeling...

Bad News: Until the knee pain kicks in at mile .5. Brand new, not IT-band related knee pain on my left leg (which I have always considered to be my "good knee")...going get it checked out because I think it may involve my meniscus.


Hubs reasoned that when I ran the Rodes 10k in March, I was in better "training shape" for the distance because of my marathon (then half marathon) training schedule.

I guess he's right...and considering I am coming off of marathon recovery I'm pretty proud of my time.

He's pretty sharp, that Hubs.

Some sort of trap

The Bluegrass 10K is this weekend and it will be the furthest I've run since the marathon.

Although I'd LOVE to PR, I just don't know...I don't think I'm back in the grove quite yet. I've been consciously trying to run "faster," but the Garmin doesn't lie...sometimes I just feel completely exhausted.

I'm still optimistic, but I'm not exactly counting on setting a new PR.

In other news, I've been playing stay-at-home mom to my fur-baby, Gracie Lou.

She's an American Brittany (a spaniel) and she's a bird dog. She's also smart. Like, freaky human smart.

I woke up yesterday and found this:



It's her favorite pillow propped up by her favorite bone.

I texted Hubs and said it was funny, but he said he didn't do it. He thought I did it!

Then we realized...Gracie did it. She set it up like some sort of TRAP to catch a human. She probably was going to shove us in her crate.

It would have been more effective if Gracie slipped a bag of Cheetos under the pillow.