Rest and Reconsidering My Shoes

I did not run today. Or the day before. Or the day before that. In fact, the last time I ran was the "Blizzard Run of 2015," also known as last Saturday.

My heels have been hurting quite a bit since my 16 mile run several weeks ago. So considering this week was a distance pull-back week, a holiday week, and included a family funeral and visitation, I figured maybe this would be a good week to cut myself some slack and rest a bit. Apparently this was a much-needed situation because the last 3 nights, I've slept approximately 12 hours a night.

During my rest week, I've been taking stock of where I am. I've put in most of the training. I've planned out my race outfits. I've read books and watched movies to inspire me to run with heart. I've booked my flight, confirmed my room reservations and started making a mental packing list. My race countdown app says I have 40 days until the first Dopey Challenge race and I've felt like I'm pretty well on track. I have several more long runs and one more long, long run to go. Things are going according to schedule. And then...a shoe crisis struck.

See the last time I ran a full marathon, my shoe of choice was not the Mizuno Inspire I wear today. I love my Mizunos and have worn them for countless half marathons in the last 4 years. However I've never worn them for a run longer than that. After several long runs in the last month or so, I think my heel pain (likely the dreaded plantar fasciitis) is due to running in the super stiff Mizunos. So now I'm about a month out, with only a handful of long training runs to go and I have no idea what shoe to wear for the marathon.

Yikes.

So many shoes...so few options.

Here are my choices:

1) Run in my Mizunos and hope all goes reasonably well. I'm not keen on this plan because my heel pain has been pretty bad and I don't think I could tolerate 26.2 miles like that...especially after I've already run 22.4 miles in the days leading up to it. I know I had planned on my Mizunos being my main shoe but I think I'm going to need to make some revisions if I want to survive this with a minimal amount of cursing.

2) Switch out my half marathon and marathon shoes. Most Dopey Challenge veterans recommend bringing at least 2 pairs of running shoes. One pair will be for the 5K and the half marathon and the other will be for the 10K and full marathon. That way you switch up how your feet fit in your shoes every other day, and you have a spare if there is a rainy day or something. I was planning on running in Nike Lunar Glides for the 5K and half marathon and my Mizuno Inspires for the 10K and full marathon. Now I may switch the two. I haven't run more than 10 miles in my Lunar Glides though so if I want to do that I need to decide quickly so I can get some long runs in them.

3) Buy new shoes. I don't really want to buy a new pair of shoes because I already have 18 pairs of running shoes. Sadly, most of them won't work for the challenge because they aren't the right type for my feet. I was given most of them due to my job in a running store so I'm not out a bunch of money, but it still seems wasteful to buy another pair. Plus, what kind would I buy? I could buy the model I wore for my last marathon but shoes go through a lot on incarnations in 6 years - who's to know if what worked for me then are the same things on the market today?

Right now I'm leaning towards option #2. But at 40 days out, this really isn't a decision I was thinking I would have to make. Ugh.

Earning Some Badass Points

I have been so lucky with the weather for my training. That luck ended Saturday.

I knew days in advance that the forecast was calling for snow on the morning of my 18 mile run. While not ideal, I thought it would be ok. It might even be peaceful. What I was picturing was gently falling flakes indicative of a typical late fall/early winter snow in the Midwest. I was even uncharacteristically positive minded about the endeavor as you can see in the photo below, right before I started running.

Hopeful, optimistic and expecting a "Normal Rockwell run"

That did not last long. 

From the very first step, snow was pelting me in the face. I had thought putting on a visor would keep the precipitation out of my eyes. Turns out that doesn't really work when wind is blowing from every direction. where was the Norman Rockwell run I had envisioned in my head?

I ran the first 3 1/2 miles solo on my way to meet up with some brave and kind-hearted friends who agreed to run part of the way with me. My heels hurt from the very first step and I realized I was probably nursing a pretty decent case of plantar fasciitis, a runner's nemesis. The snow was stinging my face, my feet hurt and I had hours of this ahead of me. I honestly didn't know if I would make it the whole way. Needless to say, I was not a happy camper. Thank goodness soon I would get some company.  

I couldn't have been happier when I saw my friend Barb running towards me with a bottle of Gatorade. Well, I could have been happier if it was 70 degrees and sunny, but I'm trying to be realistic here. Barb joined me as we ran to a local park to pick up my friend Jessica and her teenage daughter Kiersten. I stopped at Jess' van and she handed me some Sport Beans which I washed down with some of Barb's Gatorade and then the 4 of us set off. 

It was nice to have people around me chatting and laughing. It took my mind off the slushy trail, my wet clothes and my aching heels. Our little group ran together for 4 or 5 miles and even enjoying a few brief stretches of clean pavement. This wasn't so bad after all.

This isn't so bad with company!

A bunch of runner-sicles

 Before I knew it, it was time for Barb, Jess and Kiersten to leave me and hand me off to my even braver friend Angie, who would be running the remaining 11 miles with me. Now Angie should be given a medal for what she endured for several reasons: 1) she had absolutely nothing to train for and was running with me just to be nice, 2) the weather was about to get really bad, and 3) I'm really stubborn determined. 

So I'm now about 7 miles in, already soaking wet, have 11 more miles to go and now the weather is starting to get worse. We get to a park shelter and set down my bottle of Gatorade and a bottle of water that Angie brought me. Jess hands me a few more Sport Beans before she takes off. Angie and I set off chatting, well at this point, Angie is mainly trying to convince me to take one of her hats because she's sure I'm gonna catch pneumonia. (Don't worry mom - I've apparently got surrogate moms out here.)

We did see a few things that amused us as we ran along the trail. The most intriguing to me was this little guy. After all, it was only at 9:00 am on a snowy Saturday morning near a college campus. Who is ambitious enough to have built a snowman by that point?

Who builds a snowman this early in the morning?

As Angie and I put a few miles behind us my cold, wet clothes and shoes are now starting to get heavy. Finally I asked Angie if it would be ok to make a small detour from the trail to run to my house so I could go in and change into dry clothes. She said, "I was HOPING you would say that!" so off we went in search of clothing that didn't drip. Once at my house, I changed my socks, shoes, shirt, jacket and hat for dry versions and we took off for the remaining 8 miles. A couple weeks ago was the first training run during which I stopped to buy a snack. This was the first training run that involved a wardrobe change.

We headed back in the direction we came from and found our way back to the shelter where I stashed my drinks 7 miles earlier. Keep in mind I set them on a park bench that was covered by a shelter. This is what I came back to.

Now the wind had picked up substantially. It was biting and made for whiteout conditions at several points.  We also narrowly missed by inches getting hit on the head by a five foot long branch that had cracked and fell onto the trail right in front of us. To add insult to injury, the accumulating snow on the branches was getting knocked off in chunks now and it felt like the trees were pelting us with snowballs. Several times Angie and I looked at each other and shouted over the howling winds "This is INSANE!"

This is insane.

Really insane.

The branch of death

I managed to get another 2 miles or so before my new shoes were completely soaked. By now I had to go to the bathroom so we sought out the warmth of the train station restroom. It was going to be great - there they had heat, and flushing toilets, and water fountains. The thought of these things kept me going for the half mile to this mecca of modern conveniences. As I ducked into a stall, Angie stood in front of the hand dryer and waved her hands under the hot air in an attempt to warm them up. Once in the heavenly warm bathroom stall I went to pull off the various layers of wet clothing but soon discovered every time I looked down, snow would drip off my visor and onto my bare legs. Not a pleasant surprise. 

Post bathroom break, we only had about 2 and half miles to go. We. Could. Do. This! It was becoming clear that the temperature had dramatically decreased by this time. I decided to run past my car so I could pick up some gloves that I left in there. I also getting hungry and looking forward to breaking into the banana I had stored there. It was hard to break off bites because it was almost frozen. 

We ran on. Angie tried to get my mind off how miserable we were by asking me what I wanted to eat when we got done. The prevailing idea was a cheese pizza. (Sadly, I never got said cheese pizza. Maybe next time.) We were ticking off more and more distance and the wind was blowing harder and harder. Angie starts asking me if I'm doing ok and if I "just want to be done" and stop right then and there. I decline, thinking this madness has got to end at some point. 

Mercifully it does. 

Angie helps me scrape the snow off my car and hops in for me to drive her back to her car. It's only about a half mile away but we've both gone far enough on our feet. As I prepare to drive out of the parking lot, I look in the mirror and see how ridiculous we look. 

We make snow look good

This is the face of determination....and snow

Thus ended probably the most miserable marathon training run of my life. I honestly don't think I could have finished it without the help of my awesome friends Jessica, Barb, Kiersten, Angie...and my friend Jeffrey who was desperately trying to get there to meet us for the last few miles. I feel like these folks earn even more badass points than I do because they didn't HAVE to be out there. They didn't have a marathon to train for. They were simply there because I needed them. And they answered the call. I am so grateful. Thank you all.

Oh - and when I got back home and checked my phone for messages, I discovered my niece Addison is a lot like her aunt. Turns out she doesn't like running in miserable weather any more than I do.

Addison is NOT impressed.

Shedding a Little Light on Running in the Dark

Sadly, we're entering the time of year when we lose daylight. I hate this time of year. By the time I get off of work, it is dark and my internal clock thinks it's about time to go do bed. On Tuesday I was in my PJs and snuggled into my bed watching Netflix by 5:30 pm. Regardless of daylight hours, there are mile to run. Having a winter marathon scheduled at least gets me out the door when the only thing I really want to do is sit in front of my fireplace and veg out in front of the TV. But it's a different game running in the dark.

When you have to get in most of your miles in the dark there are dangers out there that aren't a factor during those daylight runs. You suddenly need to be worried about being seen, about being able to see, and about the safety of your surroundings. Having embarked on many a dark run in the last couple of months, I've come up with a few rules I try to abide by to increase my odds of making it safely back home.

1. Lights. Running in the dark presents 2 major problems. One - you can't see where you are going, and two - other people can't see you. The answer to both these problems: lights! In the past I tried a head lamp. It gave me a bit of a headache so after wearing it twice, I started wrapping it around my upper arm. I tried the reflective vest but it kept inching up as I ran. I wrote about my visibility options back when I was training for my last marathon. Luckily since then, more products have flooded the market. My current favorite is my set of knuckle lights.

Knuckle Lights

I love these because I hate carrying stuff with me. They strap onto your hands in a very natural position so it doesn't feel like you're actually holding them at all. They have 3 settings: almost blinding, what the heck is that?!, and strobe.

While the knuckle lights are good for seeing and being seen there are also a variety of products that make you more visible. These items include reflective vests, belts and water bottle carriers, blinking lights and a whole manner of clip-on items. Make sure to stock up!

2. Apparel. Just like lights can make you be seen more easily so can your wardrobe choice. I know most of us run in black tights or shorts because that is the color the majority of these items come in. I try to keep that in mind when I select my top. If I must wear solid black on the bottom, I try to pair it with a more colorful shirt. But now there seem to more colorful options for running clothes, at least for women, so it's a little easier to avoid the invisible black outfit. One new pair of tights I bought is this fun pattern. It's much easier to see. (Disregard the fact I'm lying on the ground - it was a long day of running.)

Patterned tights are a better option for running in the dark.

One bonus of wearing running-specific clothing is that most items have at least one reflective element on them, making you visible to cars.

3. Alter your running routes. One of reasons I bought the house that I currently live in is that it is close to a great running/biking trail that runs through the twin cities where I live. I love running on that trail. But in the dark, the section of trail by me is fairly dangerous to run on. Being surrounded by mature trees, when it's dark outside, you can barely see your hand in front of your face out there. So as much as I hate to leave my trail, during dark runs, I change up my routes to well-lit streets. It's not as pretty but it's much safer.

4. Run with someone else. Shockingly, this isn't always possible. I mean, I can't imagine why many of my friends aren't keen on getting up at 5:00 am and trekking 8 miles around town before they have to get back home and ready for work. Odd. But luckily I do have some friends who are as crazy - or crazier - than I am and have offered to join me for my early morning dark runs. I'm not one of those women who worries about going places alone or anything but I just feel a little better having company during these runs. If I were to trip and get hurt, I'd have someone there with me, and of course, there's strength in numbers in case we run across any 'unsavory' characters. This hasn't happened yet - I think the unsavory sorts tend to be sleeping at the oh-heck-no-o'clock hours.

Even though running in the dark is a sad reality in the winter months, there are ways to make the runs a little safer. And at there is a winter running bonus - if your running outfit doesn't match, nobody will notice!

Inspire Me!

It's time to separate the women from the girls.

I say this for 2 reasons. 1) The training is starting to get interesting now. Long runs take me out for most of the day: the morning is spent running and the rest of the day is split between sleeping and eating. Medium length runs are now what I would have considered a long run a month ago. It's gotten to the point where I've started taking a couple hours off work once a week to squeeze in that 'medium' length run on a weekday. Add to that, the fact that every couple of weeks I have to do back-to-back long runs. Essentially what I'm saying is that running is taking over my life. 2) It's supposed to be 35 degrees on Saturday. For a high. And snow might happen. Ugh.

So what's a girl to do when she's staring down the barrel of a couple long runs in the middle of winter and she's kind of over it? Get inspired, of course. So here's what I've been up to lately.

Read "My Year of Running Dangerously" by Tom Foreman. This book follows CNN correspondent Foreman as he goes from fairly sedentary suburban family man to marathoner to ultramarathoner. He eloquently describes how he fit in crazy long runs and what it felt like to run for hours and regularly get lost doing it. As I read the sections where he describes 30+ mile runs, it made me think I'm really glad I only have 18 miles to do this weekend. And also that I'm a slacker.

Watched "Spirit of the Marathon II". Years ago when I ran my last full marathon, I watched "Spirit of the Marathon" and it was so inspiring. The documentary follows a handful of people as they train for the Chicago Marathon. This second installment follows a group of runners as they prepare to run the Rome Marathon. I've been wanting to watch this movie for a while now and I finally made the time to do it. I didn't like it as much as the original but it's still a heartwarming set of stories that make you excited to run again.

Reading "Born to Run". I know I'm late to the party on this one. Most runners have already read this book. For whatever reason, it just didn't appeal to me until now. I'm about 2/3 the way through it now and am finding it hard to put down. Like the earlier book I mentioned, there is a lot of discussion about running an obscene amount of miles at a time. Reading about people who regularly run 100 miles at time kinda makes my training look like preschool.

Ordered a copy of "Spirit of the Marathon". I loved the original movie so much I decided I needed to watch it again. When I saw I could get it on Amazon for less than $10, I decided to buy it so I could get inspired whenever I want to. As I mentioned earlier, the original installment of the documentary follows runners as they train for the Chicago Marathon. Since my first marathon was Chicago, watching this the first time brought back a lot of memories. Seeing the featured runners putting the work in to realize their dream really made me want to get back out there and get a run in.

So I've done my part to inspire myself to keep putting one foot in front of the other. It definitely takes a village though, so in the next couple of weeks, any extra inspiring or encouraging messages would be appreciated. This is where things start to get real.

Predictions

We're less than 2 months from D-day, 53 days to be exact, and I have a number of long runs under my fuel belt now so I thought it would be a good time to revisit the predictions I made several months ago about how this marathon training business was going to go. Back on May 14 when I wrote about committing to the Dopey Challenge, I listed several things I expected to happen during the course of training madness. Let's take a look and see how accurate I was back in the innocent days of 3 mile runs. You can re-visit that entry here.

Love Boat Carnage

Prediction #1: I will want to eat all the food.
True? Yes. Oh my God, yes.
Yesterday was a 17 mile day. The only things I did yesterday were eat, run, eat, shower, eat, nap and eat. I actually stopped on the way home from my run to get a doughnut to eat while I figured out what I was going to eat for lunch. My Goofy friend (as in she's doing the Goofy Challenge of a half marathon followed by a full marathon) Ashley met me for lunch minutes after I got out of the shower. Seriously. My hair was still wet when I arrived at the restaurant. We split a Love Boat - a literal boat full of sushi - which we demolished in short order. This was after we eat ate a bowl of miso soup and a small salad. I then went home to nap and woke up several hours later to the sound of my stomach gurgling demanding to be fed again. I answered the call and ate half a pizza. 

Jeffrey and Jane made this run fun!

Prediction #2: I will wonder why I thought this was a good idea.
True? Yep - this was my attitude most of last week.
I had a lackluster 16 mile run that included 2 bathroom stops and an emergency run to a drugstore to buy a granola bar. In the days after, my runs were colored by this sub-par performance. I did not want to get out of bed early. I did not want to go out in the pre-dawn morning when I could have been sleeping, and just about the last thing I wanted to do was run. One. More. Mile. I was simply over it. I had already put in hundreds of miles and dozens of early mornings and yet I had oh so many more to go. It got overwhelming. Luckily, I have friends who showed up to run with me and a Dopey mentor that talked me off the ledge. Things went better this week and I might just be starting to see the light at the end of this many miled tunnel.

The "What Died in Here?" pile

Prediction #3: I will be doing laundry like it’s my job. 
True? Abso-stinkin'-lutely (emphasis on stinkin')
Laundry piles have quickly taken over my house. I usually have 3 of them: 1) The 'regular' dirty laundry in the 'regular' hamper. This consists of my work clothes, pajamas, towels, etc. It's pretty harmless and can be done under regular conditions. 2) The clean-but-I'm-too-tired-to-fold-them-and-put-away clothes. More times than not, I pull clothes out of this pile to wear again and they never see the inside of a closet or drawer. 3) The "what died in there?" pile. These are also known as my running clothes. Fairly soon after I started training, I went out and bought a separate laundry hamper for these clothes and these clothes alone. I did this for 2 reasons - sometimes I need to wash running clothes before I have a full load of the 'regular' laundry, and they reek of a funk that can only be accomplished by running in them for 2-4 hours at a time. This laundry requires a special kind of detergent (seriously) and should be done wearing a hazmat suit. It should also be noted that this hamper lives in a separate room from where I sleep.

Prediction #4: It’s very possible I will lose body parts.
True? Not yet.
Every full marathon I've ever done (all 2 of them) has cost me at least one toenail. Typically I keep hold of the nails all the way through the race and lose them weeks later, but I can usually tell when I'm going to lose it way before it actually happens. And so it's no surprise that "Toenail Watch 2015/16" has already begun. They are all hanging on for now but I'm concerned about #2 on my left foot. It's a problem nail - it has a history of abandoning me. I've learned to not get too attached. Literally.

Prediction #5: People will call me crazy. 
True? You betcha.
I've lost count of the number of people that have called me crazy, rolled their eyes or shook their heads in disbelief about what I'm planning to do. Some people have called me inspirational but they're easily outnumbered by a 2-1 margin by the first group. That's ok though. If I wanted a truly conventional life, I'd have done a lot of other things differently too. Years from now (hopefully lots of years), I want to screech into my grave with my body all used up and saying "Man, that was a wild ride!" I think I'm well on my way.

With 4 1/2 out of 5 correct, looks like I pretty much nailed my predictions. Maybe I should head to Vegas.

Marathoners Are Like Small Children

My friend Jennie is always in my corner cheering me on even when she doesn’t understand why I would do the crazy things I do. This Dopey Challenge business is just the latest thing she shakes her head about but offers her support.

Jennie and I were talking one day about how one’s life changes while they are training for a marathon. I was describing a few things that are going on in my life during training and she said “You know, marathoners are a lot like small children.” As an aunt to a gaggle of nieces and nephews, she knows a thing or two about small children. And as we talked more about her comparison, we realized how true that statement really is.

I delved into the idea more and came up with a partial list of how marathon runners are like small children.

1.       1. We eat lots of soft foods. Like kids cutting teeth need to slurp on soft foods like applesauce, pudding, yogurt and bananas, so do marathoners need fuel sources that are easy to eat. Though most of us have our own teeth, when you’re on the 3^rd hour or so of a long run, you need to conserve all your energy for putting one foot in front of the other. Chewing is wasted effort. For that reason the running world has created all sorts of things for runners to eat while they are literally on the run. One of the most popular products on the market is called Gu. The product is exactly what it sounds like. This pudding-like substance makes up an entire food group for marathoners in training.

2.       2. We need to eat often. Much like babies need to eat every few hours, so do we. Instead of breast milk and formula, we tend to gorge ourselves on carbohydrates. When you burn through 2500 calories in one run, it’s necessary to fuel up often. During marathon training I can find myself doing one of four things at any point in the day: working, running, sleeping or eating. Sometimes I’ve woken up from sleeping just to eat. Often I’m eating while I’m working. And as you can see from the point above, I’m often eating while I’m running as well.

3.       3. We require early bedtimes. Anyone with a small child knows their life revolves around the sleeping patterns of said child. Late nights out are a thing of the past. Heck – even being out past the dinner hour is a foreign concept. Similarly, a marathoner in training schedules weekend activities around getting their long runs in and this means getting to bed at an early hour so we can wake up at oh-heck-no-o’clock the next morning for our run.

4.       4. We produce an obscene amount of laundry. Small children tend to be messy and are often in need of a wardrobe change. Marathoners tend to be smelly and are often in need of a wardrobe change.

5.      5.  We have a hard time with staircases. It’s cute when you see small children trying to tackle a staircase and have trouble because the stairs are too tall for their short little legs. It’s slightly less adorable to see runners struggle with stairs because of their tired, wobbly legs.

6.       6. We have to get new shoes every couple of months. Much to the lament of their parents, small children need to get new shoes every couple of months because they grow so fast. Much to the joy of running stores, marathoners have to replace their shoes every couple of months because they put so many miles on them in a short amount of time. A pair of running shoes should be replaced every 300-500 miles. For a marathoner in training, it doesn’t take very long to hit that mark. And we don’t even have the option of the fun light-up versions.

7.       6. We get cranky when things don’t go our way. Conjure up an image of a toddler having a meltdown because he didn’t get the color crayon he wanted to use. You now have a vague idea of how a marathoner behaves if a race course is mismarked, there isn’t enough water at an aide station or they missed running their goal time. We can be a cranky bunch, but it’s probably because we need more sleep. Which brings me to…

8.       7. We need our naps. Getting up before dawn. Running for hours. Cramming our workouts into already busy days. These things tire us out much like the rigors of preschool can tire out a spunky child. Therefore it is in everyone’s best interest if we nap. Unlike the small child, we won’t fight it when it is suggested.

Marathoners might need the extra care that is usually reserved for small children but take heart, we can easily be made happy much like small children are - by dangling a shiny object in front of them.  Usually a finisher medal does the trick.

Back-to-Back-to-Bed

I'm not gonna lie. This week was rough.

There comes a time in all marathon training when you feel like you're just over it. You're tired. You're grumpy. You're in desperate need of sleep and you become keenly aware that you'll never be a foot model. That time came for me this week.

#beechstreetstrong

This was another back-to-back long runs week. I started out the weekend with a 7 mile run with my friend Lauri. Lauri is trying to make me a morning person. That's never gonna happen but she has helped me get used to getting a workout done in the morning. I have even managed to not strangle anyone at that hour. Granted most people aren't up yet, but I still call that a win. We got our 7 miles done by 7:00 am and I found myself done with day 1 of the back-to-backs.

Unfortunately later that day I found out that my training partner would not be running a long run with me again this week. Our training schedules just aren't syncing up like I'd hoped. It looked like the long runs I had planned with her were probably not going to happen, at least not for a while. A 16 mile run was on the schedule for the next day and I was alone. And terrified. I've never run that far by myself and I didn't really want to now. So in addition to all the other stress of training for a challenge like Dopey while balancing 3 jobs, now I had the stress of trying to find people every week who would be willing to run part or all of my long runs with me.

Thankfully I have some awesome friends. Two of them, Jeffrey and Jill, answered the call and joined me for the first half of my run. It was great to have the company, and even though I knew I'd be alone for the hard part of the run, it helped my mental game to know that I'd only have to do half of them alone.

Thanks Jill and Jeffrey!

So for the first 8 miles I had company. The next 3 miles went well. But by the time I got to mile 11, I knew I had made a rookie nutrition mistake. The stupid thing was that I knew I was doing it while I did it. That morning before leaving for my run, all I had to eat was a single banana washed down with some water. I knew I needed more calories than that but just couldn't force myself to do it. I'd worry about the consequences later. Later came with a vengeance. Suddenly, and with 6 more miles to go, I was famished. I had taken 2 gels but knew that the paltry 100 calories in each was not going to do much for me. I made a quick decision. I was fairly close to where I parked my car so I ran there to get my debit card and then ran to the closest drug store and bought a granola bar. I can honestly say that was the first time I've gone to a store and bought food mid-run. Might not be the last time though.

The last 5 miles seemed interminable. Having to make 2 bathroom stops and the run for emergency rations, I felt like the last part of the run would never end. But finally it did. And not a moment too soon. I mustered up the energy to smile for a selfie that I could send to my mom to let her know I was alive and then I headed home.

I looked way better than I felt...

After a run like that, I typically have a hard time deciding if I'm more hungry or tired. This time tired won out. So after my shower, I crawled into my bed. And stayed there. For 3 hours. When I was finally able to get up, my feet hurt so bad that I couldn't bear the thought of wearing shoes. The only thing I was able to put on my feet was my Oofos sandals and since it was pretty chilly out, I had to wear socks. So this is what I looked like when I ventured out of the house to scavenge for food.

Always the fashion-forward runner

Maybe it's the fatigue or maybe it's the remnants of a less-than-ideal run, but I gotta say, after this weekend I've been less than enthusiastic about this whole endeavor. I'm giving up a lot to do this thing. Sleep for one. Several times a week I get up and start running before the sun comes up. My social life is suffering too. I find myself having to turn down invitations. It makes me wonder if I turn down enough of them if I will stop getting them altogether. And for the social events that I do go to, I regularly have to leave early so I can get up for a run the next morning. 

I'm sure it's just a down week. Looking on the positive side, I have friends who rally around me to help me run long distances or who stop to ask me how my training is going, or just put up with the fact that this challenge is never far from my thoughts. I get to see myself making progress every week and that brings a certain satisfaction. And I have a trip to Florida in January to look forward to as a reward for my hard work. 

So yeah, this has been a rough week. But the good news is that tomorrow starts a brand new one.

  

Welcome Back Long Run

Milestone time. I have now successfully completed my longest run since 2010. Sunday's run was 15 miles. It went pretty well. After a rainy Saturday, Sunday was beautiful and I convinced a few people to join me for part of my distance. Since it was Halloween weekend, I figured it was as good a time as any to do a "test run" in my Mickey costume. (Oddly enough, I didn't get any strange looks. Not sure what that says about our running community....) You can all rest easy knowing the outfit got passing marks. I had no problems with any part of the costume so I will be dressed as Mickey Mouse for the marathon. I mean, seriously, how cute is this?

At this point in my training, I've discovered a few new things.

Hunger is now starting to be a real thing. I've started getting hunger pangs, as in my stomach physically hurts, at completely random times. Once last week, it was an hour and a half after I'd eaten dinner. I tried to ignore it because I was getting ready to go to bed but it wasn't long before I realized that there would be no sleeping until I ate something. So now I keep graham crackers on hand for these emergency munchies that spring up. They are easily portable, have a satisfying crunch to them, are conveniently portion controlled and are a lower sugar/calorie/fat option than a lot of other convenient foods. 

My cheap sports bra has a distance threshold. And that threshold is somewhere shy of 15 miles. I mostly wear good-quality Moving Comfort sports bras but I also have one cheaper brand I got at TJ Maxx a while back. It hadn't steered me wrong in the past but in the past, a "long" run was only 8 or 9 miles. I now have a couple of lovely strawberry-colored reminders to wear only the good stuff from now on.

For the first time ever, I kind of like that Daylight Saving Time has ended. I'm new to this whole morning running thing and I've been running in complete darkness during the week for the last month or so. This morning was the first time in weeks I didn't have to bring my lights with me on my run. Small things make me happy.

Sometimes the 5:40 freight train is more like the 6:25 freight train. As I mentioned several entries ago, unbeknownst to me before this fall, there is a freight train that comes through Uptown Normal at approximately 5:40 in the morning. How soon I get to the train tracks determines which direction I can run. This morning I crossed the tracks with no sign of the train and didn't give it much thought as I ran another 2 miles. And then on my way back home....stuck. Thankfully, I wasn't on too tight of a schedule because I stood there waiting for the darn thing to pass for a good several minutes.

The schedule this week is a little tough. I work 3 weeknights at Fleet Feet instead of my normal 2 and 2 of them are later nights than normal. I'm supposed to do another back-to-back set of long runs this weekend but I have to both attend a departmental retreat and a facilitate a focus group on Friday so I won't be able to go in late. It's "Suck it Up Buttercup" time!