So much for my pretty pedicure...

It hasn't been an easy few days, that's for sure. My blisters are pretty painful but I am hoping they are on their way to being fully healed. Today my schedule called for me to run 5 miles. Based on the way I've been walking the past few days, I had no idea how I was going to do it. After reading several articles online about what to do for blisters, I decided to try tape. I spent about a half hour last night taping up my feet and all my toes to make sure there was zero friction. My feet looked silly but when I got up to walk, there was very little pain. I slept with my feet in their little cocoons and woke up at 5:30 to attempt my run on the treadmill. My feet didn't feel too great but I had to at least give it a shot. My dad gave me a little pep talk as I was leaving the house and told me to "Go easy, and not push too hard, only do what you can do." I got to the gym, got my lucky treadmill, popped on my tunes and said to myself, "You CAN do this." After running about 2 miles, the discomfort started to set in a little. I thought of my dad telling me not to push it, so I decided to listen to the advice of my "old man" and I decided to just run 4 miles vs the 5 on the schedule. Overall, it wasn't too bad...taking the tape off was probably more painful than the actual run. I guess I'll have to accept the fact that my feet aren't going to look too pretty for the beginning of this year's sandal season...:( My next running day is Thursday...I have the day off and the weather is supposed to be stellar. I'm hoping my feet are just as stellar as the weather and I can run 6 miles...outside. We'll see I guess, I've got my fingers...and toes (OUCH!)...crossed! Hopefully April Fool's Day doesn't fool me!

11 miles and 2 blisters later...

My preparation began last night when Joe treated me and cooked me a delicious pasta dish for my carb loading meal. It was quite good. Having an Italian boyfriend is going to come in very handy during this training season. :) I have lots of pasta in my future!! I set out to run this morning about 9am...the weather was great, low 40's with very little wind. Joe came with me this week to support me on the course. I wasn't able to run with the team yesterday because I had to work...again! So, it was nice to have him out there giving me nutrients when I needed them. He was at miles 3,6,and 9 to give me whatever it was I needed. A speical thank you to him for being there for me. He's been really great through this whole process. The first 6 miles, I was cruisin and then I started to feel a little something funny on my left toes and right foot. I knew instantly that blisters were forming...uh-oh. I kept going and tried to focus on my new tunes from my bro rather than the pain I was starting to feel. I powered through the pain and the last 5 miles and finished in an hour and 45 minutes. Pretty good/consistent timing so I was happy about that. It wasn't until I got home and took off my shoes and socks that I discovered how big those blisters really were. I have one on each foot, so I am walking a little funny right now...they are extremely painful. Did I mention that they are both broken blisters...ya, well they are and they're not little!! OUCH! Needless to say, I won't be doing very much tomorrow other than hoping they heal real fast. I'm supposed to run again on Tuesday...

Today really was "easy"...

So, today I had to do 4 "easy" miles and it actually was pretty "easy." Getting up at 5:30 wasn't even that bad. Got to the gym, got on my lucky treadmill, tuned into channel 7 news and I was off and running. The first two miles went by surprisingly fast and the last two weren't bad either. A special thanks to my bro who sent me a ton of new tunes for my iPod...they definitely made a huge difference. They might have even taken a minute off my mile. HAHA Thanks Ant. You're the best! I felt very strong this morning. I hope I have the same energy and strength on Sunday when I set out to run 11 miles...

Runnin' Against the Wind...

Wow, was it windy today or what?! Combine that with running by the water and I thought I was going to be picked up and carried away. Needless to say, today's run was a bit challenging. I felt like I was running in place at times because the wind was so strong. I was able to run 5 miles outside this morning (thank goodness the rain stopped). One thing to my advantage was that I did an "out and back" route so the wind was against my back on my return and it pretty much carried me with it. The tough part was the first 2.5 miles. Overall it was a good run, nice to be outside. Tomorrow is cross training, Friday is an "easy run" and Sunday is 11 miles! Weather for Sunday looks perfect for running. Let's hope it stays that way...

Over the hills and through the woods...

I did my first "cross country" road race this morning at Olde Salem Greens in Salem. It was a 5K and we ran all over the golf course and cart paths. I have a whole new appreciation for all the men out there who play golf in summer heat and lug golf bags up and down those hills. I think it's fair to say that this 5K was harder than my 10 mile run yesterday. Some of those hills were brutal! But, I did it. I finished in a little over 30 minutes which wasn't bad considering the difficulty of the course. After 10 miles yesterday and running all those hills today, my legs need a break.

A special thanks to my dad...

I had to work today so I wasn't able to join my team for the "long" run this morning. I had to conquer 10 miles on my own after working all day...not an easy task. I am definitely a person who prefers her workouts/runs in the morning. As always, I thought of Gina and the the fight that she faces each and every day. Her legs hurt so much lately that sometimes she can't even get out of bed or off the couch. So, she gave me the motivation I needed to get out there. Not to mention that the weather was absolutely perfect for running! My dad was such a great support system for me today. He was out on the course cheering me on from the car. He was waiting for me at miles 4 and 8 with Gatorade, Water, Gu, Blocks and everything else I may have needed to give me an extra kick. He even took along his camera and got some great "action shots" and mini videos. Those are the pictures you see here. A special thanks to him for supporting me on the course today; not sure I could've done it without him. Another successful long run is come and gone. I can't believe I just ran 10 miles!! In three weeks, I'll be running a half marathon. I just can't believe it. I am really surprising myself and doing things I never thought possible...

Ah, Red Wine...

Well, this morning didn't go quite as well as yesterday morning. Alarm went off at 5:15 and was very quickly shut off. I knew I should've stuck to one glass of wine last night! So, needless to say, I'll be doing my 40min of cross training (swimming) after work this evening. It's probably going to be hard to muster up the energy after working all day but I know I've gotta do it! I have a tough weekend of running ahead of me this weekend and I know that cross training is such an important part of my training. Can't wait for the gorgeous weather forecasted for the next couple days. Definitely going to be a great running day tomorrow. 10 miles tomorrow afternoon and a 5K in Salem on Sunday morning at Olde Salem Greens. Should be lots o fun...I hope...

I hate the dark...

I was just getting used to morning sunlight and being able to log my miles outside before the day started and then Daylight Savings hit. It's been almost a week since we changed the clocks but my body is still in denial. I'm wired at night and can't get myself out of bed in the morning. Today was especially tough, but I dragged myself out of bed at 5:30 and headed to the gym to log my "easy" four miles on the treadmill. One thing's for sure...the treadmill is certainly easier on the knees but not on the mind. I felt like I was running forever and I only did 4 miles!! Not to mention that I think I have my "running" playlist memorized so I can predict exactly what song comes next. I think it's time for some new tunes...suggestions welcome.

Long Run, Saturday 3/13

I hope everyone survived the weekend and the rain ok. What a mess!! Well, we got lucky this weekend. We were able to get our training run in before the nasty weather hit. We did 9 miles on Saturday morning and everyone did great. Our coach threw a little curve ball at us and threw in some hills but we all overcame them just fine. I finished in about an hour and 20 minutes and felt great through the whole run and even when it was over. It was probably my best "long run" to date. I hope the rest go just as well. Next weekend we will be doing 10 miles...we're into double digits now....YIKES!! Stay tuned for how it goes...