I ran nine miles today (a new longest run).

Rackin' Up The Miles

I had to break down and buy a new pair of shoes on Thursday. I had about 140 miles on my Nike Triax but once they started to wear down they gave me horrible blisters right in the arches of both feet. I went to Running Spot (where I bought the Nikes) and they said that I was the third person to come in with the same problem. I bought these Asics that the sales guy said were the “gold standard” of these types of running shoes. Sadly, this information could have helped me THE LAST TIME I BOUGHT SHOES.

Nothing interesting to note this week, but I wanted to keep up the weekly posting rate, so here it is. I completed a new longest run of six miles on Saturday. I felt a lot better on this run than last week’s five miles which I thought might kill me – my pace was over one minute faster.

Next week’s long run will be six miles (again).

I ran five miles on Sunday.

That’s all I got.

I’m tired.

Grand Total: 26 Workouts And 63.77 Miles

I was able to reach this week’s goal of four miles, thanks to some decent weather that allowed me to run on the bike trail. I would have died from boredom if I had to run four miles (36 laps!) on the indoor track. The dip in pace is when I turned around, so I’m not sure what happened there. I’m worried about the hills of the Half Pig – miles 5-8 are uphill – so I’ve been slowly working in some hills into the runs.

I started using a new training program from Runner’s World Smart Coach.  This program is somewhat aggressive but I think it works better with my schedule and running experience. Next week’s goal is five miles!

I was late getting to Glenwood Gardens on Friday and didn’t stretch at all.  Big mistake! Warming up is important! It keeps me from being sore the next day!

We went a total of 3.5 miles and I’m not even sure what the interval was – 4 min run/ 1 min walk maybe?  It’s just been one of those weeks where everything blurs together.  I missed Wednesday’s run due to a combination of snow, cold, and laziness, but that’s only the second day I’ve skipped since I started.

My goal for next week is 4 miles.  I’m a couple of weeks ahead of my training schedule and I’m feeling pretty good, but a little nervous about the increased workload.  In addition to training, in the next two weeks I have (1) two presentations and a paper in management class, (2) a midterm in marketing class and then a presentation two weeks after that, and (3) an important design review at work.  Good times!

Let’s break this week down bullet-style, shall we?

• Monday: 25 minute run on the treadmill (a treadmill rant is coming in a later post)
• Wednesday: 25 minute run
• Friday: 40 minute, 3.5 mile workout with a 3 min run/1 min walk combo.  Check it:

All of my runs to this point have been pain free, but about an hour after yesterday’s run I felt something in my left leg. It doesn’t feel like a sore muscle exactly; it’s more like a pinch in a specific spot on the outside of my leg, just above the ankle.  I’m sure it’s nothing, though. Right? Right?!?! A classmate recently told me that she had planned to run a marathon a couple of years ago and had trained up to 14 miles when she suffered a stress fracture in her foot.  “If you feel any pain or anything starts to hurt, STOP,” she said. Good advice but it probably made me paranoid. I can’t walk across the parking lot to my car without thinking OMG I STEPPED ON THAT CURB WEIRD AND I FELT SOMETHING TWINGE AHH I’M RUINED. I’ll just take it easy for the next day or two to be on the safe side.