Run #163

This is one of those runs that I love--I woke up with just a slight headache from sleeping wrong, and it was hard to get out of bed. But running made me feel great! I wore a jacket today--a JACKET! Yippee! 57 degrees.... Hello, fall! I know we'll still have warm days but I'm enjoying this cold front. Still warm enough to go barefoot though I did the first mile or so with ZEMs until it got light enough to take them off. (Another thing I love about running with a lightweight waistpack--I can shove my ZEMs or huaraches in the band and forget about them.)

Going to start doing more ankle exercises--that seems to be the one part of me that's having trouble with these longer distances. Nothing bad; they just get achy during the run.

Here's a quick update on my half marathon training: This is my last week of increasing distances during my weekday runs. This week's run distances are 3.6 miles, 3 miles, 5.75 miles, and 1.5-2 miles. Next week and thereafter, my weekday runs will be 4 miles and 3 miles, and I'll just focus on increasing that Saturday run distance every week (except one "down week" with only a 5 mile run, and one "taper week" before the race with much less mileage than usual.) The last run is my "recovery run" the day after my long run, and that will just be 1.5 miles or so each week. My longest "long run" will be 12 miles, which should leave me in great shape to run 13.1 on December 5...if all goes well!

3.62 miles, 42:34 (11:45/mile)

Run #162

Chickie and I ran to and from the donut shop to get a Sunday morning treat. She did GREAT on this run! I'm proud of her! I went barefoot (except in & around the donut shop, wearing my ZEMs.) Chickie wore her water shoes on the way there and wanted to go barefoot on the way back. I'll probably start often taking her on Sundays. Having a 4-year-old to run with is a great way to make my "recovery run" (the day after my long run) nice and slow; plus, she enjoys it, and it's so good for her.

1.51 miles, 28 minutes (18:32/mile)

Run #161

Yaaaay! I've been looking forward to the 5 mile barefoot milestone, and I did it! It was an easy, good run, at a nice pace--slow enough to keep me relaxed, fast enough to show me that my barefoot pace is continuing to improve. In fact, when I was shod and building up my distance, my 5-mile run to Starbucks was at a pace of 11:33 a mile. So it looks like my barefoot long run pace has caught up with my shod long run pace. That feels great!

The weather has improved SO much in the last couple of weeks. It doesn't feel quite like fall, but it certainly doesn't feel like the middle of summer. I love the change! I made it through my first summer of running, and now I know that I can run year-round, outside.

5.02 miles, 57:32 (11:27/mile)

Run #160

Didn't feel very energetic this morning, and it was super-humid (over 90%) but my legs, feet, knees, and ankles felt good! And my time was great, so this really was a good run. I must have been a little sloppy on form; my soles are just a smidge sore, slightly scuffed up in a couple of spots.

3.03 miles, 32:36 (10:45/mile)

By the way, I've been drinking zipfizz, an electrolyte/energy drink, and I love the stuff. I wrote a review on it today and am doing a giveaway! This is not sponsored by anyone; I just wanted to write about how much I like it, and to share it with a few lucky winners. Click here to read my review and enter the giveaway.

Run #159

I broke through the 11 minute/mile barrier! on 3+ miles! Yay. :) Barefoot/minimalist running tends to make a runner's pace suffer at first. I think I'm catching up to my old self though (and my knees feel better than my old self's knees did!)

Today's run was mostly in my huaraches but it got light and I took off the shoes for the last mile or so.

3.32 miles, 36:18 (10:55/mile)

Run #158

Great run! I felt really good after yesterday's long run, but then I spent most of the day on my feet in the kitchen, and that made my legs and feet sore! Hopefully today's brisk (for me) 2-mile run was just what I needed to loosen up.

2 miles, 22:02 (11:01/mile)

Run #157

Woooo hoooo! GREAT run. I left late enough that it was light out, and I was able to be barefoot the whole way. The weather was nice today--70 degrees!! It was very humid, but just that nice temperature made the humidity so much more bearable. The sun didn't even feel too hot.

It's interesting--I really enjoy being barefoot. It's just plain fun. My feet feel cool, and I like really feeling the street instead of my shoes. And I really enjoy minimalist shoes. It's freeing not to have to keep such a close eye on the road. I'm so glad I like both so I can be happy running either way.

My legs and feet felt great!! Arches/knees felt fantastic. Ankles/calves/Achilles slightly achy but not much--really I just felt so good, the best I've felt in awhile. For awhile there, I was frustrated, feeling like everything was falling apart. Now it feels like it's coming back together again. Maybe that's just part of progressing.... It's not always a smooth path.

I took it easy but was faster than I felt like I was. Overall, the type of run that reminds me why I loooove running! (And ending at my favorite Starbucks doesn't hurt!)

4.34 miles, 51:30 (11:51/mile)