Feels Good To Be Back

This morning was a routine that I have greatly missed. I dropped the kids off at school and headed over to one of my favorite sections of the trail for a run. I completely forgot my MP3 player, but after the half, it's really not a requirement for running anymore. I do like to have it on so that I don't have to hear myself breathing. (It really bothers me!!)

I originally planned on doing a 3 mile run, especially since I'm going to be doing a series of 5Ks over the next few months. I was also concentrating on trying to run as far as I possibly could without stopping to walk. I think I am still having issues controlling my pace because I am usually pretty good on my way out, but I start to get super tired and out of breath around one and a half miles. Also, my shoes, as I mentioned before, are pretty shot and my right heel still has not completely healed from the half.

It was a little humid outside and that did not make for a great run, but the temperature was tolerable. I didn't feel concerned with bringing water for such a short run, so I didn't. I think I will eventually invest in a hydration belt and just wear it for all runs, just in case. Like I said, I was going pretty strong for at least the first mile and it passed rather quickly. (13 minutes, to be exact). I went out a little over a mile and decided that I just didn't want to push it. It actually took me a little time to convince myself that this was a leisure run and I didn't have a set distance or time goal to meet. I was a little slower on the way back, but I still managed to run a lot of it. When I finished, I had gone just under two and a half miles.

My husband participates in SwagBucks and that is how he funds his obsession hobby of collecting movies. He's been wanting me to participate for a long time now and I just haven't seen the need. Well, I now see the need. You see, I need new shoes and I need money to buy those shoes.  So, I think I will sign up and start earning points towards Amazon gift cards.

Tomorrow, I am going to do something a little different. I am going to meet up with a friend after I drop the kids off at school and go for a hilly walk followed by a swim. I haven't really had a chance to swim all year and I actually miss it. Plus, it's a great workout! Oh, and I also managed to log and stay under my calories today on My Fitness Pal. I'm hoping I can keep it up!

Ready To Run Again

Well, the week is over and things are winding down on the healing front. My toes still hurt as does the bottom of my right foot. Sadly, I think my Asics running shoes have reached passed their usable mileage. I can't really afford to replace them right now, so I will continue to use them as long as I am able to do short runs in them without serious foot pain. The worst part is, they still look brand new!

Now that it is not immediately following the race and my body has had some time to settle down, I'd like to write a little bit more about the half marathon. I noticed that a lot of my page views have come from Google searches for reviews on it. First, I'd like to mention that this was an inaugural run for this race. It was also completely full. I follow the host, Zulu Racing, on Facebook as well as the actual race itself. My concerns about the water have been repeated by many people, so I'm sure that it won't be an issue next year. Zulu has stated on their web and FB pages that the concerns with the race will be addressed for next year. I would certainly not want one of my blog posts to put anyone off of running this, or any other, half marathon. It was a learning experience for me. I know now that even though I shouldn't have to bring water with me, it's better to be safe than sorry. That being said, I'm sure that 90% of my issues would have been non-existent had I been properly hydrated. I also was not as conditioned as I should have been. In the future, that won't be an issue. Basically, I was not so turned off from the experience that I won't do it again. In fact, I will probably do this same race next year. I would love to see how much it changes after constructive feedback is evaluated and acknowledged.

If you have looked at my races page, you will see that I have already scheduled myself for two more races. They are both 5Ks. (I seriously think I can only handle 13.1 miles of running once a year!) I am going to start running this Monday and more frequently than I have been since I have time after dropping the kids off at school. My next race will be the Spooktacular Chase 5K. It is very near to my work and it is on a Saturday morning that I have to go into work, so I'll be right there at work when I'm finished. I'm excited to get back to running. In fact, I am hoping that I will get my nutrition and exercise back on track to finally reach my goal weight! Also, I am hoping to start doing my Zumba DVDs again. I really like that they provide a full body workout. (The calorie burn is WAY more than running, too!!)