Compressed

Yesterday's Run:
3.68 mi/ 32 min

I know I didn't post Saturday's run. I'll sum it up for you - it sucked. I was slow. It was hot. I just didn't feel like I had any energy. I ran 2 miles, walked a full mile and then ran another 2.5. It just wasn't my day. But Monday's run made up for that. I've been told that the bad runs only make you appreciate the good ones even more. That is true. For the first time since early June, I ran close to my typical 5k pace on a regular weekday run.

I've never been so thankful to see 8-somethings on my MotoActv. I was beginning to wonder if I would ever run faster than a 9 min mile again. I was pretty much convinced that it wasn't going to happen. I know none of this is rational, but it was starting to bring me down. Yesterday's run helped my confidence.

Today I purchased my first pair of PRO Compression socks. My dad had a circulatory disease, so I'm quite familiar with medical compression socks. These are not those ugly, white, smelly socks like I remember. These are pink and awesome and on sale. I've read so much about them but they just weren't in the running equipment budget at $50 a pair. Today they were half off - score!

I think I will start wearing these as a recovery aid until I start seriously training for my half or until it gets under 65 degrees on my morning runs. But they may be too cute to wait to wear.

Lake Front Trail - Chicago

Today's Run
5.7 miles - 9:21/mile
Lake Front Trail, Chicago

I was happy to sneak in this run after a far too big breakfast celebrating Father's Day with my FIL. Note to self - running and jalapeno peppers do not mix.

Running on the Lake Front Trail in Grant Park was a feast for this southern girl's eyes. Between the water, the marina, the sky scrapers in the background and the diverse group of people out on the trail on Sunday morning made the time fly by.

I was in the minority this morning. Most people seemed to be on bikes - something I don't have to worry too much about on my local neighborhood treks. I became a tad bit paranoid and kept looking over my shoulder in fear of being run down, but I escaped without harm.

The other thing Chicago didn't lack was a multitude of people with ridiculously awesome bodies. Lots of eye candy on the trail. And in total juxtaposition to the sweaty, super-fit that were seen along the way, I saw two Muslim women, covered from head to toe out running together. I'm pretty sure this is something I won't see again (at least for a very long time) and it made me smile.

I spent the rest of the afternoon looking at crazy skeletons of things that should only be living in some creative movie maker's mind and not having lived on our planet at some point in our Earth's existence. Seriously, whales with arms and legs or giant sloths the size of elephants totally creep me out. But I did like getting a closer look at a T-Rex named Sue.

I'm kinda just running without any goals right now, other than not dying of dehydration from the heat. I've decided to pick back up the Ease to 10K program if for no other reason than to begin building my stamina for my half training this fall. I can run this far, but I feel like I need something or someone to tell me what to run each time and this distance seems heat friendly enough.

Preparation

Today's Run
4.33 miles/ 9:01/mile

Travel days tend to be a bit stressful for me. Remember those lists from yesterday? Well, I made three more between 8p - 1a and when I got up (late) at 6:30a, I was already freaking out about how I could cross off items on my list, get my run in and be on the road in a reasonable amount of time. I really should know that it doesn't matter how hard I try to leave for a vacation on time, we will walk out the door 45 minutes late - especially if we don't have a plane to catch.

The run wasn't relaxing. It wasn't calming or all zen-like. It was a mind racing measly 30 minutes of sweaty, humid, hot running. All I thought about were the things I was afraid to forget to do, like putting RidX in the toilet before we left - real life or death stuff. Needless to say, I'm not sure that I should attempt morning runs on the days I travel.

We packed up the car and headed north. First we had to drop off the dogs at the doggie spa.

Then we spent the next 7 hours in the car listening to Howard Stern and other random stations on SiriusXM. We heard that catchy Gotye song five times.

We arrived in Cincinnati this evening in time to partake in a heart attack on a plate local favorite - chili, cheese, beans, onions over pasta. Sounds crazy right - well it is, in a good way. We chose to fore go the chain chili places and eat at Camp Washington Chili which has been a tradition in Cincinnati since 1940. I heard about it on Man vs. Food and the small dent I made in the meal was very good.

After writing this post, I'm feeling like I need to go run on the hotel treadmill.

Happy National Running Day

Chick-Fil-A Race Series
Macon, GA - May 28, 2012

If you had asked me seven months ago if I would be celebrating National Running Day, I would have told you that someone must be chasing me if I'm running. Don't ask me how my running addiction happened. This, among other things, run though my head every time I lace up, including:

• How did I ever run in sneakers that really didn't fit properly? While they are cute, I now know that the Nike's that I bought at the outlet three years prior weren't really meant to be run in. Now that I have "real" running shoes, I cannot even put my feet in my old ones now. Not even to wear them to the store or to walk the dogs. Maybe I should bronze them like my mom did my baby shoes? Where's that spray paint?
• I wonder what I look like when I run? I dated boys who ran track and cross country in high school, but they never invited me to tag along on a run. Maybe my stride was is too dorky, because my husband won't run with me either. There are no mirrors or glass windows along my run. I'm pretty sure that's a good thing.
• I am so slow. I think this frequently, even when I'm not running. I read blogs where these women are running an 8 minute mile for 26.2 and still look cute at the end of the race. I've got to learn to accept that my times aren't going to improve overnight. Too bad Marty McFly can't take me to myself in 7 years and see what my times look like so I can not freak out about it.
• Have I hit my pace peak? I read somewhere that beginning runners will see the most progress in the first 9 months of running. After that, the improvements are marked in seconds, not minutes. If this is true the sand is almost out of my hourglass. Wait, did that 9 months start on the first day I started running (October 31, 2011) or my first 5k? That reporter should have been a bit more specific.
• What will I do if I lose a toenail? The biggest fear of training for a half or full - toenail loss. I love open toed shoes and I'm pretty sure I'd have to lay off the flip flops if I'm missing a toe covering. I wonder how long they take to grow back? Maybe I have extra strong toenails because how didn't I lose a toenail or two running in those crappy shoes for the first 200 miles of my running adventure is beyond me.

I've started this blog as more of a record of my running life and hope that one day when I'm running Boston for the first time I can look back and remember where I came from. Happy National Running Day to me.