Running Buddy

I have the best running partner!  The only reason I was able to get up this morning and run before work was the look on my dog's face.  He really wanted to go! That's what a running partner is good for right, to make you get out of bed when you really don't want to.  My running buddy during the week is my one year old rescue pup, Henry.  He has more energy than you can imagine.  I think that he would run 10 miles with me if I would let him. I find it quite funny that I can be running full speed and he is just trotting along in front of me like it's no big deal.  The one problem we have on our runs are squirrels, bunnies, anything that runs away really.  Henry loves to chase anything he sees while on the run which can be problematic when he takes off mid stride pulling me behind him! I am glad to have him though to keep me company on those early morning runs!

Hot Weekend Run

This weekend I had 12 miles on my training calendar.  I had to wake up extra early in order to get to the Cary location of Raleigh Running Outfitters and get my extra 2 miles in before meeting up with my pace group to run the 10 with them.  It was another hot one.  I knew it was going to be brutal when it already felt humid at 5:15 am.  The biggest problem with the Cary runs (besides a few good hills) is that most of the run is in the sun.  We started out on the Greenway but most of the run was in open sun.  I can't tell you how happy I was to get back on the shaded Greenway for the last couple of miles. After the run I went home showered, had some yogurt and took a much needed nap.  I can't tell what makes me more tired, the miles or the early wake up calls!  I was pretty surprised that I wasn't really sore, since this was my longest run in 7 months.  I had some knee pain in my right knee but that went away within 24 hours.  I am off to Boston this weekend to see a college friend I haven't seen in years.  I will miss my Saturday long run but I am hoping to get in 3 good runs this week before I leave! 

It's Been A While

Wow! I started this blog almost two years ago and ended up only writing one entry. Well a lot has happened since that entry. I completed the City of Oaks Half in October 09, the Disney Princess Half in March 2010 and the Disneyland Half in September of 2010. I also ran the Marine Corps Marathon in October of 2010. My first marathon was very hard and I was not nearly as well trained for it as I should have been. I am glad that I finished but I know that I can do better.

That brings us to now. After running Marine Corps I said I would never run another marathon. The training was too time consuming and "it stops being fun after 13". About a week after I got back from DC I watched the NYC marathon on TV. I fell in love! I told myself that if I ever ran another marathon it would have to be NYC. The next day I registered for the 2011 NYC Marathon lottery thinking I would get one of my "3 strikes and your in" years out of the way (if you enter the lottery 3 years in a row and don't get in you automatically get in on your 4th year). Well April 27th came along and I was shocked to find out that I actually got in! Guess that means I will be running another marathon after all!

So now I am training for my second marathon. I decided early on that I need to find a training group to make those long runs easier. I have found that I push myself more when I am running with other people and it makes the time go by faster!

Back in May I joined the Raleigh Galloway training program. Having trained with the Run/Walk method and just running I have found that I am faster when using the run/walk and my body doesn't take such a beating. We are up to 10-12 miles this week and other than the awful heat and humidity the runs have been great.

I have some other races on my calendar besides NYC this year. So far I am registered for the Warrior Dash in August, Rock and Roll Virginia Beach Half Marathon in September, and I am hopefully going to run the MS Mud Run and the Ramblin Rose Half in the fall as well.

Hopefully I will keep up with this blog better this time around! I'm looking forward to logging all my training efforts here!

I'm in Training!

Well, this is my first post and I'm not sure anyone will actually ever read it but what the heck. I am finally in "serious" training for my first (hopefully not last:)) half marathon. I have been running for about 2 months but am just now really buckling down and looking towards the goal. I have registered for the City of Oaks Half Marathon in Raleigh, NC on November 1st! The word on the street is that this is a pretty tough and hilly course and in fact the sales girl at the running store said "If you can do this one you can do any one", oh boy!

My mom and I are also planning to run the Disney Princess Half Marathon in Disney World in March. From what I have read about this race is supposed to be a blast! I am really excited for it but have to get the City of Oaks under my belt first.

I bought new shoes yesterday and ran in them for the first time this morning. I found out at the store yesterday that I pronate significantly more in my right foot than my left and bought stability shoes to fix that. I bought the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 9 and they are very different to run in than my old New Balances. I can tell they are turning my foot back out which should eventually make it easier to run and keep my ankles from bothering me so much.

My goal is to be able to run 5 miles by the end of August and 8 or 10 by the end of September. These are big goals but I think with a lot of work and hopefully no injuries I can do it. I mean when this all started I could barely run 1/2 mile without dying and somedays I couldn't even do that. I never thought I would say this but I actually really like running, I guess that is a good thing cause I've got a lot of it ahead of me!