Rookie on the Run

First of all, I want to say  Happy New Year to everyone!  The Holiday Bowl Parade 5K This was a very fun race!  I went into it with the goal of having fun and it was "mission accomplished".  I got to run it with my friend Beckie who is out from Colorado for the holidays.  She is a San Diego native who moved to the Denver area a couple years ago.   That's her, registering for the 5K Beckie recently finished the Couch to 5K program so this was her first race- ever.  She did great!  It was fun being a part of her first race... she was so excited about the swag and the goodie bag.  She ran the whole way and we actually came into the finish line together.  Here we are before the race, in front of the Star of India (the ship in the background). I'm glad to see my reflective Road Runners logo works.  And here we are after the race... with the San Diego Harbor behind us. The course was beautiful.  The weath...

And they are all in my feet and calves. And right now they hurt .  I guess I woke up some sleeping  muscles and they are not morning people . I was warned that running in Vibrams and/or barefoot will make you sore for a while.   I'm here to vouch for that little bit of information.  So far it seems like the good kind of sore... the kind you like to feel on your butt the day after doing squats. I tried out a run yesterday.  It was just a mile but that was enough for now!  I felt slow and apprehensive but really good for the first half mile.  The next quarter mile was pretty much downhill and I was going fast (fast for me, that is) and I still felt pretty good.  I hit the proverbial "brick wall" at about three-quarters of mile and had to walk the rest of the way home. Here's where I ran and how it felt: Sidewalk= Eh, boring... I don't like running on sidewalks Asphalt= Better... I like to feel the bumps on the soles of my feet Thes...

Note: If you haven't read Part I of this, you might want to go back one post.  Here, I'll even save you the trouble of having to click around too much to get there.  Just click here:  Part I  I left off on my last post explaining what I had been learning about running barefoot as opposed to running with shoes.  I tried to leave you guessing regarding what I was going to do with the information... but I'm sure you've figured it out.  And if we're Facebook friends, you probably already know. Making Contact The more I read about barefoot running, the more I just wanted to get out there and try it.  I have always enjoyed being barefoot and I love to feel the ground under my feet (unless I'm in my boys' bathroom... then I pretty much have to put on some of those biohazard footies prior to entry). So the other day, I was a good cross-trainer and went on a bike ride.  After that, I decided to go on very short, one-mile run.  I headed out ...

I don't know where to start!  Since my last post, I've been doing a lot of reading and thinking.  If you've been following my blog for any length of time, you know that since I started this venture into the world of running less than a year ago, I have spent much of my time trying to recover from one injury or another.  Looking back, I can almost trace each of my injuries according to the type of shoe I was wearing at the time. Here's my shoe/injury time line: January 2009- Asics GT-2140:   My first pair of shoes as I started training for my marathon.  I bought these based on "expert" evaluation of my running.  I was told I overpronate so I need stability shoes.  Less than three months later, I exchanged them due to sharp pain in both ankles and the start of pain in my right knee. March 2009- Asics Kayano15:   My second pair of running shoes.  I exchanged the first pair for these based on the suggestion that I must need more cushion a...

I probably won't be posting until after Christmas so I just wanted to quickly tell you all MERRY CHRISTMAS! I hope your holiday- however you might celebrate it- is joyful, memorable, and full of love & laughter.  I am so thankful for my Running Blogger Friends... you all deserve the best! Cyber Hugs to you all! Sara (Rookie on the Run)

I Lied Well, not intentionally... I miscalculated .  I thought my cute pink shoes were coming today but they are actually scheduled to arrive tomorrow.  I'm waiting, Mr. UPS... get your brown-clad fanny to my house! My iPod has a Sense of Humor Seriously.  Sometimes I think it has a mind of its own.  For example, it had been raining early this morning.  When I started out on my run, however, the sun was shining between the scattered clouds.  The first song that popped up on my iPod was "Walking on the Sun" by Smash Mouth. A few songs later, the sun was still holding its own when Led Zeppelin's "Fool in the Rain" came on.  I thought to myself, "Well, I might be a fool but at least it's not in the rain.  Yet."  Two songs later, Miley Cyrus' song, "The Climb" came on... just as I was making my way up a hill.  Guess what happened not long after "Who'll Stop the Rain?" by CCR came on.  Yep!  It started raining!   ...

Today's Run Didn't happen.  I was so looking forward to getting up and running this morning.  Instead, I woke up several times in the night with a headache (sinus related, I'm sure).  The headache stuck with me until mid-morning so the run was just not meant to happen. The good news is, I feel less stuffy, my headache is gone, and my heel feels even more ready for a run.  So, let's hear it for tomorrow! Adventures in Shoe Shopping I mentioned in my last blog that I returned my new Saucony Grid Fusion 2 shoes.  I love my current pair of Saucony shoes so I thought I'd give these a try.  I'm sure they are great for some people but they were lacking in cushion and flexibility for me.  I was able to place an exchange and send them back to onlineshoes.com free of shipping charges... even though I had run in them! I exchanged the Saucony for these: Ryka Revive Why Ryka?  My husband used to work for Jazzercise and this is the brand the c...

I just read this post in its entirety... I apologize in advance for its negative, complainy tone.  It's the sinus infection/headache talking.  I don't like much of anything when I have a sinus infection.  So, please keep that in mind while reading it and expect a more positive post in the near future! :) I Just Had to! I know I said I wasn't going to do a trail run on Saturday.  But I did.  I just couldn't get myself motivated to do a street run.  So, I headed out to my favorite trail along Lake Hodges and made a point to keep my feet from doing the slipping thing I mentioned in my last post.  Which, by the way, I think was only happening in my new Saucony shoes (I sent those back to onlineshoes.com last week because they hurt my feet). It's Not Beginning to Feel A Lot Like Christmas I love being out in nature.  My only regret is that I didn't start out earlier. It was HOT yesterday!  It felt like early summer in San Diego County...

Friday This is the day I got my cortisone shot in my heel.  It hurt a little this time (as opposed to last time).  I'm hoping that means the doctor got that needle and its wonderful anti-inflammatory concoction in the right place. Saturday I'm taking my heel with me on a run tomorrow morning so I'll let you know how it does.  I'm not convinced it will be all better but as long as I can run, I'll be happy. To Trail or Not to Trail I initially wanted to do a trail run tomorrow but I'm wondering if it would be best to stick to the roads for a little while.  I notice that my foot slides a bit on the "push off" when I run on dirt.   I'm not sure how great that is on my heel. Well, that's all for tonight!  I've had fun catching up on some of your blogs.   I've been out of Bloggyland for a few days (Christmas shopping) and I apologize if I've missed anything important.  I'm trying to keep up with everyone... even if I don...

I found a new 5K to do.  This will be my last chance to redeem myself in 2009!  Anyone interested in joining me? This race takes place just prior to the start of the Holiday Bowl Parade.  Here are descriptions of the run, found on the event's website. "The 15th Annual Bumble Bee 5K Run will take place on the corner of Harbor Drive and Ash St. and finishes near Tuna Harbor Park. Athletes will run past 100,000 spectators. Runners, families and spectators can watch the remainder of the parade that features colorful floats, bands and huge inflatable characters." Beautiful Waterfront Course... The race begins at the corner of Harbor Dr. & Ash St. and heads south on Harbor Drive to 8th St., behind the San Diego Convention Center. It continues north along the marina walkway making a loop through Embarcadero Park N., finishing on the walkway just past G Street in time to catch the first band and balloons as they parade by.  Fun at the Finish Party after ...

The Jingle Bell 5K was tons of fun!  I had the perfect running partner, one of my favorite San Diego attractions as a backdrop, no rain, and a personal record ! My Running Buddy Bonnie turned out to be an awesome running buddy.  She is a faster runner than me (but then, who isn't?!) but she was kind enough to stay at my pace for most of the race.  Bonnie finished the Las Vegas marathon the week before so she said she didn't mind an easy pace.  Let me clarify- an easy pace for her... not me! She didn't try to get me to talk.  I explained to her that I hate talking while I run and she was so cool about that!  She didn't ask me questions or say anything that required a response.  I like to talk when I'm not running... but when I'm running, talking is not fun because I can't breath.  I like breathing better than I like talking. Balboa Park The entire race took place in Balboa Park.  I love Balboa Park!  If you've been there, you kno...

I did it!  I am officially registered for the Jingle Bell Run/Walk 5K.  I even found someone cool enough to be a dork with me!  Her name is Bonnie and she just did the Las Vegas Marathon. It's funny how I met Bonnie:  Last school year, my son was one of the Students of the Month at his school.  Like any proud mommy, I took pictures and posted them on Facebook.  The next day, I got a FB message from someone who pointed out that her son was in one of the pictures I took. That someone was Bonnie and her son was a Student of the Month, also.   Turns out we have a mutual friend who commented on my picture and Bonnie was able to see the picture because it was on our mutual friend's wall.  At first I was worried that she was upset that her son's picture was on a social networking site (you never know if someone is in the Witness Protection Program, after all).  Thankfully, she didn't mind at all but noticed that I run.  And she runs.  ...

Just hear those shoe bells jingle-ing Ring ting tingle-ing, too Come on, it's lovely weather For a 5K together with you Outside the sun is shining And no one is whining boo-hoo Come-on, it's lovely weather For a 5K together with you Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up Let's go Just go with the flow I'm running in a 5K and I'm slow Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up, it's grand Just saying I ran We're running along with the song Of a So Cal wintry land My cheeks are nice and rosy And sweaty, smelly am I I'm running in spite of my heel pain and I'm hoping I don't cry Let's take the road before us And sing a chorus or two Come on, it's lovely weather For a 5K together with you There's a post-race party in the Park this very day It'll be a wonderful start to my Saturday I'll be running the course they've set without a single stop I don't care if my heel hurts so much I have to hop Hop! Hop! Hop! The...

Sunday with Rudy in the Park Rudy and I had a good run today. We went five miles on the trails at a local park. The weather was amazing! It was nice and cool and cloudy. Perfect! There were plenty of hills to remind me that I need to run more hills. There were enough flat areas to remind me that, yes, I can run and breathe at the same time. For the first four miles things were going great! Slow, but great. A view from one of the hills at Kit Carson Park Another view from a different hill I was trying to get a picture of this hill because it was very steep. You can't really tell from this photo, though. I decided I would push myself for the last mile in order to bring my average pace down. Or is it up? Anyway, I wanted to go faster. Rudy was reliable and let me know when I hit the four mile mark. I picked up the pace and my plan was working well. Until mile 4.1, when my fussy heel decided to pitch a fit. Ow!! My heel never feels pain-free but usually it is a low-gr...

I've been meaning to post about my first run with my new partner, Rudy. I've been working on changing my blogger layout and haven't gotten to it. So, really quick... I AM IN L-O-V-E! Why? Well, I'll save that for later today. I've got to get ready to do a five miler (with Rudy, of course). I don't usually run on Sundays but the weather is too perfect to pass up today- cloudy and cool. We are supposed to get pummeled with rain starting tomorrow (I hope, I hope) so I better get out while I can. Don't want Rudy to get too wet.

Duck!! Here come the bullets! Bullet points, that is... The Good I had a wonderful run this morning It was very chilly out (33 degrees) when I ran I got my Garmin 305 today!! I start my new job as a preschool teacher tomorrow I survived three hours of "Job Safety, Chemical Hazards, and Sexual Harassment" videos as part of my job orientation I used an hour of that time to stretch my muscles (I had a big, carpeted room all to myself) I ordered a new pair of Saucony running shoes from Online Shoes * The Bad I ate horribly today! It was still dark out when I set off on my run I did something funky to my hip muscle and it hurts I thought I was running three miles this morning but it was really only 2.5 (but now that I have my Garmin, there should be no more mileage surprises) The Smelly One nice thing about running early in the morning are the smells. The fresh, crisp air this morning accentuated the smell the California Sage Brush, the smell of manure from the small neighborho...