Rookie on the Run

I received a Sunshine Blog Award from Irene over at Magazine Smiles . Now, I get to pass it on to someone else! If you get tagged, here are the rules: Put the logo on your blog or within your post (right click and save). Pass the award onto 12 bloggers, then link the nominees within your post. Finally, let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting on their blog. So, here we go... I tag: Laura at My Reason to Run : Check out Laura's blog... you will see why she runs and understand the reason why I admire this mom's strength and drive! Jen at Setting You Free :  I love how real and down-to-earth Jen is!  She has made incredible changes in her lifestyle and lost lots of weight.  She is a runner and an inspiration!  Take a look... I'm sure you'll agree.  Jaime at Jaime learns to Run :  Do you ever feel like you would hit it off when someone... even though you've never met?  Well, I think Jaime would be one of those people!...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Breaks I appreciate all your bloggy input regarding my new training schedule! A lot of you affirmed my decision to modify my schedule to one less running day per week. It seems weird to run only three days a week while training for a longish race... but I know my body will appreciate the break ! Brakes The stupid brakes in our Nissan Quest (minivan) decided to start grinding this weekend. At least that's how it feels. The last time this happened, we ended up having to replace all the brakes and brake-parts. The part that makes me mad is that we did all this work less than two years and 20,000 miles ago. There goes another chunk of money out the door. Grrrr... The good news is, my husband is going to take the van into the dealership and ride his bike to work from there. I was not looking forward to sitting at the dealership all morning, while the service department checked and replaced brakes that should not need to be replaced already. It also means I don't have to g...

How do you like my random, inconsistent blog themes? I doubt by next Wednesday I will remember that I created "What-Does-That-Have-To-Do-With-Running? Wednesday". I'll probably be on some other weekday related kick. It's how I keep life interesting. Plus, I'm forgetful... so it works for me. Now for the nonrunning-related blog stuff: It Looks Like Good News It looks like I have a job! I've been sort of looking since August but have found very few opportunities that fit into my Mommy Schedule. Honestly, I don't know how working moms juggle it all! I got a call yesterday from the director of my son's preschool and I sensed right away what the purpose of the call was. I had mentioned a few months ago that I would be interested in applying to work at the preschool should the opportunity arise. Well, apparently the need has risen and the director wants me to fill it! The problem is, I'm both overqualified and underqualified. I'm licens...

Hi, all you people out there in Blogland! Sara is busy watching the Office, so I have taken over her blog with an urgent message. Single White Sock Looking for Mr. Right I am Sara's sock. I'm not just any old sock, either. I am one half of a pair of Sara's favorite running socks. I am a Feetures Light Cushion Low-Cut. Lately, I've been terribly lonely because my mate has gone missing. My sweet Mr. Right and I have had a wonderful life together. In fact, we were the socks Sara chose to wear for her marathon. We went 26.2 miles together, making sure Sara's sweaty feet were comfortable and happy. It wasn't an easy feat (pun intended- hey, socks can be funny, too) but we did it. Together. And now, Righty is gone. We have looked all over the house and just can't find him. Maybe the Sock Fairy took him. Maybe he ran off with that little Pink Sock that was always flirting with him... the little tramp! Perhaps he is lost in the mess of socks in t...

And the Lazy Slug Award goes to... SARA JONES of Running through Life! Acceptance Speech "Ohmygosh! Ohmygosh! I- I can't believe it! I don't know what to say except, er... um... thank you? There are just so many- so many others I'd like to thank for helping me achieve this... this... honor? First, I'd like to thank my 'right hand man'... Left Foot! I couldn't have done it without you. You've been there for me since before Right Knee Pain left me. Every time the sun comes up, there you are! Your multiple visits with me throughout the day are constant reminders that I can't get out there and run. So, I owe much of my Lazy Slug success to you. Next, I'd like to thank Sleep Les Ness . Sigh... What can I say about Mr. Ness? You usually travel with others when you come to visit. You especially like to show up with my sons when they sneak into my bed in the middle of the night. Or when they wake up early. Sometimes you even surprise ...