Nike+ is really cool

Yesterday began with 9deg temps and lots of wind. Of course, the day of my long run it's the coldest its been all season. After enjoying breakfast and some quality time with my friend, Dawn, I stopped by the sports store to see if I could pick up another pair of running tights. I got distracted by the shiny new shoes as they were featuring the Nike+ Lunarglides. These were the shoes that were featured at the Marathon Expo as Nike was one of the sponsors. I decided I might as well try some on, just to see... I ended up purchasing them. Eeeee!

When I got home, I got ready to head out for my 10miles. I put on my new Lunarglides and headed out the door. Not only did they feel great, they have a special place for the Nike+ sensor that corresponds with my Sportband. The Sportband records the pace of each mile, your overall distance, calories burned and overall time. It's pretty awesome. The sportband has a usb connector that plugs right into the computer and brings up the Nike+ website to log your run. It also connects to dailymile.com which is where I log all of my runs.

I think I may have underestimated the temp when I headed out...it had "warmed up" to about 20deg with a little less wind. I saw someone else running while I drove home and she wasn't that bundled up and looked warm enough. So, I put on a pair of tights, a winter shirt that was a little looser than I should have worn, my down vest, gloves and earband. It was about a mile into the run when I began wishing I had worn another pair of pants and another shirt as well as a full hat instead of just the ear band. It was COLD!!!! I could have turned back and gotten more clothes on but decided to just keep going.

Around mile 3.5-4mi my right shin started acting up again with the shin splints. I knew that I needed to keep going to get these miles in. So around mile 4.5 I stopped to rub it out, which helped. It became a dull ache for the rest of the run instead of a sharp pain. Ugh, I am so frustrated by this!

When I got home, I was SO cold. And before I could get a nice warm shower, I had to ice my leg...which of course made me colder. To take my mind off that, I plugged in my sportband to find that I ran my 10.23miles in 1:37:15. That's 9:32min/miles! I feel good about that. Also found that a few of my miles were run in 8+ min/miles. Who am I? :)

My shin is still a bit sore today. Still, I'm hoping to get a short recovery run in today since I won't be able to get any mileage in tomorrow.

daily runs are like devos

As my alarm was going off this morning at 4:55am, I began thinking how getting a daily run in is often like getting a daily devo in. For the record, I did NOT get up this morning to get to the gym. Instead I reset the alarm for 2hrs later, got up at my typical time and skipped the early workout. I hate to say it but it's because my leg is beginning to hurt again. :( But two days rest, icing, and ibu are helping and with a 10miler on the schedule for tomorrow, I didn't want to risk it getting inflamed today.

Okay, on to my analogy. So, I was talking the other day with someone about when he typically runs. Always in the morning. Can't run any other time. Me? I always run in the evening. It's hard for me to run any other time. Just like each runner needs to find the perfect time of day to get miles in, we need to find the best time of day to get our time with God in. Some stress that it must happen in the morning to start your day off right. Some stress that it needs to happen in the evening to wind down their day. Others find various times through out the day to get their quiet time with God in.

For me, no good things happen in the morning prior to my first cup of coffee. No good runs, no good devos. I have found times that these work best for me...later in the day. You may be different. Maybe you're a morning devo and a morning runner (or maybe just a morning devo-er). ;)

Anyway, this was my great revelation at 5am this morning as I reset the alarm got some more shut eye. Thanks for listening! For training purposes, this week I've logged only 13 miles. With 10 tomorrow that will be 23, and I'm hoping to do a slow recovery run of about 3 on Sunday so that will make my total for the week 26. Not too bad.

not all gyms are created equal

I am a member of Planet Fitness. What lured me in was the fact that it was so stinkin' cheap...as far as gyms go. Well, and the fact that when the weather is such that I don't want to run outside, I don't have to. Planet Fitness has two different options when it comes to membership. You can get the "White Card" that allows you to utilize just your gym, the one you signed up at, for only $10/mo. Then, there's the "Black Card." This type of membership allows you all sorts of extra stuff: free tanning, half off cooler drinks, free use of massage chairs (um, no thank you!), unlimited guest passes (one at a time), and use of any PF gym you care to attend. I have the Black Card since I really wanted to take advantage of most of these perks. The one I've most taken advantage of is the use of other PF gyms in the area.

Planet Fitness is a franchise gym. So, they are not all the same. Yes, they are similar and have the same branding ("judgement free zone", yellow and purple EVERYthing) but other things vary. Here's a brief assessment of a couple that I've been to:
Woburn - this is my home gym. it's small but clean, not overly crowded, friendly, only 6 channel of TV to choose from.
Wilmington - lots of entertainment choices, flat screens are close to cardio (read: you can see w/o squinting), a good amount of cardio machines, very clean, my friend is a member here.
Burlington - old building, little parking, locker room was reminiscent of one you'd find in a HS in the 80's, not very friendly.
Danvers - HUGE! lots of parking, clean, busy (even at 8pm at night), lots of young people, very nice locker room, too hot (seriously, the temp was around 75 with no air circulation...).

What I have come to conclude is that while they are all PF's gyms, they are not all the same. Some are better than others and I'm glad I joined Woburn instead of Burlington, where I considered joining... And, hey, that guest pass is always on the table if anyone wants to check out the Woburn gym. Just let me know.

new shoes work wonders

It's kind of amazing how running on old shoes can make you feel about 40yrs older than you really are. My old kicks were coming down to the end of their life...I knew this. I was just trying to get as much use out of them as I could because, dog-gone-it, shoes are expensive! It is for this that I paid the price by developing shin splints. Which you have read about in the last, oh, 5 posts or so and I will not bore you with the details about them any longer.

Last week I got my new runners out of the box, knowing that, seriously, I need to retire my previous pair. They are shiny, white, pink and silver. I love them! It's always an exciting day to put on a new pair of running shoes. They fit nice and snug in just the right places. They have lots of cushion in the sole. They make you WANT to put them on and go for a run!

The new shoes started getting broken in on Friday after a day of 30min on the elliptical and 30min run/walking on the treadmill. They were further broken in after a 9mi run outside on Saturday. It's hard to keep your new shoes pretty when it's wet, muddy and salty...oh well.

Did you notice I got my long run in? It's because the shin splints are gone. Because I got out the new shoes. Because I retired my old ones. A new pair of shoes really does work wonders...

demoted

No, not at work. But at the gym. I've been very bad and haven't let my leg heal. I've tried running thru the pain and I gotta tell ya, it's just not worth it. So, I've demoted myself to the elliptical machine at the gym. I haven't used it yet...but I will tonight. Hopefully I can get a solid hour in tonight. I won't have much time to get a good workout in tomorrow (prob only half an hour or so) so I've really gotta make it count when I can get there!

Here's what I've been up to since the last post:
Jan 15th - 5miles. This run was done around 7am around Lake Quannapowitt. The sun was coming up over the lake and breaking thru some clouds...it was gorgeous!! My leg was sore but there was no shooting pain, just a dull ache. Thought I was okay...
Jan 15-17 - Middle School Retreat at Camp Berea!! No running done on this weekend. I did go snowshoeing, however. It was my first time...such fun! Loved hanging out with my girls. I love them.
Jan 18th - 6.2miles. After not running all weekend I felt like I could do a nice long run. There was a crazy snow storm happening outside so this was done on the treadmill at the gym. I'm impressed that I lasted that long... I hate the treadmill!!! My motivation was the Wicked soundtrack. Good stuff. Leg felt stiff but again, no shooting pain.
Jan 19th - 2.5miles. My goal was 3 or so but the pain was SO bad in my leg that I had to shut the machine off and call it quits. It was bad.
Jan 20th - nada. Did not even go to the gym. For the record, I wanted to but had promised my friend that we'd go out for drinks...and after a margarita and chips and salsa, who wants to go to the gym?! :) Not me.
Today - as I mentioned before, I'll try to get some good time in on the elliptical.

Hoping and praying these days off from running, with the icing and ibuprofen-ing, will heal my leg.

i apologize

I have often thought that shin splints were for wussies. That they didn't hurt that bad or keep you out of training for long. That if you have them, seriously, just suck it up and work through it. I mean, come on, the pain is not that bad...just a little tightness, that's it.

To all of those who have had them, I apologize for thinking the above. I, too, have fallen victim to shin splints and understand the agony you feel. The sometimes shooting, sharp pains that go along with them. The effort it takes to walk normally. The amount of time it takes to get over them.

Last week, I began having pain in my right shin (I believe I've told you this...). Well a few days of painful running and they went away. I thought I was in the clear. Managed a few longer runs with no pain at all. Then...Sunday, they came back. I took that day off but decided that I needed to get a good one in on Monday. FOOLISH! You see, when I started there was a bit of dull pain...after the first mile or two it went away. Then returned in full force when I had to stop to cross the road at mile 4.5. When I started up again it was excruciating pain shooting through my leg! Whoops.

Soooo to that end, I have taken the past few days easy. Tuesday there was no running. Wednesday there was walking at the gym. Today there will be no running. Tomorrow there will be. My regimen of ice/stretching/and all important Ibuprofen has been working well and with only 6wks to the half, I need to get to training.

Do not worry, dear reader. I will be careful. I will stretch like it's my job. I will ice like it's going out of style. I will massage my shin like I never have before. I will not continue on Ibu for too long as I know it does a number on stomachs. But I will keep training and I will run this half. The last half I trained for I could not run due to ITband issues. I will not sit out this one.

47 days

Sorry, readers, that it has been a month since my previous post. Also, Happy 2010!! I have been asked many times this year, "Do you have any resolutions?" The answer is no, not really. But in thinking more about it...maybe I do.

1. I resolve to run every day that I can.
2. I resolve not to feel guilty if I miss a run.
3. I resolve to run because it makes me feel good and healthy, not because I want to be skinny.
4. I resolve to run as many half marathons as my body (and wallet!) will allow me.
5. I resolve to run the NYC Marathon, if I get in. If not, maybe Bay State or Cape Cod...maybe.

These are not big, life altering resolutions. But they are resolutions I can stick to. Do you out there have any resolutions? Do you find that you forget what they are by the time March rolls around? (I usually do if I make them...)

In training news: The Hyannis Half Marathon is only 47 days away. (I found out yesterday that running legend Bill Rodgers will be there! Outstanding! He has won Boston three times and NY three times. Incredible.) I have been dealing with painful shin splints in my right leg...doing a lot of stretching and not as much icing as I should be. Also, beginning to take an Advil regimen for the inflammation. I've been running outside the past week as much as I'm able. I thought it would be hard...but it's turned out to be much more enjoyable than going to the gym ever is. The cold air feels so good and as long as I'm dressed properly and watch where I plant my feet, I'm good to go! I thought to myself yesterday that reflective gear looks kinda dorky...but I'd rather look dorky than, well, hit by a car...

I got a solid 20mi week in last week and I'm shooting for another one this week (as long as the pain in my leg lessens). Hopefully, I'll get in a couple of 25mi weeks and at least one 30mi week before the half.

Oh, and after that, I've got another half coming up on March 28th in New Bedford. So that one is 67 days away. Can't wait!