We Did It

Well we stuck to our goal of running at least 40 minutes when we run so that we can ultimately increase our overall mileage.  Unfortunately, we didn't reduce our after run talk time to accommodate the longer run so we got home even later!  Oh well....

How Do We Do That?

After our "long" run this past Saturday Patty, Caryn, and I were discussing how we can increase our overall mileage for the week.  With the way all of our feet have been acting up, none of us want to increase our miles too much in any one day and we're not sure if our feet are up to 10 miles yet, but we all have a desire to increase our overall mileage.  But with busy lives and schedules, how do we do that?  We've all come to the conclusion that it's not worth meeting for a run just to run 3 miles so we have decided to try to run at least for 40 minutes at a time or around 4 miles.  Perhaps that will do the trick and then maybe we could even go for 50 minutes during the week.  It's not like we don't have the time because even on our 3 mile runs, we still stick around and chat for another 1/2 hour.  Maybe we should use that extra 1/2 hour for the running instead of the chatting :-/

Not so Happy Run

Perhaps we indulged ourselves a little too much last night at New Moon because on today's run we were all suffering.  It was incredibly hot and humid, which certainly didn't help the situation.  I actually thought we might get to run all the way to Newhall Ranch Road from Albertsons because I am somewhat curious how far that is, but we only managed to get to Decoro and we all willingly  agreed to turn back.  My stomach was feeling terrible either from last night's drinks or from the heat and I was practically sprinting back so I can get home.  Caryn was just plain tired from being on her feet all day in the heat, and Patty always seems to have trouble with her breathing when it's too humid.  Seeing how humid it was this afternoon and all the thunderclouds in the distance, I was actually hoping we might even get rained on tonight, but no such luck. At least we got a very enthusiastic "hi" out of Patty's husband tonight.  I think he only did it because Patty was with us, otherwise he would have just ignored us like he usually does.  At least my foot is feeling better :-)

An Hour of Happiness

Just to show where our priorities are, instead of running Wednesday night, we (as in me, C, and Patty) have planned to go out for happy hour.  Hopefully the stars and schedules will align so that we can all go and spend some quality time amongst friends and take some weight off our shoulders.  A fellow SCR asked on our Saturday run how my running has been going and I honestly couldn't think of anything else to say other than "it's been sucking!"  I think I kind of took him by surprise, but it really has been sucking.  With all of our foot issues, our running has sucked and there is just no other way to explain it.  My heel doesn't hurt as much as before, but now the arch and ankle of the same foot feels really stiff and sore.  Patty ran on her newly shot up with cortisone foot.  She seemed to do well on it, although she said it feels weird.  We almost got 4 miles in tonight, but we were running out of light so we had to take a shorter way back, or at least that's the excuse we will give.  I'm not even going to mention the pace.  Maybe I should just swim from now on?

Forty Fifty Feet

It must have something to do with being in your forties or fifties that bring on the foot problems.  What are the odds that me, C, and Patty would all be suffering from some type of foot ailment at the same time?  It has been discouraging seeing our mileage drop so significantly and having to put any kinds of race plans on hold, but I'm hoping this downward spiral is short lived and we'll all be on the mend soon.

I ran this morning with C and my husband along with the SCR group out of Lowes.  We kept it conservative and ran 6 miles at about a 10 min/mi pace.  It felt a lot faster going out and I have a feeling we ran under 10 min pace, but I didn't want to wear my GPS so I'm only guessing.  My foot felt okay and continued to feel okay after the run, but the real test will be tomorrow morning when I get out of bed.  After our run at Starbucks, a fellow runner introduced herself to me and asked how my running has been going.  She remembered seeing me and my friends running all the time last year while we were training for the marathon.  I hadn't realized we were so recognizable until I ran into the man at mammoth and he said the same thing to me.  I guess we were out quite a bit on those loonnnggggg runs!  C and I were commenting on how far off that seems now and how it feels incomprehensible how we managed to train all those miles.  Thank goodness those miles are behind us now.  I only hope that this little bump in the road will be over soon and we'll all be back to our old selves again and maybe even better!

Missing My Blog

I know Patty and I agreed to take a break from our blog for a while, but honestly I kind of miss writing on it.  We don't have to write about our every run, but I like being able to record our thoughts and what we did.  I don't care if no one reads it, although I suspect there are silent lurkers out there.  It is more for me so I can look back at what we have accomplished over the years, through all the ups and downs.  Perhaps no one else cares that my friends and I got in a run today or where we ran or what we talked about, but I care enough about it to record it somewhere so we can look back from time to time.

It felt so good to get out and get in an early morning run with my friends.  The fog was still lingering along the river as the sun began to poke through.  I almost felt like I was back in Humboldt, except for the significant lack of Redwood trees.

C, Patty, and I are all feeling like our feet are letting us down and we are slowly all falling apart.  I think we all go through cycles and this is a low point for us now, as far as physically and mentally.  We all have so much on our plates that running seems like a luxury now.  I suppose it is a luxury in the sense that I can still run whereas not everyone can.  I am glad that I am still considered to be in the group called "runners".  It's much better than being in the group of "couch potatoes".  So I may not write as often, but I will continue to check in once in a while and record my small and occasional running accomplishment from time to time.

Blog Break!

Marathon Mom and I met this morning for a short run up McBean. I needed to get back home by 8am and Marathon Mom wanted to try out her new shoes, and her sore foot. She has been resting her foot since our race last Thurs. night in the hopes that the inflamation would be improved. I had run with the husband on Sunday morning, and yesterday Marathon Mom and I swam a few laps. Our run was uneventful, and short 2 1/2 miles all together, not really much to say about it.

After the run, I told Marathon Mom that I wanted a break from the blogging, and would post the news today. It seems like lately with our foot problems, we aren't running as much, and also it seems like we are just blogging to each other. We aren't giving up the running, but we do talk when we run, and I feel like I am just quickly writing something to fill up space these days, and it is quite uninspired. I am hoping that I can increase my miles soon, I still need to figure out what is bothering my right foot, and get an OK from the doctor. I would really be upset if we weren't in shape to run the S.Clarita Half Marathon this November, but we will have to see about that. Maybe when the summer is officially over, we will all be back on the same schedule and we will have much more to say, but for now I am announcing a Blog Break!!