I might have tired the dog out.

After a walk (just a walk) with Bailey Monday night, I decided to try the running thing, complete with new shoes. We started off walking (which is mostly Bailey dragging me). After about 8 to 10 minutes, I tried running. With Bailey, this is not my usual jog; we were moving. I felt good the first few minutes. The huge hill after that was tortuous (for me mostly), but we got through it. Fortunately, the downhill helped me catch my breath, and things were going well.

Unfortunately, after only 6 minutes, Bailey decided she needed to take a BM break. Not only did that break my stride, but I had to bag it then carry it for the rest of my run. Lovely. 

I ran for another few minutes, and then I dropped the bag off at the house. After a few more minutes of running on our street, Bailey seemed pretty worn out. So I dropped her off at house, made sure she drank water, and I went back out for another 5 or so minutes. Then I walked for a few. 

I felt pretty good after, although I am not sure if it is good that Bailey pushed me. It certainly is a hindrance when the dog stops to relieve herself. Breaking up the running as I did, did not seem ideal, but considering I am no longer in my 30s and not in tip-top shape, maybe that is just what I need.

My feet hurt

There are so many thing I want to cover in this post, so expect something quite disjointed.

I will start off listing what physical activity I have done since I last posted a week and a half ago:

• Zumba the last two Tuesdays
• Swimming last Wednesday, Saturday, Monday, and yesterday (Wednesday)
• Running on Monday and Wednesday of this week
• Short (just over 15 minutes round trip) walk on Monday
• Lunch duty two days both last week and this week

Although I am satisfied with the amount of exercise I have gotten, I don't feel as if I am making the gains I want to. Normally, I would not care, but on Saturday, I am planning to run in the Race for Pace. As it stands now, I am not sure that I will be able to finish it in around 30 minutes. When I ran this race two years ago, I did it in 27 minutes. There is no possible way I could come close to that considering how my times have dropped off in the last year or so. :-(

On Monday, I had a really good run, and based on that I would think I could finish Saturday's race in under 30 minutes. But I have a bigger problem, which is impeding me greatly: my feet. Unfortunately, my latest pair of Asics Gel Enduros have proven to be worse than my previous pair. My feet were so uncomfortable during Monday's almost three miles (after I did my normal two miles, I ran around the outside of the gym and up the steps a handful of times), I ended up buying Dr Scholl's athletic foot insoles to try to help. Those babies cost an insane $19.99, which is more than half of what my running shoes were on sale (yes, the fact that I paid less than $40 should be a good indicator that I am not buying good shoes!). Anyway, the insoles were little help. They feel good on my feet when I walk, but the bottoms of my feet, particular the balls of my feet, continue to hurt once I hit the pavement. I won't completely blame my Asics; as it turns out the Gel Enduro 7 shoes are apparently trail shoes and I run on pavement. But the Gel Enduro 5 was awesome, and I would assume it was also a trail shoe. Anyway, on both Monday with the old insoles (three miles) and Wednesday with the new ones (two miles), I got through the runs, so I am pretty sure I will make it on Saturday. Just not sure how I will end up. Hopefully, there is not some other issue going on...

I am taking a break today, other than a brief (five minutes one way) walk I have to do as part of a volunteer thing. And if I swim on Friday, I will take it easy and try to swim no more than 10 laps (I swam 18 on Monday and 15 on Wednesday, which is pretty good after a run on those days).

Monday's run
Mile one: somewhere over 9 minutes and under 11 (I forgot to turn on the stopwatch); it was a pretty good run, so I am thinking and hoping it was around 10:30)
Mile two: 8:30

Wednesday's run
Mile one: 10:55
Mile two: 9:17

No idea why Monday's run was better, but it was. Hopefully, I can get back to better times soon. And, more importantly, here's hoping the feet feel better soon. Those babies still hurt a little today.

I ran!

After almost 2.5 months without a run, I finally got one in, in Indiana County. I originally planned to run for 20 minutes, since I knew it had been a couple of months since I last run. But after about 10 minutes into it, I decided to try to run my usual route to see how long it would take.

I need to verify that I ran 3.1 miles (it might have been a tenth or two more or less). But knowing it was at least close to 3 miles and doing it in just over 31 minutes, I am calling it a success. It is good to know that Zumba and swimming keep me in pretty good shape.

Literally two steps into the run, my left knee hurt. Soon after my right foot hurt. Not long after that, my calves started to bother me, and during the last mile, my left foot hurt. Even though it sounds like a lot of pain, nothing hurt me too badly, and I completed the run in the sun without stopping, so yeah, me! I really need to get a new pair of shoes, however. I am thinking I have been running with these for about a year (I need to check the old posts), but considering how infrequently I have been running, I would think they still have some life left in them.

My guess is I won't be writing a running post again for another month or two, but you never know. I have been swimming 1 to 3 times per week as well as doing Zumba once a week, so I have not been completely lazy. :-)

Slow and steady finished the run

After over a month of not really running, I finally laced up my shoes this morning, two counties over. As I first set out in the cloudy, 55-degree morning, I decided I would try to run for about 20 minutes. But the more I ran (and by ran, I really mean jogged), I figured I might as well keep up my slower pace and go for 30 minutes.

About three minutes into the run (jog), I noticed a slight pain in my left foot and calf, but nothing unmanageable. Soon after, I realized I should have gone with a short-sleeved tee and shorts, rather than my long sleeves and yoga pants, but there was not much I could do at that point. I also ran with a bottle of water, something I do whenever I am at my mom's, probably because she uses bottled water and it helps. For whatever reason, I noticed I prefer to keep the bottle in my left hand and would often switch it back to that hand without realizing it. As my mind wandered, I tried to make a connection between my left-hand preference and my left foot hurting.

About 20 or so minutes into the run, I noticed my right foot and calf hurting, but they could have hurt before that and I just never noticed. Fortunately, the pain was minor.

All in all, I call it a good run (jog). I am glad I got out there and can still do it, even if doing it means doing it slowish.

Finally, a long run

Today I ran 40 minutes! I had scraped the back of my heel pretty badly last evening and was thinking about forgoing anything more strenuous than walking to and from my car, but when I walked for 10 minutes this morning without any problems, I figured I had no excuses. And considering the day was sunny and the temps were decent (about 50), how could I not take advantage?

Since I had extra time, I decided I should see if I was able to run more than my usual two miles. It helped that I started near the top of the killer hill, and I kept my pace slightly slower than normal, since I was going for distance, not time. I kept mostly to my main route, going less than a half a mile past where I normally turn around and adding side streets on the way back.

This time when I ran, I forced myself to really pay attention to my feet, since the new Asics seem to always bother me. I noticed that it was only my left foot that hurt and that was not until about a mile in. The pain was confined to the bottom of my foot, so I am wondering if replacing my insole will help. It does not appear that my shoes are too small, as I wondered, since my smaller (left) foot is the one that hurts.

The foot annoyance aside, it was a pretty good run. I felt good, and I probably could have run even longer. Considering I have been averaging just over a nine-minute mile during my two-mile runs and I skipped the killer hill at the beginning, which adds the extra time to my mile, I had to have run about 4 miles. So yeah, me!

Today, turning 40 in just over one month does not seem so bad. :-)

I'll take it.

Since yesterday was most likely going to be the only warmish, sunny day we will have all week, I decided to stop making excuses and get out there and run.

As with some recent previous times, the first hill was not awful. Not great, mind you, and I was still left somewhat breathless, but I did it, and I did not think my lungs were going to burst.

As usual, my feet started out hurting a bit, but after about five or so minutes, I had forgotten about them. I am seriously considering contacting customer service at Asics. What have I got to lose, really? For the record, I have tried on about a half dozen running shoes over the past month or so, but nothing seems quite right.

Anyway, to the best of my recollection, I felt little to no pain anywhere else (maybe a slight knee thing for a bit), and I enjoyed the sun and slight breeze, so all in all, a good run.

Mile one: 9:53
Mile two: 8:15

I have been pretty consistent with my times the last few times out, which I consider a good thing. Since I will be 40 in just over a month, I think I am almost ready to give up the dream of doing this run again in under 18 minutes. If I can manage to run once a week, to go along with my swimming and running up and down the steps, that will be great. But I think I can be happy if I can run a couple times a month, considering my track record this year.

Until next time...

Maybe I need running shoes for the pool?

I was able to get in only about a dozen laps at the pool yesterday, so I went back this morning, not really feeling it. I knew from the get-go there was no way I was going to be doing 40 or 50 laps; I decided to shoot for around 25 or 30. As I have done before, I broke things up a bit.

First I did 13 laps, which took just over 15 minutes. Then I followed it up with 15 minutes of jogging in the pool. When I am jogging in 3', I can get a pretty good pace going, but as soon as I get into 4' and especially 5', it is like running through molasses (not that I have ever done that). I never realized how much I used my arms or at least how important they are when it comes to pool jogging. Considering the water is almost up to the top of my shoulders in 5', my arms are not moving fast with all that water. On top of that, I realized that when I am in the pool, I run on the balls of my feet. I need to look into that to see if this is going to hurt my feet (beyond the irritation I feel).

After I did the 15 minutes of jogging, I swam 17 more laps (technically it was 16.5), and then I jogged for another 10 minutes. I rounded out the workout with about seven or eight minutes of leg and arm exercises.

The slight foot pain aside, it went pretty well. I was also a bit tired, so it took my longer to swim the second 13 laps than it did the first, but what can you do. Keep swimming, I guess!

This is getter harder and harder!

On Tuesday, because the sky looked a little cloudy, I decided to run up the 64ish steps near the kid's school. As usual, I decided ahead of time to complete 20 trips up and back. Not surprisingly, after I had made my third or fourth trip up, I considered stopping at 10.

It was just so hard, and I don't know why. Can the difference between almost 39 and almost 40 be that great? I again want to blame it on the shoes, which felt fair at best. I just cannot get over that the next iteration of the same brand and style of shoe would be that much different and worse to boot.

That notwithstanding, because I put a decent amount of pressure on myself when I exercise, I ended up completing all 20 trips. It was not easy and it was not pretty, but at least I did it.

The good news is that I finished my set in 17:19. I looked back at previous posts, and that seemed to be about my best (or at least my best since I started keeping track last year), so perhaps I am being a little hard on myself. But I think what has really been bothering me lately is how difficult it has become for me to get through a run (or steps). I just feel it so much more than I did last year. And I don't like it one bit!

Another tough run

After not running for two weeks, I was not expecting to improve my time from two week ago. But I was not necessarily planning on it being worse either.

Today's run seemed even more difficult than two weeks ago. I felt winded for most of it, which I assumed was because I was really pushing myself and going faster than previously. I figured I was going to hit the top of the hill at 10 minutes, so I was surprised to see about 10:25 on my phone stopwatch. Since I was so disappointed, I pushed myself even harder on the way back, wondering if my age or less-than-great eating habits were catching up to me.

Unfortunately, I am not sure how fast my second mile was. I cannot find the scrap of paper I wrote my time on, although I do recall finishing my run at just about a new minute; I am just not sure if my final time was about 19:00 or 20:00. Considering how fast I thought I was going, I am fairly certain I had to do that second mile in under nine minutes, so let's go with that and call the second mile a good job.

I still hate my shoes, and I am still disappointed that I have apparently lost a step. But what can you do.

In conclusion, swimming does not keep you in really good running shape.

After three months and about 20 days, I finally hit my usual, two-mile running route, thanks to school's being back in session.

Almost immediately, my right knee hurt. My feet (stupid new Asics) were not far behind. Fortunately, the pain mostly subsided after about a half mile. Unfortunately, I had some side stitches to deal with after that.

I am not going to lie (not that I ever do in this blog or in general, actually): it was a pretty tough run. It took a lot out of me, and not surprisingly my time was not great (but not awful, either). At least I did it.

Mile one: 10:15
Mile two: 8:45

Total run time: 19:00

Because I felt I should have done better with such a short run and because I had time to kill, I ran the 65 steps 10 times after that. I have to say, running those steps made the two-mile run seem easy. It took everything for me to finish, and during the last trip, I was pretty much walking. I did manage to finish in 9:30, which is pretty good considering it came on the heels of my run (with a 10-minute break in between). And those stupid shoes...

Since I am subbing Wednesday through Friday and there is no way I would put my 39.5-year-old body through two runs, two days in a row, I am going to have to call it a week at least as far as running goes.

All that said, based on today, I am thinking I won't be running in the Steelers 5k this coming Sunday, as I had recently hoped (even though I had done little in the way of running this summer). I am just not sure I can do it in under 30 minutes, which would greatly disappoint me. I am still planning to run in the Race for Pace again. We'll see.

And they're off!

So much for my wanting to keep looking for a better-feeling pair of shoes...

This morning, the kid and I decided to race each other. She loves to brag about how fast she is (according to her she was the only girl who received an award for making the President's Physical Fitness time for the one-mile run). And I am all about proving what great shape I am in. So I decided we should put our speed and my seemingly inferior Gel Enduro 6s to the test at the local track.

We started off running just under 100 meters/yards (however a typical track surrounding a football field is measured). I figured there was a pretty good chance she could beat me here, because I am not that fast when it comes to sprints. (Actually, I am not that fast no matter what the distance is.) But I ended up edging her by a few seconds without pushing myself to the limit, as she seemed to be doing.

After we had a chance to catch our breath during a short walk, I asked the kid if she wanted to race once around the track. Based on our sprint and the fact that I am better suited for longer distances, I was thinking I had this one in the bag.

I thought wrong.

I really had to push myself to keep up with her. In the end, because I was kind of winded, I decided to slow up just a bit, and she won. I was both impressed with and surprised by her.

After that, we (well, mostly I) ran a quarter mile a few times and timed each other. I completed my first quarter mile in 1:53, my second in 1:50, and my third in about 2:00, taking breaks in between. Jordan ran her quarter mile in just over 2:00; she seemed much more content timing me.

Based on Jordan's complaining and her pretty much stopping between runs, it appears as if she is not ready to join the cross-country team (not that she wants to). But I think she did pretty well for an almost-8 year old. As for me, I did manage to get in just over 1.25 miles. Pretty pathetic, but running nonetheless.

As for the shoes: When I first starting walking to the track, the shoes felt uncomfortable. But once I started running, they felt fine. These shoes are no Gel Enduro 5s, but hopefully they won't embarrass me too much. :-)

Blame it on the shoes

In April of 2010, I bought Asics Gel Enduro 5 shoes, and was fairly impressed from the get-go. But, like all running shoes, eventually they lost their luster (i.e., they felt too worn out), so I went in search of new shoes.

Like the (mostly) eternal optimist I am, I figured I could head back to Kohl's and get those same running shoes.

I figured wrong.

But, again, being positive, I decided that the Gel Enduro 6 was probably just as good if not better, so I tried it on.

Wrong again.

Nevertheless, knowing that Kohl's has a great return policy, I went ahead and bought the shoes, once a again for such a good price (around $35).

Still not sold on the shoes, I left them in the box for a few weeks, figuring not running for a few weeks when I was swimming so much would not hurt. Then, when I really started to miss running, I went to a few sporting goods stores to see if my beloved 5s happened to be there. No dice.

While visiting Steelers training camp this past Monday, I shared my sad shoe story with Grandma. A woman sitting next to me overheard our conversation and suggested I try holabirdsports.com, which I promptly did as soon as I got home. No 5s there either.

I tried an internet search last evening, and the few 5s I found were not in my size and for prices at least twice what I paid for originally anyway. Sigh.

I guess I am going to have to give up my dream of the Enduro 5. Still not sure if I will keep the 6s or continue to shop around for another shoe. But I need to decide soon before my legs forget what running feels like (they certainly know what swimming lap after laps feels like).

The moral of the story? If you find a shoe you like, buy an extra pair. Wish I had.

A long overdue (and mostly painful) run

I finally got off my lazy butt and ran yesterday afternoon. In my defense, other than a few nice days, the weather has been pretty lousy the last month-plus. On top of that, I got the flu second full week in April, which also included an awful cough for over a week after that. In fact, almost four weeks later, I still cough at least a half dozen times a day.

If my blog is correct (and if I have been keeping it up to date), the last time I really ran was on March 18. Yikes. I did run steps just over a month ago, which is certainly good exercise, but not the same as running a few miles. But yesterday I decided I had to stop being so lazy. The sun was finally shining for hours on end (which it may have done one day last week), I felt pretty good, and I have been eating chocolate practically non-stop since Easter, so no more excuses!

I ran the same, boring two miles I typically do. This run was marred by a side stitch that lasted almost the entire time. My head also hurt for most of the run. On top of that, my feet were also in pain. Man, I have had my shoes about nine months, but I don't think I have put more than a hundred running miles on them. I use the shoes some days to run errands. But even so, there is no way I have more than 300 miles logged on those babies.[Stop the presses! I just looked back at some old blog posts. My shoes are actually over a year old. Oops. Looks as if I may need to buy some new shoes.]

Not surprisingly, I ended up with a lousy time: 20:15. I cannot tell you the last time it took me that long to complete the two miles. But considering I had not run in over a month and I had been swimming only once in the past three weeks, I should not be surprised.

Mile one: 10:45
Mile two: 9:30

I actually considered walking the second mile, that is how lousy I felt. But that is admitting defeat, so I soldiered on, deciding that running slowly was better than giving up. Hopefully now that I am pretty healthy, I will get back to swimming a few times a week. I also hope to run at least once a week. We will see.

Day 2 of new shoes

I took the new shoes for a spin last Thursday. The first few strides were like walking on clouds. Ah. So amazing that I am pretty sure I was actually smiling up the hill. Unfortunately, the next gazillion steps I took were rather painful. In retrospect, I probably should not have done a three-mile run my first time out in new shoes. But looking on the bright side, the pain in my feet pretty much eclipsed the usual pain in my knees, so there is that!

Fortunately, today's run was better. My feet hardly hurt at all, and my knees were relatively pain-free. Of course, I was more focused on my usual struggles on the hills and the sun beating down my face. But I did manage another three-mile run, so yeah me!

I really need to run a 5k soon. I am quite sure I won't be able to handle the summer heat, so my running days are probably numbered. Plus, I am such a creature of habit that I don't know if I will be able to run anywhere else other than the streets by my kid's school, which will be letting out for the year in exactly one month.

Better get moving.

New shoes

Nike has always been my running shoe of choice. I went with New Balance one year because I noticed the winning team in the Steelers 5k all ran in New Balance, so I promptly went out and bought a pair. Of course, most companies/manufacturers make dozens upon dozens of running shoes, ranging in price from about $30 to over $200 (though most fall in the $50 to $100 price range), so buying by brand does not necessarily guarantee you a good shoe.

Yesterday, I decided to check out Kohl's "lowest prices of the season" sale for running shoes. I typically go by looks, then price. After not finding some Nike's I liked in my size, I came upon an Asics shoe, the Gel Enduro 5. The price was right (just over $33 on sale, from $65), and I liked the gray and fuchsia coloring. But what sold me on this shoe was the feeling. The shoes were so cushiony that everything I tried on after paled in comparison. I was talking to a woman who had recently started running and told her about the shoe. She too was a Nike person, but after trying on the Asics, she went with the same pair.

I am not entirely sure if I am ready to break out the shoes yet. Most running experts recommend replacing shoes every 250 to 500 miles, depending on your weight, running style, and running surface. Assuming I have run about 5 miles a week most weeks since September, I should have logged less than 200 miles. But I also wear my shoes most days while doing errands and taking walks once or twice a week. And I do run outside and probably pretty hard while going downhill.

I will let you know how they turn out. In the meantime, I am happy to report that on Tuesday, I managed to get my first mile down to 10 minutes. My second (easier) mile was about 10:25, so not as much progress there.

Step off!

Yesterday, I had an unexpected hour to wait at my kid's school before dismissal. I did not have my running clothes since I thought I was going to be doing something else, but I did have my running shoes. What's a girl to do? Well, when you wear baggy clothes, you can run up steps!

There are 64 steps between the middle and upper lots, plus two small landings. I ran up those bad boys about a dozen times; I lost count after about eight or nine trips.

When you lack grace and have limited coordination, running up steps is no easy task. I would pretty much sprint up the first few steps, but then I would look ahead and see the shadows lying across most of the steps and scare myself into thinking I was going to trip. As a result, I ended up jogging at times. It also did not help that my size 10 shoes seemed almost too long for the depth of the steps. More than once, I pictured myself taking a tumble backwards down several dozen steps.

In the end, it was a good workout, something different, and best of all, I stayed upright the entire time (it helped that I walked down the steps; no use pressing my luck). Unfortunately, I did not stretch when I was done, so my thighs are really feeling it this morning. But I like to think my muscles will eventually thank me for mixing it up!

Barefoot running?

I read an article in Parade magazine this past weekend about running barefoot. The idea is you come down on your forefeet with your toes spread, bending your ankles and knees to absorb the shock. Apparently shoes lessen the elasticity of your tendons and may cause a hard landing on your bony heels. According to a study, barefoot runners experiences significantly less impact than runners in shoes. Hmm.

Obviously running barefoot outside is impractical this time of year. And I can't help thinking about running over some glass or other sharp objects if you run on the street or sidewalk. But I would be tempted to try this on a track, particularly a cushioned one. After all, during a brief "hippie" stage in college, I did walk around campus barefoot for a couple of weeks, with no ill effects I can recall..

In the meantime, I have to hope the weather here improves. Running in 20-degree weather, sans sun and on snow-covered roads, is not something I really want to do. But considering I last ran on December 16, I need to get back into the game. Walking 10 minutes here and there is not cutting it.

How Faith got her run back

I last ran with any sense of regularity in 2006, and even then, it was only for about six weeks, to train for a 5k. Then I pretty much stopped. I always knew I would go back to running someday; I just did not know when and for how long.

At the beginning of September, pretty much on a whim, I decided to get back in the game. I had about 20 to 30 minutes to kill while waiting to pick up my kid from school, so I figured I might as well start walking around the neighborhood. I bought nice purple running shoes about two and half years ago, so I thought it might be nice to actually take them out of the box and put them to use. After about a week of that boredom and the feeling of accomplishing so little, I thought I would see if I still had it in me to run.

The first time out, I ran about eight minutes without stopping (and by run, I really mean jog). I felt great. I did not die. I did not even collapse. The next time out, I did it again, though it was a little more difficult, for some reason. A day or two later, I added a few more minutes to the run (though I did walk a few minutes in between). Within a couple of weeks of running two to three times per week, I managed to run two miles, at about 10-minute miles. And within a month, I could run an under 10-minute mile, still keeping with two miles at a time.

Yesterday, after about 9.5 weeks of running, I decided that it was time to get beyond 2 miles, if I ever wanted to run in a 5k race again. I ended up just shy of three miles, but I did it in around 30 minutes, so I was pretty happy. After that, since I had some time to kill, I decided to do some sprints for a few minutes. I am guessing I was racing about 50km at a time, and I did that about a half dozen times. That was exhilarating.

Unfortunately, my thighs have been hurting since last evening. On top of the almost three miles and the sprints, I also walked 10 minutes in the morning and another 20 in the afternoon. I sometimes forget I am not in my 20s anymore.

I am definitely taking the day off. But hopefully tomorrow or the next day I can get back out there and hit close to three miles again.

Legs/knees, don't fail me!