Training Resumes

I realized I never updated my blog with information about my doctor visit and training. Time is just flying by and I'm so busy. My son is getting ready for kindergarten next week and both boys will be having birthdays soon.

I did see the doctor, and he said that I could continue running, and following the training plan that I had for the Columbus Half Marathon in October. He said that running would not cause anything more serious to happen to my legs as long as I followed the schedule. He also suggested orthotics but given the price, he suggested I try over the counter insoles or go to a place called See the Trainer where I could get semi-custom insoles while I waited. I'm going to try the over the counter insoles first.

In the meantime, two weeks ago I ran a total of 10 miles, with minimal pain, and this past week I ran 13 total. I ran six of them on Saturday. My legs are still quite sore and I'm due to run again tomorrow. When I start out running, my legs hurt, but eventually I don't feel the pain anymore until afterwards.

Saturday was a terrible day to run. I was lucky I only had six miles. At 7:00 am the temperature was well into the 70s and the humidity was unbearable. Our fearless leader for the day, Tim, announced that no one was running a long run today. We looked at each other in confusion. He went on to say that instead there will be a series of short runs to each aid station. The aid stations are set up each Saturday by our training club and are 3-4 miles apart on the trail. As we ran, Tim ran up and down the path to see how everyone was doing. He asked me how far I was going and I said, six, and he responded, good, that's easy, you'll be fine. I was fine but some people had 22 miles to run! It was so humid you could hardly breathe! And since we've had some pretty severe rain the last few days, one of the small bridges was washed out and we had to take a small detour over some grass alongside the woods.

I felt good about the run, though. My time was right where I wanted it to be and I was able to keep myself going despite the heat. My legs didn't give out - I saw one woman who just kept stopping and I heard her tell Tim that she was having a bad day because her shins hurt. I feel for ya, honey!

I discovered that I really like running at lunchtime now. I used to get up at 5:00 am and run and then rush around to get ready for work. Now I get to work early so I can take a full hour to run at the gym. It's envigorating after sitting around for 3 or 4 hours. As long as I don't have any big meetings in the afternoon, I don't shower but just towel off before changing back into my work clothes. A little Bath and Body Works spray helps, too.

I have three days of 3 miles each and 6 miles this weekend. Gotta go do my PT and ice!

PS Go Steelers!