Goodness, I'm not doing a very good job of writing about my runs as they happen, now am I?

I did two 5-milers this week. Would have done three of them if not for knee problems. On Monday's run, the knee was very unhappy. So, I took Tuesday and Wednesday as rest days and did a lot of icing -- and miraculously, on Thursday, it seemed to be OK. Coach Ashley suggested that I probably need new shoes right around now, and I hope she's right that this was the source of the pain! If so, it would be easy to remedy. Hopefully I'll have time to visit a running store in the next week and see if I can find a new pair of these same shoes, since they've treated me well.

This morning at 5am, I embarked on our 16-mile team run -- my longest ever! Context for you Tucson folks: we started west of Tucson Mall and ran to Craycroft and back, along the Rillito River path. It was not humid like last week, thank goodness, but it was very warm -- already in the mid-80s by the time we started. I ran the whole way with Coach Daz, who was a wonderful and encouraging running partner. He told me that they usually try to make sure everyone is running with a buddy now, because otherwise these long runs can become fairly soul-crushing, especially given the bleakness of some of the riverbed stretches. I think he was right -- I probably would not have made it on my own. But we did make it, slowly and steadily. I really appreciated Daz's patience in not pushing my pace and taking a couple walk intervals, even though he probably could have gone much faster.

I felt good during the run today -- it wasn't excruciating like the 15-miler that was my last run with the Ann Arbor team. Nothing in particular was hurting, I had a decent amount of energy, and it was overall not too awful (even though I was exhausted for the last few miles). I had my first experience with eating salt packets (nasty, but I really did feel better afterward) and my first experience with Accelerade (probably the worst sport drink of all time, tasted just like vomit). By the last 7 miles or so, my feet were hurting pretty considerably (I think this is part of needing new shoes -- my arches aren't getting enough support) but I kept on going. By the last three miles, I think I was running slower than I usually walk! My legs had nothing left by then. But we made it in just under 3 hours, including two walk intervals, which Daz said was a good pace for this point in the training. It was a great feeling of accomplishment when we got back to base camp and all the coaches there applauded

My FuelBelt hasn't arrived yet, so I had to carry a water bottle with me. It's amazing how tired a small water bottle can make your arms while running. But I was really glad to have water with me in between water stations, especially during the last half of the run when the sun was really pounding on our backs.

After the run, I hung around base camp for a little while to stretch and make sure I would be able to drive home safely (it's easy to start feeling a little dizzy after a run that long and hot), then stopped at a Circle K on the way home for a couple bags of ice. This ice bath was much less painful than my last one -- I'm guessing partly because I knew what to expect, and partly because the water just wasn't as cold. The tap water that comes out of the "cold" tap in Tucson is about as warm as I usually like my showers to be (there's no way to get it colder), so the ice melts faster. But I stayed in for a full 15 minutes and it feels like it did me good -- no substantial muscle soreness yet. After that, I took a much-needed 4-hour nap. Now I feel very fatigued, but not sore, even my feet which were the most painful part at the end of the run.

I kind of can't believe that in a month and a half, I'm going to run this far plus 10 more miles...

I finally got to run with the Tucson Team on Saturday! I had done another short run (3 miles) on Friday morning, which went OK although my right knee was giving me some grief. I had to get up earrrrrrly on Saturday morning, since we were meeting at 5am and it's a good 20-minute drive from my house. Oof. [I did take a 4-hour nap soon after I got back, though, to make up for any lost sleep.]

Everyone was very friendly and welcoming, as I had a feeling they would be! I think the course only ended up being about 8 miles, but that was plenty because it was extremely humid and quite warm (i.e., more humid than any day while I was in Michigan, and already in the 80s by 5am) and everyone was feeling pretty icky. The Tucson Team seems to be bigger than the Ann Arbor Team, with many more staff. I ran with a coach and two of the mentors, which definitely pushed my pace a little bit! We were using an interval strategy where we would run for a mile and then walk for a minute (at least I think those were the proportions); this was a nice way to avoid getting too tired, plus it gave something to look forward to during the run intervals.

My knee was not happy during this run -- fairly localized pain and more intense than my previous experiences with running-related knee pain. I've been icing it, and if it's still acting up tomorrow, I'll seek advice from a coach. It would be a bummer to be injured at this point in the game.

Random: we saw tons of bunnies on the run, which were cute, and also many enormous clouds of swarming bugs, which thankfully left us alone. Ew.

Finally: I ordered a hydration belt! I had considered getting one that was more like a CamelBak, but all the TNT runners here like the FuelBelt ones so I'm trusting their expertise. I got a 2-bottle one because when I tried them on at the Running Store, the 4-bottle ones were too bulky to be comfortable. I hope it gets here before next Saturday's run!

So, it seems I underestimated the extent to which the Michigan-Tucson transition would disrupt my running schedule. I knew this would happen to some extent, but hadn't realized just how little I would be able to run during the transition time. What with wrapping things up there, the traveling itself, having my oral comps as soon as I got back here, and trying to accomplish basic tasks of living such as restocking my fridge -- all while adjusting to the time change, the heat, and my seeming inability to actually sleep since I got back -- I haven't been getting my miles in over the last couple of weeks. Not the end of the world, as there is plenty of time to work back up in the next couple of months, but something to be aware of. Running in the desert takes more planning than running in the midwest, because you absolutely have to go really early if you'd like to avoid heatstroke and death. Which really, I would.

So my first run back in the desert was this morning. I went around 6:30am, which was already too late -- it was in the upper 80s by the time I got out. It was also about as humid as it's been on the more humid days in Michigan. WTF, weather? I thought the one redeeming characteristic of the desert was supposed to be the dryness of its heat... So anyway, it was hot and gross. I was at Reid Park, which has a 3-mile jogging path, and I told myself I could stop after one lap if I really needed to. Indeed, I was pretty dehydrated after one lap in spite of having gulped some water midway through, but I really wanted to do more than 3 miles. I grabbed my water bottle from my car and started walking a second lap; I walked for a mile, ran the second mile, and walked the last. So overall, ran 4 and walked 2. Not great, but not terrible for my first run back.

My first run with the Tucson team this Saturday will be 10 miles, which feels like it will be tough but doable. I might do another short run tomorrow morning since I have to be up early for other things anyway, and because I would feel better about doing 10 if I'd gotten in two shorter runs first. In the meantime, this afternoon I'm going to shop for some kind of water-carrying system since I'm clearly going to need it here.

Uh oh, I've slacked off on posting about my runs! I got back to Tucson just a few hours ago, and my last week in Michigan turned out to be a little hectic. The long run I'd been hoping to do early in the week did not happen, due to research subjects and birthday festivities. But, I did get in three 5-milers since my last post. There has been something a little bit wrong with my left foot ever since that excessively difficult Saturday run (feels like a sore muscle in my arch, but hasn't gotten better over time like a sore muscle usually does), so I've been icing it a lot and hope it stops bothering me soon.

Now I'm back in the dry heat of the desert, and we will see what that does to Amanda the Runner -- yikes! I'll definitely run either tomorrow or Monday, and will probably start out with a low-mileage run to see how I do.

Finally, today I was recovered enough from Saturday to run again! I'm in the middle of my written comprehensive exams right now (two hours a day for four days), so instead of going first thing this morning, I waited until I'd finished my exam for the day so I could use the run as a refreshing break. I did 5 miles, and it felt OK. My feet are still sore from Saturday, amazingly. Maybe I need to start looking for my next pair of running shoes sooner rather than later...

It felt pretty warm out... sheesh, 80 degrees now feels warm to me. Tucson people, I can hear you laughing from across the continent. Why don't you wipe those smiles off your faces and start planning me a nice funeral instead?

Today was my last run with the Ann Arbor team before I go back to Tucson -- sadness. It was the longest run I've done (15 miles), and also the toughest by a large margin, though not because of the course or even the distance. (The course was mostly flat and the more-than-usual toughness started in about Mile 7.) No, my body just did not want to run today. My feet were hurting, there was no spring in my step, and every step was taking too much effort. The teammate I was running with, Mandy, was having a tough time too, and it seemed that others were also struggling, so maybe it was something about the weather. I'm sure it didn't help that I didn't sleep at all last night (Andrew's at a conference this weekend and it's the first time he's been gone since I've been here), nor that I hadn't run since Monday thanks to yet more automotive troubles. Around Mile 12, I actually thought I might not make it, and I probably wouldn't have if not for Mandy's encouragement. Thank goodness for awesome teammates! Also for the nice people at Panera (yes, the restaurant), who willingly gave us free cups of deliciously cold water in Mile 13 when we'd gone too long without hitting a water station.

I did make it, though with a tortoise-like pace of about 20 minutes for the last mile. The whole run took me 3 hours. I opted out of the ice bath afterward, deciding that I couldn't take any more intense suffering and that I would prefer my subsequent suffering to be diffuse instead. So, a few days of muscle stiffness it is. My feet are pretty sore, so I'm holding an ice pack between my arches right now, which feels good and seems to be helping.

For some reason, my mid-run craving this time around was for hard-boiled eggs instead of oatmeal. Weird. Anyway, I made some when I got home and am munching them as I type. (Is this a weird enough image for you yet? Amanda sitting at her computer, typing while eating eggs and icing her feet?)

I've had a really great time running with the Ann Arbor Team, and I'm sad to say goodbye. Coaches Ethan and Annamarie have been especially terrific, and the teammates have been supportive. I really appreciate the team's generosity in "fostering" me while I've been here. I know the Tucson team will be wonderful as well!

Moving ahead, here's what's on tap for the next couple of weeks. Unfortunately, I'm not going to be able to do any team runs. Next Saturday (and all weekend, actually) is reserved for "us time" with Andrew because it's my last weekend here, and the following Saturday I'll be flying back to Tucson. I should be able to do a good handful of 5-milers this week, because I'm taking the whole week off from work for my comprehensive exams and will need some breaks. I may try to do a long (albeit not 15...) solo run early next week, maybe an evening run after work. If that doesn't happen, then, well, I'll just build back up as I settle into the massive and terrifying climate change that the desert has in store for me. I think the Tucson Team's training schedule is a little behind Ann Arbor's, mileage-wise, so at least I won't be adding distance too quickly once I get back and have to adjust to the heat.