Catching up

I've been falling down on the job of writing about my runs, but there have been some positive developments in the last week-and-change.

As planned, I did attempt a 5-mile run in my regular running shoes two Saturdays ago. I managed to run for 4 of the 5 miles, which I felt OK about. It was not the most fun run ever -- my feet felt big and clunky and heavy in the shoes, and weren't particularly comfortable. I wasn't able to retain much of my technique from the minimalist shoes, because the high-stability heels on those shoes make it almost impossible not to come down on the heel with each step. I was very tired and sore after that run.

So, in a last-ditch effort to find some comfortable way of running while I still have time to train for the marathon, I went to Running Fit in downtown Ann Arbor and got yet another pair of shoes. My goal was to get running shoes that are light, not bulky in the heels, yet provide enough cushioning to allow me to run without hurting my feet -- essentially, to try to get the best features of each of my current pairs of shoes in a single pair. I ended up with a pair of Asics trainers that are super lightweight and comfortable and allow me a lot of flexibility in adjusting my stride (meaning, hopefully, that they would allow me to run in a way that doesn't exacerbate my ankle injury). As I left the store, I remarked to Andrew that I sure hoped they would turn out to be worth the hundred bucks.

That was last Sunday, and then I tried a 2-miler on Tuesday before attempting my weekly "long" 6-mile run on Thursday. (I've decided to switch my long run day from Saturdays to Thursdays, since I don't work on Thursdays and that way it doesn't interrupt my weekend sleeping-in schedule.) Things felt pretty good on Tuesday, although still somewhat sore from the Saturday run. The important thing was that my ankle wasn't hurting. So, on Thursday, I embarked on the long one. Wow, it was hard! I am really out of shape. I was huffing and puffing and my legs were exhausted after just a couple of miles. But, I was determined to make it the whole way, and I did. Afterward I felt a little discouraged because it had been so hard; 6 miles used to be nothing for me. But I kept reminding myself that I was unable to run for three months, I'm carrying around about an extra 10 pounds due to all that sedentary time, and I'm trying to build up mileage relatively quickly, so it should be hard!

I did another 2-mile run yesterday and was amazed to find that I was in no pain at all when I started running. I realized that I've actually conditioned myself to flinch when I take my first few steps because I'm expecting pain! Yesterday there was no pain though, and I actually felt sort of like a runner again. That was pretty cool.

So it's looking good. Now if this terrible humidity would just settle down, I could start really enjoying this. :-)