Five For Friday Is Now For Monday!

I started this post last Friday, then worked on it some more on Saturday, and now I can't believe it's Sunday night so that means this post will be up on Monday!  I'm not procrastinating, just been CRAZY busy here since last Wednesday because of............

Source

1)  ...THIS!!!  After signing up 2 weeks ago (yes, 2 weeks before the official March 7, 3pm EST sign up) with Team Lung Love to run Marine Corps Marathon (MCM) this October, I've been going back and forth between feeling scared/unsure and excited/confident.  This IS normal, right?  When you sign up for your first full marathon?!!

Well my anxiety and self-doubt evaporated (for now), as I watched all 30,000 available spots get gobbled up by runners from all over in record time - 2 hours and 41 minutes - becoming the fastest marathon registration sellout in U.S. history.  Fueled by the mass euphoria on MCM's Facebook (FB)  page as tons of runners posted "I GOT IN!  I GOT IN!", I was freaking out like everyone else, and I'm sure we all sounded like we had just won the lottery! 

I successfully peer-pressured another runner friend (so that made it 2 friends I peer-pressured) into signing up for MCM.  Through her, I felt the rush, the suspense, and the triumph over scoring a spot to run MCM.  So ever since Wednesday, my friends "T", "C", and I have been talking non-stop about MCM - training plans, hotel rooms, goals, schedules....never mind that we each have a big race coming up ("T" has Virginia Wine Country Half, "C" has Charlottesville 10-Miler, and I have RnR USA Half) - I think in our hearts we're done training for those races, and we are ready to tackle training for MCM!!!  Isn't that crazy??!!!! Yup, so I've been BUSY just thinking and reading about all things marathon!!!

Just a few of my crazy runner friends from Ragnar DC

2)  ....Non-Stop MCM Talk!!!  With all the talk about MCM on their FB page, the best part was discovering other friends who made it in too!  Like my friend "L" who just started running in November 2010.  After his first race in November 2010, three months later, he signed up for Ragnar DC with me.  To train for Ragnar, he went on to run more 5Ks, 10Ks.  With Ragnar now under his belt, he will soon run his first half marathon with me this coming weekend - RnR USA Half.  Imagine how much I freaked out when I learned he is running MCM too!  His first full!  I can't be any prouder of "L", and I'm SO excited for him!

I also discovered another friend, "M," who also got in - we had talked about running before and even balked at the idea of running 26.2 miles at one point and there we were, screaming over at FB chat, in disbelief that we signed up for something we never thought we would actually do!!!!

So, yeah, I've been BUSY talking non-stop about MCM lately to whoever wants to hear about it, and I can't tell you enough how exciting it is to me!!  Can you tell??!!!

Source

3)  ....Discovering Red Felt Running Club!  All my MCM talk must be so boring to my non-runner friends and family.  When I posted about running MCM on FB, my friend's brother (who's also running MCM) and I connected, and he added me to this AMAZING FB group called Red Felt Running Club/MCM First Timers.  O.M.G. it's like finding your own kind who understands why you must sign up for at least 1 race every month and don't look at you like you're crazy.  RFRC started out as a group of MCM first-timers last year.  They motivated, inspired, and triumphed together, finishing their first MCM.  They are now 300+ members strong, and already I feel at home, learning A TON, and not feeling as anxious as much knowing I've got these guys and gals to carry me (literally, maybe? hopefully?) to the finish line on October 28.  So I've been BUSY reading all their posts, chiming in when I can (they are a very fun, chatty group!), and taking notes on marathon tips like the geek that I am.

source

4)  ....C25K Coaching!!!  As you know, I've been coaching a group of friends to help them run their first 5K.  Last week, we started running 2.5 miles with no walking breaks and this coming week, we are going to do 2.75 miles.  With their first 5K race now just 2 weeks away, I've been posting and answering questions about preparing for their first race and giving tips - tips I wished someone gave me when I ran my first 5K.  I think I am more excited about their race than my own RnR half marathon race coming up this weekend (weekend before their 5K).  There is nothing like watching them run a distance they haven't run before, seeing smiles & high-fives, and hearing cheers!  Do you remember that feeling?  They have come a loooong way from barely being able to run for 2 minutes without walking to now running over 30 minutes!  I am so proud of them, and I can't wait for their race day!!!

Source

5)  ....Speaking of the RnR USA Half Marathon that I've been training for.... It's going.....ok.  Actually, I've had to change my race goal and strategy.  Due to my PF prone left foot, I'm going to have to run/walk this race, if I want to avoid getting PF again.  Playing it safe, because now my big picture goal is my first full marathon in October AND to keep running well into my 90s!  I really wanted to PR, to get a 2:15 half marathon time, but I'm going to have to let that go and just finish this race.  I *think* I'm ok with it.  I tried the run/walk method with a 4:1 ratio this morning and did ok.  I wasn't any faster, but I felt no pain, so that's good! 

Source

The best part about today's run?  I figured out why my left foot has PF.   My left shoe is a tad bit big for my left foot!  This happened to me last winter and I can't believe I forgot.  I bought my shoes last summer when my left foot was "bigger" and come winter months, since my left foot is not as swollen, the extra room in my left shoe meant my left foot is sliding in them....the arches aren't where they're suppose to be, etc..So this morning, I doubled up on socks - well, I wore a thinner socks over my regular running socks and no pain!  Knock on wood.  So during my run, my left foot was nice and snug and felt fine.  My right foot has always been bigger than my left, so it was just fine.  I am really hoping this is the cause so I can put an end to this darn foot pain.  Still stretching and icing. 

When do you all buy shoes?  Do your feet change in size from winter to summer months?  Or is it just my feet?  

Have you had to change your race goals and strategy due to an injury?    Have you tried the run/walk method before and how do you like it?  

Are you also running MCM this year??  

Love Is A Many-Splendored Thing

In the midst of preparing Valentines for my boys, so this is a short post, but I wanted to greet all my readers a very Happy Valentines Day!  What wonderful things are you doing for your special Valentine(s)?

Valentines for my C25K friends - dark chocolate truffles!

Little Man's Valentines for me <3

Red Velvet Valentine for my boys

Day 1 With Saucony Hattori

 Do you like my new pair of pink running shoes?  I decided on this color for fun and, being in an all-boy house, I needed to have something pink and girly.

I love getting new running gear.  I bought a pair of these Saucony Hattori's back in January when the Running Warehouse had a huge sale.  For $30-, I could not resist.  I've wanted to explore and try minimalist running shoes and after running in Saucony Kinvaras for 7 months now (and loving it),  the Hattori's were a natural progression for me, and the timing price-wise could not have been more perfect.  So I'm going from a 4mm heel to toe lift (Kinvaras) to now 0mm (Hattori's).

I thought this would be a great time to start getting used to running in these Hattori's because I'm currently coaching a Couch-to-5k running group 3x a week.  We are on Week 4, Day 1 of the C25k plan, and the jog/ walk ratio is the perfect pace for me to slide into these shoes gradually.  My goal is to run the 5k race in March in these shoes.  I won't be going at race pace, since I'll be cheering my running group at their pace, but I'm hoping it would be a safe intro to running races in them.  I can't wait!

Why am I trying the Hattori's?  I'm so tired of getting injured!!  Currently I have PF (plantar fasciitis).  Again.  It's frustrating especially when you have a 14k race this weekend.  Argh.  Reading Christopher McDougall's Born To Run definitely pushed me into this direction to try minimalist shoes.  So I'm willing to try these out especially if it would mean less (or no) injuries!  I'm going to stick with my Kinvaras for the longer/faster runs, and use these Hattori's only for my C25k runs for now.  So excited!

I had to use the Shoe Fitr over at the Running Warehouse to figure out my size.  I wear a Size 7.5 in the Kinvaras and according to the Shoe Fitr, I'm an 8.5 in Hattori's so they run small.  I really like the fit.  It fits like a sock.  It's not constricting or tight at all, and I have wide feet.  They're meant to be worn without socks which I was a bit nervous about because I blister easily, but there are no seams inside the shoe.  So far so good.  In my first run today in them, they felt comfortable.  It felt like I was running in slippers!  

Do you wear minimalist running shoes?  Which ones and how do you like them?  Or are you interested in trying out these type of shoes?  

(Note:  I bought these Hattori's and was not compensated in any way to blog about them.  Thoughts about them are my own only).

Three Things Thursday - Why It's Been A Great Day!

Source

As always, I'm a day behind.  How do you guys keep up with your tweets, blogs, and FB pages?  My days are packed like sardines, like today.  No, it's not packed like stress-ful packed - more like fun-packed.  If only all my days could be like today.  Balance is good.  Finding peace is good too.  Here's why today is good:

Source

1.  Running In The Rain.  Started the day off running in the rain with my C25K ladies.  I'm so proud of them for getting their butt out of their warm and dry houses to meet me outside for Week 3, Day 2 of our training.  I am so hoping they'll soon understand why I run in the rain, sleet, snow, and heat.  The fact that they keep coming to our training runs is a good sign!

Source

2.  Running In The Sun.  After running with my C25K ladies, I went off on my own for my 5-miler training run.  In the Sun!  Yup, sun came up just in time for my 5-miler and it was nice while it lasted.  It got cloudy, then a little drizzly, but it's been awhile since I ran solo, so it felt really good to have that alone time, just me and my wandering thoughts.  I got inspired by the pages I read last night from Christopher McDougall's Born To Run and tried to run like a kid again.  Didn't look at my Garmin, just went with feel and it felt amazing!  I was landing on my forefoot, and wow did I feel light on my feet!  When I finally looked at my Garmin, I was surprised/happy to see I ran faster compared to my last 5 miler last Tuesday AND it felt like it went by faster too!  Hmmm...

Source

3.  Catching Up With Friends.  With non-running friends.  It's so easy to just stick to running friends when you're training - at least that's what I find myself doing.  I love talking about running.  If people let me, I would.  Today, I caught up with two non-running friends and it was refreshing (in a weird way) to talk about something else other than your first race of the year.  Shocking, huh?  I did sneak in a little bit about running and yoga, but only because they were staring at me, horrified at the amount of food I was eating!  Hahaha!  It's what happens when you're rushing after your 5-miler to get back for preschool pickup and then off to meet friends for lunch.  I was STARVING. 

Anyways, it's been such a great day.  The sun is finally all out and I think we're going to play outside today before my guitar and drum lessons for my other 2 boys.

Did you have a great day today?  What made it great?

Moms On The Run! - My Training Group

From my first 10K race last year

This morning was Day 1 of our "Moms On The Run" running group! 


What started out as two friends asking me separately if I could teach them how to run, ended up with me, organizing a running group of tough moms who want to run their first 5K race in the spring!  I'm so excited for them and very nostalgic about my first 5K training, but also nervous and anxious about my abilities to help guide them through the Couch to 5K training plan without hurting or breaking them - or worst, turning them away from running for good.  Yikes!  I don't know everything about running (aside from my little bit of experience), I'm not a fast runner, still feeling a little newbie-ish, but I have run a couple of 5K races before, so I hope that is good enough??!!  I only hope that in the end, they will love running as much as I do!


 I was so sure we would end up running in the cold, cold rain, but Little Man (my 4 y.o.) sang, "Oh Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun, won't you please shine down on me..." and lo and behold, the rain stopped (must remember that for my next rainy run).  Didn't want my friends to start off feeling discouraged already on their first day of training.


Overall it went well, I got a nice warm up before my 4.5 Miler, and got motivated by my friends' enthusiasm.


Do you remember your first 5K race?  What advice/tips would you give first time runners training for her first race?


Have you coached first time runners before?  Any advice that you can give me?  Thanks in advance!