After six miles in my new shoes this morning, I developed my first blister of the season. This is not good. I considered trying them again tomorrow, but I really don't want to risk getting more blisters. Since I know the Saucony Guide 2 is a great shoe, I decided to return the Guide 3 and buy the older model. The friendly folks at Playmakers exchanged the shoes, no questions asked and no receipt required. I also ended up buying a pair of Keens for my daughter - I couldn't resist!
FYI - Playmakers Sidewalk Sale is coming in July!
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Week 3, Day 22: New Shoes
I finally broke down and purchased a new pair of shoes this week. For the past few years I've bought my running shoes in Lansing (actually Okemos) at a running store called Playmakers. Playmakers is an awesome store. It's not your average Dick's, MC, or Foot Locker. Playmakers hires actual runners who test the shoes and know what they're talking about. If you've ever read the magazine Runner's World, check out where the wear testers are from in their shoe guides: Lansing, Michigan (Playmakers). The sales associates have you walk around the store without shoes or socks on so they can study your feet before recommending a shoe. Once you start trying on shoes you can test them by running on a treadmill in the store or you can purchase the shoes and try them out for 30 days at home without having to commit to them.
I've been running on the Saucony Guide 2 and love it. This spring Saucony came out with the Guide 3, so I had to get it. So far, I think I like it. Today I had a weird pain in my left shin, but I'll give them another week or so before I blame the shoe. Thankfully Playmakers still sells the older Guide 2 so worst case scenario: I'll just buy my old shoes again.
I've been running on the Saucony Guide 2 and love it. This spring Saucony came out with the Guide 3, so I had to get it. So far, I think I like it. Today I had a weird pain in my left shin, but I'll give them another week or so before I blame the shoe. Thankfully Playmakers still sells the older Guide 2 so worst case scenario: I'll just buy my old shoes again.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Week 1, Day 5: Accidental Race
Perhaps this has never happened to you but over the past few years it has happened to me on several occasions. It can be embarrassing and is totally unavoidable. I call it an accidental race.
An accidental race happens when you wake up early in the morning, lace up your sneakers, and head out for your scheduled training run along your usual path. All of the sudden, out of nowhere, you realize you have unknowingly become part of an actual road race. Everyone around you has a bib number on, but you do not. You have no idea where they came from or what direction their race is heading; you can only hope it is not the direction you were planning.
Today that happened to me...again. I was scheduled to run 5 miles which usually takes me out around Jackson Community College and back home. What I forgot about today was that this is the weekend JCC hosts the Rose Run. The Rose Run is a tradition in Jackson, dating back for as long as I can remember; at the age of 9 it was the fist road race I competed in. Up until about a year ago I was still wearing the commemorative T-shirt I got for completing that race...back in 1990. I have since packed that shirt away for posterity. Well, today was the Rose Run and I forgot. As I approached JCC, it hit me. Signs declaring "Runners on the Road" and police cars blocking traffic. How embarrassing. I fell in line behind two other girls and continued my run. At one point we passed an aid station handing out Gatorade and I was tempted to take some. Finally the runners took a left to finish the race on the campus of JCC and I had to continue on Emmons Road to get home. I got some awkward looks and one race official tried to wave me back. I just smiled and kept running.
If you are familiar with racing and race etiquette then you know it is very bad form to run a race without a bib number. What this implies is that you were too cheap to pay the entry fee, but wanted the race experience. Typically fellow runners will boo you or shake their heads in disgust which is why accidental races are one of my worst running nightmares. Thankfully the roads today were not lined with spectators and the portion of the race I ran was sparse. In future races I will think twice before judging unmarked racers too harshly...perhaps they too have fallen into an accidental race!
An accidental race happens when you wake up early in the morning, lace up your sneakers, and head out for your scheduled training run along your usual path. All of the sudden, out of nowhere, you realize you have unknowingly become part of an actual road race. Everyone around you has a bib number on, but you do not. You have no idea where they came from or what direction their race is heading; you can only hope it is not the direction you were planning.
Today that happened to me...again. I was scheduled to run 5 miles which usually takes me out around Jackson Community College and back home. What I forgot about today was that this is the weekend JCC hosts the Rose Run. The Rose Run is a tradition in Jackson, dating back for as long as I can remember; at the age of 9 it was the fist road race I competed in. Up until about a year ago I was still wearing the commemorative T-shirt I got for completing that race...back in 1990. I have since packed that shirt away for posterity. Well, today was the Rose Run and I forgot. As I approached JCC, it hit me. Signs declaring "Runners on the Road" and police cars blocking traffic. How embarrassing. I fell in line behind two other girls and continued my run. At one point we passed an aid station handing out Gatorade and I was tempted to take some. Finally the runners took a left to finish the race on the campus of JCC and I had to continue on Emmons Road to get home. I got some awkward looks and one race official tried to wave me back. I just smiled and kept running.
If you are familiar with racing and race etiquette then you know it is very bad form to run a race without a bib number. What this implies is that you were too cheap to pay the entry fee, but wanted the race experience. Typically fellow runners will boo you or shake their heads in disgust which is why accidental races are one of my worst running nightmares. Thankfully the roads today were not lined with spectators and the portion of the race I ran was sparse. In future races I will think twice before judging unmarked racers too harshly...perhaps they too have fallen into an accidental race!
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Week 1, Day 1: Here We Go!
Welcome to my blog! I hope you will follow me in my 18 week quest to train for and complete the Chicago Marathon (October 10, 2010). To begin, let me offer you a short history of the marathon itself.
The marathon dates back to ancient Greece...Athens to be exact. Legend has is that a soldier by the name of Pheidippides made the trek from the city of Marathon to Athens with news that his army had victory in battle. And with that grand news...he fell down dead.
Flash forward 1500 years. Today we run marathons, races of 26.2 miles in length, commemorating Pheidippides extraordinary effort. Of course today, we have a lot going for us that he did not have. Gatorade stations, gel packs, technologically advanced footwear, and of course, ibuprofen (can I get an amen)! A marathon is a run that is 26.2 miles long. There is no such thing as a 5 mile marathon. That may seem like an unnecessary detail, but you would be surprised how many people have told me that they too have run a marathon...that was 3 miles or 10 miles long. No, no, no people. 26.2 miles is the marathon and you cannot say you've run a marathon unless it was that distance. But WHY do we do it?
I can only answer that question for myself and the best way to explain putting myself through the torture of training for and running a marathon can be summed up with this quote...
"Find your own play, your own self-renewing compulsion, and you will become the person you were meant to be."
--George Sheehan
Running has helped me become the person I'm supposed to be. It infiltrates every nook and cranny of my life and makes me reevaluate everything I do. Running raises your expectations of yourself and makes you work...hard...at everything. It's a love hate relationship to be sure. But once the running bug gets you...you'll never be the same.
So here's my plan. I will be following the master, Hal Higdon, and his marathon training schedule for Intermediate II. It can be found in his book, Marathon: The Ultimate Training Guide. This book is the Bible of marathon running and I highly suggest you pick up a copy if you have any inclination to run. I also must say that this will be my second marathon. I have completed one marathon already; October of 2009. What makes this marathon any different you ask? My expectations. My first marathon was more of a question of whether or not I could do it...could I run 26.2 miles without quitting or dying or cursing every last skinny runner that passed me. This year - it's about being serious about my training, my health, and my finishing time.
So...I'm off...training schedule plastered to my fridge: to run. One day at a time, one mile at a time.
The marathon dates back to ancient Greece...Athens to be exact. Legend has is that a soldier by the name of Pheidippides made the trek from the city of Marathon to Athens with news that his army had victory in battle. And with that grand news...he fell down dead.
Flash forward 1500 years. Today we run marathons, races of 26.2 miles in length, commemorating Pheidippides extraordinary effort. Of course today, we have a lot going for us that he did not have. Gatorade stations, gel packs, technologically advanced footwear, and of course, ibuprofen (can I get an amen)! A marathon is a run that is 26.2 miles long. There is no such thing as a 5 mile marathon. That may seem like an unnecessary detail, but you would be surprised how many people have told me that they too have run a marathon...that was 3 miles or 10 miles long. No, no, no people. 26.2 miles is the marathon and you cannot say you've run a marathon unless it was that distance. But WHY do we do it?
I can only answer that question for myself and the best way to explain putting myself through the torture of training for and running a marathon can be summed up with this quote...
"Find your own play, your own self-renewing compulsion, and you will become the person you were meant to be."
--George Sheehan
Running has helped me become the person I'm supposed to be. It infiltrates every nook and cranny of my life and makes me reevaluate everything I do. Running raises your expectations of yourself and makes you work...hard...at everything. It's a love hate relationship to be sure. But once the running bug gets you...you'll never be the same.
So here's my plan. I will be following the master, Hal Higdon, and his marathon training schedule for Intermediate II. It can be found in his book, Marathon: The Ultimate Training Guide. This book is the Bible of marathon running and I highly suggest you pick up a copy if you have any inclination to run. I also must say that this will be my second marathon. I have completed one marathon already; October of 2009. What makes this marathon any different you ask? My expectations. My first marathon was more of a question of whether or not I could do it...could I run 26.2 miles without quitting or dying or cursing every last skinny runner that passed me. This year - it's about being serious about my training, my health, and my finishing time.
So...I'm off...training schedule plastered to my fridge: to run. One day at a time, one mile at a time.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)