Running Update

I managed to get two runs in over the long weekend I spent in Colorado. My running throughout July has been miserable at best. I can make excuses (like the 100 degree heat, vacations, etc.) but bottom line was just that I didn't try hard enough. I was very discouraged during my first run with Katie out in Colorado because I just felt like crap. Well, worse than crap, but this is a G-Rated blog. I knew it was partly altitude, but I wasn't sure how much.


So, I strapped on the shoes two days later and really felt like a million bucks! I took off on what I was telling myself was a jog/walk. I felt so good that I just kept up the pace and enjoyed myself. I had added a few songs to my play list on the plane and I know that helped. For those wondering, I thought I would share my newest adds and favorite tunes. (I'm partial to perfectly timed beats. It's a product of marching band - my left foot must hit the pavement on beats one and three. It's very, very sad, but very, very true. I prefer songs in the 180-190 beats per minute range.)


Someone Like You - Walk the Earth
Somebody That I Used to Know - Walk the Earth (Really, check these guys out. They're both covers, but awesome covers!)
Soldier - Ingrid Michaelson

Maybe - Ingrid Michaelson
Hit Me Down Sonny - The Ting Tings (My absolute favorite - it gets played at least twice on each run.)
Some Nights - Fun

I'm also very partial to Mat Kearney's Young Love CD, particularly "Hey Mama," "Chasing the Light," "Count on Me," "Down," and "Ships in the Night."


On this particular run, I managed to go 5.5 miles and kept up with a nine minute pace. Plus, I had the mountains in my sights, which couldn't have hurt. 

This was my second and third run in my new shoes and I did a third this week. I really do like them but they are still giving me some blisters. I swear, if I could fix that glitch, I could run a lot farther. I bought the new Women's Saucony ProGrid Guide 5 Running Shoe. I've been wearing the 4's and really loved them, but I thought I would try the 5. Aside from the blisters, which I'm convinced I would get in any shoe, they're great. And, they always make me giggle when I'm running. Why? Well, I listen to music while I run and also have the Map My Run app that speaks to me and tells me my time and pace every half mile. (LOVE this addition to the app!) Lately, I've been running faster and I just attribute it to pushing myself a little harder and running with faster runners. But, a few of the reviews on this shoe claim that it made the runner faster, which I think is a little ridiculous. So, every time I hear the faster pace, I laugh. It's the small things in life, you know?

And, for those of you wondering, I will not be doing a marathon this fall. While I would like to say I don't have time to train, the reality is that I don't choose to spend my time training for something like that. (I find myself using this phrase in my life a lot lately.) I'm really fine with it and realize there may be another time this fits my schedule, but this fall isn't that time. I will be signing up tomorrow for a half in October though. My 12 week training plan will start one week from today!