A day off . . .

You know how I said that I think I was increasing my mileage too quickly? Well, I don’t have what you would call “an injury,” but there’s a spot in my leg that’s bothering me a bit. I’ve decided to rest today and see how I feel tomorrow. I’m only running a 5k on Saturday, but there can’t be any “comeback” if I can’t run the race.

We’ll see how it goes.

Blue & Citron

Oh, I think I’ve decided which color of Saucony Mirages to get (when I actually get them). What do you think? It seems like a lot of the “cool colors” are reserved for men’s shoes, while the women get the pastels and whites. There’s nothing wrong with that of course, but I love this color combo more. Now to get more gear in these colors. 🙂 Anything to motivate me to run, eh? Just kidding. I love to run, but having cute gear helps on those days when I need an extra boost.

Anyway, I’ve added a few links to my gear wishlist at the top of the page. Check them out.

Good luck to everyone running races this weekend. I’ll finally be a part of the group again!

Feeling faster

I was running my “long run” today (~4 miles), and I was able to keep my pace for nearly the whole time. I’m feeling faster and more confident–always a good feeling. 🙂 I’m still slow, but it’s nice to feel like I’m improving. I was running faster than the other people on my route, though, for all I know, they were doing cool-downs or something. Oh well, I feel good, and that’s all that matters. Here are my stats for the week.

Total distance: 11.67 miles

Shortest distance: 1 mile

Longest distance: 3.94 miles

Best pace: 11:17 min/mi

I’m afraid I might be increasing my mileage too quickly, but I’ve kind of been going with what feels good to me. Today, for instance, I was a little tired for the first mile, but then I settled into a good pace and was comfortable for the rest of it. I didn’t try to overwork myself, but I felt like I needed to stay with about 4 miles for a little while.

Anyway, I’m also super excited about some sweet gear I found at a local thrift shop. I’m cheap like that. I found some race shirts, with lovely screen printing and everything, and a pair of shorts. $12 for the lot. Not too shabby, and they were all pretty new. I’m channeling the ability of the runners who owned the shirts before me. Too cheesy? Oh well. I also signed up for the Freedom 5k on July 4th. I’m really excited about it.

In other news I think I found some shoes I really like. I went to a local running store to get fitted today, and I found out that I’m actually an underpronator, which is really weird but cool to find out. I loved the Saucony Proglide Mirage and the Brooks Launch shoes. It seems like a lot of people like them, but at least that way I know they’re good shoes. I might have to invest in some new ones if I’m to run a half marathon at some point this year (or next). Maybe my parents will feel like spoiling me. We’ll see.

An Update

Sorry I didn’t post on Saturday. I really didn’t do much last week because I was really involved in a wedding, and one of my best friends was in town for a few days. We had fun, but I didn’t run much. I did manage, however, to get some workouts in on Monday and Tuesday.

Total distance: 3.38 miles (according to mapymyrun.com)

Shortest distance: 1.05 miles

Longest distance: 2.3 miles

Best pace: 11:2 min/mi

Worst pace: 11:55 min/mi

I also did a Zumba Tone workout on Monday. It was a bit tiring to do a run and another cardio workout in the same day.

This week will be interesting too. I have to get some mileage under my belt if I am to actually run decently in my 5k next weekend. I’m not worried about PRing or anything–I just want the satisfaction of finishing one of my many races this year. 🙂

I did another Zumba class today. It was really fun and quite the challenge after not doing much last week. At least it’s helping me get into better shape. I want to see if I can get 10 miles in this week. We’ll see. I might be back to square one, but hopefully I will improve.

Anyway, I’m hoping to get a new pair of running shoes soon. I have to get a gait analysis and be fitted. My current shoes are fine, but I don’t think they’re the best for my feet. I’ll keep you posted on those. Maybe I’ll get a fun color. I also need to get some running capris or something. It’s really hard wearing basketball shorts on a run, even if it’s a short one. I really like these from runningwarehouse.com. Most of the time I can’t justify spending that much on workout clothes, but I’m guessing proper outfitting improves performance.

Well, I’m just rambling, so I’d better call it a night.