Running on...

Man, I am not great at updating this thing. I guess it doesn't really matter, but I think it will be neat to look back on all this, hopefully after completing the marathon...

I think I'm almost starting to figure this hip-thing out. I'm finding some stretches that seem to help. I also think getting some new shoes would help. The ones I bought most recently seem to be way too small. Not sure what I was thinking at the time -- probably that they were cheaper? I don't think they give my feet enough room to properly expand/absorb when they hit the ground. As an experiment, I used my old shoes for my last couple of runs. They are substantially wider underneath the balls of my feet, and I really think this makes a big difference. So, I'm going to spend the money and go back to Asics. Of all the tennis shoes I've worn, I don't think any have seemed as comfortable as Asics. Probably worth the money...

So, that's exciting. I also ran a 5K this past weekend that felt like it was more or less uphill the entire course. I finished with my usual time, though, and was quite pleased to do so, given all the hills. It was very encouraging.

I'm really going to try in the next week or so to get back on schedule with the training. On Monday night, in the gloriously merciful 80-degree weather, I managed 8 miles! Again, very encouraging. Last night, I managed 4 of the 5 I had planned on. This hip thing.... Also, it's hard to rationalize expending that much time on a week night, just to run. It's been good to finally get some miles in, though. Ideally, I'd really like to keep the longer runs to the weekends going forward, and hopefully I can get on track for another, longer run this coming weekend. Shooting for 10...

I've realized on the longer runs that time is such a factor for my mental state; having to remind myself that it's OK to take the time to do the run, or to stop and stretch if needed. With all the miles, I really have to be patient and accept that it's just going to take some time, no matter how fast I run. As much as anything, it really is just a big time commitment.

Whew.

Also, I've been reeeally bad at remembering to update my little mileage thing at the bottom here. I have been keeping track on my handy spreadsheet, though, so I will try to get that updated for the next post, which will hopefully be sooner than later, sometime this weekend.

Bye for now!