Saturday stuff

This morning I met some people from the running club at 7am for a run. More specifically, I was running with my buddy Joanne. We did six miles. I wore the Saucony Omnis for the first time and they felt good. I will say that I was somewhat aware of my inner ankles (the problem area) after the run, but it didn't hurt and it feels much better than after I did the 7 mile run two weeks ago.

I forgot to ice after the run, because I was cold and just wanted to get into a hot shower and then I had somewhere I needed to go. Whoops. I'll do better next time.

This afternoon, David and I went to walk around at an art fair and I wore the orthotics for two hours. They're very comfortable, but by the end of the two hours my feet were feeling tired. The tiredness resolved itself after I removed the orthotics from my shoes. I definitely see why the doctor told me to build up to wearing them. It takes some getting used to.

Yesterday I registered for the ING Miami Half Marathon, which takes place on 1/30/11. I haven't ever been to Miami, and David has never been to Florida, so I'm pretty excited about it. It will be good to escape the Michigan winter for a few days! I have a couple of friends who sound interested in running the race, as well, so it will be a good time!

Sigh

I haven't run since that 7 miles I did on Saturday, because my left foot is bothering me in that inner ankle area. It's a little swollen today. I had my last Phoresor treatment today so I'm hoping it will feel better tomorrow. I'm depressed because it's not looking good for running that half marathon on Sunday. If I couldn't handle 7 miles, then 13 is out of the question.

I ordered new shoes (Saucony Omnis) that will arrive tomorrow. They have more pronation control than any of the other many pairs of running shoes that I currently own. I'm hoping that will magically make it possible to do the half on Sunday. Yeah I know, don't run a race in shoes you haven't done a long run in. It's just the dreaming side of me that thinks I'll be doing the half. The realistic side of me - the depressed side - thinks I'll be sleeping in on Sunday and feeling a little mournful.

My house is filled with stacks of running shoes. I hope I get the chance to wear them all out some day.

Whining about the heat!

My zip code says I live in Michigan, but the temperature says I live in Hell. Okay, so that's pathetically whiny. I'm pretty glad these days that I converted myself into an early morning runner, because there's not much chance that I'd be able to motivate myself to head out after work into the blazing sun in 90+ degree heat. On days like this, I do understand why my friend Wendy embraces her treadmill. I admire the runners I saw on my way home this evening. They have tremendous dedication.

Did 4 1/4 miles again this morning and the miracle shoes were back to being miraculous. Bunion felt just fine. Wish there were some rhyme or reason to this, but I'll just be grateful for every pain-free run I have!

Hot, Hot, Hot

Captain Obvious here, pointing out that it is fricking hot today in the Detroit area and therefore this makes running more difficult. When the overnight low is 72, you know it's going to be a scorcher. Alas, I waited until 10am to start my run today because I wanted to sleep in and then be lazy. Well, I paid for it in sweat. Even my favorite hat couldn't keep the salty sweat from flooding into my eyes and stinging them.

But the important thing is that I ran anyway, instead of using the heat as an excuse to skip another day. I celebrated the 4th of July by taking the day off from running and eating all sorts of delicious and unhealthful foods. Found some vegetarian marshmallows so I had my first s'mores in 18 years and THEY WERE DELICIOUS! So worth every calorie. But today we're back to eating right and exercising.

Only ran 4 1/4 miles this morning, wearing the new miracle Saucony shoes. Only they weren't quite as miraculous today, since I was more aware of my bunion today than I was during my 10-miler on Saturday. Hmmm, what is the deal, feet? Why must you torture me so? Were my feet swollen because of the heat? Did my feet spread out yesterday because I was in delightful sandals all day instead of shoes? I don't know, but I did not approve of the bunion twinges this morning! We shall see how it goes tomorrow when I have another short run planned. Grrr!

New Shoes, part 2!

This morning I met David's cousin Shaina at a park and we did a 10 mile run. It was a fabulous run and I love running with Shaina.

I wore the new Sauconys again and I am feeling very encouraged. With my previous shoes, 10 miles would mean my bunion would be in agony. Today, though, things were great. I can't say I was completely unaware of my bunion's existence, but it was approximately a million times better than with my other shoes. Very, very happy! Let's hope this continues as I get into longer distances during marathon training.

Let the shoe experiments begin!

This morning I tried out my brand new Saucony Progrid Ride 2 shoes to see how they did with the ol' bunion of doom. Only ran 5 miles, so it's probably too early to get excited, but I'm feeling cautiously optimistic. Normally after 5 miles in the Adidas shoes, my bunion would be talking to me fairly loudly. But this morning, I was barely aware of it (other than the fact that I spent the whole run thinking "hey how is the bunion doing? Is my bunion going to start hurting soon? How about that bunion?").

Tomorrow will be a better test, as I plan to run 9-10 miles in the morning which is a distance that generally leaves my bunion feeling extremely tender and painful.

If anyone has any knowledge of good shoes for people with giant, gross bunions then I would love to hear about it!