Running

I'm training for a half-marathon that's in November. That's 13.1 miles...or "crazy" as Grayson likes to call it. I work with several teachers who are hard-core runners, and somehow they talked me into trying it out. I started running 3-4 times a week back in early June, but since I went out of town for two vacations..I have really been doing it since July. I started running with a good friend of mine that lives a little ways down the road..Carrie. She is a persnoal trainer, so she really helped me get going! She is amazing..she would usually run our 3 miles while pushing her baby Dillon in his stroller, and she was never out of breath! Lately, I've been running with my two teacher runner friends..Lisa and Karen. Lisa is training for a marathon, and Karen and I are training for the 1/2 marathon. They've both done them before, so I have been getting lots of good advice from them. They are both very strong runners, and I look very pathetic compared to them.

I have been running in shoes that aren't made for running.. Nike Shox. I love my Shox, but I never knew how horrible they are on your body until the past few weeks. They are really bad on your feet, shins, knees..I could keep going and going about this. I have been having this terrible pain in my lower legs after I run. It usually starts on the front of my legs and ends up getting my calves to hurting too. It basically feels like my shin bone is one giant bruise. Apparently that is called shin splints. Now I know. They are PAINFUL! One night, my shins were on fire and then my entire calf muscles tensed up, and I could hardly walk..I had to hobble back for 1 1/2 miles. Horrible.

Anyway..I finally went to Rush Running in Bentonville to get some running shoes. I love that store!! They put you in "neutral" tennis shoes and stick you on a treadmill. There is a camera that records behind your feet, and the store employee played it back to me in slow motion and determined what kind of running shoes I need. She gave me four brand options and I walked around the store in each one and picked the most comfortable pair. I have ran in them twice now, and they are AMAZING!! Unfortunately, this week, my legs (shins) are still very sore from the 5.5 mile run I did on Saturday in my Shox. I'm hoping they heal quickly, so I can get back on my training schedule.

My running shoes