So for a few years I have had horrible toe issues. My toes are pretty crooked and nasty and running doesn't help that. For some reason the shoes I have always used have decided to keep shrinking their toe box. Well as you can imagine it is not good for my toes. So despite all my best efforts (toe socks, bandaids, lube, tape) I needed to abandon my usual shoes and get new ones just a few weeks before my first half of the year. I'm so thankful we have an amazing local running store that is full of really awesome people to help! I went to see my favorite sales guy and told him show me shoes with the widest toe boxes. He brought out 3 different ones for me to test out and these were the winners. They are the Adidas Supernova Sequence Boost 7. I picked the bold pink color and used some bungee laces that I already had to lace them up.
This was actually my second run in these shoes and so far so good. The real test will be next summer when my feet get hot & sweaty. My feet tend to swell and I think that is part of the problem that there just was not enough room in my old shoes. This run felt pretty good. I felt a little sluggish but that really didn't have anything to do with my shoes.
With only 1 week left until my first half of the year (I'm running two this year!) I feel pretty good. I have a time in mind and I will do my best to hit it but if it doesn't happen it doesn't. Now I'm not saying I won't be upset if it doesn't happen. I'm a pretty competitive person and when I don't hit a goal it is NOT ok. But as I learned last year (I bonked during my half big time!!) life goes on! I've done some things different in my training this year and have a friend that I'm hoping to run with to cheer her on and keep me moving. Another great thing about this race is they offer pace groups for the different goal times. So I will be settling in with a pace group and just keep moving!
I love to finish off my long runs with an ice bath. I know this is kind of a debated thing but I love it. I don't know if it helps me recover any fast but I can tell you that nothing feels better after a really long hot run than a tub full of cold water and ice. I try to sit in there for 10 min and usually cruise facebook or instagram (go follow me on both! I'm LoveLacey365 on both). The time seems to go quickly and after that I jump in the shower.
This week will be full of short easy runs, rest, and lots of carbs. It's time to put my money where my mouth is so to speak and prove that all these miles and training runs have been worth it. That's the funny thing about distance running. You set a goal to run a certain number of miles on race day. But what you don't think about is all the hours and miles you will put in getting to race day. Those training miles and hours are the ones that define you. The mornings that you get up pre-dawn to fit in a long run before you leave on vacation. Or the nights that you put the kids in bed and then jump on the treadmill because you didn't have time during the day. The miles and the hours of training often are the ones you remember. I definitely remember my races but I have had some of the best runs and times of prayer in my life on just an average Tuesday run. Life is kind of like that too isn't it? It's not how long you live but what you do with that life. Running is a lot like life and has taught me more about myself and about my life than I could have ever imagined. In 7 days I will be here writing my "race day recap" for you. I pray that I get to tell you that I got the PR that I'm looking for. But if I don't, I have had some pretty amazing breakthroughs this year and will choose to be happy with those (after I cry and be upset).
Love, Lacey
No comments:
Post a Comment