I know it has been almost two weeks since my last update, but man has that time gone by fast. Without further ado, I will fill you in on what's going on...
1. I have a new running partner. Okay, so we actually have only done walking lately (we'll cover this in the next point), but still. It's funny how life works out, but I actually live in the same neighborhood as a friend from school, Laura. I have made a commitment to this half marathon and she has made a commitment to getting up early during the week, and even on the weekends to run with me. I will have to admit - it's nice. I am usually unable to carry on a conversation while exercising, but I told her that if she can keep up her end and a lot of mine, we'll be good. So far it's working for us. =) There's something nice about not only feeling like I've told everyone I know, some folks I don't know, and posted all over Facebook that I'm doing this, but knowing that she is counting on me to show up each day. It's that whole accountability thing. If you don't think you need it - well, you're wrong. Oh yeah, we've got this. Plus, it's good to know that our houses are spaced out (6 tenths of a mile one way from my house - and 4 tenths of a mile the other - yeah, y'all know I clocked it) so if during the longer days I feel like I'm about to die from needing water, some one's house is close. Now if we can just recruit her friend that also lives in our neighborhood, we'll have water stops all over the place. Shoot, even if her friend doesn't run, just makes sure to water her grass while we run by, and can run through, she might end up with a special place in my heart. ha!
2. Remember our previous discussion about the appropriate running attire? Remember how important that decision is? Well, I failed - epically - in the shoe department. The last time I bought shoes, I went to this store in town, Running Wild, and had them fit me for shoes. BEST. DECISION. EVER. However, three or four years later, I thought I would do it on my own. I really wanted the Nike+ shoes that you can put the iPod sensor in to track all my statistics. I went to Shoe Station, found the Nike+ shoes, realized they didn't have my size - and they sure didn't have a wide shoe - so I bought a half size larger than normal thinking I could make it work. Let's just say...shoes, like relationships, don't work like that. If it doesn't fit today - it's not going to fit tomorrow. No matter how hard you try, you'll just be left with tears, scars, and a pain in the....well, we'll go with foot. Yeah, foot. However, I'm no quitter, right? Right. So I ended up running/walking 12 miles in those shoes.
Last Thursday night was a turning point for me. I sat on my couch and glared over to the door where the shoes were sitting and I'm telling you - the shoes smirked back. It's then that I realized in the contest to break in the shoes...the shoes were winning. The shoes were breaking me - with no hope of me breaking them. I had a blister on my toe the size of a quarter, a cut on my heal, and three or four other toes that looked like they had been run over with a lawn mower. I made a decision. I went and got the box out of the recycling, packed those bad boys back in them, and put them in the car to take back to Shoe Station. I figured if they took them back - great...if not, oh well - I'd donate them to someone else's cause and drive myself to Running Wild anyway. Well, low and behold, they took them back. I limped out of the store and on to Running Wild.
If you've never been to Running Wild - let me tell you - that place is a runner's dream. Clothes, GU (that's a story in itself), shoes, gadgets...you name it - they have it. If they don't have it, they'll order it. Here's the deal: You go in, tell someone you're looking for shoes, they have you roll up your pants and walk the length of the store, maybe jog a little bit, pull out a foot measure and measure your feet, skip off to the back room and come out with three or four boxes of shoes for you. You sit down, they do all the work. You just have to say which feels the best. The first pair he put on, I really felt like the heavens parted and the angels sang the Hallelujah chorus. I was in love. However, I went ahead and tried several other pairs - only to end up with the first pair. They didn't have a wide in stock, but he ordered it for me and I bought a handy little pouch to hold my iPod sensor...problem solved. Now, you don't really know the price on the shoes when you're trying them on, so I was nervous. Surely shoes that feel as great as these did are about to put a hole in my wallet. I remembered that I would be running over 500 miles between then and the 5k and decided to for once go with comfort over price. He rang them up and I was surprised to learn that they were only $20 more than the other shoes I had returned. Oh, and so incredibly worth it. I have made a pact with myself....just like I will never again Nair my armpits (see a previous blog), color or cut my own hair, or admit to having had a crush on Hoss from Bonanza (y'all, he was a super nice character), I will never again buy running shoes that aren't the right ones for me.
My shoes weren't due to come in until Thursday, so I had to wear my old New Balance until then and decided that walking would be better than running. Yesterday I got the call that they had come in early, went and picked them up, and walked in them this morning. Y'all I'm seriously about to get my run on. Okay, okay...let's be honest....I'm seriously about to get my run/walk on. The point is that whatever I'm about to do...it's on!
3. For those of you wondering what it's like to undertake this, let me say - I am not looking at the big picture now. I am looking at the picture for today. Today I most definitely cannot run 13.1 miles, so I don't think I about that. Today I think my schedule says I have to do 5 minutes more today than yesterday - oh, I can so do that! Guess what? Come November 5th all those extra 5 minutes are going to add up to one great moment where I will accomplish what I would have not previously thought possible. If you are wondering if you can do something - even if it's not a half marathon - get up and do a small something today. Just like the road you are on in life, it's rarely monumental events that brought us where we are, but small, maybe even seemingly inconsequential decisions, that add up to shape us into who we are.
4. My last thought today is this...I weighed yesterday, and I am down over 23 pounds now. That is exciting. I still have a long way to go, but just like the half marathon, I am not looking at this as a major number that needs to be conquered, but a small change today which will bring me where I want to be. That being said, I laughed loudly today when putting on my wonderful running pants. Inside the back of the pants - where the label is printed - is also the name of the maker of the pants, with their slogan "Greatness Within"...I thought "Oh goodness, y'all have noooooo idea the greatness within these things. hahahaha! Oh well, soon the greatness within will be a little less noticeable on the outside, but a whole lot more cemented on the inside of who I am.
Well crud....I had one more thought. I burst through the door yesterday morning, and thought "Hmmmm, I sound familiar. I sound like someone I've seen on tv or a movie before". Then it dawned on me - daggum, if I wasn't doing an amazing impression of Wheezy off Toy Story. The fact that I had my black running pants on, with the white decorative part - which I affectionately call my Shamu pants because they look like something the trainers at Believe in Sea World wear to train the animals - only solidified my resemblance to that wonderful character. hahahahha!!!
This is a beautiful life.
