Getting back into Training!

After running the Polar Dash on New Year's Day, I have been very motivated to get back into training. In fact, I want to make it official that I have decided to run the Disney Princess 1/2 Marathon again in 2014! More importantly, Ryan and I have decided to run two 5k (or longer?) Races a month for 6 months, starting in March with the Team Ortho Get Lucky 7k! I am almost more excited about this goal than I am about my Princess 2014 goal, because it means I will get to share the experience with Ryan. :) So, with all of these running goals, I know I have to get training, and train smarter and more consistently than I have in the past. I do not want to risk getting injured again, and/or losing my passion for this sport. I am starting out slow, and I am hoping that it will serve me well. I am also going to try to do more cross training and more core workouts on off-running days. I am hoping that by building a stronger core, I will be able to have better running form and be less prone to the hip/back injuries that plagued me in the past! Wish me luck! Yesterday I ran for the first time since the Polar Dash, and was very happy about it! I complete the C25k Week 5 Day 3 workout. I felt great running and the workout was pretty easy for me! I was also sporting my new shoes!! As you have read in earlier posts, I have a lot of problems with shoes, and with my feet. Ever since I was injured, I have struggled with finding the right shoe, one that provides some cushion, but is still a minimal shoe. I had been running in a Newton shoe, and then switched to a couple of different pairs of Brooks. I was unhappy with all of my shoes, and was thinking about running barefoot, when I remembered a pair of extremely minimal Newtons that I had barely worn. I pulled those out of the closet and found them to be very light, and comfortable. I enjoyed running in them, but knew that they just didn't have enough cushion to support the miles I wanted to be putting in. I went online and found a Newton shoe that was what I was looking for. The Newton Distance U. I was even able to order it in a women's size 12 (I have been wearing men's running shoes for over a year, which are not really suited to my narrow foot!).

My new shoes did not arrive in time for the Polar Dash, so I wore my older Newtons, and was very happy with the results. The very minimal Newton MV2 is great for a 5k, but would never work for me in a 10k or 1/2. My new shoes arrived the next day, and when I finally was able to take them out for a spin (on the treadmill), I was blown away by the comfort! My legs never got sore, and my foot finally felt like it was being supported in the right way (I think the men's shoes I have been wearing had something to do with my injury!). I loved these shoes from the first to the last step!! Of course I will need to run in the a few more times to make sure they are really as great as I think they are, but I am looking forward to it! Today, I rode the bike for 35 minutes, and did a short core workout.