Phew. After last weeks 8.4 mile disaster, I knew I needed to figure something out for this week. Cue even DIFFERENT orthotic insoles (different size than what the podiatrist gave me), moleskin, compression socks and company.
The always-lovely Amber headed out with me early this morning to try to tackle 11 miles, even though she only got a few hours of sleep. My other training buddy had other commitments today, but ended up doing 12 miles yesterday!
We walked the entire thing on The Legacy Trail, which was interesting! I didn't know how it connected from the Kentucky Horse Park under I-75, to the UK Coldstream facility and beyond. Now I do! What a great resource for the community. Amber always wants me to go faster. Thus she walks a few paces ahead of me and I go through the motions of trying to catch her.
The weather was beautiful- sunny and a breezy 50 degrees. I think that, plus Amber's pace plus the varied scenery of the trail versus last weeks' loop was really beneficial for my mental sanity.
Dealing with the feet, I brought my training shoes in addition to my running shoes, and wondered if I would need to switch them out part way through the walk. Thankfully, I didn't need to as my feet felt much better in my shoes with the new Powerstep insoles I have in them. Arches were WAY more supported. Just in case, I had layered some moleskin on my tender spots to try to let my feet go a little longer pain-free.
A couple of days ago, I bit the bullet and shelled out the money for some compression socks. This is what they look like:
Can I just say I LOVE them? I thought they'd be hot, and my legs would just swell above the knees where they ended. Quite the contrary. My legs and felt cool (and even a little tingly when a breeze came by) and I didn't swell above my knee. I could definitley tell a difference with how my legs and feet felt, and even how they feel now, 5 hours later (I haven't taken them off yet!)
Amber kept us at a good sub-17:30 pace for the first half, but I started having issues around mile 7. My hip flexors just were not cooperating. I also had a lot of tension in my shoulders, and my hands were swelled up like crazy. My mind went to crazy-negative places.
- Why the hell am I doing this?
- What if I can't finish the half?
- How am I going to give back the money people have donated?
Thankfully it's been a few hours and my mind has stopped the negative talk for now. Is it hard? Yes. Could I have gone another 1.6 miles today if I HAD to? Yes. It might be very slow, but yes. I MUST remember I'm not completing it for anyone but myself. I will finish in my own time.
Here's the progress from today:
2 weeks until the Run The Bluegrass half marathon. I might need some hand holding, but I'll do it. Please be patient with me these next couple of weeks as I continue my fundraising push to benefit Parkinson's Disease research at the Kentucky Neuroscience Center. We're currently sitting at $1,640 raised, or 65.6% to goal.
Hope everyone is having a great weekend so far!
