8 Miles...

Saturday, I ran 8 miles! Good news is, I am still here to tell the tale! I have been pretty nervous all week about this run...I feel nervous each week, we go up 2 miles. For me, it's just important that I am able to accomplish each mile, every week. It is amazing to me that I am just 5.1 miles away from the distance I will be running in the half marathon October 17th! I have such a sense of accomplishment when I think about running. Running has always been something that I dreaded, but now it is something that I look forward to. Don't get me wrong, I'm no speed racer, but I am out there, doing it and that is really all that matters. I have never been stressed about my running times or anything like that. Honestly, the main reason to do Team In Training (TNT) is to raise money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society! I am out there running all of these miles for all the people who can't...I typically have to remind myself of that about 5 miles in. It is great motivation to think about everyone I am running for; people sick in the hospital with cancer, going through chemo, as well as people who have lost their battle to any type of cancer. I can actually picture these people as I run. I had first hand experience with watching people get their chemo treatments, since my siblings and I switched off who would take our mom each week. Walking into that "chemo lounge," you see fighters. Each and every person in there! Thinking about these amazing people when I run is a HUGE motivation!

I tried using Sport Beans again yesterday and while I don't get a sudden surge of energy, I was able to go 8 miles, so they must be doing something for me! As I was running on Saturday, a coach from the Central TNT team was running beside me. She was really great to talk to and gave me some great insight for the marathon. She also told me that even though I didn't think the Sport Beans were working, if I tried running without them, it would be much harder. She made a very good point. We ran along the coast on Saturday and through some neighborhoods. Running along the coast is one of my favorite places to run. There is just such a peacefulness about watching the water and surfers while I am running. I always miss this when we run at different places on our Saturday morning Team runs. So, back to the 8 miles. I am still doing 5/1 intervals. Running 5 minutes seems like 1 hour and power walking for 1 minute seems like 5 seconds! This is working for me though, so I am sticking with it. This coach from the other team also told me that doing intervals is a great way to run a marathon. She explained that when she ran the Boston Marathon this past Spring, she always marched through the aid stations and hung out there for a a minute or two and then kept going. She said she always ended up passing the people who would run through the aid stations and skip the aid. It was encouraging to hear that I am doing this all correctly! I had a pretty good run, except the fact that I am still having pain in my feet...it has now turned into both feet. I am honestly thinking that switching to a Stability shoe has caused more damage. At this point, I feel frustrated because everyone is telling me something different. I am on my 2nd pair of shoes. I am not sure what my next step will be. I have had 2 women recommend the same Nike shoe in the past 2 days, so I may end up trying that, because at this point, I feel like it's time to try something else. My feet both started hurting pretty badly at mile 7, but I was determined to finish the full 8 miles and I'm so glad I did. I iced both feet for awhile when I got back to our base. While icing, I spoke with a few different people and got a few more opinions on what to do. I am NOT letting this foot thing get me down! I am doing really well in my training and I am sure I will find the perfect (magic) shoe in no time! We have a back down week this coming weekend, so I will be running 5 or 6 miles. I am headed to Washington state for one of my best friend's wedding, on Wednesday, so I will be running this mileage on a treadmill this week! I am headed to run hills with my Team tonight , pilates on Tuesday and spinning class bright and early at 5:30 on Wednesday morning! Here's to a great week!

With Love,
Ashley