Great running Day!!!

Great running day!  July 30, 2012

total miles today- 7.05

I am a part of a women's running group and I was unsure if we would meet yesterday because of the intense heat.  I decided to go ahead and hit the gym in the morning just in case they cancelled.  I ran 4 miles and felt really good.  I'm happy that my mileage is increasing and I'm surviving :)  It hasn't been as difficult to increase as I thought it may be.  So that's a plus!  After my run I spent about 20 minutes strength training.  As I was finishing up with my workout I received an email saying that the run was on for the women's group.  I was excited because that would be the first run outside in 6 weeks.  I've been nervous to run outside because the air quality has been so poor and, just getting over pneumonia I didn't know how my body would handle it.  I decided to go for it!  I got there at 6 to pick up our training shirt and I'm happy that it is definitely cuter than last years. Here it is...

I am signed up to run with Intermediate 2.  I'm opting to run with Intermediate 1 for now and may or may not move up groups as I get accustomed to running in the heat again.  I really like the coaches and girls in Int. 1 - they are very sweet and helpful.  I have several friends in this group as well, which is always nice to have buddies to run alongside!  We ran 3.05.  We ran 6 minutes, walked 1 minuet and repeated that for the distance.  I normally don't walk when I run but honestly I welcomed the short breaks because it was insanely hot!!! I felt really good training outside and had no issues with breathing. Yay!  This run gave me confidence to start training harder and outside a lot more consistently! The program last through the middle of September.  We will meet each Monday and endure the heat together.  It is such a beautiful thing seeing all these ladies committed to fitness and I'm happy I can be a part of it!  I'm really looking forward to running the graduation 5k in September.

It was a 5k I was supposed to run last year but was sadly sidelined due to a stress fracture.  I'm really trying to train smarter this year.  I know injuries are a part of running but I really want to make wise choices and avoid as many as I can.  I believe good running shoes play a huge part in injury prevention!  I'll be looking into getting a new pair in the next month.  You can safely average 250 - 300 miles per pair but really don't need to go over that mileage.  I knew immediately when it was time to retire my last pair because my knees started killing me during my runs.  My knees rarely hurt while running so I knew something was off.  As soon as I got my new shoes - no more knee pain! It's crazy how important shoes are!  I've said this before but Fleet Feet is a great place to go esp. if you are new to running and are not sure what type of shoe best fits you. 

That's all I have for now.

Happy RUNNING!!!