MUST. HAVE. JOGGING. STROLLER.

I am happy to say I'm the proud new owner/operator of an awesome jogging stroller.
I had previously been taking Billy along on my runs in his regular stroller. While it's a pretty cool stroller - it's not a jogging stroller. Since I'd already made a hefty investment in my running shoes (and super custom insoles to support my ridiculously high arches), I wanted to put off spending more money on a second stroller until I really convinced myself (and my husband) that I was serious about this new running hobby.
I was starting to get frustrated running with Billy's stroller. I felt like 4 miles with it was my absolute MAX. It was heavy, cumbersome, bumpy -- the weight of it made it impossible to get enough momentum going to actually run uphill, and I always walked down any inclines too, worried that I would trip & fall & the stroller would go flying down the hill with little B trapped inside. So it was partly an argument in favor of my increasing fitness and partly an argument in favor of our son's safety that finally won me my own jogging stroller.
Since I was a little uncomfortable spending $300 or more on a stroller that could end up being only mildly better than the one I had been pushing so far - I started checking out Craigslist to see what we could find. After a few days of searching, I found one that was decently priced that looked like a good find - and my super-nice hubby drove halfway to Arizona to pick it up for me ("halfway to Arizona" = East County).
The night he brought it home we put B in it after his bath and took a spin around the living room. Billy LOVED it. He was giggling and laughing the entire time. He spent the rest of the night climbing back up into the stroller ask asking for more rides around the house. I think the fact that he's seated further forwards in this one & the fact that it doesn't have the little tray for his snacks & toys makes him feel like he's really flying full-speed ahead -- like an "extreme" stroller ride. :)
I spent all day yesterday looking forward to our run. I had a 3.5 mile run planned on our traning calendar. It took me about a mile to get used to the fixed front wheel - but after that it was smooth sailing. And I mean SMOOTH!!! Wow. The stroller literally glided across the pavement. It was amazing. I hardly even felt like I was pushing it. It's balanced perfectly. I was truly amazed to discover that I could actually run uphill with it too..... it's so much lighter than the other stroller! It also has a hand-brake that completely enables me to control the stroller running downhill. Amazing. I feel like I've hit the stroller jackpot! The stroller even came equipped with a pedometer that tracks my mileage & my speed -- no more need to take the same familiar routes each day because I've calculated the distance on each different loop around the neighborhood. I love it. We actually ended up going five miles yesterday (well.... 5.6 if you include the trip back from the park to our house at the end). I felt like a super-star!!!
Bill told me that he got to chatting with the guy selling the stroller when he picked it up & both the seller and his wife are former Navy veterans who each served two tours of duty in Iraq. So I feel like I totally got an EXTREME stroller. How can I not kick-butt when my stroller has awesome vibes like that?!
I'm also totally jazzed because I honestly thought I wouldn't be able to do anything more than a 4 mile run with the B-monster. But with the jogging stroller I feel like I could do ten! :) Providing he doesn't get totally bored, of course.....
YAY! :)

There Was an Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly....

..... and she and I have a lot in common. While running with Binky in the stroller the other day, I was racing along and all of a sudden a BUG flew into my MOUTH (although I'm sure he'd argue that my mouth ran along and snatched him up)!!! ICK!!
My first running casualty.
I immediately started choking and spit the little bugger out! Fortunately Billy had a juice box he was sipping away on in his stroller (which I always bring along in case he gets fussy --- he loooooves juice boxes). I grabbed it and swished some juice around in my mouth to rinse out the buggy-ness (blah).... but to anyone driving by, I must have looked like some horrible shrew of a mother, stealing my son's only juice box on the side of the road.
Whoops.
:)

7 Miles! Yay!

My longest run ever (again!). I had the chance to run with some of my "serious" running friends - and I took the challenge, not quite sure I'd be able to keep up OR to keep running the entire distance. We met up at Harbor Island at 7 a.m. Saturday morning and ran along San Diego Bay into downtown. I remember being totally exhausted, keeping a lookout for our halfway point as we passed the cruise ships & docking areas .... but had to remind myself that the halfway point was just that -- HALF way -- and I still had to run all the way back.

I was seriously worried I was totally going to embarrass myself and have to stop and walk & be left in everyone's dust (not to mention the fact that I LOOKED like a total beginner with my cotton jogging clothes, my husband's baseball hat & my VitaminWater in hand).

But I made it! Granted - I did slow down a bit near the end - especially the last mile -- but I didn't stop & totally made it! I still can't really believe I did it (although my super-sore legs & butt remind me that I definitely did!). It feels awesome to be hitting new milestones & accomplishing new goals. It definitely boosted my confidence & made me feel like I can TOTALLY be ready for a half marathon in August! :) I'm feeling good!

Oh.... and I actually said the following sentence in all seriousness earlier this week: I only ran 2.5 miles.

I ONLY ran 2.5 MILES!!!!!

Amazing that those words came out of my mouth given than two months ago I don't think I had ever even run 2.5 miles at once! :)

I'm awesome!

I ran 6 miles last Sunday -- AFTER a day strolling around the Wild Animal Park. Personal best! Whoo Hoo!!!! What a difference running without the stroller makes! I had just enough energy left afterwards for my (also awesome) happy dance!!!!!

So, let it be known -- it's official: I'm awesome!!!

The whole time I just kept thinking that if someone had told me two months ago that I'd be out on a six mile run I would have never believed it -- not when the prospect of actually running the whole way around the block would have made me want to keel over!!!

So...... go, me! Awesome, awesome me!!! :)

On a related note: my butt hurts!!!!!!

Starting Off On My Butt

I was going to say that I was starting off on "the wrong foot" (ha ha)... but in truth, I haven't really been running that well on either foot. I took it a little easy while breaking in my new super-awesome running shoes ... and then my little running companion (my 14-month-old) came down with a fever for a few days & I just didn't think he was up for being out & about with me. So, I've been slacking off for the last two weeks. I finally got myself out for a totally un-impressive 2 miles on Thursday after work -- and then a much better 4 mile run Sunday morning. The Sunday morning run was GREAT. We woke up and I gave Billy some breakfast and we went out for a run around the neighborhood while his dad went to run an errand and grab some coffee (and a yummy iced chai for me!). The day was just warming up & the air smelled like the nearby ocean! It was BEAUTIFUL!!! I'd love to get up next weekend and go running down at the bay -- but I'm not quite sure I'm up for being among the hardcore runners out there!! I'm going to try to stick to my training schedule a little bit better this week, with a three-mile run on Tuesday & Thursday, a 2 mile run on Wednesday & a 4.5 mile run on Sunday. :) I need to step up my game!

My New Shoes!!!

It seems to be universally agreed upon that the most important decision any new runner can make is picking out the right pair of running shoes. One of my marathon-running friends pointed me in the right direction & sent me over to Road Runner Sports to get some guidance on choosing the right shoe. Like any girl, I love shoe shopping ~ but I never imagined shopping for athletic shoes could be so fun.... or so educating.

The first thing I did when I arrived at the store was get set up with my own free personal foot evaluation. I totally recommend this to everyone. It was so interesting. First they measure your feet (an obvious task for any shoe store) and ask you some questions about your running regimen (where you run, how often you run, what your goals are... etc.) and your current shoes & fitness (injuries, sore ankles... etc.). Then they have you stand on a mat that evaluates how your weight is distributed across your feet when you stand. This evaluates your arches, your balance & your center of gravity. It's pretty cool to see. They have it pop up on giant screens in 2D and 3D models for you to look at & explain it all to you as you go. I put almost all of my weight on my left heel. Seems strange.... but now that I think about it, I guess that really is how I stand. Consequently, my center of balance is way off to the left. I have super-high arches, which I've always known... but my arches & most of my toes were actually not even registering on the mat -- so funny. My footprint looked toe-less!!

After the balance & weight measurements, they throw you on a treadmill and video-tape your feet as you run. Once they have a good recording, they pull you off and you watch your stride in slow-motion (again, on giant screens) with them to pick out some further details. For example, they watch the way your Achilles tendon lines up when you step onto it and how your feet either line up, or turn inwards or outwards when you step down. Pretty cool. My feet turn out a bit. I've always known this. I've tried to run with them straighter ... to no avail. But the guy at the store said that's fine... outward turning feet are no problem and don't need to be corrected, it's just how I run. (YAY!!!)

I ended up getting fitted for some custom insoles, which was pretty neat too... they melt them down and mold them to your feet while you rock around on little cushions. Then I was off to try on some shoes.

My foot analysis put me in the "Neutral" shoe category .. although since I told the guy I was training for a half-marathon, he suggested a "Neutral Plus" shoe, which would be more durable and long-lasting and should carry me through the race in August. The store has all their shoes organized by category so that you only need to look at the shoes that are right for your foot type (which is awesome.... other stores, like Sports Chalet, don't do this... I know.... I checked). I still felt lost looking at the wall of shoes in front of me in the "Neutral Plus" category... so I picked out a few and started trying them on. I didn't want anything that looked like astronaut shoes or had those crazy details that look like they're made out of licorice (you'd know what I mean if you saw them). In the end, I was deciding between a pair of Nikes and a pair of Asics. In the end, I went with the Asics. They were more comfortable.... and I'm assuming comfort is hugely important when you get into running the longer distances!! So I'm counting on that. They gave me a 60 day satisfaction guarantee & said if I run in them for the next 6 weeks and decide they're not right for me... I can always bring them back & switch them for the Nikes (how awesome is that!?!). Before I left, the salesgirl who fitted my new custom insoles into my awesome new "serious" running shoes reminded me that I shouldn't run in them for at least 3 days - but should wear them around as much as possible to break them in... especially with all the arch support my new shoes have. Good thing she told me, because I was ready to go running!!!

So I spent the rest of the night working on breaking in my new shoes. I ran errands in them & wore them all over the house. I have to admit, the insoles did start to feel better & better the longer I wore them. I'm very excited about my new investment. I thought I was taking up a "free" hobby (running). I didn't realize the proper gear was going to set me back..... but I definitely need the right shoes! :) I'm going to take B on a quick jog to the park after work today to further break them in. And then, tomorrow.... we run!!!

Off to a Pretty Decent Start

We did pretty good this week, if I do say so myself.

I went over to Sarah's with Billy Thursday night and we did another 3.5 mile run (including a pretty big hill). Sarah came over to my house again today and we did another 2 miles. Not bad, not bad! :)

Big "running" lesson learned this week: Running uphill + running into the wind + pushing a stroller = HARD!! :)