I looked at the calendar this morning and saw that there’s only 10 days left until my second half marathon! Obviously I am more nervous this time than my first because of my injury. But after an accidental 9.5 mile run this past weekend, I feel okay about the distance. I’ve done it before and I know I can do it again!

I woke up on Saturday debating on whether or not I should go for a run. My legs felt pretty good, especially after some stretching, so I finally got outside a little before 8AM. I decided I would try 5 miles and go easy. This turned into 8 miles, and then I decided 9 would be final distance. However, I calculated my route wrong and ended up with another half mile to go before I got home. And believe me, when you haven’t been running in awhile, that half mile makes a difference!

I was tired, my feet were killing me, and I just wanted to be home. Then that ugly thought popped into my mind, “How will I be able to go four more miles in 2 weeks?!” My answer, be more prepared! Since my original plan was only 5 miles, I only brought enough energy gel and water for five miles. Yes, I know, that was very stupid of me and I learned my lesson! You should have seen how much water I chugged when I got home.

This week is also the first week of training for my Disney Half in January, but as you can tell my training weeks overlap. This weekend though, I will hopefully be able to join the team and run the 5 miles to begin the training, and also taper for the race. As for my finish time? All I want to do is finish. Since I have been injured and not training much at all, that is all I want to do. Finish.

I have a time in my head that I would like to beat, but there are so many hills in this race that I really have no idea how I will do. I just need to pace myself, take water at every station, and fuel probably. And no, I am not in any way trying to PR for this race. I plan on doing that in Disney since it’s nice and flat.

Sunday, Todd and I took a little unexpected road trip to this lighthouse. Look familiar?

The same one we were married at two years ago. We walked along the water and just enjoyed the beautiful fall day. We have also been talking about our vacation for this year, and I think we finally decided on where to go. More details on that later!

—–

This morning I got caught in some rain on the way into work.

And it was much colder than usual! Time to start taking out the winter clothes. I love fall, but it gets depressing because I know winter is coming. I hate the cold, the ice, and the shorter days.

After I got home, I quickly made some dinner before taking Kahlua to PetSmart to get her some more food.

I made a Veggie Burger with Hummus & Cheese with a small Salad.

After we go back I had a few mini pitas and some jam that I got at Whole Foods on Monday.

I have much more to talk about, but Glee is on! Have a good evening!

Yes, I am still alive! I don’t know why I lacked motivation this past week to post. I think it has been a combination of forgetting to take pictures of what I eat, only a few minutes to myself everyday where I decided to read instead, and trying to take care of my leg.

Physical Therapy

So, what did the PT say about my leg pain? I have a different form of shin splints. Basically, I overworked a muscle that is connected to the inside part of my shin bone, something similar to posterior shin splints. I also found out that I have flat feet (the left being flatter than the right), have weak hips, and extremely tight calves, which can all contribute to this problem. The shoes I had been wearing were too high of an arch and he told me that they were probably making the problem worse.

I’m surprised with these problems that my muscle hadn’t been bothering me earlier, but I guess the shoes just put it over the edge. Luckily, I was able to return the shoes that I bought in the end of June and swapped them for a new pair with a lower arch. He has me doing several calf and hip stretches twice a day, icing a few times a day, and taking ibuprofen. I’ve only been three times and so far, the pain has not been as intense in the morning as it had been (I used to have a lot of trouble going downstairs after I woke up).

Running

I wanted to test out my new shoes, Saucony’s Omni 8, this past weekend to see if my legs felt any better. So Sunday morning, I laced my new shoes up, leashed Kahlua, and headed out for a 7 mile run/walk.

The result?

Why am I smiling like a crazy person? Because I had almost no pain whatsoever! I felt a little bit of a twinge the first 1/4 mile but after that, it went away. I decided to run .5 mile and walk .5 mile. I finished strong, with a big grin on my face, and actually teared up because my leg felt so much better! Last time I ran I teared up because it hurt so much. Big improvement if you ask me!

I literally had a runner’s high the rest of the day, but Kahlua was a little tired.

—–

Yesterday morning, I had a bowl of Chobani Blueberry Yogurt w/ some Kashi cereal, Strawberries, and Pineapple.

I swear there’s yogurt in there! For lunch I had a Black Bean Veggie Burger with Hummus on a Sandwich Thin. I also snacked on an apple, kiwi, and banana throughout the afternoon.

For dinner, I had a Turkey & Cheese sandwich with a little bit of light mayo, a tomato with hummus, and some strawberries. I also sipped on some Chocolate Soy Milk for my sweet tooth.

—-

Note: I have begun to count calories again. I haven’t been doing it continuously since February, and a wake-up call on Monday evening made me realize that I can’t just keep preventing myself from losing this weight. I know what I need to do, I just need to stop procrastinating and do it already!

—-

This morning, I was starving after I got back home from my spinning class. So I had a Peach Chobani with some cereal and coconut.

Right now, I’m having an apple to hold me over for lunch in a few minutes.

Okay, I think I’m all caught up! I hope everyone is having a great Thursday and the weekend will be here soon!