The Odds Weren't In My Favor

At least not with today's run. But, I adapt, overcame, and improvised.  I got off work early today, typically I am at work until 6 on Mondays, but since I started school three weeks ago, I expressed my desire to get off early once a week so I can get homework done and have some extra "Me" time. Much to my surprise, I was offered to leave at 1. Today is the first day in a while that it has been not only sunny, but somewhat warm. There was some wind out there though. I decided that once I got home I would get situated, lace up, and try out my new Garmin. I had planned on running six miles roughly, to a friends apartment and back, but once I started going I could tell this was going to be a short trip. And it was, I was out for a mile.

What could have gone wrong:
New Insoles: In Florida at the Fit For A Princess Expo I got on one of the machines that shows how you distribute your weight. Turns out that I put all of my weight on the ball and the heel of my foot, meaning my toes gets absolutely nothing. Seriously, when I was standing on the thing my toes weren't even showing up on the reading. I went ahead and took the girls advice who was working the area and got a pair of Lynco/Aetrex Orthotic Insoles that are supposed to be good for high arches (you can see my arches over the side of some of my flats). Today was the first day that I ran with them. There is a raised support on these insoles that hit right in your arch area to support it, the girl that sold them to me told me there would be a transitioning period where I would have to get used to them, and she wasn't kidding. It just feels weird, not necessarily uncomfortable, but not fully comfortable either. It is more of a foreign feeling at the moment. I am, however, going to give them their fair chance, and in a month or so you can expect a full review on them!

The Wind: I ran into the wind today, I also pushed myself, pretty hard. I was trying to get a sub 12' mile once I realized I realized that this just wasn't happening for me. Did I mention there is a crap ton of pollen here just being blown around and thrown in my face?

My Lungs: The more I think about it, the more I realize that maybe running the Glass Slipper Challenge last month when I was sick wasn't the best idea. I don't think my lungs have fully recovered or maybe I have developed exercised induced asthma? I don't know, but whatever it is I was coughing the whole time, and still am. If this continues over the next week or so while I'm training I'll likely go to the doctor and see if I need an inhaler. :(


Down To The Nitty Gritty
So, did I meet my goal of a sub 12 minute mile for my run? Not quite. But, I did exponentially better than I have in the past. It's pretty amazing to see the difference that training (and not even consistent training) can do. Also, considering all the things going against me today, I was proud of my time. Running is a sport against yourself. I know this.





The Difference Between Runkeeper and Garmin
I know to expect a difference between two different pieces of technology. RunKeeper tracked me around 12:12 while Garmin tracked me around 12:25. Honestly, I'm going with Garmin's time. I'd rather go with the idea that I am slower than falsely think I am faster than what I am. It's 13 seconds difference, and I figure I can always make my next goal to be 12:12 on Garmin. I'm proud of both times, I'm proud of my run, I'm proud of myself.







So What Does This Mean?
It means, as always, there is room for improvement. There is room for me to grow as a runner and continue to get my time better than before. It means that by the time Monster Mash rolls around in October that maybe I'll be able to do a sub 2:30 half. If not, sub 2:45 is still impressive, running a half marathon in general is impressive, and I won't let anyone tell me otherwise. Especially when I used RK for the first time in a long time today and my pace was "4:39 faster than your usual pace for this distance". I'm getting there, slowly but surely. Every mile is another accomplishment, and every second off my time is another celebration.