Day .:066

The pic to the right was me "post-run" drenched in sweat about to rub coke zero all over my face....And believe me. Sometimes that's exactly what you should do.

I'm about to hit the first major mile-marker in my journey to "non-lethargic freedom". The half marathon is this weekend, and I think I'm ready!

Yesterday I clocked in (survived is more like it) an 11 mi. run outside. It probably wasn't incredibly smart to run in the middle of the afternoon (87 degrees!), and it sapped me pretty quick. I was walk/jogging by mile 8, and walking at around 9. And ran out of gatorade by that time too. The sunburn wasn't too sweet either...But I did it!

This was also the "retirement run" for my old shoes. These guys have been with me for about 3 years, and are just wearing out. Tomorrow I go to pick up my new 9 EEEE shoes with arch support!

If you think of it, pray for me this weekend!

Day .:060

Well, the halfie is 11 days away, and I'm feeling pretty good. Last weeks recap:

- 2.3 Miles outside on Thursday
- 7.0 Miles inside on Saturday
- 7.5 Miles inside On Monday & 15 Mile Spin Class

Gatorade has now become my drink of choice, which is a tad better than all the soda, but still not quite where I need to be (water), and I think I just need at least one 11-12 mi. run before the halfie to feel I'm totally ready.

I also went to the outlets in Reho, and found that not a single store had running shoes in my size, which is a post unto itself.

you see, I have strangely shaped feet. My left foor is half a size smaller than my right. So, 7.5-8 EE on my left foot, and 8-8.5 EE on my right. Weird, right? So I'm going to check some online shops (read, zappos.com) for a quality shoe I can use for the halfie. My current shoes are wearing down quick.

Day .:051

Yay! New personal best. I ran 9.5 Miles today outside from the house halfway to church, to Ingram's pond and back!

Day .:048

Alrighty bedighty ladies and gents. Here's the lowdown of last week. I:

- Clocked 2 Miles last Saturday
- 8.5 Miles on Monday, followed by 13 Mile Spin class
- 4 miles on Wednesday
- Signed up for the VA Beach Rock n' Roll halfie Marathon!

So that means I have 3 more weeks to get up to par for running a smooth 13.5 Miles. No problem. I am way excited because it looks like, at my current training pace, I am seriously gonna do this piece!

August 30th!

DAY .:041

So I took Steve-O's advice and interviewed a friend who's run 3 marathons. He proceeded to break training down into more manageable "bite size" chunks. 25 Miles a week for the first 4 weeks. Starting now, says he.

He also said it's worth getting a good pair of shoes, and a personal suggestion for me to take longer strides. He observed me on the tready, and said that I definitely don't take as full strides as I need to, so widen it up like Tony Little on the Gazelle!