Runiversary

from my 2nd Peachtree Road Race 2008

Do you know what you were doing the last weekend of March 2007? I do! I was getting fitted for the right pair of running shoes for the very first time. After checking my bank account that Friday I noticed my check for my very first Peachtree Road Race had cleared (back in the good old days when things were done by paper & you didn't have to wait for the servers to crash before registering...). I had actually started running June 2006 after my parents started having major medical issues (they're issues that run in the family too), but had stopped when the weather got colder. Now I had no excuse. I took my Nikes out of the box and ran 2 miles on the treadmill without stopping. It was the first time I had ever been able to run 2 miles without stopping. So, I set up a training plan and 150 miles, and a dead treadmill later I was running my very first race (I should mention it was a very old treadmill that sadly did not get replaced because I was the only one using it :( ).

Fast forward 3 years, 3 Peachtree Road Races, 4 marathons, and a multitude of 5 & 10k and 1/2 marathons. Wow, what a difference 3 years makes! I actually started calling myself a runner last year. I think it finally fits. I love running!! I go crazy when I can't run. I'm starting to get rather addicted to strength training and cross training too. I've been doing the Speirs squat, pushup, and situp challenges (I actually paid for the iPhone apps. Steve these things rock!!) and they have already made a huge difference in my running. And my garmin Clyde has helped too :).

So, where do I go from here? I'm working on speed and biomechanics. After finishing "Born to Run" I've been walking around the house barefoot to see what my problems are. My left ankle needs some help. After a couple of weeks of strength work my pronation problems are getting better. I've been working on my stride for a year now (I'm a mid foot striker and proud of it!), which has helped tremendously. I'm thinking about trying a more minimal shoe, but I'm not sure yet. I've already moved down from the super corrective, highly padded shoes I use to wear (I never really felt like it helped and I never got more than 200 miles out of them). I'm also almost done with the Speirs challenges. I'm not sure what to do next for strength training. Anyone have suggestions? I know p90x is popular, but I'm also a musician who doesn't make much, so money is very much a factor in everything I do.

I'm pretty excited about what's going on with my running. I'm super excited about running the Chicago marathon this fall! So, here's to another a great year of running!! To quote my favorite running store "may all your best miles be covered by foot!"

2009 Nike Women's Marathon