Make it Dramatic!

Someone I respect recently made a comment that has stuck with me...If you want to make a big change, you have to Make it Dramatic! ie - If you only want to make a small change, you can just make a small change and can achieve the goal. BUT if you want to make a big change, then you have to rethink your methods and make a dramatic change.

Since the end of 2009, I have been plagued on and off with Plantar Fasciitis. I have been to a podiatrist - the first time she sold me some orthotics to put in my work shoes and told me to wear my running shoes whenever possible. I wore the dress orthotics, and wore the running shoes whenever my feet were sore. However, I also read "Born to Run" and researched online to try to figure out a way to 'fix' whatever is wrong and causing the pain. I went back to the Podiatrist this week and tried to discuss possible solutions to the problem that didn't include more orthotics, but she said that they typically don't use physical therapy etc unless the orthotics don't work. If I continue to have problems after I get the $500 custom orthotics (my insurance may cover these, I haven't even checked) then we could consider putting me on a treadmill with a video camera and looking for any imbalances etc.

That was not the answer that I was looking for. I would like to try to go the route of strengthening my feet and possibly transitioning to a more midfoot strike (I am currently a solid heal striker). So...I decided to go the complete opposite of her advise and bought these yesterday:









Cute, huh? Yeah, you're right - they are pretty funny looking. I plan to slowly integrate these into my training. Heal striking in these babies would HURT (absolutely no cushion). I am hoping that they will both help strengthen my feet and get me to feel comfortable with shorter strides and faster turnover.

How's that for Dramatic??

I haven't run in them yet - I am hoping to try them out for a short portion of my run tomorrow morning. I did wear them around for a couple hours last night though and they actually feel pretty good. I will keep you updated on how the grand experiment goes...

I'm back...

First of all…yes – I am still alive.And yes – I am still running.

So, what has been happening since January?? Wow, has it really been since January?? I basically have been running and trying to keep my mileage respectable. I ran two races: MDRA Fred Kurz 10 mile, and the Lake Minnetonka Half Marathon. I will try to put up a quick race report on both of those later on…we will see.

In general, I am still focused on my goals for 2010. Wanna hear my progress?

1) A faster half marathon – Well, I did set a new PR at Lake Minnetonka by over 4 minutes. But I still have a ways to go.

2) 1000 miles for the year – I am a little behind pace, but am just now ramping up my miles for the summer. I am still confident that I can accomplish this one.

3) Plus some volunteer/cheering thrown in – Haven’t done any yet – thinking of maybe volunteering for Twin Cities again. It will be easier for me to get out to cheer as the weather improves and I can take the kids.

A Bad & A Good Run

I was so excited to get outside yesterday. Then some stuff came up and I wasn't able to run until pretty late, so I hit the treadmill at the gym. I felt fine all day before the run...but as soon as I started running my stomach started churning. I ended up making a total of 1.5 miles (with a break) and gave up. Such a disappointing run.

Then this morning, I wasted too much time deciding if I felt better or not and didn't have time to go to the gym. So, I headed outside to get in a couple miles (I had about a half hour before I needed to get in the shower for work). It felt great to be outside!! It was slow going, because it was too dark to be able to tell where any ice patches were. I only got in a little shy of 3 miles - but it was so nice to be outside for a change!! The weather even felt pretty nice - the right clothes sure do make a difference.

Yippee - New Shoes!

I got FOUR new pairs of shoes today!! One of which was a new pair of running shoes. I got some Brooks Glycerin 8s. I have never worn Brooks before, but they felt pretty good at the store. I can't wait to try them out on the treadmill on Monday. I'm not taking them outside until I am sure I like them - they were pretty spendy!

Upping the Mileage (a Haiku)

It is a new year.
The holidays are over.
Upping the mileage.

I have a couple races on my calendar. No more excuses to be a slacker.

Last week I had my first 20 mile week since before Thanksgiving.

It felt good to actually get in some decent runs. Unfortunately, they were all on the treadmill. Yeah, yeah, I know just a couple posts ago I was talking about being all "hardcore" and running in the coldness of Minnesota...but then it got REALLY COLD! I mean temps (not even talking windchills here) in the subzeros/subteens. The average temp for the first couple weeks of the year here was a big goose egg - yep 0*!! Plus, I have been fighting off a cold (just adding to the excuses here...) and didn't want to help it along.

This Sunday the forecast is a high of 33 & low of 16. That sounds more doable! I've got 8-9 miles on the schedule - the last time I did a run that long was also before Thanksgiving. I feel like my running has a purpose again...not only to not lose too much fitness. It has even motivated me to start watching my diet again too (that went out the window over the holidays) so that I can run better/further/faster. I think all the junk I was eating was making me feel sluggish.