On to Virginia Beach!

This weekend, BB and I, and our friend @SciTriGrrl, are running the Virginia Beach Half-marathon. I’m super excited even though my foot is not in great condition. I’m fit for the race, legs, lungs, heart, etc., but my left foot has been bugging me for a little more than a month. I get shooty nerve-things in the toes of my left foot when I walk barefoot on hard surfaces. And I get tingly and fiery feelings when I run too far, or too fast. I’ve bought new shoes and made a few changes to my training routine. I think I’ll be ok for the event.

BB and I have been really working hard. Training 5-6 days a week, gym and running. I’ve put in almost 50 miles running so far this month, and I did 60 in February despite taking a week off while sick. In the next two days my final training runs will be about 4 miles apiece. Then, 13.1 miles Sunday morning after two days of rest. I have fancy new shoes that are super cushiony, and supposed to be good for returning from injury. I’m hopeful that they, and the sensible training/rest regimen will allow my foot to heal.

We’re aiming for a personal record. And I think we’ll hit it. Currently, our record in the half-marathon is 2:14:44. But we’ve been consistently running at well under that pace in our long training runs. Less than two weeks ago, I crushed my personal record for a practice run in the 10K. 53:32. The idea that I can run six straight sub-9 minute miles is absurd. This former drunk, obese, pack-a-day smoker. All it takes is time, consistency, willingness, and the luck not to get too badly injured.

I’m thinking I may need to take another whole week off from running, let my foot heal, and build back up slowly. I don’t know what the best plan is. But I think a lot of shorter runs and slower paces will help. Luckily, the next race we have planned, in May, is not a race we’re going to try for any speed in. It’s a hillier course, and we’ll be running with a friend for whom it’s his first race. Our plan is to go slow and steady and just finish. I think that I can handle that.

And now I’m looking for a good challenging thing to do the week of August 10-16. BB will be traveling internationally for a trail running and yoga women’s retreat. I’m going to do something fun and physically challenging so that she can’t say she was the only one to do something hardcore that week. There are trail half marathons in Europe and the USA that week that I might do, including the possibility of the Pikes Peak Ascent, which is a 13.3 mile run straight up a 14,000′ mountain in Colorado.

We’ll see. I’m excited about various possibilities. Right now, I just want to run this weekend and have a great time doing it. Which means a 4 miler today, and again tomorrow. And then some rest.