Home, Home On the Range...

I was really looking forward to my long run at home in Cameron, TX this past week. Mainly for two reasons--I didn't get in my long run the week before, and I was planning on running this one a little differently. Backwards. Just kidding (although, I may try that one of these days). I decided to run from my mom's house to the mailbox and back 16 times. Now, you may think that's nothing--what kind of a long run is that? Well, our mailbox happens to be exactly half a mile from our front yard. So, running there and back 16 times meant that I would be running 16 miles (if I did the math correctly). I definitely would not do this on a regular basis, but I really had fun doing it this once. It was kind of a little adventure. The run was along a dirt road past a couple houses (Aunt Lisa's and Aunt Tammy's), through the ravine, past a couple fields, and through the front gate to the mailboxes. I parked the little Saturn on the road in front of Mom's house and put a few goodies in the trunk (gatorade, water, ibuprofen, powerbar, light jacket, and paper and pencil to mark each mile). I stopped every 2 miles or so to hydrate and mark the miles. Then, I would run around the car and start the next mile.

The run started off extremely hot--close to 80 degrees. I was burning up. That was probably because I didn't think to bring my Summer running gear home during the WINTER. So I was in pants. It was pretty hot for about 9 miles or so. Then, a big storm came through, and it got extremely cold. I actually had to put my jacket on. It was in the 50's by the time I finished, but I'm sure it was colder than that during the run. The wind and the rain came in bursts, but it didn't last for very long. I think it had stopped raining by the time I finished.

As I was running around mile 6, my brother John was coming behind me in his truck. So, I picked up speed and raced him for a little stretch. It felt surprisingly good, but I lost. Later a few cousins came up behind me (in their boots and bare feet) and we raced. I lost horribly again.

A few other cousins were playing in one of the yards for a couple hours and kept asking me as I passed by how many I had left to go. They ran with me on the very last little stretch. They were great cheerleaders. I decided that I want them to be at my next race.

My legs felt really good the whole time. I mean, they were really annoyed with the ravine (up and down 32 times!) by the end of the run. But, they held up and I did a pretty good job of walking for the rest of the day. And I got my new shoes nice and dirty. It felt good.

Here are some pictures of my running route and the surrounding area. This is not where I grew up, but my family lives here now on 65 acres of beautiful Texas land.

AJ passed by and I was very tempted to jump in the back.

Jack--Protecter of the Longhorns

Jackson--The Bull

The ravine dips down there in the back.

Here is a picture of the road from inside the ravine.

Up one side of the ravine...

... and up the other side of the ravine.

The scouts are working on building a log cabin here...

We're still working on getting plumbing here...

I felt the way I look in this picture.

The Texas dirt treated me well, but I'm excited to pound the pavement in South Carolina again.

Shoes

Brooks Adrenaline GTS 8.

I put my new Brooks on for the first time and ran 12 miles on Saturday. I felt like I was cheating--you know, like the shoes were doing more work than I was. I also felt a little frustrated that I didn't buy a new pair of shoes for the marathon last month. Not that I would have gone any faster, but my feet probably would have felt (and looked) a whole lot better afterward. A new pair of shoes makes a huge difference. I'll keep this in mind as February 14th rolls around. Maybe I can get a new pair as a Valentine's gift to myself... ??

When I got my shoes, I talked to the sales person about my black toes and that I wanted to find shoes that would help out that situation. She looked at the toes, calluses, and blisters and found a special insole to put in my shoes. They help my feet stay back as I step, so my toes don't get as squished at the front of the shoes (even though the shoes are plenty big enough). I'm really liking them. They're called SUPERfeet, if you want to take a look.

Side note:

I'm running the New Year's Resolution Half Marathon in Travelers Rest, SC on Saturday, January 3, 2009 with my friend, Crystal. I'm already tired and cold just thinking about it. I can't wait!

Training For Myrtle Beach

I started my training for the Myrtle Beach Marathon, which is on Valentine's Day! Here is my training schedule.

I felt pretty good after the marathon, but I took off the recommended time to rest and recover. On Thanksgiving morning, Melanie and I ran 7 miles, which was my longest run since the marathon. Other than the hills (in Texas??), it felt really good. And I didn't feel too guilty after eating way too much for Thanksgiving. Yes, way too much. I'm pretty sure I ate an entire piece of every kind of pie we had.

So, I started my official training this week. My left hamstring REALLY hurt after my tempo run on Wednesday (5 miles), but it's feeling fine now (I started yoga again). I'm excited to get in a 10 mile run tomorrow. I'm still trying to decide where to go. My usual route is getting pretty boring. Anyone in my area know of a good place to run?

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One thing I don't like about running (warning--this is kind of gross):

Black toenails (don't worry--no picture). So, I used to have 10 really nice toenails. Now I have 8 toenails. 5 of them are black. 3 are still pretty. I used to be okay with black toenails, because it meant that I was becoming a real runner (at least that's what my brother said). Now it's just getting annoying. I'm due for a new pair of running shoes, so hopefully I'll find something that works this time.