Shoe Problems and a Less than Stellar Week....

Talk about a crappy week! That is exactly that I had. I have been trying to transition from my Mizuno Wave Inspire 9's to the new Wave Inspire 10's and I have not been so lucky. The 10's seem to be okay when I run under 8 miles but anything more than that causes me to have pain in my left calf and my right shin. I didn't think it was the shoes at first but after seriously evaluating the situation, I know that it is the shoes. The transition from the 8's to the 9's went really well but something feels really different with the 10's. 

I love my Wave Inspire 9's and I cannot find them in my size anywhere! I even emailed Mizuno to see if they could give me some tips on stores to find them but I had already checked all of the stores they suggested. I am bummed and kind of in a panic. LA Marathon is less than two weeks away and my 9's are coming up on 400 miles. I don't think I have ever ran a marathon with shoes that have this many miles on them. I was hoping to be adjusted to the 10's by the time LA Marathon rolled around but that did not happen!

I had to cut my mileage way back this week because I did not want to run while I was still having those lingering pains. Running was not painful but the areas that were bothering me were very painful when I touched them. I am proud of myself for having enough sense to scale back the miles. I was tempted so many times to go for a run but I knew that it was not the smartest thing to do with LA Marathon right around the corner. I also skipped out on my long run but did have a great run with my other half. I love running with him because he is just so easy going about running and I always enjoy my runs with him.

I ran my first 8K today and really wanted to give it my best shot but held back a little because I was afraid that the pain would return and LA Marathon would be out the window for the second time. I had to sit the LA Marathon out back in 2012 due to an injury and watching it on TV was pretty painful!

So I am not sure what I am going to do about my shoes moving forward. I am a big Mizuno fan so maybe a different style of their shoes will work for me. Mizuno suggested that I try the Wave Paradox. Anybody ever ran in them?

Any suggestions on what I should do about my shoe problem?

Do you run in several different types of shoes or do you stick to one?

I usually run in one type of shoe and that is it so I am not one to rotate from style of shoe to another. 

Four Weeks and Counting!

I can't believe that LA Marathon is just four weeks away! The weather has been so great lately so I am hoping that race day is the same. I have been thinking about a goal for this marathon but I honestly don't want to put pressure on myself for this race. I have never ran a big race like like LA before so I am already a little bit nervous as it is. I guess I will start thinking of a plan as race day gets closer.

My mileage was a little higher than usual this past week. My longest run is usually 4 weeks before race day and this week it was 22.29 miles. The weather was perfect and it drizzled the entire time. The sun did not come out for even a minute and it was great. I have to admit that after mile 20 I was pretty tired. That worries me a little but mile 20-26.2 are always a battle for me.

I also had a great 11 mile run this week. I had planned on 7 miles but the weather was so great that I decided to take it easy and keep on going at a relaxed pace. Sometimes I feel like I really need to slow it down and enjoy the run.

I wrapped up my week with about 40 miles and I am hoping to get another 20 miler in this weekend at an easier pace. I wasn't too satisfied with how I felt during my 22 miler so I think I need one more push before LA Marathon to get my confidence level up. After that, I will start tapering and bringing the miles way down! I hate tapering because it makes me feel like I am doing nothing!

How many miles in your longest run when training for a marathon?

I have never ran more than 22 miles but have heard that some people actually run 26!

Miles for Meg and a Birthday Celebration

When bad news strikes the running world it hits home for all of us. It makes me feel so bad that these terrible things happen to people who are doing something that they love. It is just sad that there are so many irresponsible people in this world that make mistakes that change the lives of innocent people. Hopefully everyone was able to get some miles in for Meg this weekend. I was not able to get my miles in until Sunday and I had a great run.

This past week I attended a conference in San Diego so it was hard to get my runs in. I saw lots of runners out there but I did not have the chance to get out there and join them. I was pretty jealous but since I was pretty busy with work stuff I had to get my miles in at the end of the day. The view from my room was amazing. I think I could get used to it!

I ended up on the treadmill most of the week but did manage a couple of runs outdoors. I ended my week with 38 miles and I am pretty happy with that. So far I am at 100 miles for the month. It looks like it's going to be a good month for me.

My son also celebrated his 12th birthday on Saturday so most of my weekend was dedicated to him. He kind of made me promise not to run on Saturday so that I could spend some time with him. He has never asked me to do this before so I agreed to do it. We are going to have a birthday party for him in a couple of weeks since I found a great deal on Groupon for 50% off of a weekend party at his favorite trampoline place! SCORE! We took him out to dinner for his birthday and he invited a friend from school. We had a good time and ate way too much as usual. His sister gave him a bottle of money for his birthday and he was really excited about it! I thought it was such a great gift idea. I think she found it on Pinterest.

LA Marathon is just 7 weeks away and I am definitely not feeling ready. I think I need to get a couple of 20 milers under my belt before my confidence level starts to rise. Next weeks plans include a 20 mile long run. I wish I had somebody to run it with because 20 milers are tough and they kick my %&#@!!!

How was your week?

Anybody run Tinkerbell, Arizona R&R, or Carlsbad this weekend?

I was jealous of all of the runners on Instagram but after running two back to back half marathons I think I am good for now :)

Reward: Lost Mojo

For the last couple of weeks I have not posted my Weekly Updates on my LA Marathon Training Plan. Why? Well, I guess because I have just been running with no real training plan. There have been no set paces or distances and I guess you can say that I have just been running. It is kind of scary since my Race Calendar for 2014 is pretty full!

Maybe it is because of the holiday rush or the fact that I have been really busy with work and my home life. I know that sometimes I feel guilty about the time I dedicate to myself and running and feel like I need to shift my focus to other areas of my life. I am not quite sure what it is but I know that I am also tired of the treadmill and the fact that it gets dark at 4:45 p.m. isn't helping either. My long runs have also been cut short the past two weeks because my head just wasn't in it.

In any case, it is what it is. I am hoping to get back on track really soon. If you happen to find my "running mojo" please return it back to me because I think I have lost it!

Do you ever lose your "running mojo?"

What do you do to get yourself back on track?

LA Marathon Training Week 2; 11/18/13-11/24/13

We are finally getting some rain in Southern California so this kind of put a damper on my training this week. Running in the rain can actually be pretty refreshing but the problem for me is that I have to run at night when I get home from work and it is already dark. I don't think I like the combination of dark and rain so I am kind of forced to run on the treadmill. I am slowly getting my mileage to where I want it to be and this week looked like this:

Monday: REST

Tuesday: 6.3 Miles @ BQ Pace
 

Wednesday: REST

Thursday: REST

Friday: 7 Miles (Hope for the Philippines 5K Virtual Race and 4 additional miles.) I started my run with the 5K and then added 4 additional miles. I actually did some 400m repeats. I have not done speed work in a while so I was pretty proud of myself even though I was dying!

Saturday: 15 Mile Long Run with my girls. We ran the first 13 Miles together and I ran the last 2 alone since I needed to get 15 in this week. It made the miles fly by which was great!

Sunday: REST

TOTAL MILES: 28.3

In other news, I may be adding a half marathon to my Race Schedule in a couple of weeks. I was planning on being a spectator for the race but one of my friends is unable to run due to a heart condition. She offered me her bib since there are no refunds or rollovers. She is in the same age group as me so I don't think I will be doing any damage by running with her bib. It will be the first time that I actually do this.

How was your week?

How is the weather out your way?

It has been in the low 40's to mid 50's here in the So Cal in the morning and then it warms up into the 60's by the afternoon.

LA Marathon Training-Week One (11/11/13-11/17/13) and a Virtual Race

My rest week training for the LA Marathon is not off to a great start! I had so many things to do after I returned home from running Ragnar Las Vegas. I had lots of dirty laundry and then I had to catch up with my family, friends and my fur babies. You know, the most important stuff. I finally managed to get a run in on Thursday since I had a half marathon to run on Sunday.

Here is a quick recap of my week:

Monday: REST

Tuesday: REST
 

Wednesday: REST
 
Thursday: 5.00 Miles @10:32

Friday: REST

Saturday: REST

Sunday: Surfer's Point Half Marathon (13.20 Miles) with my other half! He did great and I am so proud of him. I will recap our first half marathon together in a separate post.

TOTAL MILES:18.2 Miles

I will be participating in the Hope4Philippines5k virtual race to raise money for those affected by Typhoon Haiyan.  Registration is only $15 but you can donate more if you are able. Each participant will receive a free Active Band and there are also some awesome prizes you can win. There is also a race bib available that you can print out and wear while you run your 5k. Please go and SIGN UP!

The plan is to get my behind back in gear next week and really start taking things serious.I am thinking about adding a Turkey Trot to my race schedule on Thanksgiving Day. This lady and this lady are really twisting my arm so I guess I have no choice but to consider it. 

Please spread the word about the Hope4Philippines5k virtual race since there are just a couple more days to sign up! 

HAVE A GREAT WEEK!