WEEK TWO: Friday

I awoke feeling really nervous about this morning's run. After the fiasco on Wednesday, I was more than a little apprenhensive about taking to the road again.

But the pull of the challenge is too great to ignore. So I carefully stretch, lace up the new Brooks REALLY tight, and set off on the course. I take it easy today, careful not to pound the pavement and paying close attention to my form and the way my stride causes me to hit the ground.

And...NO PAIN!

None. Nada. N.O.N.E.

"Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, thank you, thank YOU!"

And yes, I did actually enthusiastically shout these words out loud.

WEEK TWO: Wednesday

Okay, people, say it with me.

P.A.I.N.

Now multiply that times three and that comes close to the amount of agony I endured during this morning's workout.

I decided to forego the treadmill today and run outside with Rochelle. With our new shoes laced and hearts full of determination, we set off. By the time we began jogging through the second set of reps, I knew I was in some kind of big 'ol trouble. My shins were screaming for mercy. I mean it, the pain was horrendous. I knew I needed to stop. If I didn't, I ran the risk of causing a bigger injury, possibly a much more serious one.

And yet my stupid, stupid pride propelled me on. I ran in spite of the pain, finally collapsing at the end of the workout on Rochelle's curb, doubled over in agony and reaching for my cell phone.

"Mandy," I huffed and puffed as I left a cryptic message on her voice mail. "I don't know what's wrong, but something's...BAD wrong. I'm in pain. WHAT DO I DO?"

Long story short, between Mandy's careful advice and the advice of several others I consulted, I feel a bit better about my running prognosis. Most likely the difference of taking my workout from the treadmill to the road produced a bit more stress on my muscles and joints. Something easily remedied by being careful to watch how I land and ease the movements from running to walking. Plus, my new shoes - great though they are - are taking a bit of getting used to. It seems I still didn't have them laced tight enough, giving my feet just enough room to move around and jar my entire body.

I have to say, if I could foresee the future and know without a doubt that I would have very many workouts like this ahead of me...

I'd quit right now.

WEEK TWO: Monday

Okay, I learned a valuable lesson today! Mandy and Tammie had already cautioned Rochelle and I about walking on the days that we train. But did I listen? Nah...! Since my training last week had gone so easily, I think I felt invincible. Not at all an attractive or positive quality in a runner, by the way.

So I went through my normal walking routine this morning - 3.2 miles with Cheryl and Ro. Then I jumped on the treadmill and did the 5K training. This week, each workout consists of a 5 minute brisk walk to warm up, then 90 second jogging/2 minute walking segments, followed by another 5 minute walk to cool down.

Can I just say that by the second set of repetitions, my body was SCREAMING (can you say SCREAMING?) for mercy. I finished the workout - my pride wouldn't let me quit. But I walked away admitting that I had learned yet another important lesson. Listen to those who've gone before you. They know of that which they speak!

The day was not at all a lost cause though. Ro and I met up with Tammie and Mandy at Run On tonight for a professional "shoe fitting." After watching me walk and evaluating my stride, my instep, and who knows what all else, the running pro fitted me with a handy dandy pair of Brooks. Now my Nikes will be solely for walking and the Brooks will be my running mate.

Here we are at Run On - about to taste the "after workout" drink the skinny little sales guy in the background whipped up for us. The verdict? Not too bad - just a bit of a "vitamin-y" aftertaste.

"When you run like I do, top tens are hard to come by and it usually means a lot of good runners don't show up."

The Rage on Running in a Thin Field

WEEK ONE: Friday

Cheryl calls me at 6:15 and is not able to make it for our morning walk. I'm already dressed and ready to walk out the door and know that is just what I SHOULD do. But I allow the fact that I'm tired and - okay, maybe feeling a bit lazy - convince me to call Ro.

"Hey, want to just do our 5K training today and skip the morning walk?"

"Sounds good." She needed no convincing. "I'm going back to bed."

At around 10 a.m. I set the treadmill and begin the last day of this week's training. I didn't stretch before I started and I immediately felt the consequences. By the time I eased into second round of running, I knew I should really stop and stretch and then begin again. But I didn't, and I learned a very. important. lesson.

Note to self: YOU CANNOT COMPROMISE STRETCHING AND WARMING UP.

My right calf and shin literally screamed at me for the entire thirty minutes. Honestly, if it weren't for that one leg, the workout would have been easy-peasy. It made me so upset at myself that I had done something so foolish.

Lesson learned though. I won't make that mistake again.

On the bright side, I just completed the first week of the 9- week training period. Woo-hoo! Eight more to go!

WEEK ONE: Wednesday

Today is a special day. Dad has been training this summer to climb Pike's Peak. He's been biking a minimum of 50 miles a week and is in great shape. But since the trip is just a couple of weeks away, he needs to stick in a few long hikes so he's asked me to walk White Rock Lake with him.

We climb out of his truck around 7:15 am and by 7:20 we are already setting a fairly good pace. I'm optimistic at this point. I know I've come a long way health-wise this summer and I know that I'm good for at least 6-7 miles of this 10 mile trek. Beyond that point and I'm just not sure.

Imagine my surprise when two hours and forty minutes later, he says, "Hey honey - look, I can see my truck." With only one bathroom stop and one brief moment to grab a bottle of water, we both kept the steady pace and averaged a 16 minute mile. Not bad, considering we were walking for distance and not speed. Probably the biggest thrill for me, though, was to see that I was doing something that was impressing my dad. It feels kind of cool to be a girly-girl and still be able to get in the best shape of my life!

But I still had the 5K training ahead of me and I wasn't quite sure what to do about it. Although I felt great after the walk, I knew not to overdo it and push my body further than it was ready to go. Still, I couldn't stand the thought of skipping a scheduled training day. So I did it. The schedule was the same as Monday, only today I kept it at a very easy jog and was careful to stretch and cool down properly.

So far I am totally thinking I can do this. I AM wondering if I'll ever actually love running though. Right now I think I'm loving the challenge more than anything. And I love knowing that I'm doing something really great and really healthy for my body. But do I love running? Um...no, not yet! But Dawn assures me that by Week 5, I'll be head-over-heels. We'll see.