New Shoes

I went to Southern Sole this weekend and finally bought a new pair of shoes. It was a pair of Saucony shoes that I had tried in October and I really liked, but I decided to stay with my Mizunos since the Nike Marathon was a couple of weeks away and I wanted to stay with what I knew.

I decided to break my Saucony Trigon Guide 5s in on Tuesday morning during our regular 2-3 mile run.

Now I feel stupid. The shoes tore up my achilles heel and tore open blisters. I knew at one point what was happening and decided that I should just keep running, because that was the only way back to my car. I didn't look until I got home and I wasn't surprised.

The heels of my shoes were covered in blood, as were my short socks. I tried to rinse my shoes out in cold water (because that's how I've read that blood is best removed) and the water ran pink. I let them drip out and then let them dry. When I came home from work, the little bit of water that was left in them ran down the sides and now the entire outside heels of my shoes are pinkish/brown. It's disgusting. So, instead of breaking my shoes in, they broke me in. I can't run until those blisters heal.

Women In Motion

We went running on Saturday morning and completed almost 7 miles on a 2/2 interval. Laura's really working up to more running. And Gloria ran with us for the first time. Bobby was there, too. I felt really good after that run.

Southern Sole, on the Strip in Tuscaloosa, is sponsoring a Women's Running/Walking Club called Women in Motion. Starting March 3, they will leave on Monday nights at 5:30 and Thursday mornings from Southern Sole. Plenty of water available. This is a great opportunity for women of all fitness levels! I think I will try to make it to the Monday night group.

Now THAT'S a hood ornament.

Eli and I ran the Mercedes Half Marathon today. And, in the end, we ran the whole thing together in somewhere around 2'38". I love that guy. Hahah.

We finished approximately 5 minutes faster than we did in Mobile, which was a little disappointing for me. I wanted to be much faster, but that's okay. The B'ham course was VERY hilly. It felt like there was never going to be a downhill. And who's sick joke was it to put a small rise at the end of the course? Yikes. So, the fact that we finished faster on a harder course means that we were running better today. We started with a 3/2 interval, but the walking was too much, so we switched to a 3/1, and it worked very well.

And Kat finished in 3:07! You go girl!

We got a cool hood ornament medallion and a red finisher shirt. I liked this race, but I will never do it again. Running in the city is dismal.

Two Halves Make a Whole?

Tomorrow I run the Mercedes Half Marathon, my second half marathon in the last month. I'm excited. I got the confirmation e-mail and my bib number is 1234. No kidding. For those people who know me, you know that this really made my day, and continues to do so.

I think that I'm going to run on a 3/2 interval. 5/1 was long, last time. And Birmingham has hills, so I want to change it up a bit. Eli already told me that he plans on running it alone, which is bittersweet for me because I like running with him, but at the same time, I feel the pressure since he's faster than me and makes me feel slow.

After this marathon, it's time to get a new pair of shoes! Yay! That will be in time for the Country Music Marathon in Nashville in April. I signed up for the full at the Mercedes Expo. Eli will be studying for finals, so I think we're going to make a girls' weekend out of this.