It's been quite awhile since I've last posted, so I apologize for that. I had to take a week off from training because last Sunday I came down with a wicked case of strep throat. I probably could have been up and running again by Thursday, but I didn't want to push it, so I took the rest of the week off, and decided to pick back up with training starting today (which lucky for me was a rest day :o). So I guess re-training officially starts tomorrow.

I was so bummed out that I got sick and got thrown off my schedule. I was doing so good, and I had been making good progress and now I feel like I've been dealt a fairly sizeable setback. I mean I know it's nothing huge, and that I will be able to make up for lost time, but I don't know something just didn't feel right about not being able to run this week.

In general though, I've been feeling a little bit down and out. I'm not really sure what's going on, or what caused my mood to plummit this past week (maybe it was being sick) but I am in some sort of a funk and I'm not enjoying it one bit.

I'm hoping for a turn around this week when I can pick back up with my running again. Maybe being able to run again will make everything else that feels out of whack fall into place.

I can at least hope!

Today was quite the exciting day. Time to retire the old running sneakers in exchange for a brand new pair. There's nothing quite like lacing up a new pair of sneakers and christening them on their first run. Tomorrow will be an exciting run!

I decided since I'm in marathon training, I obviously needed a good pair of running sneakers, and instead of just going to a sporting goods store and wandering among the shoes pretending I know exactly what I need, I went to a store specifically for runners. The guy who waited on me looked at my old sneakers to see how I pronate and to determine whether I have a high or low arch (mine is slightly higher than normal). Then he made me walk to the other side of the room and back so he could see my stride. Based on that little bit of information and my foot measurement, he went into the back room and brought back two pairs of sneakers - Aisics and Mizunu (not really sure on the spelling there). He let me lace up both pairs, go outside the store, and run up and down the street a couple times to see if I liked one or both pairs.

The decision itself was pretty easy. The pair I chose felt like an extension of my foot. It supported my arch perfectly, even though it isn't a "stability" shoe. Gray with some yellow. The Mizunu. Perfect. I literally cannot wait to hit the road tomorrow. (Unfortunately it was raining all day today and it was a cross-training day). Hopefully, the weather will clear up, and I will have some optimal running conditions for the first run in the new shoes!

What made today even better was that after I got my new shoes, I decided I should probably invest in some good running apparel. I have a few of the moisture-wicking tops, but not very many. So I hit the store, and lucky for me, there was a clearance on them! I got three new tops for $9.97 each! What a steal!

What a great day!

Three miles tomorrow!

I'm almost through week two of training, and for the most part it's been a pretty successful week. Tuesday it was absolutely beautiful outside, so I had my first outdoor run of the season. I didn't realize how tough running outside would be after spending a good long time inside on the treadmill. I didn't make it nearly as far as I thought I would, but it still felt so great to be running outside again that I almost didn't mind.

And truthfully, I think it was the hills that killed me. I mean, yes, occasionally I program the treadmill to give me some hills, but they are nothing even close to the real deal. So I was quite exhausted after Tuesday's run. But it felt so good to be outside again.

For today's run, which was a 20 minute quickie (I love when the training schedule has short runs!), I woke up before my classes to go running. That was weird. I'm not a morning person by nature, but I'm the type of person who can force myself to wake up and be active if I know I need to be. So instead of being dead when I hit the treadmill (it was rainy this morning), I felt really good, and I've actually felt quite energetic all day. So I may be giving some more consideration to the morning run. It gets it out of the way, and I feel much more alert during the day (although it's only a little after 11, I may hit my mid-afternoon slump hard later on).

I'm heading home for Easter this afternoon after my last class. So I will have three workouts to squeeze in at home. Tomorrow is a cross-training day, which will be no problem. We have a stationary bike at home. Saturday will be my endurance run, and since I just started training, they're still very short. So I have a quick three miles. I'm hoping it's nice so I can get it in outside, and then Monday I have a shorter speed run, which I'm going to do at home because I'll probably be getting back to school pretty late. The runs will have to be outside because I don't have a treadmill at home, so I'm hoping the shin splits don't kick in too bad. It'll be nice to get a change of scenery at home though.

On a whim last week, I registered for a marathon. That's right, me, who has only run 1 5K in her entire life, decided, "What the heck, why not run a marathon."

Ok, maybe it wasn't a complete whim. I've wanted to run a marathon for a really long time. (Or at least since I started snatching my mom's Runner's World Magazines before she could even read them, and got inspired).

The general idea of running a marathon probably planted itself in my brain about two or three years ago. I started training last summer to run the Disney World Marathon in Jan. 2006, but I seriously messed up my knee, and never really got back into training before I went back to school.

So that leaves me here. Nineteen years old, a sophomore in college, and training to run what has become my goal in life - 26.2 miles.

The night I so whimsically registered, I was sitting at my computer, browsing running websites, musing to myself that I really wanted to run a marathon and that I should train. Just musings, nothing serious. Until thinking outloud I told my roommate how much I really wanted to do this, and that the Baltimore Marathon was the perfect amount of time away.

Next thing I know, she's bouncing up and down saying how cool that would be and planning the sign she would make me for when I crossed the finish line (because I will cross the finish line, even if I end up crawling, which hopefully won't be the case).

I was still unsure and was definitely questioning whether I had it in me to actually do this. So I started checking Notre Dame's football schedule, looking for any excuse why this marathon wouldn't be the one. Because I watch every single Notre Dame football game, I figured a Saturday, in the prime of football season, wouldn't really work out.

But boy was I wrong. Notre Dame has a bye the day of the marathon. I took it as a sign, punched in my credit card number, and clicked register. And that is how I find myself where I am now - starting to run slowly and steadily, accumulating mileage.