Week 17: Two Weeks 'til Race Day!

I cannot believe that in just two weeks, I will be in San Francisco running my heart out (or maybe I'm running my feet out?)!

Last week's run really shook me. As excited as I was to survive the 20 miles, I wouldn't really say that it went well. It was the first time where my stopping point felt like my true stopping point.

That said, as I mentioned last week, I learned several lessons about prep. This week, for my 10-mile run, I did everything I could to feel fully prepared:

• SuperFeet insoles went back in my shoes. I realized most of my major injury problems started after Fleet Feet suggested I try running without them. They are in to stay!
• I didn't run at all this week due to knee pain, but I found a PT routine online and did my exercises religiously to help build strength and flexibility in my legs.
• I paid for more classes at West Hartford Yoga and went to class on Wednesday night. The additional stretching and relaxation definitely helps!
• Yesterday, I drank a lot of water and ate better. Dinner was pasta. I don't necessarily believe too strongly in the power of carb loading, but pasta the night before does seem to help, if only because it doesn't feel too heavy.
• I went to bed somewhat early! Still didn't get as much sleep as I would have liked, but it was definitely more than last week.
• I got up two hours before the run and had a whole wheat bagel. I've never really eaten much before a run, but have realized I definitely need my energy.

I took today's run much slower than usual and spent extra time at the water stops to stretch. Telling myself that it was OK to run slower was difficult, because I don't feel like a fast runner even at my usual pace! It takes a lot to remember that it's not about speed, especially with lots of other faster runners on the road.

My knee felt much, much better today, so I knew I had to have done something right this week! It ached a bit on hills, but was otherwise fine, and didn't feel overly stiff at the end. I was also much stronger energy-wise.

Of course, now that my knees are on the mend, something else had to jump in. My hips, which typically only hurt on really long runs, started yelling almost as soon as I started running today. It's just an ache, so I'm hoping some extra stretching this week will help.

I'm very hopeful that I'll be able to complete my mid-week runs this week, for the first time in several weeks. As much as I've enjoyed the extra sleep in the morning, I'm excited to be more active again!

Thanks to Saurav Kumar, my Aunt Tracy Florant and cousin Aria Florant for donating this week, as well as everyone else who has donated so far. This week, I also made a personal donation of $500. I'm 89% to goal, so if you've yet to donate, now is the time! Help me make it to 100%!