Took the new shoes out for a run at Lake Rogers Park on Sunday morning – this was my first true trail run in awhile…uneven surfaces, little hills, sand, dirt, twigs, wildlife, etc. I wish I had been feeling better that morning & I also wish I would have drank more water the night before. I was able to get two loops in around the lake, around 4.3 miles, but I was completely spent after. I also noticed that the left shoe, due to the fact that my left foot isn’t as big as my right foot and therefore the shoe is looser, is now rubbing against my big toe. Not a huge ordeal, but it was enough for me to notice a couple miles in. The shoes performed really well on the uneven surface – they definitely protected my ankles.

I wish I could get more runs in with these shoes, but due to my annoying IT band injury, I have to keep the mileage low. Hoping to get a short trail run in on Sunday evening, if my injury allows. I have a 5k to run on Friday, so I am focusing on that. I think I am going to invest in a pair of Superfeet insoles to see if they will just help enough until I can afford to see a doctor.

Anyway, my first impression of the shoe was that I wasn’t sure of the color combination, but I’m learning to look past it as the shoes are comfortable. (They are the Aqua/Lime Punch/Shadow/Silver combination.) These are more comfortable than my Mizuno Wave Creation road shoes. I completed my first survey, which entailed just trying the shoes on and giving first impressions, but I could tell these would be comfy on the trail. And you know what? I was right. What the heck was I thinking running on trails in road shoes? Yes, my physical therapist last year told me that I would need different shoes for trails, but I didn’t believe her.

The last time I ran Taylor Lake, I had shin splints from hell, and I don’t get shin splints anymore. Tonight? No shin splints. No knee issues. Nothing. Just a fast 1.25 miles (I ran 3/4 of a mile in 6:36. WHAT?) Okay, maybe the speed isn’t all from the shoes, I think it’s from the yoga I’ve been doing as it has made my running much more relaxed. But, the shoes helped as I felt far more balanced as my feet landed on the uneven, sandy surface. Plus, I had traction.

I’m going to find a more challenging trail as I consider Taylor Lake just off-road running – it’s even for the most part, except for a few deeper sandy areas and one slight incline. The two running trails are linked by a asphalt road on one side, and then a concrete sidewalk on the side near 8th St. I’ll have to head out to Flatwoods to give these trail shoes a true trail run!

I met up with my friend, Jen, for this run tonight – she’s just starting her c25k journey! Go Jen!!

Dear Right Knee:
We’ve been through a lot of tough times since I started running and spinning last year. You always let me know when I’ve pushed too much and needed to take a break. You’re a big part of my life and I love you.

Yes, I love my right knee.

So, right knee, you have to understand why I’m a bit unnerved because you’re injured. I think it’s your MCL that is strained as the inside of my knee really aches. It’s not torn because there’s no swelling, but damn, you’re killing me right now. I’ve been running my best times the past month and suddenly you do this to me! I’ve been icing you four to five times a day and am even going out to purchase some sort of bracing mechanism tomorrow so you can continue to heal, but let’s speed this up already! Sure, I did spin yesterday but c’mon, what did you expect? For me to rest? Everyone knows that when I can’t work out, I’m a huge evil bitch from hell. Literally. I’ve been antsy all evening while I sit with my right leg elevated with ice on you. I even went out and bought icy hot patches to wear at night. What else do I need to do?

Just heal already! I’ll rest again tomorrow and just take yoga, but come on! HEAL!

Diuretics (water pills) can bring down blood pressure – I’ve taken one today because I can feel that my BP is high. (And when you can feel it, that’s not good.) I took RPM at the gym this morning and that brought it down, but it shot back up again about an hour later. I stopped in at the health food store around the corner and purchased Hibiscus Tea, which I read if drank regularly, can lower systolic blood pressure. (I’m sitting here sipping it as I type this, not bad. Apparently it’s good hot or iced.) I’m also reading up on the DASH Diet as another way to get my blood pressure to normal levels. It just involves eating more whole grains (although I think I eat enough of that already), fruits, vegetables, fish and low-fat dairy goods. I am going to have to cut back on sodium, which will be hard as most of the pre-packaged diet foods I eat are high in sodium. (Which is shame – I guess Lean Cuisine feels they need to pour salt all over the food to make up for the lower fat, but I beg to differ.) I think if I can cut back on the sodium, I’ll notice a definite improvement. (And we all know how Americans love their sodium.)

The last thing that I need to do is to just calm down. My stress levels need to be severely reduced. I really need to work on this one more than any others as it doesn’t matter how much I exercise or how health I eat, if I am a giant ball of stress all of the time, my blood pressure will still remain high.

My first mile was 10:13 (fastest mile I’ve ever ran is 9:56), which went by smoothly, but I had a hard time relaxing. I think the steak I had for dinner the night before started to rear its ugly head around the halfway point. I found a familiar face around that point and was relieved as it definitely helps to run with someone – keeps your pace up & your mind off of stomach aches. I’m not sure what my mile 2 split was, but I have a feeling it was a little slower than the first. I conserved enough energy for the last quarter mile push and crossed the finish line wishing that I had eaten dinner earlier the evening before. (I’m an evening runner – I usually don’t run until after 630 PM and night, so morning runs are always tougher for me.)

Gradually, I am finding more speed, but it does not come naturally to me. I guess I need to continue with the ‘speedwork’ and hope for another PR on 6/11. (The next 5k will be an evening race, so I have no excuses.) All in all it was a great race and a huge relief to know that the training I did in April did pay off.