National Running Day

Happy National Running Day! I started my celebration over the weekend by getting back into more serious training. I did a 3.1 mile loop around my neighborhood at 7:30 pace on Saturday. Then on Sunday I met up with a new running buddy to tackle 10.5. We stopped for a couple quick water/walk breaks, but despite the mental challenge -- it feels good to run distance again.

My marathon training starts on Sunday. I'd be lying if I didn't tell you guys that I've had second thoughts about the Wineglass Marathon. Now that Ada's rounding the corner into 3-year-old territory, baby fever is hitting me . . . hard. It also seems like every woman I know has either just had a baby or is announcing a new pregnancy. We always knew we wanted a larger age gap between kids -- but now that I'm signed up for something that means I shouldn't get pregnant -- it's all I can think about.

Regardless, I'd like to stay with the original plan and run the race. I have decided I am going to run this plan, which is basically Hal Higdon's made into a 4-day/week schedule:


I think I'll modify it just slightly because I'd like to run more than one 20-miler. Otherwise, I haven't run this type of distance since 2010, so I am not going to be a hero and try to do anything terribly ambitious training-wise. My goal is to complete the season injury-free and finish the race strong regardless of time. To me, this mileage -- especially those mid-week numbers -- seems totally doable. We'll see how I feel when I start running over 14 miles at a time, which is the farthest I've gone in years and years.

In other running-related news, I recently switched shoes.


I went from the Brooks PureFlow 2 to the Nike Free 4.0 Flyknit. (BTW: This post isn't sponsored.) I am a long-time Nike Free fan, and I gave up on the shoe when they switched over to a bulkier mid-section on it. Anyway, the Flyknits are a bit of a splurge . . . but they feel lighter than air and don't rub and have all the great features of the shoe I remember from way back when.

It took me a couple weeks to truly acclimate back to the Free platform, as the PureFlows definitely had more cushioning. Now that I've adjusted, they are really comfortable. No rub marks or blisters after my long run. They also just feel great slipping into on a very hot day (I never wear socks and have this weird thing about my feet being too hot. Makes me feel claustrophobic!).

I'll probably get out and run for maybe an hour later today (around 7 miles for me -- we'll see). I have trouble transitioning from spring weather to summer because it's basically cold here until, well, now and then the temps jump abruptly into the 80s, leaving little time to realize what's happened. One of my goals for the summer is to get good about hydration before a run so I'm not desperately thirsty and headachy at the end of the run. I see lots of chia frescos in my future.

Fellow runners: How are you celebrating today?

And if you'd like to check out some more running posts from the archives, visit our Running Page. I love looking back in time to my old training. I can't believe how much running used to be, well, the center of my universe! It's still very important to me, so I am excited to dive back in with this whole marathon business!

Like what you just read? Browse more of our posts + recipes on Pinterest. You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!