Saving the Ta-Tas - one step at a time.....

As I mentioned in my last post, I had found that my feet had taken a pretty harsh beating once I decided to "take it outside", so I decided to begin my quest for some "real" running shoes (sorry, RunTones, but I think it's high time my shoes worked with me and not against me).  Armed with the knowledge that I have hopelessly flat feet, I sought out shoes that were designed for feet like mine.  In my research, I kept coming across a couple different models of Brooks shoes (Addiction, Ariel) and the Saucony ProGrid Stabil CS.  Normally, I would have jumped on one of them, but as I've never had any experience with either brand, I thought I'd ask a few of my "runner" friends.  Most favored Saucony, but I kept getting asked if I was training for a race.  Now, as I've NEVER been the least bit athletic, my initial thoughts were completely dismissive, but after the first couple times, my curiosity started to get the best of me.  Then, finally, while I was on my walk last Friday morning, I resolved that I would train for a 5K. 

When selecting an event, I had no idea where to start, so I reverted to my typical "when in doubt, just Google" mentality.  I found a couple of local events scheduled for October and I decided check with one of our friends who always wanted to participate in a 5K if she would be interested. Then she threw in a local "Race for the Cure 5K" event, and I knew that was the one.  October 23rd will be the day!

So now in my mind, it becomes all the more important to find the right shoes.  Enter RoadRunnerSports.com.  My niece had raved about them as they allow you to try your shoes out for 60 days so that you KNOW they are the right shoes for you (with VIP membership), so I figured I'd check them out.  After reviewing their recommendations based on my responses to the ShoeDog over the course of a couple days, I finally decided to order some Brooks Trance 9.  I can hardly wait for them to arrive.

In the meantime, I'm making the most of my RunTones.  Due to rain on Saturday morning, I decided to go for a jog on the treadmill and actually managed to jog for 30 minutes straight.  However, when I attempted to run/walk yesterday OUTSIDE, it was like my lungs didn't want to function, so my immediate goal is to find some breathing exercises that will help me conquer the 'out of doors'.  Today my task was to "cross-train", which I realize isn't as serious as it sounds, so I decided to do my "Ballet Body" workout by Jennifer Galardi as it does a good job stretching and strengthening without going overboard.  I'm just concerned that I won't give my body adequate rest to truly train like I need to because I'm so concerned that I might just relapse if I purposefully slack off, but I will keep my mind open and listen closely.

Pounding the pavement...

For the last couple months, Cooper's morning nap has marked my time for exercise - either logging some miles on the treadmill or doing one of the workout segments on Jari Love's Get Extremely Ripped 1000.  Back in the spring, I tried pushing him around in his stroller, which was fine except he'd generally fall asleep on the way, so when we got back to the house he'd be ready to go and I still wanted a shower.  Not to mention that I was starting to get concerned about the temperatures in late spring.

Well, last week, we had the good fortune of being able to spend time with Nana and Poppy as Brad was out of town.  After Coop was fed and I had my cup of coffee (as it DOES seem to help me pick up the pace as you will), I was able to go for a really invigorating power walk around the neighborhood while he was able to run around the house and bang on Tupperware.  This leads me to make a completely obvious observation - it's sooo much harder to pound the pavement than it is on a treadmill.  Obviously there's the temperature difference...  Although, I think it was the humidity more so than the temperature - one of those great things about being in the South I guess, but the pavement did the most damage as it were.  I mean I knew that running on a treadmill was easier on your joints, but geez...  Most of I did was a fast walk....  and boy, my feet are STILL feeling it!

Of course, my feet feel like they've been beaten to a pulp after a result of heavy walking for a week, but as I was logging some of those miles, I couldn't help but laugh when my fingers swelled to about the twice the size they were when I was pregnant.  In a way, it was a little disconcerting because I could scarcely bend them at one point, but staying hydrated and being able to pass the little Gatorade bottle from one hand to the other did help reduce the swelling.

Now, I'm left wondering how to incorporate walking outside with other activities because I think I'm slightly addicted...