mulling on the mill.

i love how my mind wanders while i'm running.  i've been thinking about what my next goal will be once these 10wks are up. i'm on week number 8, so i figured i'd better start thinking about it.  and yet..i have no clue.  i had a good run today and yesterday.  although, yesterday my "little sidekick" tried to test me a little bit by figuring out  the latch on the stroller tray. it wouldn't have been so bad since there are straps to hold the little beast in..but in the cup holder part is where i put her cereal to munch on while i workout. so as i see her raising up the tray, i immediately pause the treadmill and disaster was averted....until next time.  although it wasn't attempted again today, which i'm thankful for, i think my days are numbered for having my "sidekick" with me and then i have no clue what i'll do. (which is another story/thought process for another time.)
anyway, i need to start thinking of what my next goal should be and for what duration of time. i'm open to any ideas..so feel free to speak up!
my running toe socks are working out great, with the exception of the broken toe. it's still not 100% so it does hurt a little bit after i'm done, but nothing that i can't handle.  but my left knee has been sore when i've been running and it's noticeable during my run and after..so i'm icing that as i type.  :)
i'm still awaiting my first issue of Runner's World magazine and am quite excited to start reading it.  my passion for running has grown so much that i'm still a bit astonished by it and am not sure i can call myself an official "runner" quite yet.  it seems surreal, i guess.
oh and one last thing..i totally need new shirts to workout in. i've been thinking about this for months now..since the shirts i've been wearing are mostly my husband's t-shirts..army ones, etc.  they're size XL and L, which is definitely not my size and they're getting to be a nuisance. so it's time to find something different to wear.

testing. testing. one, two..

so i got my new running socks in the mail yesterday afternoon..which i was really hoping for! my excitement was so overwhelming that i decided to set my alarm and get up to go to the gym today..which i normally don't do on the weekends because that's my time to relax, let X sleep for as long as she wants, etc.  so i tried out my new socks today. i really like them.  i used to be a huge toe sock person way back when..and so it wasn't really a big deal that they were toe socks. i thought they may have been awkward when i put my shoes on, but it wasn't at all. i really liked running in them. it was good. normally my feet get super hot when i run that sometimes it's all i can think and it drives me insane. but not this time. :) the socks are comfortable and pretty awesome. and i'm looking forward to not having blisters on my toes too. the only thing that i forgot about was..buddy taping my toe. and with toe socks...umm..pretty hard to do. i guess next time i'll try taping them together on the outside of the socks? but my toes didn't hurt at all until toward the end of my run. so that was good. but i'm definitely going to tape them on monday.
so overall, the socks get a good review and i'm happy with myself that i actually got up on a saturday to go to the gym..even though i could've easily kept sleeping!
ps..do they look like "muppet" feet?  :)

case of the mondays?

i don't know what it was, but it seems like my body had a "case of the mondays." i was just tired feeling, like my body didn't want to keep going. or my body wanted to keep stopping. it didn't help that every time i got into a rhythm my "little sidekick" needed some attention. but all in all, i got a good run in and finally wore my new shoes. now all i need are my new socks and i'll be set!  oh and maybe some smaller shirts to wear to the gym. :) here's to a better tomorrow!

over halfway.

it's the end of week #6 and i'm still doing great. this week my total miles was 9.4 with a few cross-training days in there too. so not too shabby. i also did some research about running socks.  WOWZER. i had no clue.  so i ordered 5 pairs of new socks, i'm super excited to get them and try them out.  and for anyone that knows me well...knows that i absolutely HATE HATE HATE socks with a fiery passion.  so for me to be excited about socks..yeah, it's a big deal.  the main reason i'm excited about the socks is that they'll help me with my running.  and by "help" i mean, get in a better run, not get blisters on my toes (i have 2 right now) and just overall enhance my run. oh and i started a subscription to Runner's World magazine. i really liked all the things i was finding on their website and figured the magazine would be super helpful and have lots of great info in it..so that's another thing i'm looking forward to getting!  i just love all of this information i'm finding out about running. it's really become a passion of mine and i'm embracing it wholeheartedly.

easy does it.

it's the start of week six and i got a decent run in today. this week is my run only week so i'm taking it easy on myself this week...at least that's what i want to do.  :) today i ran for 20mins and then walked for 10mins. it was good. my toe is doing ok. it's still sore, and i think i wrapped it too tight last night before i went to bed, so i'm letting it breathe without wrapping until later today. i'm still putting my mp3 player in my hand while i run and it's working phenomenally at keeping my arms at waist level!  and i got a new flavor of gum too!
so that's my story for today. oh and i did take this past saturday and sunday in hopes that my toe will benefit and get better soon.

damn right i did.

yes i did. i got up this morning at my usual 540am time, got dressed, got the "little sidekick" up and rolled on down to the gym. did my stretching, and got on the treadmill..started out really slow and it hurt a little bit, but nothing too terrible. so i figured that i bump it up and start a jog..it actually felt better than walking. so i did that easy pace for awhile and then at halfway through my 30mins, i bumped up the speed a little bit more and finished my time that way. did some cool down walking and then did my arm workout.  it was good. i shocked myself when i was all done and so proud of myself. i guess i walked away feeling pretty badass that i didn't let a broken toe stop me from working out.  :) i know that my calf is really tight and a bit sore, probably from walking a bit differently and compensating for my toe.  i'm not sure if i'm going to workout tomorrow to make up for missing thursday or not..i know that i should rest. i know that i shouldn't even be working out on it right now. i know that i should at least give it a little time to heal.  but if it's buddy taped really well, then what's the problem?  and if it doesn't hurt while i'm running and i ice it a few times a day and take advil, then what's the problem?
either way, i'm SO PROUD of myself for putting my fitness goals/wants as top priority. yes, if my toe hurts then i will stop and take a break. i will listen to my body, so i don't further hurt it and set myself back any more.

down..but not out.

i broke at least one of my toes on my left foot this afternoon. the one right next to the little toe is definitely broken. the two next to it are very very bruised.  yep..this is the second time in my life that i've broken toes. the last time was in January 2009.  i caught my foot on one of the baby gates i have up in the house (i've hit my feet on them many times before) and this time it hurt so bad that i fell to the floor in pain. i couldn't walk very well, iced it immediately too. but nonetheless...it's broken.  FRICK. i'm so pissed.  since i've been exercising on a regular basis for almost 2yrs now, i haven't come across a time when i haven't been able to workout due to a physical issue.  this sucks.  i'm really upset about it, especially since i have my 10wk goal going on and i'm right in the middle of it. ahhhhhhhhhhhh. i just wanna scream.
 not sure what to do now..

to the core.

hardcore. and frozen to the core.  that's what today was all about. the temperature in the gym has been, to say the very least...up and down. so today we get in there (yesterday was a "rest" day.) and it's 46 degrees. no joke. luckily, i had a feeling that it was going to be a bit chilly in there..so i brought a blanket for my "little sidekick." i didn't think she'd actually need it!  dang!!! it was so fricken cold in there, i couldn't even feel myself sweating. but i wasn't going to get up that early and put on my workout clothes just to go back home. so only ran 2 miles. but it was a good 2 miles and better than nothing.  :) i'm hoping the thermostat is fix tomorrow...otherwise it's gonna be another chilly day! yeah..i know it may not be the best thing for my "little sidekick" but sleeper jammies and a blanket kept her happy today.  hoping for a better tomorrow!  oh and i got my new shoes yesterday. will be lacing them up and using them tomorrow.