running? me?

Have I ever mentioned that I used to loathe running? That runners high or increase in endorphins people experience NEVER used to happen to me. But then something changed... I made a schedule and stuck to it. I saw improvement in my endurance and distance and I saw strength throughout my body which translated to success in trapeze! Suddenly I was getting excited to go out! So far, so good but the weather is bearable and  I'm concerned what might happen to my running habits come November... December... you get the picture ;-)

Saturday afternoon afforded me some time to pick up my running training again. You see, a little over two weeks ago I strained my hamstring while water skiing. I thought it would be better after a week and when it wasn't I adopted an ice, stretch, and Icy Hot routine. This has been very helpful and provided me enough strength and flexibility to start running again. My ToughMudder race is four weeks from last Saturday so I have no time to miss a run, given my furthest distance to date is 5 miles and my race is nearly 12! That is why I have gone on runs the past three days; 2.12 miles, 4.10 miles, and 3.46 miles, respectively. My goal is to run six days per week and build myself up to 10-11 miles before the race. Because of the burn an exercise like an 8-10 mile run has on your body, I purchased a waist belt. I opted for the Nathan Speed 2R which has two "nutrition flasks", 8 oz. each for water, gatorade, or carbo-gel drinks. Since Ross' sister was kind enough to share some Shot Bloks with me - I'll give them a try first and rinse them down with water once I'm 60 minutes into a run.

For those of you who may not be familiar, Shot Bloks are a product by CLIF that provides electrolytes, caffeine, and calories when your body needs it most. Each sleeve has 6 cubes in it, and I'm planning to consume just 3 on my run. From what Ross' sister told me, some people have averse reactions to these products so the next few weeks are going to be trial and error. I will keep you all posted on products that work or don't work well with me. Side note, I'm going to have to seriously shift my sleep schedule if I plan to get a 90 minute run in before work!

In other running news, this is probably too much information, and you might want to skip this paragraph if you have a queasy stomach. I'm fairly sure the toe box of my running shoes is too narrow. In early July I noticed my pointer/second toenails turning dark purple as if I had a black and blue underneath. This was after I had developed big blisters on the tip of these toes! It was not a fun transformation to watch and I was warned by other runners that yes, my toenail would soon fall off. This got me very concerned. I was afraid it was going to hurt and my toe would be ultra sensitive without a nail. Plus, it's the summer and would eliminate the option of wearing sandals. Well, my toenail on my left foot finally fell off last week! And to my surprise there was a little toenail underneath, although it's still black and blue. My right toenail has not fallen off yet, though I expect it to happen within the next week. So, when I changed out my polish last night I opted for a dark purple... thankfully letting me wear sandals and hiding my toe trauma.

Since I've done three days of running in a row my legs are quite fatigued. Both calves are extremely sore and  I am limping a bit when I get up. The plan for today is to stay very hydrated! Hopefully I can get back out on the road for about 4 miles tomorrow morning.