We got some new running “stuff” this weekend!!  That’s always exciting!  Whoever said running is not an expensive sport is a liar 😉

THURSDAY

I got my running partner back on Thursday.  Yay me!  Sam came home from travel and we decided to run in the evening while Gabby was at swim practice.  We ran from the pool and headed down Chancellors Run Road to hit the hills.  We were both feeling surprisingly good and finished our 4.5 miles at a 10:06 pace.  Sam and I encountered a couple of dogs on the lose during this run.  They were not aggressive towards us, but it was just a reminder to always be prepared for anything on a run!

FRIDAY

Friday was a rest day for me.  Steven and I had the day off so we headed to Annapolis to visit Charm City Run.  Steven has been having a lot of issues with heel/foot pain.  He has a doctor appointment coming up, but we thought it would be a good idea to get him some good running shoes as well.  He usually just buys whatever Nikes are on sale at Kohls.  If you are a runner and have not been to a professional running store to have your run analyzed, I highly recommend that you do.  They recorded him running in a few pairs and were able to figure out which shoes kept his heels aligned correctly.  After trying on a few pairs, he decided to purchase the Brooks Ghosts.  He took them for a quick run around the block and was amazed that he wasn’t experiencing any pain!!!  He has ran 4.5 miles since buying them and has experienced very minimal pain.  Its amazing what a good pair of running shoes can do!!

SATURDAY

On Saturday, Sam and I decided to double up on our classes.  We took Body Combat first and then followed it up with Body Pump.  It was Sam’s first time doing Body Combat.  I don’t think I warned her exactly how intense it is, but I think she liked it.  It is definitely a calorie torcher!!  I felt a little weak for body pump; probably because Combat had taken so much out of me.  But we finished!!

On Saturday afternoon, Steven went to go pickup our new treadmill!!  I think I mentioned before that ours died a few months back.  My mom’s neighbor (and one of my best childhood friends mom) was having a yard sale and had a treadmill for sale.  SCORE!!!  Steven tested it out and it seems to work well.  I probably wont get much use out of it while the weather is still pretty mild, but I know I will log a ton of miles on it this winter!

And that wasn’t even the best part about Saturday.  I got to meet baby River for the first time.  Stevens cousins came down from Baltimore with his newest cousin.  River is only 3 weeks old and she is just the most precious thing.  I miss having babies so I soaked up as much time with her as I could get.

SUNDAY

Sam and I had 8 miles for breakfast on Sunday morning!  For me, 8 miles seemed like a huge milestone when I trained for my very first half marathon last spring.  It still seems to be a big one for me.  I wish I could say I felt great for today’s run, but that just isn’t true.  We managed to finish and at a pretty good pace for us for a long run (10:25).  I just felt like I had no energy for most of the run.  I had eaten about 3/4 of a bagel and half a banana before I left the house.  Then I had Power Bar Energy Chews on the way to the drill hall.  But I still didn’t seem to have much energy.  It may have been because I ate a lot of junk on Saturday and I didn’t drink as much water as I should have.  Or it may have just been a bad day.  Either way, I was happy to get it over and done with early in the morning so I could enjoy the rest of my day.

I got a lot of Sunday chores done and then decided to run out and buy my own pair of new shoes!  I had been considering getting a new pair but was thinking I would wait until after the Crawlin Crab Shell Yeah Challenge in October.  After looking at the tread on my current shoes and seeing how worn out the outside edges were, I decided that I deserved a new pair as well.  So off to Dick’s I went to buy a new pair of Brooks Ravenna’s.  The very first time I visited Charm City Run, they had recommended the Ravenna’s.  They were actually my very first pair of true running shoes.  I have gotten away from them but I can’t really remember the reason so I decided to try them out again.  Aren’t the pretty?

I came home and added my 13.1 and 26.2 shoe charms and re-laced them in a way that is *supposed* to help me keep my toenails (the internet said so).  I can’t wait to try them out on Tuesday!  I may even have to get in an extra mile or 2 tomorrow to see how they feel!

CALORIE COUNTING

So, I mentioned I’d be counting calories again so I figured I better stay accountable and let you guys know how its going.  I actually started counting on Tuesday.  I did really well on Tues, Wed, and Thurs.  On Friday, I did count calories, but I went over my allotted amount.  Saturday.  Well, I don’t really want to talk about Saturday.  I didn’t even count the calories.  Oops.  Today, I finally downloaded the fitness app that was recommended to me (MyfitnessPal).  I like that you can scan foods and it will add them for you.  It also syncs with MapMyRun so it accounts for the calories I have burned for the day as well.  It lets me know how many calories I have remaining for the day each time I log a new food.  So, I did do a good job documenting calories today and only went slightly over.  I blame all the fuel that long distance running requires.  I am not brave enough yet to post a screenshot of that app yet 😉  One day!

QOTD: What health/nutritional/exercise app do you like the most?