New shorts, the superbowl and Beatle tattos...

I may have waited a liiiittle too
long between laundry days...These
are clean, by the way.

I realize my first two posts were pretty long and I promise these posts will become less long-winded as I get further into training. Anyway, I had a really good productive day. Started with laundry, which was way over due...by like 2 weeks. Kind of disgusting, but it's done now and my closet is looking much more organized now that I don't have dirty laundry all over my floor. 

Mizuno Wave Creation 12, my
new running shoes. I ordered
them off Zappos on sale! Yay!

I made a trip to Running Wild (the one and only specialty running store and the only store that carries Newtons and Mizunos in Pensacola). I tried on Newtons, decided I wasn't a huge fan. It may be just because I'm not used to them, but I think I'm just not ready to take the plunge. It makes me nervous dropping a couple hundred dollars on shoes I'm not guaranteed to like or use. So, I tried on some Mizunos as well and found a pair I loved. I ended up ordering them online, because I can get them cheaper, and I found them on Zappos on sale. So in store they would have been $130 and I ended up paying $91. Good deal!

Two new pairs of Under Armor
Compression shorts. 

 After shoes, I went over to Sports Authority. I needed more running pants/shorts. I've wanted to try compression shorts for a while, so I ended up getting two pairs. I wore a pair for my run tonight, but more on that later. 

My newest piece of conforming
to n0n-conforming...The fab four

On my way home, fate struck...like lighting! No other way to explain it. I should probably mention I had made plans to go get a tattoo that I've had planned for a while. I called the place I was planning on getting it done and the guy I talked to was a total douche bag. Needless to say I did not go to that shop. So, I was going to wait and do a little research, call around to a few places this week and find a shop I was excited about, but on my way home from Sports Authority I ended up missing my turn. I was going to turn around when I spot this tattoo shop, it was actually the tattoo parlor I went to the last time I got a tattoo. I don't know why but I felt really compelled to stop. I literally slammed on my brakes and pull in. It turns out that this lady, Angie is her name, I had been looking at her work and really liked it, but I figured she would over charge. It turns out she was the only one not doing a tattoo when I went in and ended up charging me less that what I had budgeted for the piece. It was CRAZY! So I got my newest tattoo. I LOOOVE it. 

just before my run Super
excited about trying out my
new shorts. 

Got home, finished the last bit of laundry...checked the superbowl score. Cheered on the Pats, who happen to be winning. Put on my running clothes, and admired my new shorts. Last day of pre-training! I decided to run for distance instead of time tonight, so I did my first 3 mile run, instead of 30 minutes, which went well. I felt really good. I was excited about running all day, and my run didn't disappoint. I've got a new theme song that is rocking my world right now, We are Young by Fun., check it out if you get a chance. Compression shorts did everything they claimed to do. I am in love and it only took one run! Overall grade: A+, highly recommend!
Anyway, I take tomorrow off. Not so excited about that, but I'm being good and sticking to the schedule. Still motivated, still excited. Love telling people I'm training for a marathon! My first training day is Tuesday and I'll be running 3 miles which obviously, since thats what I did today, it's not going to be a problem. 
I've decided to add what I'm working on and what I'm thankful for at the end of each post. Keeps me focused and helps me appreciate the small things. So, here goes. 


Things I'm working on: What am I not working on at this point?
1.  The most prominent at the moment other than stamina is my foot positio when I land. I am bad heel striker and I'm trying to strike with the forefoot first. I did about 80% of tonights run using forefoot, but got lazy toward the end. My lower back calf is tight now, so I'm hoping thats a sign I was doing it right.
2. My arm swing. I tend to come across my body, which is inefficient and on long runs can add to fatigue, so I;m working on relaxing my shoulders, keeping my arms at a 90 degree angle and swinging forward instead of across.
Things I'm thankful for: A lot today, but my top three in no specific order:
1. I'm thankful for my body working exactly as it should and growing stronger by the day.
2. I'm thankful I am able to express myself in any form I choose. 
3. I am thankful for my friends and family and the support and love they continue to give me no matter what "scheme I'm up to this time."

Sore and happy

Yesterday was my second day of pre-training. Another great run. Even better than Thursday. So, I've proven to myself that I'm ready to start training and have picked my rest and running days. After a little more research I've decided to do a combination of "the non-runners" and of the Jeff Galloway program. They are pretty similar, but the Galloway program is 6 months instead of 4, and since I'm not planning to do it until fall I figure thats perfect timing and I think I'll feel more prepared. So my run days are going to be Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday with my long runs on Sunday, which obviously means my rest days will be Monday, Thursday and Saturday. My first day of training will be this coming Tuesday, Feb. 7. I'm also looking into signing up for a running program with a coach and fellow future-marathoners. Would be nice to have people to run with, especially on the long runs.  So, I didn't run today, but not for lack of wanting. I was kind of craving a run but the non-runners says to stick to the schedule even if you feel like running more or father, so I'm sticking to my schedule, even though I don't think running more often is necessarily going to hurt me. 

My new shoes, Newton
Running Momentum

I am buying new running shoes with my tax refund. My current shoes still have some life left in them, but running shoes are expensive and I never know when I'm going to have the funds to replace them. It would really suck to get a few months into training and desperatly need new shoes, but not have the money to buy them, so I figure I'll just stock up while I can. I go back and forth between Asics and Mizunos, but have heard great things about Newtons. I know I love the style, but was skeptical about the engineering. If you haven't heard of Newtons, I encourage you to google them. Anyway, after reading reviews I decided to take the plunge. I'm going to Running Wild tomorrow (or maybe monday) to try them on. If they fit well, I think I'll order them online and try and get them a little cheaper. Fingers crossed.
So, tomorrow I'l be back at it, andother 30 minute run. Just one more rest day until the real training begins! I'm super excited at this point. Ready to get this show on the road...literally.