I was so worried about yesterday morning’s long run. In fact, I worried all week that i would not be able to go the distance, which was 14 miles. That was my longest run yet, having done 13 miles three times: two half marathons, and one thirteen mile run the week before.

I believe I posted about how sick I got after the last half marathon. i didn’t eat as quickly as I should have and found myself getting out of the shower, soap still in my hair, because I could not keep my eyes open. I lay down on my bed and asked my husband to make me something to eat. i didn’t know I was hungry; I just knew I had no energy at all.

So the week before last I spent the entire week before my 13 mile run worrying that i would get sick like that again. I didn’t, and all was well.

This past week I worried I wouldn’t finish the 14.

And again, all was well.

It was a beautiful run, in fact. Foggy morning, cold and dark in the beginning as I left my house around 4:30.   i spent the entire jog out thinking about my company, how much i have been learning as I go along and how badly i want to own that brick and mortar shop in a few years, when the girls start school.

On the way back I thought about other things. I watched the ocean waves, I saw the morning surfers with their cups of Starbucks and their boards, watching the waves, talking about how good the surf looked.

My toes went numb, but I’m used to it now. In fact, it is part of the pain that I love about distance running, about realizing just how alive I am when I’m working on mile 11 or 12 and I’m almost home and i know my family is waiting and then we will head out to Corner Bakery for a breakfast of eggs and toast and potatoes.

And when I hit that last dreaded stretch, the one that takes me down the congested street, filled with traffic lights, before I hit home, I kept murmuring to myself when I started feeling that I just wanted to be there already, “Get it done!” And when I did get it done, and I rounded the corner to my house, I threw my hands up in the air and yelled, “I just did fourteen miles!”

Because doing those fourteen without faltering made me realize that i can do this 26.2 in February.

I’m just gonna put my shoes on, head out to the pavement, and “get it done.”

So this morning i got up at four. yes, 4 am, long before the sun rose over the mountains in the east. I had to feed the baby, becuase she doesn’t sleep much past four, and then I had a five mile run to conquer, and so I decided the best thing to do would be to stay up and go out.

the run was fantastic! I saw three shooting stars, and one one of them I asked that I make it through 26 miles. As you can see, this is still terrifying me! I keep thinking that this weekend, according to my training plan, I’m supposed to run 15 miles. 15! How the heck am I going to run 15 miles, I wonder?!

Tomorrow is my 3 miles run followed by a 20 minute swim. I’m looking forward to going to the gym since I didn’t get to go this Monday, when my daughter was sick. I actually don’t mind the treadmill much anymore. I kind of enjoy seeing how far I’m going, how many calories I’m burning, and how fast I am doing the running, as I always seem to run faster when on the treadmill than when on actual pavement.

But boy am I tired!

It is not even nine and I am off to bed. I have to wake at four again tomorrow to make it to the gym and get in my workout before my husband has to leave for work and the kids rise.

And then, my next run will be 15 miles.

Say what?

On Saturday I ran a half marathon.

13 miles.

No race. No event. No cheering spectators. Just me and my Asics, two gel packs, some water and a few crackers to fill up my stomach.

I have to say, it was an awesome run. I added on two miles so I got to explore unchartered territory in the form of a neighborhood with old Craftsman homes. It was beautiful.

Toes grew numb, yes, but I kept going.  I ran through the pain, as they say that you have to do. Eventually they quieted and only hurt again when I stopped.

There were no major issues with the run itself. I did well, in my regular time-no faster yet no slower.

The problem was when I ended.

The idea that I have to now increase that mileage is scaring me. I look ahead at my running plan for the next 12 weeks and see 16, 18 and 21 miles runs. How can I ever go that far?

I’ve only gone as far as 13 miles. A half marathon. How will I increase that?

I took an echinacea when I got back, after eating lunch. My kids are sick; I wanted to prevent that, as i know that as you train and increase in mileage you are much more likely to get sick than when you are running shorter distances.

Ten minutes later I threw it up.

My suggestion: Don’t take supplements when running long distances. They just don’t mix!

luckily the crackers on the run, the two gel packs and the half piece of bread beforehand helped to squelch my blood sugar from dropping. I felt fine after the run and didn’t have to sit down, eyes half closed, wondering if i was going to make it another minute.

But I just don’t know if I can do 26 miles.

How is that possible?

It is, I know it is. I read the stories. I’m training. each week I increase, I get stronger, and yet the idea of running 26 miles is starting to scare the crap out of me.

Next week, on Saturday, I run 15.

Will I make it? I’ll report back and let you know. In the meantime I will concentrate on taking one step at a time. Tomorrow’s run is just 45 minutes. This sounds so little now that my long runs take over 2 hours.

And I will do as my daughter’s Christmas song says and, “Just put one foot in front of the other, and soon you’ll be walking across the floor . . .”

I’ve been doing yoga now for about ten years and have always known the benefits of it, from the way that my body feels so fluid once I’m done and even the next day to how calm I feel when I’ve completed the workout.

Now that I am training for this marathon I decided to start taking yoga classes.   I started off through the city where I live. I liked the class a lot-the lady was great, and while it was a good workout it was also fairly calming.

Since I’m going to be training for a triathlon after this marathon I decided to join the gym. For $30 a month I can swim, bike, use the treadmills and take as many classes as I want in yoga, pilates, and the like.

Last night I took my first yoga class, and the difference between THAT class and the one that I have been taken through the city (which was located at the senior center) was amazing. Last night I stretched, balanced on my forearms, did a back bend and maneuvered my body in positions I had no idea I could actually do.

Today, I’m hurting, but it is a good stretching pain. I did my middle of the week 5 miler, which was more like a 4.5 miler with some sprinting at the end to work on speed work. My legs felt really heavy, and sore, afterwards. But my body definitely felt better than it had before I’d gone to yoga.

If you are training for distance running-or even if you are not!-I highly recommend signing up for yoga classes. The stretches really help out with the running. I know that my foot pain feels better after I do stretches  for my feet, and my lower back doesn’t hurt as much when I’m doing distances as it used to before I started yoga.

Of course, I just got back from my run and have not had a chance to see how much pain I’m going to feel later from the yoga and running, so I may have a different opinion this afternoon-but I doubt it!

So I entered this morning’s run with some trepidation.

For one thing, we had little sleeplast night.  Both girls have come down with a cold and neither slept more than a few hours at a time last night. So I was up at 10:30, 12, 3, 3:30, 5 and finally for good at 5:30.

I started to turn around three times after leaving the house because we had been up so much with the girls the night before and I was so tired. But, since I have not been on my schedule since the fires, I knew I had to plod through or possibly ruin my chances with the race.

I’m so glad I did.

As I was thinking that I couldn’t do it, I turned y thoughts around. I looked out over the foggy morning, saw some lights on with people at home, and thought, “This will be a great run.” It so was!

The inserts for my shoes really helped. I did have some foot pain and numbing but nothing like I have been having. I did 11 miles, down to the beach and along the concrete walkway to the pier and back. It was great.

I feel like I’m back on target for the race. I’m so glad I Purchased those inserts! If you are having some foot pain in the ball of your foot near your toes, definitely see a dr as it can signal something more serious. But if it isn’t something serious, check out pressure relief inserts-they saved my feet!

Now I’m pooped. The girls are sleeping but I can’ t. I have business to take care of, so napping today is out. I am so glad I ran though! This just proves that you do not need 8 hours of sleep to have a good long distance run (though I will not argue that it does help!)

I’m off until Monday when I will return to the gym to run on the treadmill and do some swimming.

Happy running!

So I’ve been having some toe numbing when I increase my mileage. Since I’m training for a marathon I increase regularly.

In the beginning, my toes would tingle and go numb at 60 minutes, then at ninety, then around 2 hours. When I would stop, or if I struck my foot in a different gait, I’d feel intense pain for a minute or so and then the toes would gradually come back to life.

After the Long Beach half, I started feeling pain after every run, even the three milers. But I learned that if my toes started to ache as though they were going to go numb I could wiggle and stretch them and ‘wake them up!’ They wouldn’t go numb. They’d jsut be uncomfortable.

Anyway, I was talking to another runner, a friend of mine, who mentioned the term nueroma. Then I read a little about this. Seems in this condition the toes go numb and the foot hurts and some people have to stop running.

I went to see my podiatrist today, terrified. The run on the treadmill went well, half an hour. The swim was great. But the whole rest of the day my foot hurt, and then last night, as we trick or treated around the neighborhood, I was in a lot of pain. I was sure I was going to hear I had to stop running.

So I’m lucky to report that no, I don’t have to stop: I just have to use an insert. This is a pressure relief insert that is supposed to cushion my forefront.

12 or so years ago I had bunion surgery. The podiatrist said he sees this pain a lot with those who have bunion surgery. Apparently we put more pressure on our forefront, and this causes the pain and numbing.

I hope this works! I’m taking tomorrow off as well and then I’ll do 11 miles on Saturday.  Keep your fingers crossed that all goes well and my feet don’t hurt! The inserts feel great. Can’t wait to test them out!