Oh my aching Plantar!

I tried to pretend that it wasn't there, but yes, my plantar issue has returned, particularly in my right foot. I know what I need to do, and now I finally need to do it!

Since being freed from the shackles of physical therapy on my calf muscle, I have reverted to my old familiar routine of getting up in the morning and running. I have not improved my cross training, strength training OR even my stretching. My plantar is making me pay!!!

So, time to rethink and replan the training. I need to find a way to MAKE TIME to hit the gym and get that cross training in along with some strength training. I also need to get some of the exercises into my routine that I learned in my plantar and calf PT experiences. It is so much easier to run out the front door in the morning. This will be tricky - it is looking like an after work stop at the gym.

On the "kill two birds" front, I am looking for an app or tool that will read .pdf files to me so I can listen while I run. Something that doesn't sound like a robot reading. If I can listen while I am working out I can make progress on the research and regain that time back at home.

Another 8 miler this week - heel was already sore from all the standing I was doing at my daughter's robotic event yesterday. Even massaging the foot last night didn't make it feel any better post run today. Still, a good run! Pushing it up to 10 miles next weekend :-). I am targeting the Swamphouse Half with an eye on the Winter Park Road Race (10K).

Killing Two Birds....

For years I have been juggling a lot of things - parenting, career, running and school. The first two items are given as the most important. I am not willing to compromise on quality of time I spend on those activities. The last two, though further down on the list, have shaped my life in many ways. I like to set bold goals and then go for them - all while maintaining some semblance of balance with the things on the top of my list.

As I was running my 8 miler today, I spent the time listening to this week's UCF class lecture. I am taking a course on Research Methods which is preparing me for embarking on my dissertation research. And it dawned on me (as it has before): How much of my school work (lectures, topic research, etc.) can I accomplish while I am out running? Even while training for half marathon distances, I am averaging around 20-25 miles of running a week. For slow me, that translates into 5-6 hours on the road. I am hunting for a decent .pdf reader so I can listen to research papers. I can use some of my devices to record thoughts that come to mind while running. I have started to implement "cloud" based tools for capturing and organizing my information (apps like Evernote, Springpad, RefWorks, and the Google suite of tools) and making them accessible from a variety of devices and connections.

And I must say, running helps me to engage the right side of my brain - which seems to help me develop some new ideas that can elude me when implementing my left brained study at my desk.



So, can I begin increasing my research activity AND increase my running activity and build my PhD while on the road? Stay tuned :-)

It's Already 2012....

Hello blog, my old running adventures friend! I write more on Facebook than I do here, but I have such fond memories within the pages of this blog. And the adventures continue. So, perhaps I can come visit a little more often.

The picture above is after the 2012 Walt Disney World Marathon weekend. This year I ran the Inaugural Marathon Relay with my sister Tammy. A very different race indeed! Neither of us was really trained up for this one. After 6 weeks of physical therapy for a pulled calf muscle from back in October, I had just a 10 miler under my belt going into this one. The goal was to take it easy, enjoy the race, run 2 min and walk 1 min the entire way. We also had race retreat packages which made the time there very enjoyable. We had an incredible time! My time for the first half was 2:49. Our team time was 6:30. A marathon relay PR! :-)

Next year is the 20th Disney World Marathon - an event I am sure will be a big deal. As much as I enjoyed the relay, I think I might have to run the full. We shall see how well I can train for that! :-)

In the meanwhile, lots of running planned for this year. My "target" races will likely be the Winter Park Road Race and the OUC Half Marathon in terms of working on time. Jim and I will run the Wine and Dine for the third year in a row - this year in November. I hope to run a 5K race with my 12 year old daughter AND I am not sure but I would like to find a nice race to run for my 50th birthday this year. I am not sure it will be a full marathon, but I would like it to be at least a half or a relay with family!

So here is to 2012 - 5 years since I ran my first marathon, 10 years since I ran that first 5K, and the beginning of a lifetime of running adventures.