Preparing To Run

Now that I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and do finally believe that I will not be pregnant forever*, I'm feeling a desire to prepare myself to start running once again. After all, I'm having a baby, not a personality transplant, so running will once again play an important role in my life.

To that end, here's what I've found myself doing over the last few days:

1. Ordered new running shoes. It's certainly time, since I haven't bought a new pair of running shoes in 9+ months. The interesting thing is that I've had to size up 1/2 size because my feet have grown! I heard that can happen when you're pregnant (and it's a permanent change) but I didn't really notice it until just a few weeks ago. My toes are pretty darn crammed in to the toe box of my old Supernovas. These new ones will feel great!

2. Renewed my subscription to Runner's World Magazine. It expired sometime mid-pregnancy and I chose not to renew it then because I just thought it would be too depressing to get that reminder in the mail each month that I wasn't running. Soon though, I'll appreciate the extra motivation and advice the publication provides for me each month.

3. I am updating my blog with links to some coaching websites and blogs** (see sidebar if you're interested). These are mostly established triathlon coaches giving pretty high tech advice, and I've recently found myself once again very interested in their different training philosophies. I am admittedly a self-coached athlete, for several reasons. First off, I'm not financially prepared the shell out the big bucks for a coach, even though I do believe that having one might help me reach another level in the sport. But even given that, there's something I enjoy about learning and reading about the "best" ways to train and then putting it all together and experimenting for myself. I can also totally see myself blowing off a coach's advice, justifying that nobody knows my body like I do. Whether or not that's true it neither here nor there. The main thing is that since I have no aspirations of ever becoming pro in my sport, it seems to me that I should enjoy the purity of being able to choose for myself how much and how hard I'm going to train during a given period. Motivation is rarely an issue for me.

4. I have started updating the music on my iPod. It's definitely time for new playlists that will keep me going!

5. I'm getting myself back into a routine of 'training', even if my 'training' right now involves walking rather than running. I've upped my daily walks from 30-40 minutes to 60-90 minutes and just have to believe that having my legs carry me on land 4-5 miles/day is better preparing me to run than not having them do that. My pace has picked up some now too, now that I am unencumbered by the dog who has a persistent need to stop and smell every blade of grass along the way... And of course I'm also secretly (or not so secretly since I'm announcing it here) hoping that one of these days during my walk I'll feel a spontaneous gush of water flow out of me and splash on the asphalt below... How cool would that be?? Unfortunately I think that only happens in the movies.

Regardless, I'm feeling ready, mentally and (almost) physically, to get back in the game.

*Repeat something often enough and eventually you will believe it!!

** If you know of other coaching blogs that give good info, forward me the link.