training begins (soon). think positive. think rocky running up the steps.

i bought my running shoes today. after reading a million articles and reviews online about the right running shoes for flat feet, i felt dizzy and decided that this is one purchase i should make in person and not online (the bing commercials are so on the money about me--i read 3983402 reviews before i buy any product). lucky for me, there is a runners store close by, so today after church sh and i went to buy my running shoes. the guy helping me was an endearing sort of geeky. a little overeager in a socially awkward way, but very good at explaining the different types of running shoes out there. they had one of those setups where they take a video of you running on a treadmill, and afterwards they analyze the way you run frame-by-frame to see what kind of shoes are best for you. in the end, he helped me decide on the brooks gts shoes. on sale too! off the hook. that's a phrase we should bring back in this new decade. if we all do it, it'll become cool again, i promise. go say it to your boss tomorrow.

btw, if anyone wants to join me in this race (liza), the sign up info and online registration app is here: http://www.nyrr.org/races/2010/r0228x00.asp. i prefer...slow people. or if you're fast, come run the race, go home, shower, eat something, then come back and wait at the finish line for me.

training plan

Week	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
1	Rest	1.5 mi run	CT or Rest	1.5 mi run	Rest	1.5 mi run	20-30 min EZ
2	Rest	1.75 mi run	CT or Rest	1.5 mi run	Rest	1.75 mi run	20-30 min EZ
3	Rest	2 mi run	CT or Rest	1.5 mi run	Rest	2 mi run	20-30 min EZ
4	Rest	2.25 mi run	CT or Rest	1.5 mi run	Rest	2.25 mi run	25-35 min EZ
5	Rest	2.5 mi run	CT or Rest	2 mi run	Rest	2.5 mi run	25-35 min EZ
6	Rest	2.75 mi run	CT	2 mi run	Rest	2.75 mi run	35-40 min EZ
7	Rest	3 mi run	CT	2 mi run	Rest	3 mi run	40 min EZ
8	Rest	3 mi run	CT or Rest	2 mi run	Rest	Rest	Race!

(CT means cross-training, like elliptical/biking and EZ means...take it easy...)

this is a chart i found online. it says it's an 8 week plan for beginner runners wanting to run a 5K. ok. so. what do you call someone who's lower than a beginner? because i don't think i can run 1.5 miles straight right now without stopping. so...yeah. we'll see what happens. if i don't write in this blog again...

training: day 0
i didn't really train today. it was just a day to try out my new shoes (what? the chart says training starts monday. also, i'm sore as hell from yesterday's workout. note to self, don't bike while listening to rhcp). the shoes felt pretty good, but the higher arch support will take some getting used to. you know what my problem is? i am lazy. or even when i'm trying not to be lazy, i still follow that "path of least resistance" principle. or even when i'm forcing myself to not to take that path, i do everything i can to make it easier on myself. for example, rewards. (i'm a big rewards person. to get studying done in law school, i'd tell myself that i'd get an ice cream break after every 30 min. of studying...and kids, this is why i can't run 1.5 miles straight without stopping. no, of course not! it's my flat feet.)  not 5 min. after i signed up for the race, i thought about all the restaurants i could run to while i train: excellent dumpling house is 2.7 miles from home, nha trang is 2.7 miles from home, veniero's is 3.6 miles from home. don't worry. i'll burn it all off! it'll be glorious! i'll leave you with the inspiring lyrics from eye of the tiger: "risin' up, straight to the top / have the guts, got the glory / went the distance, now i'm not gonna stop / just a (wo)man and his will to survive." don't say it's cliche. you know you're singing it in your head right now.