30 minute Run; 5 minute walk

Because I changed the rest day on my schedule I planned to run 45 minutes, but I got rained out after 30 minutes. Although I enjoyed the run today it took more effort than yesterday's run. I was glad to stop. My right lower leg and ankle got tired. I think my cardiovascular endurance has exceeded my skeletal/musculature endurance. Either that or every time I get a new pair of shoes I'll have a new set of muscles to strengthen. Too, I noticed a potential hot spot on a heel. Most advice that I've read in books suggest using vaseline for friction spots. Popular opinion is that the blisters are a sock issue. I may go buy a couple of pair of running socks today or tomorrow. Buying socks will be cheaper than frequently buying 5 blister pads at a cost of $3.20 per box. While I'm at it I'll buy some vaseline too.

The new discomforts are probably because this is the first week of aiming for between 15 and 20 miles and I am doing more and the pace is a little more aggressive. Even though my legs were achy first thing this morning my resting pulse was 56. I decided that was a good indication that I am not overtraining. It's an interesting turn of events to me now that my cardio is stronger than my legs, ankles and feet, when I began it was the other way round. Tomorrow will be a rest day. I'll go to the River Walk or Indian Mounds over the weekend and may tweek my schedule further by running 100 minutes on one of those days. It was smart to do this schedule in pencil!

I think it's interesting that at the young age of 62 years I've been able to, after never running before, begin training in January 09 and just a couple of months later I'm able to run 3 to 6 miles. Some of the literature says anyone can do it, but I don't believe that. Maybe I got my attitude because when I worked in nursing most people I dealt with in my age group not only couldn't run, but had serious health issues. I've decided to do a autobiography that is made up of the physical activities and jobs I've had that contribute to my ability to run and be otherwise fit.--The outline shows me that in high school I could out run and out jump all my classmates in P.E, the years I did fast paced work as a waitress, the years in retail and the nursing training and the kind of nursing I did would indeed prepare me for a program of long distance running. Even the first ten years I raised my daughter, and did not work outside the home, would show my ability to cope with extremes and fatiquing situations. I lived in a small house, no insulation-froze in the winter and sweltered in the summer. It would get so hot I would have to get out of the house. Candles melted. I would fill a child sized swimming pool; put it under a shade tree for us to sit in to cool us off. Not only did I adapt to and survive extremes in temperature, but I couldn't afford disposible diapers so I had to wash cotton diapers and I generally washed them by hand. I was a single parent, that meant I was the only one available to hold my child. My back hurt between my shoulder blades all during the time she was a toddler. I had no car so it's a given that I did more walking than some of my more fortunate friends.

I got to thinking about my feet getting blisters. What if I just spent $100 dollars on shoes, fit myself and made a mistake in the size. Thinking about it, for a (almost)skinny 5'4.5" inch woman it seems farfetched that I'd wear a size 8 mens shoe in a wide width. So I got on line found a web site and followed the directions. I got a piece of paper and carefully drew the outline of my foot. Then I measured the length and the width. Checked some online charts of sizing shoes by inches, length and width, and thank goodness, yes, according to the charts, with a foot of the length of 10 inches with a width of 4 inches is a mens size 8E. That's the size I bought and they should be perfect! I have to do the same thing with socks, that is I have to buy sizes that more than likely will accomodate mens feet.

I know from experience that finding the right shoe in a womens size is usually an exercise in futility. It's my opinion, that both the manufacturers and the ladies usually can't get away from the cosmetic appeal of the product. Even today with the popularity of marshmellow, clunker, athletic shoes the temptation cannot be resisted to stream line the shoes and make them look more delicate and feminine. That is usually to the sacrafice of a good fit and to the detriment of the feet.