Day 123 (4/12): 1/2 mile / about 5:00

So I know I was scheduled for a 5 mile run, but multiple things led me to the conclusion that 5 miles might not be the best idea for me today...

Concern #1: I know that running shoes are supposed to last a maximum of about 500 miles.  I was pretty sure I hadn't reached that point yet, but figured I was probably getting close.  Of course, once I started thinking about it, I was curious to know exactly how many miles I'd run since I started training, so I decided to actually add them up.  To my astonishment, the total came to 497.2 miles!  Several thoughts:  Thank you, New Balance, for suggesting a pair of shoes for me that have managed to last this long!  Congratulations to me for actually running that many miles!  And, holy cow, no wonder my body parts aren't always functioning properly!  This made buying a new pair of shoes an immediate priority!

Concern #2: With my focus now on a new pair of running shoes, I ended up spending most of my evening walking around Crocker Park looking for the New Balance store.  I guess I should have paid more attention to its location before choosing a parking lot so far away.  This is not to suggest that I walked several miles... but I did walk a good bit in not-so-great work shoes carrying a 35 lb kid that preferred the luxury of a free ride instead of hoofing it with his mother.

Concern #3: Everything hurts.  Not exactly painful... but a lot of discomfort.  Everything just feels out of whack.  My feet, my shins, my hips, my thighs... everything is just a bit off.

So, I put on my new running shoes hoping to start the process of breaking them in.  I jogged a half mile on the treadmill just to loosen up, then I spent the next 45 minutes stretching.  I imagine some of my discomfort was probably caused by my worn out shoes and some of it was from pushing myself harder than necessary for every workout.  I really do need to find a happy medium on my pace for some of my runs.  Constantly competing with myself is not doing me any good.

But, until I get all of that sorted out, which won't likely be any time soon, I decided that an extra day off might do me some good.  I'm still planning to take the day off tomorrow, as well, and hope that my body bounces back for Saturday's long run.  I can't say that I'm particularly excited about running 18 miles... but I'm very excited to prove I can do it :)