Making Progress :)

Mark:

Well, this week has not been as enjoyable as the previous weeks. Last Friday Shannon and I ran our long run of 8 miles. During that run, we ran about a quarter of a mile on an uneven, sloped sidewalk. As a result, the inside of my right knee has been stiff, sore to the touch, and it hurts to bend or move certain ways. I did okay when I ran Monday, but that is when it began to really hurt. I had to cater to my right knee, which caused my left achilles to start hurting. When we got up on Wednesday morning to run, I was unable to do it. The pain was too much. It probably sounds like I'm complaining, but I just want to run a week without injury. I don't care about being sore; that's part of it. It takes the fun out of running when you are always dealing with some type of injury. The good news is that with a brace I wore this morning; I ran 4 miles. I only had a little discomfort. The plan is to ice my legs today and get ready for my first double digit run tomorrow. We run 10 miles in the morning. Wow, that just sounds crazy.

Shannon:

This week has been a good running week for me :) I'm not as old as Mark, so my ailments aren't as bad ;) I have been dealing with a little shin splint pain, but I think I just need to start phasing in a new pair of running shoes. It is only taking me about two miles to really get warmed up and get my legs loose. This is a great accomplishment for me since it used to take me a good four miles.

This week we started running four miles as our "short" runs. This is amazing to me, because earlier this year when I was training for the Russellville Half Marathon my first "long" run was four miles. Now I'm like, "Four miles, that's nothing!" I love seeing my own progress. That's the great thing about running...you aren't competing against other people (at least not all the time), you are competing against yourself. You push yourself to be better than you were your last time running. Looking back on that first "long" run of four miles in February, I ran it in 53:09...that's an average pace of 13:17 per mile. This past Wednesday I pushed myself. I had a fabulous run. I finished my four  miles in 44:06...that is an 11:01 pace. THAT is what I call progress!!

I'm looking forward to our 10 mile long run tomorrow. It is one of the last long runs I will be able to compare to my last training. Hopefully I can maintain that 11:01 pace I had on Wednesday :)

We want to remind you that we are raising money for pediatric cancer at St. Jude Hospital. Please consider helping us reach our goal. If you are interested in helping either one of us, you can follow these links:

Mark:
http://fundraising.stjude.org/site/TR/Heroes/Heroes?px=3476880&pg=personal&fr_id=40881

Shannon:
http://fundraising.stjude.org/site/TR/Heroes/Heroes?px=3470299&pg=personal&fr_id=40881

Feel free to share these links with friends and family that may want to help those families impacted by pediatric cancer as well.