Weekend.

This past weekend was a perfect combination of both lazy and exhausting. I have been having a lot of problems with my arch on my right foot. I ran 9 miles on Wednesday last week, and around the last mile and a half, it felt like a knife was being stabbed into by arch. I hobbled home, and started icing. It hurt so badly to go up on to my toes. I talked the next day with my trainer about it, he suggested I ice and rest it, and head to 'Fleet Feet' to get analyzed. He was concerned about it being plantar fasciitis, which is quite common, but also takes a long time to heal. I was praying that wasn't what was happening, training for a marathon and all.

So, I rested on Thursday, and did boot camp on Friday, staying away from the sprints and the jumps. Otherwise I felt OK. Our Friday night consisted of being lazy, watching DVR, icing, and having pizza and beer for dinner. It was wonderful!

On Saturday morning, we woke up and met our friends and next door neighbors, Josh and Katie, for breakfast and a hike along Saguaro National Monument. It was a beautiful day and I was thinking I was getting off easy, as she is 6 months pregnant and all. Not the case! We drove up to 'Biscuit's Country Cafe' for breakfast {biscuits and gravy, yes, please}, which is owned by the guy that lives across the street from us. It was yummy, and we ate way too much to be going directly out for a hike!

The Saguaro National Monument is a beautiful hike, with lots of cacti, trails, and wildlife! We even saw a desert tortoise. There is a long loop that we took around the park, and there were tons of hills. I mean gigantic mountainous hills! I felt so bad for Katie hiking up those mountains with her 6 month pregnant belly. We all got a little sunburned, but got a great workout, and went for beers, wings, and nachos afterward. I think it was an even trade!



After lunch we headed over to Fleet Feet where I got new custom insoles for my running shoes. The problem is, they need to be broken in, so you can only wear them for an hour or two at a time. Fail. The lady at the store told me I should NOT be running long distances, let alone 18 miles the next day with my injured foot. I was not happy. The Tucson Marathon was only a little over a month away!

The next morning I woke up determined, and excited. My foot felt great, I had iced the whole night before, and I was ready. I headed out for my 18 mile run, not wearing my new insoles, but the ones I had bought for our European adventure. My foot started to slowly hurt on my arch, but the pain peaked at about mile 5 and it never got any worse, so I just kept going. I made it through just fine, with the exception of some crazy toenail damage. My second toes on both feet have developed blisters underneath them, and are destroying my nail. So, I have an appointment with a podiatrist to cut those suckers off! My time on my 18 miler was right at my goal, so I felt OK, but still nervous.

love the views in Tucson...

I was nervous about my feet, my toes, and not having enough training before the Tucson Marathon December 11th. After talking with my friend, speedy, Olympic runner Alex, who said she is running only the half at the Tucson Marathon, and advice from my sweet husband, I have decided to do the half at the Tucson Marathon, and a month later do the Rock and Roll Full Marathon in Phoenix on January 15th. We are going to be in town for my husband to do the Tough Mudder, and the Rock and Roll is the very next day. Perfect!!

After I made this decision, I was able to take a deep breath of sorts. I had only been cramming in the training for this race since the Ragnar, I was not planning on any more races at all, so my training was short and not what I would have loved it to be. Now I have more time, and although I am more relaxed about the time frame, I am still terrified. I think that is exactly what makes it a perfect goal.