Earlier Sunsets

It gets more and more difficult to run 5 days a week as sunset creeps earlier and earlier. I used to run at 7pm each day. Right now, it is completely dark at 6:30, and most of my runs take at least 30 minutes. I work during the day, partially on my fashion business and partially as a private tutor of math and science. While my schedule is somewhat flexible, I do have specific appointments, and I often run into timing issues with my runs. I tried switching to morning, but that didn't work either. So...I run when I can! I get at least 3 days each week, usually 4, and sometimes all 5.

I was worried about my pace because I'm dealing with the arch pain issue and haven't been able to keep up my speed work. I timed a 4.25 yesterday and averaged 8:39/mile. This is not my fastest ever, but I was so relieved to find that I'm still in the faster zone I worked so hard to reach.

This weekend there is a 5K run at my boyfriend's college campus. It's costumed! (Yay!) I think we're going to enter. I know I'm not competitive yet, but it might be helpful to start timing myself in an actual race situation.

Arch Pain

I've had some arch pain the past few runs, just in my left arch. From what I can find, this appears to be a fairly common issue, and I suspect it could possibly have to do with changing shoes. Though that is not the only possible cause, it seems quite likely. My new shoes have less arch support than my old ones.
I did try going back to my old shoes, but the pain still manifested. It happens after I complete a run and then sticks around after, gradually getting better.

This pain has gone beyond "niggle", so I'm trying to be very careful with it because I really don't want to end up with a serious injury. These are the helpful bits of advice I'm following:
1. Ice it after each run, about 20 minutes.
2. Roll a ball under the arch. (They say tennis ball, but I took the ball out of my cat's ball-track toy since it's close in size and I didn't have a tennis ball on hand.)
3. Lay off the speed work. (Argh, I hate this one! Speed work sucks, but it reallyyy helps my times.)
4. Go easy on the pace and distance. (Careful with the "comfortably hard", sticking more on the side of just "comfortable".)
5. Take a day off if the pain is worse than normal and your body is telling you not to run.

New Shoes

Look, new shoes!
I've had many running shoes, but my current pair has been my first pair of Saucony, to be specific, the Saucony Excursion TR4. I really like them! They are my favorite running shoes so far! Well, I can't get them anymore, so I shopped all day for a pair of shoes and eventually found the Saucony Excursion TR6. Yay!

My old shoes are on the left. They were originally dark grey/blue, but they are completely covered in trail dust. The new ones are on the right. This is my first pair of black running shoes. I must admit, being a gothy kid, I am a fan of the black! Eventually, though, they will be the color of trail dust, and I will forget they were ever black.

Progress

Woohoo, getting faster! The fartleks are working!
And because I suck at updating, here is some kind of old speed update:

9/21 - I ran 4.25 miles in 36:03, average pace 8:28/mile.
9/22 - I tried out my new shoes and ended up at 4.25 miles in 35:32, average pace 8:21/mile.

9/25 - Monday - I went back to my old shoes. I only had time for two miles, so I tempo'd the first mile in 7:22, then ran back at a "comfortable" pace, which turned out to be 8:48.
I want my pace for a whole 5K to be 7:22. I'll get there!


AND...
This week I timed my first 5K on the trail. I finished in 25:18! Woo-hoo! That's an average pace of 8:09/mile. I am chasing a sub-25 for my race in November.

My dorky runner face

Hey guys! So there are tons of pictures of me on the internet, most of them in costumes or historical garb, mostly with a lot of makeup or costume stuff and great lighting (i.e. here: http://www.faerie-queen.com/) But now, I bring you the first online photo of me as a runner! Yay! No makeup, no glam, just dorky me ready for a workout. (:
This is before and after a run.

4.25 miles

4.25 miles! I still managed an average 8:41/mile pace. I'm getting pretty comfortable with this approximate pace (okay, comfortable might not be the best word, but consistent when I run hard!) I probably need some more speed work if I want to become competitive in my age group in races. We're starting with 5K. I have a history with that distance (high school cross country!), but in general, I've always been more competitive the longer the distance (was best at 5K and worst at 400 meters). So I plan on entering longer races in the future, once I feel good about my pace for those distances. Half marathon by next year for sure!

4 Miles

Yay, I'm up to 4 miles! My boyfriend and I ran 4 miles together the last two days. We ended up hitting an average 10:07 pace the first day and a 9:50 pace the second day.

Today I ran 4 miles alone (with music) and hit an average 8:46 pace. My fastest for 3.5 miles was previously 8:45/mile, so I'm basically back on track, just with an extra half mile of jelly legs! This pace was always achieved alone with no talking. Talking makes it slower, of course, but it is also fun to run with someone.

Oh...so speaking of music, what songs do I listen to while running? Here is today's list:
Ladytron - Burning Up
Ace of Base - Beautiful Life
Boney M - Rasputin
Diverge - To Hell (Razed in Black Mix)
Ladytron - Sugar
Lords of Acid - Young Boys
Marilyn Manson - Fight Song
Nine Inch Nails - Gave Up
and during my cooldown, Nine Inch Nails - Happiness in Slavery