Week #8 – Counting Down the Days

Only 25 short days until the More Magazine/Fitness Magazine Half-Marathon (but who’s counting?)! This week, the girls took two steps forward and one step back.

The snow is falling again. I’m looking forward to getting through the winter and running this race.  It’s a little like a battlefield around here, each of us on Team Arnicare falling prey to illness and injury. But as Gloria Gaynor belted out, “I will survive!” So what to do for motivation? For me, I feel like my longer run goals have been stressing me out, just another “to-do” on my overflowing list.  Changing the tempo to shorter runs during the week as a daily activity is sustaining me right now. Will it be enough to give me proper training for April? Only time will tell. For now, I just have to put one foot in front of the other, literally.  – Kay

I’ve been obsessed with my calendar lately! April 13…April 13.. April 13…How many days do I have left? When can I train? What are my traveling plans in the meantime? And then something very unexpected happened. Last Friday, I went for a run in the morning, with no big ambitions. Just the idea of going out there and doing the best I could, regardless of how slow I went or how long it took, (dear colleagues, please ignore these last few words) even regardless of the time I would get to work. I just got out there for some much needed “ME time.” I managed to do eight miles, without having to push too much! To me, that’s super exciting! I feel like this has brought me the motivation and confidence I really needed. Now let’s see if I can keep it up during the next couple of weeks!  – Nathalie

I joined the disabled list this past weekend. About a half mile from my house, near the end of a strong 10-mile run, my left ankle gave out. It’s embarrassing to admit there’s no valid reason for why–I didn’t trip over a branch or stumble in one of the dozens of potholes covering my neighborhood’s streets. It simply happened. So for the last three days, I’ve been diligently applying Arnicare Gel to my “cankle” and wearing old, stretched-out shoes (except for today–heels were a terrible idea). I skipped my short run yesterday morning, but I’m crossing my fingers I can get one in tomorrow without too much pain. I’m frustrated this happened now–my training’s been going well, and we’re less than four weeks out. Thankfully, this weekend’s long run is a step back–only six miles–before my 11- and 12-mile runs over the next two weeks. Just the thought of taking it easy and losing some of the endurance I’ve built up over the last several weeks is giving me anxiety. Hopefully next week I’ll be able to eport back that my “cankle” has disappeared!  – Heather