Hi Everyone!!! I was supposed to pick up my race packet on Wednesday but the weather was bad so I went today instead. The race is at 8 am so it will already be warm but there is a chance of rain - and if it does rain, that will help a lot! Today is my rest day. I am going to NC to the beach on Sunday so today I am just getting things ready and picking up around the house. Hope everyone has a great day!!!

Stopping here for just a minute, this day has been go go go, but I did get my run in. It was on a full stomach and in the evening so hot and humid. My training plan called for a five minute walk, a 20 minute run and a five minute cool down. I did okay on the running pace, the plan calls for very slow and I was faster than it said I ought to be - but that was even with walking for a minute after the first ten minutes.

I will check in try to check in later this week.

Hey!!! I’ve been having a great time, lots of stuff to do here! My training planned said to run today but I felt I needed a day off, plus I am off schedule and didn’t want to run in the morning after running the evening before. So I walked the beach today. Hopefully my legs and feet will be okay tomorrow to run! Beach walking uses such different muscles, I’m afraid l will be sore!! So I need to get myself out in the morning for sure, gotta make myself do it!

Hello!!! We are back from our beach trip. It was wonderful! That is the first time we have been to Carolina Beach. There was a lot to do! Sharon, how cool that you have a friend there who was a runner! Mostly I walked the beach, a lot! I didn't always turn my Garmin on. Plus we did a lot of sightseeing and that was even more walking! I walked so much and with my running, I was feeling like I was getting worn out. At first I was running on this short path around the little lake there but then I got brave and started running down 431, which was awesome. On Thursday I ran from Carolina Beach to Kure Beach. I did stop and take some pics along the way so not a straight running deal but still I am pleased. I might have to tweak this plan though...it has me running FIVE days a week. I used to be able to do that, not so sure that is wise these days. It has me running FOUR days in a row, so I am definitely doing some adjusting this week. We will have to see how things go this week though, we are due for some stormy weather over the next couple of days and it might not be possible to get outside. I probably should have tried to run this morning actually but I needed the rest day.

Sharon, where I live, there is no mask mandate anywhere and schools are closing down by the dozens. It is crazy.

Jenny, it was quite warm where I was too, but where I live, once this storm passes in a couple of days, we are going to have some awesome weather!!!!

Happy Happy Monday! It's such a lovely day, though I know we are likely to see clouds and rain for the most part due to Ida. I did my training run this morning. Todays plan was the 5 minute warmup, 10 minute of running and then another 10 minutes if I "felt good" and then the five minute cooldown. I like this plan because it gives you the option to keep going but it isn't required. I always try to do the extra time. The pace it recommends is very slow and I tend to end up being a little bit faster - I always start out slow but usually will have negative splits. For the warmup and cooldown, it is a slow run or walk but I am already running so slowly that I end up walking the warm up, usually I run most of the cool down. I walked a bit after that, and then I did lower body strength.

Sharon, on the heel drop, I wear zero drop shoes. I alternate with a pair that have 4mm drop. I went to zero a few years ago for two reasons, one I am a heal striker, and supposedly the zero drop would help me land mid-foot. Nope. I am still a heal striker! Now they say that is probably not such a bad thing. The other reason is that I needed more of a minimalist shoe for my bunion. I wore the zero drop shoes to NC last week and didn't take my other pair - I usually alternate between the two. But for a week I wore the Altras and then this morning I put on my Sauconys with the 4mm drop and ooooh, those felt weird at first. I may transition to only the Altras once this pair of Sauconys retires (they are new so it will be a while).

Otherwise, I am going to the store to get some stuff so we can resume eating at home again after a week on the beach. It's not so hot today because of the clouds from Ida, right now the dew point is 74 and the heat index/feels like is 88. We are going to see a big drop in humidity after Ida passes and it should be very pleasant running weather. I was out a while ago and saw some trees with some hints of color - kind of shocked me because here in middle Tennessee we have a LONG way to go before fall is here....makes me wonder if it will be an early winter or something!!!! Y'all, I am NOT a winter person so I hope not!!!;

Well, gonna head out, I am having a late cup of coffee and then headed to Publix!!!!

This is a great article! Thank you for sharing it Sharon. I currently wear Altra Escalante which is a very lightweight shoe with a zero drop and moderate cushioning. I have tried the Altra Torins but feel they have too much cushioning. You would think that with me having RA and issues with connective tissues, the cushioning would be better for me, but nope. I haven't tried the new version of the Saucony Freedoms yet but I have heard that they are different and so I don't know if the new model will work for me. It has gotten hard to find shoes because the running shoe stores around here don't carry the ones that I typically wear. I just started a brand new pair of Freedoms and I just ordered a brand new pair of Altras so hopefully I will be set for a while.

Hello!!! It is raining raining raining here. I keep thinking it will stop but nope! It is a nice rain, probably very runable, but for now I am skipping it. I think that today will be a rest day. I could have done indoor cardio or strength but on Friday (which is my usual rest day) I am hoping to go hiking so this might just work out for me.

Hello! It was a good rest day and a good day for doing it, it rained all day and I just had a nice calm and quiet day. Worked on some crafts. The rain is gone and it was a pleasant 74 degrees when I went on my run this morning and the dew point was down to 69. With a nice breeze of about 4 mph, it felt very nice to run. I did my training plan, then walked a little. After that I did upper body. I am feeling tired today. I think I didn't sleep the greatest and I am having some joint pain, especially in my hips. While I was walking I had a bad dizzy spell. I hope I am not going to have a flare up of EDS. Anyway, I am not going to worry about that, it is just an odd thing.