I got some cool running gear over Christmas-socks to prevent blisters, a running belt, a foam roller, a new sports bra, etc. I wish I could share some pictures, but my camera is unfortunately not working. I was also able to exchange my running shoes via mail to get a smaller pair. The owner of Up-N-Running is awesome. I highly recommend the store.
I got to run in all kinds of places over the holidays. I did 10 miles at Boyce Park in Pittsburgh. I even got to run around the Creation Museum in Kentucky when we were visiting Jess and Cyd. It was very cool to run in some new areas.
Yesterday I put in 12 miles. After my run in Boyce Park I learned that when running over an hour I need to eat something after about 45 minutes. I totally ran out of energy during that run. I didn't run out of energy yesterday, but it was pretty painful. My knees are very sore, even today too, but it feels better to get up and move around. When I stopped at home yesterday after 6 miles to eat a gronola bar, Josh told me to stay focused. It's amazing how much someone's words can encourage you. I repeated that phrase the rest of my six miles when I wanted to quit.
There are definitely times when I doubt whether I can finish this training. But, I am just taking it one run at a time, while remembering this is only 4 months of my life. I am already into my 5th week of training. That's crazy. My goal now is to get some music on my Ipod!