November resolutions and a barefooted fail

It is a gorgeous November morning (late morning now), a perfect way to ring in the first day of November. Its about 48 degrees with a brightly shining sun, but there is that weird cloud thing mixed in as well. The trees that still have leaves left on them are reaching their peak colors, finally, and glowing in the morning light. I logged four miles at a nice leisurely 8:21 pace. My time really suffered due to loosing my band-aid on this bad boy

Yesterday was my first experience with barefoot running. Like, no shoes at all.

It has been something that I have always wanted to play around with. I mean, I didn't wear shoes for about 5 years of my life, why wouldn't barefooted running be just the next, acceptable step of growing up. Well, who knew there were rules that you had to follow when you first started hitting the pavement sans foot ware. Silly.

So I hit the path, and made it about 1 1/2 miles before I was basically hobbling missing the padding from a little piggy, and in serious fear of loosing about 3 more. I hobble-jogged the .2 miles home and washed the dirt out of my exposed dermis, tapped those bad boys up and finished my 5 miles. I'm not going to lie, shoes are so nice. I got some great suggestions on what to do about it, but I think Ill just look into a pair of running sandals. Much more my style really.

So I have been thinking about November. I logged 108 miles for October (3 weeks of tapering + low weeks post marathon). I am fully healed from my Marathon, and now I need a new challenge. Thankfully, the turkey trot is almost to the end of November, so I pulled up a trusty Hal Higdon advanced 10k running plan. Does anyone elses calendar always look like this?

It helps me visualize and plan.

So one of my November goals is to complete this, and the other is to move up to 6 days of running a week. The amount of days per week I run has increased throughout the years, and I have seen it change me. I was a 3, maaaaaayyyybe 4 day a week-er for so long. Slowly moved to a 4-5 day a week-er when I was pregnant and became a religious 5 day a week-er post partum (Feb) with a 6th day here and there. This plan is a 6 day a week plan with a 7th thrown in here and there. I think I'm ready for it.

One thing that I had told myself for a long time that I needed to do was be a morning runner, early morning, before my day starts, so on and so on. Well you know what, that's not going to happen. Especially with a small one at home who still doesn't sleep fully through the night most of the time (4am party time last night!) If I can get up by 615, I'm off to a really good start.

I am extremely fortunate to have a flexible work schedule that would allow me to run whenever I want to. However, when I get into it, it is hard for me to detach myself and go for a run. I hardly find time to eat lunch most of the time (my own fault, really) But I have started a new schedule that works most days of the week, and I can adjust on the off days if need be. But I get the kids ready and myself into running clothes. We walk out the door at 8am, I drop the large one off at school, then the small one off at day care, then I drive a few blocks down the road to where there are these humongous houses lining a beautiful golf course which a pristine path follows the serene rolling hills, and I go for my run. This allows me to not go home and sit, which will result in me checking my email, which will result in 3 hours of work before I know it. It's fun to run on this path and look at all of these houses which I would never be able to afford, yet live so close to that I can dream what it would be like.

Running results in the best daily meditative head clearing fresh air breathing routine one can ever participate in.