More, More, More

I'm very much a goal-oriented, plan-driven type of girl. Now that I've completed my first 5k, I'm craving bigger and better. Rational A.K., as I often refer to the well thought-out portion of my brain, says "all in good time." She knows it wouldn't be healthy or wise to do too much too fast. Impatient A.K., who often graciously makes decisions on my behalf, is saying "it's time for a 10k!" She keeps picturing me, myself, and I crossing the finish line at a marathon [she's obviously loopy]. It's obvious that Rational A.K. and Impatient A.K. need to compromise, but I don't see anything wrong with allowing both of them to have their way. I even looked at Couch to 10k programs yesterday evening, though I'm not yet at the point where I feel as though running 4 miles several times per week is comfortable or even attainable. One key thing I need to keep in mind is what my dad reminded me before the 5k: my biggest challenge is in my head. I think it's pretty safe to say that I've caught race fever.

I know that this time around, I don't want to train explicitly in the gym. I also know my personal limitations and how much I hate being outside during unbearably hot summer days. In case you haven't gathered by now, I'm definitely a cold-weather girl. This summer beginning in late June, I'll be working at the Faison School for Autism, and I'll need to be at work by 8 a.m. Training in the a.m. is not necessarily feasible for me, because waking up before 6:00 is damn near impossible not really feasible for me unless it's absolutely necessary. Also, I don't have a training buddy or a race buddy. Though Dad is interested in running and he loves exercise, back pain prevents him from doing much running on pavement. Caroline and Mom have virtually no interest in training for races, particularly due to Mom's long-standing knee injury that bothers her sometimes. Ian is definitely not interested in training or racing with me.

Finally, I've been experiencing knee pain on and off for several weeks. Last night, I was just hanging out at home when the bottom of my right foot felt as though it was cramping or like it needed to be popped. I tried stretching, massaging, popping, pushing, pulling... nothing did the trick. I shrugged it off and went to bed. This morning, I completely forgot about the pain. I set a goal of 4 miles for myself, but I only made it 15 minutes into a 52-minute run when the pain came back, sharply and abruptly. I was determined to make it to 2 miles, so I finished my somewhat defeated run, cooled down, and hopped on the weight machines for a bit. Looks like I really need to listen to the signals my body is sending me (sigh).

P.S. I've been considering creating a video blog (a.k.a. "vlog") one day soon. How would you feel about that? I've heard many pros and many cons concerning video blog posts.