The finger light was a hit!

It worked quite well, could have been a big brighter, but when you balance the brightness (we could see fine) with the size and weight of the light, the finger light won out. I borrowed this one but ordered them at Glowbug.com, make sure to get the ones with the velcro strap. Also, I used the foot powder that I mentioned, and it seemed to work well for this distance. The true test will come in 2 weeks, but it worked fine today. The name of it is Blister Shield, found at 2toms.com. Also, I tried their other product, Sport Shield, this morning. It is similar to Body Glide, but made of a different thing (silicone). It worked (for me) better than Body Glide and with no smell at all. I am not yet sure about the foot powder, but I can vouch for the Sport Shield stuff, it worked great for me. I used it on bra lines, my pit area that always rubs, it was perfect.

I have to say today was a great run. I felt strong and really enjoyed it, as soon as I got over the eery, weird feeling of getting onto that completely dark trail. That was a strange feeling. Boogerbears everywhere. I enjoyed it very much, and will miss all of you next week. Will be at the beach for a week of R&R, except for training.

I'll be keeping up with blogs here and there, so everyone have a great week and I'll see you in 2 weeks.

Today's flashlight solution

Well, I have a headlamp I use for backpacking, but I thought about having to tote it around with me the rest of those whole 9 miles, so I tried to come up with something a little lighter, more aerodynamic, if you will. I got it! A finger light. My roommate has (well, had) one that she whips out in the dark while I'm looking for my big, serious (grown-up) flashlight, and hers seems to work just as well. Well, I stole it. A good thing she doesn't read my blogs or I'd be in big trouble. It's only temporary, because I ordered some online yesterday. She can have hers back when I get mine in the mail. I hate to order something so tiny, but she doesn't remember where she got hers and God knows whether they'd even still have them. So Yahoo and I found them (Sorry, Google).

A finger light is a tiny flashlight that straps onto your finger (velcro - adjustable), and has an on/off switch. I don't know how much it weighs, but it's tiny and very light. This way, I can just put it in my pocket when it gets light out and it won't weigh me down (any more than I'm already weighed down).

I feel that this is the idea of the century, and all marathoners will think, that runswithSandy girl is a bright light among us. :-) We'll see how well it actually works tomorrow. I'll let you know.

By the way, I've run 3 days this week with no ankle brace, and only a little residual soreness on the medial (inner) side of my ankle. It has felt great for the most part, and I'm very excited.

Also, if you remember my blogs from earlier about my tender feet after the really long runs, I have done some research. I found nothing about any wearable sock or shoe liners that keep out the moistuer (I thought I saw those ironmen wearing something). But I did find some foot powder that is guaranteed to last the entire day. It is supposed to help keep your feet dry from the inside, but also to serve as a moisture barrier when your shoes/socks get wet from outside forces (such as water coming off one's head). I used some this morning for a short run and it was fine. I'll see how it does tomorrow, but of course won't really know until the next long run. I'll keep you posted on my research adventures. Always trying to find a better way to get it done.

See you all tomorrow for a really short, no big deal run!! Yeah us!! We're doing it!!

Another great run, even though it's hot

I ran this morning with my running buddies, and had a great run despite the heat and humidity. I'm still very excited about being able to run without my ankle brace, and am looking forward to a strong run Saturday. I'm also excited about my new ipod, but am still trying to work out the kinks as far as playlists, etc. I had no idea it would do some of the stuff it does. I haven't been this excited about a birthday in years. Too bad it's my 40th. I feel like a kid again. It won't actually happen until next Monday (13th), but thank you all for your birthday wishes. It's alot more fun celebrating things with such a supportive group of friends.

I cannot believe that I have written on my "to-do" list for today to go find my headlamp I use for backpacking for this Saturday's run. I don't know if I'll use it, hopefully we'll have some street lights, but I'm going to get it out and bring it, just in case. Who knew that item would be on our necessity list for dedicated marathon runners!!

Have a great day. My 95 year old grandmother is fixing homemade veggies for lunch, so I'm very excited. She is the one who was so sick a short while ago, but has pronounced herself ready to go another 5 years without any problems. She's amazing.

It's a great day to be alive!!!!

I ran strenuously on the treadmill WITHOUT my ankle brace, and felt great. I was so excited that I wanted to jump or skip on the treadmill, but was afraid I'd hurt something else. So I just smiled, alot. I also ran today for the first time with my BRAND NEW ipod that I got for my birthday. I have to say I love it. I was using my phone mp3 player for months, and didn't know how bad the sound was until I turned the little nano on. Wow. It's amazing. I'm just so excited about my new ankle and my new ipod, I can't wait to run tomorrow.

It's a big day!!

Will miracles never cease?

I actually got on the spinner bike for 30 minutes on Sunday. I did a great little recovery ride, got my heart rate up just enough, legs felt fine, etc. I also watched the coverage of the Hawaii Ironman on TV yesterday, and was moved to tears. So many great stories of people just like us, making a difference in someone's life.

It was also interesting to see what equipment they used, how they stayed hydrated, etc. I thought I saw a couple of the runners wearing what looked like they may be (have I disclaimed that enough?) some sort of liner over their socks, but in their shoes. As tender as my feet get on the long runs (still searching for the Miracle Sock), I'm going to do some research and see if there is an answer out there for when your socks and shoes get that wet, whether from sweat, water on the head, etc.

If anyone has any knowledge to share in this regard, I'd love to hear it. I'll let you know what I find out.

My plan for today is to get on the treadmill and run without my ankle brace, to see how it feels. I'm hoping to get rid of it and get back to normal. My toe didn't bother me at all on the 18 miler, that paperclip surgery is the best thing ever. If you can stand hearing about it and are interested, I'll be glad to tell you, but even thinking about it before I went through it made me queasy. I'll try to respect your stomachs. :-) I'm just glad that the only issues I had on Saturday were tender foot bottoms and another raw place in my arm pit where I forgot to lube up. And being tired. There is that . . .