Since I’ve been back from vacation, every time I’ve run I’ve gotten a side stitch and had to stop. Every time. Until this started, I don’t think I’d had one since elementary school. It’s high up on my right side and it hurts so badly I have to stop and walk. Anybody know why I’m getting them? Am I running wrong, breathing weirdly, pushing too hard, not pushing hard enough? Am I wearing the wrong shoes, the wrong sports bra, not enough sports bras? Please help, because this has been severely limiting my distance.

Running Update: New personal best time for the mile tonight. 11:15. I’m closing in on ten!

I’ve added a Running Log to the site down there in the right sidebar. As I told the Snook this morning, hopefully showing you guys my times will bring some needed accountability. Don’t neglect to call me out for slacking!

As requested, here’s my sister’s marathon training page. It’s got a log of her training, a photo gallery, and a message about why she’s doing this. She’s running for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and you should definitely toss some money her way (if you’ve got any to spare).

Running Report. I don’t know if it’s the hormones themselves or just my belief in them, but I have so much energy it’s unbelievable. Normally I have to drag myself to the gym. Today I actually thought: “I feel like running.” Granted, I’m still not brave enough to run outside, but I hit the treadmill at the gym with more enthusiasm than ever before. I didn’t feel sluggish or awkard; I felt bouncy and fast. I’d run a mile and a half before I even felt like taking a walk. I finished my three miles in 35:00, and the 5K in 36:00. Folks, this means my average mile time has dropped from 12:30 to less than 12 minutes in the past month. Viva la fartlek! Anyway, I was still bouncing at three miles so I decided to push on to four or even five. All was going well for half a mile… when I suddenly felt a tell-tale twinge in my right calf muscle. Damn, it’s that Achilles again. I figured I should stop before I made it any worse, so I came home. I had a massage scheduled anyway, so I had her do a little remedial there and even give me some reiki on it. (I’m not a believer, but it can’t hurt, right?) I just plan to ice it and take it easy for a few days. I guess I just bounced a little too much. 🙂

The race countdown has begun though… Two weeks til the Nike Women’s Classic! I officially registered yesterday and ordered my T-shirt. (Because really, I’m just all about the merchandise.) So, my Coaches, what do you think my training plans should be in these final days? I know I can handle the distance, so I probably shouldn’t push myself too hard, huh? I downloaded the race map – since it’s in a different location than last year – and I’m planning to head out there at least once so I know what to expect. Should I just concentrate on staying loose and hydrated? Should I forget about running entirely and cross-train for a while to take my mind off it? Whaddaya all think?

Running Update: Just ran the 5K in 37:00 flat, hitting the 3-mile mark at 36:00. That’s a twelve minute mile pace! The fartlek is really helping me speed up. I also didn’t have any back problems tonight, which is nice. I’m not sure whether to attribute that to the preemptive ibuprofen I took or the reiki treatment my masseuse gave me last week. 🙂

I was telling a friend about my running program this past weekend and she suggested I consider entering the City to Surf this year. It’s a 14K course starting in the city and ending in Bondi Beach. Thousands of people do it, but a lot of them just walk. I’m thinking about it. It’s ambitious, to be sure, but I definitely wouldn’t expect to run the whole thing. It might just be good to have as a training goal so I don’t get complacent with my 5K runs. What do you guys think? It’s not til August so I’ve got a while…

The official site for this year’s Nike Women’s Classic Run is up, so I now have a date to work towards: June 15. That’s seven and a half weeks away. They’ve changed the location this year though. We’re doing it out at the Olympic Park. Hmmm, I wonder if that means there won’t be as many hills. (There’s no course map yet, so I can’t check.) Hills are my nemesis.

In other training news (Coach), I decided to work the fartlek training some more last weekend. I jogged for five minutes to warm-up, then started alternating four minutes of hard running (well, hard for me, anyway) with one minute of walking. To my amazement, I finished the 5K in 36:30. That’s a new personal best, I think. Hell, it’s five minutes faster than I did it a week ago! I couldn’t believe it. And that’s with the treadmill on a slight incline, too! I guess part of the problem with the treadmill is that I know exactly what my pace is, so I tend to set it there and not push myself. With the fartlek though, I just concentrated on running as hard as I could for the four minutes.

Okay, so the fartlek raised my overall pace. Does that mean should use this technique during the race? Or is it just for training purposes? Because I gotta say, breaking the distance up into small chunks is mentally a lot easier for me right now. Whaddaya think, Coach(es)?

Well, I gave that whole “fartlek” thing a try tonight since you all recommended it. It was pretty tough. I did a quick warm up and then started alternating three minutes running with one minute walking. I was surprised that my overall pace didn’t seem to drop, considering how much I was huffing and puffing during those last sprints. I managed to finish my 2.5 km in less than 20 minutes, and I hit the 2-mile mark at 24:00 exactly. That’s pretty sweet. Even if I do the last mile at a crawl I shouldn’t have any trouble coming in under 40:00 for the 5K. (I feel I must report all this to you guys, as it’s like you’re my collective Coach.)

Help me, oh running gurus! I will again be doing the Nike Women’s Classic 5K run this year, and I really want to improve on last year’s time. I’ve got about two months to go before the race. I’ve already managed to slice off a few more minutes but I’m worried that I’m not training as efficiently as I could. I’m currently running the full distance once a week, with mid-week sessions about half as long. (Of course, I’m doing all this on the treadmill and I know I should be running outside, but it’s getting chilly here and I need to justify my gym membership, dammit!) So, can you hook me up with any links or information about proper training plans? Should I concentrate on improving my time over the whole distance or on building up gradually? Anything you could give me would be great…