A man can fail many times but he isn't a failure until he begins to blame somebody else. -Steve Prefontaine

The title, is one of my new favorite quotes.

Okay so there is so much to catch up on so I'll go ahead and dive right in. Last time I wrote, I had just got my new shoes and taken them on a couple of runs to break them in. I really like those new kicks! Melissa, Levi and I went on vacation about 6/7 weeks ago to Nauvoo, Illinois. It was an amazing vacation and one that I will not forget. As I expected, there was not anywhere near our hotel that was suitable for running. Plus, after a day full of walking everywhere, who wants to end the day with a long run...while on vacation?!!

When we got back to Wylie and into our daily routines, I ran about 3 or 4 times within a span of 2 weeks. I was starting to experience some foot pain. I thought that it was from my new shoes, and that the pain would go away as I got more mileage on them. However, this was not the case. I did some research on common foot injuries in runners, especially beginning runners, and found that foot pain is a common thing. All that I could find was for the recommendation to rest for a few weeks and try again. My biggest concern was that the annoying pain would turn into a major injury like a stress fracture. So that was the beginning of a month and a half hiatus from running.

So...fast forward to this past weekend. I got a call from a friend of mine that I go to church with. I have ran with him previously, he belongs to a running club in Plano. Twice a month, they have some type of race such as a 5k or 10k. Last weekend, they had a 3 x 3k relay race. He asked if I was interested. I said sure, but I haven't been able to train for several weeks, but I would love to. So me and the two other guys on our relay each ran a 3k (just under 2 miles) each. I knew that this would be a challenge for me since I hadn't even ran a hundred meters in 7 weeks. I had no doubt that I would be able to finish, my biggest concern was if I would get that foot pain again.

I ran the first leg of the race, down 1.5k and back to total 3. When I crossed the line I thought for sure that I was going to puke or pass out! I was really dizzy and was walking around like a drunk man. Luckily, it was a nice cool morning and the humidity was low. If it was humid, I know I would have lost it or collapsed. It took me at least 20 minutes to regain my composure. Since the race, my lungs have been really tight (due to asthma). They feel really heavy like I have pneumonia or something even though I know I don't. Sitting down in a chair is nearly impossible without bracing myself. Needless, to say the best part of the relay race was the fact that it hit me that I can't go that long without running. This was the best thing that could have happened to get me back into a running schedule. I am still sore today so I will probably only run once or twice this week and gradually work up to 4 days per week.

I still have the goal to do a half marathon but I won't train too hard too fast this time. I am hoping to do one this December or early next year. I would like to finish one before our second baby gets here Feb/March. I am probably going to join that running club in Plano to have some frequent events to run in. I guess that is enough for now. Thanks for your support!