I frequently mention the Tuesday night running group I attend, Four Green Fields Running Club , and I have continued to go to this club over the years , despite the fact that I don't really drink or socialize afterward, for several reasons. One is the location--the route is on Bayshore Blvd., where I often run, and close to the various places I've lived for the past six years I've been running; although now it's a bit farther away since I just moved, but not far enough away to keep me from going. Another is the people; even though I am not a social butterfly when I go to the runs, I love seeing running friends I've met over the years, even if just in sweaty passing. But one more reason I love this club is because they partner with my favorite local running store, Feet First , to demo different running shoes each week. A representative from the shoe brand comes out with Nikki from Feet First, and together they encourage the runners to try out the latest shoe models f...

This past Tuesday, I ran my 100th run at the Four Green Fields Running Club . I joined this club as a newish runner some time back in 2011, in a effort to get to know other runners (which didn't really work out the way I expected it would, but actually led to greater experiences). At first I attended religiously but then petered out in the summer time, when 6:00 p.m. in Florida is just too hot to run. I'd come back when the weather cooled off, and then go away when I was injured. And so forth. So while 100 runs would normally be completed in under two years, with regular attendance, I've finally achieved this benchmark after close to three years. All of this said, earning 100 runs in this club is still not common. Many people come and go and never come back. So I was still greatly anticipating this evening, even though I wasn't sure I'd even be able to run, given my recent foot pain . But I was able to get my 5k run in without pain, and a couple of friends stuck a...

This past training week was a rather solid one. I got to run with a variety of different people and was finally pushed beyond the effort I've been putting out on my own. Week 3: 1/7/13 - 1/13/13 M:  5.66 mi (P)  +  yin yoga (XT) T:  4 mi (E  + P) W:  CrossBoot (XT) R:  3.1 mi (E) F:   hot yoga (XT) Sa:  10 mi (LSD) Su:  yoga in the park (XT) Weekly mileage: 22.76 Key: (E) = Easy; (P) = Pace; (LSD) = Long Slow Distance; (XT) = Cross Training On Monday, I went back to my running group "roots" at Flatwoods/ Hunters Green (we run Flatwoods Park during Daylight Savings and then move to the surrounding Hunters Green 'burbs after Daylight Savings, as Flatwoods is closed by the time we meet to run). These are the people whom I consider my main running family. Even when I've taken breaks from the Monday night runs, these folks have all still had a presence--sometimes at other events, sometimes just on Facebook--and have been suppo...

I'm happy to report that I'm back in training. I've been cautiously adding some weekly miles back in since around Thanksgiving, and I finally feel back to normal. Coming back from the injury was a little more difficult than I thought it would be. I was hoping to be able to start training for the Gasparilla half marathon, on February 24, but I wasn't sure I'd be able to take on the training. After two successful long runs in the past two weeks, though, I feel confident I can go forward with my plan. Here's how the first two weeks went: Week 1: 12/24/12 - 12/30/12 M: 4 mi (E) T: rest W: 5 mi (E) R: rest F: hot yoga (XT) Sa: 7 mi (LSD) Su: Ashtanga yoga (XT) Weekly mileage: 16 Week 2: 12/31/12 - 1/6/13 M: 3 mi (E) + yin yoga (XT) T: 3.1 mi (P) W: CrossBoot (XT) R: 3.1 mi (E) F: hot yoga (XT) Sa: 9 mi (LSD) Su: mini core workout (XT) Weekly mileage: 18.2 Key: (E) = Easy; (P) = Pace; (LSD) = Long Slow Distance; (XT) = Cross Training In oth...