Thanks for the great tights recommendations! Those both look like great choices!

FYI- i HATE having to wear tights, but i love the way they FEEL!! You know, like they dont bother me like shorts do, they dont bunch up or ride up or fall and move around. Once you have tights on they stay put! i cant stand the way i (think I ) look in tights! Everything out there for everyone to see!!!! But im sure you look great in them Fat! i carry all my weight in my thighs and butt!

mk - I ran in a pair of exercise capris that I usually use for hikes and they were totally falling off, in a very inconvenient way (hard to retie a drawstring waist while running) so I can totally appreciate the staying put aspect.

fp - I second the suggestion that we should call you skinny tights now! : )

i didnt run today Cycle class for me this am! TOmorrow is 12 miles (ish, im thinking) Its supposed to be COLD here in the am too!! Oh, and i have a godawful dentist appt at 8 am! LAME. The dentist has set aside 4 HOURS to work on my mouth, and then the dental hygienist has another 1.5 hours to do the deep peridontal cleaning. i CANNOT handle the Dentist, cannot handle having my mouth even LOOKED at. This is going to be ****.....

As a follow up to the obvious interest in upping mileage by increasing distance during the week AND on Long runs......This is a good way to run.. it changes things up, so your legs have time to recover on short "easy day runs" and it allows runners a chance to practice at other things. If you have a *goal* pace for a race then often it is the middle of the week, longISH run where you practice that pace (depending on your level and what you are training for, etc). Most people say for more of the beginner runners that you are supposed to do your long runs at a much slower pace than is your normal pace. The longISH run during the week than gives you a chance to practice running at the pace you want to race at! Running the same mileage, the same run/route and same pace every week is FINE for a person trying to gradually build their running endurance!! Thats how we ALL got started! Unfortunately, Sharon does not have much time to gradually ease her body into anything!! Youve got to pick it up and FAST. Running more days a week at a staggered distance schedule will allow her body to recover between the harder longer runs, but still enable her to be out there running, building her bodies tolerance to the pounding of the pavement! My middle distance runs are personally my favorite runs......usually. They are not so long that they are daunting, or so slow and long (like my long runs) that my biggest fear is dying of BOREDOM......But i keep them very focused, and i work on specific things, and they are usually my best runs of the week. a GREAT way to start off your day if you do them before work!

mk - ouch! My sympathies.

MK~ I second dancer--Ouch! I would ask to be knocked out cold!

Sharon~ read your blog and I gotta tell ya, you had me rollin'! Great entry!!! That hill looks crazy steep from where your brother was standing!

TakingCharge~ thanks for the well wishes and advice! I busted out my secret weapon--Zicam tablets--and made sure to set a timer to remember to take them every 3 hours on the dot! Seems to have worked, no aches, no runny nose--I kicked that cold's butt!

Well, one more practice run tomorrow before the Big Race! Well, big to me anyway. I got so jazzed hearing about how well you ladies did and what places you took that I called the organizer and asked to have my entry changed from "Fun Walk" to "Competitive Run" not that it's going to change how fast I run--I'll still be slow, but I dunno, I just figured why not?

My knee felt better today when I woke up and gave me no trouble during my HIIT so I'm hoping that it doesn't give me any other trouble, but I will be looking into a brace of some sort, just for extra support.

A little non-running related news to share, I made my Goal Weight today! I'm super excited and a bit stunned and kind of feeling like 'what do I do now?' but all in all, super happy!

Well ladies, I better head to bed--I want to be sure to wake up on time tomorrow!!! Have a great night all!

Oh I almost forgot! I need to beef up my iPod on Race Day--anyone have any faves that I should put on my playlist? I keep trying to think of some, but as it is I have a short term memory when it comes to songs and who sings what...so searching for songs is like looking for a needle in a haystack to me. I'd love to hear what you like listening too!

Thanks girls!

iDream, congrats hitting your goal weight and good luck with your race!

I listen mostly to pretty obscure music... the Stereophonics are one of my favorite bands and have some pretty rocking tunes that I like to run to - some faves by name are "Girl," "High as the Ceiling," and "Pass The Buck." I also love country and anything with a pumping beat. Lyrics that have to deal with beautiful women also help me - I pretend they are talking about me! (like She's a Hottie by Toby Keith).

MK, that is a lot of time to be at the dentist - my sympathies!

I walked/ran 3.5 miles this evening. It's still hot (didn't cool down as predicted, they're now saying maybe tomorrow) but it's getting dark earlier so the sun wasn't beating down on me the whole time.

FatPants = Skinny Tights...love it!!

Dancer - I've totally been there with the drawstring pants falling down. Never again! It's tight pants all the way these days, as flattering/unflattering as they may be.

Mk - So sorry about the dentist. I despise the dentist so I completely understand how you're feeling. Just put on your ipod and tune out and it'll be over in no time! Good luck!

IDream - WOW! Goal weight!! That's such a huge accomplishment! You should be SO proud of yourself! Maintenance is a tricky game, but there's a ton of good advice on the maintenance forum here so you should definitely check it out if you already haven't. I'm glad to hear you're feeling better! Just a quick note about Zicam...I know everyone loves it, but it's recently been recalled (not sure if it's for legit reasons or not) but that may be something you'd wanna look into. In terms of music, hip hop really pumps me up when I run, so songs like "Boom Boom Pow" (so overplayed, I know), "Harder, Faster, Stronger", most songs by the black eyed peas, that kind of stuff really gets me going when I'm feeling tired. Good luck this weekend, you competitive runner you!

As for me, I got in a fast 2.5 mile run today. My shins are starting to give me a little trouble after my runs, probably because of last week's increased mileage and speed, so stretching and icing will be a major staple for me in the next 2 weeks. Off to stretch!

Closing the September thread see you in the October thread