Shopping Takes the Pain Away

Fundraising Page: http://pages.teamintraining.org/nca/pfchangs09/ayates

First of all, I have decided to put my fundraising page at the beginning of each post, since my mom wasn't able to successfully copy and paste from the little description at the top left of this blog. Hopefully this will be easier for anyone who is trying to move between this page and that one!

Well, 6:45 definitely came around early this morning, and Reston is a longish drive from here. I'm so happy that Erin is my neighbor! We all met in front of Reston's Potomac River Running store, and seeing the fun goodies through the window was a primary motivator for getting me through my run. The trail wasn't far from the store, and after stretching and taking off it became apparent that Andrea and I run at pretty much the same pace. This was great because it allowed me to keep my speed up, and it made the run go by faster. I'm pretty sure that's the fastest I've ever done three miles, and I wish I had a watch with me to prove it. Andrea said running with me had the same effect on her, so hopefully we can make it a regular occurance!

As promised, we all got to file into the running store after we finished our end-of-run stretching. I was finally able to get my Virginia is for Runners Shirt! I'm glad I waited, because this store had one in a pretty baby blue, and the other franchise only had them in white and gray. Maybe at some point I'll get back to purchase the kelly green one that they have (their $25 each, so fortunately for Dave I'm going to try to limit myself to just two.).

I also purchased the water belt I had been dreading. Wearing it makes me feel like a dork, but it will come in handy during those long runs later on. Plus how dorky can it be if everyone around me is wearing one too? I rounded out my purchases with some high-energy gummies and jelly beans, a moisture-wicking visor, and two more pairs of balega socks (one of which was free with my coupon!). I spent a small fortune, but fortunately our 10% Team in Training discount made it hurt a little less. I'm so excited to try out my new goodies tomorrow!

When I got home, I discovered that my fundraising total climbed a bit higher, and I reached the minimum that was needed by September 2nd in order to qualify for a free TNT totebag. Yay! I love free stuff!

Tuesday the kids come back, so hopefully I'll be able to keep up the positive attitude regarding my new workout regime.