8. GETTIN' READIER

Well, with the first of a series of increasingly more difficult races coming up, I figured it was time to acquire the neccessaries.

NEW RUNNERS - These Nikes I've been using have a year or more on them and are showing it.

My first requirement in runners is light weight and I've been fearful of finding another pair as light as these 9.5 ounce ones. Would you believe I found a beautiful pair of Saucony's at Fleet Feet in Bonney Lake weighing in at 8.7 ounces! Just like feathers! (My favorite color is red so that was an easy sale!)

I also bought a different pair of insoles with a higher arch support and now my toes don't tingle anymore! Thank you Paul at Fleet Feet!

MINI CAMERA - It occured to me that we're gonna be running through some pretty exotic scenery this year, and should carry a small camera to record the views, and us too, of course!

So Best Buy had this powerful little 8.2 mega pixel user friendly Kodak M863, brand new for a tad over half regular price. Who could pass up a deal like that, especially being it was red?

It has features like video, special settings, cropping, low light setting, flash, panorama, and photo enhancements all right there under a button. There is a built-in help menu for dummies on the screen for every feature, so no manual is needed. My kind of camera!

GARMIN 405 - I probably shouldn't read any more running journals lest I get roughed up by management of my fan club, but when I learned about the new Garmin 405, my 305 suddenly became unbearable and had to go! The 305 is big and awkward, doesn't sit on my wrist where I could see it easily, takes too long to find the satelites and wasn't as user friendly as I require (like it's gotta be simple, really simple, to use!) E-bay cooperated by providing me a brand new 405 at 2/3 new price! Unfortunately, it doesn't come in red!

7. TRAINING PROGRESS

A BREAK-THROUGH!
Today I ran my 6 miles without slowing down to a walk even once! I've been following Jeff Galloway's method of interspersing running with walking sessions, but I've been thinking it's time to see if I could run the whole way, and today I did!

However, my time for the 6 miles was only 3 minutes less than the run/walk technique since I was purposely running slower to make sure I didn't get winded. I was able to finish the last half mile at super speed, so it looks like I had energy left, and now I'll focus on speeding up. Right now I'm just training for the 10K Valentine's Day Run this Saturday. Next week I'll step it up to 10 mile runs every other day in preparation for the half-marathon in Steilacoom on March 21st.

GREAT NEW ENERGY BAR
I have been depending on Gu's for energy, but I've found an energy bar composed of about 30 organically grown super-foods called Greens+, which also includes high energy herbal extracts and Chia seeds. It contains NO processed sugar, salt, corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, synthetic sweetners, preservatives or genetically-modified foods of any kind. I'm impressed with it's claims and though I haven't given them a real test yet, I think I'm noticing more stamina and holding power as I run. More info at www.greensplus.com/chia

PELVIC TRAINING NEEDED
Also, I've been noticing my lower back is the only part of me that hurts any more when I'm running. Guess I've finally zero'd in on the correct shoes and inserts for my needs. Well, the March issue of RUNNER'S WORLD has this neat article about the need to consciously exercise the lower back at home because unlike the leg muscles, which get trained during running, the lower back muscles need special off-track attention. It seems almost all common overuse injuries are related to lack of pelvic strength. So I'll be adding their suggested pelvic exercises to my currently non-existant home exercise routine!