Operation Sparkle: This may just be okay...

So, there's this episode of "How I Met Your Mother" where Marshall is training to run the NYC marathon and gets hurt so Barney takes his spot without training to prove to Marshall you don't have to train to run a marathon. Barney completes the marathon with an unbelievable time, but then gets stuck on the subway because his legs stop working.

I lead off with that anecdote, not because I recently started rewatching HIMYM on Netflix (which I did, because I finished watching The West Wing for like the fourth or fifth time and I don't feel ready to watch Lost over again yet), but because this morning, I ran 11 miles.

And at the moment, with my buns, knees and feet so sore you'd think I just walked a theme park in flip flops, that's the mental image that popped into my mind. Barney on a subway not being able to make his legs work. Stairs are hard. Flat surfaces are hard.

But honestly, I'm so proud of myself. Because I ran 11 miles this morning. In a time I wouldn't want to be permanent, but totally workable...totally acceptable for 6 months from the race.

For the first time since I undertook this whole endeavour...since I decided "I'm doing Princess Weekend 2015", I actually believe I can do this.


Added the Princess 5K to my weekend agenda this weekend, which means it's a 5K, 10K and half in 3 days. So excited. I can't believe I'm actually going to do this. It's going to be such an amazing experience.

Operation Sparkle: Battling the Elements...

And Body parts I didn't even know existed. That should be the rest of this title.

First the elements. Two weeks ago, it rained ALOT here in Texas. Which let me tell you, is a welcome thing. Except that it, like, flash flooded. Which left lots of standing water around town. Which allowed for the breeding of Nature's own F-You to summer...MOSQUITOES.

Tuesday I went out for my 30 minute, 2.5 mile run and came home with about 9 mosquito bites. I thought I was dying that night. So Wednesday I went on a new natural mosquito repellant regiment. So far, it appears to be working and if it continues this way, I'll be sure to write about it in the future.

Saturday, I was due to run 9.5 miles. I didn't get started until about a half hour later than normal and after about an hour and a half, I had to call it quits after only 5 miles. It was hot. I was super slow. I was walking most of it. And I wasn't happy. I knew continuing was futile. So I went home and felt a bit crappy for the rest of the day. Then Sunday I went out, got my 4 miles in at a more normal time and thanked the gods for cloud cover.

But then yesterday, I was having some pretty bad knee pain. Turns out, I've apparently strained my IT band with the consecutive runs. Which is a part of my body I didn't even know existed until yesterday when Catie suggested that that's what it was.

So I went to WalMart and got a roller and a stretching rope and let me tell you...stretching has made it hurt soooooo good. To be safe, I skipped my maintenance run this morning. I hated to do it, but I know that injuring myself further would be worse than missing one maintenance run.

A week from tomorrow is registration day for Princess weekend. And at this point, injury is my worst fear. Hope with me that I can continue stretching my IT band and get back at it.

I've got a 4 mile run Saturday. Hopefully I'm at least back at it by then.