Last Year's Mistakes

I am so excited for today's run. I just finished ordering a brand new Road ID. I got done reading this brief story and decided that I really needed to make the purchase. I contemplated it all last season but finally reasoned the need today.

Luckily the mistake of not carrying an ID on me last year had no consequences. And for the latest "newbies", I am now including a list of my favorite mistakes that I made last year (also to remind myself to not do them again!):

My Top Five Running Mistakes

1) Only doing Up-Hill training.
It was so easy to hit the hills on the treadmill or to run up the hill on my route and take my breather going down it. Little did I know that the down hills are where I needed the training. My knees suffered after the completion of a very down-hilly half marathon and now I am making it a goal to do more down hill training this season.

2) Buying a hydration belt with only 2 bottles.
This one is self explanatory. I frequently ran out of water and was like lost woman in the desert looking for water on my long runs.

3) Over-Indulging in Races.
It's so easy to click and register for races. I found myself going from 5k to Marathon in one season. While I'm happy I accomplished this feat, it would have been a little less painful to ease in.

4) Taking a long rest break post-marathon.
Oh boy! I know I didn't have a lot of time on my hands, but had I ran more after my marathon, I wouldn't be struggling so much now!

5) Running my marathon in shoes that were too narrow.
I had a pair of old Pegasus and bought the newer edition a couple of months before my marathon. The shoes hurt my feet and I kept telling myself that I had broken them in by the time it was race time. I was wrong and my toenails suffered.

This season will be dedicated to trying to avoid those mistakes!!!