October, huh? I can hardly believe that it’s here…

You know, last October was kind of a nightmare. Well, a mild nightmare. Mainly because the worst that happened was that I got a stress fracture in my foot and I couldn’t run for 8 weeks. Oh, and I was hit by a drunk driver, but that just was more of a nuisance than a nightmare.

Anyhow, this summer I was pretty easy on myself when it came to running. My heart rate AND my waistline have felt the effects of my neglect. No, I don’t think I’m “fat” or “out of shape” at all, but I’m just soft all around. Since I’m running the Pittsburgh Marathon in the Spring, I’m hoping that these fall months, which are perfect for running, will be an opportunity for me to step up my game before it’s time to train.

So what’s the deal?

I hate putting myself on a strict schedule. I just don’t have the personality that thrives on structure. I thrive on flexibility and guidelines. I’m going to see how well I handle my running in October, and then I’ll evaluate it at the end of the month, and make any necessary changes.

So here are my October Runtober Guidelines:

• Weekly mileage should be around 30 miles. (A week in Abby Normally’s world runs from Sunday through Saturday.)
• One long run a week
• 2 short tempo runs (in my FiveFingers)
• 2 mid-distance runs
• 1-2 days of rest
• At least one day of cross training

Now obviously I will be flexible because October is a very busy traveling month for me at work so I might run more shorter runs or add an extra mid-distance run, whatever. I just know I can’t subject myself to consistency when my life doesn’t allow it.

I’ll be logging my miles on DailyMile (be my friend!)…or at least trying to because I’m bad at updating that thing! Oh, and I hate that a week on DailyMile starts on Monday when I think my week starts on Sunday! Oh well, it’s a small problem.

I want you all to understand that this is my plan for the month. I don’t want any of you thinking that you need to run as much (or as little) as I do. Run what you can run and what your body can handle—it may be more or less. I’m no running guru, I just love to do it and I am very in touch with my own body and what it can handle and what it needs. Learn your own body and build your own Runtober plan!

Question for you: If I keep you all informed about my progress with Runtober, what exactly do you want to hear about?
Do you want to know about pace? About what I eat to fuel my runs? About what goes through my head when I run? About my gear? More about barefoot/minimalist running? All of the above? None of the above? 
Let me know what you want to hear about and I promise that I’ll deliver!!!