A new running toy

When I got back to work yesterday, I had a wonderful surprise on my desk.  I am now the proud owner of a sweet, pink Garmin Forerunner 10! I have had my eye on this watch for a while and I am fairly certain that I squealed with delight when I saw it on my desk.

Isn't she pretty?

Prior to yesterday, I had not gone for a run since the St. Patrick's Day race on the 15th.  My hip pain was pretty intense and that, combined with the fact that I was going to Ohio last week for my Dad's memorial service, led me to take all of last week off from running.  

I was really nervous about taking a full week off given that my half is next Sunday and frankly, I still am concerned about it.  The longest run I've done to date is 7 miles, but I plan to do 10 this weekend, so I hope that will help boost my confidence.  In all honestly, though, resting my hip was absolutely the right thing to do. 

I noticed Sunday that for the first time in a few weeks I didn't have any hip pain when I walked.  I'm not sure if this was due to the reprieve from running or the deliciously firm mattress on the bed in our hotel room.  My husband hated the mattress and complained of back pain, but I never felt better.  I didn't have any of my normal body aches and I'm beginning to wonder if he and I are going to have to get a sleep number bed so that I can have a firmer mattress and he can have a softer bed.  It was really nice not having that nagging pain in my hip, but I was afraid that the pain would return when I started running again.  I was right. 

I went for a run yesterday with my friend Mary so we could test out our watches and I noticed the hip pain flaring up again.  I have a message into a local sports injury and rehabilitation center so I am hoping to get into see a doctor before the race next week to see what might be causing the hip pain.  I am doing this race come hell or high water, but I'd rather be relatively pain free while doing so.  

We did 3 miles yesterday and although my legs felt like lead and I thought I was dragging, it was a pretty great run. And can I just say how awesome the Garmin is?  I haven't even scratched the surface of what this watch can do, but I love it and can't wait to keep learning more about it.  I loved that it was easy to use, the screen was easy to read, and the accuracy was fantastic.  After our run, it was neat to upload the data to Garmin Connect to access further information (pace vs. elevation map, animated depiction of your run along the route, etc.).  If you own a Forerunner 10, what are some of your favorite features of the watch? 

Disclosure:  I was not asked to review the Garmin Forerunner 10.  I purchased the watch myself and wanted to share my experience with it. 

I will keep the below quote in mind over the next few weeks! 

"Think positive, and positive things will happen."