Motivation Monday: @journalmenu #giveaway

Sometimes motivation can come from the strangest places - maybe it's a quote on a friend's FB wall, maybe it's seeing some progress on the scale, and maybe it's someone reaching out to you about new gear that gets your butt in gear.

It's not much of a secret - the "run" aspect of my blog title and life has been pretty minimal lately thanks to some pesky, nagging injuries.  Luckily, that is beginning to change and thanks to the folks at JournalMenu, I have a great place to start logging my return to running.

What is JournalMenu?  JournalMenu is a personalized fitness journal designed to match your goals, your activities and your personality.  With the ability to create your own cover and journal contents, the journals are truly unique.  Whether you are into running, weightlifting, yoga, food tracking or (fill in your favorite activity here), the creators of JournalMenu will assist you in finding the journal that is best for you.

I am loving the journal Erica at JournalMenu put together for me.  With sections for goals, training plans, PRs and race recaps, plus weekly logs, it has everything I need to get back on track.  Lucky for one of my readers, JournalMenu wants to help one of you reach your goals through a personalize journal of your choice!  Take a look at the journals available here and let me know what you would choose! This would be a great gift for yourself or one of your favorite workout buddies.  Enter through Rafflecopter below for a chance to win $25 to spend at JournalMenu on the customized fitness journal of your choice.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

fine print: JournalMenu provided a journal to me at no cost.  The opinions, as always, are my own.  Contest will run from 11/16/15 to 11/22/16 with winner announced by 11/24/16.  Winner must provide a way for me to reach them to send the gift card code and if they do not respond by 11/26/15, another winner will be chosen.  Winner is responsible for any costs above the $25 gift card amount and I (LLRB) am not responsible for anything related to the prize once I give winner the gift code.  

Training Tuesday: trying to get my groove back

I still have no real purpose for training other than to try to get my pants to fit better again.  I guess that's good enough for now.

Running: 4 runs for 16.37 miles (all in the 10:40ish range)
Cycling: 3 spins for 34.12 miles
Lifting: 5 workouts

I started a new lifting plan mid-week and I could barely move by the weekend, which is why Sunday was a big, fat ZERO.  I guess one day completely off per week isn't the end of the world, although it makes it very difficult to stay within my calorie budget.  I didn't even eat much and I was over by 200 calories :(.

#guestpost Really Horribly Terrible Marathon-Training Advice from Jack Sh*t

You say you're going on Hiatus  because you need a little blogging break and don't know what to write about, and a blogger you greatly admire comments, "Maybe write about bloggers you admire.  *hint hint*".  You find this really funny and reply back, "Or maybe get one of those bloggers I admire to write a guest post? *hint hint*"

Wouldn't you know it, a really awesome guest post showed up!  I had the pleasure of meeting Jack Sh*t way back at FitBloggin11.  He's just as funny in real life as he is on his blog and the fact he took the time to write a guest post for my readers here (when I wasn't expecting one) shows what a stand-up guy he is.  Since it's Thursday and I usually post something thankful, I think this really fits because I'm thankful to know bloggers like Jack.

Without further ado I give you...

Really Horribly Terrible Marathon-Training Advice

A Guest Post by Jack Sh*t

• If you’re planning to run a marathon right after going to the restroom, make sure you don’t have toilet paper stuck in the back of your pants. A 26.2-mile stream of toiler paper is extremely wasteful!

• If you put a treadmill in the back of a pick-up truck and have someone drive you around while you run on it, it feels just like you’re running outside. Try it yourself if you don’t believe me!

• It’s important not to get dehydrated on long runs, so consider wearing a hydration pack or carrying a bucket of water balloons.

• Running’s easier if you’re as light as possible so before you head out, send me all the cash out of your wallet.

• Find what motivates YOU to run; for me, it’s when somebody says “I think the security guard saw you shove that down your pants.”

• Spend at least one day per week practicing carbo-loading.

• If you’re a barefoot runner, refrain from training in a field of broken glass and rusty nails.

• You shouldn’t run if it’s rainy, or looks like rain, or if there’s a chance of rain, or if it’s too sunny, too cloudy or too plain-looking.

Remember:  it’s all about putting one foot in front of the other (never – and I mean never – put one foot in front of the same foot!).

Jack Sh*t is a blogger that blogs his blog at Bloggityblog.blog, where he goes on and on and on about weight loss and explores the lighter side of lightening up. A Google search of the term “Jack Sh*t: America’s Greatest Hero” produces zero results.

Thank you, Jack!  You really put a smile on my face this week :)

 

Detroit Marathon Training Week 9 and a winner!

First off, a quick "THANK YOU" to everyone who entered my "Run the D" giveaway for an entry to the Detroit Women's Half Marathon and 5k.  Rafflecopter did it's thing and we have a winner!  Congratulations to Patti W - can't wait to hear how your race goes!

Now onto the training recap portion of this program.

After a pretty miserable week 8, I really stepped things up for week 9.  Looking back at my DailyMile stats, this is the most miles I've run in a week in longer than the bar graph goes back and if I hit all my runs for the rest of the month, I will come in with just under 100 miles.  I'm not even sure I ever hit that in a month on my first round of marathon training.

It's no wonder I'm tired and feeling a little stressed by the whole thing.

My workouts went pretty well this week and were capped off my a long run/race that was quite memorable.

Monday 7-14-14 RUN 3.1 in just under 31 min (9:51 pace).  This was supposed to be an easy run but my legs decided otherwise and I pushed the pace a little.

Tuesday 7-15-14 LIFTING

Wednesday 7-16-14 RUN TEMPO 6 miles 60 min and change (10:02 pace).  The 4 tempo miles were more of a progression run and the only reason I hit the average goal pace was because of the last mile.  It was really quite cool outside, so I'm disappointed I didn't run faster.

Thursday 7-17-14 LIFTING

Friday 7-18-14 RUN (a bonus workout). I was feeling antsy so I did 2 miles plus 1/2 mile of strides (ave 9:44 pace).

Saturday 7-19-14 REST but it really wasn't because I walked around an expo and then downtown Chicago for hours.

Sunday 7-20-14 RUN 18.23 miles in 3:32:xx (11:36 ave pace). I ran the first 5 miles as a warm up to the Rock n Roll Chicago Half Marathon.  It was hot, humid, and kind of sucky but a good way to get in a supported training run.  You can read the race report here.

I'm feeling pretty decent since the long run on Sunday.  Even Monday morning I felt good enough to go lift for 90 minutes.  It's nice to see I'm recovering fairly quickly from these longer runs.  Now, if it would just cool off some so I could actually hit my long run paces, I'd appreciate it.  It's not looking good for my 20 miler on Saturday - in fact, storms are in the forecast so there is a chance I may be doing 20 miles on a treadmill (or multiple treadmills because of the stupid gym rules about how long you can use a machine).  Pray for a dry, cool Saturday morning.  Or at least no lightening.

Movement Monday: Detroit Marathon Training Week 8

Normally, I'd recap my marathon training week tomorrow, but I have an INCREDIBLE giveaway planned so you get the recap a day early.  Just make sure to come back tomorrow - you won't be disappointed!!

Now onto the recap....I labeled this post "Movement Monday" but there really wasn't as much movement as there should have been, or at least not the right kinds.  I guess if you are going to do something stupid and injure yourself, it's best to do it on a step-back week.  Because of my dumb hass, I only ran once this week.  Next week I'll have to do better since I have an 18 miler on Sunday (Rock n Roll Half Marathon in Chicago plus and extra 5 miles before the race - holdme).

Monday 7/7/14 - WALK 90 minutes (about 4.25 miles) and SWIM about 500 yards.

Tuesday 7/8/14 - LIFT 50 minutes. Couldn't do any lower body stuff.

Wednesday 7/9/14 - BIKE 8 miles.

Thursday 7/10/14 - WALK 100 minutes (about 5.25 miles) and LIFT 75 minutes.

Friday 7/11/14 - Nothing formal. Went on another college campus visit so there was some walking and lots of stairs but I didn't track it.

Saturday 7/12/14 - RUN 6 miles in 1:06:xx (10:56 pace).  Felt good to run again but I was discouraged by all the parts that had stopped hurting but now hurt again because I had too many rest days.  The good news was my hass didn't hurt.

Sunday 7/13/14 - WALK 35 min (2 miles).

So, in retrospect, for a week with only one run, I still managed to get in a decent amount of activity.  I just have a hard time counting walking as exercise since it burns between zero and zero calories for me (yes, I know we all burn about 100 calories per mile no matter how we cover that mile, but I also know my heart rate doesn't get up at all on walks so that 100 is probably cut about in half).

Captain Jack sums up marathon training, don't you think?

Next week starts the week where I really consider myself marathon training.  The 18 mile run is what shows you are going way past a half marathon or 25k because who else in their right mind would run 18 miles for fun?  Now, in the words of Captain Jack Sparrow....I will "try not to do anything sssstupid" this week to re-injury myself.

*don't forget to come back tomorrow for a great giveaway!*

Training Tuesday: Detroit Marathon week 7

Well friends, I made it 7 weeks into my training plan before I managed to hurt myself.  Nothing serious (I hope) and it wasn't totally running related, but it's already caused me to miss a run. GRRR.  Anyhoo...until I managed to just fall over and hurt my hip, my training was going pretty great.

Monday 6-30-14 : REST.  Actually, tons of sitting as I traveled home from FitBloggin' (I have a quick take-away post here and I'll be writing more about other aspects of the trip later).  Sitting in a car, airport, plane, and car for pretty much the entire day was actually as tiring as a long run.  After running 14 miles the day before, I probably needed the rest but if anything I just got stiff and sore.

Tuesday 7-1-14: LIFT 75 mins - started a new lifting program and it kicked my butt.  RUN 2.6 miles in 31 minutes (11:37 pace) at the GR Marathon Beerrun.  A horrible run caused by travel, time of day, heat, humidity, and overall just kind of not sucking it up.  I'm pretty much past it but it's still awful when runs like this happen.  I wasn't even planning to drink after because I really need to detox from FitBloggin' but I was so frustrated I had a beer AND two boneless wings (read: lots of gluten).

Wednesday 7-2-14: Didn't log anything but I did spend about an hour walking around another college campus with my daughter.

Thursday 7-3-14: TEMPO RUN - this run KICKED ASS.  I averaged a 10:04 pace for the 5 miles with my 3 tempo miles at 9:17, 9:41 and 8:31!  This run needs to get bookmarked on my desktop so when I have another shitty run and can look back and remember that I don't always suck.

Friday 7-4-14: LIFT 90 minutes.  I like my new lifting plan except for how long it takes me.

Saturday 7-5-14: LONG RUN - 16 miles baby!  It took my about 3 hrs and 10 minutes (11:48 pace), which was 10 min slower than I wanted to run, but with all the hills and some eventual heat and humidity, I'm very happy with the run.  Another bonus to the run?  NO BRA CHAFFING!!! I ordered a new bra (this one) and while it's definitely more padded/heavy than I would like, it kept the girls contained and I didn't end the run bloody, so I ordered another one.  I also got one last run with my friend Bre before she moves away to Alabama to start her new job.  That made this run even more special.  I'm super proud of all she's accomplished and I'm going to miss seeing her a few times a year.

INJURY: After getting home from my run and feeling really pretty good (other than some major dehydration and tired legs), I managed to get tangled up in my clothes getting dressed after my shower and I fell.  I should have hit the ground instead of trying to stop myself because my piriformis is really screwed up.  Dumb.

Sunday 7-6-14: Very slow, 2 mile walk to try and loosen up my hip.  Didn't really help.

Week 8 on my training plan is a step-back week and at this point, I'm afraid I'm going to have nothing to write about.  I'm taking it easy because I have the Rock N Roll Chicago half on July 20th (technically 18 miles that day) and that's my priority right now.

How was your week?  Any July 4th themed runs or workouts?

Training Tuesday: The Ultimate Goal

Everything I do for the next 24 1/2 weeks needs to be done in consideration of this goal.

I need to stop hurting, run faster and run farther.

Maybe in a couple weeks, I'll be ready to push that little button that says "register".

Motivation Monday: a serious question

I spent a good chunk of my weekend trying to figure this thing out.  I'm all about the spreadsheet and needing to have a plan.  If I don't have an end result on the schedule, it's hard for me to feel like I'm working towards anything.  I plugged in some races (currently the RBR relay, Fitbloggin 10k and RnR Chicago are the only ones I'm registered to run).

You'll see a triathlon on that schedule.  A friend who knows me very well asked whether I felt obligated to do a triathlon or if I really wanted to be a triathlete.  It's a great question.  Answering honestly, I'd say it's more obligation.  I spent a shit-ton of money on a bike (but in the grand scheme of tri-bikes, not really that much money).  It forces me to cross train.  But the fact is, I don't love it.  Triathlons stress me the f*ck out.  I'm a crappy swimmer, afraid to bike in traffic, and a mediocre runner.  Yes, I can complete all 3 events, but if I don't enjoy it, why am I doing it?

I think because of injuries, I'm questioning my status as a "runner".  I also know that without a ton of very specific training, I will not be a "swimmer" or a "cyclist".  I don't have the skills and frankly, there's too much fear there.

Thoughts?

Training Tuesday: too much too soon

This week I learned the oh-so sucky lesson of trying to do too much too soon.  I feel like I'm falling apart and my podiatrist gave me snake eyes when I said I ran 7 miles on Friday.  Basically the knee pain and foot pain I still have is totally my fault.  I think next week's post will show even more completely blank days, which sucks out loud. Monday 2/24/14 - Plan SWIM 45 min / Actual SWIM 1 mile in 43 minutes (obviously, I'm never going to swim anything longer than a sprint tri since I'd never make the time cuts) Tuesday 2/25/14 - Plan BIKE 90 min / Actual BIKE 23.6 miles in 90 minutes (15.7 mph).  Happy to see my speeds improving on the bike. Wednesday 2/26/14 - Plan RUN 30 & XT 30 / Actual RUN 3.1 in 30:29 (9:50 pace) & XT Arc trainer 1.62 miles in 30 min. Thursday 2/27/14 - Plan SWIM 45 / Actual POOL WORKOUT 1250 m kicking since my shoulder was all messed up in 45 min. Friday 2/28/14 - Plan RUN 30 & XT 60 / Actual RUN 7 miles in 1:13:00 (10:25 pace). I completely screwed up this workout. Got confused on how long my total workout was supposed to be (I was thinking it was only 75 min) and pushed the run much farther and harder than I should have.  I'm still paying for it. Saturday 3/1/14 - REST.  This rest day was supposed to be on Friday but because of other time commitments on Saturday, I flipped them.  I should have probably tried to keep the schedule the same because I didn't have enough rests between 2 hard runs. Sunday 3/2/14 - Plan BIKE 120 / Actual BIKE 15.2 miles in 60 min.  Epic fail.  My neck/shoulder was still very screwed up and I should've taken another rest day.  Instead I struggled and ended up back at the chiro on Monday.
I saw my podiatrist on Monday afternoon and he say "GO SLOW!" but that I could keep running.  He wasn't overly concerned about my knee yet and just said to keep tabs on it.  The doc made a few adjustments to the orthotics and told me to order a new pair of Newtons in a 1/2 size larger to see if that will help some of the toe issues I've started having.  Of course, they're backordered so it will be a couple weeks before I can try them out.
Clearly, I'm in love with my Newton Running Gravitys and I can't wait to try the 2014 Gravity III.  It looks totally different than my current Gravity so I might be scrounging later for a new pair of 2012s but I'm willing to give this update a shot.

2012 Newton Gravity

Newton Gravity III

Pretty radical update, huh?  What's your favorite running shoe?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Training Tuesday: lessons learned

This was a learning week.  I learned that I'm probably not quite ready for 4 miles runs, that my swimming is getting much better, and that I don't know jack about changing a bike tire.

Monday 2/10/14 - plan: SWIM 45 / actual: SWIM 1350 in 46 min.

Tuesday 2/11/14 - plan: RUN 30 and XT 30 / actual: XT Arc trainer 1.58 miles in 30 and RUN 3 miles in 31:43.  This run was tough after the arc trainer.

Wednesday 2/12/14 - plan: REST / actual: YOGA 75 minutes

Thursday 2/13/14 - plan: BIKE 90 / actual: BIKE 21.77 in 90 min and 20 min of stretching and rolling.

Friday 2/14/14 - plan: SWIM 45 / actual: RUN 4 miles in 39:56 and XT Arc trainer 1.07 in 20 min. Was probably a bit too much to try for 4 miles but it was good to see I could still do it.

Saturday 2/15/14 - plan: RUN/XT / actual: SWIM 1400 in 45 min.  I nailed this swim and swam so much faster than I normally do.  HOT YOGA 60 min.

Sunday 2/16/14 - plan: BIKE 90 / actual: BIKE 12.42 miles in 57 min before my trainer tire blew, then went to the gym for BIKE 17.1 miles in 45 min. STRENGTH 15 min (glutes and abs)

About that bike tire - I now have the knowledge to change it and got to practice a couple times because my spare tube had a bad stem.  I'll still never be able to change a tire on my own though because I don't have the hand strength.  Those little red tools were useless to me.  I wish bikes could be added to AAA.

Training Tuesday: making progress

This week I've kept plugging away at the cross training and managed to get in a couple of really good (although short) runs.  It's progress.  Sunday night I actually had sore running muscles.  I haven't felt like that in a LONG time.  I even have an official training plan again (official because it's in a spreadsheet).  Structure is a good thing, people!

Monday 2-3-14 plan: REST/ actual: REST plus stretching and rolling

Tuesday 2-4-14 plan: RUN 30/XT 30 / actual: RUN 3 miles on indoor track in 30:15 (WOOT!!), XT Arc Trainer 1.3 miles in 30 min.  I loved this run.  It was a huge confidence booster and my heel didn't really hurt.  My calves and achilles need to relearn how to run in Newtons thought.

Wednesday 2-5-14 plan: SWIM 45 / actual: SWIM 1300 yds in 45 min

Thursday 2-6-14 plan: BIKE 90 / actual: BIKE 90 with no real clue as to distance or speed because my Garmin was dead. I guessed 13 mph for 19.5 miles.  This ride really wasn't fun.

Friday 2-7-14 plan: SWIM 45 / actual: SWIM 1600 yds in 48 min.  I have a baseline now for this workout and I want to see those 100s drop.

Saturday 2-8-14 plan: RUN 30/XT 30 / actual: RUN 3 miles on indoor track in 29:58 (WHAT?!?!?, I averaged a 9:59 pace!), XT Arc Trainer 1.46 miles in 30 min.  This run shocked me.  It was uncomfortable with my calves SCREAMING.  I really thought I was running so much slower than this so seeing my splits at the end was awesome.

Sunday 2-9-14 plan: BIKE 90 / actual BIKE 20.24 miles in 90 minutes.  Better ride than on Thursday but I'm not loving how much my girlie bits are still not used to these long rides.

stolen from Thea's blog

A successful week.  I'm sore but really not feeling injured and that makes me happy and ready to jump off the Pity Train.

Have you entered my Suddora headband giveaway yet?  

Training Tuesday: post, take 2

I had a different post written for today but I couldn't publish it.  Some things are better left unsaid to the masses.  Bottom line, I'm struggling with fear right now.  Fear of failure, fear of disappointing people, fear of not getting back to where I was a few months ago, fear of pain never going away.

I have a little more hope now but it's hard for me to see the light at the end of the tunnel.  I need to re-evaluate my goals and what is realistic.  I need to pray that my new doctor knows what he's doing and that tonight's run is a success.  Defining "success" is the hard part.

The past week was fair from a training standpoint.  I finished my plank, squat, push-up challenge on Friday and I'll admit I haven't gotten back into it.  This next week I hope will be better.

Monday 1-27-14 BIKE 14.1 miles in 60 minutes.

Tuesday 1-28-14 RUN 2 miles on snow in 23:54.  It amazes me how some people can still run fast in the snow.  I am NOT one of those people.  

Wednesday 1-29-14 BIKE 17.4 miles in 75 minutes.

Thursday 1-30-14 RUN 3 miles in (guessing 33 minutes).  I ran on the indoor track at my gym and ditched the watch after 1/2 a mile because I was so disgusted by my pace.

Friday 1-31-14 REST All I did was my morning work and even that was minimal and lame.

Saturday 2-1-14 BIKE 10 miles in 45 min.  RUN the Groundhog Moonlight 1/6th Marathon - a 4.4 mile hike through 18 inches of snow.  A "race" in which I was only a few people from DFL.  I should never had participated and it's a miracle I didn't get seriously injured.

Sunday 2-2-14 REST I did some stretching and rolling of my very pissed off calves and back.

Like I said, it was an ok week training wise.  My appointment with the podiatrist on Monday was both encouraging and upsetting.  I've been given the go-ahead to run, but only 30 minutes twice a week.  I have a training plan now with a TON of supplemental workouts in the hopes that I can still run the River Bank Run relay in May with Corey without completely embarrassing myself and maybe have enough cardio base to still pull off a fall marathon.  Right now I'm not super optimistic about either.

2013 by the numbers

Blogging to you from sorta sunny Jacksonville as I wait for my delayed flight back home.

I was bored so I thought I'd look at my numbers from 2013.

Miles run 767.
Miles biked 813.
Miles swam 13.
Miles walked 29.
Total miles 1622.

Races:
200 mile relay - my first
25k - PR'd
6 half marathons - PR'd
2 10ks - PR'd
Sprint triathlon

Weight: no change from 1/2/13 to 12/18/13 (the last time I weighed in). I'm sure it's up after the holidays & vacation.

I finished the year with my 10th half marathon and while I'm very proud of getting to double digits and setting PR after PR, I'm disappointed in my performance on this race. I can validly blame my injury, the heat & humidity but those factors really don't make me feel better. I owe you all a recap from the Jax Bank Half and when I can write one without my inner mean girl coming out, I will. For now, I give you the last sunrise of 2013 from the beach in Jacksonville, FL.



Thank you, everyone, for all your encouragement this year. Happy New Year & wishes for a wonderful 2014.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Jax Bank Half - Almost Go Time!

Merry Christmas Eve!!

How is it that I'm getting on a plane in 3 days to head to Florida????  The past couple weeks have flown by with school finishing up before break (with a bonus day off because of an ice storm!) and now Christmas this week.  I find myself making lists and starting to pack, but afraid I'm going to forget something in the shuffle.

The past week was a good one for training once I worked the kinks out.  I think I've figured out my shoe issue at least for the race - I'm racing in my new Mizuno Wave Elixir 8s.  My race-day outfit is yet to be determined though.  Good thing Southwest allows for 2 checked bags :)

Here was my last official week of training.

Monday 12-16-13 RUN 3.1 in 31:45 (10:14 pace)

Tuesday 12-17-13 RUN 1 mile in about 12 minutes.  I wanted to get outside after a long day but the snow and ice kicked my ass and I quit after only a mile.

Wednesday 12-18-13 RUN 5 miles in 49:40 (9:56 pace). This was actually two 2.5 mile runs back-to-back as I tried out 2 new pair of shoes.  Felt good to get a relatively fast run in.

Thursday 12-19-13 BIKE 5 miles in 21:09 (14.2 mph) then stretching for another 15 min.

Friday 12-20-13 REST (except for walking around the mall)

Saturday 12-21-13 RUN 10 miles in 1:44:44 (10:28 pace).  Another long treadmill run and this one went well.  Last long run before Jax.

Sunday 12-22-13 REST

I'm excited for my trip and looking forward to the race, but mostly I'm looking forward to getting out of the snow and ice and meeting up with some friends for beers.  Can't wait to see Marcia and BethBob, plus some other DailyMile peeps!  Gonna be a great time with a little 13.1 run thrown in.

Running shoes: lucky number 7? #runchat

Sit down, kids.  Grab a beverage. I'd like to tell you a little story about 7 pairs of running shoes and my quest to find the perfect pair.  Because my foot is a little on the wide side, finding shoes that fit is difficult.  I don't really need a wide width (except my Asics are a wide) because most wides are actually too big.  If a shoe does come in a wide width, most stores don't even carry them - you have to special order.  It's dumb but it is what it is.  Since my race is in less than 11 days, I don't have time for that shit.
From left to right, my shoes for the past 2 years.

Asics GT 2170 (grey and purple) - I've run in Asics GT 2170s (or whatever number their predecessors were) from the time I started running.  When I had my stress fracture and started running again, everyone said I needed MORE support.  I tried the newer GT 2000 and hated it.  Too much support and they hurt my feet.  I had doctors telling me I needed orthotics and other crap too, but whatever I tried just made my shin still hurt and I felt like I wasn't getting better.  Then, my PT suggested something very radical - that I probably had been running with too much support and I should try Newtons.

2011 Newton Gravity (orange) - LIGHT BULB! It took some time to transition to a shoe with a 4 or 5 mm drop, but transition I did.  I set PR after PR in these shoes and they will always hold a special place in my heart.  They were on my feet for the Martian Half (17 minute PR), Rivertown Half (3rd fastest half), River Bank Run 25k (11 minute PR), Reeds Lake 10k (9 minute PR), and then Bayshore Half (another 3 min PR from Martian), and then my first relay - The Fred - where I ran 18 miles in less than 24 hours.  Yes, a lot of hard work went into those 10k, half and 25k PRs but I attribute a lot of it to learning to run more midfoot in my Newtons.  Obviously, all that racing and training did a number on those shoes and they needed to be retired. By the time The Fred came around, I was having heel and achilles issues, probably from overtraining and my shoes wearing out.

2012 Newton Gravity (blue and green) - I bought these shoes and something was not right.  They felt HUGE.  I exchanged them for a half size smaller and started really feeling some issues with my heel.  I wore them with heel cups for the Wine Trail Half and it really sucked.  My body was telling me I went a bit overboard this year.  I don't really blame the shoes, but I think the fit not being quite right contributed to my heel spurs.

2013 Newton Gravity (hot pink and blue) - I decided that maybe there was something flawed in the 2012 Newtons so I ordered the 2013 version.  These seemed to run very narrow and my runs in them left me with numbness and tingling in my right foot (the "good" side).  Wearing shoes a bit too tight probably have given me either a neuroma or I have a fracture.  At this point, I'm not finding out until after Jax.  These are currently sitting in the box waiting to be shipped back. *sad face*

Mizuno Wave Inspire 10 (black) - This was a completely new shoe to me and I was excited to be able to review it for the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans's holiday gift guide.  The Inspire line is a highly structured but very light shoe.  I was skeptical and sadly, my gut instincts were right.  I only managed about 4 miles total in these shoes.  This shoe had so much support that it hurt my arches.  Did you know you aren't supposed to "feel" the support in your running shoes?  If they press into your arch, they have way too much support.  These are also sitting in the box.  I can wear them for walking around but will never run in them.

Hoka One One Bondi Speed 2 (white, red and orange) - I ordered these out of sheer desperation.  I was able to borrow my girlfriend's Bondi 2 and although it was way too big, I liked the cushioning.  (These shoes are insanely cushioned but still quite light).  Do you notice anything in the picture when you compare this shoe with all the others?  How about the fact it's about 2 sizes too big?  I think these could have had potential, but if you have baby feel like me (about a 7-8 in running shoes) you are pretty much out of luck in Hokas.  They run very big and the ones I ordered only come in men's sizing.  This is the smallest size they carry.  Also sitting in the box waiting to be shipped back.

Mizuno Wave Elixir 8 (blue and orange) - Also a completely new shoe to me and just purchased last night at our local running store.  I'm getting very desperate. I love the look of this shoe - it actually feels like a racing flat and is very light, but it isn't a racing flat at all.  This shoe has very little support but a lot of cushioning in the heels, to the point of a 13mm heel to toe differential (for comparison, the industry average drop is about 12mm).  This is HUGE, especially since I'm used to running with 8mm (Asics) or 4mm (Newtons).  It also has almost no cushioning in the forefoot to allow for a more powerful toe-off.  This part worries me for my run this afternoon.  I already have issues with my forefoot from the neuroma or whatever and I'm afraid they are going to hurt.  I ran 1/2 mile at the store in them fine, but that 5 minutes was nothing compared to a 2+ hour half marathon.  I also feel like I'm taking a giant step backwards in that I had transitioned to a more minimal running shoe and now I'm clear at the other end of the spectrum.  I'll put them to the test this afternoon.  I know that already being broken, there will be no miracle shoe that will all of a sudden make all the hurt go away, but I'd like to get through a run without limping.  Stay tuned.

In case you missed it - Corey won my book giveaway! Congrats, Corey.

Have you ever had this much trouble finding a running shoe?  What is your favorite shoe to wear?

Jax Bank Half - T minus 12 days!

Some of you may be counting down the days until Christmas (for the record, it's 8).  But I'm counting down the days until my next half marathon and trying not to freak out about all the snow we've been getting and whether my flight on the 27th (10 days!!!) will take off as planned.

Training while injured has resulted in some re-evaluation of race goals.  Basically, my only goal at this point is to have a great weekend and come home with some new bling.  I will not be posting any time goals for this race.  Whatever happens, happens. (Although, for the most part I'm doing ok - shit hurts after I run to varying degrees but during the actually running parts it's tolerable.)

I'm even planning to start my vacation a day early now by hanging out with my friend Nancy and her family.  Super excited to see her again because it's been WAYYYY too long, snuggle her cute grandkids, and have a 2 hour shorter drive to the airport the next morning.  It takes a really special friend to open her home the day after Christmas and Nancy is that friend.

Onto my weekly recap (from now until the race, all of my running will probably be done inside - I'm trying to acclimate to FL weather and would prefer to not kill myself on the icy roads).

Monday 12/9/13 - RUN 3 miles in 31:20 (10:26 pace).  This was my first run in Mizuno Wave Inspire 10s. It was not love at first run.

Tuesday 12/10/13 - BIKE 11 miles on the basement trainer in 46:48 (14.1 mph).  I think I'm faster outside, probably because the trainer might actually be more boring than the treadmill.

Wednesday 12/11/13 - RUN 2 miles in 20:40 (10:20 pace).  Total clusterf*ck at work left me zero time to get in the 4 miles I was supposed to do.  Did a quick 2 on the mill at my girlfriend's before kid duties took over.  Got to try out her Hoka One Ones.  Went home and ordered a pair in what I thought was my size but they ended up HUGE.  I'm obviously getting desperate and I feel like I'm never going to find a shoe that doesn't hurt.  It's looking like my 10th half will be run in the same shoes I ran my 5th half marathon in. Kids - don't try this at home.

Thursday 12/12/13 - RUN 4 miles in 39:44 (9:56 pace).  This was a 2x1600 tempo that was basically a fail.  Nowhere close to hitting the goal paces (8:40s) but at least I was in the low 9s (9:10 and 9:03).  I'm officially back to my old Asics 2170s for now. They are probably close to 2 years old and starting to hurt my knees, but I have no other options at this point.

Friday 12/13/13 - BIKE somewhere around 8 miles in around 40 minutes.  My Garmin died within about 10 minutes of getting on the trainer, so I just biked through two DVRd sitcoms.

Saturday 12/14/13 - RUN 10 miles in 1:44:47 (10:28 pace).  I set a treadmill PR today.  Thanks to everyone who "voted" last Friday - I watched Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.  At least it kept me from total boredom, but this was still a very long morning.  I wouldn't recommend treadmilling it for 10 miles but at least I got my run completed.

Sunday 12/15/13 - SHOVELING.  It sucks. My arms were so sore on Monday.

I'm hoping the next 2 weeks go well and I get to Jacksonville no worse for the wear than I am right now.

Training Tuesday: is it too early to taper?

Monday 12-2-13 BIKE/RUN Brick, for no reason other than I felt like doing a brick.  20 minutes on the bike (7.2 miles) and a 2 mile run (10:23 pace). Decided today that the 2013 Newton Gravitys I was so in love with are evil and will be getting returned.

Tuesday 12-3-13 STRETCH 20 minutes during lunch then BIKE 7.36 miles on the basement trainer (14.6 mph).

Wednesday 12-4-13 RUN 4.18 miles in 44:10 (10:23 pace).  This was supposed to be a 5 mile tempo but instead ended up a warm then torrential downpour hilly run.

Thursday 12-5-13 STRETCH 20 min of roller and stretching at lunch.  Feeling burnt out.

Friday 12-6-13 SWIM 1 mile in 58 minutes.

Saturday 12-7-13 RUN 14 miles in 2:38:32.  I had my longest training run for a half marathon EVER this past weekend.  For the first time I trained past race distance and did a 14 mile long run.  It was the cap to a not-so-great training week, but the miles count.

Not crazy about the pace but it's supposed to be ok.

The middle 5 miles were part of a group run. The weather was abysmal. 

It's not just a figure of speech.

Sunday 12-8-13 REST.  I vegged out and watched a lot of football.  I'm ok with this.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Training Tuesday: Jax Bank Half T-25 days

It seems a bit odd to be starting a countdown for this race, but I really have no clue what training week this is.  All I know is I'm supposed to run 13.1 miles as fast as I can in a little less than 4 weeks.  This week's training was ok.  I have a plan for the running pieces but the rest is lacking.

Monday 11/25 - REST (oops, not a great way to start the week).  I actually did Monday's workout on Sunday, so I didn't exactly skip it.

Tuesday 11/26 - RUN 3 miles up "Treadmill Mountain".  It hurt and was really slow.

Wednesday 11/27 - STRETCH Did a yoga workout for my hips.

Thursday 11/28 - Happy Thanksgiving!  RUN I didn't participate in any organized runs so I just headed out for 5 miles on my own. Frankly, they sucked.  It had snowed and I was slipping and trudging all over the place.  Took 1:02:23 (12:28 pace) to cover those 5 miles.

I'd forgotten how hard it was to run in snow.  Ugh

Friday 11/29 - RUN Met a friend for the week's long run a day early.  10 miles and they were fantastic.  We chatted the entire time and even saw a bunch of deer along the river.  It was one of the best runs in a long time and I didn't even really care about my pace.  10.16 in 1:49:24 (10:46 pace).

Saturday 11/30 - REST

Sunday 12/1 - REST

Still too many rest days but I needed them after running 15 miles in 2 days.

Training Tuesday: Double Digits!

I hit a recovery milestone this week - my first double digit run since the end of August!  Was it perfect or pain free? No.  But it was a move in the right direction and knowing that I can hit that distance still was a huge confidence boost going into the end of the year.

Monday Nov 4 - RUN 4 miles in 43:23 (10:50 pace).  Not a great run, but miles banked.

Tuesday Nov 5 - STRENGTH/STRETCH Did my hip exercises and some yoga.

Wednesday Nov 6 - RUN 4 mile tempo on a mix of the track and treadmill in 38:51 (ave 9:42 but the tempo miles were around 9:00)

Thursday Nov 7 - REST while I watched my diver qualify for the conference finals in diving.

Friday Nov 8 - LONG RUN 10 miles in 1:45:18 (10:31 pace).  I decided to move my long run to Friday afternoon and it went alright.  Running at 4:00 for almost 2 hours meant I finished right before dark.  I'll need to do this again in a couple weeks because I'll be out of town on Saturday, only then I need to do 12.  I might be doing my 6 mile route twice.

Saturday Nov 9 - REST while I watched my diver qualify for regionals!! She finished 9th out of 28 in her conference and I couldn't have been more proud.

Sunday Nov 10 - RUN 5 miles in 47:41 (9:32 pace).  I moved Monday's run up a day because I was awake and it was a beautiful but very windy morning.  Not sure where all that speed came from but I'll take it.  Some soreness during the day but a much better run than any other this week.

Do you switch around your training plans like this?  I think it's making me a bit more flexible.

Training Tuesday: step-back week

This week was supposed to be a step-back week and I think I stepped back a bit too much.  Mentally I think I needed the break.  After PT on Thursday, I ended up running a longer run on Saturday than I'd planned so we'll call it a wash.  Overall, I think the week was a success and I'm feeling less pain in my hip after each run.  (My heel and some new issue with my foot are a different story, but my PT isn't concerned and I'm trying to follow his lead.)

Monday Oct 28 - RUN 4 miles in about 44 minutes (10:55 pace).  This was disappointing but was also my 3rd run in 3 days so I'm going to chalk it up to tired legs.

Tuesday Oct 29 - Stretching and rolling for about 20 minutes.  I should've done more but it is what it is.

Wednesday Oct 30 - RUN 3.14 in 32:12 (10:15 pace).  A much better run on some little hills.  Legs were still tired but I pushed through and got some hill work in at the same time.

Thursday Oct 31 - REST.  I'm not sure why I took a rest day other that being lazy.  I had PT earlier in the day and he did a bunch of stretching but I can't really count that.

Friday Nov 1 - SWIM - 1700 in about 56 minutes.  Faster actually since I didn't stop my watch for rests between sets.  It was a decent swim.

Saturday Nov 2 - RUN 6.04 in 1:05:31 (10:50 pace).  I'm calling this a good run because I was out way before dark to run and was feeling less than great from going out Friday night.  I didn't sleep so it's a win.

Sunday Nov 3 - REST.  I needed a mental health break as much as a physical one.  I was lazy and watched TV all day, except for the 3 mile walk I took in the afternoon.

This coming week is going to be tough.  I have my first double-digit run coming up on Saturday and I'm thinking back to where I was a year ago when I was training for Disney's Wine and Dine. I'm planning the same route that I ran for my last long run before Disney.  That 10 miler went great and had me thinking I'd have a huge PR in Orlando.  That ended up being far from the case. It's ironic that this year's race is also coming up this weekend.  Been remembering that weekend a lot.  I wish I could go back and do it again.