Fun in the mail

June 20, 2011 by 5 Comments

I love getting new stuff in the mail!

So first the UPS man showed up with ….more new shoes! I know I’ve mentioned on more than one occasion how much I’m loving my Saucony Mirage. I started rotating these shoes into my runs in March and have steadily increased my miles in them – I even ran the half in them! I’d been thinking that once I put a fair amount of miles on them I’d look to add the Saucony Kinvara into the mix – one more step on the minimalism path.

Well, lucky me, Beth at Shut Up and Run recently hosted a giveaway with Online Shoes.com for a pair of Saucony Running Shoes – and  I won! So yeah it’s not hard to see where this is going…I selected the Kinvara! To say I’m excited to have these shoes to add to the mix is an understatement! Big thanks to Beth for the giveaway and to Online Shoes for getting them to me so quickly!

Then, the folks at McDavid USA sent me a pair of their new True Compression Leg Sleeves to try out! I’ve already used them for recovery after my 8-miler yesterday and will try running in them this week. Stay tuned for a full review and giveaway!
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It was a pretty good training week last week, but I did end up missing one of my easy runs. On tap for this week:

Monday — Rest day. I’ll be spending part of the day at my oldest’s school picnic and then my youngest is having a friend over so I’m not sure how much rest will actually take place!

Tuesday — Tempo run (5)

Wednesday — Easy run (2) and strength training

Thursday — Yoga

Friday — Long run (8)

Saturday — weekly Pilates class

Sunday — Easy (3 or 4). If I make my schedule work, I might try a group run. I always run solo, so running with a group might be a nice change.

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Filed Under: giveaways, Kinvara, McDavid USA, Saucony, training

May Rewind and Giveaway Winner

June 3, 2011 by 6 Comments
Good things for the month:
  • Completed my first half marathon – ‘nuf said!
  • Logged my highest total ever of 74 miles.
  • My love affair with my Saucony Mirages continues – rotating them with my Brooks Adrenaline has worked well to make the transition easier. Even used them for my race!
  • Discovered the benefits of KT Tape!
  • Hosted my first giveaway!
  • 98 of you now follow this little journey of mine — welcome to the new followers — and to all, as always thank you for the support!

Things I could do without:
  • My ongoing annoyance with Mother Nature – we had one of the coldest and wettest Mays on record in NE. That is of course until my race weekend!
  • Return of my left leg/knee issues in the final week of training.

On the decks for June:
  • Start training for the Providence Rock’n’Roll Half!
  • Get real about my strength training – more on this to come.
  • Log more than 80 miles

And speaking of my first giveaway….the winner of the copy of Running on Empty is lucky #5 — Kittee at Running Half Crazy! Congrats Kittee – shoot me an email at runningwithattitude (at) yahoo (dot) com and I’ll get the book off to you.

Have a Great Weekend!

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Filed Under: giveaways, month in review, RnR, Running on Empty, Saucony

Thursday Thoughts (aka 3 Things)

April 21, 2011 by 7 Comments
  • So far the shift to early morning workouts is working. The alarm’s been going off at 5:20 and I’m usually moving 15 mins later. Despite not being what I would ever consider a morning person, I’ve been reminded this week of how much I enjoy starting my day with a run. It’s like a morning meditation in motion.
  • Speaking of meditation, I signed for another 21-day Meditation Challenge sponsored by the Chopra Center. I did a similar challenge during the winter and stuck with meditating for weeks afterwards. But of late I’ve let it slip so this challenge came at a good time. I find I’m definitely more focused and even-keeled when I’m meditating.
  •  My love affair with my Saucony Mirage continues – I’ve been doing all of my short runs in them while using my Brooks for the long runs. I’ve got another 10 on the plan for tomorrow and I’m tempted to try the Sauconys instead. My calves are really tight after yesterday’s tempo run so I’ll have to see how I feel in the morning.

Do you rotate shoes or stick to a one pair at a time?

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Filed Under: 3 things, Brooks Adrenaline, Chopra Center, meditation, Saucony

More new kicks – Vibrams!

April 11, 2011 by 8 Comments

So look what was delivered to my door the other day….

Yep, a pair of Vibram Bikila LS! Back in February my hubs and I won a pair from a charity auction at my son’s school. We had our choice of Vibrams and both selected the Bikila LS.  In case you don’t know, the Bikila is Vibram’s first model specifically designed for running. I choose the Bikila LS because it has a quick lace system designed to accommodate a wider foot. Well, they arrived the other day and I walked around in them every chance I got all weekend.  I was surprised at how comfortable they are, and they felt especially good wearing them post-run yesterday.

Since I’m taking baby steps towards minimalism, I’ll just be using them for walks for now. I may take them with me for my next track session in another week or so. I’ve been enjoying rotating in my new Saucony Mirages into my weekly runs, and with no knee pain over the past couple of weeks, I don’t want to do anything to jinx it. Patience is not my strong suit, but in the end I think it will pay off and help me to be a stronger runner.

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Filed Under: Minimalism, Saucony, Vibrams

8 weeks and counting

April 4, 2011 by 8 Comments

So forgive the randomness this morning….I’m trying to cut back on how much coffee I’ve been drinking lately. But Monday morning plus lack of caffeine = bullet points

  • It was great to have a step-back week last week – my body really needed the rest!
  •  the pair of Saucony Mirage I ordered showed up on my doorstep and I took them out for the first test run yesterday.  

I only went 3 miles in them but so far I’m in love! I had to resist the urge to go farther. There is definitely a different feel with the lower heel so I know my calves will need to adjust. I’m going to run in them at least once, maybe twice, a week to ease the transition. A full review to come!

    • Only 8 weeks to go until race day! The next few weeks of my training plan are really going to be critical for me both physically and psychologically cause I’ll be crossing into double digit long runs for the first time.
    •  This week I continue my quest to find my inner yogi, while the plan calls for intervals at the track, a couple of shorter runs and a 9 mile LSD. I’d like to get in 2 days of strength training and, as I mentioned last week, more core work.
    Happy Monday!

     

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    Filed Under: Half marathon, Saucony, training

    A move towards minamalism…..baby steps

    March 24, 2011 by 6 Comments

    Last Saturday, I was invited to attend a minimalist shoe clinic sponsored by Saucony. It was a great chance to see their full line, including a shoe that won’t be available until the summer. I appreciate their philosophy that minimalism doesn’t have to be an all or nothing proposition. As the Saucony rep spoke repeatedly about exploring what works for you as an individual, and gradually integrating a minimalist shoe into your training.

    I was particularly interested in learning more about the Mirage, their intro-to-minimalism shoe that features the lower heal-to-toe ratio of a minimalist shoe combined with a bit more arch support. I figured that given where I am in my training and my slight over-pronation, this would be a good place to start vs. taking the bigger leap  with the Kinvara. Luckily the Saucony rep had brought a bunch of shoes for us to try and I loved the feel of the Mirage. So yes, as you have probably guessed, I ordered a pair (the 15% discount sealed the deal!). I plan to use them on my easy runs first, while continuing in my Brooks Adrenaline for my long runs.

    My hope is that as I strengthen some of the under-developed muscles in my legs and feet, I can make the transition to a more minimalist shoe as the year goes on. And, this combined with my ChiRunning efforts will hopefully improve my mechanics and help keep me injury-free!

    Speaking of ChiRunning, I’ve got a private workshop scheduled for Sunday with Certified ChiRunning Instructor Ryan Miller. I’m really looking forward to spending time with Ryan – I’ve got lots of questions!! I’ll be posting a full report when we’re done.

    Happy Running!

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    Filed Under: Brooks Adrenaline, ChiRunning, Minimalism, Saucony