I own lots of sneakers.
Somewhere in my thick noggin' I think I will one day come across a pair of sneakers that will magically make me fast. This will be my fourth year "running" which means it's also my fourth year buying sneakers. Saucony, Asics, Adidas, Nike, Mizuno, and Newtons. I've seriously also considered Vibram 5 Fingers but I just couldn't do it.
So this time around, I went to The Sneaker Factory armed with my history of sneakers and likes/dislikes of each. After actually listening to me, the guy came out with 3 different pairs of sneakers. The second I slid my foot into the new Asics Gel Neo33 - I knew I had found my sneaker. They are so fancy - all black with purple and lime green accents. Love!
However, I got my hands on a pair of $185 Newtons. Well, I didn't really. My mom - the other sneaker junkie - did. We took a ride to the Jersey Shore Marathon Expo since you can usually get some goods for cheap - headbands, socks, etc. Road Runner Sports had a big booth where ALL sneakers were $50 but if you bought three pairs they were $40 each. My mom can't pass up a deal...AND they had her regular sneakers so she was able to get herself another back up pair. And she grabbed the Newtons for a "What the Hell" experience.
So on one of our runs we warmed up for a mile and then she switched into the Newton's for the 2nd mile and then back to her regular sneakers. She liked them enough.
Saturdays run was my turn to give them a try. About a mile warm up in my Asics and then on went the Newtons. I like them. Lots. Like maybe love. It makes taking walk breaks a little difficult but I didn't feel the need to take as many walk breaks. I will say this though - I am a moderate heel striker regardless of what shoe I put on. My mom is sitting there going, "You CAN'T heel strike in them. They are designed to prevent that!" And then me, "Ma, I'm telling you, my heel WANTS to heel strike. A little wedge on the ball of my foot isn't going to win this battle!"
Yet the heel strike just didn't seem as harsh. I was also prepared for some sore calves the following day but that never happened! I'm going to try them a few times here & there to see how they feel.
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Happy Momma's Day
To kick off the day, my mom and I ventured to Central Park to run our 2nd Japan Day four miler.
4:15am wake up, enough coffee to feel human and an easy train ride in turned bad when my digestive track decided today would be the day to go bonkers. This is not fair. I was really looking forward to running a good race and feeling a sense of accomplishment with an improved finish time. By the time I got to Penn Station and had to power walk to the bathroom I was confident that today wasn't going to be my day for running.
TWO Immodium and 3 port-a-potty visits before the race start. Not good. I completed the race but I wound up having to power walk 99% of it. The running movement jostled my insides too much and had me hunting and whimpering for a potty. I considered quitting but 1) I want the damn race credit and 2) I would still have to get all the way to the finish line to get back on the subway so...I walked it. I finished. My time turned out to not be all that bad anyway so I'll deal with it.
It's a beautiful day so I'm not going to let a little poop ruin it - that's for sure!
4:15am wake up, enough coffee to feel human and an easy train ride in turned bad when my digestive track decided today would be the day to go bonkers. This is not fair. I was really looking forward to running a good race and feeling a sense of accomplishment with an improved finish time. By the time I got to Penn Station and had to power walk to the bathroom I was confident that today wasn't going to be my day for running.
TWO Immodium and 3 port-a-potty visits before the race start. Not good. I completed the race but I wound up having to power walk 99% of it. The running movement jostled my insides too much and had me hunting and whimpering for a potty. I considered quitting but 1) I want the damn race credit and 2) I would still have to get all the way to the finish line to get back on the subway so...I walked it. I finished. My time turned out to not be all that bad anyway so I'll deal with it.
It's a beautiful day so I'm not going to let a little poop ruin it - that's for sure!
Friday, July 22, 2011
It's Friggin Hot.
Normally I would post at the end of the week following my long run but I like to keep you on your toes. And I didn't do a long run last weekend so I didn't post an update.
I have finally started the official training - meaning, the training that is mapped out in a spreadsheet that is hanging on the refrigerator...this allows me to cross off the days as I do them. This seems to work well for me. I'm thinking maybe I should do something like this year round. After this weekend, I will have completed week 1 of the marathon training schedule.
All has been going well although I feel as if I have no stamina or endurance. First off, I don't think my body is made for running. I can powerwalk with no problems at all but within 30 seconds of going into a run I'm DONE. So my alternating run-walk-run has turned more to walk-run-walk. Maybe it's the heat...maybe it's not. And the fact that I keep looking at my watch to try to stick to some kind of set intervals is really starting to piss me off. I feel like it takes away from my ability to get into some sort of groove. Well wouldn't you know, Jeff Galloway posted on Twitter that he is now selling a vibrating interval timer that's about the size of a pedometer! I ordered it. I'm hoping for a few things - 1. it keeps me more consistent and honest with my intervals and 2. it allows me to get into some kind of groove.
Now let's talk heat. It's summer so I know it's hot. I've been getting out the door for my runs by 7:15am in order to beat some of the heat. But 105-110 degrees with humidity is a bit much for me. So yesterday, today & tomorrow I'm not running. But I also can't just sit here so I've started P90x. I started with Plyometrics. The dude specifically says this is for athletes (which I still don't consider myself) - it helps to build legs muscles, endurance, burn fat, etc. It kicked my ass. I had to modify a few things - whether they were just too damn hard or I didn't like the movement and I was a little afraid of hurting a knee or ankle. But I finished the 60 minutes o' torture. Yesterday I tried Shoulders & Arms. This was good. I used a lighter weight and did 15 reps each move. I sweat my booty off for 60 minutes with this one too. Today I may try to Kenpo for cardio.
My long run will be EARLY Sunday morning - and will be about 10 miles. Part of me is excited to get back into this but then part of me is scared as hell.
As for nutrition, I'm tracking my food on Sparkpeople. I like this BUT my one complaint is that it doesn't adjust my dietary requirements based on my physical activity. It has me eating 1200-1500 calories/day (this also gets broken down into carbs/protein/fat)...but with my run & P90x the other day I BURNED 700 calories...it did not make any adjustments for this. It suggests I make adjustments. If I knew how to do this properly, I probably wouldn't have to be tracking my food on Sparkpeople in the first place! I found another site that does this BUT it's also $3/week and although that doesn't seem like much, I feel like I'm gonna get ripped off.
That's about all for now. Stay cool.
I have finally started the official training - meaning, the training that is mapped out in a spreadsheet that is hanging on the refrigerator...this allows me to cross off the days as I do them. This seems to work well for me. I'm thinking maybe I should do something like this year round. After this weekend, I will have completed week 1 of the marathon training schedule.
All has been going well although I feel as if I have no stamina or endurance. First off, I don't think my body is made for running. I can powerwalk with no problems at all but within 30 seconds of going into a run I'm DONE. So my alternating run-walk-run has turned more to walk-run-walk. Maybe it's the heat...maybe it's not. And the fact that I keep looking at my watch to try to stick to some kind of set intervals is really starting to piss me off. I feel like it takes away from my ability to get into some sort of groove. Well wouldn't you know, Jeff Galloway posted on Twitter that he is now selling a vibrating interval timer that's about the size of a pedometer! I ordered it. I'm hoping for a few things - 1. it keeps me more consistent and honest with my intervals and 2. it allows me to get into some kind of groove.
Now let's talk heat. It's summer so I know it's hot. I've been getting out the door for my runs by 7:15am in order to beat some of the heat. But 105-110 degrees with humidity is a bit much for me. So yesterday, today & tomorrow I'm not running. But I also can't just sit here so I've started P90x. I started with Plyometrics. The dude specifically says this is for athletes (which I still don't consider myself) - it helps to build legs muscles, endurance, burn fat, etc. It kicked my ass. I had to modify a few things - whether they were just too damn hard or I didn't like the movement and I was a little afraid of hurting a knee or ankle. But I finished the 60 minutes o' torture. Yesterday I tried Shoulders & Arms. This was good. I used a lighter weight and did 15 reps each move. I sweat my booty off for 60 minutes with this one too. Today I may try to Kenpo for cardio.
My long run will be EARLY Sunday morning - and will be about 10 miles. Part of me is excited to get back into this but then part of me is scared as hell.
As for nutrition, I'm tracking my food on Sparkpeople. I like this BUT my one complaint is that it doesn't adjust my dietary requirements based on my physical activity. It has me eating 1200-1500 calories/day (this also gets broken down into carbs/protein/fat)...but with my run & P90x the other day I BURNED 700 calories...it did not make any adjustments for this. It suggests I make adjustments. If I knew how to do this properly, I probably wouldn't have to be tracking my food on Sparkpeople in the first place! I found another site that does this BUT it's also $3/week and although that doesn't seem like much, I feel like I'm gonna get ripped off.
That's about all for now. Stay cool.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
8.2 miles done...
After enjoying last weekend's holiday weekend, I was determined to kick consistent training into gear. I completed 4 days of 4 miles each...one day of yoga and two days I added in about 20 minutes of pilates after my run. I was feeling pretty good. Until the "long run".
This week's long movement was to be 8 miles. My intention was to get this done Saturday but I got out the door just a little too late for a Triple H kind of summer day so I opted to just do 4 miles on Saturday and then the 8 miles on Sunday.
So today I set out around 7:30am. Definitely not as humid as yesterday. I didn't do too well. I got it done but it was rough. The first four miles just sucked. I just didn't have any kind of stamina. I wound up running a song and then walking a song. I also played around with my watch since it's been really off lately. At 4.1 miles I made a quick pit stop at home and took some GU. This seemed to help me get to mile 7. After that - it ALL went bad. If I could've taken a nap in the middle of the road I would have. It sucked. And the thing is, the last 4 miles I decided to do a reverse loop (something I've never done before)...what I didn't take into account was the damn hill I would hit at mile 7.5. I literally stopped in my tracks, groaned loudly and walked up it. By the time I got down the other side I was crying. I apologize to the residents here who saw me crawling and crying. Since I've never moved that direction before, you've never had the opportunity to witness this spectacle.
Needless to say, my confidence right now is at an all time low. I feel like a total shit. Once again I feel I'm in way over my head. And although I know I'm supposed to focus on the current movement (because that was most certainly not running) - I'm having a hard time believing I'm going to be able to "man up" and get the 26.2 damn miles done in 118 days.
On a positive note, my fundraising has hit 91%. Almost there!
This week's long movement was to be 8 miles. My intention was to get this done Saturday but I got out the door just a little too late for a Triple H kind of summer day so I opted to just do 4 miles on Saturday and then the 8 miles on Sunday.
So today I set out around 7:30am. Definitely not as humid as yesterday. I didn't do too well. I got it done but it was rough. The first four miles just sucked. I just didn't have any kind of stamina. I wound up running a song and then walking a song. I also played around with my watch since it's been really off lately. At 4.1 miles I made a quick pit stop at home and took some GU. This seemed to help me get to mile 7. After that - it ALL went bad. If I could've taken a nap in the middle of the road I would have. It sucked. And the thing is, the last 4 miles I decided to do a reverse loop (something I've never done before)...what I didn't take into account was the damn hill I would hit at mile 7.5. I literally stopped in my tracks, groaned loudly and walked up it. By the time I got down the other side I was crying. I apologize to the residents here who saw me crawling and crying. Since I've never moved that direction before, you've never had the opportunity to witness this spectacle.
Needless to say, my confidence right now is at an all time low. I feel like a total shit. Once again I feel I'm in way over my head. And although I know I'm supposed to focus on the current movement (because that was most certainly not running) - I'm having a hard time believing I'm going to be able to "man up" and get the 26.2 damn miles done in 118 days.
On a positive note, my fundraising has hit 91%. Almost there!
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
back to bidness...
OK - so last week I was consistent with my base building...this is an important step before training officially starts on July 18th. I did about 4 miles 3 times during the week then did an 8 mile long "movement". We've already established that I'm not necessarily RUNNING...it's more of a jog, shuffle, walk, power walk, stop to cry, maybe dry heave, etc. But whatever you want to call it, I get it done.
As usual, I had my share of crazy people talk to me, pass me, whistle, etc. A friend's husband actually asked me if I wore skimpy clothes while running to invite the crazies. He was looking RIGHT at me when he said this with a serious face...I don't think he was joking. Ummm...you are looking at me! Does it look like I should be wearing skimpy clothes and moving??
In terms of pain, there wasn't much of it. I was very hot, tired and sweaty but that's about it. So far so good I guess.
This time around with training I'm also working on my nutrition and strength. The bourbon is on the shelf until I cross the finish line. I will have a beer here & there and there is no way in hell I'm cutting out my coffee...but I will, as usual, drink a shitload of water. I'm also fine-tuning my protein drink. Here's how I make it as of now (and it's quite delightful!):
3 ice cubes
1 scoop chocolate Spiru-tein
3 count pour of coconut water
6 oz. coconut MILK
1 small handful frozen mixed berries
1 tsp of flaxseed oil
I'm doing Vinyasa yoga about 2 times per week to stretch me out and help strengthen a bit...I'll keep the room kind of hot too in order to sweat out even more impurities and really heat up the muscles.
In terms of strength - I'm going old school. Hand weights, crunches, planks, squats, 4 direction leg lifts with ankle weights, push ups, etc.
Hopefully, putting all of this will help me, once again, cross that so very far away finish line.
For a few product reviews: My Adidas sneakers are super light and comfy...the Bondi Band I bought to absorb sweat is ok - but for a fraction of the cost you can buy a 5 pack of Goody fabric headbands that also absorb sweat & keep the hair out of the eyes...the 3 different styles of Thorlo socks work well and are super comfy too.
Could use YOUR help coming up with ideas for my playlist. I'm getting a little tired of listening to the same songs. I pretty much like all genres as long as there's a good beat.
As usual, I had my share of crazy people talk to me, pass me, whistle, etc. A friend's husband actually asked me if I wore skimpy clothes while running to invite the crazies. He was looking RIGHT at me when he said this with a serious face...I don't think he was joking. Ummm...you are looking at me! Does it look like I should be wearing skimpy clothes and moving??
In terms of pain, there wasn't much of it. I was very hot, tired and sweaty but that's about it. So far so good I guess.
This time around with training I'm also working on my nutrition and strength. The bourbon is on the shelf until I cross the finish line. I will have a beer here & there and there is no way in hell I'm cutting out my coffee...but I will, as usual, drink a shitload of water. I'm also fine-tuning my protein drink. Here's how I make it as of now (and it's quite delightful!):
3 ice cubes
1 scoop chocolate Spiru-tein
3 count pour of coconut water
6 oz. coconut MILK
1 small handful frozen mixed berries
1 tsp of flaxseed oil
I'm doing Vinyasa yoga about 2 times per week to stretch me out and help strengthen a bit...I'll keep the room kind of hot too in order to sweat out even more impurities and really heat up the muscles.
In terms of strength - I'm going old school. Hand weights, crunches, planks, squats, 4 direction leg lifts with ankle weights, push ups, etc.
Hopefully, putting all of this will help me, once again, cross that so very far away finish line.
For a few product reviews: My Adidas sneakers are super light and comfy...the Bondi Band I bought to absorb sweat is ok - but for a fraction of the cost you can buy a 5 pack of Goody fabric headbands that also absorb sweat & keep the hair out of the eyes...the 3 different styles of Thorlo socks work well and are super comfy too.
Could use YOUR help coming up with ideas for my playlist. I'm getting a little tired of listening to the same songs. I pretty much like all genres as long as there's a good beat.
Monday, June 27, 2011
It has begun!
OK - my sporadic activity is officially over with. For a few reasons. 1. I'm off for the summer so I have more time 2. My ass is threatening to grow and 3. The NYC Marathon is closer then I'm ready for.
The schedule is up on the fridge. It's daunting. I'm scared. But it will get done so here I go.
4 miles done today. I did more of a power walk. I followed that up with an awesome beverage of protein powder, lowfat milk, ice, coconut water and flaxseed oil. Delicious!
I'm going to incorporate some old school kickboxing training with squats, crunches and pushups 3 days a week...and then yoga whenever I can fit it on. I have the time during the summer so it's the perfect time to kick things into high gear.
And my new watch pretty much sucks. I have to figure out how to get my battery changed CORRECTLY on my Garmin. I'm not going to focus so much on time but I definitely need it for distance.
As I did last year, I will blog at the end of each week after the long run. Run bitches, run.
The schedule is up on the fridge. It's daunting. I'm scared. But it will get done so here I go.
4 miles done today. I did more of a power walk. I followed that up with an awesome beverage of protein powder, lowfat milk, ice, coconut water and flaxseed oil. Delicious!
I'm going to incorporate some old school kickboxing training with squats, crunches and pushups 3 days a week...and then yoga whenever I can fit it on. I have the time during the summer so it's the perfect time to kick things into high gear.
And my new watch pretty much sucks. I have to figure out how to get my battery changed CORRECTLY on my Garmin. I'm not going to focus so much on time but I definitely need it for distance.
As I did last year, I will blog at the end of each week after the long run. Run bitches, run.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Hangover Run...
ERRRR....WAIT A MINUTE!! Actually - for the thousands of women who ran today in Central Park it was actually the Mini 10K but for me (oh - I'm SURE I'm not alone!) it was a rough hangover run.
That, of course, was not my intention. The plan was to run a decent race and beat last year's time by like 10 minutes. What happened was this:
Friday night was the end of year dinner party for my school. I figured I would have a glass of sangria and then stick to water. Like all of a sudden I'm someone else :) But let's not blame me - let's blame Mosaico Restaurant for making some delicious sangria. I didn't really overeat except maybe for some bread (I'm addicted to bread)...and although I did drink a ton of water, I simply had a tiny bit too much alcohol. I will pat myself on the back for deciding to cut out the sangria and switch to a beer though. I'm an idiot.
So bedtime came around midnight for me (around 3 HOURS later than my regular snooze time). Holy shit! The alarm clock went off at 5 AM!! AM!! I stumbled downstairs and started coffee and kept wishing that somehow I could figure out a way to go back to sleep. It was just painful. I am an 8 hour/night sleeper. I can get by on7 hours but anything less and I feel extremely deprived. And grumpy.
So my mom & I get to Central Park - meet up with teammate, Sharon, and a couple of her friends and off to the start corrals. I'm feeling tired still...and crampy (there hasn't been an event yet that I haven't had my period for!).
And we're off!! Sluggish. I just want to finish, get my medal and go home. My mom and I stay together for 99% of the race - she probably could've gone faster but she stayed with my sluggish, dehydrated ass. Until the last 400 meters when she decided she had to beat the old lady in front of us. Off goes my mom!! 2 minutes later there is Lizzie! Jumping up & down - got a nice big hug and she jumped on the course to finish with me...more accurately, Liz probably finished 45 minutes earlier (she says not but she's too kind to say otherwise) but crossed the finish line a 2nd time to run with me.
I also want to thank teammate, Anne, for giving a huge cheer as my mom & I ran by!Thank you!
Official results show I was about 1 min 30 seconds faster then last year's race. So nowhere near my goal. As usual.
I have a shitload of training to do. And I have to get my diet in check. And with all the training I won't really be drinking but if I do, I'll stay away from sangria. I'm also going to try hot vinyasa - but now that I think about it, couldn't I just do regular vinyasa in mid-day summer heat right in my backyard. My neighbors have seen stranger things from us so maybe I'll give this cheaper option a try. I'm also going to work the heavy bag in the basement.
But right now, I'm going to take a nap.
Peace out.
That, of course, was not my intention. The plan was to run a decent race and beat last year's time by like 10 minutes. What happened was this:
Friday night was the end of year dinner party for my school. I figured I would have a glass of sangria and then stick to water. Like all of a sudden I'm someone else :) But let's not blame me - let's blame Mosaico Restaurant for making some delicious sangria. I didn't really overeat except maybe for some bread (I'm addicted to bread)...and although I did drink a ton of water, I simply had a tiny bit too much alcohol. I will pat myself on the back for deciding to cut out the sangria and switch to a beer though. I'm an idiot.
So bedtime came around midnight for me (around 3 HOURS later than my regular snooze time). Holy shit! The alarm clock went off at 5 AM!! AM!! I stumbled downstairs and started coffee and kept wishing that somehow I could figure out a way to go back to sleep. It was just painful. I am an 8 hour/night sleeper. I can get by on7 hours but anything less and I feel extremely deprived. And grumpy.
So my mom & I get to Central Park - meet up with teammate, Sharon, and a couple of her friends and off to the start corrals. I'm feeling tired still...and crampy (there hasn't been an event yet that I haven't had my period for!).
And we're off!! Sluggish. I just want to finish, get my medal and go home. My mom and I stay together for 99% of the race - she probably could've gone faster but she stayed with my sluggish, dehydrated ass. Until the last 400 meters when she decided she had to beat the old lady in front of us. Off goes my mom!! 2 minutes later there is Lizzie! Jumping up & down - got a nice big hug and she jumped on the course to finish with me...more accurately, Liz probably finished 45 minutes earlier (she says not but she's too kind to say otherwise) but crossed the finish line a 2nd time to run with me.
I also want to thank teammate, Anne, for giving a huge cheer as my mom & I ran by!Thank you!
Official results show I was about 1 min 30 seconds faster then last year's race. So nowhere near my goal. As usual.
I have a shitload of training to do. And I have to get my diet in check. And with all the training I won't really be drinking but if I do, I'll stay away from sangria. I'm also going to try hot vinyasa - but now that I think about it, couldn't I just do regular vinyasa in mid-day summer heat right in my backyard. My neighbors have seen stranger things from us so maybe I'll give this cheaper option a try. I'm also going to work the heavy bag in the basement.
But right now, I'm going to take a nap.
Peace out.
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