Gear Time-kicks

Our running shoes are really erasers. Every step erases a memory of a past failure. Every mile brings us closer to a clean slate. Each foot strike rubs away a word, a look, or an event that led us to believe success is beyond our grasp.

John Bingham

I found this quote last night while checking out other running blogs and I fell in love with it. It is so true how your shoes help you "erase" the past with every step you take. If you read my story, you know how running helped me overcome difficulties in my life. I continue to run because I love it and it does so much for me, not just physically but emotionally. There is nothing like the high you get when you finish a great race or a great training run. 

So what shoes do I use?

As you know, I had a rough start in the shoe department. Since I was broke when I joined my first training team and knew nothing about running, I wore an old pair of New Balance All Terrain Shoes. Hey, they worked for gym class, right? Wrong.

Ouch.

After that I went out and got a relatively cheap pair of Nike running shoes from Kohl's. Again, not the best decision, but they worked. I did make the rookie mistake of getting a pedicure about 2 weeks before my first race and ended up having to stick moleskin over my blisters so they wouldn't get any worse. 

When I started training for my first half I decided it was time for some real running shoes, so I headed down to a running store in the city and got fitted for my first pair. They were Sauconys.

Oh man...do I love my Sauconys! I am to the point that I will wear no other brand.  I have since tried on other brands, but they just don't feel as good so I have stuck with the Sauconys. My first pair of Sauconys were motion control. I have found that I tend to walk on the side of my feet and at the time had done some research on pronation and decided I needed some motion control. These shoes were great and super comfy, but a little bulky. After I ended up at the sports medicine doctor she had me bring in my shoes. She watched me run on the treadmill in slow motion, held up one of my shoes and said, "Are these motion control?"

"Umm...yes? Is that bad?"

She looked at me like I was an idiot. Apparently I am a neutral runner even though I have a tendency to fall off the sides of my feet while walking in Danskos. Or maybe that is just Danskos...or anything else that is tall. Maybe I am just a clutzy idiot. Hah, I dunno...

Anyways, I continued to wear them because I had just spent a lot of money on them and wasn't going to just toss them aside. A year later when it was time for half marathon #2 I went and got a new pair cause the old ones just weren't cutting it anymore.

I got these...

The Triumph 7! I loved these shoes, and yes one of the main reasons I wanted this one was because it looked cool. I know...I know...you are not supposed to buy running shoes based on looks...but I saw these and my heart fluttered. And they felt awesome. And they turned out to be a lot lighter than my other shoes which meant I actually ran faster.

I wore these shoes out pretty quick because I ran in them THAT much.

A few months back I decided they weren't cutting it anymore, my feet were hurting after running so they got retired to "anytime" shoes and are now in the back of the closet covered in mud. One day I will clean them off...

So I went back to the running store and told them I wanted the Triumph again...which they didn't have in stock...but they did have the ProGrid Ride 3. I was a little nervous at first, but they ended up being lighter and more comfortable than the Triumphs. I didn't think that was possible, but apparently it is. I bought them, went home and looked them up on the internet...and found them cheaper...and in BLUE!

Oh yea, I bought those bad boys.

I train in the boring white ones and save these for races. The crazier the shoe, the happier I am, so needless to say these make me VERY happy. By rotating my kicks I have been able to keep them going a little longer than the others. Next time I buy a pair, I am searching the internet BEFORE going to the shoe store to try them on.

Haulin' a$$ in my blue Sauconys!

So, long story short, I love Saucony. I highly recommend them. They really do know running shoes. Like their add campaign says, "We know, because we run." And that's true.

Here's some interesting facts about Sacouny I found out as well.
"The company's first factory was founded in 1898 at Kutztown, PA on the high banks of the Saucony Creek^. In 1910, Russian immigrant Abraham Hyde started a shoe company in Cambridge, MA called Hyde Athletic Industries. Over the years, Hyde became known for making athletic footwear including brands such as SpotBilt and PF Flyers; Hyde Athletic Industries bought Saucony in the late 1960s, and moved it to Cambridge. By the late 1990s, when Saucony became Hyde's dominant brand, the name of the company was officially changed from Hyde Athletic Industries to Saucony.
Saucony's shoe boxes once had the phrase "sock a knee" printed on them. The Saucony brand represents the Saucony Creek's constant flow, and the boulders lining its creek bed."-Wikipedia

Oh and it's pronounced just like that, "sock-ah-knee". I'm glad I finally know how to pronounce the name, because in high school everyone called them "saw-coneys". Way off there fellow Eagles.

I also love that the symbol is a creek. Pennsylvanians are crazy about their mountain creeks. I should know, I am married to one.

Pine Creek-where my in-laws live. Ain't she purdy?

 What is your preferred brand of running shoe? What do you love about it?

Training Week 3-Not really what I would call training

Last weekend I came down with a nasty sinus infection that left me unable to breathe. I went right to the doc and got meds but it has still taken a solid week to get over it. Boo.

So that means that I lost an entire week of training. Fabulous. I ran 2 miles today and that was going alright till I started to feel really sick to my stomach so I just headed home. I am hoping to get out tomorrow morning for a little bit to help me resume training on Monday.

Aside from that I am starting to get really pumped for the Wicked 10K that I will be running at the end of October. I love, love, love the fall and this race is just fabulous. I have been waiting to blog about it because it is my fave of all the ones I have done and I can't wait to do it again. So I will keep you waiting ;-)

On that note, here is a little something that the team at J & A Racing cooked up that made me laugh.

Training week 2: new discoveries, sinus infections and letting go

Has it really been a week since I posted last? Sorry, my job makes me a slacker since it consumes most of my life...
Anyway,the training went well last week. I ran 3 miles on Monday, 4 on Wednesday and 3 on Thursday. I also downloaded this app called the Daily Burn which has been helping me keep track of how many calories I am eating and has put me on a workout schedule. It's actually pretty cool, you put in what you want to do and sets up workouts for you for 30 days, for however many days a week you want to do it. It killed my triceps on Wednesday.
So all was going well and then on Friday afternoon my throat started to hurt. Great. I've been back with the kids for 2 weeks and they already got me sick. I was hoping it would go away but it didn't. Saturday it was worse and then today it was even worse than yesterday. I went to the doctor and got some meds so I hope I can be running again by Wednesday or Thursday.
To top it all off, my guinea pig Tobi, who was over 8 years old, passed away today. She's been just getting old and frail for awhile now but she always seemed so cheery despite everything. I held her today until she was gone. She's the fourteenth piggie I've had in my life and it never gets any easier.
So, kind of a crappy weekend all around.

Miles this week: 3+4+3=10

Work, Training, and Irene...

So not only was it the first week of school (which meant that I really had to get back to work for real), my half marathon training started again.

I also had a race that I was going to run on Saturday August 27th. I was really looking forward to it because it was the Movin' and Groovin' 5K to support Pancreatic Cancer research. I signed up to do this race, even though I hadn't really been running all summer, because a close family friend passed away from pancreatic cancer last February. Even though I hadn't seen him in awhile, and I had no idea how bad the cancer was because he just wasn't the type of person to make a big deal out things, he was a rather large piece of the puzzle that is my life and helped bring me into my first true sport, scuba diving. I don't dive as much as I did when I was still under my parent's roof because its expensive and they don't dive so much anymore, but it was really a HUGE part of my life for many years. I started diving at the age of 12 and we went on a number of trips with Chris. We will dearly miss his always smiling face.



Chris, owner of the Scuba Center

 So I had this race planned, C was out of town and I was going to drive myself down there and run it and come home. No big deal...until Hurricane Irene decided to drop in. The weather was just plain creepy on Firday night so I decided I would get up early on Saturday and see what it looked like outside since I had gotten an email that they were still going to have the race regardless. When I got up at 6AM the clouds were swirling and it was rather dark out...so I did something I have never done-I hopped back into bed and skipped my race. I'm a bit annoyed with myself, yes, but when I woke up a little while later and it was pouring down rain, I knew I had made the right choice. The race was south of where I live and not only would I have ended up driving right into the storm, I would have been running in it as well. Food poisening couldn't keep me from running a half marathon, but a hurricane sure kept me from running a 5K. I try to always make the right decision when it comes to mother nature and I usually let her win.

This week I decided it's time to start the serious training. I signed up for the half marathon again and found a new training plan to try out. Monday was Labor Day and since we were home I was able to take my time and get up and go for a nice 3 mile run...or what I thought would be a nice, quick run. For some reason my calves just weren't having it. They locked up and it hurt to try and run. I had to walk a lot. I wasn't too surprised because I always slack off with the running in the summers. Its just too humid outside down here in the South and I am not a huge fan of running on a treadmill, although it seems that I need to start making it a habit, at least in the summer. Then the rain set in from the next tropical storm to blow through so I skipped my Wednesday run. Thursday there was a break in the clouds for a few hours so I rushed home from work, changed my clothes and headed out. Again, my calves locked up. What is going on here?? Do you know what it is like to try and run on stiff calves? It really sucks.

This is where the Stick comes in. The Stick is a wonderfully weird little tool you can use for deep tissue massage without much effort on your part. I used that when I got back from my run and it really helped to loosen up my calves. A foam roller works great too. Today was my long, slow run so I made sure that I used the Stick before I went out. I also decided, since I woke up a little late...that I would skip eating anything. I only drank a little bit of water too. BIG mistake! You think I would not be making these rookie mistakes still but it seems that I am an idiot at times. Althought my legs did much better today, I started to get really thirsty at about mile 3 and by the time I was on mile 5 I was feeling pretty bad. By the time I got home my head was swimming and I was a bit dizzy. I got some fuel in me and I'm feeling a bit better, but as I sit here in my nasty, sweaty clothes, I think its time for a shower.

Total miles this week for training: 3+3+5=11 miles

Quote

“It’s impossible,” said pride. “It’s risky,” said experience. “It’s pointless,” said reason. “Give it a try,” whispered the heart.

Gear Time-Bondi Bands

"Son, is that a panty on your head?"-Raising Arizon

Thank you Coen Brothers for that awesome line!

Now, some of you might be wondering something similar when you see pictures of me running. What IS that on that girls head? Well, actually, it is a Bondi Band and they are the GREATEST thing I have found for keeping my annoying hair/sweat out of my face while running. I don't really care for hats, (though I wear my one from the Shamrock once in awhile and that one is OK) and I haven't tried the sweaty band because my hair is so thick and slick that it looks like it would slide right off, so I haven't even bothered to try them.

I think I have close to 20 of these things lying around no, but here are a few of my favorites that I wear for most races...

Bondi Bands are the only thing I have found that not only does what they are supposed to do, but they also stay put on my head. And they come in so many different colors and patterns! You can order them from the website but I usually stock up at expos because they are a little cheaper.

They are my favorite headgear while running for sure!

In the winter I usually pack them away and wear my UnderArmor headband that covers my ears. I recommend one of those as well, lot's of different brands make them.

PS-The sunglasses are Oakley Ravishing, Breast Cancer Awareness edition. They go with me everywhere and are great for running because they don't bounce on my face.

Next time, the Garmin Forerunner!