Still a Brooks Girl

The training schedule called for 8 miles today as my long run. I ran 8.6 miles. And then did the last session in Stage 2 of NROLFW. And I'm going to yoga tonight. And then after that I SWEAR I'm going to start taking it easy and start carb loading with beer and potato chips whole wheat spaghetti and veggies.

OMG that would be amazing!!

Ok. Confession time. I have 4 pairs of Brooks Adrenaline sitting in my closet, and I've bid adieu to countless other pairs of Adrenalines that I've run my heart out in. Yet... I was never fitted to my beloved Brooks.

When I started taking running seriously in college, I went to a running store, tried on some running shoes, and decided the Adrenalins fit me the best. And they worked. So I kept buying them.

When I went to the running store with David a few months ago for HIM to get fitted, they asked if I would like to get fitted for shoes as well. I politely declined, saying I had already found the shoe that works for me. Secretly, I was afraid they would tell me I was in the wrong shoe and the $300 worth of Brooks in my closet would be obsolete.

Ok yeah, and my one pair of New Balance...

Aside from the one black toenail and a few small blisters, my feet have done pretty well. When I crossed the Grand Canyon, I expected a little discomfort in my shoes because, well, I've never hiked 23 miles with a 4,000+ foot descent/ascent.

I wasn't expecting to get blisters on the bottom of my pinky toes bigger than the toe itself, or blisters in between my 3r and 4th toes either (I had to string tissues in between my toes to keep them from touching they hurt so badly). My mom joked that I should take pictures of the blisters to put on my blog. A) I would never subject you all to that, and B) I couldn't contort my sore legs at that moment to get a good camera angle. You're welcome.

I'll just say this: when I drained the blisters, the fluid squirted pretty high in the air.

That's about as close to my feet as I could get...

Ok, moving on. During our last evening in AZ, we stayed in Phoenix. We just happened to go out to dinner at a restaurant that was right next to Road Runner Sports. My dad and I order shoes and gear from roadrunnersports.com, but had never seen an actual store before (I thought we just ordered stuff from a remote warehouse in Runner's Land). When we turned the corner and it came into view, it was almost as if a ray of sunshine was beating down on it and we could hear a choir of angels singing in the background.


I didn't have to do a whole lot of convincing to get everyone to go inside. We were met by some really nice people, who offered to do shoe fittings for everyone. I jokingly said, "hey, maybe you should check me out since my shoes gave me horrendous blisters! har har har!" The next thing I know, I was being measured, calibrated, fitted and thrown on a treadmill with a camera on my butt. Err, feet.

It was awesome.

I have high arches and no pronation. My toes tend to come out as my foot strikes. I'm a mid-foot striker (I asked if I got a gold star for not being a heel striker...).

But the most surprising piece of information for me to find out was: I should be wearing a size 9.5 WIDE instead of the size 10.5 REGULAR that I'm in. Oh yeah, and Adrenalins are all wrong for me.

Say wha?!

I tried on some Nikes, Brooks, Asics, New Balance, and Saucony, but when all was said and done- the Brooks worked the best. See? I knew my heart would always belong to Brooks. I settled on the Glycerin (but I didn't buy them at the store, I went back to our hotel room, looked up last year's model and bought them for half as much). I did purchase the insoles they made for me though.



So that's the story about how I have been running in the wrong shoe all these years. I know they say, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. And really, the Adrenalins weren't very broke. But they haven't been complete smooth sailing for me either. So far the Glycerins have treated me well and I'm hoping they'll carry me through to the finish line in Savannah.

And I hope I'll be able to find a pair here and there that are on sale so I can slowly build up my stash of running shoes. And maybe try the Cascadia for trail running?





Have you been fitted or shoes? Did your results surprise you?

I dig your blog

Today is a very special day for me: one year ago I started this little blog thing and I'm proud to report- I'm still at it!

I totally ripped this image off someone else.

If you want a good laugh, go read some of my earlier entries =) Check out how I stuck it out with the men's UNCC track team, my first of many complaints about running in the cold weather, or my "what the heck do I do after I run my first half marathon?" post.

Moving on...

Waaaaay back in September, Brittney from Life in a Holding Pattern nominated me for the following award. She's pretty awesome, you should check her out. And she has a cute puppy. It's all about the puppies...

Anyway, on to the good stuff...


With this nomination, I'm suppose to state three random facts about myself and then tag 5 of my peeps to do the same.

1. Music has taken me to some pretty cool places. In undergrad, I had the amazing opportunity to perform in Singapore. It was amazing.

(Apparently in college I had an inability to buy trousers that were long enough to fit me)

I've also played in a fife and drum corp. Can't say it was one of my more fond memories... but when you're in college and on an assistantship, your professor can pretty much make you do anything they want.

What? You can't pick me out? Oh darn ;)

2. I'm a born and bred, tried and true, orange and blue GATOR! That in and of itself isn't that random since I blog about doing Gator type stuff every once in a while.


Here's the random: I absolutely cannot stand it when people put other teams down in order to show their own school spirit. If you can't cheer on your own school without degrading another school, maybe you need to re-evaluate the words coming out of your mouth. There's a way to express your own thoughts and feelings while at the same time ministering to the needs of others. I'll be the first to shout "Go Gators!" but you'll never hear me put down another team, school, or fan.

3. I like to scrapbook. I'm not all that good at it, but it's something I enjoy. I'm halfway through our honeymoon album and when I finish that, I'm going to start scrapbooking our wedding. I should probably hurry before I grow old and forget everything...



I tag:

Joanna at Drizzle of Sunshine
Rose at Hacker Half Marathon
Beth at Running Around My Kitchen
Kristin at Skinny Jeans and a Chai Latte
Erika at This Spartan Will



Tell me a random thing about you!

Back to the Treadmill...

This morning was Roscoe's evaluation at a new-to-me boarding facility. The more I got to thinking about it, having two dogs with us in Savannah was just not going to be feasible. We're going to shove Little Paws off with some friends who do really well with him (and his eye meds and blindness issues) and we're going to stick some poor sap a nice employee at a doggy daycare/overnight camp with Crazy Face.

So this morning, he had to go 'interact' with the dogs to prove that he's not a psycho-kujo. He very willingly hopped into the car (oh how quickly he forgets that the car also takes him to the vet).


A few hours after I dropped him off, I picked him back up. All the employees gushed at how lovable he is and how much of a joy he is to be around. Pff! You think he's all cute and cuddly because you don't live with him! Anyway, he turned out to be not-too-crazy-but-just-crazy-enough to pass the evaluation. Yay!


While he was being 'evaluated,' I hopped on over to the gym for a 5 mile chug-a-long on the treadmill before some NROLFW iron pumping. Aside from the closed-captioning not being turned on for the TV, it was pretty good. It's kind of crazy to think my long run will only be 10 miles this week.

What's crazier? THE SAVANNAH MARATHON IS 11 DAYS AWAY!!! On one hand, I feel very ready for it. On the other hand, I'm going through the typical taper withdrawal/freak out.

It might be too early to plan future races, but I'm thinking about running the Croom Zoom 50k with my Dad in January (I ran the 25k 'Fun Run' last year). Yep. You read that right. 50-freaking-k. Am I crazy? Probably. But I think it runs in the family. (speaking of craziness in my family- my dad wrote a race recap from his Oil Creek 100k that I plan on posting a little bit later for your reading pleasure)


What races do you have on the docket?

Is it craziness to even think about a 50k?

The Perfect Day

First of all, I want to thank all of you guys for your kind words from my post last night. I'm thankful for the camaraderie I've found in fellow healthy bloggers. You guys are are awesome!

Today, David and I tossed the dogs in the car and drove two hours west to Chimney Rock State Park. We were looking forward to some quality time together, with the dogs, and with the beautiful leaf colors!


If you've ever wondered what it's like to be in a car with two Jack Russell Terrors, here's a pictorial representation. It was a lot of, "please let me come sit on your lap!" and "I don't want to be behind him!"


Eventually, they settled down: Max curled up in the blanket we spread out, and Roscoe found his happy place in the back.


On the way we made a pit stop at Dunkin' Donuts where I picked up a half decaf coffee (their coffee makes me WIRED!) and a pumpkin donut. Yum! Much to a certain dog's dismay, I did not share.


Once we arrived, we were instructed to park at the bottom of the mountain since the top lot was full. Which was ok, we had every intention to walk the .75 mile trail up to the start of the stairs. Chimney Rock is basically a bunch of stairs that bring you up roughly 1,300 feet to different points along the park. They include:

A rock with a gigantic American flag:


A rock sculpture that looks like the Devil's head:

(This picture was taken last Spring, hence the lack of orange and yellow tree color)

An "Opera" box:


And the pinnacle of the park, "Exclamation Point."



We made it from the bottom parking lot to the very top of the park in a little over an hour! Last year we made the same voyage, but I remember it taking much, much longer and being waaaaay more tired than I was today. I felt like I could have done it 5 times over! David said he felt like he was in better shape this year too, but didn't mention wanting to run back down and up again. Oh well :/

On our way back down the mountain, we took our time and enjoyed the pretty scenery.



Did I mention there were a TON of stairs?! Roscoe bounded up and down them with no problem at all. I'm pretty sure it's because he has springs in his feet. Max was a little more cautious (due to his eyesight problems) but still tackled them like a champ.


When we got down to the 'top' parking lot, we decided to take a bus down to our car. It was getting late in the afternoon and we still wanted to walk around Chimney Rock Village. Luckily, dogs were allowed on the bus. Max and Roscoe bounded down the isles blissfully, happy to be with so many other humans. They especially enjoyed sticking their noses out the window as we made our way down the mountain.


We walked around the little town for a bit, snapped one more adorable doggy picture, and then headed home.


We stopped by an apple stand on the way back and picked up a gigantic bag of apples and a half gallon of apple cider. Yum! I love Fall!

It's a good thing I was the designated driver on the way home. No one made a peep for an entire 2 hours! It was the perfect ending to a perfect day.




What is your favorite part of Fall?

Insecurities and Yoga

Hey y'all!

I've been a pretty bad blogger lately. I feel a little guilty for having gone an entire week without putting a post up here. But the strangest thing has come over me.

I wouldn't call it writer's block, because I have topics in mind that I want to write about.

For some odd reason, I'm suddenly feeling very intimidated by putting a post out there to the cyber world to see. What if nobody reads it? What if nobody likes it? What if no one comments? What if what if what if....


I've had this blog for almost a year, and I'm just now starting to feel this way? It's lame, I know. It's my blog and I decide what goes up on it. I just need to dive right in and really 'make it mine' instead of making it what I think other people want it to be. Starting now, I'm not going to worry "will other people find this interesting?" I'm just going to throw it out there and talk!

I hope I don't lose any followers in the process =)

Ok, now on to bloggy-type things...

YOGA!

I've been trying my hand (er, leg?) at yoga! I've never been to a yoga class before but have heard so many great things about it on the blogs I read. So when Living Social advertised a yoga deal, I jumped on it!

Last week was my first class. I had no idea what to expect, but I hoped I would get a good stretch from it and maybe a bit of a workout. I got both. I left feeling loose and relaxed.

This morning, I tried it again and it was meh. The difference a good teacher makes is amazing! Last week the teacher stressed poses and moves that worked the core and didn't go on and on about inner goodness and balance and yadda yadda yadda.

This morning, all the teacher could talk about was all the happiness in the world, bowing to your innate goodness, embracing mother nature and feeling the "energy" in your hands/toes/elbows, etc. There wasn't nearly as much sweat involved.

I appreciate the physical aspect of yoga and will continue to pursue the practice, but I really hope not all the teachers are as "spiritually minded" as this one was. My intent is to explore the physical science of yoga, not the spiritual one.

Next week, I'm planning to attend their "Yoga for Flexibility" class. I'm hoping it will prove to be very beneficial to my running!


Do you yoga?

If so, do you separate the philosophical from the physical?

How do you make your blog "your own?"

21 and... done! Time to taper!

My training schedule called for 22 miles, seeing as how I'm three weeks out from the Savannah Marathon. I was going to do 22, but I thought up this clever blog post that rhymed with 21. And at the time, the only thing I could think of that rhymed with "22" was "poo."

I brought my camera so I could take pictures of the very tame deer I've been running with lately. Were there any deer this morning? Noooo! (did you read that in a 6 year old's tone of voice?). There wasn't any living creature out there today but humans! Boo. But I did take some pictures of my running trail because a) it's pretty and b) I always enjoy seeing where other people run.


I got sort of a late start; it doesn't get light until about 7:15-7:30 and I'm not comfortable running in the dark by myself. That and those silly school buses were picking up little kids and you have to stop when you're behind one of them. Safety schmafety.


I filled by 70 oz camelbak up with purple (but not grape) Gatorade. Does anyone really go by Gatorade flavor anymore, or just color? I stuck 3 Gus and a Honey Stinger (holy sweetness sugar in my mouth!) in my bag along with my cell phone and my camera (stupid deer being camera shy).


My plan was to run the first half of my run at 11:00/mile and then the second half at whatever felt comfortable. What I ended up doing was running the first 9 tenths of each mile (my pace ranging from 10:00-10:40) and then walking the last tenth of that mile while hydrating, recovering, and/or taking Gu. The majority of my miles were under 11 minutes, with my last three miles being my fastest!


There were quite a few people on the trial this morning (I don't usually do my long runs on Fridays, but alas, my new work schedule will be changing things up a bit). I enjoyed the company, even if they weren't running with me.

this sign always makes me chuckle =)

Miles 1-7 felt pretty good. I was feeling light, refreshed, and rearin' to go. The middle part of my run, miles 7-15, was pretty sluggish feeling. My legs were protesting and my breathing wasn't under control. Somehow I was able to push through it because the last 5-6 miles of my run felt pretty good. Yes, I was tired, but I felt like I had tapped into an unknown energy source and for the first time the entire morning was pulling a sub-10 minute pace (which of course slowed when I walked).

I completed 21 miles in 3:45, keeping about a 10:40 pace. Amazing! I was very proud of myself. I'm feeling good about the Savannah 26.2, but I know in the coming "taper" weeks I'm going to get antsy and start doubting myself.


Any suggestions on how to keep my head on straight? Three weeks seem like a really long time to taper, but my next two long runs are 14 and 10 miles... hopefully my running mojo wont run away ;)


Hubs and I have been spending our Friday night at home reading, watching TV, and stuck in front of our computers. I'm about to enjoy a Pumpkin Ale adult beverage (which will put me right to sleep). And tomorrow, I plan on doing a lot of this:



If you've run a marathon before, how did you combat your taper week antsy-ness?

What are your plans for Friday night? Are they as wild and crazy as mine?

Old Man Winter: He's 'a comin!

While cooler temps, changing leaf color, and pumpkin-flavored everything are lovely, there is a Beast looming in the near future. That Beast is called Winter. I know I'm jumping ahead and skipping Fall. Fall is great and everything, but running in the winter is rough for a Florida girl. So let's talk about it.

How can I tell Old Man Winter is on his way? Well, for one thing the dogs have become super snugly in the morning. Max hates sharing his blanket, but he'll put up with Roscoe if it means a little more body heat.

(yes, I'll take any excuse to post pictures of my doggies)

The second sign of my impending doom (Winter) is overcast skies and rainy day runs.


It was in the low 60s and rainy this morning and I was *this close* to moving my run to the treadmill. But then I remembered how much all the TV channels stink (all 10 of them) on the treadmills and decided a rainy run would be more exciting. It was a little tough getting started (it was breezy and spitting rain) but once I got warmed up, everything felt awesome. I love when the wind blows the leaves down from the trees and I get to run through the "leaf storm." I feel like a kid again!

I ran 6.25 miles in 57:58 and felt great!

When I got home, I was tempted to have some of this morning's coffee to warm me up, but I decided to be a good little runner and refueled with a pumpkin smoothie instead.


I'm sorry to all the Gator haters for my blatant display of school spirit (no I'm not).


There. That's a bit more subtle =)

My Pumpkin Smoothie

• 1 banana
• 1/4 cup pureed pumpkin
• 1/4 cup greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup vanilla soymilk
• 1 tbsp flaxmeal
• handful of ice cubes

Add pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and nutmeg to taste.

While this smoothie tasted awesome, I know the weather isn't going to allow recovery via smoothies for much longer. So I have a question for all you 'seasoned' (haha- get it?) runners: what do you do for a recovery drink/snack in the winter?

What's your favorite season to run in?

Lung Strong 15k Race Recap

The LungStrong race benefits an NPO that specializes in lung cancer research. Apparently, it's the number one cancer killer. I can support a race that supports that. (I seriously debated entering this race last year when I was training for my first half but in the end, decided not to. It was good to enter it this year!)

It was another early morning for both David and I (he was running the 5k) as we made our 6:45 AM departure for Cornelius. It was a short 15 minute drive where I ate my breakfast of champions- a cliff bar with water.

The entire event was very well organized. From parking to packet pick up to the finish line, the volunteers were superb. The course was well staffed with water stops every few miles. This was the first race (over 10k) that I didn't carry Gatorade with me, so I was a little nervous about fueling. I put some Chomps in my pocket and ate one just before each station. I'm not sure if they were really necessary, but they tasted good =)

By the second mile, I was already starting to feel fatigued. My glutes and hamstrings were sore from the NROLFW sessions this past week, and I'm probably still breaking in the new shoes and insoles. I also wondered what the statute of limitations was on how long I have to blame my Grand Canyon crossing on my performance. The hills were a little more than expected, but completely manageable. We ran mostly through neighborhoods- rich neighborhoods with golf courses and waterfront views.

My goal going into this race was to feel good and give it my all. My one time goal was to keep it under a 10:00 pace and run as much of it as I could. Not only did I meet my goal, but I actually did a little beyond, averaging 9:22 per mile! Watch out Kara Goucher, I'm coming for you! =)

(my Garmin says the course was long. I'd like to therefore take 90 seconds off my final time!)

Since David did the 5k he was done well before me and had time to go to the car to get the camera. I would like to thank him for snapping these pictures.


Final time: 1:28:54, average pace of 9:33. I'm happy with that! It was about 3 minutes faster than my previous 15k race, which was not only on trails but a mile short!

Post race refreshments included water, some really nasty Powerade (I'm not even sure it was Powerade; it was foamy and carbonated), bananas and orange slices. And of course, a celebratory cup of beer. Tasted. So. Good.

Makin' my dad proud!

I was happy with my performance until I looked at the age group results. Third to last. I sulked for about 5 seconds before I reminded myself it's not about others. I run for myself, and if I'm improving and I'm happy with my own performance, that's all that matters!


What's your race or long run of the weekend?

How do you keep from being discouraged when comparing yourself to others?