Author: Fallon @ Slacker Runner

Levitate My Way

Disclaimer: I received a pair of Brooks Levitate to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

Shoes!!! I love shoes!

Even when they don’t love me.  If you’ve been around the blog for a while then you might know that I’ve been having shoe issues for a few years now.  My favorite shoe ever went through a massive overhaul back in late 2016/ early 2017 and I hated the changes.  Ever since then I’ve bounced around from shoe to shoe and varying brand.   Somebody help!

Brooks introduced the Levitate into it’s lineup in late 2017.  It looked pretty and I was hearing good things but I was hesitant because it looked like more shoe than I was used to.   Yet, I kept hearing good things.  Then I started training for Big Sur and I was a mess when it came to my shoes.  Where were these??? I really shouldn’t have been afraid to try them.

So when I had the chance to try them post Big Sur, I said Yes, Please! Then I waited impatiently for them to arrive.    Once they did, I did a little happy jig and every mile run since has been in the Levitate’s.

Ok let’s get the technical stuff down-

  • Energized Cushioning-With the most energy return of leading performance running shoes, Levitate’s DNA AMP midsole technology gives energy nowhere to go but up, straight back to you.
  • Quick Transitions- A flexible, arrow-point pattern on the outsole helps you move from heel to toe quickly, without losing energy.
  • Intuitive Fit- The 3D Fit Print and FitKnit upper comfortably accommodates your foot as it moves and expands.
  • Quick Transitions-The Midfoot Transition Zone and Segmented Crash Pad provide quick heel-to-toe transitions.
Levitate Specs
all data from brooksrunning.com

Ok, so how did they feel?

Not gonna lie, the first few runs took some getting used to, it’s been a while since I ran in a “normal” running shoe- I went from a zero drop to these so I had an adjustment period.  A couple of runs and a shoelace adjustment and things were feeling much better.

In fact the more I wore them, the better they felt.  I was really liking the cushioned feel they offered.   They made me want to keep running!  I also threw down some of my fastest mile splits in over a year.    Which might not have been the greatest idea as my back/glutes haven’t been 100% since Big Sur which I partially blame on my poor shoe choice there.  By mile 20, I was considering running barefoot.  I wish I had the Levitate’s then!  But that also shouldn’t surprise me- my first marathon was run in Brooks.

Now- full disclosure- I’ve longest run I’ve run is 13 miles in the Levitate so far.  However there were zero hot points or pressure spots so winning!   I’m also don’t see another marathon in my near future so I doubt I’ll be going over 13 miles any time soon.  😛 I am notoriously hard on shoes but so far these still look fairly new other than some dirt and there’s nothing wrong with a little dirt.   I wore significant amounts of tread off my last pair of new shoes (different brand) within 30 miles so right now that is a huge plus in the Levitate’s favor and I have almost double the miles on them.   Some online reviews expressed thoughts that they felt heavy but they felt perfectly fine to me.

All right, slight down point- they are a little pricey.  However, I think they are worth it- I’d rather pay a little more for a good shoe then buy something just because it’s on sale.  That’s a quick way to end up hurting something that wasn’t hurting before.  And yes, that’s the voice of experience talking- been there, done that, lesson learned.

I am loving the shoes so far and am looking forward to putting more miles on them, I think these and one pair of my zero’s will make the perfect shoe rotation.   I will check back in if something changes in how I feel about the shoes but now I just want to #runallthemiles.  When’s my next race?

What do you run in?

Want to hear more? Check out other Pro’s thoughts-
Amanda–

Let’s Rock Seattle!

Disclaimer: I am promoting the Infinite Energy Seattle City Guide as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

I took the train from SLO County all way up to Seattle for a family trip when I was a kid.  For those who don’t know, that’s almost a 2 day trip- one way.   While I never want to do that again, I do want to go back to Seattle.

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I remember visiting the Space Needle. I felt tiny and insect like just standing next to it.  Was I going to be brave enough to go up to the top??? I was.  However, I am not sure I am that brave now so it would be kind of interesting to test that theory.  😛

The rest of the trip was spent doing things I can barely remember – I was young, but over the years I’ve learned of so many other things you can do or see in Seattle.  It’s a place I would like to go back to one day soon.

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My problem is that when I go to new places, I need a Paint by Numbers guide-seriously.  I could get lost in a paper bag.   So sometimes my sightseeing in new cities is very restricted because I know I am on shortened time frame and I am afraid of my natural tendency to get lost.   That is why I think the Infinite Energy Seattle City Guide that Brooks Running prepared is so awesome!

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Not only does it point out some of the best places to go, it tells you how to get there!  It’s Slacker proof!  You know I want to know where to find the best donuts, I’m always thinking about food.  And running stores?  Yes, please.  I’ve never been to a Fleet Feet but I’ve always wanted to find one.

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How about the Fremont Troll- how cool is he? Ok, I need to go back to Seattle sooner rather than later.  😛

Can I get on of these for every city I travel to for a race??? Pretty please??  Well and more time to see all the things.

What about you?  Ever been to Seattle?  What’s your favorite part?

2018 Rock n Roll San Diego 13.1

Disclaimer: I received an entry into Rock n Roll San Diego as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

Last year I loved this race and I jumped at the chance to go back.   The course is great, the crowd support was awesome- sign me up!  However, I also knew that I was would be one month out of Big Sur, so realistically I had no idea how that would affect me.  So I was going in with the only goals of having fun, enjoying the race and crossing that finish line.

I joked in my previous post that with 8 aid stations this would be the race to try running without carrying water however I knew I was too paranoid to actually do that.  Except I forgot my flasks.  I didn’t figure it out until after the expo so it was too late to buy anything.  I thought about carry a plastic bottle but that just didn’t sound appealing to me.   Guess I was relying on aid stations after all.

Race morning dawned all too early after a poor night of sleep.  I was ready fairly quickly which was surprising as I was having major indecision about what to wear on my bottom half, I settled on my Skirt Sports skirt, made a quick compression sock change and was out the door to meet Kate.  I love my hotel because the race morning shuttles pick up 1/2 block down and the finish line is 3 blocks away.  Met up with Kate, we boarded a bus and in less than 10 minutes we were at the starting area.  We wandered for a bit before getting in a porta potty line.  We missed the National Anthem- too noisy- and separated to our corrals after that.   I appreciated the new larger corral markers- it made it easier to find mine (17 of 33) but we were still packed in like sardines.  I also started to question what the hell I had put down as a finishing time.  The 2:15 pace group was in the corral behind me.  Say what?!  But we steadily made our way up and then we were off!

Miles 1-3 10:17, 10:44, 11:43

I love that there is a man shouting encouragement though a bull horn as we run past .25 mile in.    It can pretty crowded in the first few miles but my goal was to just keep my effort steady.  I had told my mother that I wasn’t really concerned about my finishing time but in the back of my head, I figured 2:25 ish wouldn’t be too off the mark.   However during mile 3 things started to get rough and I realized there was one thing I forgot to take into account- humidity.

Miles 4-7 11:21, 11:03, 11:36, 12:01

I was still running just a lot slower.  It was so damn humid.  It was mile 4 and the people running near me looking like their shirts could be wrung out.  The men running shirtless looked like they just got out of the shower.   I happened to pull out my phone to text my mother that is humid- actually I used much more colorful language- and she reminded me to use my inhaler as humidity is one of my asthma triggers.  But when I pulled my phone I saw that it showed 80% humidity.  What the what? I am used to like 15%.  The sun was pounding down on us and I could tell we were all struggling.  I texted Kate and told her to be careful.   I did all this while running, haha.  I was still enjoying the race, I love running through North Park and Normal Heights.   Mile 5 also brings us the Wear Blue- Run to Remember section and I like to try and pay more attention in that area.

My strategy was to run everything but walk the entire aid station- getting water and Gatorade at each one as it was offered.  Clearly this was not the race to not carry my own water.

Miles 8-10 11:57, 11:49, 12:41

Oh my gawd, I was hot.  Temp wise, it wasn’t even hot but the humidity was kicking my butt.  I was now taking more time at the aid stations.  One cup of Gatorade and one cup water.  If the station only offered water, I would get one cup of water at the very beginning, drink it while walking the station slowly, then get another to drink at the end.  I took off my hat and dumped water in it before putting it back on. The stations were also struggling to keep up with demand from the runners- in fact I would be surprised if the one at mile 9 lasted the entire race.

I took my first non- aid station walk break around mile 9.5.  I just had to.  I was starting to feel nauseous.   Kind of like I had consumed too much water.  Which I coudn’t see how as I wasn’t carrying any and they don’t fill those cups up too full.  But I skipped an aid station just before mile 10.

Miles 10-13 111:56, 11:30, 12:22

From then on it was a run- walk to the end.  Which is a bummer because I really like the last 3 miles.  We come back into Balboa Park, run under the big guitar guy, up a hill past some Taiko drummers, by a golf course, then there’s a sweet downhill that brings you back into the city.     I may have been feeling rough but I was still trying to enjoy as much of my surroundings as I could.   Then it was through downtown with a slight down hill to the finish-

Finish- 2:33:38

I honestly hadn’t been looking at my watch at all so I had no idea where I was at time wise until after crossing the finish line.  That time is fine by me.  So fine, I’ve already gone and input my results into Athlinks.  😊

I stood around for a couple moments needing a moment if that makes sense before getting my medal and heading out of the chute.  One of the volunteers became my new favorite person as she was handing out bags of ice.   I stuck it on my head as I walked to the meeting point to find my mom.   I still felt way too hot so I jammed back to the hotel for a cold shower before flying back to the finish line to see Kate.    Success.

The weather may not have been my friend but I still love this race and it was only made better with friends out there too. And Kate got a PR!!!!!

What’s your weather nemesis?

Week 22- Wrong Side of the Tracks

Upcoming Races-

  • Rock n Roll San Diego 13.1- race week!!!!

Short weeks always seem to be just a little bit harder than they should be.  Short weeks right before you go on vacation and you’re trying to make sure you get everything off your checklist done so no one else has do it? Just that much harder.  However I had the prizes of both a race trip to San Diego and vacation at the end so I just buckled down.

I think.  I feel like I forgot something.

Monday- Rest (Memorial Day) I hate wasting a non work day with rest, I usually love getting more miles in but I also needed to get a few things done first.  One of those things was cleaning out the inside of my car as it was long overdue and I managed to overheat while doing so.  I mean, yes it was 95, but still that is kind of sad.  It took me super long to cool down and by then I just decided to make up the miles sometime during the week.

Tuesday- Rest The day back after a 3 day week is usually super busy so I prepared for that and did not take running gear.

Wednesday- 4.1 miles I headed to the river path for a few miles.  I have a training app that told me to do intervals and the Squadrunner app that had a mission of 6K but I was feeling fussy and not sure what I was going to do or what my glute/hip was going to let me do.  So I just let my legs do what they wanted.  It turns that was a 4.1 mile progression run.  Who knew?   My hip/glute felt super tight for the first 2 miles, I warmed up with my usual 1/2 mile walk but also did a few lunges and some other stretches at that point.  It eventually loosened up and I felt ok by the end of the run.  Sitting; later was a different story.

Thursday- Rest I took my running gear to work but I needed to get some things at the store before the weekend’s race trip so I decided to do that instead.   I planned to start packing as well but I all I really did was pull together part of my race day outfit.

Friday-  Packing– Holy crap, work was so damn busy.  I drove home feeling fried.  If I run this race next year, I am taking the Friday before off.  I was scrambling to pack and now wondering why I put it off and had the feeling I was going to forget something.  It was damn near my sports bra.  I packed everything and had finally sat down for a moment to relax when I suddenly realized I hadn’t packed one!  How did I forget that?

Saturday- Travel day  Oh for crying out loud, it took us 7+ hours to get to San Diego.  I didn’t get to the expo until after 3.  Thankfully picking up my bib and shirt was a breeze.  I almost forgot to get my shuttle band but remembered at the last minute.   The Brooks booth had a lot of cute merchandise but I told myself I didn’t need anything at the expo but then lost that resolve at the Sparkle Skirts booth when I bought my first one.   Then it was off to check into the hotel before meeting Kate for dinner!

Our hotels were near each other so we met at a Claim Jumpers that was nearby.  I had never eaten there before.  The food was so-so, the service interesting but the company was excellent!     Seriously- the waitress like forgot Kate’s dessert and when confronted about it they had no reason for it.  Then when she was taking away the dishes, she dropped one the sharp knives but in a way that it came right for my stomach.  Yikes!  But it was great catching with Kate and making our game plan for race morning.  Then it was back to the hotel to relax a bit and get to sleep.

However I realized what I forgot to pack- the soft flasks for hydration that go with my pack.   So, how was I going to carry water?

Sunday- Rock n Roll San Diego -13.1 miles Race recap to come.

17.2 miles for the week.  Considering I only ran twice, that’s not horrible.  And now I am on vacation- woo hoo!

*Oh and the title of the post?  When we were leaving San Diego on Sunday, we turned up a street and it was really confusing but due to traffic and lights, we got stuck on the wrong side of the boom barriers for the railroad track- we couldn’t go forward and we couldn’t go back and there was the coaster coming.  Eeeek!!!!! Runners just leaving the event in the park assured us we were far enough back- which we all hoped so as they were standing level with us!  The train went through fine, barriers raised, lights went green and we went on our way but I thought that was a fitting title for the post.

How was your week?

Shipping Down To San Diego

Disclaimer: I received an entry into Rock n Roll San Diego as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

It’s race week!

I loved Rock N Roll San Diego and I am looking forward to returning to enjoy everything that I loved last year.  Throw in the new upgraded aid stations and miles markers and more music along the course and I am stoked.  Oh- did I mention that Des Linden is pacing the 2:00 hour half and Meb Keflezighi is pacing the 1:30 half group?

Holy crap!

Now, I am notoriously bad at spotting celebrities- though I do have a pic of Kara Goucher hauling past me at one race- so I am not sure how likely it is that I will run into or see either of them but I am going to keep my eyes peeled.

And aid stations- I read that there are 8 aid stations for the half. 8!  My last marathon had 11- so that’s 8 for only half the miles!  If there was ever a time to practice running without my own water this would be it but I think I would be too paranoid to do that so I just need to make sure that I don’t drink too much liquid.

But the best part???  Friends!!!!!! Kate and Mai!  I haven’t seen them since Las Vegas so this is like a reunion- woo hoo!!!! Kate’s coming all the way from Texas!! Makes my 6 hour drive seem piddly! I’m so excited!!!!!

Now- the less exciting part.  I’m having some issues in the hip/glute area so I’m not quite sure well this is going to go.  I’m actually less concerned about the miles than the 6+ hour drive to get to San Diego- sitting has become distinctly uncomfortable.😒  So with that being said, I have zero goals for this race.  Well unless you count have fun and finish.  I would take finish off but we all know if I start, I’m finishing even if I have to walk it in.  I hope it doesn’t come to that but I am prepared for it if it does.   There could be lots of pictures in my recap if that happens.

Is it time to leave yet????