Category: gear

A Few of my Favorite Things

Jumping on the bandwagon here! And multitasking for the win. 😃 If you’re reading this on a computer, you may have noticed a menu item called “Goals and Gears” up there to the left? No? Well, that’s good then as I forgot all about it and hadn’t updated it in about a year. Ooof, it was rough. As I was working on updating it, I realized it could be tied in with the holiday season. 🎁 Gift guides are the all rage right now so why not join in? And if you’re looking for more details on my favorite things, check out my new page- The Slacker Runs With.

As runners we can all list things we would like to have, things we want, things we desperately need, etc. I like learning what other runners love though, what is their tried and true and keeps them running everyday? There must be a reason right? So before we get to the wants, how about-

A few of my favorite things-

Shoes– Can’t run without those!

Brooks Pure Flow 4 – current fave with no aches or pains
Mizuno Wave Hayate- For those times I want to hit the trails.

Socks– Did you know some people run without socks? How does that even work?

I love my Pro Compression socks. I’ve always been a bright and funky sock person and rock knee socks on a regular basis so these were just a match made in heaven. Compression, knee high and awesome patterns? Sold!

Skirts– I never thought I would run in a skirt but I gave it a shot and they rock. My favorites are both by Lululemon – Pace Rival II and Pleat to Street. I thought the pleats would drive me batty but then I discovered that there are 5 pockets. 5! I also love their Speed shorts for training.

marathonfotobugsur — Lulu, PRO Compression, Sunski’s Fitletic all in one shot!

Belt– Fitletic I’ve owned 3 of these belts. I’ve tried many others but I always come back to to Fitletic. I hate bounce and wear my belt super low (like butt lift low- I got that comment at a race once) and this works great. It fits everything I need and I can attach my pepper spray to it as well.

Hydration–

For most runs, I grab whatever water bottle is nearest to me but for races I carry my own sports drink in an Ultimate Direction Jenny Handy 10oz. I tend to over hydrate in races so this smaller size works for me. For hikes and trail runs, I have a Nathan Fire Catcher. I don’t have a bladder for it, I just rely on the 2 10oz bottles in the front.

As for that sports drink- I love Skratch Labs. I love the orange hydration mix. Yum. 🙂 Plus it’s fun to say. For some reason my mother finds it hilarious when I say I am out of Skratch.

Watch– Garmin Forerunner 220. I love numbers and everything it tracks. Truthfully it probably tracks way more than I know. I wish they still made real user manuals. Am I showing my age here?

Sunglasses– Sunskis I have really poor eyesight and issues handling too much brightness so shades are a must. I also tend to destroy sunglasses very quickly. I love Sunski’s. Polarized, very affordable and cool looking too? Score! And both pairs lasted at least a year. Win in my book!

Security–

Road ID– I don’t carry my ID when I run. I misplace my debit card all the time, my license would probably run away just as quick. This bracelet has my name, 2 emergency contacts and any medical alerts I might need them to know. Stylish and smart all at the same time.

Pepper spray– Always be prepared. You never know what you may run into. They even make stylish colors now. 😊

Other ideas- Wants-

A new PR– but we can only give that to ourselves, right?

Race entries– We love our bling but those shiny medals cost a pretty penny- anything helps. 😝

Awesome running shirts– In the last year, I’ve come to love shirts with sayings on them- inspirational and funny alike. The internet is full of them. My favorite? Check out Pavement Runner and the #WeRunSocial gear.

Once again, all my favorite things in one pic plus #WeRunSocial

Shoes!!!!– runners are picky- gift cards are awesome if you aren’t sure what their favorite.

Music– the right music can be a big part of running- help them add to their collection.

Go for a run with them!

and here’s an oldie from 2013 for you!

Santa Sweetie

What are your favorites?

What did I miss?

*I am not sponsored or compensated for any of the above. Hell, the companies don’t even know I exist. 😏

I’m Cheating

So, is it possible to run yourself out of shoes? And I don’t mean by putting too many miles on them.

When I first started running, I ran in Brooks. A pair usually lasted me a year. I was also barely doing 200 miles a year but that’s another story. The shoes weren’t bad but I didn’t love them either. I had a bad case of shin splints that would come and go as well. After a few pairs of Brooks- Ravenna, I think- I switched to Mizuno. Instant convert. I loved my first pair of Wave Inspire 9’s. I put over 500 miles on them. I replaced them with another pair of Inspire 9’s. Loved those too, until I didn’t.

I started feeling aches in my feet and achillles. My 10K PR was set at 55:40 and I still don’t know how. My left achilles hurt so bad throughout the race I came to a complete stop at one point to stretch it out. And then there were the walk breaks. I took a week off after that race and started looking at my shoes. I had also been running in a pair of Wave Rider 17’s for my shorter runs and I felt better in those. But they were neutral and I was supposed to be in support shoes, so back to the store I went. They suggested a high cushion shoe to cure the aches and pains. So hello, Brooks Adrenaline 14. Holy crap, those were bricks. Plus the right one was way too big and even shoe-doo’ing the laces didn’t help. It was the first time I ever returned a pair of shoes. I felt really bad about it- I tried to like them, I did- put about 100 miles on them but just couldn’t. Back to the store again. Another treadmill test showed I pronate the same in support shoes versus a neutral shoe so what was the point? The employee helping me suggested I run in what was comfortable to me and not what “anyone” recommended. Glory days! I switched to running in the Wave Rider’s full time and it was smooth sailing from there on. Over the next year I picked up a pair of Wave Hayate’s for trail running and Wave Sayonara 2’s for shorter, faster runs. Things were awesome…until they weren’t.

Now, I admit I have odd feet. The left is bigger than the right, one arch is high and one is medium. Oh, did I mention they change size? Legitimately change size, I have had them measured more than once each time I felt like they had grown or shrunk. The shoes in my closet range from 8-10. Some of them collect dust depending on what shoe cycle I am on. Those Hayate’s and Sayonara’s that I love? Too big now. When I run trails, I wear multiple socks. And my much loved Rider’s? They’re not right anymore. Something’s off.

4 pairs in and they make my legs hurt. My knee aches, my shins and calves are tight, my ankles hurt. I tried going back to supportive shoes and tried the Wave Inspire 11. Yuck. That was the second time I’ve returned a pair of shoes. Sorry! So I bought the updated Wave Rider 18. What the hell. They are awkward and make my left foot hurt and ache in odd spots. I’ve tried reworking the laces but no luck. If I wasn’t embarrassed I may have returned them too. 😂 So back to the drawing board.

Everything feels like a lot of shoe these days. I was kind of embarrassed to go back to the Running Warehouse with my current issues. I wanted to try things on but not have to bother anyone. So I headed to Dick’s. I tried on every shoe in my size that I could reach and put away on my own. I made sure I didn’t leave behind a mess. The only things I didn’t try on were Hoka and Nike. I’ve never liked a Nike pair of running shoes and as for Hoka? I have troubles picking my feet up as it is, let alone with that much shoe. There were 2 options that felt good to me but I was still undecided. I felt like I was cheating on my running shoes. The shoes I liked were entirelydifferent than what I have been running in. Decisions, decisions.

To help my choice, I ran a few runs in my Sayonara’s. Too big yes, but overall so much better than my current shoes. Before last Thursday’s run turned creepy I was experimenting with my shoes. I ran 2 laps of the lake in the Sayonara’s and 2 in my Wave Rider’s. I was going to change back to the Sayonara’s for one last lap but then creepy truck happened. Grrr.

Saturday I headed back to the Running Warehouse to make a decision. I asked for 3 pairs of shoes. Mizuno Sayonara 3, Brooks Pure Cadence 4 and Brooks Pure Flow 4. The Sayanora 2’s have been phased out and while the 3’s were awesome colors, I didn’t like how they felt on my fit. To me they look and feel like an entirely different shoe. Closer to the Rider 18’s actually but they felt wrong on my foot. The Brooks Pure line is entirely different than anything I have run in. I tried them on years ago and hated them. This time they made the arch on my left foot happy. One pair more so than the other. So I left with a pair of Pure Flows. What have I done?! 8 pairs of Mizuno and I left with Brooks.I am breaking them in slowly but so far I like them. I am running differently in them but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. My shins are achy but that’s happened every time I’ve switched shoes so I am not alarmed at the moment. And my left leg joined the party!! I’ve mentioned before that my left leg is lazy and usually the source of my problems. I went for a short run on Monday and it was like my leg woke up. Hey, where have you been this whole time?! So now the problem is long runs. I don’t feel adjusted to the Pure Flow’s enough to run long in them but my Rider’s make my knee hurt. I’m trying to figure out how to change my shoes at some point during the run. Hmmm. Laps of the lake would work but I don’t want to go back for a few weeks.

So, thoughts?

Have you ever just stopped liking a shoe?

Am I the only one with odd feet? 😃

Thoughts on how I should attempt long runs?

Well, that wasn’t the plan

Even though the extreme pain of Thursday evening eased, I still felt sore on Friday. Sore isn’t really the right word but it’s the closest thing to describe how my left side felt on Friday. I didn’t pay much mind to it throughout the day. Partly because the day was too damn busy and chaotic and partly because I figured it would go away by the end of the day. When the text messages start coming before your alarm, you know the day is going be a little rough. But eventually it was over and I was looking forward to a weekend of running and maybe a little shopping.

Saturday morning was a fundraiser for my mom’s tennis team. They were completing a walk-a-thon and each boy had to walk or run or crawl 20 laps on the track. One boy brought a unicycle! They had a few hours in which to do this so my original plan was to run to the school and then complete my 12 miler on the track with them. When my alarm went off, I could still feel that odd soreness before even getting up. So I chose to sleep a little longer and then just head straight to the school. I figured I would get in as many laps/ miles on the track that I could. They had the track for 3 hours, I was still hoping I could get in 10-12 miles. I didn’t really think they were going to be there that long and I was right about that. However I was overly optimistic about my goal.Running hurt. I walked a few laps and tried to run one. Ouch. Walked a few more and tried running another one. Still ow. Ok, fine I get it. I walked out the remainder of laps. So 5 miles walking done. I still hoped to try and run later in the afternoon. I ran a few errands and then had the afternoon free. I could have/ should have run but instead I took a nap. Naps are training right?

I’ve been doing the math and realized that if my Wave Rider’s wear like they usually do, I will need a new pair before the SLO Marathon. Even if they did hold up through April, I would be running the race in very worn down shoes. I’ve been hoarding the gift card I got along with my Heritage award for just this purpose so today called for a trip to SLO. My mom and I headed down for a day of shopping, yummy food and hopefully a good hike to end the day.

The weather was awesome and the food was yummy as always. My stomach was not cooperative for a hike, however. This was more of the usual though and less of the odd soreness. Which is probably partially my fault. I start a new diet with lots of restrictions tomorrow so I may have indulged a little too much this weekend. Oops, but not really. I had to say goodbye. 🙂 So the hoped for hike didn’t happen. I did clear 10,000 steps on my Fitbit though and that is only the second time I have done that outside a day with a run. Yeah, I need to work on that. 🙂The highlight of the shopping was the new shoe purchase. Aren’t new running shoes always the best? I knew exactly what I wanted to try on so that made it fairly easy. Per usual, the Running Warehouse was packed on a Sunday afternoon. There were already numerous people being helped and a few waiting. I checked out all the pretty shoes while waiting. So very many colors! I guess being a familiar face is helpful because one of the employees was able to grab the shoes I wanted to try while he was getting another customers. Score! I tried the Wave Rider 18 and Wave Inspire 11. I still love Mizuno. 🙂 I had 2 pairs of Wave Inspire 9’s that I loved but just could not get behind the 10’s. I never even bought a pair they felt so off. I’ve been in the Wave Rider 17 ever since and am on pair 3. I was nervous I wouldn’t like the update for the 18. I liked the fit and feel, nothing felt too different, I just liked the feel of the Inspire’s better today. In fact the only real issues I had with both pairs was deciding which to buy and the shoelaces. The laces seem short, so I may be changing those shortly. It’ll be interesting going to back to a support shoe after being in neutral for so long but I think it may be a good thing. I picked my shoes and was in and out of there fairly quickly, double score! Now I just can’t wait to take them for a run!

And I need to get back on track with training. This was not a shiny week, it happens right?

How was your weekend? Did you race? Or run?

Shoelaces? Do you like them longer or shorter?

Success… of a Sort

My last half kind of kicked my ass both mentally and physically. 13 miles of sand aggravated some shin splints I thought were mostly behind me. My confidence took a beating as well. This led to my change in thinking during July and for the most part it helped. My most recent attempts at long runs have kicked me around a bit, too. Today, I finally completed the 10miler I attempted twice last weekend. However, it was Ugly. However before we get there, let’s look back.

Thursday turned into a rest day instead of gym night, I was feeling a little under the weather. Earlier in the week, I had made a smart ass comment about something happening on Friday. I said that if all the stars aligned in the right way, I would buy everyone lunch. Granted, at the time, I thought there was no way. That being said, I followed through when I was proved wrong.

Saturday was a day spent shopping. I may have spent a little more than planned, but it was fun. 🙂 And when did my impulse purchases become running shoes?

After getting home, I took my family to a local steak house for dinner, where we I might have eaten too much. I followed dinner with a late evening stroll with my mom and the puppy. Had to test out the new shoes, right?

My stomach did not thank me for yesterday’s indulgence, so this morning got off to a rough start. I did manage to get out the door for my long run by 9 though. My mother wanted to meet at the track and do some laps. After I was going to help her change out a tennis net. I ran 8 on the track a few weeks ago and did not want to again. I mapped out a route that was 7 miles across town to the school and planned to finish the last 3 miles on the track. The downside was that I had to run across the main bridge in town. I hate running across the bridge, I feel like I am on display, it’s so noisy and just seems so long. In comparison to big cities I am sure that our bridge is tiny, but I think it may be the biggest in the county. Not sure if that’s more indicative of the bridge or the county though, hmmm.

Right from the get-go, I knew it was going to be rough. I had a shortcut option to cut 2 miles off before the school if I felt ill but I did not want to take it. After my warm up mile, I decided to test out the run/walk feature on my Garmin. Once I figured out how to do that I set it for 8:30 run and 1:00 walk. I was foolishly hoping that it would help the run seem a little easier. It did keep miles 2, 3, 5, 6 around 10:30 pace which was pretty cool for a long run. Mile 4 was my fastest at 9:29- the bridge mile- I just wanted it done. I hit 4 traffic lights in the last half of 4 and beginning of 5; I paused my Garmin at each one but let the Nike App run. I was curious to see how long they took. All in all they added 5 minutes to my time.

I completely ran out of gas by the end of mile 6. Since I was on a path and not the street, I had put in both headphones for a pick me up. Bad idea- a cyclist came up on my left and I never heard him. I felt his presence more so I took out a headphone as I turned my head, oops. I was hugging the far right of the path, so he had plenty of space. We chatted a bit, I apologized for the headphone gaffe (I swear I only ever use one!) but that I was in such misery I was hoping it would distract me. He agreed that it was a rough morning and already too warm. My pace slid off from there. Miles 7-10 all clocked in the 11’s. Even on the track. I have never run that slow on the track but I was just spent. I even thought about calling it at 8 and heading back out later to another 2 but I really wanted the run done all in one. I was so glad when I was done. I stretched some and then headed off to help my mother. Or try, turns out the replacement net was worse off than the old one, the replacement had been donated. 😦

We followed that up with some yummy Chipotle for lunch, have I mentioned we have a Chipotle now?! I also learned that you should never go to the grocery store after a long run. I wanted to buy everything!!! Luckily I wanted to buy all the fruits and vegetables but still there’s only so much food a person can eat. I didn’t look at my splits for a few hours because the run just felt so rough to me. Turns out my overall pace was pretty much near where I had wanted to be for a long run, the run just felt the total opposite of easy. It makes me a little nervous for the 12 miler I need to do next weekend.

How was your weekend?

Every make a statement you didn’t think you’d have to follow through on?

Ever go to the grocery store after a long run?

Any long run tips?

My First (real) Expo

I took a vacation day yesterday and it was nice. I slept in, met some friends for lunch and finally followed through on some errands. Who has time for the dry cleaners anyways? I spent most of yesterday pretty relaxed so I am not sure why I slept so crappy last night. 😦 Maybe the nerves were starting to kick in?

Lunch with the girls :) — Lunch with the girls 🙂

Once I finally managed to make myself move this morning, I got ready and headed for SLO. My mother and I were planning on lunch before heading to the expo. It was super yummy.

Carb loading right? That is a burger at the bottom corner

Parking was fairly quick and painless. From there it was just a short walk to the expo. While it may have been small by some it was the largest that I have been too. It also had the most vendor’s. The vendor’s were local shops and bakeries or other races.

Packet pick up was fairly easy, and then it was off to pick up my shirt. This was the only awkward bit, the shirts were being distributed on the other side of the tent, through the crowds of people shopping. It wasn’t a huge thing at all, just seemed awkward. The shirts varied by race. Full marathon shirts were an orange color and long sleeves. The half shirt was blue and long sleeved and the 5K was pink and short sleeved. All were technical shirts.

Really wanted to but it all... restrained myself to lower left corner — Really wanted to buy it all… restrained myself to lower left corner

Mom's favorite color — Mom’s favorite color

From there it was shopping time. I came prepared with money and plastic but didn’t really have anything I needed to buy. Famous last words. The trouble spots were the booths for LeftLane Sports and Left Coast Shirts. Leftlanesports.com is an online sports stores that offers things at pretty awesome discounts. Plus when I have ordered from them, the shipping was awesome fast. If you haven’t checked them out you should. I left that booth with a new pair of compression socks and arm sleeves. Left Coast put a serious dent in my pocket. Everything was just so cute! I could have spent much more. I picked up a shirt and sweatshirt for me and an early Mother’s Day gift for my mother. I actually left without buying myself the sweatshirt but ended up going back for it after the meet and greet.

After that all the shopping, there was still time before the scheduled meet up. So we headed to the car to leave everything there and get out of the wind a bit. This area has been having some freaky strong winds lately. My work town got up to 54 mph gusts the other day. Luckily the weather reports says that wind should be calm for the race tomorrow. Fingers crossed!

The meet and greet was great. I had the chance to meet most of the other ambassadors. It is a great group of people. We hung out and talked and met some other people. The SLO Marathon has a challenged athletes team. We also met a person who traveled all the way from Australia for the race and a former local who will be completing his 100th marathon at the race tomorrow. 100!!!! I won’t lie the jacket was pretty awesome too 🙂 The only thing that threw me was the interview. I’m horrible on tv! My voice sounds so funny. Even my mother remarked that it sounded odd after she played back what she had recorded as well.

We headed out after the meet and greet. We took some time to drive a portion of the course. Oh my, that’s a long slow climb right at the start. Mile 1-4 is all incline, maybe I should have just been surprised! It ends with a small downhill, so yay for that! I felt like we drove too far and looking at the map again tonight, we did. So woo hoo for that! Then it was time for a little carb loading before heading home.

My gear is all laid out for tomorrow and by bag is ready to go. The plan is to be dropped off about 1/4 mile from the start line. I thought about changing the planned outfit to match my new socks but chose to stick with the original.

And now it’s off to bed for me and hopefully better sleep than last night!!

How was your Saturday?