Tag: Mizuno

~A change in plans~

~A change in plans~

Today is my Friday and that makes me smile 🙂 I have the next 4 days off, woo hoo! The original plan was to run a half marathon on a local army base on Saturday. Packet pick up would have been tomorrow, so I took the day off. They were also giving tours of the course. However, with my ankle a little sore and getting the chance to be an Ambassador for the SLO Marathon, I adjusted my race schedule. My first half of the year will be March 23 and this weekend I will be racing a 10K at a nearby college instead. I will then spend the day enjoying SLO. But I still have tomorrow off. 🙂

Yesterday, I packed everything I needed to hit the gym after work. I was planning on 4 miles with some sort of speed drills thrown in. The weather was amazing throughout the day and I was dreading the treadmill. On a last minute whim, I decided to chance it. I didn’t have my Garmin, I didn’t have my running belt and I only had my Wave Riders. I had never run in them outside only on the treadmill plus one puppy walk. But I was running outside!

I checked the sunset time and knew I could get in 3 miles. Maybe 3.5 if I pushed it. I had an armband, so I shoved my phone in it and was off. Seriously, I have never changed that fast and I was walking up the block before everyone else was in their cars. I had a 3 mile route planned, out and back. The first 1.5 miles are slightly downhill so in this route I am usually quicker going out than coming back. The first mile felt a little rough, I was breathing heavier than usual. I took that as a sign that 3.5 would not be happening. That is until Nike chimed in at mile 1- 9:00. Holy crap, that’s race pace not training!

Change in plans, now I wanted to run 4 and hold that pace. Mile 2 came in at 8:57, then the turn around. Here I did stop for a few pics, also to lose the sweatshirt I had started out in. I ran past so many photo opportunities but I wanted to hold pace and beat the setting sun. Then it was back the way I came, uphill. I always walk a part of mile 3 as the road in the state park gets super narrow. The return route has a blind corner on a downhill for cars, so I slow down to pay more attention to the cars. I figure it’s easier to jump out of the way when I am not huffing and puffing. 🙂

The sun set just past mile 3. The last bit of uphill was hard and I knew I was slowing. I hit my car and was only at 3.8 so I ran around the block again. Luckily I hit 4 and stopped Nike before walking a cool down. Which was cool because I was not running around the block and the police station again. Figured that would look a little odd. 🙂

I was so pumped after this run. I had no idea I could do that in a training run. I think racing the sun was a huge part of that. That pace would not have happened at the gym. Nor would it have been so pretty. Plus I could smell the ocean and the eucalyptus while running. I may have to try that again next week.

On an annoying note, today my favorite boots decided to lose a bottom. I almost took a header while walking across the tile floor. Now I am trying to decide if they are worth repairing or if they should be retired like a pair of running shoes. They probably have a similar amount of miles on them. 🙂

Now I just need to decide how to spend my four days off. Is it bad that I kind of want to have an Austen marathon? Jane Austen, that is. Or maybe I can get my friend to actually go to the movies. Hmmmm. And somehow, I agreed to help my mother with tennis practice tomorrow. One thing I know, I will be sleeping later tomorrow morning. 🙂

Anyone have big plans for Valentine’s day?

Who’s racing this weekend?

Skillet and Donut Holes

This “trying to be more dedicated than 3x a week plan” is really making me tired. The plan that I am following has been calling for 6 days a week. With being sick last week and my inherent Slacker-ness I have been hitting 4. Which is double what I did in December (oh the holidays) and 1 more than the Slacker Way. Who knows, maybe 5 is next. 🙂

Tonight I decided to try the Garmin on the treadmill one last time, and lo and behold, it worked!!! I was thinking that if non GPS mode was based on accelerometer technology (seriously who makes up these words?), then a lot of that is based on arm movement right? When I run on the treadmill, I wear my phone in an armband on my left arm. For whatever reasons, I’ve noticed that when I wear an armband, I don’t move my left arm as much. I have tried to correct it but not much luck. So tonight, I figured I would try the Garmin on the right hand. It was kind of awkward, I had troubles getting the watch tight, and pushing the buttons was tricky, but it worked! It matched the treadmill exactly. I still had Nike+ going on my phone just in case, but tonight they all matched. I can’t claim to understand why Nike+ works on my left arm and not the Garmin, but hopefully this will correct the issue in the future.

After yesterday’s rest day- chosen by me not the plan- today called for a 3 mile easy run. My goal was 6 miles to make up for the run I missed yesterday. After work, I got started later than I planned so 6 turned into 5. I slept kind of rough last night so I was glad that today was an easy run. Also thankful that the treadmill helps control your pace. 🙂 I wore the Wave Rider’s again and I am liking them so far. My shins and ankles were a little sore in the beginning and around mile 4, but no more than anytime I’ve changed shoes. The shoelaces are freakishly long so I will have to fix that.

I finished my 5 miles and walked a little more for a cool down. The run felt pretty good. I made sure to not push either myself or the shoes but it felt like a good workout. Which was good as a customer had brought us donut holes this afternoon. Seriously, no restraint with that yummy, glazed goodness.

I can’t wait for the time change, I miss running outside in the evening. The gym and the treadmill are great, but sometimes distracting. Tonight there were 2 women on treadmills next to me carrying on a movie trivia game. Which would have been fine if they weren’t so loud. My playlist tonight was Skillet, and they are not a quiet band. I had it pretty loud with both ear buds in and I could hear their conversation perfectly. Then there were the guys on the ellipticals in jeans and cargo pants. Isn’t there a dress code?

I stretched some before leaving. I also made nice with my foam roller tonight. Tomorrow will be another rest day then it’s a ten miler on the schedule for Saturday. I’d like to be optimistic and say I will try for a few miles tomorrow but with later hours at work and having to get my tires fixed in the AM again, let’s say rest day.

Right now, I’m being stalked by a Comfy chair thief, so it’s off to bed for me!

How is everyone’s week?

Anyone else have any random gym stories?

Finally a Reason

Friday morning, I woke up feeling like I had slept more hours but they were just as crappy. I just wanted to burrow under the covers for a few more hours. But I dragged myself out of bed and got ready for work. Since I was feeling crappy, I wore my newest skirt and my most comfortable boots to work. Fake it ’til you make it right?

Yeah, I rock funky socks, every day :) — Yeah, I rock funky socks, every day 🙂

Don’t worry, I push the socks down before we open the doors. 🙂 I was also treated to this morning view while picking up the cookies-

Shaping up to be a good day, right? By early afternoon, my headache had turned into a head pounder and my swallowing was so painful. Ahhhh, light bulb moment, I was sick. Maybe that explained the week of crappy sleep and the zoning out I did a few times at night. I watched Biggest Loser on my DVR over the week, but I couldn’t tell you a dang thing that happened. I don’t remember it at all. 😦 After leaving work yesterday, I crashed in the Comfy chair with a blanket. I was hoping I would be better in time for a long run today.

I had a little shopping trip planned with my mom; she wanted help looking for a wedding gift for one of her former players. I set an alarm in the hopes I could get a run in this morning first. Ha! My head and throat were worse. So I tried to get a little more sleep before getting ready for the day. Shopping went well, even if both my mother and I were feeling poorly and moving a little slower than usual. Even though my throat hurt, I was able to enjoy lunch. 🙂 She also found a great gift, which is good as the wedding is tomorrow. 🙂

She then needed to head to the Tennis Warehouse to pick up a few things for the team. Uhoh- danger zone! The Running Warehouse was literally 10 feet away. And I had been feeling the urge for new shoes. I was one of those rare runners who only had one pair of shoes. I wore them for every race, training run and occasional trail adventure. When they wore out, I replaced them. With my planned increase in training this spring and more half marathons on the schedule as well I was thinking about getting another pair.

The place was packed, but then the store front is small. However customer service there is amazing. I tried to resist, I really did. I ended up trying on the Mizuno Wave Inspire 10 and the Mizuno Wave Rider 17. I love my current pair of Inspire 9’s so I was optimistic for the 10’s. They felt like an entirely different shoe, tighter and flatter. Not cool. The Wave Rider’s on the other hand felt awesome! Restraint be damned!

The Wave Rider’s are a neutral support shoe so that is a change. So I will be trying them out on the treadmill for the first few runs. If I like them, I figured I would use them for the flatter, shorter runs and races. I can’t wait to test them out. Our shopping trip was longer than planned; I ran out of daylight. My mother cannot make a quick trip to Petco. I ended up wandering away at one point and having a conversion with a little boy about betta fish. He was excited because they are fighter fish. I told him we have one at work that likes to try to attack a coworker. He thought that was great. 🙂

Once home, I had absolutely no energy for the gym. So today became a rest day. I am hoping that I will feel better tomorrow and can get in some miles. Maybe not the 8 that I missed today but anything between 4 and 6 would be cool. It will have to be early though as I am my mother’s plus 1 for the wedding. My dad, well he’s not the partying type. Neither am I, really, but I fake it better. 🙂

How was everyone’s Saturday?

Was I really the only one with one pair of shoes?

Bright, shiny and new!!!!

Shoes!!!!!! As I mentioned in a previous post, my Mizuno Wave Inspire 9 were getting a little tired. In fact, I probably shouldn’t have run my half marathon in them. But I loved them so much! I set a PR for 5K, 10K, and half marathon distances in them. So, ok, maybe I was a little attached, a little overly sentimental.

Monday’s short little run brought the mileage total up to 444. The wear was showing and the support has faded. Poor shoes. 😦 It was time to do something. Mizuno has been teasing the release of the Wave Inspire 10 for sometime in mid-November. I had mixed feelings about this for a few reasons. #1 was that I didn’t want to wait that long. I needed shoes now, so I could break them in for November races. #2- I loved these shoes, 10 were redesigned, what if I hated them? Plus by the time I would figure that out, I may not have been able to find the Inspire 9.

I have been checking websites off and on for about a month now, hoping I could find the Inspire 9’s for a little less. Monday after my creepy run, I decided to just buy my shoes. I have bought (been gifted) every pair of running shoes from The Running Warehouse. I love them, great selection and customer service. I am probably a very annoying customer, as I usually try on like 7 pairs of shoes each time. This time I knew exactly what I wanted, so I figured I would go online. Easy peasy right?

Strike 1, they had the 9 in two colors but not my size. Well crap. Ok, how about the Mizuno website? 3 colors available, but again not my size, strike 2. I was starting to get a little nervous. Did I wait too long? Next I checked out Road Runner Sports. I had never been to the site before but kept seeing it on Twitter. Success!!! They had my shoes in my size!!!!

I ordered them around 10PM Monday night. They had a deal with their VIP account, so I figured why not. I got 20% off plus free shipping. Score! And yes, I paid for my first pair of running shoes. Tuesday morning, I received an email that they had shipped. Well that was fast. I still expected them to take a while. After getting home from work school on Wednesday, I found my shoes!!! Less than 48 hour turn around! I was impressed. Part of me wanted to go for a run but my neck was freakishly sore and stiff after class, so I held off.

Thursday, I headed out after work, before more school, for a little 3 mile run. The weather was amazing, bright shining sun and blue ocean. It was a little windier than anticipated; the water was choppier than I had seen it. The shoes were great, no issues, I could really feel the support.

Only one slight quirk, the shoes are pink, like in your face, bright pink. (Sorry, Mizuno, Beetroot not pink) I think this is the brightest pair of shoes I have owned. I could see the pink out of the corner of my eye while running, that will take some getting used to. 🙂 I can count the number of pink things I own on one hand.

On the shoe subject, I rewarded myself for achieving my 10K goal with these super cute platforms-

I wore them today for the second time 🙂 Love them, but almost walked out of the right one 3x today, my right foot is smaller. 😦 I need to buy one of those heel inserts. It’s hard to believe I am a runner when I sometimes have troubles walking!

Can’t wait to get my next run in with my new shoes!!!

Anyone else have any favorite shoes?

Anyone racing this weekend?

Shoe Talks

Let’s talk about shoes. So I am currently wearing Mizuno Wave Inspire 9 and I have been since December. As of today they have 386 miles on them. I love these shoes and of course they are introducing a new model in November. But I love this style!!!! I really should replace them now, but I do not want to break in a new pair before my half marathon in 3 weeks. And I have been using that excuse for the last 2 months.

I have also held off because every time I buy a new pair of shoes, the shin splints that I use to suffer from every day always make a reappearance. Why can’t they just stay gone? Since there is a new updated version about to hit stores, I think that I will see if I can find mine on clearance anywhere. Fingers crossed! But then again, the new ones do look pretty.

I really do love these shoes. Prior to these Mizuno’s, I had only ever run in Brooks. Actually my previous two pairs were both Brooks Ravenna. While I had never had any problems with them, I wasn’t dead set on them. So after Christmas last year, I headed out on a shoe hunt. My shoes always seem to need to be replaced around Christmas or my birthday. I have managed to not have to pay for a pair of shoes yet. Yay for presents! Changing to Mizuno was a jump because it was a different brand, I went down a size and they were a different support level. Yikes! I was nervous when I first started wearing them. But they have been awesome. I am sad to see the wear on them. I have also set 3 PR’s in them, so maybe I am a little emotionally attached to them. J

Speaking of shoes, I wore my boots to the chamber mixer on Thursday and it occurred to me that they probably have almost as many miles on them as my running shoes. Slower miles for sure but they got me through a crazy time back at the beginning of the year. I had just transferred locations for work and we were going through something like a merger. We had crazy hours and did lots of running around, and these shoes were my go to. Got me through the day, didn’t hurt and kept my legs warm! Sadly, they too are in need of replacing. I hate replacing shoes, you never know if the new ones will be as comfortable as the nice old, worn in ones. And breaking them in always takes time. Plus, I have a hard time finding boots that actually fit my calves. Ahhh, the joys of being a runner 🙂

Yep, I wear knee socks :) — Yep, I wear knee socks 🙂

Thursday was busy but good, and Friday has come and gone. Bring on the weekend running! I now have 8 days until my 10K, and possible 5K, so I would really like to get in some decent miles this weekend. I also have some shows that I would love to catch up on, Slacker style in my comfy chair. And maybe some good food along the way. All that after I get off work that is.

Anyone else have a pair of shoes that they just don’t want to let go of?

Hope everyone had a good Friday and if you are racing this weekend, good luck!!