Tag: shoes

Run!, Slacker, Training

Week 17- Surprise Race

Fallon @ Slacker Runner

Upcoming Races:

  • Destination Races Santa Barbara 13.1- May 13
  • Rock N Roll San Diego 13.1-June 4

I had a plan coming into this week but was thrown an unexpected curve ball towards the middle that slowed me down.  And left me craving burgers- seriously, I ate 3 this week.   😛   Maybe I should avoid the scale for a bit?   Or should I just call it carb loading?   Except that’s a bit excessive.

We got new alarms at work this week. Which would be awesome if we didn’t keep setting them off.  Grrr.  Speaking of work- a few weeks back I mentioned that I hit 10 years but I thought with the company change it would go unnoticed.  On Friday, I learned differently-

😀😀

Monday- 2.5 miles  Since Sunday’s run had been such a hot mess, I kept this short.  I also ran in the Sayonara’s again for the first time since the knee pain.  I wanted to see what happened.   It’s official, the shoes are toast.   Even 2.5 miles was too far in them.  Boo.


Tuesday- Rest  Yeah, my knee was not happy.   Sayonara Sayonara’s.

Wednesday- Rest Surprise!  I recently randomly quit birth control for some heath reasons and it’s been an interesting ride.  I’ve been taking it since I was 16 so I’ve been feeling a little all over the place.    Wednesday was the start of my first real time of the month in years.  And it jacked up my week.  😛  Plus sent me into a burger craving spiral.


Thursday- 3.55 miles  This run felt so hard.  I kept an easy pace throughout but it felt so damn hard and I was so tired.   I blame hormones.      I also changed the way  I lace the Brooks to see if that helped with my arches.  Why it took me so long to remember to do that, I have no idea.  I did it with all my PureFlow 4’s, these would probably be similar.  Silly Slacker.    It was also insanely windy for this run.

Friday- Rest–  This week just felt long and it was time to prepare for my weekend plans.  I had some odd leg pain though.  I have it every time I up my mileage though so I wasn’t overly concerned just more annoyed.

Saturday- RaceSLO packet pickup  I needed to run 12 miles this weekend but we all know I haven’t been doing so well with following through with that.  So I figured why not add a mile and run a local half on Sunday instead?  Sounds like a great idea right?    I did enjoy some amazing carb-loading though.  😛


Sunday- SLO Half Marathon- 13.1 miles  Recap to come but let’s just say that my morning started like this-


19.2 miles for the week.  Much better than last week if still a little rough in places.   I have a work heavy week this week so getting in the miles is going to be tricky so let’s see how I do!

How was your week?

What did you eat this week?

Run!, Training

Week 15- Ouch

Fallon @ Slacker Runner

Upcoming Races:

  • Destination Races Santa Barbara 13.1- May 13
  • Rock N Roll San Diego 13.1-June 4

Ouch, ouch, ouch.  It hurts.  Cue panic.   I have a half in 2 weeks and Wine Country in 26 days.  Why?!?!

This week was tiring.  There wasn’t any real reason I can pinpoint it was just tiring.   I actually bought a few beers to help me relax a bit the last time I was at the store but to show how rarely I drink- when I went to have one I realized I didn’t have a bottle opener.   Well crap.  Who knew those multi purpose race medals would actually come in handy? 😛

After a good week of running last week I was looking forward to more of the same this week.   Ha!

Monday- Rest  I had planned on running after work but things ran a little later than I thought.  This is when the tiredness started.  I was also supposed to help my parents with their taxes so I decided there just wasn’t enough time.  I hate taxes.

Tuesday- Rest Hmmm, apparently this is the black hole day of the week.


Wednesday- 3.5 miles Where it all went to hell.  Ok, maybe that was a tad dramatic.   I headed to home town for what I thought was going to be a nice, easy 4-5 miler.  20 feet in I had a feeling it was going south.  My left knee hurt- like a sharp stabbing pain right under the knee cap.  Do I stop or is it going to work itself out if I run on? I ran on, slowly.   By mile 2ish, my knee was under control but now my left shin was throbbing.   My shin is always a hot point but never usually this bad.  What the hell! I had turned around before that point and was gimping my way back to my car.  Walking made my knee hurt but running aggravated my shin.  Both sucked.   Later that night I had shooting pains in my right leg… compensation maybe?

Thursday- Rest  My knee hurt at odd points throughout the day, I did the smart thing for once and just went home.   This was beginning to get irksome.

Friday- Rest  My knee felt 85% better but my shin was still twinge-y.  For only having hobbled my way through 3.5 miles during the week, I was stupid tired.  I took a nap on my lunch.


Saturday- 4 miles  I helped my mother move a bunch of rocks in the morning which may or may not have been the best idea.    I joked that I was just working on my squats and hip openers.    I headed out for a test run in the afternoon to see how things went.  One thing I changed was my shoes- Wednesday’s run was in the Sayonara’s and this was in the PureFlow’s.  I tried to keep things easy and walked anytime I felt any sort of twinge from my left leg.  All in all, it wasn’t a bad run at all.  If anything, my legs really wanted to run but I wouldn’t let them.


Sunday- 10 miles 2 less then my original planned long run but maybe more than I should have done.   A cool front and an incoming storm meant I could run in the afternoon again.  I helped my mother with more buckets of rocks and then got the run in before Easter dinner.   Can I count all the rock lifting as cross training this week?  I wasn’t sure how many miles I was going to get in but I figured I would give it a shot.     I ran the same route as last week and coming up on mile 4 I knew I had a choice- turn left and turn it into and 8 mile run with more hills or go straight across the bridge for a slighter flatter 10 miles.  I was feeling ok so I headed across the bridge.  Per usual, I picked up the pace running across the bridge and slowed it down after that.   The river path is super over grown right now so lately  I slow down, pause my music and keep an eye out for rattlesnakes.  😕    Coming back across the bridge my leg was starting to talk, not pain but not happy.  Ok, 8 miles would have been a better idea.    I slowed down and just kept moving forward.  I think I can, I think I can.  10 miles done.  Where’s my foam roller?

17.5 miles for the week.   Less then I wanted but more than I thought I would get considering how I felt on Wednesday.   I will be spending lots of time with my foam roller and stretching throughout the week to come.  Maybe this will be the kick in the pants to use the roller more consistently?   As for the pains, I think the knee may be a problem with my shoes.  If so, this is the quickest I’ve ever killed a pair of shoes- the Sayonara’s only have 174 miles on them.  I think I might know what triggered the shin so I am testing a theory this week.

Oh did I mention I tried to knock myself out on a tree branch?  😂😂

Last week had some shiny moments-  I made it to the movies to see Fate of the Furious.  Yeah it had it’s over the top moments but it was still awesome.

How was your week?

Happy Marathon Monday!!!!

Run!

Rambling On 5

Fallon @ Slacker Runner

Happy Friday! 

It’s time change weekend!!  Woo hoo!!! Now I will complain when my complain when my alarm goes off on Monday… and Tuesday, etc but I am so looking forward to more daylight for my after work runs.   I am sorry for everyone running a race this Sunday though.

Is anyone else watching Riverdale?  Does anyone else feel old watching Luke Perry and Skeet Ulrich?  Or is just me? 😛  And tell me, is that Zack or Cody?

For the first time in months, there is no rain in the forecast for at least 7 days.  Yay!!!  Now we just have wind.  Boo.  But the sun is marvelous.   I really wish we had some sort of outside sitting area at work.

how about a sunset?

Speaking of work, the merger is going full steam.   On a personal, whiny note, I learned that I have to start taking more normal lunches.  Boo.  My lunch is usually around 2:15 which is way past the 5 hour mark (CA law) but I signed a permanent waiver because my theory is that everyone else’s lunch was more important than mine.  Well and I used to be exempt.  I’ve adjusted to it over the years and now I like it.  But things will change in April.  But hey, maybe this will help my weird blood sugar issues?

I always start these posts with so much to tell you then forget half of it while I am typing.   😁

I may go shoe shopping this weekend.  The Sayonara’s have worked but they aren’t awesome.  My toes hurt after runs and my shins are not very happy.  I am hopeful that Brooks fixed all of the problems with the Pure Flow 5’s and that the 6’s are much better.  I’ve heard good things, so fingers crossed!

What do you have planned this weekend?

Anyone racing?

Share something!

 

 

 

 

 

gear, Run!

The Weight on my Shoes

Fallon @ Slacker Runner

Thursday’s run hurt.

My calves were tight and my arches were sore and achy.  I think my PureFlow 4’s are dead.  Which is not cool as they only have 146 miles on them.  I think… I lost most of my shoe data when Nike updated their running app.  Boo.   But they felt dead on my run and since is my third pair of them, I am pretty familiar with the signs of a dead shoe.

So now what?  I am not hugely fond of the 5’s I have been testing.  Granted, I’ve only put 5 miles total on them.  The toebox feels small- which I usually like- but the ankle area feels very floppy.    I tried re-lacing them on my last run in them but they still felt off.  No bloody heels though, so that was a plus.

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So while I was running, ok well, taking lots of walk breaks, I was thinking.   I’ve dropped thoughts about my weight recently- this still isn’t that post- but what if my weight is affecting my shoes?

Am I too large for my shoes?

I am honestly wondering this not trying to stir anything up.  When I was heavier I ran in support shoes.  Over the years as I both ran more and lost weight, my shoes kept getting lighter and with a smaller heel toe drop.  And things were mostly fine.   But now, I am heavier than I want to be by a decent amount.  Let’s be real, I am closer to the weight I was when I first started running than I am to when I was at peak fitness  2 years ago.    Could that be affecting my shoes?

I know the weight affects my form at times.  Especially if I wear the wrong pair of shorts on a run.   It could have all the markings of a great run but the wrong shorts right now will turn it to a crap storm real fast.   Which then throws off my stride.  So why couldn’t that be happening with my shoes?

Problem is that I don’t know how to test this little theory of mine.    I mean I could by another pair of shoes but all this shoe buying is getting a little expensive.  I am hesitant to return the PureFlow 5’s as I’ve only put 5 miles on them.   It took me 20+ to break in the teal pair of 4’s that I had but then I put another 200ish miles on them.    The last pair of normal running shoes-i.e more support- I owned was well over a year ago.  I actually gave them to my mother to be gardening shoes.  So that’s out as an option too.

IMG_1227

Then on Saturday, I ran 8 miles in my Nike’s and my legs felt better than they have in weeks.   They have even less to them than my Brooks.  But, I was also in compression socks.  Is it all in my head?!?!

I would love to say I as going to lose the weight and all would return to normal.  But again, let’s be real, I’ve trying that for a year and failing in numerous ways.   So now what?

Help me, blog land, you’re my only hope!!!

Seriously, what are your thoughts?

 

Run!, Slacker, Training

Week 17 Training Recap

Fallon @ Slacker Runner

Upcoming race– SLO Marathon 13.1

Focus–  Keep working on the 4x a week and enjoy a step back long run.

Mission partly achieved.   As for the other part- uh oh?   For someone who has a propensity for colorful phrases, whether cursing or not, my training week ended with a very quiet, meek “uh oh”.

Monday- 3 miles  3rd day in a row and I was feeling a little tired.  However, that was part of the plan so I kept moving.    Mile one was super sluggish but I loosened up for mile 2 and 3.    I finished strong and headed home.  I did miss running with NikeC though.


Tuesday- 4 miles  4th day in a row?!  Who am I?  There is a method to my madness here, really.    By the end of the work day I was not feeling like running at all.   So I ran in work town; I knew that if I had to drive anywhere else, I would lose motivation and bail.   My legs are not used to 4 days in a row yet so they were feeling pretty tired.   I kept the pace easy and just tried to enjoy the view.  By the time I got to the eucalyptus trees and shoreline I was glad I had stuck to my plan.   Mile 4 felt the best to me which was funny as it is all uphill.  I was just shy of 4 miles when I hit my car so I figured another loop of the block would get it done.    Except I cut through the alley behind the police station.  Should be safe right?  And it was if you don’t count the crazy Husky that charged me.  Seriously, what is my luck these days?!  Someone called the dog off but he had the crazy dog look like he could snap at any time.


Wednesday- Rest  Except my mother had a random Wednesday tennis match so without pizza night or running, I felt a little adrift.  😝     Ha!  I ended up cleaning half of my car.   It still needs to be vacuumed though.

Thursday- Rest   I planned to run, I even changed into running clothes after work.   My mother wanted to reschedule pizza night but I said I wanted to run first.  Once again, she dropped the dad kryptonite.   So I enjoyed pizza in un-sweaty running gear.

Friday- 10 miles  I worked on Saturday and had plans to spend a day shopping in SLO, both of those things were stressing me out about my long run.    I was able to leave early on Friday though for a partial day.  As I was changing into my running clothes it started pouring in work town.  Boo.  I headed towards home hoping it would clear up on the drive.  When I parked it looked stormy and threatening but was not even raining.  A little rain is one thing, the pouring diagonal mess I drove in- not so much.

My first mile was super slow- more walking than running- I was mentally debating if I was going to run or bail.   I didn’t have a mile goal in mind at all anymore, I was just out running.  At every point where I could make the run shorter or longer, I would assess the situation.  How did my legs feel and what did the skies look like?    It was cold and windy but the storm clouds were holding.    My upper left thigh felt a little off, kind of like there was a band around it.   Nothing hurt, so I kept running.   I was keeping a pretty steady pace and while it was faster than it should maybe have been, it felt good.


I was coming down a hill about a mile from my car when I felt it.  Something in my left leg moved.  I felt it shift on the outside of my upper thigh.   I calmly said “uh oh” out loud and continued to run.  Smart, right?   It didn’t hurt but it felt very off if that makes sense.    Good news was that the band feeling had gone away.    I finished out 10 miles and stretched really well.  At least I hoped so.  I also attempted some butt kicks and high knees.   Things felt weird.  Oh crap.

Saturday- Rest  I still wasn’t in pain but things weren’t normal.  By midday, I was limping.   But it still didn’t hurt?  How does that even make sense?    I chose to skip my planned easy run.  Boo.  If I didn’t have a race (SLO!!) next week, I may have pushed it.

Sunday- Rest  For the most part, I felt better.  Every now and again, I would feel an odd twinge but overall it felt ok.    I spent the day schlepping around SLO and by the end I was exhausted.  I haven’t slept well in almost a month so even though there was plenty of daylight when I got home, I passed on a run.   I did however spend a very long time at The Running Warehouse, trying on all the shoes.   At least it felt like that.    The Launch’s and I broke up for good after that last cramp-tastic run.  I hate returning shoes but I also can’t keep giving them to my mom.  My budget is not that big!


So yeah, not the week I was hoping for but it could have been worse.   I wasn’t planning on tapering for SLO but that will depend on my leg feels on my first run this week.    It’s being weird so who knows?   Fingers crossed?

Funny story, Friday I was sitting at my boss’s desk talking to her.    I heard something behind me so I looked- crazy husky!!!!!  He was in the building!   Turns out he was looking for a treat.  Small towns, right?

How was your week?

Ever have an odd, weird twinge?   I’m thinking it’s my IT band.