I had a GREAT track run yesterday. Yup. It was so good I decided to write a post about it. It actually started off rather rough. My legs felt tired, my left hip twinged a little. I walked a bit after the first mile and considered bagging the rest of my run. I felt like I was going faster than my Nike+ app said I was..wait a second! I checked my app and since my phone has just had an update the Nike+ app (for the first time ever) decided to restore the calibration back to the factory settings! No wonder I felt like I was going faster than I was-the app thought I was a 150lb man!
Sheesh. It only took 2 miles for me to figure that out-lol. After re-setting my app I was off again, this time feeling more more in-line with what the app was reporting. I quickly clocked off some great mile times-for me (9:32, 9:28, then 9:24). My legs felt better the hip thing was gone and I left the track with a nice runner's high about my run. What it taught me was not to bag the run because of a little soreness and frustrating times, stop, reevaluate how I'm feeling, if anything is hurting specifically, if something I'm wearing is affecting me/chaffing etc. and try to fix it. In the past I might have just called it a day after the first 2 frustrating miles, but then I would have missed running some decent mile splits for the last 3 miles. Sometimes just taking a second to take stock of how you feel at a given moment can make all the difference..and checking the app you're using doesn't hurt either! ;-)
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Friday, December 6, 2013
My "Stay Consistent through the Holidays" Personal Running Challenge
First off; I still love my new running shoes. Really. On every run with them I have a moment of "Oh my god-why didn't I buy TWO pairs of these because they are THAT awesome?!" Alas, Black Friday is only one day and my psychic powers weren't totally in tune at that moment. Boo.
On the plus side I have no running-shoe-related reason not to run as much as I can during the next month. Traditionally, for me, December has been a month of running that slowly reduces in frequency to me struggling to get out the door of two or three 5ks a week. THIS YEAR WILL BE DIFFERENT darn it! Then there are the holiday parties where extended family always ask "Are you still running?" and I have to say yeaah..and feel guilty about not running as much as I normally do. So this year I was proactive and printed off a schedule, put it on my fridge and have been dutifully ticking off my runs to stay consistent. So far..so good. I'm still averaging between 50-60 kms total per week, although my long runs have been only about 15kms. This weekend though, all of the programs my daughter attends have started their winter shutdown until January so I have actual time to run..for hours(!!) on Saturday or Sunday :-) Just this weekend though. Next weekend I'll be trying to fit in a run while my husband's whole family appears on our doorstep for a few days (thankfully my husband has talked them out of taking their large dog with them..5 adults, 3 kids under 10, one puppy already residing in the 3 bedroom house = no room for anything else). But fitting in runs around family holiday gatherings is what all runners try and do this time of year. I'll be as flexible as I can but I'm sure I'll have to break out the headlamp on a few early morning runs.
My husband on the other hand, has said he'll be taking some time off from running during the holidays-I tried to explain how hard it is to get back on the running horse once you get off..but I don't think he's quite as dedicated (crazy/committed-whatever) as I am about running. He does appear to be dedicated to his calorie counting app, so I'm hopeful all the hard work he's done over the past 4 weeks won't be ruined. Fingers crossed.
If you think about it, runners really should strive (ha) to be consistent through December, with all of the holidays (no matter what religion you come from) come numerous family visits, parties, food and lets not forget the hours spent buying gifts, a runner needs to stay sane and of course running is the best advice for natural stress reduction that I can give. Now if I could only find a gift for my mom!
On the plus side I have no running-shoe-related reason not to run as much as I can during the next month. Traditionally, for me, December has been a month of running that slowly reduces in frequency to me struggling to get out the door of two or three 5ks a week. THIS YEAR WILL BE DIFFERENT darn it! Then there are the holiday parties where extended family always ask "Are you still running?" and I have to say yeaah..and feel guilty about not running as much as I normally do. So this year I was proactive and printed off a schedule, put it on my fridge and have been dutifully ticking off my runs to stay consistent. So far..so good. I'm still averaging between 50-60 kms total per week, although my long runs have been only about 15kms. This weekend though, all of the programs my daughter attends have started their winter shutdown until January so I have actual time to run..for hours(!!) on Saturday or Sunday :-) Just this weekend though. Next weekend I'll be trying to fit in a run while my husband's whole family appears on our doorstep for a few days (thankfully my husband has talked them out of taking their large dog with them..5 adults, 3 kids under 10, one puppy already residing in the 3 bedroom house = no room for anything else). But fitting in runs around family holiday gatherings is what all runners try and do this time of year. I'll be as flexible as I can but I'm sure I'll have to break out the headlamp on a few early morning runs.
My husband on the other hand, has said he'll be taking some time off from running during the holidays-I tried to explain how hard it is to get back on the running horse once you get off..but I don't think he's quite as dedicated (crazy/committed-whatever) as I am about running. He does appear to be dedicated to his calorie counting app, so I'm hopeful all the hard work he's done over the past 4 weeks won't be ruined. Fingers crossed.
If you think about it, runners really should strive (ha) to be consistent through December, with all of the holidays (no matter what religion you come from) come numerous family visits, parties, food and lets not forget the hours spent buying gifts, a runner needs to stay sane and of course running is the best advice for natural stress reduction that I can give. Now if I could only find a gift for my mom!
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Shoe Review! New Balance Ionix 3090 v3
Santa came early this year and I took advantage of a Black Friday sale to pick up a pair of the newest version (version 3) of the NB Ionix 3090 running shoe (at $59.95!!). I didn't go to the store with the updated version of the shoes I already own in mind, but once I tried these on and was able to get them in a slightly wider width (D width) I was SOLD.
So how does the version 3 compare to the version 2? Well..as I said to my husband, they fixed the small issues I had with the version 2. For starters the version 3 has much less inside-seam overlap/extra fabric that would cause me to get the odd hotspot on the inside of one arch in the version 2s. The ankle support in the version 3 is more cushioned without being restrictive, so it hugs my ankle nicely. The ankle is also higher than the version 2 (which is a good thing) and I found the tiny crushed gravel rocks stayed out of my shoe when I took these babies on the trail. The toe area is covered more with a plastic that should be helpful for keeping water out of my shoes once the snow and slush hits.
Other than that, it's the same shoe. The construction of the sole is virtually the same so I found the same excellent lateral support and zero heel drop I've enjoyed with the version 2. The fit through the top and side of the shoe is the same-although I did buy a wider version, my toes have even more space to splay when I hit the ground. There is no rock plate of any kind-which for some might be a pitfall, but I don't mind, it forces me to be more aware of my surroundings when I run and I like to have some kind of ground feel. My last pair lasted about 500 miles-and probably should have been replaced at the 400 mile mark based on the amount of creasing along the sides. We'll see how long these puppies last!
For a daily road/trail running shoe this is one of my all-time favorites. I even like the color better with this version, check it out:
So far these shoes have had three runs. The first was a road and trail 5 mile combo. On the road they responded well, but I find its the trail where these shoes really shine. Without a rock plate in the sole these shoes give you excellent ground feedback on soft trail surfaces. When I transitioned to sprints these gripped the ground and responded great. The odd puddle didn't seep into these shoes, keeping my feet dry and toasty warm on a blustery day. The second run was a groggy 5 mile sidewalk run in the early morning. Again, the shoes performed great and I had no hotspots or any other issues. On the way home I cross a wooden footbridge that can be really slick this time of year. The Ionix sole pattern works great for this as I felt stable and secure (no slipping or sliding) across the whole tilted bridge (about 800 meters long). The third run was a 6 miler on an indoor track surface; here I was looking to see how they perform on tight turns since the indoor track is only about 225 meters. I had no issues at all, they responded fine to the turns and my feet stayed in the shoe securely, no slipping to the side or hotspots either.
All in all I'm quite happy with my NB Ionix 3090 v3's. I'll give them a rare 5 out of 5 stars for fit, responsiveness, and style.
So how does the version 3 compare to the version 2? Well..as I said to my husband, they fixed the small issues I had with the version 2. For starters the version 3 has much less inside-seam overlap/extra fabric that would cause me to get the odd hotspot on the inside of one arch in the version 2s. The ankle support in the version 3 is more cushioned without being restrictive, so it hugs my ankle nicely. The ankle is also higher than the version 2 (which is a good thing) and I found the tiny crushed gravel rocks stayed out of my shoe when I took these babies on the trail. The toe area is covered more with a plastic that should be helpful for keeping water out of my shoes once the snow and slush hits.
Other than that, it's the same shoe. The construction of the sole is virtually the same so I found the same excellent lateral support and zero heel drop I've enjoyed with the version 2. The fit through the top and side of the shoe is the same-although I did buy a wider version, my toes have even more space to splay when I hit the ground. There is no rock plate of any kind-which for some might be a pitfall, but I don't mind, it forces me to be more aware of my surroundings when I run and I like to have some kind of ground feel. My last pair lasted about 500 miles-and probably should have been replaced at the 400 mile mark based on the amount of creasing along the sides. We'll see how long these puppies last!
For a daily road/trail running shoe this is one of my all-time favorites. I even like the color better with this version, check it out:
 |
| Pretty new kicks :-) |
 |
| Sole view ;-) |
So far these shoes have had three runs. The first was a road and trail 5 mile combo. On the road they responded well, but I find its the trail where these shoes really shine. Without a rock plate in the sole these shoes give you excellent ground feedback on soft trail surfaces. When I transitioned to sprints these gripped the ground and responded great. The odd puddle didn't seep into these shoes, keeping my feet dry and toasty warm on a blustery day. The second run was a groggy 5 mile sidewalk run in the early morning. Again, the shoes performed great and I had no hotspots or any other issues. On the way home I cross a wooden footbridge that can be really slick this time of year. The Ionix sole pattern works great for this as I felt stable and secure (no slipping or sliding) across the whole tilted bridge (about 800 meters long). The third run was a 6 miler on an indoor track surface; here I was looking to see how they perform on tight turns since the indoor track is only about 225 meters. I had no issues at all, they responded fine to the turns and my feet stayed in the shoe securely, no slipping to the side or hotspots either.
All in all I'm quite happy with my NB Ionix 3090 v3's. I'll give them a rare 5 out of 5 stars for fit, responsiveness, and style.
Monday, December 2, 2013
I was accused of "jogging"...by my OWN child!
It was warmer than the previous day's run when it was the puppy's turn to head out for a run with me, sporting a bone-printed winter coat (he IS part chihuahua after all). Today I had somehow agreed (really, I'm not entirely sure why or how my daughter got me to say yes) to push her in her old jogging stroller for my 5 miler. We had just started the run when she looked up at me and said, "Ugh. You're jogging." I explained, that unlike her, I didn't start my runs by sprinting right from the beginning, that to avoid pulling anything I prefer to walk and then run slowly (NOT jog) before I get settled into my pace. Still though..I picked it up a bit after she threw out the J-word.
I don't really know why the term jogging bothers runners en mass. Maybe it is the half-ass'd meaning it gives to what we're doing, like we could but are choosing not to push harder. In this case, yes, I was jogging but when I first started running that pace would have been my average running speed. I realized then that "jogging" isn't a set pace, it changes as we improve as runners. I still decided to pop a wheelie with the stroller (to which she squealed and giggled) when we were on the trail..jogging my a$$!
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Who's That Runner?!
No, it isn't anyone famous-at least outside of my small family. Nope, its my super supportive husband dressed in running shorts, an ancient (and I mean OLD) t-shirt, white cotton long socks, ASIC sneakers and a set of over sized earphones with his eyes on the family treadmill. Before I could ask, our 7 year old beat me to the punch-"Daddy-what are you doing?!"- with equally measures of alarm and curiosity in her voice. My husband, probably tired from the harassment from our child (and the odd concerned comment from myself-I'll admit) has decided to get healthy, hence, the treadmill action.
Now I can't put my finger on the hair that broke the camel's back that has set him off to "get healthy," but I'm glad something has pushed him in this direction. For the past 4 years his weight has steadily increased and his former half-marathon ready self had no motivation to run or do hardly anything active (excluding the odd round of golf). Recently, one Friday night, he declared his intentions, and then some, to get healthy. He would start monitoring his calories, run every day on the treadmill while catching up on his Breaking Bad episodes, and when he felt his fitness was up to his personal standard, he would venture outside to run. I watched for the first week to see how this would go or if it would simply be a lofty goal said and quickly forgotten. But, day after day, he dutifully tracked his calories (which he would announce his deficit each evening) and ran on the treadmill (much to the protest of our 7 year old-she's had to resign herself to the upstairs tv and give up her monopoly on Netflix).
Some evening during the second week we talked about his calories and I urged him to track his calories for eating and exercise separately so he would get a more accurate picture of his caloric intake. I had just read an article on the epic failure of these calorie tracking apps, which assume a calorie eaten is equal to a calorie burned, surprise, surprise they aren't equal. I could see that with my own adventures in calorie tracking. If all calories were created equal I'd weigh 80lbs by now with all the running I do, instead I've still got that "Mommy pouch" to work off. He didn't like that (I could sense by his silence when I burst the calorie bubble) but in the end he's started to track them separately.
So, it's now been 3 weeks of our child having two running parents again. I certainly need to get used to taking my runs in the early morning or ensuring I leave early enough for work so I can fit in a run before making supper since the post-supper run time is now dedicated to hubby. I get yelled by my 7 year old in the evenings when I come home from work sweaty from my run and my husband now gets to torture our child by chasing her around the house, sweaty after his treadmill runs. Life is good.
Now I can't put my finger on the hair that broke the camel's back that has set him off to "get healthy," but I'm glad something has pushed him in this direction. For the past 4 years his weight has steadily increased and his former half-marathon ready self had no motivation to run or do hardly anything active (excluding the odd round of golf). Recently, one Friday night, he declared his intentions, and then some, to get healthy. He would start monitoring his calories, run every day on the treadmill while catching up on his Breaking Bad episodes, and when he felt his fitness was up to his personal standard, he would venture outside to run. I watched for the first week to see how this would go or if it would simply be a lofty goal said and quickly forgotten. But, day after day, he dutifully tracked his calories (which he would announce his deficit each evening) and ran on the treadmill (much to the protest of our 7 year old-she's had to resign herself to the upstairs tv and give up her monopoly on Netflix).
Some evening during the second week we talked about his calories and I urged him to track his calories for eating and exercise separately so he would get a more accurate picture of his caloric intake. I had just read an article on the epic failure of these calorie tracking apps, which assume a calorie eaten is equal to a calorie burned, surprise, surprise they aren't equal. I could see that with my own adventures in calorie tracking. If all calories were created equal I'd weigh 80lbs by now with all the running I do, instead I've still got that "Mommy pouch" to work off. He didn't like that (I could sense by his silence when I burst the calorie bubble) but in the end he's started to track them separately.
So, it's now been 3 weeks of our child having two running parents again. I certainly need to get used to taking my runs in the early morning or ensuring I leave early enough for work so I can fit in a run before making supper since the post-supper run time is now dedicated to hubby. I get yelled by my 7 year old in the evenings when I come home from work sweaty from my run and my husband now gets to torture our child by chasing her around the house, sweaty after his treadmill runs. Life is good.
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Hitting the Local Trails
This weekend I re-discovered a local trail I haven't run on in quite a few months. It was one of those spur of the moment decisions, I had originally planned to do a big loop of both trail and road but when I approached the fork in the road to the trail system I decided to give the longer out and back trail section a go. I am so glad I did. The tall tress that line this section of the trail had changed into their orange, red and yellow color combinations, the trail itself was covered in orange pine needles and snow was lightly falling. I quickly discovered I wasn't the only runner who thought this route would be a good idea, I passed or was passed by at least 10 other runners during my 1.5 hours on the trail route. All of us had on smiling faces, happy to be out in the woods, enjoying our run. I certainly wasn't speedy but I enjoyed myself so much I found myself heading back to do the shorter out and back the next day. I jumped onto a couple of ATV trails that I followed until they became too overrun with swampy water. I know I shouldn't support the ATV'rs since their use of the trail system is frowned upon by the trail marshals, but their twisting, rocky and rolling trails are the only technical trail experience I seem to get before any of Jodi and Karine's trail races-where some technical experience can make a huge difference in a runner's race! Next weekend I'll try and venture out a bit further where there is a great side trail just another couple of miles down the trail. I think my hamstring has recovered enough that it can handle a wee bit of jumping from rock to rock.
All in all, it was a great weekend of trail running :-)
All in all, it was a great weekend of trail running :-)
Monday, November 4, 2013
It's THAT time of year again
In order to improve at something a person needs to be motivated and consistent. To that end I've continued my training plan even though my next race isn't until May 2014. I'm taking the lax approach to it though. If I don't finish every run during a given week I simply repeat that week so I don't do too much too soon and don't fall off the wagon completely and fall into that 3, 5k run a week rut I seem to fall into every December. Don't get me wrong, I think every runner should take a week or three of easy runs during any given year but for me, I've had more than my share of "off" weeks this year so now that I'm healthy, my feet are happy and my mileage is back up I'm don't want to lose this good base I've got.
On average I'm managing 55-65kms a week at the moment with that steadily climbing over the next couple of weeks. Now that I'm pleased with how my running is going it's time to shake up my nutrition. I've been slowly cutting out dairy simply because it doesn't make me feel great and the drawbacks outweigh the benefits of it. On top of that I'm being very conscious of my protein intake. I aim to have two meals or snacks a day with 30mg of protein each, and smaller amounts of protein in all of the other meals. My carb intake is always a struggle. If it isn't balanced properly I find myself craving 10 slices of toast at 8pm. Making sure I get enough protein helps with the carb cravings, and whenever I do succumb to carbs I try to make them multi-grained. All that said, I haven't (and won't!) given up my addiction to diet pop/soda-I think we all can have one vice!
On runs I sometimes wonder why I bother. I won't be an Olympian..I know, I know..gasp! So what the heck am I doing this for? To test my limits. Otherwise I'd be back as the person I was 8 years ago; sedentary, eating emotionally, with stress induced asthma and irritable. I look back at that period in my life and I can see how I got there and how alot of people got there and are still stuck there. School, work and normal daily life stresses just all became my whole world and I wasn't taking time for myself where I wasn't connected to some piece of technology. When I noticed I couldn't get up the stairs in my home without huffing and puffing I knew something had to change. Running has been my path back to my true self and I am forever grateful for the time I can have to work at it, the wonderful people I've met through it and the knowledge about myself that it has shown me. I haven't found my limits yet so that's why I train, that's why I pay attention to my nutrition. I'm not sure what the future will bring but I want to be healthy for it and be the best runner I can be.
On average I'm managing 55-65kms a week at the moment with that steadily climbing over the next couple of weeks. Now that I'm pleased with how my running is going it's time to shake up my nutrition. I've been slowly cutting out dairy simply because it doesn't make me feel great and the drawbacks outweigh the benefits of it. On top of that I'm being very conscious of my protein intake. I aim to have two meals or snacks a day with 30mg of protein each, and smaller amounts of protein in all of the other meals. My carb intake is always a struggle. If it isn't balanced properly I find myself craving 10 slices of toast at 8pm. Making sure I get enough protein helps with the carb cravings, and whenever I do succumb to carbs I try to make them multi-grained. All that said, I haven't (and won't!) given up my addiction to diet pop/soda-I think we all can have one vice!
On runs I sometimes wonder why I bother. I won't be an Olympian..I know, I know..gasp! So what the heck am I doing this for? To test my limits. Otherwise I'd be back as the person I was 8 years ago; sedentary, eating emotionally, with stress induced asthma and irritable. I look back at that period in my life and I can see how I got there and how alot of people got there and are still stuck there. School, work and normal daily life stresses just all became my whole world and I wasn't taking time for myself where I wasn't connected to some piece of technology. When I noticed I couldn't get up the stairs in my home without huffing and puffing I knew something had to change. Running has been my path back to my true self and I am forever grateful for the time I can have to work at it, the wonderful people I've met through it and the knowledge about myself that it has shown me. I haven't found my limits yet so that's why I train, that's why I pay attention to my nutrition. I'm not sure what the future will bring but I want to be healthy for it and be the best runner I can be.
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