I finished! The scenery was amazing. I didn’t run with my camera. I wish I could post the pictures I have in my brain of the sun beams shining through the misty redwoods - spectacular! The Avenue of the Giants Marathon is a double out & back, 6.5 miles on one leg of the course, then back to the start, then 6.5 miles on the second leg of the course. This design made me feel an overwhelming sense of connection to the other runners. Many of the people I passed going the other direction cheered me on, and towards the end, almost everyone I passed had something encouraging to say. I can’t imagine a better setting for a first marathon. Getting encouragement from people doing the same thing and feeling the same pain is much more meaningful than from spectators (though I certainly appreciated the spectators too.)

I felt awesome for the first 20 miles. I had an average of 11 minute miles and was still feeling relatively good. I focused on relaxing and on surrendering to the pain and not trying to fight it. Then around mile 21 I fell apart. My stomach started to cramp up and I had to walk for a while. When I started running again, I think my body had cooled down too much and I tweaked my knee. I walked again and kept trying to start running, but just couldn’t make it happen. My knee was really angry and I worried about causing a real injury. After a couple miles of failed running attempts, I just decided to walk the rest and accept that my time would suck, which it did 5:45.

I think that if my time would have been under 5 hours I would have been happy never doing another marathon… “I’m never doing another marathon!” has been a phrase on the tip of my tongue for the past month. Training has been time consuming and painful, but being disappointed with my time makes me feel that I’d like to do another one. I’m thinking that for the next few months I’ll focus on 10k’s and trying to increase my speed. I also want to lose some weight so that my joints are less likely to get angry. I think I’ll try another marathon next year - perhaps Napa Valley?

Aside from the last 5 miles, I had an amazing experience - even better than I was expecting. Thanks to everyone, especially Roadbunner, for teaching me about marathoning and helping me sort out how to train.

Sorry

In other news, I’m running my first marathon in a week and a half! I was feeling 100% on the mark with training up until 3 weekends ago when I was playing “giant paintbrush gladiators” with my bf at the 2009 Art Olympics. This is what the gladiator game looked like:

So, I lost the gladiator game, falling off the podium backwards with significant spine compaction upon impact. It hurt soooo bad. I was crying for a long time. It put a damper on my running and I didn’t get my last long run in at the time it was scheduled.

I did get a 22 miler in before the gladiator incident, which went really well…slow, but well

I tried running 22 again last weekend, but my knees were pretty shot after 12. That worried me because if I would have tried to run 26 miles that day, I would have been miserable. Sooo, I decided to thumb my nose at tapering…yikes! I’m planning on doing 20 or 22 tomorrow morning. I feel like it is a good decision to avoid injury on race day. Only time will tell if my gut instinct is right or wrong.

Roadbunner is running her marathon that we’ve been training together for this weekend! Good luck chica!

Hope you all are well!

I have 2 more 20+ runs before my marathon and I’m trying to decide what distances I should go for. I’ve pretty much thrown my marathon schedule out the window…I would be doing 19 next week if I were following it.

I’m thinking I’ll do 22 next week and then 24 for my final long run before the marathon. I feel like that is reasonable, but it also seems like more miles than most of the training schedules I’ve seen call for. Any suggestions?

And now for the shoe review entries:

Audrey

Women’s Nike Air Zoom Vomero+

Marlene

Women’s Mizuno Wave Alchemy

duffrunner

Men’s Asics Gt 2140

Jared

Men’s New Balance MR8507

Ariel

Women’s Nike Air Zoom Skylon

Dylan

Men’s Nike Air Alvord

Scotty

Men’s Adidas Ozweego

Ashley

Women’s Pearl Izumi Syncro Float

Conner

Men’s Salomon XA Pro

Elle

Women’s New Balance RC152

M2M

Women’s Asics GT 2130

Ken

Men’s Puma Burmei

Marlene

Women’s Adidas adiSTAR

Marissa

Women’s New Balance WR833

Alisa

Women’s Saucony Pro Grid Ride

Stuart

Men’s Pearl Izumi Syncro Infinity

Blaine Hawkes

Men’s Mizuno Wave Rider

Amy

Women’s New Balance W790

I took a video of myself pulling the name out of the hat, but my hair looks soooo bad yo! Jeez! Um, so I’ll just tell you who the winner is: It’s Ken! Yahoo! Go Ken!

If you guys make me, I’ll put up the video, but it is truly the definition of bad hair day…ha ha!

I am very thankful that my 15 mile long run last week was fantastic so that at least I know how wonderful long runs can be. Swinging from one extreme to another!

Next week I’m dropping back down to 13 miles, which is perfect since I’ll be back in Wisconsin where the weather will probably be uglier, though it looks like spring might be perking up there too.

Today I’m meeting up with Roadbunner for our weekly jaunt around the park! I didn’t get to see her last week because I was in Vegas, so I’m excited.

Vegas was soooo awesome! I stayed with a friend and we headed to the hot springs about an hour after I arrived. The terrain around Vegas is beautiful! I didn’t do any gambling, but it was fun to see all the silly buildings and the lights and fountains.

Speaking of miracles and raisins, I’ve discovered that raisins are my distance running “miracle”. I’ve substituted raisins for sports gels on three long runs so far and I think it’s going to be a thang.

I decided to test out raisins since they seemed similar to Luna Moons or Shot Bloks in consistency and portability. They are delicious (to me), cheap, convenient and filled with sugar. The market near my house has golden raisins that taste like caramel…mmm!

I did a little research to see if anyone else had tried using raisins as fuel for endurance sports. Not only have people tried it, there has been a STUDY about it! Click here to read download the pdf of the study.

The study tested “the differences in metabolism and cycling performance” of athletes who consumed raisins vs. sports gel. Eight endurance athletes, four men and four women were the subjects of the study. The conclusion was that raisins are a “cost-effective source of carbohydrate for pre-exercise feeding in
comparison to sports gel for short-term exercise bouts.”

It seems I’ve made myself into a guinea pig to determine if raisins are any good for long-term bouts of exercise, and as far as I’m concerned, the answer is yes! They’ve kept me feeling great for up to 15 miles (well, as great as I can really expect to feel after running for almost three hours)!

My 15 miler was truly incredible. The weather was ridiculous…60 degrees, sunny, flowers blooming, birds singing, waves crashing! I loved it!

When I met up with some of the other Bay Area bloggers a couple months ago, I remember saying how difficult long runs were and how I wasn’t sure marathon running was for me. Aron said that long runs were what she loved about marathoning and that she fell in love with them. I think I get that now.

I’m flying to Vegas tomorrow for a conference. I’ve never been there before, but I’m pretty stoked. I’m definitely not a gambler, but I’d like to see the spectacle.

I’ll make sure to do something crazy while there so I can say “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.”

Find more videos like this on RuncastTV

The Enries:

raulgonemobile

Men’s New Balance MR859

Noah

Men’s Asics Gel Stratus

Evelyn

Women’s New Balance WR909

Abby

Women’s Reebok Swara

Josh

Men’s Adidas adiSTAR

Ethan

Men’s Nike Air Max Assail

Emily

Women’s Nike Air Max Dream

Blaine

Men’s Saucony Ignition

Marathon Maritza

Women’s Saucony ProGrid Omni

Amy

Women’s Saucony Pro Grid Ride

Alisa

Women’s Mizuno Wave Rider

Nina

Women’s Adidas Adizero

Ben

Men’s Nike Air Max Torch

Nicolas

Men’s Puma Voltaic

tfh

Women’s Reebok Premier Verona

Mel Dittrick

Women’s Pearl Izumi Syncro Pace

Ron

Men’s Nike Air Structure Triax+

Kristen

Women’s Asics Gel Cumulus

In other news, I ran 4 miles yesterday, the first three at a 8.66 pace - the fastest I’ve ever ran that distance…woo hoo!

I’m doing a little gym/stairs action this afternoon.

Tomorrow is 15 miles! Yao!

Have a good night everyone!

My last two long runs have left me with a sharp pain right where the back of my leg meets my bottom. I did the 7 on the 7th with Julianne and some other bloggers, along with her husband. He said the pain is a pinched sciatic nerve…sounds kinda bad right?

Well, I looked into it a bit, and it seems that stretching can help. So can Advil . And massage is a nice treat as well (guess what my Valentine’s day present was!).

It seems that the irritation of the sciatic nerve is caused by piriformis syndrome. The condition is apparently 6 times more prevalent in women than in men. One cause is outwardly pointed toes…definitely me!

Here is my new favorite stretch:

Piriformis stretch:

In other news, I haven’t blogged for awhile. Sorry about that! I think I needed a break from cyber interaction. Between blogging, commenting, twittering, daily mile-ing, runcast.tv-ing, not to mention facebook-ing…I was feeling a bit spent. I think I’ve recuperated though, and I should be back on the blogger train!

I have been keeping up with marathon training. I did 14 miles last Friday, and I’ll be doing 15 this coming Thursday. My BF is planning to do the first 13 of the 15 with me. I think I should strap jet engines to the back of my shoes so I can keep up with him (he’s pretty speedy).

My favorite non-running activities in the past couple weeks:
1. Hitting strangers over the head with a pillow on Valentine’s day at the ENORMOUS SF pillow fight downtown. It was SSSOOOO much fun!

2. I went to a sock puppet party. I dressed my sock puppet up like Blagojevich, named it Blagojesock, and tried to sell Basock Obama’s Senate seat. He he!

In running news, I’ve been a bit under the weather for a few days now, so I haven’t been running much. I’m hoping to get out today for a little trot, but I expect that my lungs are going to be a little angry.

Tomorrow I’ll be meeting Roadbunner for a run in the park! Yeah for running buddies!

Today is January 26th, so you know what that means!?! Time for a new running shoe winner Here are all the entries:

Aerin

Women’s Adidas Jhana Lux

Amit

Men’s Helly Hansen Trail Cutter

Becky Giovelli

Women’s Adidas adiSTAR

Benny

Men’s Saucony Grid Cohesion

Bob Schmidt

Men’s Reebok Operator Hex

Carl

Men’s New Balance MR1350

Charlie

Men’s Saucony Grid C2 Roadster

Dave

Men’s Puma Complete Calibus

Farah

Women’s Pearl Izumi Shine

Fox

Men’s New Balance M505

FrayedLaces

Women’s Pearl Izumi Streak

Jake

Men’s New Balance MR1306

Jill

Women’s New Balance WR587

Jim Dowell

Men’s New Balance M570

John Henderson

Men’s New Balance MR1001

Juan

Men’s The North Face Chinscraper

Justin R

Men’s Asics Turbo Phantom

Kara

Women’s Asics Gel Enduro

Kevin Garfield

Men’s Mizuno Wave Rider

Kyle

Men’s New Balance MR993

Lisa Slow&Steady

Women’s Asics Gel 1120

Marie Wangari

Women’s Asics Gel Enduro

Matt

Men’s New Balance MR800

ovidiu apostoaie

Men’s Adidas Merumo

Phil

Men’s New Balance MR8509

raulgonemobile

Men’s New Balance MR1011

Reese

Men’s New Balance MR1123

Ross Longhi

Men’s New Balance MR909

Tomele

Men’s Nike Air Pegasus+

Travis Liles

Men’s La Sportiva Fireblade

Travis Liles

Men’s La Sportiva Lynx

Travis Liles

Men’s La Sportiva Imogene

Trent B

Men’s Saucony Grid Excursion Trail

Vernan

Men’s Nike Zoom Celar

This month’s winner is Benny for his review of the Saucony Grid Cohesion! Congrats Benny (Sorry for no video…you don’t wanna look at me with my snotty nose and icky cough anyway!)

My goal is to start going to other running clubs in the city and recruit some hill runners. I sorta think wine drinking at the top of the hills should maybe become a habit… ha ha!

I’m planning a strength workout for today and then maybe some stairs. I think I’m a freak for loving the stairs so much!

I started meditating recently and am very hooked on it. I did a 5 day Buddhist meditation retreat a couple years ago in Thailand, but haven’t been good about keeping up with it. I’ve been feeling super distracted and like my brain is getting messy lately, so I thought that maybe meditation would help. It totally does! It makes me so happy and it inspires me to get organized. Plus I really think it turns me into a kinder and more compassionate person.

Wanna know what meditating in Thailand looks like? Check it (notice the, ahem, bed):

It has nothing to do with running or running shoes It’s about how indigenous Africans build their villages using fractal algorithms.

So cool!

Alright, I’ll put my inner nerd back into my pocket and get on with the running news:

It’s been a crazy week with life getting back to normal after the holidays. My roommates & my boyfriend are finally all back from vacation, and I’m happy to be around lots of peeps again. All the peeps meant less time for blogging this week and more time for silliness Sorry!

I have gotten in some running. The first 43 hills running club run was on Monday. I did 2 runs on Monday! 2! It was just me and my roommate…he he! It was TOTALLY amazing though. We ran up a hill in the middle of SF called Tank Hill. You can see the entire city from the top. It was a balmy night and the sun had just set. SOO beautiful!

And it is so nice to have a running buddy to keep me motivated!

Any bay area runners wanna run hills this Monday night?

So what about those long runs? I hadn’t done one since…um…I can’t remember. But I did 8 miles today. I’m still in line for the Hal Higdon’s Novice 2 plan, but I need to get my act together a little more.

How do you guys keep to the marathon schedule? Are you relaxed about which day you actually do the training? Do you put it in Google calendar?

I did a couple miles of hill runn’n at Buena Vista park. I felt good and I definitely needed to get outside. It was a gorgeous day! I won’t tell you how gorgeous, ’cause I know some of you are up to your ears in snow (I feel for ya!).

Speaking of hills, I got this idea to start a club focused on hill running, so I spent a little time today whipping up a little webpage for it: 43 Hills Running Club.

I was imagining it mostly being for SF runners, but if anyone wants to do virtual hill runs, lemme know!!!

I had a wonderful 4 mile run. On Sundays they close the road through the park, so everyone is running and skipping and roller-skating and skate boarding along the road. It is really fun because there are so many folks wandering around. There is a little roller-skating party that happens about half-way through my run. Some of the roller-skaters are pretty serious!

I felt really good and was going pretty fast. It’s about time I start planning on some longer runs…eek! Happy Sunday everyone!

I took a quick disco-nap (pre-party resting) back in SF when I got home, then hopped on a train to Oakland. My friends had a silly party with mini-billiards, mini-basketball, and a home-made twister game.

I went for a 6 mile run this afternoon. It ended in a lot of walking - I’m pretty sore from that big ‘ol 4 miler yesterday It’s funny how the treadmill isn’t very good training for running outside. But, I’m gett’n back into the swing of it!

So, who’s the winner of the running shoes giveaway?

I had just enough room on my memory card to get to the winner’s name, and then it cut me off (I took too many pics of people with their butts in the air during twister last night!) So, sorry for the lack of a congratulations If you’re wondering why I’m wearing a winter hat inside, in CA…well, it’s because my apartment is, like, 55 degrees. Ick! A space heater is in the mail! Anyway, here ya go:

If you don’t feel like watching the video, I’ll give you the answer at the end of the post.

Thanks everyone for your reviews! I wish I could pick all of you out of a hat!!! All at once!

Entries:
Lisa Slow&Steady
Women’s New Balance WR1062

Katy Swab
Women’s Pearl Izumi Streak

Anne
Women’s Ryka Luna Run

Natalie
Women’s Asics Gel Nimbus

Natalie
Women’s Mizuno Wave Rider

Felice
Women’s Brooks Addiction

Marlene
Women’s Mizuno Wave Alchemy

Alisa
Women’s Mizuno Wave Rider

Carol
Women’s Saucony Grid Cohesion NX

Francis
Women’s Pearl Izumi Surge

LJ Stevenson
Men’s Asics Gel Kahana

LJ Stevenson
Men’s Asics Gt 2140

Karen
Women’s Brooks Adrenaline

Rebecca
Women’s Saucony Grid Cohesion NX

Jen
Women’s Pearl Izumi Syncro Pace

Cassandra
Women’s Brooks Addiction

Yelrah
Men’s Asics Gel 1140

Lisa H
Women’s Nike Air Zoom Vomero+

Cindy
Women’s Brooks Burn

Merna
Women’s Adidas Supernova

Liz
Women’s Asics GT 2140

Kevin
Men’s Mizuno Wave Alchemy

Michael
Men’s Brooks Beast

Amer
Men’s Asics Gel Evolution

Sara
Women’s Saucony Progrid Hurricane

Megan
Women’s Asics Gel Kayano

Ingrid
Women’s Asics Gel Nimbus

Wally
Men’s Asics Gt 2140

Yau
Women’s Asics Gel Kayano

Lauren
Women’s Brooks Glycerin

Jeremy
Men’s Asics Gel Nimbus

Rachel
Women’s Asics Gel Nimbus

Prim
Men’s Asics Gel Kayano

Levi N
Men’s Saucony ProGrid Omni

Gary S
Men’s Asics Gel Kayano

Chris G
Men’s Asics Gt 2140

Pat M
Women’s Saucony Pro Grid Ride

Ryan Toronyi
Women’s Reebok Trail Haven

Joy
Women’s Asics GT 2130

Gabby
Women’s Pearl Izumi Surge

Bruce
New Balance 307

Sarah
New Balance 857

Jon
New Balance
411

The winner is: Marlene!!! Congrats Chica!

Hmmm…no, probably not that…but…

If you’ve ever wondered about this quintessential equation, wonder no further! The answer is a topsy turvy run, packed with excitement, lots of grabbing onto the hand rails and the occasional bout of falling off the treadmill

I had a very nice time running on the treadmill this evening! I think car chases may beat infomercials in keeping me from paying attention to the fact that I am mindlessly running in place. Two thumbs up!

My Holiday time back home in Wisconsin is about to come to an end. I fly back on the 31st and will arrive back in SF around noon. I am heading straight to the bay-area running-blogger meet up once I arrive. Can’t wait to meet all you guys! Sweet dreams everyone!

Yep, I decided to make an exchange of my marathon. When I picked Napa Valley, I wasn’t figuring in how little training I’d get done over the holidays. I knew I was cutting it short with training time, but I figured I could pull it off. I just got done looking up some training schedules, and it looks like I’d be pushing my luck. I hadn’t paid for Napa Valley yet, but the price goes up after New Years, so I figured I’d better make a decision quickly.

The marathon I was originally most excited about was Avenue of the Giants Marathon up in Northern Cali. That one is on May 3rd…giving me a whole 2 more months to train, and, it is $40 cheaper!!! Yippie for that! Plus I’d be doing my long runs in the spring instead of the winter, flowers blooming instead of thunder booming? I’ll take that! I just registered officially for Avenue of the Giants.

In other return policy news, I really did return 7/8 of the shoes I bought from one store, all at once - I did keep one pair, so they wouldn’t feel too ripped off. Today I bought 4 more pairs (from a different store). I think today’s purchase will be my last in Wisconsin. I have 4 more pairs waiting for me to try out in SF, so the total shoe reviews for this challenge will be 24…less than my intended 40, but a girl’s gotta have some fun too, right?

Sorry dudes!

My running shoe reviewing challenge has gone well so far. I’ve done 3 days so far of 4-mile runs with different shoes every mile. It’s been a fun and silly project to keep me occupied over the Holidays I’ve also gotten a lot of insight into what a difference there is between different shoes.

Happy Holidays everyone! Go run off all those cookies I know I need to!

So, I have taken to running on the treadmill.

And, I’m adding a challenge for myself: Run 4 miles per day, each mile in a different pair of shoes. Then I’ll review each pair I wear.

I’ll be running a mile in someone else’s shoes…4 times per day, for 10 days, for a grand total of 40 shoes reviewed! Yahoo! I’m pretty excited. Today was my kickoff.

I watched infomercials for the following products during my treadmill run:
~ “Hip Hop Abs” - a Hip Hop dance video that is supposed to give you perfect abs.
~ Another ab-perfecting gizmo that you strap around your stomach and it jiggles your tummy around.
~ A blanket with sleeves and a hood.
~ A best of Carol Burnett video.

My favorite was the hip hop video…there’s nothing like watching super fit people jump around to get me motivated!

Tonight’s Shoes:
Adidas Ketchikan
Saucony C2 Roadster
Saucony Grid Cohesion
Saucony Grid Excursion

And I’ll leave you with this: Imagine the look on a clerks face when you come to the counter with arms stacked with boxes of shoes you want to buy…he he!

Sleep tight bloggies…I’ll catch up on comments tomorrow!

It suprised me how much I thought of my bloggie buddies and how it was both a comfort that ya’ll had been there, and a kick in the butt to not let ya’ll down

My other recent run of note: Saturday, 4am, drunk as a skunk.  Not to mention cute little girly shoes with a little bit of a heel.  3ish miles.

Ouch!

All because me & my BF are too cheap to get a cab.  And we were probably a bit irrational.

My fear that I’d write: If running 13 mile make me feel this awful, I’m afraid that I’ll DIE if I try running 26.

All in all, I did 3.8 miles in 36.07 minutes. So, 9:47 minute miles. For the first couple miles I was going more like 8:30 - 9:00 minute miles, but I got slower at the end. It really amazed me how much harder I was working! I was huffing and puffing like crazy, nothing like my usual leisurely 4 mile runs.

I’m happy because now I’m feeling inspired to improve my time. I have no idea what a reasonable goal is for improvement…I’m thinking I’ll try to get down to a 9:00 average pace for the same course within a month or so. Is that too much? It seems reasonable to me *shrugs*. If anyone has any advice, let me know!

I’ve been working hard at improving this site and making it more shoe-shopper friendly. Last night I re-worked a ton of the coding on the templates I’m using for the shoe review pages on this site. I’ve also been super busy getting price comparisons together…ugg! Sitting and comparing shoe brands in an excel spreadsheet for hours makes me dizzy .

I borrowed another three pairs of Nike shoes from Niketown when I took the Structured Triax and Vomero back. I got two versions of the Nike Free, and a pair of Nike Lunar Trainers. I went to the gym yesterday and tried ‘em out on the treadmill…at one point I was wearing the Free 5.0 on my right foot and the Free Everyday on my left foot. Ha ha! The girl on the treadmill next to me was looking at me like I was nuts! So, in a couple days I should hopefully have some in depth analysis of those three shoes finished.

I also mapped out a 13 mile run for myself to do on either Monday or Tuesday…yao! Longest run so far

Happy Friday!

*Credit for the title goes to Marcy!

It was such a beautiful day out. Sunny, warm and a little bit of mist in the air so I could see the beams of sunlight. The trees all looked so magical

My last run was fantastic as well. I did my stadium stairs workout, which is always so intense and makes me feel wonderful afterward. It was around 5pm by the time I finished and all the high-schoolers were doing their track workouts, looking adorable. The sky was all pink and purple and it was just cool enough that when I stopped to stretch, I was steaming a little. I thought that was really funny It was kind of like floating on a cloud!

Sadly the vacation didn’t involve hanging out with any 60 year old ladies on the beach with waves lapping our toes for hours. Instead it was snowing and 20 degrees . I honestly didn’t do a whole lot of running. Bummer!

Runs I did do:

Three 4-mile runs
2 hill runs (20 minutes)

Yep, that’s it!

Now I’m back in SF, where it is 60 degrees and sunny. When I went for an 8 mile run yesterday, it hurt!!! BAD! My knees are still killing me. Before I set out on said 8-miler, I was planning on it being a 12-miler….ha ha!! That was definitely not in the cards! My knees were dying by mile 6. It really amazed me how much fitness I lost in just 2 weeks…I guess it is better to learn that lesson now than right before my marathon.

I’m scheduling a 10-miler for next Tuesday and a 12-miler for the following Tuesday…hopefully I’ll be up to it!

The California International Marathon is this Sunday (Good luck Aron!!!), and I’m going to be there with clipboards and review forms, getting runners to give reviews of their running shoes…so hopefully there will be a ton more reviews on this site soon! Yay!

I’m excited to get back to reading everyone’s blogs

If that’s too hard to read, there are links to the reviews below…but let’s get to what we’re all really here for!

I decided it would be fun to do a video drawing for the November winner of running shoes:

Diana is the winner!!!

Congrats Diana!!! WOOO!!! HOOO!!!

So, I thought it would be fun to start doing a drawing of runners up (I don’t know how to express “runners up” without a pun!). Surprise! I picked two runners up out of the hat, and both of them will receive a surprise package.

Get ready for another drumroll!!!
~Quadrathon you’re numero 2
~x-country2 you’re numero 3

October Reviewers:

Diana:
Women’s Brooks Adrenaline

tfh:
Women’s Mizuno Wave Creation

x-country2:
Women’s Asics Hyper Gel Rocketgirl

Tracker:
Women’s Nike Free

Don Rooney:
Men’s K-Swiss KLUJ

Dan Schmidt:
Women’s Nike Air Max Moto+

Sarah Anderson:
Women’s Brooks Adrenaline

Miguel Gonzalez:
Men’s Asics Gel 2130 Trail

Brooke:
Women’s Asics Gel Nimbus

Brooke:
Women’s Asics Gel Kayano

Judy de los Santos:
Women’s Mizuno Wave Elixir

Judy de los Santos:
Women’s Adidas Supernova

Abigail Perkiss:
Women’s Merrell Overdrive

Abigail Perkiss:
Women’s Mizuno Wave Rider

CactusTri:
Men’s Brooks Adrenaline

NC Kate:
Women’s Mizuno Wave Rider

Kirsten:
Women’s New Balance WR903

Kim:
Women’s Asics Gel Cumulus

Kim:
Women’s Asics Gel Nimbus

Lisa Slow & Steady:
Women’s Nike Air Vomero

Quadrathon:
Men’s Salomon XT Wings

Quadrathon:
(his follow up review of the Salomon XT Wings)

Quadrathon:
Men’s Asics Gel Kayano

Matt Schraeder:
Men’s New Balance MR1001

Shoe Running:
Women’s Asics Gel 1120

Women’s Adidas Tillamook Trail

Women’s Nike Dart

(I didn’t put myself in the hat!)

Jeff Lorenzo:
Men’s New Balance MR8509

Keve:
Men’s New Balance MR800

Getting used to running in the cold is a process, and I know I can get back to being good at it, I just have to work myself up to it. It’s all just conditioning

Don’t forget to review your running shoes guys! The next drawing is on November 26th!!! I just counted and so far there are 24 reviews this month. The chances of winning are high dudes! Yahooo!!! Free Shoes!

Jeez!

I am flying home Wednesday to spend two weeks with the ‘rents and all the rest of my homies. I’m so excited to see everyone and to relax…but I just checked the weather and it’ll be 31 degrees on Thursday!!! For the past week SF has been 75 degrees and sunny*. I think I’m in for a shock!

I hope I get my cold-survival-backbone back quick, cause I can’t live without running! I remember when I used to still go for a run as long as it was -5 degrees or above…Do you think I can still hack that?

I intended to do an 8 miler today to finally get in a long run, but time has been a little short, so I decided to just do a 4 miler instead. I plan to get up early and go to the gym quick before I head to the airport…we’ll see if that happens!

*Sorry I’m complaining…Sorry, sorry, sorry!

I had a lot of fun trying them out and I’m excited to learn about running in the process. I did a ton of research, scouring the internet for information about each model. It’s really interesting to me the ideas shoe companies come up with to solve runners’ various bio-mechanical problems. It’s also interesting how one person can love a shoe to bits and pieces and another person can hate them!

So, what have I been up to when I haven’t been reviewing shoes?

I’ve been running! I did another 720 stairs/strength training workout yesterday. It was awesome, again! I love getting super heated up and working super hard . I went for a 4 mile run this afternoon. I felt wonderful today. I was going fast and my body felt strong and full of energy.

The James Bond party was really fun. There was a lot of talk over whether Daniel Craig is hot. The basic conclusion? He’s a buthisface. Nice bod, but funny looking face. Once person suggested putting a bag over his head…ha ha! Personally, I just thought the casting was lame. Craig is kind of a neanderthal. Not the suave, quick witted Bond I enjoyed with Pierce Brosnan. Oh well. What do ya’ll think?

When I got there, I saw that there was a kid’s football game going on - this made me think twice about doing the testing for my reviews since there would be loads of people watching me changing my shoes for each lap around the stadium…I figured I might look like a doofus.

Then I reminded myself that most people look like doofus’s most of the time, and that I should just have a little courage and give it a try. Yay pep talk!

I got to the stadium entrance, and there were ticket takers at the gate! Even if I WAS super courageous with my willingness to look like a nerd, it didn’t matter! No shoe testing today

Tomorrow morning though! I’ll be out there without any of them dang kids!!!

My only exercise today was my walk to the stadium. I’d guess it was about a mile each way. I think that is all the exercise I needed. My body has been feeling pretty worn out since another 4 miler yesterday. I was totally exhausted last night by 8pm. And was fast asleep by 10pm

Tonight’s going to be fun! I’m going to a James Bond party of sorts. The dress code is: Formal -OR- Wetsuits…Ha ha!!!

Have a good weekend bloggers!

And I’ll leave you with a very important question…

Which shoe is hotter:

720 stairs climbed, and 720 stairs descended, was the second half of today’s workout. It felt soooo AWESOME! My body was totally ready for it and I felt strong, and happy to be huffing and puffing. I really want to start focusing on picking up my speed and getting to be faster, so I’m trying to incorporate track workouts into my weekly routine. The stairs are definitely going to be on the top of my speed work menu!

What I really need is a time keeping device. All this I hear about Garmins is tempting, but I think I might just stick to a stop watch for the near future.

The first half of my workout was at the gym pumping some serious iron! I am kind of amazed at my increase in strength since I started. The amount of weight I can lift with my legs on various machines has quadrupled in the last few months! Quadrupled! Honestly, it kind of embarrasses me to be so strong… I worry that people might start comparing me to Hulk Hogan. No, not really. Ha ha!

Today was my first workout since my 12 miles of torture. I think it was good to rest for two days. I was contemplating going out yesterday, but my quads were still pretty sore and I figured it might be better for my body to have a break. I started to get kind of anxious and annoyed last night…I realized it was because I missed running. Sooo addicted!

What are your favorite speed workouts? I need some ideas!

Thanks guys!

Guess how old I’ll be the day I run my first marathon!?!

26.2(5)! I didn’t realize it until after I finished my marathon shopping…is that weird or what?

So which one did I pick? rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble! (That was a drumroll…not a wrestling match or a thunderstorm!)

Napa Valley Marathon!

Why did I pick it? Well, initially I was thinking I should wait til later in the spring, but then I started looking at marathon training schedules (thanks Alisa!) and realized that I’ve basically been in training for the past few months laying the ground work. I think 16 weeks of training should be enough for me to finish without feeling under-trained (fingers crossed!). Thanks to Lauren and Girl on Top for their advice to stick to a run with more support…that advice convinced me not to do a trail run. Thanks to Lisa for her advice to pick a run that excites me to keep me motivated - I’m super stoked to run in wine country…mmmm!!! Thanks Laurel for reminding me to pick something flat! And last but not least, Frayed Laces, Death Valley marathon was second on my list…I think I’ll do it next year! But happy birthday when it comes around You should come to SF and do Death Valley with me!

So, any advice?

What would you have done differently in your first marathon?

What should I eat during the marathon itself… I normally only eat whole grains & fruits & veggies, and I thought maybe there is a creative alternative to powerbars & gu Can I just eat nuts & raisins?

What’s all this I hear about bodyglide? he he!

Thanks guys!

In other news, I’ve been steady with training. Today I’m resting. Yesterday and the day before were 4-milers and tomorrow I’m running a 10k race with the shirt that races!

Before I moved, I got up every morning at 5:30 threw on my running gear and braved snow, ice and arctic temperatures to drive to the gym and work out for an hour and a half. I was super fit, had healthy eating habits down pat and felt great about that aspect of my life. When I moved, it all fell apart. I was having a great time, partying a lot more, going out to dinner all the time and was still figuring out how to get my daily dose of exercise into my day.

My commute to work was 30 minutes there and 30 minutes back by bus. It drove me nuts that I had to waste an hour out of my day - I could be running during that time! (I know it isn’t a bad commute as far as commutes go…but it still mad me mad!) So I decided to start running home from work. It was about a four mile run with three huge hills that kicked my butt. I started getting back into shape, and without even thinking about it, I was forming a good base for marathon training.

For me running is one of the keys to getting through life changes and transitions. There is nothing else that regulates my body, mind and emotions the way running does. The results of running are similar to the results of meditation and it helps me focus, relax and remember what’s important in life.

Running has been a constant through all my life transitions for the past nine years. Sometimes I’ve run more, sometimes less, but I always come back to running and find solace in it.

Ocean View:

The sun today was warm, a nice change from the past week of rain we’ve had. I ran to and from my gym last night to do some strength training and it was so cold and rainy out that I almost decided to turn around after a couple blocks - then I remembered that I’m from Wisconsin - and I should stop being such a baby about cold!

I voted too! It was super fast and easy, no line, lucky! San Francisco has all kinds of crazy propositions that everyone votes on also. Here are a couple:

I voted No on changing the name of the sewage plant to be named after George Bush (I like the idea in theory, but I think it is a waste of money in reality).

I voted No on de-criminalizing prostitution. (I like this idea in theory also, but I wasn’t convinced that turning SF into a hot bed for sex tourism is a good idea).

I voted No on Prop 8, which would ban gay marriage.

There were 23 San Francisco propositions and 12 California propositions. Some of them were worth a crap ton of money (one was $10 billion…yaoza!). A little overwhelming! My roommates and I held a study session before voting so that we could get a grasp of all 304 pages of the voter information pamphlet!

My Ballot Stubs - 4 Ballots!:

In any case, smiles are one of my favorite running perks, so I ain’t complaining. Except about the rain in my running shoes…yuck!

I had a great Halloween. One of my roommates had a terrific costume idea: a magic 8 ball. She didn’t want to do the costume herself, but really wanted someone to do it, so I went for it! I put a white circle with an “8″ in the middle on the back of a black t-shirt, and made a little pouch on the front that held a bunch of triangle cardboard fortunes. I had people I met shake me and ask a question, then I pulled out a fortune. It was a little creepy how spot on some of the fortunes were.

Magic 8-ball Costume:

I recently celebrated my 26th birthday. Guess what my boyfriend gave me…

Nope, it wasn’t candy, flowers, jewelry or new-fangled gadgetry. He gave me his stinky old running sneakers! One of the running shoes is sliced in half. They are mounted onto a picture frame. Ha ha! I totally loved it. He said he tried to make the shoes look like a butterfly. Do you see the butterfly?

Birthday Running Shoes on the Wall:

Running bloggers know the motivational power of listening to others’ running experiences better than anyone. Getting motivated and staying motivated are many runners’ greatest challenges. That’s why I choose the superpower to communicate telepathically with other runners during my runs. I want to listen to all the other runners out there pumping themselves up. And of course I want to join in and pump myself up. It’ll be a chorus of pep talks! Along with the power to create the pep talk chorus during my own runs, I’d like the power to give my power to others so that the motivation can continue when I’m not running.

So, superpower gods, if you’re out there listening…get on it!

Running Shoe Contest Entrants:

And The Winner Is:

Frayed Laces officially won a free pair of running shoes for her review of Mizuno Wave Creation Running Shoes!

Congratulations! The first winner

And thanks to all other entrants! The next drawing will be on November 26th at 2pm.

I did the actual drawing of names from the hat at 8am today (Sunday), as I am entertaining my parents in Sonoma Valley during the day today. I anticipated being rather tipsy and without internet access around 2pm, so I scheduled a future post that was supposed to publish itself at 2pm…but it didn’t work! Bummer! But I’ve got internet access now, so through the magic of a little human touch, you have the results!

Yippie!

I went for a wonderful morning run through san fran fog this morning. It was magical! I loved the way the sunbeams peaked their way through the fog here and there.

Sonoma has treated us quite well. So much delicious wine! MMMmmmm mmm! I broke my usual diet of sticks and twigs and ate some warm chocolate lava fudge ridiculously deliciousness. Ha ha! Once in a blue moon, gotta have a little indulgence right!?

At 2pm on October 26th, I’ll pick one of the following reviews from a hat and that running shoe reviewer will win free running shoes! If you want to get in on the action, just look to the right of this screen, find the gender and brand of a pair of running shoes you have worn, and click on it. Find your model and fill out the review form at the bottom of the page. That’s it!

Current entries for winning free running shoes:

Women’s Asics GT 2130
-Laurel

Women’s Mizuno Wave Creation
-Frayed Laces

Women’s Saucony Grid Cohesion NX
-Melanie

Women’s Brooks Axiom
-Melanie

Women’s Brooks Adrenaline
-Melanie

Women’s Asics Gel Cumulus
-Girl on Top

Women’s Brooks Trance
-Cindy

Men’s Nike Air Max Moto+ 5
-Joel

Women’s Nike Air Zoom Structure Triax+
-Lauren

Men’s Asics Gel Cumulus
-Reid

Men’s Puma Complete Concinnity
-Henry

Men’s Saucony Jazz
-Henry

Long story short, he broke his hand really badly. Boys!

He had surgery on Tuesday and I took some time off from working (& blogging) to be his helper. It’s been a fun couple of days, just laying around, making jokes, and watching silly videos on-line.

My favorite part of the whole thing was what the nurse wrote on his un-broken arm:

NO!:

Apparently his right arm says “Yes” underneath the cast If it prevents just one mix-up I s’pose it’s worth it!

I managed to strap on my running shoes for a four mile spin around the park yesterday, and I’ll be heading out for another run in a little while.

I am sooo close to signing up for my first marathon. Alisa was kind to send me links to Hal Higdon’s & Runners World training schedules, and I think I will shoot for a spring marathon.

My problem now is that there a so many to choose from! I’ve always been a nature girl, so California is the perfect place for me in terms of the marathons available. I think I could be ready for the Death Valley Marathon on Feb 7th, but it is a little pricey, and 10+ hours from San Fran. The Avenue of the Giants Marathon is on May 3rd…a little late, but cheap and it sounds incredibly beautiful. There are also a couple marathons put on by EnviroSports that are really close to San Fran, but they are mostly trail runs with lots of hills…that might be tough for a first marathon - or it might be an awesome challenge.

Hmmm… Any opinions?

Today was my first day of my transition from afternoon to morning runs. I ran a total of 5.5 miles and felt terrific the whole time!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE running in the mornings. It feels so refreshing and it makes me feel clean and happy all day. In the last couple months I’ve been running mostly in the afternoons. I was having a hard time getting myself out the door and missed running in the mornings, so I decided to switch it up a bit!

Also,
Dudes! October 26th, 2pm is the deadline for winning free running shoes - all you have to do is write a running shoe review on this website. Right now there are only 4 reviews…that puts you at a 1 in 5 chance of winning free running shoes! Just look to the right of this screen, find the gender and brand of your running shoes, click on it & find your model. Instead of a comment form, there is a review form…fill it out blogudes & blogettes! Win ur shoes! Don’t let my boyfriend win…he wrote 2 reviews already! Ha ha!

When I started slicing up running shoes, I had brilliant dreams of uncovering the secrets of “visco-elastic rebound foam”, “EVA midsoles”, “dual-density polyurethane”, “strike zones”, “medial posts” and “carbon rubber waffle outsoles”.

With my halved Adidas Tillamooks and Asics Gel 1120’s stuffed into a bag, I walked to my neighborhood running shoe store yesterday. This was my moment of truth!

The three shoe-sell’n lads working the shoe store were quite intrigued. The were impressed with the perfect cut down the center of the shoes. I asked them what they could tell me about my gait and my feet based on the insides of my running shoes.

It seemed that the world stood still for a few moments while they pondered their answers. My heart beat heavily - I was fearful that they would say “Nothing”.

And that is exactly what happened.

They told me they didn’t know much about the insides of running shoes…which I s’pose makes sense. They did tell me which part was the EVA midsole (which I already knew).

I quickly got over my heartbreak when one of the sales men told me he could tell me all kinds of things about my feet & my gait with a nifty machine in the corner. He had me walk over a pad on the floor which transmitted my footprint to a computer on the wall. It blew the “wet footprint test” out of the water in terms of graphical attractiveness. The variety of pressure my feet exerted on the mat were differentiated with a rainbow of colors. Pronation was indicated graphically with points and lines. Impressive! Though it lacked the do-it-yourself satisfaction of the wet footprint test.

It seems that I diagnosed my own feet perfectly in my quest to learn about pronation & foot shape.

I have neutral feet, with one hell of a curve .

The excitement of the foot print exploration eventually ended. And we said our “thank you’s” and “goodbyes”.

Stubbornness makes me unwilling to give up on shoe slicing just yet. What about running shoe fortunes? I think I’ll start reading the insides of running shoes like tea leaves. You want serious analysis? Not here, not no more! He he! I can’t be serious for more than five minutes anyway…so here we go!

I’ll start with the Tillamooks:

• Test #1: Running Shoe Energy Dispersal test

This test is based on the idea that runners put an immense amount of their own energy into their running shoes. The energy in the running shoes can be released to tell us about the runner’s strengths and weaknesses. For this test I suspended all four shoe slices at exactly three feet above the ground (three is the magic number), chanting “runner be, runner am, runner will!”, closing my eyes and breathing deeply, trying to commune with the Tillamooks. Then I dropped them, releasing their energy to fall where they may:

Tillamook Energy Dispersal Test:

The first thing to notice is that three of the four slices have their insides shown towards us. This indicates an openness and at the same time a vulnerability of the runner (me). It shows that I am still learning and wanting to improve, but that I feel worried that I may not improve.

The second thing to notice is the pattern the running shoe slices have fallen created upon falling. Three slices seem to cluster together in solidarity, excluding the fourth slice. This may speak to a past injury that I am trying to keep out of my life in the future. I may be gathering my strength and trying to forget about the past.

• Test #2: Running Shoe Inner Layers test

This test is based on the pressure and resulting forgiveness of a runners shoes. The idea is that the psychic (and physical) pressure a runner puts on his or her shoes gives a distinction to the wear of the layers. Here is a photo of the inner layers of the Tillamooks.

Tillamook Inner Layers Test:

This running shoe is still in decent condition after months and months of wear. The lack of extreme wear on the shoe shows a great deal of forgiveness of these Tillamooks. They have dealt well with the hard work I’ve given them to do. This shows that my drive to succeed and goals are well proportioned with regards to my effort. A great sign for the future!

…………………………………

Oh man! This is fun! Ok, ya’ll I really think every one of you awesome bloggers should send me your old nasty running shoes. The blogosphere needs a running shoe fortune teller, don’t ya think? It’s a smelly job, but I’m up to the challenge! If you’re in, lemme know!

Do you have ideas for other tests of running shoe fortune I could preform?

See ya’ll, I’m going out for a run!

If you want me to slice up your old running shoes and analyze their insides, just send me an email and I’ll give you my address. I’ll be donating the sliced shoes to Nike’s Re-use a Shoe program, so slicing shoes won’t be wasteful!

I am heading to my local running shoe shop this afternoon to see what they think about my shoe slices. Ha ha! Can’t wait to see their faces!

Slicing Adidas Tillamook Trail:

Slicing Asics 1120:

Golden Gate Park:

Running to the race early on a Sunday (NOT Saturday ) morning gave me an entirely different experience from my usual late morning/ early afternoon runs. Their were elderly Chinese people doing Tai Chi and tons more runners than in the middle of the day on a weekday. Runners rule the mornings on the weekends while everyone else is sleeping .

I was happy with my time of 1 hour and 2 seconds (but, believe me, I tried to shave of 3 seconds when I saw how close I was to being under an hour!). That puts me at a 9:40/mi pace which seems good considering this was my first race in 4 years. My main goal was to run the whole time and not give in to the urge to walk…goal accomplished!

Running 10 miles (the longest distance I’ve run in at least 5 years) gave me confidence to go for some longer runs.

I’ve been researching California marathons for the past hour - I found several that sound awesome. One goes through old growth redwoods in northern CA, this one goes along the Marin headlands with a view of San Francisco and another goes through the trails of wine country in Napa. California is so fantastic!

Reflections on my first race in 4 years:

• I loved the excitement of the moments after “Ready, Set, GO!” when the pack started to move. It was exhilarating to be a part of it again.

  

• Reconnecting with my little competitive side was refreshing. I enjoyed the automatic quickening of my pace when I heard footsteps coming up behind me - and the tiny bit of frustration I felt when someone passed me.
• The final push to cross the finish line and the endorphin induced runners high I felt when I finally got to stand still made it all worth it!

  

Why does that happen sometimes?

I thought I’d look around the internet & try to find some nuggets of wisdom about pokey runs. It seems that over-training is often the culprit. Stress, diet and eating habits are also possible causes. I don’t think any of these are my problem. I have been upping the mileage a tiny bit, but not enough that I think it would be a problem. I sleep like a baby, have a normal amount of stress and eat tons of fruits, veggies and whole grains.

I think sometimes weariness while running is just body chemistry or a psychological tiredness. Just a hunch .

Today I was planning on running a 10k with a good friend of mine visiting for the weekend. We got up early, ate a quick little bit of breakfast and were out the door. We walked 40 minutes to get to the beginning of the race.

There was no one there! I asked him what day it was. He said Saturday. The run is on Sunday - Tomorrow! Opps! . We had a very nice walk back home through the park. And I’ll try that whole thing again on Sunday!

All Done:

Voila:

The surprise 8-mile run was due to a roommate spat over chores that left me with a bit of steam to blow off. I got to my usual turn-around point, but didn’t feel like I was ready to turn back. I ended up running all the way to the ocean from the end of Golden Gate Park, then back. It’s amazing the perseverance a little anger creates. (I always love being able to turn a negative into a positive.) By the time I got home (limping a little), I felt refreshed and at peace.

It got me to thinking about running and how beneficial it is for our emotions and mental health. All those endorphins keeping runners happy as clams!

Anyway, I am about to head over to my boyfriends shop and we are going to slice up the Adidas Tillamooks!

I have so many old shoes laying around under my bed - I figure dissecting them is more useful to the world than letting them collect dust bunnies.

I had to make a decision about which pair to sacrifice first. The contenders: Asics Gel-1120, Asics Gel-Kanbarra 3, Adidas Tillamook Trail. Don’t worry, all of them will get a turn at dissection I figured I would start with my favorite pair, the Adidas Tillamooks.

I thought I should take each pair for a spin around the block to remind myself of what I like and dislike about each. I ran up to the top of Buena Vista park today in the Tillamooks. They feel almost exactly the same as my current pair (Nike Dart). They let my feet move the way they want to and don’t have too much cushioning (I like that).

Here are some pictures of the Tillamooks’ last run:

Shoes With A View:

Just the View:

I discovered the ‘pose’ running technique as I’ve been researching running shoes. Basically it is a way of running that is supposed to be more natural. The biggest difference seems to be altering the part of the foot you land on from you heel to closer to the ball of the foot.

Running on toes=angry calves! But I do feel that it does help with injuries. I’m done writing about pronation for now, and I think the next topic I will tackle might be running technique. So more to come on pose running!

Running shoes built for under pronators are usually labeled “cushioned”. Cushioned running shoes have a soft mid sole and are built on a curved or semi-curved last. These features encourage foot motion - good for rigid feet.

What to look for in cushioned running shoes:
EVA insoles offer the softest cushioning while remaining very lightweight.
Outsoles should be flexible and relatively soft.

Cushioned Running Shoe Recommendations:

Women’s cushioned running shoes for under pronators

Men’s cushioned running shoes for under pronators

Running shoes built for normal pronators are usually labeled “stability”. Stability running shoes are built on a semi-curved last. Stability shoes can include features that prevent overpronation using stiff material on the inner curve of the shoe (a medial post).

What to look for in stability running shoes:
Look for dual-density midsoles that provide a moderate amount of cushioning, such as a combination of a layer of stiffer polyurethane along with a layer of EVA cushioning.
The outsole should offer moderate stability that combines stiff carbon rubber in the heel with softer blown rubber at the front of your foot.

Stability Running Shoe Recommendations:

Women’s stability running shoes for normal pronators

Men’s stability running shoes for normal pronators

What to look for in a motion control running shoe:
Carbon rubber outsoles and a dense polyurethane midsole will keep your foot properly positioned.

Motion Control Running Shoes Recommendations:

Women’s running shoes for overpronators

Men’s running shoes for overpronators

A friend of mine wants to go to Joshua Tree park in a couple weekends, so I checked my calendar to see if I could make it. I was surprised to see that I signed myself up for a 10k in golden gate park on that Saturday! Time to start training!