The ART of Running

 

Several things to talk about today.

Let’s start with the fun stuff!

I went for my usual 5.5 mile run with my running group on Monday night.  The goal?  Between a 9:30 and 10:00 minute pace.  The gal I was running with said we managed a 9:24.  My Garmin said 9:33.  Either way, we managed my goal. 

The run on Monday night was also sponsored by Merrell.  The shoe rep brought two kinds of their barefoot shoes  to try out.  I didn’t run in any of them but I tried on the Barefoot Run Dash Glove and really liked them.  Very comfy!  Not sure I’d buy a pair just quite yet, though.

BUT!  The shoe rep did a drawing for a free pair of shoes and I won!  I actually won the trail version of the barefoot shoes: 

I’m excited to try wearing them around and maybe, just maybe, running in them.  But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

On Tuesday I went to a new-to-me place in the city called Active Body.  They’re chiropractors who specialize in Active Release Technique (ART).  The gal I ran with on Monday night had recommended them to me and I’d done some previous Googling and liked what they had to say.

I told the doctor I saw all about my hip issue and he said it sounds like, yes, I have a labral tear but that the tight muscles and tendons surrounding it are just pulling the ball of my femur too tight into the hip socket making it feel worse.  ART worked when I was having my shin issues last year.  I’m hoping it might help relieve some of my hip issues as well. 

Because my hip hurt like the dickens after Monday night’s run.  I suppose I pushed the pace a little too fast a little too quickly or something.  I really don’t know.  That’s what so frustrating about this injury.  Some days it feels just fine. Other days I ache after any kind of activity. 

Still, I’m having fun doing what I’m doing and, hey, I got a new pair of shoes!  And, at least for this gal, new shoes make everything better. 

Two Birds, One Stone

Sunday is the Chicago Half Marathon. Also known as the most inconvenient half marathon for most of the people who run it. It's definitely geared towards tourists moreso than the majority of people who actually live in and around the city. Why?

Well, the start line is not on any city public transportation. They have to arrange for special regional trains. If you drive to the start line you either pay $14 to park and walk a mile there and back or find street parking and walk even further. And risk dealing with Chicago Bears traffic on the way home. Packet pick-up is also not on a public transit line and it's $10 to park there. However, packet pick-up is two miles from my office. And I needed to get in another run this week.

So guess what I did? I strapped on one of those drawstring backpacks everyone seems to be giving away and after work I ran from my office to the Festival Hall at Navy Pier to pick up my packet. I was pretty sweaty when I got there but was able to get my stuff with little fanfare. I even ran into Coach Holly and Helen as I was leaving.

I didn't tie the bag right across my chest on the way back so it bounced more and made my shoulders ache but for two miles it didn't really matter. I got in my run and picked up my packet. I guess that's what they call running an errand!

Half Marathon Packet Pick Up by snmnstrz21 at Garmin Connect - Details

And when I got home I discovered my new running shoes had arrived!

New shoes always make me realize just how beat up my old shoes are. I guess that's what over 350 miles will do to a pair of shoes.

Bye Bye, Brooks

On Wednesday night I joined the OPRC for another track workout. I admit, I was so close to skipping. I was tired and cranky and a little achy. But, Jason was right when he told me I'd feel better if I went.

We did our stretches and the same 12 minute warm-up as last time and then changed out the high knee and butt kick drills for skipping and a drill we call "stutter step". Which is just as difficult to explain as it is to do. And, of course, accelerating strides. For 20 minutes I only ran 3.63 miles, though, as opposed to the 4 I ran last week. Interesting.

The other difference was that we added in some non-running work involving stepping over the steeplechase hurdle for 30 seconds, burpees for 30 seconds, and then we threw in some planks for 30 seconds. For some number of rounds that I didn't count. Whew.

Sadly, when I woke up on Thursday morning I was S-O-R-E. And not necessarily a good sore. So after work I took the number one suggestion from my gait analysis and went and bought new shoes.

Say hello to the Asics Gel Foundation 9:

Apparently my left foot's pronation has gotten worse over time (probably due to my hip issue) so I needed a more stable shoe. I actually haven't run in these yet except for the short treadmill test run in the store but I'm hoping they'll help. The PT seems to think they will. Fingers crossed!

But that means no more Brooks. Which is too bad because I've been wearing Brooks Adrenalines since I got interested in running. I feel like I'm breaking up with a significant other!

Shoe Brigade

Click to see larger


Behold! All the Brooks Adrenalines I currently have in my house. From back to front they are:

A pair of GTS 6's
A pair of blue GTS 8's
A pair of reddish-pink GTS 8's
My most recent teal GTS 9's
And my newest addition, the pink and purple GTS 10's

Where are the 7's you ask? Those got donated to the running store when I bought the blue 8's. I really should donate a few more pairs. It's getting a little ridiculous in here.

So why did I buy new shoes if I already have so many laying around my house?

Well I finally added up how many miles I'd put on the GTS 9's and according to my calculations it's over 400!

I think I've been really lucky not to have any injuries. The rule of thumb is that running shoes last anywhere from 300-500 miles. I certainly fall squarely in the middle of that range. I suppose my current shoes could last me a bit longer but, I admit, when Kim linked me to this post and told me those were someone's new Adrenalines I knew I HAD TO get new shoes.

I did a little digging and discovered that while those particular Brooks were not shown on the Brooks website they were for sale on endless.com. So, although I should be supporting my local running store (where I also get a discount) I didn't want to chance not being able to get these shoes. I mean, look at them:


Click to see larger

They're pink and purple! With a fun flowery design! I know, I know, you're not supposed to buy running shoes based on looks but when looks converge with the shoes I already love how am I going to pass them up?

I haven't run in them yet but when I tried them on they felt so cushiony. I'm looking forward to my first run in them. I'm sure I'll have a spring in my step.

Chicago Marathon Volunteer Report

Welcome to aid station 13 located at mile 18 of the Chicago Marathon! This was just one of many tables full of water we set up. For at least half a mile along the street there were water tables, Gatorade tables, and energy packet tables. Over 250 volunteers in our blue jackets manned these tables. We had a forklift, boxes and boxes of supplies, signs, rakes, trashcans, and shovels. What we didn't have? Food or bathrooms. Or heat.

The past two years the weather on race day has been dangerously hot. This year? Not so much. I arrived at the aid station shortly after 6:30 AM. After I got my volunteer gear I was wearing a fleece earband, a baseball cap, a short-sleeved t-shirt, a long-sleeved t-shirt, a long-sleeved fleece jacket, the polyester volunteer jacket, jeans, wool socks, mittens and rain boots. I wore the rain boots to keep my feet dry. They did not, however, keep my feet warm. At the end of my 6 hour shift my toes were so numb I could barely walk.

Sadly, I didn't bring my camera and my hands were so cold that I didn't bother to pull out my phone to take pictures. Besides, when you're handing out water to over 40+ thousand people, it's hard to take pictures!

Forty-plus thousand people. That's larger than some towns. I don't know if they all made it to mile 18, but, starting with the elites, we had runners non-stop from approximately 8:45 AM to noon.

At first you hold out your hand with a cup of water in it. Your arm starts to die from holding it out at your side. You cheer when people take water from you and not the person next to you. But as the race goes on more and more people want water. You get to the point where you are grabbing two or three or four cups of water at a time just to keep up with the demand. You trade raking responsibilities and try to clean up dropped cups while staying out of the way of the runners. And then, as your table empties of water, you break it down and move onto the next table. You watch in awe as the world championship male runners blow past. You crane your neck looking for the elite female runners. You cheer for all the other runners. You shout out the names that people have written on their shirts.

It's exhilarating. It's fun. It's awe-inspiring. For the first few hours. And then, when it's cold, you start to worry if your toes will ever be warm. You start to get hungry. You start to get tired. You talk yourself out of needing to pee. But you don't want to complain because the people running past you are also thinking all those things...except they're running 26.2 miles. Something you haven't done.

So, instead, you jump up and down. You joke with the other people at your table. You dance to the music on the loudspeaker. You rake up discarded cups. You fill up more cups with water. And when the "course closed" vehicle drives by, you look at the stragglers walking behind it, shake your head, and begin to clean up.

I made it home shortly after 1 PM. I made myself lunch and sat on the couch to warm up and watch tv. I didn't mean to nap. But, I fell asleep for about 45 minutes. I'm sure handing out water at the Chicago Marathon is nothing like actually running the marathon, but it wore me out just the same.

If you do want to see some photos, Kim has some good ones. She even got photos of the elites! And some of the people in costume. I saw one guy dressed as Minnie Mouse. I saw several Wonder Womans. I saw a few nuns. I saw people of every shape, size and color. It truly is as if an entire city decided they'd all get up and go for a run. Amazing.

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Speaking of runs, I did 8 miles on the bike path on Saturday morning. The air temperature was chilly and the sun hitting the creek created a low-hanging steam rising off the water. There were fewer runners than usual out and about I'm assuming because many of them were doing Sunday's big race. But I did see one guy running barefoot on the asphalt path. I, on the other hand, was wearing my newest pair of Brooks Adrenalines.



It was a good run. Goal? 10:00 minute miles across the board. Managed that with no problems. And I got lucky and barely had to stop for traffic.

After my run I "recovered" with hot chocolate. Chocolate milk is the perfect post-run recovery drink. I figured on a chilly fall day that hot chocolate would be even better. Yum!

Activity Route: -- Elev. Avg: 621 ft Location: Brookfield, IL Elev. Gain: +0 ft Date: 10/10/09 Up/Downhill: [+223/-223] Time: 08:15 AM Difficulty: 3.1 / 5.0   Weather: Partly Cloudy   40 F temp; 72% humidity   40 F heat index; winds SW 6 Performance Distance: 8.05 miles Time: 1:19:12 Speed: 6.1 mph Pace: 9' 50 /mi Calories: 962 Map   Elevation (ft)   Pace (min/mile)   Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Elevation Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 10' 05 +0' 15 6.0 -0.2 -4 ft 2 9' 47 -0' 03 6.1 +0.0 +7 ft 3 9' 58 +0' 08 6.0 -0.1 +10 ft 4 9' 45 -0' 05 6.2 +0.0 -6 ft 5 9' 36 -0' 14 6.2 +0.1 +4 ft 6 9' 36 -0' 14 6.2 +0.1 -7 ft 7 9' 52 +0' 02 6.1 -0.0 -7 ft 8 9' 53 +0' 03 6.1 -0.0 +3 ft end 9' 10 -0' 40 6.5 +0.4 0 ft Versus average of 9' 50 min/mile

Posted from bimactive.com

Bandanna Fana Fo Fanna

Last night was a four mile treadmill run that was to be done at a 10:55 minute/mile pace. I wore my new shoes (better after loosening the laces), I upped the incline on my treadmill (still don't know what to, though), and I ran the first three miles at 5.5 MPH and the last mile at 5.6 MPH. I've found that as the miles tick past, I want to go faster and faster just to get them out of the way. At least that's how I feel when I'm on the treadmill.

So, overall, a good run that left me with enough time to cool down AND start dinner before Jason got home from work.

But that doesn't really have anything to do with bandannas.

Or does it???

If you look at my past race reports you'll see that in almost all of them I'm wearing a bandanna. It's my running headgear of choice.

See, I have a very small head and hats just never fit quite right. I've contemplated trying a visor but I fear it will have the same results as a hat. Growing up, my mom would take a bandanna, fold it up, and tie it across her forehead sweat band style. I tried that but my bangs always flopped over the edges and drove me crazy. I discovered that if folded the bandanna into a triangle and tied it over my hair it soaked up sweat and kept my bangs from falling in my face. And in the summer it protects my hair and scalp from the sun. A win-win situation!

My first bandanna was the purple one shown above. I can't remember if I purchased it or borrowed it from my mom only to never give it back. The faded gray one I know I stole from Jason. That one is so old that the edges are frayed and there are parts where you can almost see through the fabric. Jason gave it quite a workout before I got my mitts on it. I discovered shortly, though, that only owning two bandannas meant I was doing a lot of laundry.

I've picked up the rest of them over the past two years. Mostly for less than $1.00 each. Some were gifts from my mother-in-law (totally awesome gifts, I might add!). Some I bought on clearance. In fact, I've now amassed so many that although I tried to get all of them for the picture, I think there are a few (such as my pink zebra striped one) that are buried in my drawer so deep that they didn't resurface for their close-up.

I have found in the summer that sometimes I get too hot wearing a bandanna. In those cases, I've tried using bobby pins and hair bands to hold my hair back and just carrying the bandanna to mop up sweat, but I have such fine hair that not much keeps it in place. Also, you may recall my "cotton is rotten" post. Well, bandanna tend to be cotton. And although they certainly soak up the sweat, they also like to hold on to it. After a long hot run, you can practically wring out whatever bandanna I was wearing. In the winter I don't always wear a bandanna when running outside. Instead, I prefer to wear a fleece headband to keep my ears warm.

Regardless, I love bandannas. They're like my signature running accessory. So even though I could try switching to a visor or even a Bondi Band, I don't know if I will.

My shoes are here! My shoes are here!

Last night I arrived home from work to find my new shoes on the porch. I immediately got them out of the box. They're a little more red than pink (Jason says they're definitely red...and not even light red at that) but that's okay. I changed into my running clothes and decided to run last night's four-miler (on the treadmill...sigh) in my new shoes.

Except that these are the first pair of shoes I've bought online and they didn't come with the cute running store employee to lace them for me. I compared the lacing against my other pair and they appeared to be the same.

Sadly, I think they were laced too tight or something because less than a mile into my run the pinky toe on my left foot started to go numb. What?

So, I swapped them out for my other pair and finished my run. Afterward I spent some time loosening the laces on the new pair and I'll try them again for my Wednesday four-miler.

Other than the shoe issue, my run was fine. Ran most of it at 5.5 MPH and the last bit at 5.6 MPH. I listed to the most recent episode of "This American Life" and, to be honest, I don't remember much. I think I was sort of zoned out. Hopefully for Wednesday I'll remember to transfer some episodes of "How I Met Your Mother" to DVD beforehand.

I noticed that I only got one question (via email) to my audience participation post yesterday. Perhaps if I do a give-away I'll get more responses? Well, I'm not doing a give-away, but The Chic Runner is! She's giving away a copy of the Eat This, Not That Supermarket Survival Guide. Sound interesting? Go check out her post and enter yourself for a chance to win.

P.S. I'll answer any audience participation questions at the end of the week.

Holler for Holabird

Image of warehouse at Holabird Sports

Remember how excited I was just last week to find my shoes on sale and in a fun color? Remember how I chose to do in-store pick-up?

Two days later I got an email from the company Brooks uses for all their online purchases telling me that they were unable to locate a local store where I could pick-up my shoes. Not a problem, the email went on to say, they would ship them to me in 2 business days.

The next day I got an email stating that I needed to confirm the additional sales tax and shipping charges before they could ship my order. I did so and that was the last I heard. They charged my credit card last Friday (not a pending charge, a full-on money taken out of my account charge) so I assumed all was well.

I got an email yesterday saying that they are very sorry but the shoes I ordered are out of stock and therefore they are canceling my order. No mention of crediting the charge back to my account, but telling me if I had any questions to contact Brooks' customer service.

I contacted Brooks and they told me that "oh, those are just pending charges on your credit card. They'll go away now that the order is canceled." I tell them that, no, they are not pending charges. They tell me to call Shopatron, their ordering and shipping vendor for all online purchases.

I contacted Shopatron who confirmed that, yes, my credit card was credited at 11:00 AM yesterday morning and that the credit should show up on my credit card within 24-48 hours or, at most, 5 business days.

I have to say, this is the first time I've ordered something online where the company charged my card BEFORE the item shipped. I understand that they most likely want to make sure that they're going to get their money before they let the product out of the warehouse, but I still think it's an odd way of doing business. I'm also irritated that either they couldn't keep their website updated enough to account for the shoes being out of stock or that in those few days spent emailing back and forth they sold out. I wonder what would have happened if I had skipped the pick-up in store option and just asked for them to be shipped.

Overall, I was not pleased with ordering from brooksrunning.com. I was so irritated that I almost swore off Brooks shoes altogether. Except, of course, for the fact that their shoes fit me the best. And that I guess it's not really Brooks' fault. More the fault of the company they outsource their online sales to.

I ended up ranting about this experience in the The Original Live Journal Runner's Club and someone commented stating that she had just bought these exact same shoes a few weeks ago from a company called Holabird Sports. I immediately went to their website and found my shoes!

Not only did they have my size in the fun color for essentially the sames price as they were on Brooks' website, but they also had free shipping! And no sales tax! Of course I ordered a pair. However, I admit I was a little apprehensive that perhaps they were sold out, too. But, take a look at the picture of their warehouse! Pretty amazing and difficult to believe they could run out of anything. Anyway, I got an email this morning stating that my shoes had shipped, complete with a tracking number and everything.

Certainly an up and down experience. I'll definitely update about the shoes when they arrive. Which will hopefully be soon.

P.S. I almost held the teaser pose with my legs straight last night. I got really close!

Tires for my feet

Photo from http://www.brooksrunning.com

Tonight was my easy 2 mile run. I like my Monday easy runs. I can knock them out in less than 30 minutes. That's not even enough time to listen to an entire episode of Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me!.

Anyway, since I don't have much to report about my run (other than I will be super thrilled when I can get off the treadmill and tell you about things I see outside. Yeah, I remember outside....barely) I thought I'd tell you about my running shoes.

I got my first pair of running shoes a birthday gift from my mom back in 2005. We went to the local running store and they had me run on a treadmill and all sorts of other fun stuff in order to fit me for shoes. Together we decided on a pair of Brooks Adrenaline GTS's. That was before I even considered myself a runner. I had a treadmill and thought about running but wasn't sure where to start. But I knew I needed good shoes.

Those first pair of Adrenalines lasted me two years before I replaced them with, yep, another pair of Brooks Adrenalines. That second pair took me through training with the Beginning Women's Running Group and my first 5K. I then decided that I should treat myself to yet another pair of shoes. Good shoes are one of the key components in avoiding injury. Back to the local running store I went to buy ANOTHER pair of Adrenalines. I swear I tried on every other shoe in the store but it appears that I'm an Adrenaline girl. I remember when I bought this third pair the sales guy was incredibly apologetic about the color. "I can check in the back and see if we have these in any other color if you want" he kept saying. But the thing about running shoes is that you can't base your decision on looks. So what if they're yellow and baby blue. Do they fit? Then there you go.

Anyway, here's my second pair (on the right) of shoes with my third pair (on the left) keeping them company.



I still have that second pair of shoes. They've been my non-running gym shoes for awhile.

That third pair of shoes lasted me through many training miles, my longest run to date, my first 10K, and several other races. However, shortly after moving to Forest Park I decided to patronize my new local running store and buy a new pair of shoes. Once again, I tried on a few options but, as always, ended up back with the Adrenalines. The only change was that they suggested I go down a half size. I haven't noticed a difference.

The photo at the top of this entry is my current running shoes. When I decided to write an entry about my shoes I went over to the Brooks website to find a picture of them. I clicked on the link to the Adrenalines only to discover that they were on sale! See, running shoes are sort of like cars. The manufacturers come out with new models every year and then discount last year's models. January is a great time to buy running shoes because last year's styles are always on sale. I just forgot it was that time. Imagine how excited I was to see my shoes listed for only $61 when they typically retail for close to $100. In addition, they had them in a color I've never seen in a store: pink! Okay, technically they might be more red than pink in person but either way, it's something other than blue! As you can see from the previous photos, all my prior shoes have been some shade of blue. I'm so excited about pink/red shoes it's ridiculous. You might be able to tell from my blog layout that I like pink.



Brooks's website allows you to choose "in-store pick-up" as a possible option. You enter your zip code and they attempt to find a store in your area that has your shoes in stock. If they find one, they email or text message you with the store information. If they can't, they ship you your shoes. Even with shipping these were a great deal. I don't technically need new shoes quite yet, but I will soon. Plus, the idea of having two pairs of running shoes that I can alternate makes me giddy. My Beginning Women's Running Group coach and mentor always talked about how she alternated her shoes. It made me think that "real" runners had more than one pair of shoes. I'm sure that's not true, but realizing that I will have two pairs of shoes to use gives me a sense that I'm more than just a casual jogger. It makes me committed! As if deciding to train for a half-marathon didn't or something.

Regardless, I love my Adrenalines. And you know, even if you aren't planning on running even a block, I highly recommend going to a good sport shoes store (not somewhere like Dick's Sporting Goods or Sports Authority. Head to a local running store or even a chain like Fleet Feet instead.) and get fitted for a good pair of sneakers/running shoes/tennis shoes/gym shoes/whatever you call them. You wouldn't drive your car with bald tires, why should you drive your body in your feet's equivalent?