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Posts from the ‘Gear’ Category

Jul 17

Cropped confessions

This is a confession, but one I don’t feel bad about and one that people might think I’m crazy for admitting: I wear cropped or capri pants for my summer runs. I vary between longer and shorter versions. I rarely, if ever, wear shorts. I own one running skirt that I also rarely wear.

I love crops. I have about 10 pairs. This summer I’m particularly favoring longer ones, the ones that hit around the ankle. I don’t live in a particularly cool place during the summer either. It’s been hitting the 100-plus temperatures here lately. That makes for some miserable running at certain points of the day.

Surprisingly, though, I don’t get too hot in my crops. If I’m not wearing a tank top, though, I feel like I’m burning up. (That’s for another post, though.)

There’s another really important reason, though, that I wear crops.

Despite more than two years of running, calorie counting and eating (mostly) well, my thighs touch.

You can kind of see my conundrum here. My thighs are in the same area code all the time. To be fair, when I weighed 135 pounds in high school I still had pretty significant chafing. My legs are much more toned now too.

So when I wear shorts, I chafe. No matter how much Glide I apply, I still chafe.

That means I’ve come to love capris to the point that I’ve tried multiple different pairs.

As I mentioned before, I’m favoring longer ones this summer. The pair I’m wearing today (above) are Nike Relay running capris. I purchased them from Nike.com earlier this year. At the time, my running pants were getting too warm to wear, but it still wasn’t nice enough for my short capris.

At $58, they weren’t as pricey as some of my other ones, but they fit the purpose. They are just black, tight pants basically. No frills outside of the Swoosh symbol. They are lightweight too.

The Nike capris were also my first pair of long capris since actually moving to running clothes at the beginning of 2011. I’m not even kidding. I used to run in cotton tights, basically, all the time. Then I finally moved into better clothes when I started doing half marathons (just the right time).

That led to more capris, I’m kind of embarrassed to confess.

I found the Lululemon Run: In the Sun Crop soon after. A photo of the side mesh areas is at the top of this blog.

These crops, at a whopping $88, are basically ten steps above the Nike ones. They are made of Lululemon’s Power Luxtreme. They have Circle Mesh in places were a lady is prone to sweating too. And they are smooth to the touch. I kind of fell in love in a way that I didn’t with the Nike capris.

I loved these so much, I purchased a second pair after getting some cash for my birthday.

In this photo, the crops appear more black than gray. But they are gray, with a wide waistband. The inner is more of a black color. The color here is called “deep coal.”

There’s a closeup of the waistband detail. These pants, as I mentioned before, are smooth and comfortable. I especially like the mesh sides that really breathe when I run. In fact, on the hottest days of the year, I prefer these crops. I wore them for the marathon in San Diego and the endurance run.

When I run, I literally feel as if the wind is coming through the mesh.

There’s another close-up of the mesh sides. The best part of these pants is that the mesh crunching doesn’t spread out where it’s straight. It actually looks pretty cute when worn.

I also recently purchased another pair of Lululemon crops which I’m kind of on the fence about still.

The Run: Inspire Crop II are beautiful in design. They are more basic than the Run in the Sun crops, not nearly as fancy on the sides. And they are a little bit longer as well.

The Inspire Crop II’s are basic at the top. You can see at this point that I have a bit of a love for basic black. I’m not big on branching out to new colors. The only area I am is in my shirt selections, which explains why I am big on buying bright colors lately, especially for running. Case in point are more Lululemon shirts.

Love the “ray” color from Lululemon.

The Inspire Crop II’s are also detailed near the bottom of the crop. They aren’t cheap, though, at $86.

The biggest difference between the Lululemon crops and the Nike capris come in the stitching. Lululemon pays close attention to detail when it comes to the stitching. The Nike ones seem to rise a little more than the Lululemon ones. It’s not a huge difference, but it’s enough that I notice more when I’m running in the Nike capris.

Plus, the Lululemon ones seem to “whish” in the thigh area a little bit better. (That’s really important. I may have fat little thighs, but I really don’t want sweat accumulation down there. I know, too much information.)

For me, crops are the only ways to go. Even if it’s warm outside, one of these pairs has become a go-to all seasons.

Jun 24

A better fit

A couple weeks ago, I blogged about my second marathon slump in San Diego. There were a lot of reasons it all went bad, but one of them was shoes. Before I could even write my race recap, I went to my local Fleet Feet store. I’ve purchased my last three pairs of shoes from a great sales associate who takes her time with me, answers all my questions and understands my needs when it comes to shoes.

It was because of all this I was hoping the Saucony Hurricane 14s that I purchases earlier this year would be the new shoes for me. Instead, I realized more than 100 miles in that they weren’t. I was still getting blisters. I was in pain. I was trying to make them work.

They. Weren’t. Working.

So I went back to Fleet Feet, shoes in hand, and admitted what I had known, probably, since before the marathon: The Hurricane 14s were hurting my feet.

The sales associate shared my pain. Only weeks before, I had posted that they were totally working for me on the store’s Facebook group.

Then they weren’t.

She could see it in my thrashed feet. The shoes were making both fleet arch slightly, meaning my baby toe was pushed under my other toes and the inner side of each of my feet was being rubbed raw. My feet looked like a disaster.

I tried on three more pairs of shoes. Another pair of Sauconys. And a pair of Brooks.

Finally, another pair of Nikes.

The LunarEclipse +2.

I don’t want to say it was love at first site. It wasn’t. I had spent so much time in shoes that were consider more functional than pleasing that I’d never had a pair of “pretty” running shoes before.

These were definitely pretty.

I was worried. I think I had ever right to be after the Saucony disaster.

Then I went on my first run. No pain. No rubbing. No “breaking in.”

They fit me in a way that was comfortable, yet functional. I felt fully supported, but they weren’t bulky like my Equalon +4’s had been. The pair was also much, much lighter than any of my previous running shoes. But I was still cautious. I kept running, already putting more tan 40 miles on them and I haven’t had one issue.

I did a hot day outdoor run in them and they didn’t slip and slide. I remember at mile 3 looking at my running buddy Jennie and saying: “I’m sorry I ever cheated on Nike.”

And I am.

The LunarEclipse +2’s are stability shoes. But they are also slightly wider than the Sauconys. They also seem a tad bit longer. The biggest difference, though, is in the upper on the area near my baby toe.

The Hurricane 14s had a hard, yet flexible plastic. My Nike Equalon +4’s had a “bunion control” area. That area would expand based on my foot movement. The Sauconys wouldn’t expand. In fact, they would push my toes in. The inner side would push my feet in even more.

The new shoes, though, have a much more flexible upper.

That is the specific area in question. Even though that thin detail band goes across the area where my little toes go, it doesn’t bind them in. It lets them be much more flexible and move with greater ease.

Even better? I’ve had multiple pain free runs with these shoes. I seem to be able to go and go and go.

I’m hoping this means I found my “new” running shoes. These definitely are a better fit.

I’ve passed my Saucony’s with 100-plus miles on them, still in very good shape, to my mom. She has a job that requires her to be on her feet a lot, so they’ll likely be a good fit for her. She has much more narrow feet than I do. (I have flat little feet that don’t bother me all that much but are apparently bad for running.)

I’m considering this a costly mistake. The Sauconys were $140. The Nikes were $135.

But I’d rather trade in the shoes that were making running hard and unbearable for a pair that makes me enjoy it again. It’s made all the difference.

 

Jun 17

New

I took a step back from blogging this week for some personal reasons which I’ll probably (maybe) write about some other time. I was exhausted by Wednesday of last week and then I ended up taking Friday off of work because my body decided to rebel against a new medication I’m taking. My husband had to call in sick for me. That’s pretty lame.

Still, I had some good runs this past week totaling 21 miles, including an eight-mile treadmill run on Saturday. I’m thankful for that run because I didn’t think I was going to be able to run on Saturday morning. After my Thursday to Friday night was filled with nausea on every level I figured it would take me days to recover.

I was planning on another run today, but decided, while my body is adjusting to the new medications, I’ve take it easy for a couple days.

But this week has been eventful on the buying front, for which I feel a little bad. (Seriously? How much gear do I need?)

I invested in the fine piece of jewelry above with Roman numerals for 26.2. I wanted to buy it after my first marathon, but didn’t feel all that legit doing so. I figured since San Diego was such a suffer fest, I’d reward myself with it now. It costs $52 from Endure Jewelry Co. out of Clovis, Calif., which is a couple hours from me.

I have another necklace from Endure. It says “run.” I wear it all the time.

I opted only for the charm this time and am buying another necklace elsewhere because my last Endure necklace was way short. I even opted for the larger size and it was too short. Live and learn. I’m sure that once I get the necklace for the charm, this will quickly become one of my favorite items to wear.

Also new are two Lululemon Run: Swifty Tank Racerback shirts. I have one in the pale pink color on the model in the link. I also went for a wild color to be noticed when I’m running.

It’s Lululemon’s “ray” color. You can see if kind of matches with my new kicks (which I’m loving, by the way, thank you for larger toe boxes Nike).

I now own three tanks for running. I’m kind of not a big fan of tanks because I found that most the time they don’t work for me. These ones do. I ordered the “ray” color first and then followed up and ordered the pink one. I kind of wished Lululemon had other colors for it.

By the way, I’ve been following the Lululemon craziness over at the website/Facebook page about the Barbie doll in the company’s clothes. I understand the marketing behind it. As a Barbie collector, I even want a doll. I think people take these things too seriously. It’s a doll. In yoga clothes. So what?

Also new?

I started back on Weight Watchers on Monday of last week.

I think I psychologically felt the need to bury it in a post with pretty things (Look necklace! Look bright top! Look fancy shoes!) because I don’t want to point out my weight.

I weighed in last week with a starting weight of 168.

This morning, I was at 164.5. My official weigh in day isn’t until Tuesday. I’m not sure if that’s water weight lost, but I feel much better. And I’m working on portions. (I weighed myself after lunch today and I was 166.)

I’m hoping if I admit it in the blog I’ll be more accountable for it. I’m liking PointsPlus better than the previous points system by far. I can nibble on fruits and vegetables and both are (mostly) 0 points. That’s a nice win.

I’ve eaten a lot more raspberries and blackberries in the past week. Tomorrow I have bananas and apples. Good stuff.

I’m hoping to run six to eight tomorrow too. And then do some speed work on Tuesday. I’m trying to ramp up a training plan that works for me as I track some running planning into the future. My next event is a six-hour endurance run. Then the San Francisco 1st Half Marathon on July 29.

My biggest hope is that the Weight Watchers will lead to some good weight loss by the endurance run, which will make me a happier run.

Lots of “new” happening right now.

Jun 9

New, new running shoes

20120608-200248.jpg

After a month of telling myself the Saucony Hurricane 14s were “my shoes,” today I decided that no, they weren’t.

The toe box was cramping my baby toes inward. Then it was creating an arch that was giving me a ridiculous amount of pain in my big toe.

So I visited my local Fleet Feet today and was refitted with another stability shoe.

Enter the Nike Lunar Eclipse +2.

The test for these fancy numbers will be my 10 mile casual run with Jennie on Saturday.

May 23

I really love my Run From Work Backpack

I’ve developed something of a Lululemon addiction in the past six or eight months. I’m a little bit crazy about my Lulu products, if only because they are incredibly high quality. Yes they are expensive, but I’ve never had an issue with anything I’ve purchased from Lululemon. So I’m in love. I don’t order too often from the website (the closest store is about 40 miles from me), but when I do I usually pick up a couple new items.

I did so as a birthday gift to myself recently. I grabbed up another pair of Run: In the Sun Crops and a new little backpack. I’ve only ever bought one bag from Lululemon and I use it all the time as an overnight accessory carrier. I love it to.

My husband, though, has been complaining in recent months that he hates carrying my gym bag. It’s pink. All pink. And it’s from last year’s Nike Women’s Marathon, where I ran the half. He hates it so much he often “forgets” it in the car when he comes to the finish line.

I have another backpack that’s also pink. I’m not in love with the color, but the bags worked for me, so I bought them.

When I saw the Run From Work Backpack, I knew I had to buy it.

It’s silver with girl accents, including the use of the Flash Lululemon color on the zippers, but also practical enough that my husband doesn’t have too much of a problem carrying it.

The workmanship in this backpack is amazing. It’s not a full-size, take it to high school type backpack. Not at all. I was tempted, though to use it when I had to go to school and do grades the other day.

The exterior is water repellent. I purchased the gray version, which has a beautiful pattern to it, but doesn’t look too frilly far away. (Hence the reason my husband will actually carry it.)

The material is soft, yet durable. There are two pockets on either side of the backpack, which a bottle of water will fit in nicely. I tested it out this weekend after Bay to Breakers. Thomas brought it to the finish line and I carried out of the park and up the highway after the race.

Then I hiked to our eclipse watching position at Upper Bidwell Park in Chico. I packed up quite a few things in the little bag, including several water bottles. It was incredibly hot. I had pockets upon pockets of space to keep things, including some credit cards and my identification.

There’s even a pocket where I can put a water bladder at some point should I choose to.

I may actually purchase something to put in there, if only so I can use it more while hiking or doing other recreational things. The pockets are durable too.

The biggest thing, though, is that the straps are incredibly comfortable. They have a mesh upper and there are also straps to put across the neck area and the abdomen to keep it secure.

The back also arches a little as to keep the pack away from a sweaty back. It keeps my back well ventilated too.

I wore it for about four hours off and on Sunday. It worked really, really well. Again, at $88 it wasn’t cheap, but I’ll be using it for after my runs and for other adventures. And I’m in love with it. It’s the perfect size and color. I’ll be finding more chances to wear it.

May 21

(Not really) racing from Bay to Breakers

Last year, I ran Bay to Breakers. I really ran. I didn’t wear fun clothes or spend my time along the course just having a good time. Nope. I ran and finished in 1:25:46.

This year, I decided to not go all out. But I asked my brother to join me. And he wanted to go all out. In costume, of course. But also in running. He trained.

I ran an 18-miler the weekend before. My legs were still a little tired.

And my 28th birthday happened to be on race day this week. So this would be the second year my brother ran a race with me on or near my birthday weekend.

The day didn’t start out too well for my stomach. Instead of feeling as if I was ready to run, I rushed to the portable toilets immediately after getting to the Embarcadero. I ended up going to the bathroom twice before the start. And I still felt bad. My stomach hurt. I was getting cramps, likely from an empty stomach. But I couldn’t eat either.

I should have known it would be a bad run. But I kind of didn’t care.

In fact, I kind of figured I’d take it easy.

It was a warm morning. The tortillas were already flying.

We were already seeing naked people too. My brother made some sort of sausage-fest reference saying he’d seen enough naked nasty dudes for a lifetime, and probably more. They started counting down quicker than last year it seemed. In fact the whole thing seemed to go by more quickly in general.

At a little after 7 a.m. race officials released Corral C and we were off. I immediately felt horrible. My stomach was really turning.

Then, just like that, we he a stall. People had begun to gather along the road making it nearly impossible for racers to get through. This happened at .26 mile into the race.

It wasn’t all bad, but it was bad.

Mile 1: 11:17  — Started out strong, considering I had to stop and wait for the flow to get going again. I was likely running an 10:40 pace.

Mile 2: 12:29  —Legs are tried, uphills.

Mile 3: 14:16  — Hayes Street Hill and bathroom break. I kept thinking I was going to throw up.

Mile 4: 12:05  — Did a Gu, picked it up once over the hill and on the downhill.

Mile 5: 11:04  — Back in my normal groove, but it would be short lived. Toward the end of this mile, my legs felt better thanks to the Gu, but I was also starting to feel bad again.

Mile 6: 11:40  — Tried to hang in there, slowed a little.

Mile 7: 13:11  — Even though I had less than a mile, my stomach was cramping bad now. I kept considering stopping and slowing completely. I figured I’d walk it in. Finally picked it back up.

Mile .60: 9: 34  — Decided I needed to just be done. I just pushed it. I wanted the misery to end.

My husband got that great shot of me running it in. He complained that I wasn’t smiling. I tried to tell him the kind of misery I was in. My stomach hurt. I hadn’t fueled properly before the race. When I went for it, it was all I had at that moment.

Then it was over. It seemed quicker than last year. All around.

I crossed the finish and was handed my medal.

At the finish line, the announcer called it the “first ever” finishers’ medal. We received commemorative medals. The medals are nice and heavy, definitely a plus.

Then we had to go wait in a ridiculous line for our shirts.

The shirts were way to big. And we couldn’t trade. If we ever do this again, I won’t opt for the shirt. The disorganization at the end was amazing. Last year we had to walk past Polo Fields to get the shirts in an organized fashion. This year there was a tiny tent with a long, long line of people. I would have walked away had I not been charged so much for the shirt.

I ended up giving my tech T-shirt, a size medium, to my brother.

By the way, my brother the racer finished in an amazing fast 59:05. He did great. He was really excited about it. (Notice, he dressed as Paulie Bleeker from Juno.)

My final time was 1:31:34. Not horrible. I probably could have done better had I had felt better or ate breakfast and done the Gu beforehand.

But I don’t feel bad about it. I got to run with my little brother. And it was a fun run, even if it wasn’t a good one.

We did see lot of crazy stuff. And we made it to the breakers OK.

Then we headed away for an adventure to watch the eclipse. But that’s for another blog post.

 

May 10

Glaming up for the run

A couple months ago, on fear that the race would fill up like last year’s centennial did, I registered for the 101st Bay to Breakers run in San Francisco. I had a good time last year at it. I can’t say it was a mind blowing experience or anything, but it was a good time.

This year, it’s on my birthday.

So…I figured, party on the run? Wooo! I know how to live it up.

I invited my youngest brother to run it with me. I may have created a monster. He keeps sending me text messages telling me about how he’s running miles under six minutes. Great. He’s going to leave me in the dust. He doesn’t really “run” with me at all.

Since it’s a fun race and most people dress up, I thought this year I would to. Last year I wore regularly running clothes. This year, I’m going full out Holly Golightly.

Yep. I’m bring Audrey to race day.

The last parts of my costume came in the mail today. Everything else I had.

I’ll be wearing my Nike running skirt and a cheap Target fitness tank top as my main outfit.

Then I’ll glam it up a little.

First, I bought some inexpensive gloves at Amazon.com. They are pretty nice too. And, if it’s a little cold in San Francisco, they’ll be nice arm warmers. Win win.

I’ll also be wearing some faux pearls. They look much more white than they are pictured. It’s an H&M necklace that only cost me about $4 at the time. I tend to wear it a lot with plain shirts. I figured if something happened to it, I can easily replaced it.

And I had to buy a princess tiara. This was probably the most experience item added to my costume. It cost $15 from Amazon.com with shipping. It fits fairly snug too. I don’t think I’ll have to worry about it falling off, which I kept thinking would be a problem with this costume.

Of course, Holly Golightly needs a pair of Ray Ban Wayfarers. Everyone kept saying all I needed were over-sized glasses. No. Audrey would not settle for that. I actually have owned these for more than a year too. I bought them with my first paycheck from my teaching job at a local community college. I had one of those “OMG, I can afford Ray Bans” moments and just went for it. My dad has worn Wayfarers forever.

I initially bought the glasses thinking I’d never buy another pair of glasses again. So far, I haven’t. I love them. My only worry is losing them along the race path.

I was prompted to put this all together because my brother and I just got our race packets in the mail. Last year I ran it with my friends. So I think it will be kind of nice to have some support this year too.

I’ve also found out that people can still register for Bay to Breakers, meaning it didn’t sell out like I expected it to. Last year, entry was capped at 50,000. I’m assuming that’s the case this year. But a hefty raise in fees, and charging for an adidas tech shirt, may have turned people away. I mean there are other much more organized races in San Francisco (I’m looking at you San Francisco Marathon), but this one is fun.

I don’t really have a “goal” per se. My brother wants to womp me. He will, easily. This one is meant to be fun.

I’ve literally only ran two miles this week and it was tonight. On the treadmill.

I’m running an 18-miler this weekend in Fremont, which is about an hour away in the Bay Area. There’s a huge likelihood that I could come in last if only because I’m treating it as a training run and it’s a small event. The organizers also have a half marathon course, 10K and 5K options. But I signed up specifically because after a 21-miler in Big Sur, the addition of 18 seemed like a nice pre-marathon shake out.

I’m looking forward to it, despite the weather predicting it will be hot. The run begins at 7:30 a.m. I’m hoping I’m done by 11:30 a.m. at the latest. It’s flat trail run with an out and back at the nine mile mark.

May 6

A one-day weekend

I once heard that one in every four women sweat more profusely than the others. I’ve always been one of “those” women. I sweat pretty easily. I’ll start shooting video on a relatively nice day and within 20 minutes beads of sweat will be rolling down my back. This is probably too much information, but it’s true.

In nearly every race photo, I look like a sweat factory.

The photo above is my shirt from today’s run. (No, I didn’t run the marathon last year, only the half, but nearly ALL the apparel for the Nike event is “marathon” related. I only ran five miles too.

Today is Sunday. It’s also my one-day weekend.

Yesterday I had dreams of relaxing and even going wine tasting with my husband. He mentioned it last week. Last night he sent me a text saying his family was having lunch for his nephew today. I didn’t go.

I can count pretty high up on the things I haven’t gone to lately. Ask my parents. Ask my grandmothers. They haven’t seen me in what has been months. Why? I’m tired. And I stay home when I get the chance because every single day Monday through Friday I’m working nearly 12 hours between my two jobs.

What’s that you say? I did this to myself. Yes. And I should be thankful to even have one job let alone two? I am, believe me I am. My second job helps pay for races. And let’s face it, that’s really important to me. Seriously.

But I flat out refuse to do ANYTHING on my days off sometimes. I mean, outside of doing the laundry because if I didn’t no one would. (One time, I’ll tell you about when I went out of two for nearly a week, came home on a Sunday and my husband didn’t have any clothes because he didn’t do his own laundry. It happened.) I’ll be fair, he did vacuum yesterday.

I worked on Saturday launching an annual project at work. I’ll end up switching my day off for Tuesday, which I would have taken as a vacation day otherwise to teacher. So on weeks like this, I do a day switch that results in me having one day off in a 13 day period, because on my day off from my full-time job, I’m at my part-time job all day.

Understand? Yeah, my husband gets lost with my schedule too.

I ran eight on Saturday before work. Today I got up, showered and went to Target early. Because Target early is better, when no one is there. Also because something amazing happened at Target today.

The Shops at Target debuted. It’s like a mini boutique collection. Items from five different shops were put out today. I love it when Target gets fancy.

I score a great navy eyelet skirt for $29.99 from The Webster collection. (No photo because it’s in the washing machine since it’s a very shrinkable 100-percent cotton).

And candy.

The tragedy is that the candy assorted is available in San Francisco, only about 60 miles from me. Not even a long drive considering I lived in Oakland, right across the bay, for two years.

Then I started watching Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Both movies. One right after another.

I realized a couple hours ago it was time to get my run in. Usually if I wake up, take my shower and start my day, I forget the run. It’s a success when I come back to it and do it.

It was also the perfect time to test out two new items to make my left IT band, the one that rages at me (I imagine it giving me the middle finger when I run), a more happy IT band.

Look! My carpet isn’t a disaster! And I had to tighten that band up quite a bit to prevent it from slipping down over my Nike retro capris, which are longer than most of the capris I’ve been buying lately, a good thing if you ask me. One day I’ll write a side-by-side of the Nike retro capris and the Lululemon Run: In the Sun capris. Same premise, different execution.

I hoped on my treadmill. Which is right next to a window. Which was receiving the bulk of the sun. At nearly the hottest time of the day. Fail.

But I pushed through, watching “Don’t be Afraid of the Dark” with Katie Holmes. I’m usually not a fan of her. I became less of a fan when she married Tom Cruise. Because I’m really not a fan of him. But it was a decently scary horror movie.

I’ve been picking up the pace lately, turning the treadmill to a higher speed. So I averaged a 10:54 mile.

At 54:34 I hit five miles. And, rather than pushing it for a couple more, I decided that was enough.

Then, I tried out my second new running-related item.

It’s the Trigger Point Quadballer. And it’s a little like Heaven.

I immediately rolled out my left IT band, which didn’t have any pain  probably thanks to the new band. It’s much firmer than the Trigger Point Grid roller that I love as well. This puts nice pressure where I need it.

Now I’m rounding out my one-day weekend by watching Netflix on the couch while waiting for clothes to dry for me to fold.

And hanging out with Beau.

Who needs to be brushed. Pretty badly.

A good day? Yes. I know I still need to/want to run outside and not resort to my treadmill. I really want to hit the trails and sidewalks of Mountain House, but my schedule has prevented it lately.

I only have two more weeks of teaching for the semester. Then I’m planning a summer of running. Lots and lots of running.

May 4

Mourning a loss

I went to my local Fleet Feet store earlier this week to find something, anything, to make my IT band feel a little better after my 21-miler in Big Sur. I realized, midway through my run on Sunday, that I’d put about 400 miles on my shoes since I took them out of the box before my marathon last year. Yes. I haven’t switched shoes in five months.

I kept thinking: I better get a new pair of shoes when I’m done.

The problem with running shoes is that you don’t think they could be hurting you, or the root of the problem. I love my Equalon 4+ shoes. I’ve loved them since the first time I tried them on. That first pair was purple. Every subsequent pair has been blue. I have probably eight or nine pairs lying around my house.

So it saddens me to say that Nike has discontinued the model.

I wasn’t having a particularly good day anyway, but this knowledge frustrated me in a way I cannot describe.

Maybe I can.

Yes. I did something like that in the store. I’m so embarrassing sometimes. I was sad. I was angry. Over shoes. Running shoes.

It happens. I know. I’ve read other bloggers lament about the loss of their running shoes.

Finding the perfect running shoes are kind of like Prince Charming putting the glass slipper on Cinderella. It doesn’t matter if the shoes are not attractive, mine weren’t, or if they seem a little dorky, they are perfect when you run miles upon miles.

I wore cheap cross trainers before my Equalons. I had back aches. My body felt out of alignment.

I had a moment when I bought the Equalons. My credit card had one too with the $140 price tag.

Once I thought about switching shoes. I tried on five different pairs, with a very patient sales associate, only to go back to the Nikes. The comfort was there. So was the stability. The Nikes were my shoes.

And now they are not.

Since I needed new shoes anyway, I was fitted on Tuesday for a new pair. A similar pair. One that had all the workings of the Nikes. That didn’t include Nikes, which seemed more flash than function. Two years ago I would have wanted the flash. Now I understand I need the function.

So I introduce to you my new shoe choice:

The Saucony Hurricane 14.

So far I’ve run two treadmill runs in them. I think they are working for me, which is what I was really, really worried about. The Hurricane 14s are lighter than my Nikes. They are also very breathable. The mesh at the toe is literally that, just mesh. You can even kind of see through it.

I’m hoping to go for a longer run outside this week. (Don’t I say that every weekend? Yes, yes I do.)

But the big test will be the Mermaid Run Sirena 18 I’m doing next week. I’m planning on wearing these since, so far, they haven’t required any “break in” time.

I’m sad about the Nikes. Definitely. I feel like I’ve lost an old friend. But I’m hoping the Sauconys treat me right.

Apr 22

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3.47 miles of mud and fun

I figured I’d start out this post by putting up the photo that best represents what I know people are going to want to know about this mud race: “How muddy do you really get?”

The answer: Covered. Head to toe. In your ears. In your hair. The mud is everywhere. My husband had to hose me down when I came home. And I had already gotten a bunch of the mud off me. You are covered, literally, within the first couple minutes.

And it just keeps packing on throughout the 3.47 mile run.

The before picture is when my husband was waiting for my wave to begin. I actually ended up in an earlier way. Only by 15 minutes, but still earlier than I thought. There was no one patrolling the start line. People just kind of kicked back and wait for it to begin. Of course there were those crazy types who hit the ground running immediately. I wasn’t one of them.

I consider myself more of a middle packer.

And so I was off at 2 p.m. We climbed a hill, which I was able to run up completely, and went down into the first pit. Then through some bungee wires. Then we ran for a good while before hitting a slide. I didn’t get far with the slide, literally only a couple feet before I had to get up and walk. then I ran, at an average pace, for a good while before coming to the 4X4 planks to cross over a ditch.

It was kind of one thing after another with about .25 to .50 of a mile in between.

The most terrifying initially was the walls to go over. I did that fine. I did rip off my number, though. I had to fumble for a minute or two to put it back on and tie my shoe.

Then over a 20+ foot cargo net, which, yes, was scary. I’m afraid of heights. I had to take a moment to compose myself at the top of the stack. Then slowly work my way back down.

After those obstacles, I made my way to the water station. The volunteers were awesome at handing out water quickly. But the water was warm. I just happened to be running at the hottest part of the day too. Meh. It was unpleasant.

Then, on to the trench. This had to be the most difficult of all the obstacles. I literally had to take sow, deliberate steps to get my way out. My shoes almost came off numerous times. I keep hitting the muddy walls.

I literally have scratches all over my body now, particularly on my knees.

That’s more than four hours after the fact. Pretty gnarly. And it hurts really bad too. I think I’m going to put some antibiotics on both knees before bed. I have a feeling this could get bad if I don’t do something about it.

So, back to the race. It was hot. And I was covered in mud past the trench. The mud literally went up to my thighs. I walked for a good while before hitting the monkey bars. My arms, at that point, were not having it.

It didn’t help that people were going out on one, dropping down and running.

We hit a nice 3/4 mile area where we ran back into the main area at Dell’Osso Family Farm and hit a cargo net. It’s there the waiting for things began. I waited to get a good spot on the net (which still wasn’t that good). Then I waited to get over the hay bails.

Then up and down stairs twice. Stairs? Did I say stairs? Oh yes. They were part of the mud run. After the first obstacle, you’re like “really, stairs, I can do stairs.” By the time you actually get to them, you’re like “WTF STAIRS! NO! NO STAIRS! DIE STAIRS!”

Or maybe it’s just me.

Then runners/mudders hit a grand finale area where you cross over large cylinders, or go under. I went over and fell hands first into the mud three times. Then over a muddy mountain. Then through tubes that were about twenty feet long.

Too bad I had no one running with me to push me through the tube initially. I needed a push. I literally waited in front of a tube for more than 3 minutes waiting for someone to push me. Finally a guy did. I love that guy. I felt helpless. These are runs you really shouldn’t do alone. That guy saved me. I was ready to give up.

The only problem was I went on my back and had to propel my way through like a snake or something.

Then, with uneasy feet I headed to the finish line. My bib was hanging on by one safety pin. No one could see my number. I was thirsty and tired. A guy with a nice smile handed me a banana. Another opened a bottle of water. And, as I was drinking, a volunteer gave me a medal, inside a little baggy.

The medal, sans baggy, after I cleaned up and finally got a look at it. That’s a nice medal, definitely.

I wandered around for a good minute before Thomas found me. I’ve never been more glad to run without Gertrude the Garmin or my phone. I was caked in mud. And the finish line was an array of crazy.

That’s my butt covered in mud to the right. I know, it’s hot to see me carry my extra shorts that fell off in one of the pits. (Thanks random chick for handing them back to me!)

My final time: 54:18

For a first time mud runner and, after acknowledging my time probably would have been better if I wasn’t so patient with people, I think that’s pretty good.

I decided, after seeing the ridiculously long lines for the showers, to bypass one and just pop in the car for the less than 20 minute ride home. (Seriously, I’m so glad this race was in Lathrop. Anywhere else and I probably wouldn’t have done it.)

As we walked through the parking lot, we saw the remnants of runners past.

Thomas took these photos. I didn’t want to risk touching the new iPhone with muddy hands. And I was caked. Just caked.

By the way, you know your husband loves you when he hoses you down in the backyard when you’re wearing only a sports bra and underwear. And that’s exactly what he did.

After that, he let me go in the house.

I showered to get all the nasties out of my hair.

After the hosing, before the shower. And this is as close to naked as I’ll ever, hopefully, be seen on the Internet. (And I know you envy my husband’s awesome Budweiser towel.)

After all of that, I officially survived. I even have a shirt to prove it.

And overall, I enjoyed myself.

The good: Organized start. Decently challenging obstacles. Nice flow. Water station in the middle. Nice medals. Fun field. Lots of variety.

The bad: Waiting at the obstacles. The weather (I know it’s not something that can be controlled, but it was hot.) Warm mud. Getting kicked in the head. Nearly losing my shoes.

In the end, you end up looking a little gnarly with mud on your teeth, but it’s worth it.

By the way, it pays to be friends with a professional photographer. My buddy Craig was shooting the event for the newspaper and he snapped this picture of me. I might frame it, I love it so much. I look so happy. That’s so rare.

At the end of it, I came home, helped my husband move some rocks to the backyard and then ate a champion dinner from The Squeeze Inn.

It looked a little like Heaven.

Seven hours after my wave began, I’m tired and my knees and killing me. Would I do it again? I’m not too sure. But I definitely enjoyed myself.

For those wondering, my essential gear worked good. The shoes stayed put, as they were tied tightly, and the top and sports bra stayed in place. The extra shorts did not. I’d avoid those next time, if I go again. Those are the shorts that actually slid off. The “sports bra” and “booty shorts” actually stayed in place very well.

And now, next week, I have a 21-miler along the California coast on Highway 1. I’m a little tired today after this one, so I’m hoping for an equally good experience next week.

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