Greetings, readers. Apologies for the hiatus, but I'm back! And, now that there's another baby on the ground, ready to give this body a few weeks of rest and get back to training. I'm itching to hit the pavement again as soon as possible, and this gorgeous weather isn't helping my patience any....
One thing I really love about running is it's portability. You can run anytime and anywhere. Running is a cheap sport to get into, aside from registration fees, and involves very little equipment. Right? What do you really need to get started? A pair of good shoes and a few staples of clothing. I'm here today to talk to you about my favorite part of running gear: shoes.
I've always been a Nike girl. Before my current pair of shoes, I deviated from Nike only once before and that was to buy a pair of Asics that I fell in love with, mostly based on the colors. I still love Nike, and I think that they have a great deal to offer as far as variety of shoes goes. Inspired by a nagging IT band issue, I moved from a more cushioned shoe to the Nike Free. That, plus loads of IT band stretches and strength exercises, and I have not had a twinge of IT band pain in over 2 years.
From there I "read" (listened to on tape) "Born to Run" and was further inspired (by some, but not all, of the book). And ultimately made a move to Brooks. I am now in shoe heaven, and will stay with these shoes as long as they make them without changing them much.
These are the Nikes that I have, and still love: Nike Free Run 2.0 (not the color of mine, but you can search around, they make a bunch of different colors)
And these are the Brooks: Brooks PureCadence
This is what I'll say about running shoes. Don't cheap out. Running is a lot of impact on your body, so making the investment in good shoes is going to help prevent injuries. If you're new the sport, consider going to a running specialty store to get fitted for shoes. You'll probably want to go up 1/2 to full size from your normal shoe size. This is important, especially if you love your toenails. It's not so critical if you plan to stick to shorter distances, but if you are training for half or full marathons, trust me on this one, buy bigger!
Barefoot running is all the craze. And, to each his own. But really that just seems insane to me. Wear something between your foot and the ground. Please! Finding the perfect shoe is a little bit of trial and error, and a lot knowing your running style and stride. This is where getting fitted can come into play.
And, finally, when your shoes are starting to wear out, buy new ones! I always try to overlap my new shoes with my old shoes. Please don't make your first run in new shoes your long run day. Happy shopping!
Friday, October 26, 2012
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
A Word About Running Moms
By far the two hardest physical things I have ever done are 1. finish a marathon, and 2. deliver a baby. Or, maybe more specifically, carry a baby to term. Quite honestly, I found the delivery part to not be that difficult in comparison to the 40 LONG weeks before the baby's arrival. Certainly everyone's experience is different though.
If you think about it, finishing an endurance race is much like a pregnancy. There comes a point in both where you feel like you really cannot make it, and wonder what on earth you got yourself into. For me, that point in a marathon is somewhere around mile 22. The end is so close, but there are 4 miles that have to be covered before you get relief. 4 miles. Nothing, but when you've put 22 behind you, your perspective surely changes. In this current pregnancy, I have reached my mile 22 at 38 weeks. Everything hurts, and there is a clear end in sight, but my mind is telling me that it's not sure I can make it.
I have told you before that anyone can run a marathon (or whatever your distance of choice is) because running is 90% mental. My head is not in the pregnancy game right now, much like it gets in my way at mile 22. The point I have reached is the point where my physical discomfort has become greater than my mental capacity to push it down, to reason that it's only temporary (seriously, whichever motivational genius coined: Pain is temporary, pride is forever---rock on!).
Giving birth to a child is by far and away easier than a marathon. I'm not going to sugar coat it, moms. In childbirth, you have zero choice. That baby is getting out one way or another, and your best bet is to accept that and go with it. You can choose to do it with more comfort (an epidural) or less (without drugs), but fact is, it's happening. In a marathon, your head can get in the way so much that you actually physically cannot finish.
Why am I sharing this? Well, one because I need to get my head on right and accept the fact that I have 14 more days (or less!) of discomfort, such a short amount of suffering for a beautifully great reward. Two, because we all have our struggles, and it's important to know that we aren't alone in that. I find such strength and motivation from my own athletic accomplishments that I am writing this in the hope that I will ignite something deep down that can get me through the next few weeks and through labor and delivery as easily as the first time around.
I am trying to recall those last few miles of my last races (so many months ago...) to draw inspiration. In life we need to make comparisons and find inner strength where we can. When things get hard, relate your situation to something else challenging that you've done and overcome.
If you think about it, finishing an endurance race is much like a pregnancy. There comes a point in both where you feel like you really cannot make it, and wonder what on earth you got yourself into. For me, that point in a marathon is somewhere around mile 22. The end is so close, but there are 4 miles that have to be covered before you get relief. 4 miles. Nothing, but when you've put 22 behind you, your perspective surely changes. In this current pregnancy, I have reached my mile 22 at 38 weeks. Everything hurts, and there is a clear end in sight, but my mind is telling me that it's not sure I can make it.
I have told you before that anyone can run a marathon (or whatever your distance of choice is) because running is 90% mental. My head is not in the pregnancy game right now, much like it gets in my way at mile 22. The point I have reached is the point where my physical discomfort has become greater than my mental capacity to push it down, to reason that it's only temporary (seriously, whichever motivational genius coined: Pain is temporary, pride is forever---rock on!).
Giving birth to a child is by far and away easier than a marathon. I'm not going to sugar coat it, moms. In childbirth, you have zero choice. That baby is getting out one way or another, and your best bet is to accept that and go with it. You can choose to do it with more comfort (an epidural) or less (without drugs), but fact is, it's happening. In a marathon, your head can get in the way so much that you actually physically cannot finish.
Why am I sharing this? Well, one because I need to get my head on right and accept the fact that I have 14 more days (or less!) of discomfort, such a short amount of suffering for a beautifully great reward. Two, because we all have our struggles, and it's important to know that we aren't alone in that. I find such strength and motivation from my own athletic accomplishments that I am writing this in the hope that I will ignite something deep down that can get me through the next few weeks and through labor and delivery as easily as the first time around.
I am trying to recall those last few miles of my last races (so many months ago...) to draw inspiration. In life we need to make comparisons and find inner strength where we can. When things get hard, relate your situation to something else challenging that you've done and overcome.
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