Harder, better, faster, stronger.

Originally I was going to use a Kanye West song for the title and then I decided to have some dignity and throw it to Daft Punk instead.  Mostly because I can't stand Kanye West, even if I do listen to some of his music.  I don't have a lot of new running news for you, but what I do have doesn't need to be a lot because it's just so fantastic.  Yesterday, for the first time ever (or at least since I started running as an adult), I ran a sub-7 mile! My Garmin clocked me at a hot 6:54.9, which is basically amazing, considering up until yesterday my fastest mile ever was a 7:05.  Though it might not seem like a huge gap, any runner knows that in terms of miles, seconds count more than you could imagine.  10 seconds off a mile time is an accomplishment that really needs to be worked at to achieve, it doesn't just happen.  I'd like to take this time to thank woods running for making flat ground seem like nothing and Bagel World, which is what I ate for lunch yesterday and what I assume fueled this fastest mile ever.  And of course the wind and the weather for being exactly right, because any good runner also knows that half of the run is outside forces.


I don't really have any other running related topics to discuss today.  However I did buy a new pair of trail running shoes which should be arriving shortly.  So perhaps a review of those will be my next post.  Speaking of shoes, I think I'm having a problem with my Hoka Clifton 2s.  If this is your first read, here's a quick back story.  Clifton 1s were amazing and I wore them constantly.  Of course like all good shoes, Hoka had to go and upgrade to a new shoe, add some features, change some pieces.  Maybe this wouldn't be a problem in the regular world, but here in running world it's a huge deal.  Two of the key pieces Hoka changed were the insoles and the tongue.  The 1s had an insole that was not glued to the sole and the tongue was considered flimsy by some standards. Personally I never had a problem with the insoles of my 1s, but I've read/heard other people say that the insole would slide around and bunch up.  Occasionally I tied my shoes too tight so the thin tongue did cause my shoelaces to dig into the top of my foot, but I put that up to user error more than shoe design fault.  Either way, I loved the 1s.

Eventually though I couldn't find the 1s in stores anymore, so I had to upgrade to the 2s.  I don't know what the problem is here; it could be the padded tongue, could be the fact that the insoles are glued down and just slightly thicker, could be the extra shoelace lock hole, or it could be none of the above.  Whatever the change is though, going from the 1 to the 2, my right foot consistently gets a blister on the side of the ball of the foot. Nothing I do has eliminated this.  I've tried padded socks, non-padded socks, wrapping my foot, covering it with medical tape, loosening the shoelaces, tightening the shoelaces, using the extra shoelace hole and not using the extra lace hole.  Not one of these solutions has fixed the problem, which leads me to believe the issue lies in the new insoles.  And now I'm stuck.  I love these shoes and the comfort they provide.  They are the only shoe I can imagine running long distances in now that I've done it.  Sure I ran two marathons in a pair of Adidas before, but compared to the Hoka, I might as well have gone barefoot!

 Obviously I can't keep running in a pair of shoes that consistently causes a blister though.  I need a magic solution and I need it fast! Or a new pair of shoes.  I heard a rumor that Hoka is coming out with a Clifton 3 soon, so maybe that's my solution?  You know Hoka, I'd be happy to be a test subject for your new shoes, should you need people.  Call me.
Enough about that though, time to wrap this up, here are your pictures for the day.

My buddy!

Local cider, not bad

Snuggle buddies

Awwwwww yea

Old shoes, new shoes

Someone's wearing blue shoes. 1,2,3,4, gently run them to the ground.
I got new shoes today. That might not seem like a big deal to you, but it is when you have to retire your old shoes. So I made this video.

Ok, so maybe marathon training is getting a little out of hand. Whatever, I thought it was hilarious. I can't wait to actually wear the shoes now.  They feel like they're going to be extra comfortable. Let's hope I'm right!

BIG NEWS!!!!

No joke, it's for real the most exciting news you'll read if you've been following this blog for the past two years.  April 18, 2016, Hopkinton to Boston, and I am IN.  YES, you read that right people, I am FINALLY in the Boston Marathon!!!!  If you aren't aware, I've been trying to get in this for the past two years, but my marathon pace isn't qualifying time and the charities are always full.  But this year I found out that the respite center that Morty used to go to has a charity team.  Of course I immediately sent them my information because if ever there was a charity I wanted to run for, it would be this one. Lucky for me, they read my story, we discussed Morty, and everyone agreed it would be a great fit.  I'm so excited to be running for Morty and the Respite Center.  You know how some charities are huge and take donations but then spend most of the money on advertising?  Definitely not the case with the Respite center.  This is just a local home that provides families the opportunity for some much needed rest and a day off. Most of their programs are free of charge to the families who need them, so all the donations that come in go directly to supplies and services at the center.  Just keep that in mind if you decide to donate.  Your money is going directly to those who need it, not some giant CFO somewhere.
If you are interested in Morty and the Respite Center, you can follow this link and check out my page.  
Morty's Story

I mean, really, look at that face!

Piggybacking on this post now, I am still running Newport this weekend. I couldn't really get myself amped for this marathon, not the way I was for Louisiana, so I decided to give myself a reason to run.  Since this is number four, I'm dedicating this one to all the people who helped me out with training.  Really number four has nothing to do with it. But number one, MCM, was to do something new.  Philly was because we were still riding the runner's high and wanted to be maniacs.  Louisiana was for fun and to do one on my own.  So Boston is for Morty, of course.  So, Newport is for everyone else.  The people, if you will.  Everyone who ran with me, talked to me, listened to me whine about how much I didn't want to do it. The list, while seemingly endless, actually isn't that long.  But instead of writing a dedication list here, I'm doing it the creative way.  On the bottom of my shoes.  Yup.  One name for every mile.  Of course Ryan leads the list, because he's my number one fan, even when he's not.  But the other 25 miles are for everyone else.  And just to have a little fun, I switched up my shirt again.  Newport, I am ready for you!

Ok, you can't read that,here's the list:

Right Shoe: Ryan, Cynthia, Murdock, Madilyn, Holly, Tracy, Jenna, Danielle, Nala, Stella, Kenny, Mom, Gibbs Family

Left shoe: Title Boxing (the club, the members, and the trainers!), Kerri, Dana, Erin, Matt D (for offering his treadmill after the kids went to sleep), the Revolutionary War Soldiers (for getting me through a training run on the Battle Road Trail one day), the Mystics from the relay team, Lynn Woods Running, Lynn Classical Girls Spring Track Team, Donna, Cortney, Brian, and finally, Alex F.

Head for the hills!

I'll admit, my training hasn't been that great now that I'm back at school.  I really do aim for at least four runs a week, but I'd actually like to do more.  Generally I don't like having more than two off days in a week because I start to feel lazy.  But, last week was one of those weeks where running just didn't work out. Do you ever have a week like that after a really good run? I was so pumped about my super half marathon but then I felt like the rest of my runs were sub-par all week.  Who knows, maybe it was just my imagination.  After all, I didn't get much in anyways.  Sunday I ran with Ryan and did some toe running, which made my calf muscles burn for days.  Monday I took an off day. Tuesday I did speed work and boxing.  Wednesday I had planned to go for four - five miles, but got stuck at work later than planned and ended up only doing 2 before boxing.  Thursday was an off day and then I did 7 on Friday.  I'm ok with Friday's run because I went through Nahant to get in some hill work, and I most definitely did that.  As tough as hills are, I'll admit, I love doing them.  No, not because I get to go downhill, I just really like the challenge of getting up to the top.

Link to my 7 miler through Nahant: enjoy this picture of my beautiful Hoka's instead of a picture of my running map in the meantime.


After that though, I knew the chances of running Saturday and Sunday were slim.  We went to Vermont on Saturday and stayed overnight and then I had a family party on Sunday.  By the time everything was over, I was just too tired to run.  We did manage to walk about 2.5 miles on Sunday, so not all was lost. Even though I was planning on running on Monday, I ended up not having time between school, meetings, and boxing.  But at least I got in a workout, so I felt ok.  Today I did speed work on the treadmill at Title before doing the power hour. It wasn't terrible, but I still hate the treadmill.  Wednesday and Thursday this week I have crazy work meetings and so I'm going to have to tough it out and run between the end of the regular school day and the beginning of the meetings. I'm determined to get in at least 5 miles tomorrow and another long run by Friday night.  Saturday I have class all day, so that's probably going to be my off day this week.  Hopefully Sunday will set everything right again, and I can go back to long run Sundays and hills, speed, and short runs during the week!

Wicked Half 2014

Last year I got a PR at the Wicked Half in Salem, so obviously I figured I'd run it again this year.  It's funny, because it's definitely NOT a flat race.  It goes up through Marblehead neck, which is straight rolling hills, and even parts of Salem that are just up and downs for what seems like miles. (But is really only probably 1 mile max.) So this year, I figured with the Tailwind and the Hoka's, there was no way I couldn't PR.  I know, I know, hubris and everything, but still.  Since I did just Tailwind during and a hard-boiled egg for breakfast last week before the 10K, I thought I'd go for a fuller breakfast and Tailwind before the run this time. By the time I got to the start line I had already finished half of my bottle of Tailwind, so I was ready! Now, there's usually only a few of us running, but today one of the runners brought her brother, who is training hard for the Lowell Marathon coming up next month.  He wanted to be at the front of the pack, so we started right at the line, which is something we don't usually do.  It wasn't too bad though, no bottlenecking, so that was nice.  When we went out, we went out fast, about an 8:00 min/mile. For me, it wasn't too bad, but there was a nice hill to begin on, so that wasn't the best choice, but I think it was worse for the girls I was with.  They're not used to that pace, so I think starting off hard really slowed them down for a bit. I felt bad about that, but they did pretty good in the end anyways, coming in at 2:12. So, right off the bat I lost everyone, the boys sped up and the girls fell behind and then it was just me and my jacket.  You see, it was actually fairly chilly this morning, so I wore my green Adidas fleece to the start, thinking I could leave it on someone's car, but no one parked close enough.  I knew Cynthia would be waiting somewhere around mile 5, so I just carried it with me until then. Let me tell you, there is nothing as heavy as carrying a fleece jacket and a water bottle in one hand while running.  Dropping that off with Cynthia was the biggest relief of the race, and I stopped to use the Porta-potties, so that's saying something! I'll admit, I was flying along for the first half, even after the bathroom stop. I hit mile 6.2 (10K) at 52 and some change, which was my fastest 10K pace ever.  Once I got past 6, it was all easy peasy anyways, because really, it's half over by then.  Everything was lovely until mile 10/11, when I got a wicked pain up my back.  It started on the mid to lower left side and eventually spread across the whole back. I honestly thought my kidneys were seizing up or something equally as strange.  I've never gotten a pain like this before, and I swear it started in the kidney, so I figure it was a side effect of the caffeinated Tailwind, but I can't be sure.  All I know is that it wasn't normal, so at the next two water stops I grabbed some water, which seemed to be the cure. (Another reason I believe it was a kidney issue, but I'm not a doctor, so what do I know?) I caught up with Murdock around the same time my back started to hurt and we toughed it out together until the middle of 12 when he took a bathroom break and I kept going.  I came through the finish line at a nice easy time of 1:54!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That's right, a full 3 minutes off my fastest 1/2 and that was with hills!  Sure, it wasn't 1:29, which is what Katie's brother came in at, but it was good enough for me.  I will admit, I was a little disappointed, I was hoping for a 1:48, but I'll save that for a flat half, if I ever find one. Anyways, I'm pretty jazzed about the whole thing, from start to finish it was a good race, even if I did run it alone. Obviously I'll have to keep up this training, but at this rate, I might be able to pull a full in the 4:20 range!

                                                                   My garmin page stats

Finisher photo!

Tailwind

I've been hearing a lot about this product lately and perhaps you have too.  I'm not sure how far out of the running circle it has gotten, so if you haven't heard of it yet, don't be surprised.  The only reason I've been hearing so much about it is because it seems like everyone in the running group I'm part of on FB is talking about it.  Normally I'm not one to follow trends (or maybe I am, when it comes to running, I don't know) but I really wanted to try this one. Tailwind is a nutritional supplement that you mix in with water.  It's supposed to increase endurance and lower the need for mid-run snacks like GUs or sports beans.  So far, everyone in the running group has only good things to say about the stuff, so I figured I would give a try myself.  Unfortunately, it's hard to find in stores, so I had to order it online.  Not that it's not sold in stores, but, for example, the closest store to me was way out in the Worcester area, which is a good hour from my house.  At that point, it was just easier to order it online.  I put my order in on Sunday and the package arrived via regular old mail yesterday.  So as far as shipping turnaround goes, not too bad.  Now, I ordered a 5 pack variety because I didn't want to buy a giant bag of one flavor and then find out that I hated that flavor.  Seemed like that would be a poor choice when a variety pack was an option.  The variety pack came with the five flavors; lemon, mandarin orange, raspberry buzz (which is caffeinated), naked unflavored, and berry. Each one is a 200 calorie pack with the option to shake out only half for 100 calories.  So far it seems like a good investment.  However, I have yet to actually put this in my water and try it out, because yesterday was my off day and today I'm only doing 3 miles. Saturday is our long run, so I plan to try it out then.  Not sure which flavor I'm going with though.  Actually I'm not sure how to determine how much to put in the water.  The website recommended putting it in a 20 - 24 oz bottle.  Obviously I have a bottle this size for running, as every long runner usually does, but I'm a little nervous about the flavor.  Some people have mentioned that it's a little milky or chalky.  I don't want to pour the whole pack into the water and then end up stuck trying to force down a drink that makes me gag.  I'm sure you're all thinking that the obvious solution is to just pour in half and then go from there, which is accurate.  That doesn't mean that the flavor will be better though, because I don't know how much other people have put in their water that led to the milk/chalk flavor.  As always though, live and learn.  No way to know until I try it, so after tomorrow, keep an eye out for a review of how the product actually works, as opposed to what the product is and how fast it shipped!

And here's a picture of my new Hoka shoe(s) and one of the tailwind.  I will say that I expected a little better packaging on the Tailwind.  I figured they would at least come wrapped in a bag or something.  Instead I got a priority mail box with 5 loose packets.  Not the end of the world, I just figured they would have been slightly more protected than they were.

Oh yea, and since the new school year starts next week, I thought I'd throw in a picture of my back to school door.  It was fairly easy to create, just some blue and yellow fadeless paper, a set of die-cut letters that I got for $1 at Target, a piece of white copy paper, crayons, and some black construction paper. All I did was cut out two circles for the eyes and color in brown pupils. I also drew a mouth, but I"m sure you could just print one out if you have a color printer.  Then I cut out some larger black circles for the goggles and taped the eyes on.  Using scraps I made the goggle straps and the minion hair.  After that, stick the eyes and mouth on the yellow, measure out the blue, and just tape it all together on the door.  The emblem in the middle is an M for math, with both teacher names on it.  The hardest part of all was coming up with a saying to put on the door.  I really wanted to relate it to math facts, as well as a new year, but I couldn't come up with anything specifically math related.  This was the closest I came, but it still works.  When fall rolls around next month, I intend to change the door into something fall or Halloween related.  I'll probably go Halloween related first, and then fall for the month of November.  We'll see how that works out though.  It's always easier to think about this before the year actually starts and the work takes over.