A Case of the Runs

I've been trying to do some speed-work as a means to ease myself back into long-distance running, so I've been trying to go the track twice a month.  The sessions have been pretty short so far, because I'm new to this and frankly don't want to give myself a reason to skip sessions.  For now, they are all in fun, to establish a baseline that I can frequently "race against." It has been quite a number of years since I timed my mile -- almost six!  If I ever want to run faster in half-marathons and marathons, working on the 1-mile segments seems like a good approach. This has been a really tough week.  Most days, I was out from dawn to dusk, and one night, I worked overtime for so long that my feet were purple from the high-heels that I had to wear (it was a high-profile event, so flats wouldn't cut the dress code, sadly).  So I didn't really want to wake up too early, though it was kind of a must since the temperatures have spiked. "The Ukrai...

A while back, I was contacted by TevaSphere to review their Speed shoes, which are intended for running in more rugged terrain like obstacle courses and trails. My first impression of these shoes is that they are light, yet still stabilizing.  It's definitely a change from all the bulky running shoes that I'm usually wearing, regardless of terrain.  Also, gotta love the bright colors! From their website: Our TevaSphere outsole uses a spherical heel with two support pods to give you lightweight minimalism without sacrificing stability. A nylon shank keeps the foot stable and in control. Our Spider365 rubber is made to grip like crazy in wet environments. The shoes were sent to me along with a bunch of other goodies, which definitely prompted me to go on a hike!  Although I've done a couple of trail half-marathons and a mud run , I'm usually more of a road-running person, so getting me out there is an accomplishment. Here is the camera they sent me to...

I have a 5K in a couple of weeks, and just as I realized a few months ago before said 5K was postponed, I'm nowhere close to the level of speediness that I would like.  Why do I always come to this realization so close to race day? I have only done three 5Ks, because I find them highly unpleasant.  This is probably why I never joined Cross Country in high school -- well, that and feeling like death if I ran anything over 400 meters.  The 5K distance is short enough to make me feel like running as fast as I can, but long enough so that I can't really sustain that kind of effort for very long.  Then, it ends up hurting, in a way different than long distances, but hurting nonetheless. At this point, ANY kind of speedwork would help my confidence, so I headed out to the track for the first time since January  to do the same workout, 6 x 400 meter repeats with a walk/jog lap in between. My goal this time was to hit 1:35 - 1:42.  I have a very specific rat...

In 2008, I saw Spirit of the Marathon and was SO pumped!  At the time, I had only run one marathon and was training for my second . My relationship with running these days is mixed.  I have been in what I hope is just a "down" period, in which I've been running one or two times a week, tops, 3-5 miles.  When I do run, I still enjoy it, but long runs are fairly out of my interest at the moment, as if my body is following a "when the going gets tough, forget it" mantra.  Hmmm. However, I keep hoping my "high" will come, maybe once I get used to being out of the home 13 hours a day commuting to work+working (though at least includes exactly 1 hr and 20 minutes to work out + shower + prep).  I was able to view the sequel yesterday, courtesy of Fathom Events  (thank you!!).  Even though getting to this movie on time required me to shorten my total workout + shower + prep time to about 1 hour flat, I ran just over 4 miles on the treadmill s...

Due to flat feet and other issues, I need to wear stability (or motion control, ideally) shoes when I run, and while I have found one that is relatively light, it does have some clunkiness when I'm using them during shorter runs or other workouts. Perhaps that's because I need a different shoe for short runs and other exercises, so I was glad to try the  Adidas Crazyquick Running Shoe, which became available on June 1. From their PR: "Crazyquick features a never before possible, skin-like fit with a stretchy Techfit upper that provides the most natural run.  The Techfit stretches in areas where your foot needs extra flexibility and the Aquatech print provides support exactly where it’s needed. The outsole is split down the middle allowing for quicker horizontal movements." First of all, love the color of the shoe (it comes in a few colors, too)!  I don't get to wear colorful shoes very often, and it really just puts an extra pep in my step just to see ho...

UPDATE, 6/10/13 -- Giveaway is over, and the winner is #2, Stu!  I'll message you with the code. Keepin' it real here: There didn't seem to be a lot of entries for this one, though I did check other blogs with similar giveaways with that similar issue.  Believe it or not, I actually pass up on a lot of giveaway and review opportunities... mostly because I'm busy but also because I try to only host giveaways that interest my target audience, so... noted for the future! ------ Happy National Running Day!  Looking back, I've actually hosted a giveaway on this runners' "holiday" before.  I've even done something new and different on this day before . So today, I decided to do both of these things again.  It has been quite a while since I've actually run during a morning workout.  Something about the one-hour commute to the gym/work really sucks something out of you, ya' know?  But on this June day with the gloomy clouds in the sky,...

On my never-ending quest to try energy/meal replacement bars, I was excited when the folks at Larabar sent me their new ALT line of bars. These ALT bars contain 10 grams of protein in about 240 calories, much of which is pea protein.  This is good for people who are avoiding getting vegan protein through soy products. The four flavors I tried were Cinnamon Apple, Lemon Pound Cake, Peanut Butter Cookie, and Pumpkin Pie.  All of them were delicious (particularly the peanut butter one)! Here is a texture shot.  As you can see, it resembles regular Larabars (reviewed here ).  It still contains dates and nuts.  The difference comes when you take a bite -- it's actually slightly crunchy, probably from the peas.  Don't worry, you can't taste peas at all (and even if I could, I love peas, so hmmm).  I feel like the addition of peas actually cut down on the overall sticky-sweet taste that regular Larabars can have. Also, I actually prefer this textur...