Monday, February 6, 2012

Its Monday Already?

Wow, I am finally getting a chance to catch my breath before yet another crazy week at work. This past weekend was a lot of fun and I was able to get in the runs that I wanted/needed.

Friday I got to work on time and worked through my lunch so I could leave on time. I wasn't able to get in my workout, but we had 4pm beers instead. After the rough week I had, I'll take it!

Saturday morning I set my alarm for 6am so I could run the hills with my fellow Yankee Runners. My body naturally got up at 5:50 and I took my time getting ready and eating my overnight oats... Until I looked at the clock again and saw that it was 6:59 (not 5:59). I started running around and checking all the clocks in our house, wondering if I missed a daylight savings update. False--I set my alarm for 6pm, not 6am so it never went off. Thankfully, the day and the run were not lost. The F'N Runners were meeting at 7:30 a few minutes from my house, so I was able to meet them on time! The trail was a bit icy in some spots, but we ran a solid 6 miles in 56:35 (9:25 pace).
Group photo. Source: TooTallFritz.com
I felt great during the run, but afterwards I had some slight aches. I have been lazy with my core strengthening exercises this week as I haven't had much time for things other than work and sleep. Also, I knew I was in desperate need of some new shoes.

After our run, I headed to Running for Kicks to use the gift certificate burning a hole in my wallet. I knew my old Asics Kayano 17s had seen better days, and I wanted to give some other brands and shoes a try. The salesperson (Colleen) was super helpful and friendly. I recognized her from Yankee as well. She worked with me to find the best shoe for my feet with some of my issues (over pronation, etc). My orthotics did not fit as nicely with the pair of Mizunos or Brooks shoes that I tried. With the Asics, I felt like Cinderella and her glass slipper. They just feel like they were made for my feet. I ended up going with the Asics 2170. I wasn't a big fan of the color, but I went with function over fashion in this case. :) They were a step down in weight from my Asics Kayano 17s, but for the training I will be doing this year, they will work just fine. (I'll post a full review a little later, for those that are interested.)

Not only did I get new shoes at RFK, I finally jumped on the compression bandwagon. I've been running in the hills recently and my calves have not been liking me very much. They have been sore, but it is just from being worked more than usual. Therefore, I decided it was finally time to suck it up and buy the one, the only, CEP compression sleeves. They measured my calf and found the right fit for me.
As soon as I got home, I slipped them on with my Five Bamboo cropped leggings (and slippers of course) for the rest of the day. My calves felt/feel great and I am very glad I bought them. I only wish I had bought them sooner!

Since my Saturday run plans changed, so did Sunday's plan. I met up with the F'N Runners again, bright and early at 7am.Considering the time of day, there were quite a lot of us.
Soure: TooTallFritz
The larger group was planning on doing 10 miles, but I wasn't up to that distance yet. I went out 4 with the group, waited for them to get back, and then ran 4 more. One of the ladies stayed back with me so we waited on the trail together. Overall, I completed 8 miles in 1:11:41 (8:57 pace). During the run, I also got the change to use my Fuel Belt that I won from Mag Mile Runner's giveaway a few months back. I was glad to have it and was able to share the wealth with others. I know when we start to get some warmer weather, I will be very happy to have it!

I had to get a quick snapshot of me wearing my new shoes on their first trip! (Don't mind the weird face angle--that sun was bright!) Afterwards, I had no aches and my feet felt great. I am super happy with my new Asics! I have a feeling we are going to get a long quite well! When's the last time you got some new kicks? What is your preferred brand?

What did you all do for the Super Bowl? I ate too much food and didn't win any money. What was your favorite commercial? To be honest, I thought the commercials weren't all that great and the half time show was a snooze. Granted, I would much rather listen to Madonna than the last few half time show artists. Although the shameless plugs of Cee Lo Green and Blake Shelton annoyed me, as I'm not a fan of all the singing shoes (X Factor, The Voice, American Idol, etc.). What were your thoughts about the halftime show?

4 comments:

  1. Yay for compression! And nice modeling of the fuel belt!

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  2. I'm excited to have these sleeves. I think it is the beginning of a new trend. The fuel belt came in handy since we went backwards and couldn't stop for water at the half way point. Yay for winning things!

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  3. FYI- 4pm beers is a legit form of cross training.
    Sounds like an awesome weekend of running! I really enjoyed the half-time show, personally. We all made bets on who would appear during the Madonna number. I had $1 on Ke$ha, but it just wasn't meant to be....

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  4. Phew! Glad I got that cross training justified/covered!

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