Thursday Three

1) I received my t-shirt quilt.  Yay!  Similar to the first one that I had done, I had this one made with 12 shirts, which works out to a nice size for a throw.  Here's a close up of two of the squares.  I'd like to point out that even the square from a really boring black print on white t-shirt looks interesting with a coordinating border around it. Nice way to reuse those old event shirts that are taking up space in the closet.

2) As if I'm not having enough aches and pains already, I had to do something stupid to add some more.  This morning I tripped over one of my dogs while looking for the headset for my phone.  I'm now sporting two lovely bruises: one on my knee, one on my hip.  I'm sure that will make running tomorrow fun...

3)  The recent winter storm has managed to bypass us for the most part.  They had more snow in Tuscon & Phoenix (which pretty much never get snow) than we did here in the Albuquerque area.  That is bizarre.  I'm not complaining, just amazed.  Here's hoping for good running weather this weekend!!

First Impressions

My new Merrell Mix Master Move Glide running shoes arrived!  Just in time for my birthday and Valentines Day.  Haven't had a chance to run in them yet, but here are my first impressions from trying them on around the house.

1) They are very similar in cut/style/fit/weight/feel to my beloved Kinvara 2s.  This is a good thing. One difference is the tread.  I'm guessing that the Kinvara is intended to be more of a road shoe whereas this is intended to be more of a trail shoe. In any event, I'm currently feeling confident that these will work out well for me.

2) I ordered the same size that I wear in the Pace Glove which is also the same size that I wear in the Kinvara 2.  Seems like the correct call.

3) Looks like the shoe will hold up well, but of course the only way to really know for sure is to put some miles on them.

4) The reflective stripe around the shoe is a nice add.  I appreciate the effort to improve my visibility as a runner.

5) I haven't even run in them yet and I'm already thinking about what color I want for my next pair! :-)

NM Sweetheart Run 5K Race Report

Husband & I signed up once again for the NM Sweetheart Run, and chose the 5K distance.  This event typically falls near our birthdays.  This year it was on his birthday, in fact.  What a great way to celebrate another year.  My regular running partner also signed up.

Husband's Age Medal & Event Shirt

The design on the event shirt is pretty cute this year.  But because it is a cotton t-shirt, it will probably sit around in my closet until I'm ready to send another batch of shirts in for a quilt.  Sometimes I really wish they gave the option to forego the shirt.  But I digress.

The weather this morning was chilly, 24deg with enough wind that the feels like temp was 14.  Brrrr.  It wasn't too bad with the wind at our back, but running north into the cold wind was brutal.

Elevation Profile

This is also not what I would describe as a flat course, although not too horrible. The difference from the lowest to the highest point is only 60 ft, not exactly the mountain that it looks like in the graph.  But still...definitely not flat.  And I've been training on flat because my knee doesn't like hills.

Anyway, I ran the race along with my run partner.  We knew we weren't "race ready" and did okay, not great.  My finish time was 29:51, hers was a few seconds faster because she had a stronger kick at the end.  It's roughly a ~9:45 avg pace. [update - a few more stats now that official results are posted: 8 of 17 W40-49, 93 of 205 overall].  Overall, it was about what I'd expect on any given weekend when I've been running casually vs. training to race. 
Husband, on the other hand, had a great race.  He's been hill training all winter and it seems to have paid off.  He ended up 2nd in his age group!  Nice, huh?! That's his age group medal in the first photo.  :-)

The next race on my horizon is the 10K at the Albuquerque Half Marathon.  After today, my running partner & I decided that we need to start going a bit longer for our long runs and get back up to our regular 7 milers.  We also need to incorporate some hills even if I just walk them.  Also some pavement - not too much, but enough to ready to race on it rather than dirt.

Shoe Stuff

Kinvara 2

My all time favorite"go to" running shoe has been the Kinvara2.   Love, love, love them.  Have three pairs, but two of them *really* need to be retired.  Can't find the Kinvara2 very easily these days.  All sold out. Although I did find one more pair in my size on ebay...

Kinvara  3

Seems that they've moved on to the Kinvara3.  Quite frankly, I don't like the way the Kinvara3 look. But my real concern is that there have been multiple negative reviews complaining that the redesigned women's shoe is cut higher in the back and causing blisters/pain in the  ankles.  What to do, what to do, what to do?

Move Glide

Thanks to a post by Run Faster Mommy, I now know that Merrell is coming out with a new lightweight trail/mixed running shoe with a 4mm drop. Sweet!  The women's model is called  Mix Master Move Glide.  I really want to try these, as I adore my Merrell Pace Gloves (just not for running), but it seems I need to be a bit patient.  They don't seem to be in stock *anywhere* at the moment. But they are supposed to be coming very soon (days?)

Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll get a pair for myself for Valentines Day.  :-)

[UPDATE:  I found my size/color choice for the Move Glide online at llbean and have them on their way. WooHoo!! Hoping they work out from a comfort perspective and the size is right.  If not, I can return/exchange.]

A Few Lessons from a Solo Run

I have become such a social runner that I haven't actually run solo in a long time, like over half a year at least.  It's been long enough that I have forgotten how to do it successfully.  Today was the day to relearn all that I have forgotten, because none of my potential running partners were available and it was too nice out to use that as an excuse to skip another opportunity to run.

Here are a few things I learned (or perhaps re-learned):

• Choice of music matters.  I don't usually run with music, but since I had no-one to talk to, today I did.  I started with Ziggy Marley.  It got me all mellow and at peace with myself, but didn't motivate me to speed up to much faster than a slow jog.  I switched to Andy Grammer and picked up my pace by at least a minute per mile.
• Remember a cell phone.  My regular running partner always carries hers, so I tend to leave mine behind.  But running solo means being self-sufficient.  I don't expect to need my phone, but definitely want it with me in case of emergency.
• Commit to the distance.  Running with someone means being held accountable. Running solo means no accountability partner.  Today I failed to commit to the distance, and ended up running shorter than I would have if I was running with someone else.
• Make sure the iPod is charged.  I ran solo again on Sunday and didn't check my iPod charge ahead of time. It died about a mile and a half in.  With nobody to talk to and no music, it felt really lonely out there.

Do you regularly run solo?  What would you add to the list?

Jan Summary

Numbers

• 25.6 miles running
• 21.3 miles walking
• 5 upper body strength sessions
• 3 yoga sessions
• 1 chiro appt
• 1 orthopedic appt
• 1 eye appt
• 1 primary care doc appt
• 1 mammo appt
• 2 kids back off to college

Thoughts

• New insurance = many appts establishing self as a new patient appts on top of the usual mayhem in January.  I think next week is the first week for a while with zero appts.  Yay.
• Not getting outside as often as I'd like, but it's a start.  And since I despise the treadmill, if I don't get outside, I don't run.  At least I'm doing something.  In another 4 weeks or so, it should be light outside  long enough after work to run.  That will help a lot.
• Stopped doing yoga in favor of upper body strength work.  Ideally, I should be doing both. 
• I'm actually happy about my weight at the moment.  Usually I have 5lbs or so to lose after the holidays.  Not this year.  Yay me! 

Plans

• Husband & I signed up to run a 5K in a few weeks.  It's on his birthday. :-)
• Try to get outside more.
• Get serious about doing strength *and* yoga (not one or the other).