goldilocks and the 13 mile run

Here's a little story about me and my adventures on a long run.

Ok, so I ran 13.24 miles yesterday in 2:22:57, with an average pace of 10:47.  Not bad, not bad, but you know me,  I was hoping I'd gotten a little faster with all this training I've been doing.  It was a tough run for me so I had to incorporate some walk breaks in there.  But hey, I burned 1,518 calories!  That's a lot of Oreos!!  Too bad I didn't have any on hand on which to snarf.

So I tried out a few new articles of clothing on the long run yesterday.  Of course, I always want everything to be just right on my long runs, but sadly, I came up short with some of my choices.

The Intimidator

First up: the Bra

I'm still trying out this Moving Comfort bra.  It's one tough mother - I call it The Intimidator.  When I first got it, it was so STIFF and uncomfortable I didn't think it was going to be a contender.  It has since softened with washing and is no longer quite so rigid, but still has an air of no nonsense about it.  I used Body Glide to reduce likelihood of chafing and really have no complaints about the bra at all. It might just be a keeper!

Next up:  The Shoes

My Asics Gel Kayano 16

The Asics were great on my short run this week so I thought I'd try them on the long run.  Remember when I mentioned the right shoe slap, slap, slapping on the treadmill?  It seemed to settle down on the treadmill but not so outdoors.  The stupid right shoe slapped with Every.Single.Step. Multiply that by 13.24 miles and not only was it annoying as hell, but my poor hammer toe on the right foot really took a beating.  I also had some significant pain in my left hip - felt like the joint needed to be popped back in the socket so I had to stop a few times to stretch the hip flexor; that  would help for a short period of time but then the pain would return.  I'll have to try the shoes a few more times but right now, I'm not liking 'em as much as I did after my 5 miles on the treadmill.

Are these Fila capris ass-tastic?  Maybe a little!

Third up: Fila capris

I'll be honest, I did not need a new pair of capris.  Truth is, I succumbed to the marketing on these pants - Fila claims they will make my ass look amazing.  You should have seen how quickly I forked over the 40 bucks - seemed like a pretty decent price for a miracle.  <Marketing works!>  They were comfortable for the most part but the waistband was a little too big so I had to hike 'em up a few times during the run.  Question for pants manufacturers: Hello?  Why no pockets???  How am I supposed to carry keys, lip balm and GU without pockets???

The burning question: Was there a miraculous ass transformation?  Ya know, for capris, they weren't too bad!!

These socks just didn't do it for my size 11s

Lastly: Pearl Izumi socks

My favorite Asics socks (I love them so much I have 5 pairs) are all getting pretty threadbare so I wanted to try a new pair of socks.  (Try as I might, I can't find those specific Asics socks anywhere!)  I wore these socks and though comfortable, they were not the greatest for a long run.  The (ankle??) band was too tight and left a deep welt along the top of my foot.  Verdict: these socks are fine for short distances but fail for long runs.  I'll have to keep looking for new favorite socks.

Food Choice


Scrambled eggs before a long run = bad.

I usually have oatmeal but forgot to make it Friday night and didn't have 45 minutes to cook it Saturday morning before heading to Minneapolis for my run. Let's just say I won't be fueling with eggs ever again and leave it at that.  And thank God for porta-potties.

Oh yeah

I forgot to mention: My official half-marathon time is 2:30:45, which means that even with my walk breaks, I shaved 7 MINUTES and 12 SECONDS off my time! And that doesn't take into consideration the fact that I ran farther than a half-marathon.... so I'm going with shaving almost 8 minutes.... that feels just right to me.

The End.

'cuz I know you wanna know

The new Asics are great so far!

Ran 5 miles on the treadmill last night.  At first the shoes seemed to be slap, slap, slapping pretty hard (especially the right foot - ????) but things settled down after a couple of miles.  The feet were happy, the left shin didn't bark at all, and there is no soreness today!  Yay!

Computer model for tomorrow's weather from intrepid
Minnesota meteorologist, Paul Douglas.

13.1 miles on the training plan for tomorrow and the forecast is for thunderstorms. Here's hoping I find out that the new shoes are FAST, too.

big girl feet

Good news!  The shin pain must have been an anomaly, or maybe the ice and foam rolling helped...at any rate, it's much better.  I did 3 miles on the elliptical last night and when that seemed ok, I jumped over to the treadmill and did another 2.5 miles.  Seemingly, all is well. <knock on wood> Whew!!

The cat lost that lovin' feelin' for the
Saucony's too, or at least she did for the laces.

After looking at the mileage on my Saucony ProGrid Guide 4 running shoes, I decided it was time for some new kicks.  Plus, I'm just not that  into them anymore.  If you recall from my quest for the perfect lady lump holder, (credit Liz for that nugget!) I want to LOVE my clothes and be loved right back!  And I was definitely not feeling the love from the ol' Saucony's anymore.  Oh sure they were great early in the relationship, cuddly, supportive, cared about their appearance, fun to be around....but I think they've become complacent and no longer give a rip about my comfort or my needs.  So I'm looking for a new love.

Off I went to Run N Fun in St. Paul in search of my new BFF shoes.  Although I'm certain the shoe salespeople have seen all nature of hideous running feet, I sometimes feel that I get a Chief Brody-type reaction when I unfurl my dainty size 11s - complete with hammer toe and black toenails - for their fitting pleasure.

And of course, shoe manufacturers don't always carry shoes in my size (again, 11 or rather, 11.5 for running shoes) so options are somewhat limited which sucks.  As in bras, I want color!  I want to be able to put the FUN in Function!! Why do clothing manufacturers believe that just because you're above average in height or length (um, talking about arms, legs and feet here) that you have no desire for colors other than fleshtones, white or black, or that you are uninterested in things that are just plain cute???   I had the same problem a bazillion years ago back when I was pregnant.  Apparently, tall women don't get pregnant, or if they do, they certainly don't buy maternity clothes.  BECAUSE NOTHING FITS THE TALL PREGNANT CHICK.  Yikes!  "Someone" is still harboring some resentment! Let it go, Nora.  Let it go!

Annndddd we're kind of getting off topic here, so let's get the train back on track......

Could this be love?  Time will tell!

Anywhoo, so I found a new pair that I liked enough to take home and try.  Asics Gel Kanayo 16s.  (16 is the version people, not the size.)  I wore them last night - they were quite comfy and seemed to really care about what I needed.  I'll spend a little time with them, get to know what makes them tick, give them a chance to continue to meet my needs and go from there.

5 miles later today so I'll be taking the new squeeze(s) out for a spin. Don't worry, I'll keep you posted on how it all turns out.  I know you'll be dying to hear every detail no matter how insignificant!

How about you?  Any clothing-related love/hate/other relationships you care to share?