wardrobe failures

My poor, battered toes.

My toe hurts.

The big toe on my left foot really took a beating in last weekend's 20 mile run.  It's pretty pissed off.  And it's sharing it's displeasure with me loud and clear.

So.....I'm still on the quest for the perfect running shoe for my big girl feet.  So far I've tried a couple variations of Asics, two generations of Saucony ProGrid Guide and the Brooks Adrenaline running shoes. None have made me happy. I am left wanting.

Ooooo, that must mean that new gear is needed!!!

Off I went to TC Running Company - one of my two favorite running gear stores.  (The other is Gear Running Store.)  They are both on the other side of the planet from where I live but are sooooo worth the drive.  I picked TC Running because it was open on Memorial Day.

the new kicks

Anywhoo, the upshot of my little shopping expedition was that I ended up with a lovely pair of new shoes. Success!!

What kind, you ask? Nike Structure. I've run about 7 miles in them so far, and so far so good.  Did I mention that they are yellow?  I think the color is officially considered "Lemon Yellow."

Such a subtle and understated color.

Love!

I've been looking for fun running clothes, too.  I don't know if I've mentioned this before but I'm running a couple of marathons this year.

It's true.

So I need fun and inspiring running clothes!

How cute is this running skirt?  Don't you just love it!!

I found a super cute Brooks running skirt on runningwarehouse.com and ordered it.

I was SO excited when I saw it - even cuter in person (skirton??) than online!

I tried it on and the fit was awesome.

But the color of the undershorts.......not so awesome.

Not sure if you're aware of this but I'm getting close to 50 years old.  Due to a nasty combination of a lifetime of poor diet choices and the heartbreak of genetics, I have a hell of a lot of some extra adipose tissue in the gut and thigh areas that I'd really prefer to keep under wraps/ draped in camouflage as much as possible. (I might consider a burka if made of lightweight tech material.)

No disrespect intended to Laura Hillenbrand or Louis Zamperini,
I was merely illustrating a point.
But if you haven't already read "Unbroken" YOU MUST READ IT.
Fantastic book!!

Anywhoo, the undershorts were a huge disappointment.  They were practically transparent. No shit!!  If the skirt were to catch a breeze and fly up it would be both frightening and disturbing for all involved.

On several levels.

Serious wardrobe failure.

I sent the cute skirt back.

Guess I'll keep shopping....

heading to grandma's - week 9

Oops, I'm a little behind on this blogging business.....but I'm still running!  Week 9 was kind of a tough one for me, but I'm still going....

Week 9:  April 9-15
Monday
Easy Run As Follows:
Warm up brisk walking 5-10 min
Easy run of 4 miles at 11:15 min
Cool down with brisk walk of 5-10 min
workout note: 4 miles on the treadmill, 10:54 pace.  Pretty easy!

Tuesday
Tempo Run As Follows:
Warm up with 1 mile at 11:34 pace
Run 4 miles at  9:40 min pace
Cool down with brisk walk 5-10 min
workout note: 5.02 miles 10:10 pace
Oh my word, this one was not easy. I had zero desire to do my run tonight and because it's a tempo run, figured it would be easier to do it on the treadmill. Uh, no. I lasted two miles and just couldn't do it any more so I changed into some warm clothes, grabbed Jane and headed out to do the last three. At one point, I was thinking "Damn, this is so hard!" and then remembered that duh, it's a tempo run, it's supposed to be a bit of a challenge. That mental shift helped a lot. Kind of chilly, kind of windy but still a good run.
Splits: 
1 (warm-up) 11:32 
2 - 9:40 
3 - 9:35 
4 -10:19 (Jane's bio-break slowed things down) 
5 - 9:45 dang, so close to goal pace!! 

Wednesday
workout note: 1.59 miles walked SS I took Jane for a little walk by the house I grew up in and all over the downtown of our hometown. The boy was completely uninterested in going but admitted when we were done that "It didn't totally suck."
<Sigh.>
But then about a minute later he said, "I really needed that. I had a not so great day..... there was a lot that didn't go right. I feel better now. The walk helped." <Smile!>

I don't need no stinkin' flashlight!

Thursday
3 Miles Easy Run as Follows

WU w/ 5-10 minutes of brisk walking
Run 3 miles at 11:15 pace.
Cool down with 5-10 min brisk walk.
workout note: 3.33 miles 11:14 pace
Beautiful nighttime run with the husband. I wore my super bright Nike LunarGlides to combat the darkness and they made me feel safe as a kitten. 

Friday
workout note??  Ummm, I didn't do a damn thing.  Got home from work and went to bed early.  Tired!


Saturday
Long Run
WU for 1 mile at 12:34 pace
Run 15 miles at 11:30-12:00 min pace
Cool down with brisk walk for 5-10 minutes
workout note: 14.42 miles 12:37 pace
Sucky run. You can read all about it HERE. 

Mediterranean potato salad.  So very tasty.

Sunday
workout note: no run today.  I walked Jane but have no idea of the miles.  
Instead of working out, the husband and I made a spectacular meal of herb crusted beef tenderloin with creamy tarragon & white wine sauce, mediterranean potato salad with fresh mint, chickpeas and greenbeans, and redleaf salad with shaved parmesan and homemade garlic croutons.  (Ok, my mom made the redleaf salad.)  Oh my heavens, that meal was good!

I need to pay more attention to "plating".  It may not look
like it but this meal was Ahhhhh-mazing!!

Miles planned: 27
Miles run: 26.77
Miles walked: 1.59+

Have a great rest of the week, gang!

sunday synopsis

Freaking windy windy windy run!  Gorgeous sunny day though.

Today's 15 miler fell a tad short....

Pre-run.  The husband had to take a
picture of me in all my runner geek glory.  He
 also tracked me down on my run to give me
water and got ice for my ice bath.
Thanks love!!

I stopped at my brother & sister-in-law's (hey B & B!!) house to use their bathroom (this was at the start of mile 8), oohed and ahhed over their awesome new fridge and gawked at the ginormous dog (pony?) who was a puppy just yesterday....

Anywhoo, I paused my Garmin while I was there but because I took so damn long to get it going again, it shut itself off.  Then I overestimated how far I had gone and thus underestimated how far I had to go.... so the upshot of it is, I ran 14.5 miles, not 15.  Frankly, I don't think I could have gone another half mile.  After about mile 11, my left hip and my right calf were killing me.... Surprisingly enough, I wasn't physically tired - I was just too sore to move very quickly.  But the chest wall issue is so much better!  It was pretty painful at the beginning and hurt to take deep breaths but seemed to improve as the run unfolded.  I just hope my little legs can get stronger.  It sucks to limit the run because of pain.

Distance: 14.5 miles
Overall Pace: 11:19 minutes/mile
Gear: 
Tunes - The iPod was a savior today.
Fuel belt - I wanted to rip off my water belt and throw it far, far away for the first half of the run.  Damn thing kept bouncing up, shifting around.... it was SO annoying!!!  I found myself saying things to it like, "I hate you and your ass face!" <Ooo, name that movie!!> and "You, f-ing SUCK!!" quite a bit while I was pulling it down and adjusting it over and over and over.  After the sweat started seeping through my clothes the belt stayed put and did the job it's supposed to do which is to carry fluids without being a complete pain in the ass.
Shoes - I forgot to mention that I returned the Asics.  They just weren't doing it for me.  So I'm back in the old Sauconys and have ordered another pair, but this time in PINK!!  Can't wait for the new shoes to arrive.  I figure, better the devil you know....
Sustenance - Pre-run.  Oatmeal with banana and blueberries.  NO eggs!!  During run: GU chomps.  I felt like they gave me some good energy boosts and there were no GI issues at all.  Whoo hoo!!
Clothes - Moving comfort bra.  Success!  My ONE pair of long (almost long enough) pants - I wanted to keep my cranky calf warm.

Overall, I guess I'm satisfied with the run - my longest distance to date!!  I just need to figure out the whole pain issue.  The ice bath afterwards was wonderful!  (I still can't believe I love them as much as I do!)

And OMG was I wishing for the snot rocket skills today.  My nose ran like a fire hose.  My gloves are gonna need a good washing!

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?