Sometimes during the winter months, I am very thankful for the tech fabrics that allow me to run relatively freely without too many heavy layers. Today's fabrics are warmer, drier and lighter than ever before. I am often skeptical of sales pitches, but a few years ago, I listened to a State Fair style sales pitch for Mizuno Thermo Breath fabric and was a believer. We were at a race in Duluth and one of the sales people demonstrated how the fabric was going to pull away moisture and give back warmth. My mother-in-law was also along and decided to buy some Thermo Breath wear for all the runners in the family. This has been at least 3-4 years ago and everyone's base layer tops are constantly in the wash. Here is the model I have: Mizuno still makes this fabric with new colors and styles. I would highly recommend it as a good layer for against the skin. The top I have is plenty long enough to tuck in which is another reason this base layer is my favorite. A few few weeks back, we talked about shoes and which model to try next. I decided to get two pair and rotate. My initial thought was to rotate week by week, but further research indicated that day by day is better for the shoes and the feet. I can't decide which pair to start with... Just kidding! Since I have trouble with left and right, even if I thought this was a good idea, it would never work. I decided to mark the calendar by the front door with A for Asics and M for Mizuno on alternating Mondays and then I'll alternate daily from there. Our Grandma is awesome about date marking all sorts of thing around her house. I finally caught on and marked my shoes so that I can remember when I started wearing them. I marked my shoes under the sock liner so that I can find it, but no one else can see. I will update the blog over the next few months on whether I am noticing any difference in how my feet feel or how my shoes wear out.
Care to Comment? Have you ever tried alternating two pairs of shoes (or more)? Do you think I will notice any difference?
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Once a week, I like to do a "long run." My long run is any distance greater than my regular 4-4.5 mile run. My long run today started with four miles on the treadmill. Because I was running early (and solo), I decided to run on the treadmill before heading outside to finish up the run. The treadmill miles went well. I watched an episode of Army Wives and the time went quickly. After those four miles, I changed from shorts into pants, put on my winter gear, and headed outside for another four miles. It was 16 degrees outside, but it felt great! It was the right amount of crispness, the roads were clear, and I had some new music on my phone. By the time I was finished, I had run eight miles. It was a good running day. This was my view as I finished up my outdoor run. What a beautiful Minnesota sunrise! Wishing you a happy weekend! -Stephanie
Care to comment? Does anyone else like to do part of your long run on the treadmill and part outdoors? A few weeks back, I had posted about having so much fun on a run that I lost track of time and was nearly late for work. Well, my running 🐶 Charlie and I set out on a 75 minute easy run with a low heart rate and it took us 84 minutes to complete! This is not a matter of running too slow...this is just enjoying the process and misjudging how long we'd been at it and how far away home was. Even though the storm also completely missed our town, it was noticeably colder and windier than earlier in the week. Apparently it doesn't take perfect conditions to make a relaxing run! I am a little self conscious taking selfies, so I had Charlie join me as he is very photogenic. Don't we look like we've just had a marvelous time on the road? Stephanie and I like to sew and quilt when we aren't running, working or at our kids' activities. I recently made these purses and am considering donating them to my son's sports booster club for their fundraiser silent auction. Do you think anyone would buy them? When donating an item, they also ask what the value might be. How much would you pay for a handmade purse? This might seem off-topic for a running blog, but I am the Boys Cross-Country rep and those fellas really run a lot and fast. 👣👣👣👣👣 Tomorrow, I will be doing another solo long run. This one includes race pace miles that are scaring me a bit. I did a workout this week to estimate my race pace miles and the plan must be working for me because I'd consider the pace estimates NASCAR fast for a 45 year old mother of 3. Wish me luck. I'll try to report back tomorrow, maybe from my daughter's track meet. This one is not at my alma mater, but Stephanie's. The two schools are arch rivals, but we are all rooting for H to throw a big toss in shot put!
Happy running! Missee Care to Comment? If you were at a silent auction, would you bid on my purses? How much should I say they are worth? I woke up this morning expecting to see the 6-12 inches of snow that was forecasted in the winter storm watch. Instead I saw... It's okay! I was not disappointed to see the grass instead of inches of snow.
I have decided not to sign up for the Earth Day Half Marathon in April. It was a difficult decision. With some nagging foot and back issues, running longer distances has been a challenge. The timing of this race for me isn't great either. I need to be at a track meet the night before the race in a city no where near St. Cloud. I wouldn't be able to get a solid night sleep before running. The biggest reason I am not choosing to do the race is the lack of time needed to complete a training program. In the past, I have followed a training program that was 12 weeks. The race is only nine weeks away from tomorrow. Even if I could physically prepare for 13.1 miles, mentally I need to know that I have successfully trained for the race. There will be many more racing opportunities in the future. I am now looking for a new race. One that is far enough away that I can train properly. I have looked at www.raceberryjam.com for some upcoming road races. Does anyone know of any other websites that list road races in Minnesota? Happy Running! -Stephanie Care to Comment? Do you know of any websites that list road races in MN? If you do, please share the address with us in the comments (found under the title of each post). Monday was a vacation day for me. That meant I was able to run later in the morning. The weather app on my phone said 50 degrees and rain. Rain in February isn't typical Minnesota weather. I got wet, but it was warm and there was no ice on the road. Why does my ponytail do this in the rain? Does anyone else have this problem? After arriving back at home, I put my shoes on my boot dryer. A few years ago, my husband gave me a Peet boot dryer with the mitten attachment. I use it all winter for my frosty hat, mittens, and gator. It also works great for shoes after a rainy run. The boot dryer stays in our laundry room. Not only is my running gear dry in the morning, it is also a little warm. My kids love to use it for wet mittens after playing outside in the snow .
To my surprise, a little rain this morning felt pretty good. If it is warm enough in February to rain, who can complain? Happy Running! -Stephanie Now that the weather has improved, runners have come out of the woodwork in my town. We are fortunate to have a pretty extensive set of bike/run paths along most of the busier streets that are now full of runners, walkers and bikers. I generally run early in the morning, but when I see these folks out running after school, I wish I could run with them. That got me thinking about why people run races. Of course, some people run to win. However, in a race of 2,000 or even 20 people, only one person wins. Of that many people, quite a few already know they are not going to come in first, but still can't wait to run. Some enjoy the togetherness of the crowd; others are trying for a personal best time. Still others have just ofinishing the distance as their goal whether 5K or marathon. Lots of people like the bling...shirts, medals and post race parties. I guess I probably run races for a combination of all those reasons. I will admit that I am not a fan of finisher medals, but love a good quality, well designed shirt. What do you do with the medal after wearing it for a few hours after the race? If someone has a good idea with what to do with race medals, please share in the comments!
I will continue to admire the evening runners because it looks so fun and look forward to my spring races. Hope the weather cooperates with your running and that you consider doing a spring race with your own goal in mind. Missee Plantar fasciitis... my daughter said that it sounded like a made-up condition. Anyone who has dealt with plantar fasciitis knows that it is definitely no joke. Plantar fasciitis in simplest terms is heel pain. It is an inflammation of the thick, fibrous tissue of the heel. The cause can be overuse, repetitive heel strike. Plantar fasciitis is usually worse in the morning, but can be a painful nuisance all day. I have been dealing with a case of plantar fasciitis (self diagnosed) since September. It doesn't keep me from running, it just hurts. I have tried a number of home remedies and treatments such as wearing a Strassburg sock to bed. See photo below. The sock is intended to keep your foot in a slightly stretched position while you sleep. It does provide a nice stretch, but can be a challenge if you are a tummy sleeper like me. After several attempts to treat the problem at home, I decided to see my primary care provider. She referred me to a podiatrist at another clinic about an hour away from where I live. I am looking forward to learning about ways to improve my plantar fasciitis. Of course I see that a snow storm is looming in the forecast for the same day as my appointment. Snow... stay away!
I hope you are enjoying another spring like day in MN! -Stephanie Satudays are generally my long run days. I have a friend who also loves her long run and we happily cover the miles together. Running 10+ miles solo is mentally and physically grueling. I was sad to get a text yesterday that my friend has a sore foot and would be unable to do the 2.5 hours we had on tap for today. Week 11 of my heart rate training called for 60 minutes under 140 beats per minute, 50 minutes as fast as I cared to run followed by another 40 minutes under 140.
I got up this morning trying to figure out how to keep myself amused enough to do this run solo. I did get Charlie to come along for the first 5 miles which he was happy to do. The 50 minute free run went by quickly and at a much faster pace than I've run in a while. Yeah!!! The last 40 minutes was difficult as I have a very hard time getting my heart rate to stay down after running harder. I'm thinking that this is part of what I'm supposed to get better at over the next 9 weeks. By that point, I was just happy to have finished the entire run without trying to talk myself out of it. So, 11 weeks into this new style of training, I cannot honestly say if I like it or not. I feel good and am running a lot of miles, but am also afraid that the slow recovery running might make me a slower runner. The harder workouts are making me look forward to recovery days...ask me in 9 weeks if I feel like my half marathon feels super excellent. In the meantime, I am proud of myself for getting out of my comfort zone to try something new. Heart rate training depends on the runner wearing a monitor for all runs. In a future blog post, I'll talk about my Garmin 235 that monitors my heart rate, distance and all kinds of fun things. We we are enjoying spring-like weather in MN. Hope your weather is cooperating with your running this week! Missee I had the day off of work, so I was able to do a long run in the sunshine. What a treat! I met up with my running friend, M, for a sixty minute run. Although the weather was beautiful, the roads were a bit frosty. We were careful on the frosty spots and ended up with a terrific long run! We were very pleased with our pace. We averaged an 8:58 pace for 6.69 miles. Every runner has his/her own pace goal. We were happy to meet our goal today! I also took this picture on my driveway, just because... :) When I arrived back home, I decided to treat myself to some gluten free muffins. The recipe can be found here: https://glutenfreegirl.com/2016/10/how-to-make-a-gluten-free-muffin-mix/ I thought they were good! The recipe gives you a basic muffin mix and you add in whatever ingredients you like. My additions were almond extract and poppy seeds.
Both Missee and I eat a gluten free diet. More to come on that topic for sure... Have a fabulous weekend! -Stephanie Happy Belated Valentine's Day! It was a great day to get out and run. The Minnesota weather this week has been fabulous! I have seen more runners and walkers this week than I did only a few weeks ago. Seeing more people outside exercising is one of my favorite signs of spring! Our gear of the week is running shoes. I already talked about trying the Asics Gel Nimbus on a previous post. So far, I think they are great! If that shoe looks familiar, you probably read Missee's post from yesterday. She has the same pair. I actually bought the Asics Gel Nimbus after she recommended them to me. Just like Missee, I wear my running shoes only for running. After 4 months, they become walking shoes. Wearing good quality shoes is important for the comfort of your feet, legs, and hips. I also have a pair of running shoes that I only use on the treadmill. Since these are used less frequently, I only get new shoes for the treadmill every 6-12 months depending on wear. Currently I am wearing the Nike Zoom Vomero 11. These are some of my favorite running shoes of all time. They have a lot of cushion and fit well on my high arches. Happy Running! -Stephanie
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AuthorMissee and Stephanie are two Minnesota sisters and moms who love to run. We are not experts in running, parenting or anything else, but we do have years of experiences that may be helpful or entertaining to others. Archives
May 2020
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