We missed out on gear of the Week last week, so I figured I would do it earlier this time. Shoes are a very personal thing in terms of brand, style, function and durability. The wrong shoes can cause all sorts of problems with feet, knees and hips. Then, when a runner has found her perfect model, the manufacturer decides to "improve" it. Loyal wearers are almost never excited about the new model except to try to snatch up a pair of the old model at a discount. Ask almost any runner about the Nike Pegasus and the story will probably include both a beloved version of the popular style and at least one injury. My current model is the Mizuno Wave Rider 19. I have been wearing the Wave Riders since the 13's and can say the 14's and 18's were fairly worthless, but otherwise are a great lightweight trainer. They are a cushioned shoe for runners with pretty neutral stride. People whose feet tend to turn out or in wouldn't find them supportive enough. My current pair is just like this except one orange shoe lace because one of my running partners chewed my lace into 4 pieces. That was Charlie the Sheltie and even though I told him it was rude to chew on running shoes, he just looked puzzled. Maybe it was because he is a barefoot runner. My alternate favorite shoes are tha Asics Gel Nimbus. They are a sturdier feeling shoe than the Wave Rider, but are in the same cushioned category of shoes. They are a little heavier, but not like running in combat boots or anything drastic. I am actually considering getting one pair of each the Mizunos and the Asics and alternating week by week as I've heard rotating shoes is good for the shoes and good for your feet. This blog might just be the reason to give it a try and report back. Some people alternate day by day, but since I run about 6 days a week, it would worry me that one pair would get all the long runs and not wear out at the same rate as the other. Week by week would be pretty even wear. I can come up with enough things to worry about without purposely introducing another! No matter which shoes work best for your running, I think that replacing them often enough is the key. I generally go 4-5 months per pair which would be about 400-600 miles. If I do decide to try the alternating plan, that would be 8-10 months for 2 pair. It is the rule at our house that running shoes are for running only, then they become walk-around shoes, then garden/work shoes. With a houseful of runners, we can go though a lot of pairs per year and try to make the smartest use of our shoes as we can.
Im seeing spring like 50's in the forecast for later this week...I also have one more ski race to watch. Thankfully that is scheduled for way up north where they still have snow. I'm afraid we are not quite done with snow for the season, but it is fun to pretend spring is really here! Happy running-Missee
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My Saturday started with some stretching and a trip to the treadmill. I have been having some trouble with my lower back, so I decided to warm up with ten minutes of walking, followed by running. When I started running, my back was still bothering me. I decided to walk a little more. When my workout was complete, I ended up with a 20 minute walk, followed by a 30 minute run, and finally another 10 minute walk. This was not what I had planned. My goal had been a non-stop 60 minute run. I was disappointed. Runners, do you relate? Sometimes a run doesn't go as planned. The middle of my day included my daughter's basketball tournament, plenty of sitting, and a little reading. When we returned home, I decided to give the treadmill another try. After a lot of sitting, it felt good to get moving. I was determined to finish a 60 minute run. Mission complete! :) I ran my hour and even kept going until 1:01.52. Any guesses why I went past the hour mark? Yep... at 60 minutes I was so close to reaching seven miles that I decided to keep going for another couple minutes. On Sunday, I will take the day off of running to relax and recuperate.
Wishing you a happy day of rest or running! -Stephanie One question NEVER to ask a running friend is 'How far is your marathon.' Runners and runner's families all know that all marathons are the same length...a precise 26.2 miles. Before a marathon a few years back, a kind of sullen and droopy hotel worker asked Stephanie and I about the length of the Twin Cities Marathon we were on our way to complete. When we politely stated the distance, she replied, "Well, I couldn't do a one mile marathon." We were both thinking, of course you can't because that's NOT a marathon! Consequently, half marathons are also a standard 13.1 miles being half of 26.2 miles. While the idea of half of anything implies that it is easier to not as good, not so! Running a strong half marathon takes a lot of training and attention to eating, rest and taking care of your body by paying attention to injuries, shoes and anything else your body needs. Granted, many people do a few half marathons and then feel called to try the full distance. Half marathons have their own appeal, too, such as the training runs not taking a full Saturday morning each week and the ability to have fun without a nap after the race. I have two halves on my calendar for this spring and am looking forward to running each one hard and not feeling like I need an extended recovery afterwards. I will likely do another full marathon (26.2 😉) in the next year or two, but am excited to run a solid half on race day at my races in April and June.
I'm still trying to talk Stephanie into the Earth Day Half Marathon and sent her this FB post to entice her to sign up at a discount which is good until February 18. Happy running! Missee This was the weather yesterday morning. It was cold, cloudy, and frosty. And here is the weather for today! :) It is warm, sunny, and delightful! We are having a beautiful spring-like day here in Minnesota and it is only February. Our winter days can be brutal, so we rejoice when warm days come our way. I decided to take a walk after work to look for signs of spring. Here is what I saw... My idea of taking pictures of the signs of spring had to take a more creative approach. It is a beautiful day! I hope you are able to get out for a walk or a run. Enjoy the sunshine!
Happy Running! -Stephanie My son had a phenomenal ski race yesterday and managed to qualify for State. Watching him made me think about what goes into a perfect-for-you race. Not only do you have to complete your training, eat and sleep well, you are also relying on weather, race course conditions, illnesses, injuries and whatever unusual things other people around you might do.
My best marathon was a nearly perfect race day. It was 50ish with a light tail wind. My training went well and no injuries. When my husband dropped me off for the bus, he urged me to go for a Boston qualifier even though that would be a 10 minute PR. I was reluctant to commit to that goal, but agreed to "see how it goes." I started out with Pacer George and the 3:50 group. I comfortably followed along until a quick potty break at Mile 22 knowing I had about a minute cushion. I found the group again and went on by at Mile 25 to finish 1:35 ahead of the BQ time. I was headed to Boston! There have been other marathons that did not go as well. I consider heat to be my kryptonite and have done 2 marathons where the sunburn was far more bothersome than the black toenails. Sometimes, the race isn't bad, just not that good. Something might be a little off like not eating well or a strong wind. Sometimes it's just not the right day. But when it is...that's when the endorphins run high and you end up signing up for another race ASAP! Happy running! Missee Missee and I decided to feature some of our favorite running gear with anyone who is interested. Between the two of us, we have 50+ years of running experience. YIKES! We started running in our teens and now we are 40 somethings. That is a long time and a lot of gear! You will find that we have had a large array of homemade items that were made by either our mom or by us. We like to sew and we like to save money. Currently, I am wearing running gloves from Road Runner Sports. They are fleece gloves that are warm and washable. My hands tend to sweat as I run and I like to throw my gear in the washing machine from time to time. I have been wearing them for several winters and they still work great. On warmer days, I like to wear these knit gloves that were in our goodie bags at the Twin Cities Marathon. My favorite running mittens of all time are these fleece mittens made by our mom. I have had these for 10+ years. By the holes worn in them, you can see that they have been used. On extra cold days, I wear the stretchy gloves from Walmart under my yellow mittens. When I read Missee's post about her favorite running gloves and mittens, I was surprised to see her MN Mitts that were purchased at Dayton's in the early 90's. She commented on how they must be pretty great if she was able to hang on to those mittens for so many years. Look at what I have in my mitten bin... :) Yes, I have another pair of MN mitts that our mom passed down to me. I don't wear them for running, but I do use them while I am out shoveling or snow blowing the driveway. They are very warm!
Happy Running! -Stephanie Oh, Missee! I couldn't stop smiling after reading Missee's post yesterday, "The Force is Strong." If you haven't read it, PLEASE check it out if you are in need of a smile, chuckle, or full belly laugh. From knowing Missee my whole life (she is one year older than I am), I can just picture her out running in her Star Wars pajama pants with a grin on her face and some pep in her step. I suppose I should admit that I am the one who bought the Star Wars pajama pants for Missee. My husband and children are HUGE Star Wars fans. For Christmas, our families decided to exchange pajama pants with each other instead of other gifts and who couldn't use a new pair of PJ pants? It was awesome! There was no stress in going to multiple stores to pick out the perfect gift for each family member on our list. Instead, the only difficult part was deciding which lovely design to give to each person. My husband and I both wore the pajamas that we got from Missee's family to bed last night. These gifts were both fun and useful! I got these pajama pants with the matching shirt. It even has a cellphone pocket, that I really like! I had no idea that Missee would wear her Star Wars pajama pants as running gear. Why not? Whatever it takes to keep out the Minnesota chill! :) Be warm and have a happy run today! -Stephanie
I went out running underdressed on Thursday making my run a little less enjoyable. That afternoon, I was reading a FB post by a woman who had bumped into a neighbor at the end of her run. The neighbor was so happy out running in ski goggles and polka dot fleece pants as she now warm after being good and tired of being cold. I don't have ski goggles and my face doesn't often get cold, but I was intrigued by the fleece pants. Friday morning, the windchill was again below zero, so I again considered the fleece and also my sister's thoughts on lounge pants being worn in public, other than sick people going to buy medicine, or exhausted parents of sick kids going to get supplies for the sick people. However, it seems that even Walmart can see the value of being dressed warm enough. Well, Friday morning, my trusty running dog and I headed out the door clad in my Star Wars pants over tights. Notice that the Force was with us and Freeze You Rebel Scum. My fleece pants! I was toasty warm and comfortable which was much better than the day before when I was too cold. Would I do this in daylight? Probably not. Would I wear my fleece out in the dark again on a really cold day? You betcha!!! Do what works for you when running this week. Happy running! Missee
The temps have again dipped lower, but not as low as early January. I tend to have cold hands so this week's gear feature is something I've tested over time. I actually have 3 favorite sets of hand covers depending in the weather and will even double up if necessary. For barely chilly days, I like my C9 gloves from Target. I liked them so much that I got a pair for a friend, too. They are warm and wick sweat away to keep my hands dry. When it gets a little colder, I switch to lined fleece mittens. Keeping my fingers together is less agile, but much warmer. When it's really cold, I go back to my really old favorite MN mittens. They are double fleece. And you'll notice from the photo, I would be able to easily identify them in a lost and found box if I ever dropped one! The MN mitts truly are three different colors of high quality polar fleece and were probably in fashion when I got them at Daytons in the early 90's. Those of you unfamiliar with Daytons...it was a nice department store owned by Target Corp. It later became Marshal Fields and then Macy's. How much would you be willing to pay for mittens that you would not lose, wear out or otherwise damage in 25 years? Between mittens and sunglasses, I manage to lose or damage quite a few sets!
We will talk more about sunglasses when I start running in daylight. That could happen within a couple of months. In the meantime, keep your fingers toasty and happy running! Missee Happy Groundhog Day! My vote is for an early spring. Hopefully Punxsutawney Phil does not see his shadow. Even if he does, I am already seeing signs that spring is around the corner. The icy roads have melted down to nearly dry pavement around here and we have even had some days in the 40's. We will take it! Going from winter to spring running gear... 1. I will go from wearing a hat to a headband. 2. The spikes come off my running shoes. (Yippee!) 3. My winter running jacket will be replaced by a light weight jacket and eventually a long-sleeved t-shirt. The best season to run long distances is a personal preference. I have to say that although I like to run all year round, I really like late spring or early summer marathons and half marathons. Why? The longest training runs occur when the weather is usually mild. Although spring winds can be gusty, those 50-60 degrees days are fantastic. I am definitely looking forward to spring! 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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