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Carlsbad 5000 Expo randomness

2 Apr

This afternoon, I hit up the Carlsbad 5000/All Day 25K Expo and I didn’t take a single picture!  Whoops.  I got flustered trying to find street parking, then even more flustered when a high school boy started hitting on me at the bib pick-up (this was as embarrassing as it was good for my self-esteem since I’m randomly going through a quarter-life crisis… or something).  I made a bee-line for the race shirts, then got credit card happy…

 
I bought some super soft tees from Tough Chik and boxes of gluten-free PR Bars in Chocolate Peanut and Iced Brownie, so I had a protein-packed snack for the traffic-y drive home.  I want to test run the bars pre/post run, but so far my review stands that these bars are better than candy!  The guy who was manning the PR Bar tent suggested keeping them in the freezer, which is a great idea and something I think I HAVE to do so I’m not tempted to scarf down their yumminess.
And my new “running is zen” tee (I need SkinnyRunner to give me lessons on the art of the self-timer portrait, because I clearly don’t know what I’m doing.  That, and I’m a dork):
Note Sully’s giant hairball next to my left foot… awesome…

I got new shoes last weekend and was on the lookout for another pair on sale at the expo, but didn’t find my model.  And just like magic, my mom called to say she and dad found last year’s model on sale, so they bought me two pair.  Score!

 Check out what we found on the sidewalk during a walk earlier this week!

It says CHUCK !!!!!  Sully’s not impressed…

We also came across a Hawaii license plate.  Sully insisted on taking a picture for Mamaw, who loves Hawaii and answers the phone with “Aloha!” instead of hello.  She’s awesome like that.

Aloha, mamaw!  I’m too tired to keep my tongue in my mouth!

Blogs Coming Soon…

  • “What it’s Like to Run Five 5Ks in One Day”
  • “Chuck Learns to Twitter” (for Sarah Soon-To-Be), and
  • “Booze Cruising Mission Bay for Muffin’s Bday”

CW-X tights review & hello, positive splits

7 Mar
CW-X Ventilator Running Tights


I test ran my new CW-X “superhero” tights during Tuesday’s 18-miler and the initial verdict: suuuuuper disappointed. 

Call me crazy, but for $85, I expected these bad boys to give me superhero powers… or at least make my run feel ultra-amazing, easier or in some way more positive!  I envisioned myself floating above the ground like the chick in the picture…

So far the only positive is that they look cool.  They are most definitely NOT superhero tights, they’re just super, super tight.  The compression factor gave me this odd lead-leg feeling.  The run actually felt more difficult and hindered.  It was the extreme opposite of effortless.  My legs felt dead tired from the very beginning of the run and just two miles in, I was contemplating heading home to peel those puppies off.  Ultimately, getting my miles in trumped my desire to free myself from the tighty-tights, so I toughed it out.

I was thinking (wishing, hoping, and praying…) that they’d prevent post-run soreness, but nope, I was pretty stinkin’ sore the next day… and in places I’m usually not sore, like my calves…  The only other positive was that my IT band didn’t fuss until Mile 14, which is the longest I’ve run without a peep from that stinker.  And that, my friends, is a great thing.

I gave the supertighties another shot at yesterday’s 10k trail race and the consensus is a much more positive one.  Nope, I still don’t have superhero powers, but I really liked the compression and support.  And they look even cooler splattered with mud!

The jury’s still out as to whether or not I’ll be rockin’ ‘em for the LA Marathon, but I won’t be returning my supertighties for a refund.

If I had these abs, I bet that Spibelt wouldn’t misbehave…

Tuesday’s long run was a success, despite the fact that I was disappointed with the tights, frustrated by my Spibelt (which flopped all over the place and would not stay put, no matter what I did, grr…), AND I ran very positive splits.

Positive sounds like a good thing, but it’s not…

My #1 rule with running is that I do what I want.  I print off training plans and pencil runs into my calendar, but I always end up running (or not running) whatever I feel like.  I “speed train” when I feel like running fast.  I do “tempo runs” by running fun-size races as often as I can (trick Jared into letting me sign us up).  I “hill train” when I accidentally sign up for wicked hilly races.  I guess my thinking is that I’ll be running for life, so there’s no sense in burning myself out on some plan full of scheduled runs that don’t sound like any kind of fun.  I definitely know all about training methods, one being the concept of running negative splits:

[Most runners] start in a near sprint, hang on through the middle and resort to 
a survivor’s shuffle at the end.  In contrast, those who opt for negative splits 
patiently run a bit slower for the first third of a run, pick up the pace in 
the middle and finish with strength and speed.

The reason this works is because it can take your body several miles to get 

warmed up. After that, your muscles are charged, your joints lubricated, and 
mood-boosting endorphins flood your system. You’ll find yourself running 
faster without feeling any more effort.

Well, perhaps I should start practicing this whole negative split thing, because I was definitely doing the “survivor shuffle” at the end of Tuesday’s run…

Mile 1: 8:48
Mile 2: 8:45
Mile 3: 8:45
Mile 4: 9:01
Mile 5: 9:15
Mile 6: 9:19
Mile 7: 9:11
Mile 8: 9:24
Mile 9: 9:25
Mile 10: 9:20
Mile 11: 9:24
Mile 12: 9:20
Mile 13: 9:36
Mile 14: 9:44
Mile 15: 9:40
Mile 16: 9:44
Mile 17: 9:50
Mile 18: 9:43

Total: 18 miles, 2:48:25 (9:21/mile)

I’m starting to think about my LA Marathon “game plan.”  Do I go for negative splits… a consistent pace… or just “wing it” and do whatever I feel like doing… Decisions, decisions… I want to finish LA feeling as awesome as I did finishing the Carlsbad Marathon last year (just with much shorter hair!):

Not to mention the fact that I can’t wait to be feeling like my normal, non-sick, silly moo-stached self!  Jared and I are now both sick with whatever crud’s going around his office (blaaah), so we’re giving our couches a major workout today.

Shout out to the hubster!  My ‘stache is way better than yours…

retail therapy for a shopaphobe!

25 Feb

For those of you who got through that last doozy of post, congrats.  I know it probably took six and a half hours to read and I promise this one’s a lot lighter and less meaningful.  Now that we’ve established that running is my therapy, I’d like to share that I’ve found another surprising form of therapy that I never ever in a million years thought would be for me: retail therapy!

Big deal, right?  Well, I am NOT a shopper.  Yes, I go shopping.  Yes, I’ve been heard saying that I enjoy grocery shopping, but shopping is most definitely NOT relaxing for me.  First of all, I hate driving.  I didn’t get my driver’s license until I was a few months shy of 21, so by then, it was less about the license and the freedom and more about simply being shamed into it.  That, and I failed my driver’s test, like, three times, but that’s a story for another day (or never).

Meet the hubster a.k.a. My Driver!

So yeah, I hate driving.  Dealing with traffic, parking, and dings due to runaway carts, I hate all of it.  And as for the actual shopping part, I am not one to make decisions quickly, nor easily.  I hem and haw over purchases because I have this deep-seated fear that I’ll pick something, spend my precious dollars and cents on it, only to find out there’s a better version of that something out there and I’ll be left kicking myself in the teeth for being such a moron.  I don’t know, I think I got it from my dad.  This and the Celiac Disease, gosh.

To say the least, shopping can be STRESSFUL for me …and with me (I can already hear my husband aggressively nodding his head YES as he reads this post).  Shoe shopping, clothes shopping, trips to Road Runner Sports and Costco are really super duper challenging and generally take forever and a day, so they are very, very rare.  And now you know why Jared and I are often seen wearing clothes that are 10+ years old.  Bottomline, shopping is just not my thang… until…
 
I went absolutely shop-crazy on Monday.  Yessir, I pulled up Amazon.com, busted out the credit card and went bananas!  I’m stoked about my purchases and now I’m going a lil nuts waiting for all my goodies to hurry up and get here already!  And since I know you’re dying of curiosity, here’s what I ordered:


Halo Visor, Black: Usually, I don’t like having anything on my head except my hair, but once upon a time, I ran a marathon in the pouring rain and I was really, really, really grateful to be wearing a visor.  Later that week, my rascal-of-a-dog, Sully, ate it.  So I’ve been meaning to buy a replacement for nearly a year now.  I will make sure to keep this one faaar from Sully’s slobbery jowls!

There it is, the visor that Sully ate…


CEP Running O2 Compression Socks, Black: I’ve read good things about compression socks and really, I just want to see what all the hype’s about.  I’m planning to sport these sexy knee-highs for pre and post-long run recovery.


Gu Energy Gel, Mint Chocolate, 24-count: This is Jared’s and my favorite flavor Gu.  We bought a 6-pack of them several months ago (my favorite kind of 6-pack…) and we’ve been saving these guys like they’re the last ones on Earth, so I thought why not buy a big ol’ box of ‘em.  They’re kind of like a frosting-version of Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies.  Can I get a Yummo?


Pro-Tec Iliotibial Band Compression Wrap: This bad boy was recommended by a runner-buddy of ours in Ohio (shout out to Coop!), who swears it tames IT band temper tantrums during long runs.  For a measly $15, I’m happy to give it a whirl.  If anything, it gives me somewhere to keep my gun (kidding, mom!).


Thrive: The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life by Brendan Brazier: Nope, I’m not vegan, but I’ve never been big on animal meat and I’ve been meat/poultry-free for a long time now.  I very rarely eat seafood, milk, cheese and eggs.  I eat Greek yogurt pretty regularly (and, ahem, Yogurtland every chance I get… It’s 8:35am, do you think it’s open yet?) and honey from time to time, but otherwise, my diet is predominantly vegan, so I thought this book would give me the most applicable guidance on how to eat for performance.


CW-X Women’s Ventilator Running Tights, Black: Lastly, we have my biggest, most exciting purchase!  These are legit superhero tights!  …well, for $85, I’m thinking these puppies should offer superhero powers or perhaps a guaranteed sub-four hour marathon.  Or better yet, an injury-free marathon.  Check out the promises:  

“The first warm weather conditioning tights, are perfect for warm weather athletes who want lower body support and cooling.  Mesh ventilation panels located in the hottest areas of the leg (the quadriceps and calf), allow hot air to escape and cool air to enter, reducing heat fatigue and improving circulation.  Coolmax quick-drying body fabric wicks moisture away from the body to the outside of the tight, keeping it cool, dry and comfortable.  The patented CW-X Support Web provides targeted support to the knee, IT band and hip flexor areas for greater stability and improved performance.”   
Sure smells like a sub-four hour marathon…  Fingers crossed they show up today or tomorrow, so I can long-run in them on Sunday!  This week’s working out to be my highest mileage week in… a long time (too long!) and I’m stoked about it.

LA Marathon countdown: 23 days!

In the words of SkinnyRunner: Goal big or goal home.

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