My ankle is angry.

Posted on February 24, 2012 by Brenna

I’m a failure in the cooking department lately. Well, I’m cooking– just revisiting old favorites like Buffalo Chicken Eggs Rolls (try it with avocado inside, delicious!) and Chicken Enchilada Pasta. I always struggle with the desire to venture out and try new things and the pull of tried-and-true classics.

I think that struggle manifested itself a couple weeks ago with my running shoes. I began running in Brooks Adrenaline and they worked fine. I don’t recollect any specific pains during the training and racing of my first half marathon. I bought a second pair of the exact same shoe and continued running recreationally.

Then I signed up for my second half-marathon and the Brooks had lost their luster. I wanted a bright shoe. I wanted a lighter shoe. So, I bought a pair of Nike Lunarglides. I ran 15 miles in them and regretted it. They didn’t fit my foot properly and I’m lucky I only walked away with a couple blisters. I returned them and selected a pair of Mizuno Inspires.

They weren’t perfect. Running in the twenty-mile range left my knees with a dull ache but whether that was a result of the shoes or just a factor of long-distance running is anyone’s guess. There were never any sharp pains and I finished a marathon strong. So why did I change shoes again?

Two weekends ago I ran 10 miles in my Newton Distance after two previous trial runs. I was planning on doing 11 when towards the end of 9 I felt a little ankle pain and didn’t want to chance it. However, the damage was already done. I pushed it and paid for it, or rather “pay” for it. I dug my Mizuno Inspires out of the closet and have been running in them since.

I don’t know whether the pain is a factor of pushing it too far running with a different stride or if the pain will happen regardless because Newton’s mechanics aren’t meant for individuals with high arches. As soon as the situation arose, I google searched my way into a full-blown frenzy.

For now, I’m apologizing to my tried-and-true marathon shoes and shelving the Newtons until after the Sarasota Half. I really don’t need another shorter distance shoe so maybe I’ll work into longer distances. I just couldn’t imagine running a marathon in the five-fingers so I decided to try something that would produce a similar gait.

When did this become so complicated? Do you stick to the shoe that works or try and branch out?

Running Shoe Review: Newton Distance

Posted on February 12, 2012 by Brenna

Newton Running is the mid-foot running shoe brand. Their shoes mimic running barefoot by allowing your mid-foot/forefoot to strike the ground prior to your heel. To do this, the shoes have a protruding rubber bottom in the forefoot area. Why is this important? As I wrote about in my Running Injury Free post, mid-foot striking is our natural and most efficient running form because it protects our legs from the shock impact of running.

I’d heard a lot of great feedback about Newton Running shoes and wanted to find a distance shoe that would allow me to mid-foot strike easily. I ran the Disney Marathon in Mizuno Inspires and found mid-foot striking difficult with the giant, chunky heel. However, my legs and feet aren’t strong enough to handle running for that long in my Vibrams. I chose the Distance model because it’s a light-weight, high-mileage trainer. My first impressions were that it was bright and light. If you are a fan of neutral looking shoes, Newton will not be the brand for you. They love them some color. I’ve run twice in the shoes so far and I have to say that I really love them. You see, I’m what I would call a paranoid runner. I focus on if my form is right. My typical running thoughts are something like, “Did I just land on my heel? I don’t want to land on my heel. Ugh, but if I correct myself it’s going to feel weird. Weird is better than being injured, Brenna! Do you want to be injured?” It’s an endless cycle I avoid in the Five Fingers and in the Newton Distance. I don’t have to worry about my gait. I know I’m landing correctly which allows me to think about other things– or hopefully zone out because let’s be honest, that’s the holy grail of running.

My Next Race is…

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Brenna

I’ve officially signed up for my next race: the Sarasota Half Marathon. I’ve had that task on my to-do list since I crossed the Walt Disney World Marathon finish line. Training for a race is the perfect way to stay motivated.

I also successfully convinced my Boston Half Marathon companion, Maureen, to come run it as well. To say I’m looking forward to March 11 would be an understatement. 13.1 miles seems like a walk in the park after a full.

The course should be scenic. Unfortunately for a flat course fan like myself, the route goes over a pretty steep bridge twice. So this weekend, I’m vowing to do some hill training.

Here’s the training schedule I made last night. It’s based off of Hal Higdon’s Intermediate but with a few adjustments for what I’ve found I like. Firstly, no 12 miler the week before the race. I prefer a two week buffer. Secondly, I use one of the running days as a cross-training day. Yes it’s less weekly mileage but I like mixing it up.

Do you have any races planned for the spring?

Off to the Races!

Posted on January 7, 2012 by Brenna

By this time tomorrow I’ll be in the midst of a 26.2 mile run. In case you were curious what running a marathon looks like, I’m pretty sure this is accurate:

I think I have everything important in order. I’ll be wearing CWX compression capris, lululemon (or UA…) t-shirt, Injinji socks, visor, and Mizunos. My playlist is only 3.2 hrs long but I’ve run out of music that doesn’t annoy me. Repeats will have to be in order because there’s no way I could finish in 3.2 hrs unless, as Maureen and I discussed, I steal an ostrich in Animal Kingdom to ride to the finish. If you see the news story, “Girl Rides Wild Animal to Photo-worthy Marathon Finish,” it’s me.

I’ll tweet the experience if you want to follow along. Curse you past Brenna for signing up for this thing!

Running Injury Free

Posted on December 2, 2011 by Brenna

“Relax enough, and your body becomes so familiar with the cradle-rocking rhythm that you almost forget you’re moving. And once you break through to that soft, half-levitating flow, that’s when the moonlight and champagne show up: “You have to be in tune with your body, and know when you can push it and when to back off.”

- Born to Run

One of my friends gave me Born to Run for my birthday and I’ve been reading it with a pen in hand. It’s so romantically quotable for running junkies.

Telling people you’re running a marathon elicits a range of reactions. I, of course, love the ones filled with awe.

“I can barely run 3 and you can run 26!”

I modestly smile and soak in the look of amazement, knowing full well that anyone can run a marathon. Like one of my all-time favorite movies, Ratatouille, proclaims, “Anyone can cook!” Anyone truly can run long distances. It just takes time, because the training schedules aren’t days or weeks long; they’re months long.

My least favorite reaction would be the look of horror.

“Why would you damage your body at such a young age? You’ll be getting knee surgery by the time you’re 30.”

Sure, that thought has crossed my mind once or twice. It just seems so illogical. How can exercise be bad? However, the statistics and runners around me don’t lie. 65-80% of runners are injured every year. That’s a scary statistic I thankfully have not entered. But being injured is, well, inevitable?

Thankfully it appears Born to Run has some answers. It’s a national bestseller written by a journalist from Runner’s World magazine. Like so many runners, he was frequently injured. He set off to understand how humans had been running for thousands of years injury-free and yet now-a-days we are plagued by IT band issues, plantar fascitious, Achilles tendonitis, and the list goes on. The answer was in our stride.

Have you ever watched a child run? It’s completely different than the way most adults run. Have you ever watched a Kenyan run? Children and elite runners land on their midfoot and roll their foot in towards the toes. The heel barely strikes the ground. It’s called a midfoot strike. The pounding running puts on our body shifts to the foot, because that’s what the foot and arch are there to do—absorb the shock. You know what isn’t supposed to absorb all that shock? Our legs. Our bodies are able to run incorrectly because super-cushioned shoes allow us to do so.

I used to scoff at runners who wore those five-finger shoes. I didn’t understand why they wore them and based my laughter on their aesthetics alone. They looked too graceful hopping along the trail; their toes all separate and monkey-like. I was fine clunking along in my heavy, cushiony over-pronation trainers. And then, I wasn’t. I signed up to run 26.2 miles and I got scared. Those people, the horror-face ones, started infiltrating my brain.

I’ve been running in five-fingers for about a month now. It’s a transition to say the least. It’s awkward and requires muscles that I think were dormant, but it’s also extremely fun. I feel like I could go forever, if my calves would stop burning. Will I eventually be able to run a marathon in five fingers? I’m not sure. People have done it but I don’t think my foot and calf strength are there yet. They’ve certainly helped my gait when I wear trainers on my long runs.

I bring up these facts and statistics because I know others share my injury fear. I honestly don’t think it’s just another trend. I’ve found that running short distances in minimal shoes has helped me relearn how to midfoot strike in my Mizuno trainers. I highly recommend reading Born to Run and a recent article by the author in the New York Times. Running should not be painful or difficult. It should be easy, light, smooth, and fast.

Also, the shoes and book make great gifts!

Marathon Update and Running Gear

Posted on November 25, 2011 by Brenna

40 days until I’m waking up at 3am to run 26.2 miles with 30,000 other crazy people. Training has been going pretty well. I’ve been doing shorter runs around my house and longer ones in more scenic locations. It has definitely helped make the 12+ mile-runs more exciting. I’m injury-free so far (knock on wood!) and have only swallowed two bugs. I’ve never heard other runners talk about this problem, but it happens!

For those who aren’t familiar with race training, there are programs available that detail mileage plans meant to train you in the safest, most efficient way possible. I prefer Hal Higdon one‘s, but like my half training, I can’t bring myself to run more than 3-4 days a week (rarely 4). I follow the long runs religiously but the weekly runs are more variable to how I’m feeling. I ran 18 miles on Sunday and have 20 scheduled for the following week.

A very important part of running over 3 hours is the gear you have with you. Since it’s the holidays, running goods make great gifts for you or a running friend.

Clothing (tried and true):

lululemon | Run Free Tank $52