Becoming a Better Sarah ~ 2015 Journal (The End)

[SarahDisney]

Here is my advice, first call up the store you bought them at and find out what the return policy is, most running stores will allow you to return shoes even if you have worn them, the store I shop at for instance has a 60 day return policy (90 if you are a vip member, part of the reason I shop there) If you find that you can return them even if they are worn then give them another run or two, if I remember correctly they put you in a stability shoe and those can take some getting used to, if you still are having issue's then return them and try out something else

Thanks for the advice!

I looked up the return policy on the receipt, and it's 30 days (they're 13 days old, so I have another 17 days) and they need to be in sellable condition, but I'm going to try to call them later today to clarify that a bit (I think that as long as I clean up the soles, they'll still be "sellable" after 2-3 runs, but we'll see). I think it might be the fact that it's a stability shoe (and I actually looked up my 2 previous shoes and they were both neutral), so I think I will give them another try.
It's just frustrating that these shoes that were supposed to be great for me ... weren't. I think I was overreacting a bit yesterday, and I'm going to give them another chance and hope that they do end up being great.

 

[SarahDisney]

Thank You!​

I just wanted to quickly stop by and say thank you to everyone who talked me down off the ledge (metaphorically) earlier this week.

I took the shoes out for run #2 today - a long run (it ended up being around 5.2 miles), on a different path than my shorter runs (mostly - I started on my normal path). The shoes definitely still hurt at the beginning, but a little less than last time, and by the end of the run, they felt okay. I still think there's room for improvement, but I think it's just a matter of getting used to them. I'm hoping to try to get out for another short run on Friday (it'll depend on the weather and a few other things), and I'll make my final decision then, but as of now, I think I'm keeping them.

I still don't love them, but after today I like them, which is definitely an improvement. Hopefully love will come soon, but if not ... I think I'm okay with like. For now at least.

 

[SarahDisney]

Progress Update: 7/31​

Weight Loss:
My Friday (and end of month) weigh-in was down 2 lbs … aka back to goal. Yay! It’s rare for me to end a month at my goal weight, so this is a bit of a big deal for me.
I was pretty good about controlling what I ate this week, so I’m not surprised I was down, but I wasn’t great, so I’m a little (pleasantly) surprised that I actually hit goal.

July Weight Loss Progress: 2/2 lb (100%)

This is my last week of focusing on coffee intake. The goal was to get back to 3 cups a week … but after last week’s 4 cups, can I do it?
Sunday I was fasting, so no coffee allowed. Monday was coffee day, mostly because I felt like it. Tuesday I did no coffee, and Wednesday was “finish the end of the cold brew batch” day. Thursday I stopped at Starbucks because I was in the neighborhood and had a free drink. But Friday I managed to stay away from the coffee, even though I was super grouchy, leaving me at 3 cups for the week.

So that's 3 out of 4 weeks with no more than 3 cups of coffee (and no weeks with less than 3 cups). Not bad!

Running:
This week was scheduled to be 1 long run and 2 short runs.

Monday 7/27:
This was planned as my “all new” 3 mile run – featuring new shoes and a new (bamboo!) shirt. Plus, a return to a playlist I hadn’t used in a few weeks. I was hoping that the combination of factors would really motivate me to have a great run – I didn’t really want to worry about the pace, I just wanted to feel good.
Well, I didn’t feel good. The shoes were kinda a giant fail. As I mentioned a few days ago - arch pain when walking, ankle and shin pain while running … and I felt like I was rolling out a bit on my left foot. The new shoes were not an instant success, which made me very sad. The good news is, my new Raw Threads shirt was comfy … just a bit more low-cut than I usually wear, so I’m going to try to find a crew-neck base layer to wear underneath for the future.
3.05 miles in 36:10 minutes (11’50” pace)
Fastest mile was mile 1 at 11:02, slowest mile was mile 2 at 12:16. I definitely slowed down a lot in mile 2 and stayed slow in mile 3. Part of it was that this was supposed to be an easier run, but mostly I think the shoe thing was getting to me. I wanted the shoes to work out, and when it was clear they weren’t comfortable, it definitely had an effect on my mood … I was close to crying during my run. Not good. It made me really afraid of what was going to happen next with these shoes.

Wednesday 7/29:
There were a lot of factors working against me for this run – my shoe issues were still upsetting me, we were in yet another heat wave, and I had eaten a lot more than I should have the day before. I went out planning to try my newly discovered long run route again – but since I wasn’t sure how many of the roads on the way there had been repaved (they’re slowly doing all the roads in my neighborhood), I decided to start on my regular path, make about half the circle around the park, and then run along the sidewalks to get to the new path (I swear, it makes sense if you see a map). It ended up working out great, and I even discovered a new part of the new path that will be great for very long runs. Plus, my shoes were feeling much better partway through the run, which was great.
5. 2 miles in 1:08:13 hours (12’44” pace)
Fastest mile was mile 1 at 11:33 and slowest mile was mile 5 at 14:20. I slowed down a lot at the end, which I know is not great, but I was okay with it. My goal for today was not anything pace related, it was just to be out there for as long as I could without overheating, so I was glad to get through the whole 68 minutes and didn’t care about my pace. I honestly wasn’t even paying attention to the pace updates from my phone, I was just using them to see where I was time-wise in the run.
While this wasn’t my best run ever, it was a good run, and I learned a lot from it:

- I can have a good run even in less-than-good conditions
- I don't like Jelly Belly Sport Beans during a run (they're okay after the run, though … but more on my fueling later – I’m planning to write a whole post about it once I finish ironing out the kinks)
- I'm okay if I don't know where I'm going, as long as I know how I got there so that I can turn around and get myself back home (seriously, at the time I was fairly certain the path I was taking would have landed me in Brooklyn eventually (in reality it only goes to a park a few miles away) … but because I knew I could just make a U-turn and get back to the baseball fields, I at no point felt lost)
- While it’s okay for running around the park, I keep my music too loud for a pathway with bicycles (seriously, I was pretty close to getting hit, and I’m pretty sure the cyclist warned me, I just didn’t hear him)
- Making it up a big hill (even if I have to take a walk break right afterwards) makes it mentally easier for me to handle smaller hills​

Friday 7/31:
I went out with Beth for this one, because I wanted to show her my new path (she’s been struggling a lot with the heat, so I hoped the new path would be a little better for her because it’s cooler). My originally scheduled run was 30-32 minutes, but she was scheduled for 42, so I wasn’t sure whether I was going to stick with her the whole time or stop after 30ish minutes and meet her at home. So what did I decide?
3.12 miles in 42:18 minutes (13’32” pace)
Fastest mile was mile 3 at 13:13, slowest mile was mile 1 at 14:22. The pace was slower than my usual because there was more walking (she does 1:45 walk/1:30 run), but it was fine.
I think this run felt okay, but I’m really not sure. I think that when I’m running with Beth, I pay more attention to her than I do to how I feel … which I guess is a disadvantage (or maybe sometimes an advantage) to running with her.

July Running Goal Progress: 11/10 runs (110%)

General Stuff:
One of the things I’ve been trying to work on is incorporating cross-training into my routine. Partially because it’s supposed to be good for running, but mostly because if I want to lose weight I have to exercise more than 2-3 times per week, which means adding non-running exercise – so I might as well make it something that could help with the running.
I’ve tried yoga, it doesn’t work for me. I’ve tried Pilates, and while I don’t dislike it, I just can’t get into it enough to do it consistently. Cycling and swimming are both supposed to be great cross-training, but I don’t have regular access to a bike or a pool (plus, bike + skirt = awkward).
The only cross-training that I actually like and think I can stick with is … walking. I know, there are better cross-training exercises out there than walking, but I don’t think they work for me. So, for now at least, I’m sticking with walking. Hey, it’s better than nothing, right?

Sarah's Funny of the Week:
There were a few days last week when I had the song from the end of Fantasmic! (which I love) stuck in my head. It got annoying after a while.
Then there was one night this week when I had the music from Main Street Electrical Parade (which I also love) stuck in my head. Oh, great, I thought, at least it’s not Fantasmic! anymore.
And then the Fantasmic! music popped into my head. It was like a battle between MSEP & F! I honestly still don’t know which was better/worse. ALL I WANTED TO DO WAS SLEEP!!

 

[roxymama]

Sarah, you and me are in the same "cross-train?" conundrum together right now. I had a couple ideas for myself this week for days I don't want to go on the bike at the gym or can't leave the house, maybe they will work for you. I found some online Tracy Anderson videos that are "arm workouts", there's no weights just a lot of swinging your arms around to music...like "Arm dancing." Ok, that sounds crazy when typed out. I tried some last night and it's actually quite a workout for your core and upper body.
Yoga is hard on my wrists so I used it more for relaxation that for strength. I like all the laying down on the ground/almost napping stuff, but I don't think that counts towards "cross-training."
I also have a Zumba video that I am going to un-earth that I used to like to do. You don't really have to be a good dancer if you are doing it in your house with no one watching you. The only issue is finding enough space on the floor to go back and forth.
I also thought maybe I'd try doing some running up and down my stairs. But that's my least fun option.

 

[SarahDisney]

Sarah, you and me are in the same "cross-train?" conundrum together right now. I had a couple ideas for myself this week for days I don't want to go on the bike at the gym or can't leave the house, maybe they will work for you. I found some online Tracy Anderson videos that are "arm workouts", there's no weights just a lot of swinging your arms around to music...like "Arm dancing." Ok, that sounds crazy when typed out. I tried some last night and it's actually quite a workout for your core and upper body.
Yoga is hard on my wrists so I used it more for relaxation that for strength. I like all the laying down on the ground/almost napping stuff, but I don't think that counts towards "cross-training."
I also have a Zumba video that I am going to un-earth that I used to like to do. You don't really have to be a good dancer if you are doing it in your house with no one watching you. The only issue is finding enough space on the floor to go back and forth.
I also thought maybe I'd try doing some running up and down my stairs. But that's my least fun option.

Thanks for the suggestions!
I've actually been thinking about taking a Zumba class near me ... but maybe I should try finding a video online and try it first before I start paying for classes.

And running up and down stairs is definitely not fun!

 

[LSUlakes]

I may have missed it, but what is the problem with coffee? Congrats on hitting your weight goal! Keep up the hard work.

 

[SarahDisney]

I may have missed it, but what is the problem with coffee? Congrats on hitting your weight goal! Keep up the hard work.

I may have forgotten to mention why I'm cutting down on the coffee..
It's not really a problem so much as that I've been trying very hard not to be an every day coffee drinker. When I go through periods of having coffee every day (or almost every day), I get headaches on days when I don't have my coffee, and since I know there will always be days when I can't have coffee, I try to avoid the headaches by not letting my body get used to having coffee every day. I like coffee too much to give it up entirely, and I think 3 times per week is a good compromise - I don't have to give it up, but I'm also not worried about becoming addicted and having problems on days when I don't have coffee.
Since there's no actual problem with coffee, I'm okay with having the occasional week where I have coffee almost every day, but I'm trying to make those weeks the exception, not the rule.
Also, I like really high calorie lattes. Those are a problem when I have them too often.

Thanks for your kind words and for stopping by to say hi!

 

[Neoflynn]

One of the things I’ve been trying to work on is incorporating cross-training into my routine. Partially because it’s supposed to be good for running, but mostly because if I want to lose weight I have to exercise more than 2-3 times per week, which means adding non-running exercise – so I might as well make it something that could help with the running.
I’ve tried yoga, it doesn’t work for me. I’ve tried Pilates, and while I don’t dislike it, I just can’t get into it enough to do it consistently. Cycling and swimming are both supposed to be great cross-training, but I don’t have regular access to a bike or a pool (plus, bike + skirt = awkward).
The only cross-training that I actually like and think I can stick with is … walking. I know, there are better cross-training exercises out there than walking, but I don’t think they work for me. So, for now at least, I’m sticking with walking. Hey, it’s better than nothing, right?

I am also really bad about doing some sort of cross training when I am supposed even though I know it could help improve my running, As this was my first official week on my new marathon training program and it called for a cross train day on Thursday I really wanted to follow it, I told my wife and she said I was welcome to try one of her Jillian Michaels workouts and she would do it with me, Just to give some background she has lost over 80lbs over the last couple years through a combination of Curves, Jillian, Zumba and running. We settled on the strength workout that's part of the 1 week shred dvd, I'm not gonna lie it kicked my butt though it was a good kind of butt kicking. I don't necessarily recommend that particular workout as it is super intense but some of Jillians other dvds are not as intense it might be something for you to look into. Also Zumba is a great option as well My wife has a ton of fun during her Zumba classes, you really just need to find something that you enjoy as that will help you keep consistent.

So have you decided to keep the shoes? I hope that they got better for you once you got used to them because the right shoes will make a huge difference for you

 

[SarahDisney]

I am also really bad about doing some sort of cross training when I am supposed even though I know it could help improve my running, As this was my first official week on my new marathon training program and it called for a cross train day on Thursday I really wanted to follow it, I told my wife and she said I was welcome to try one of her Jillian Michaels workouts and she would do it with me, Just to give some background she has lost over 80lbs over the last couple years through a combination of Curves, Jillian, Zumba and running. We settled on the strength workout that's part of the 1 week shred dvd, I'm not gonna lie it kicked my butt though it was a good kind of butt kicking. I don't necessarily recommend that particular workout as it is super intense but some of Jillians other dvds are not as intense it might be something for you to look into. Also Zumba is a great option as well My wife has a ton of fun during her Zumba classes, you really just need to find something that you enjoy as that will help you keep consistent.

I'm definitely starting to see that a lot of people struggle with cross training.
Jillian Michaels scares me (which I think is totally understandable), so I'm probably going to be staying away from her stuff ... but I'm glad to hear it worked for your wife, success stories are always nice!
I think I'm going to try Zumba and see how it works for me. I think it might be hard for me to find something I enjoy, but once I do, I think I can stick with it.

So have you decided to keep the shoes? I hope that they got better for you once you got used to them because the right shoes will make a huge difference for you

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that. I'm keeping them, and hoping they work out. And if they don't, I'll get fitted again when these wear out and hope that the next pair works better.

 

[SarahDisney]

August Goals​

Since we’re a few days into August already, I figured I’d post my August goals. But first, the recap of July’s Goals:

• Total Exercise Minutes: 1235/1200 – It was down to the wire, but with my Friday morning run, I made it!
• Weight Loss Goal: 2/2 lbs – Yay! Goal!
• Running Goal: 11/10 runs – Run #11 was a “bonus” run. I was very impressed that I made it – we had quite a few 90°+ days in July.
• Other Goals:
  
  Sign Up for a Race – I didn’t actually sign up for a race, but I did pick one – the Prospect Park Turkey Trot (5 miles) on Thanksgiving Day. I’ll sign up once they open registration.
  Do the Research on Getting Fitted for New Shoes – I did more than the research – I got the shoes! Saucony Guide 8. So far I’m still adjusting. But I'm keeping them and hoping I grow to love them.​

And now for my August goals:

Weight Loss Goal: 3 lbs – I think this is a nice balance for me … bigger than last month’s goal, but still achievable.

Lifestyle Goal: At least 25 servings of fruits/veggies per week – this seems like a low number, but it won’t be so easy for me.

Running Goal: 40 miles – I was a little torn on setting a mileage goal in the middle of the summer, since I've been trying to take it easy and focus on minutes, not miles. But I do want to keep upping my mileage, and even if I’m doing it with a combination of running & walking (which is what I think I will stick with permanently … gasp!), I want to get the miles in. No fun graphic for this one (yet at least).

Other Goals:

• Get New “Street Sneakers” – Until this new pair, I’ve always worn running shoes as regular sneakers – i.e. I wore them pretty much everywhere. I’m not going to do that with this pair, so I need to find other sneakers to wear as street shoes. I have a super lightweight pair of Pumas (technically running shoes even though I never ran in them) from a few years ago that I love and do still wear occasionally, but they’re getting very worn out and do need to be replaced. But the Pumas are my guide for what I’m looking for – lightweight, pretty, and comfy. Thankfully I got a DSW coupon in the mail last week ... so it looks like a shoe shopping trip is in order.
• Sign Up For Running Gear Seller Emails – I need some new running gear – socks, new capris, maybe a new shirt. But I like to buy things on sale, because I’m on a tight budget. So my goal for the month is to find at least 5 running stores/suppliers that I like and sign up for their email lists so that I know when they’re having sales and can get the gear for cheaper.
• Pick My First Half Marathon – This one is complicated. Since February (or so) we’ve been saying Disneyland 2016 would be our first, which was great because the timing was good. But something happened recently and now the timing is no longer quite as good. So we have to decide whether to stick with Disneyland 2016 or try for Tinker Bell 2016. Neither one is good timing, and there are a lot of factors to consider, but I think we could possibly make either one work … or we may end up having to register for one and then defer because it won’t work. But we probably need to pick one by August 11th (which is when Tink registration opens). I may have a post on this later this week … depends on how much help I need making the decision

So, those are my August goals. I’ll keep updating at the end of every week so that you can track my progress!

 

[SarahDisney]

Progress Update: 8/7
​

I’m trying out a new format for this week, writing things up by day instead of by category.
(For those of you who were unsure, since I general post my recaps on Fridays, I count my week as Saturday to Friday)

Saturday: Rest Day; 4 fruit/veggie (aka freggie) servings

Sunday: 31 minutes low-intensity walking; 3 freggie servings

Monday: 69 minutes running (5.28 miles) + 33 minutes warm up/cool down (walking) + 4 minutes stretching; 2 freggie servings
Run Recap: 5.28 miles in 1:09:36 hours (13’10” pace)
That pace, tho... Last time I was over 13 while running alone (runs with Beth don’t count because she does more walking) was the day I fell in March (the last time I was over 13 and stayed on my feet the whole time was early February). Fastest mile was mile 1 at 12:38, slowest mile was mile 5 at 14:23 (which included waiting a while for a light to change). I honestly felt like I was going faster in the second half, but the numbers disagree (although mile 4 was faster than mile 3).
It’s easy for me to beat myself up over this pace. But here’s the thing: my goal for this run was not a certain distance or pace. It was to get as far as I could on my new path. So how did I do?
Interlude: My new path goes from the park where I enter (which is a different part of the same park I’ve been running in all along – and I actually don’t start at the beginning), travels mostly behind houses and dead end streets, but has a few overpasses over major streets, and ends in a second park.
Looking at the map, I think I would have hit the second park before I hit another overpass (although there may be an overpass right by the entrance to the other park). I made it almost the whole way to the second park! Looking at “getting much further down the path” as my goal, this run was definitely a success. So I’m going to ignore the crappy pace and see this run as successful!

Tuesday: 12 minutes low-intensity walking; 0 freggie servings; mid-week (unofficial) weigh-in up 0.5 lb
How does someone have 0 fruits & veggies in a day? I still don’t get how I managed it, but I can’t think of any fruits or vegetables that I ate.

Wednesday: 22 minutes Cross-Training (fake Zumba); 4 freggie servings
I found a video on YouTube that claimed to be Zumba, but I’m pretty sure was not. Either way … I had a lot of trouble following the steps. Which makes me nervous about doing actual Zumba. But I’m willing to give Zumba another try (preferably this time with something that is actually Zumba).

Thursday: 46 minutes running (3.81 miles) + 28 minutes warm up/cool down (walking) + 6 minutes stretching + 23 minutes additional low-intensity walking (later in the day – unplanned); 5 freggie servings
Run Recap: 3.81 miles in 46:09 minutes (12’07” pace)
I was actually a little faster, finished a little earlier, and had a slightly shorter distance, but … my Fitbit app and I are currently in a disagreement as to whether or not it should actually allow me to stop tracking the run when I finish running. And now the run is not even showing up on my Dashboard on the Fitbit website. Clearly, Fitbit is of the school of thought that I should get a Garmin (my budget not so much).
Other than the Fitbit issues at the end (and the fact that I’m still adjusting to the shoes), the run was fine. I told myself to take it easy, and for the most part I felt like I was taking it pretty easy, but I still maintained a good, somewhat consistent pace (mile 2 was my fastest at 11:47, mile 1 was my slowest at 12:04 … so only about a 20 second difference, which is pretty good for me). Overall, it was a pretty good run.

Friday: 17 minutes Cross-Training (Barre video); 0 freggie servings so far (but I haven’t eaten lunch or dinner yet, so that will change); Weigh-in @ 0.5 lb down
I’ve always loved ballet (I took it for 6 months after school in elementary school and then again for a semester in college), so I’ve wanted to try barre for a while. It wasn’t easy (I’m not in good shape for barre), and I wouldn’t do it the day before a run (I think my legs will hurt for a while), but I liked it and I think I could stick with it. For a little while at least.

August Weight Loss Progress: 0.5/3 lb (17%)

Total Fruits & Veggies, Week 1: 18/25
Weekly Fruits & Veggies Progress: 0/4 weeks (0%)

August Running Goal: 9.09/40 miles (23%)

General Comments:
This week was okay, but not great. I did okay with some things (like exercise), not so okay with others (like fruits & veggies), and just let certain things get to me a bit more than I should have. Shoes are getting a little better, but there’s still room for improvement … that or I’ve gotten used to the problems. I’m thinking of maybe rotating in a pair of the Brooks Ravennas (which were my #2 shoe choice) when these get up to 300 miles, but we’ll see how I feel when I get closer.
Next week will be a challenge – it’s a 3 run week (was planning to do Sun/Tues/Thurs), but I have an appointment Tuesday morning, so the question is whether to push the runs off to Wed/Fri (I hate running on Fridays because it’s a short day for me) or just get up between 5:30 and 6, try to get out around 6:30 and hope I can be ready to leave at 8:30 (it should be doable, because my timeline of awake to ready gave me 2.5-2.75 hours, but I’m still nervous). And I just realized that I may not be home by noon … so unless I want to try to register by cell phone or iPad from Starbucks (no guarantee that will be possible – I’ve sat through 2+ hour meetings before), that may have answered my Tink vs. Disneyland Half conundrum (but not definitely).
Also … what a week. Kermit & Miss Piggy … very sad. And Gwen and Gavin … I’m inconsolable. Plus, Jon Stewart’s last show was a tearjerker.
And you guys just learned that I have a drop of an existence outside the DIS.

Sarah's Funny of the Week:
A thought I had after Thursday morning’s run:
My Fitibit app wants me to get a Garmin. My feet want me to get new socks. My waist wants me to get a new running skirt (I don’t want to talk about it).
Pretty soon my budget is going to want me to stop running.
(Serious moment: Socks are the #1 priority right now, and I’m hoping I can find a good deal somewhere in the vicinity of 3 pair for $20 (cheaper is better, but I know running socks are expensive). I’ll use MapMyRun or Runkeeper and hope one of those will work better than Fitibit has been of late, and I can make the skirts work for now, I just have to be extra careful about how I wear them).

 

[wellesleyprincess]

​

Other Goals:

• 
  
  
  • Get New “Street Sneakers” – Until this new pair, I’ve always worn running shoes as regular sneakers – i.e. I wore them pretty much everywhere. I’m not going to do that with this pair, so I need to find other sneakers to wear as street shoes. I have a super lightweight pair of Pumas (technically running shoes even though I never ran in them) from a few years ago that I love and do still wear occasionally, but they’re getting very worn out and do need to be replaced. But the Pumas are my guide for what I’m looking for – lightweight, pretty, and comfy. Thankfully I got a DSW coupon in the mail last week ... so it looks like a shoe shopping trip is in order.
  • Sign Up For Running Gear Seller Emails – I need some new running gear – socks, new capris, maybe a new shirt. But I like to buy things on sale, because I’m on a tight budget. So my goal for the month is to find at least 5 running stores/suppliers that I like and sign up for their email lists so that I know when they’re having sales and can get the gear for cheaper.
  • Pick My First Half Marathon – This one is complicated. Since February (or so) we’ve been saying Disneyland 2016 would be our first, which was great because the timing was good. But something happened recently and now the timing is no longer quite as good. So we have to decide whether to stick with Disneyland 2016 or try for Tinker Bell 2016. Neither one is good timing, and there are a lot of factors to consider, but I think we could possibly make either one work … or we may end up having to register for one and then defer because it won’t work. But we probably need to pick one by August 11th (which is when Tink registration opens). I may have a post on this later this week … depends on how much help I need making the decision

One suggestion on the street sneaks. What I do is when I retire my running shoes they become "run around shoes" until the next ones retire.
Also be sure to checkout Running Warehouse for good deals on running gear.
I don't want to cause any more trouble, but I know you're in NYC. Have you thought about the Brooklyn Half Marathon? (It's on my list of races I want to do some day and so I had to suggest it.

 

[stacy~**]

I used some quiet time this morning to get caught up here! Now lets see what I can remember to comment on.

You did awesome in July meeting (or exceeding) all of you goals. That is really great!

I think your goals for August seem really well thought out with just the right amount of challenge vs. attainability!

Once you start paying the big money for running shoes it is best to just use them only for running so nabbing some street sneakers is definitely a smart idea. I like that I know exactly how many miles my shoes have on them plus being able to see how I wear the tread down is helpful to me in understanding how I run (and I am hoping will help the running store fit me for shoes to compliment/help with that...I am hoping to go this coming week to replace the pair I purchased in January).

A 69 minute run is great! Longer runs should be a slower pace so I would try not to get to caught up in the time not being what you had hoped.

I like to see you trying to incorporate cross training. That is something I kind of slacked on with my training before so I am hoping that seeing you do it will keep it in the back of my mind. When not running I Jazzercise but I really can't do much of it when running because it is hard on my hips. I really want to try swimming even though I am NOT a swimmer. I love the idea of the full body workout and the no impact.

Do you just use your FitBit to track your runs? Just curious because I find that my FitBit is usually way off on my runs and would never rely on it to track my distance.

Laughing at your break up comments....while Miss Piggy and Kermit were upsetting I too was super sad about Gwen and Gavin.

 

[SarahDisney]

One suggestion on the street sneaks. What I do is when I retire my running shoes they become "run around shoes" until the next ones retire.

Thanks for the tip on the sneakers - I actually didn't know if that was something people did, so it's good to know for the future. My most recent sneakers are not in the best of shape for anything, so I don't know how much I can wear them around (they hurt a little at Costco today, but that may have been because it was less than an hour after my run), but if they only have to last me the 6-7 months until my current running sneakers get retired ... I may be able to make do with what I have. We'll see what I find on my DSW trip.

Also be sure to checkout Running Warehouse for good deals on running gear.

Running Warehouse is one of the sites whose email list I want to get on ... I think I signed up last week, but I have to check my email to make sure because I haven't gotten anything from them yet. I've heard they have good stuff & good deals, and I'm glad to hear another person recommends them!

I don't want to cause any more trouble, but I know you're in NYC. Have you thought about the Brooklyn Half Marathon? (It's on my list of races I want to do some day and so I had to suggest it.

The one thing I forgot to mention is that my current plan is to do my first race of each distance at a Disney park, so rI'm just looking at the runDisney races right now ... but even if I don't do Disney as my first half, I want it to be something with more of a "fun" element, which I hope will take some of the pressure away from it being my first half.
Plus, I have a bit of an aversion to Brooklyn ... it's hard to explain. I may end up considering that race eventually, just not right now. My eventual plan is to do rD races 3 out of every 4 years and something local the 4th year (to give my wallet a break), so that may be one I do on my non-runDisney years ... although it was on a Saturday last year and I can't do Saturday races (but they may change the date eventually).

I used some quiet time this morning to get caught up here! Now lets see what I can remember to comment on.

I'm honored that you spent your quiet time catching up on my journal! Thanks!

You did awesome in July meeting (or exceeding) all of you goals. That is really great!

Thanks! I was really impressed that I was able to keep up with everything despite the heat (and a few other things I had going on).

I think your goals for August seem really well thought out with just the right amount of challenge vs. attainability!

Thanks! I'm really trying to find ways to challenge myself but at the same time not set myself up for failure - and I think I'm starting to get better at finding the balance, which is something I've struggled with a lot in general.

Once you start paying the big money for running shoes it is best to just use them only for running so nabbing some street sneakers is definitely a smart idea. I like that I know exactly how many miles my shoes have on them plus being able to see how I wear the tread down is helpful to me in understanding how I run (and I am hoping will help the running store fit me for shoes to compliment/help with that...I am hoping to go this coming week to replace the pair I purchased in January).

Definitely. At my old job, I used to sometimes wear my sneakers to work, especially during slower seasons when we weren't going to have visitors, and while this was before I started running, I can't imagine how much it beat up my shoes - I'd rather get the wear and tear from running. Looking at my last pair of shoes, a lot of the wear and tear is on the heels, and most of that comes from walking (I'm not a heel striker when I run, but I come down very hard on my heel when I walk). I can't imagine doing that to my new shoes! I'm hoping that in a few months, once these shoes get a little more use, I'll be able to look at them and see where I'm wearing them out most and see if that corresponds to any problems I'm having or if I think the wear and tear is in the "right" place.
Let me know how it goes at the running store - I hope you can get another good pair of shoes!

A 69 minute run is great! Longer runs should be a slower pace so I would try not to get to caught up in the time not being what you had hoped.

I definitely expect my long runs to be slower - during the summer, I'm hoping for 11:30 - 12:15 for short runs and 12:00 - 12:45 for long runs. It's just disappointing to me because I have been faster, even on my long runs. Today I did better, though - I think I was around 12:15ish today (70 minute run!!), which is around where I like my pace to be.

I like to see you trying to incorporate cross training. That is something I kind of slacked on with my training before so I am hoping that seeing you do it will keep it in the back of my mind. When not running I Jazzercise but I really can't do much of it when running because it is hard on my hips. I really want to try swimming even though I am NOT a swimmer. I love the idea of the full body workout and the no impact.

I think that cross-training is definitely something important, especially for someone (like me) who doesn't run every day - it means getting in some other exercise. I think that once you find something that you enjoy, it's easier to stick with - but that's just a guess.
If I had easy access to a pool, I would probably swim at least twice a month, more if I had time. I'm not much of a swimmer - I'd probably have to take a break every 2-3 laps - but I love being in the pool. It really is supposed to be a good workout, though ... and you don't have to worry about sweating as much because you're in the water!

Do you just use your FitBit to track your runs? Just curious because I find that my FitBit is usually way off on my runs and would never rely on it to track my distance.

I use the Fitbit app, which is a little more accurate than the Fitbit itself (the app uses the phone's GPS, whereas the Fitbit itself just uses its internal measurements). That or MapMyRun. Either way, I don't know how totally accurate they are, but since I'm going by time and not distance, all I really need is an approximate distance. I'll probably "upgrade" to a Garmin (or something similar) eventually, because those are supposed to be more accurate (and less likely to drain the battery on my phone), but I'm waiting a little while to do that.
Although it's interesting, we actually had this conversation with my dad today - he said he used to go out in the car to plan a route, and then he had to stick to that route to know how far he was going (this was pre-GPS). I like my way better - I can change my course mid-run if one park is too hot or crowded or I just feel like going somewhere new.

Laughing at your break up comments....while Miss Piggy and Kermit were upsetting I too was super sad about Gwen and Gavin.

Kermit and Miss Piggy had a tough relationship, and those can't always last.
But Gwen and Gavin ... if those two can't make it, what hope is there for the rest of us? They're both so weird, I thought they were perfect together. But I guess sometimes things happen.

 

[Neoflynn]

One suggestion on the street sneaks. What I do is when I retire my running shoes they become "run around shoes" until the next ones retire.

This is exactly what I do as well and is a good way to save a little money but not having to buy more shoes on top of the already expensive running shoes

 

[SarahDisney]

This is exactly what I do as well and is a good way to save a little money but not having to buy more shoes on top of the already expensive running shoes

Thanks for the tip!
I haven't had much luck shoe shopping, so this may be what I end up doing!

 

[SarahDisney]

On Shoes​

Once in a while, when I decide to be educated, I read the New York Times. Somehow this always happens on Tuesdays, which means I mostly end up reading the Science Times.

Yesterday I came across an article that I found interesting and wanted to share:
Choosing the Right Running Shoes

Basically, the article discusses a study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, which looked at studies related to running shoes and injury. If this is something that interests you, I highly recommend reading at least the article (if you can get access to the full text of the study, I’d recommend that as well … and send it over to me because apparently I can’t get the full text anymore, even though I could yesterday).

For those who don’t want to read the article/study, the basic gist of it is that picking shoes based on overpronation/oversupination doesn’t prevent injury any more than any other method (in fact, overpronators may be less prone to injury than normal pronators in regular shoes). Instead, the study recommends that shoes be chosen using two new paradigms, “preferred movement path” and “comfort filter.” Essentially, they’re saying that no matter what your pronation story is, the best shoe for you is the one that feels most comfortable.

So … how does this apply to me? I think you all know by now that I’ve had problems with my specially-chosen shoes. At the end of the day, even though I don’t love these shoes and don’t know if I ever will, I’m glad I went to get fitted, if only because it made me feel more like a real runner, which is something rare for me. These shoes were comfortable in store, so I may have chosen them even based on just comfort. Or I may have chosen a neutral shoe. I don’t know. I don’t think that second guessing myself based on this article is a good idea, but I do think that it’s something to think about.

So, esteemed readers, do you choose your shoes based on comfort or pronation/foot mechanics? Will reading this article have any impact on your shoe shopping?

 

[LSUlakes]

I use the Fitbit app, which is a little more accurate than the Fitbit itself (the app uses the phone's GPS, whereas the Fitbit itself just uses its internal measurements). That or MapMyRun. Either way, I don't know how totally accurate they are, but since I'm going by time and not distance, all I really need is an approximate distance. I'll probably "upgrade" to a Garmin (or something similar) eventually, because those are supposed to be more accurate (and less likely to drain the battery on my phone), but I'm waiting a little while to do that.
Although it's interesting, we actually had this conversation with my dad today - he said he used to go out in the car to plan a route, and then he had to stick to that route to know how far he was going (this was pre-GPS). I like my way better - I can change my course mid-run if one park is too hot or crowded or I just feel like going somewhere new.

So you caught my attention with the Garmin watch and shoe talk. Fist onto the shoes... The old pair usually get retired and have a system of downgrades. The first become public shoes (for errands around town on tailgating), then they become yard shoes. I also take a old pair with me before marathons and where them to the start and "donate" them before the start and put on my newer shoes for the race. I do this so my race shoes will remain dry and I also put on a new pair of socks. Keeping the feet fresh is nice. Now onto the watch. I highly recommend a Garmin and here is why. Once you get it going and log onto garmin connect you will find a place for "gear". You can enter your shoes is and it will track the miles you run on them for you! More than one pair, no problem you can put as many as you want and a simple click of the mouse will change the mileage to that appropriate shoe. I currently use the Forerunner 620 for running and the occasional bike ride and a vivofit (Garmin product) for tracking steps/sleep. The forerunner 620 may be more than you want, but I love data and the ability to sync the device with my phone to review runs almost instantly after a run. Using the vivofit is more for tracking sleep for me than steps, but again I love data. Tracking sleep helps give me an idea of why a certain workout did not go as planned because of not enough rest or poor diet. All these items also tie together with myfitnesspal and work together sharing data to get a fairly accurate idea of where I am fitness wise and so forth. I hope something along all my rambling is useful to you. If you have any questions regarding the 620 or other items I mentioned above, I will do my best to answer them for you.

 

[SarahDisney]

So you caught my attention with the Garmin watch and shoe talk. Fist onto the shoes... The old pair usually get retired and have a system of downgrades. The first become public shoes (for errands around town on tailgating), then they become yard shoes. I also take a old pair with me before marathons and where them to the start and "donate" them before the start and put on my newer shoes for the race. I do this so my race shoes will remain dry and I also put on a new pair of socks. Keeping the feet fresh is nice. Now onto the watch. I highly recommend a Garmin and here is why. Once you get it going and log onto garmin connect you will find a place for "gear". You can enter your shoes is and it will track the miles you run on them for you! More than one pair, no problem you can put as many as you want and a simple click of the mouse will change the mileage to that appropriate shoe. I currently use the Forerunner 620 for running and the occasional bike ride and a vivofit (Garmin product) for tracking steps/sleep. The forerunner 620 may be more than you want, but I love data and the ability to sync the device with my phone to review runs almost instantly after a run. Using the vivofit is more for tracking sleep for me than steps, but again I love data. Tracking sleep helps give me an idea of why a certain workout did not go as planned because of not enough rest or poor diet. All these items also tie together with myfitnesspal and work together sharing data to get a fairly accurate idea of where I am fitness wise and so forth. I hope something along all my rambling is useful to you. If you have any questions regarding the 620 or other items I mentioned above, I will do my best to answer them for you.

Thanks for the ideas on the shoes. I really like that you donate them before the race - it's a nice way to keep your running shoes fresh & help someone else at the same time!

Garmin is definitely on my radar, just not for right now. It's a bit too much of a financial investment for me right now, so I use what I already have. I have a Fitbit which I use to track steps and sleep, and then I use one of several apps on my phone for intervals and distance tracking. And then I use an Excel spreadsheet for tracking the miles on my shoes, which is good for me because it's something I can access easily from my computer. I think MapMyRun (which is what I've been using this week to track my distance) also tracks gear, I just haven't set it up yet.
The main advantage for my with a Garmin is that it saves phone battery. Right now I'm charging my phone before I go out running and again a few hours after I get back, because I'm using it for GPS, music, and intervals. With a Garmin, all I need the phone for is music, which saves some of my battery life.
Once I do move up to Garmin (hopefully before January), I don't know which model I'll go with. Is the Forerunner 620 one of the models that tracks steps? Because I have the Fitbit, I don't know that I'll need the step tracking, but my Fitbit is already 2 years old, so I don't know if I want to get a step tracking Garmin just in case my Garmin outlives my Fitbit. I'll probably end up with one of the cheaper models, just for financial reasons, but I do have a lot of research to do before I buy.

 

[LSUlakes]

Thanks for the ideas on the shoes. I really like that you donate them before the race - it's a nice way to keep your running shoes fresh & help someone else at the same time!

Garmin is definitely on my radar, just not for right now. It's a bit too much of a financial investment for me right now, so I use what I already have. I have a Fitbit which I use to track steps and sleep, and then I use one of several apps on my phone for intervals and distance tracking. And then I use an Excel spreadsheet for tracking the miles on my shoes, which is good for me because it's something I can access easily from my computer. I think MapMyRun (which is what I've been using this week to track my distance) also tracks gear, I just haven't set it up yet.
The main advantage for my with a Garmin is that it saves phone battery. Right now I'm charging my phone before I go out running and again a few hours after I get back, because I'm using it for GPS, music, and intervals. With a Garmin, all I need the phone for is music, which saves some of my battery life.
Once I do move up to Garmin (hopefully before January), I don't know which model I'll go with. Is the Forerunner 620 one of the models that tracks steps? Because I have the Fitbit, I don't know that I'll need the step tracking, but my Fitbit is already 2 years old, so I don't know if I want to get a step tracking Garmin just in case my Garmin outlives my Fitbit. I'll probably end up with one of the cheaper models, just for financial reasons, but I do have a lot of research to do before I buy.

The 620 doesn't track steps but it is a nice watch. I understand about the investment part of things. I think the 220 is the cheaper version that has a lot of the features of the 620. I had the same problem with using a phone for tracking and that is why I originally got a watch. That and I hated having to lug around the phone on runs. I also found that hearing the rhythm of my breathing help settle me into a good pace without the distraction of music. I also liked that without the music I was more aware of my surroundings (traffic, other runners, ect). For really good reviews of almost any watch you would be interested in I would suggest reading dcrainmakers reviews.