A Little Advise Please!!

I need a little advise.  For the past few years I have enjoyed doing a long run every Saturday, these runs have always been my favorite run of the week.  Everyone has always said how crazy it is that I do a long run every week but I truly LOVED it...that is until a few months ago.  Ever since my last marathon in September my LR's have been HORRIBLE!  I may have had an okay one in there somewhere but for the most part they have not been good.


I went from craving and loving the LR to DREADING it :(  The biggest problem is that I keep thinking maybe I should just miss a long run or two and give my body a little break.  Why is that a problem you may ask...well, I am currently training for a marathon!  A marathon that today as I was running all I could think was "forget this stupid marathon crap, I never want to run one again!"  That is not like me, the marathon has always been my favorite distance to run.

Just look at that goofy smile, I had it on my face for 26.2 miles!

What has happened to my love for distance?

My runs during the week feel great, I usually do between 7-9 miles 4 days a week and I do a spin class once a week to give my legs a break from running.  At this point I almost think that it's all in my head but I don't know how to get past that.  This morning as soon as I got out of bed my legs felt like they weighed 600 lbs.  I took my SportLegs and hoped for the best but the best never came.  Don't my SportLegs know that they should do their job...RUDE ;)


Truth be told I have been stuck on a treadmill for these past few months and maybe that has had something to do with it.  Of course in the past I have always done my LR's on a treadmill in the winter.  For some crazy reason going out in the lone dark night in the FREEZING cold just hasn't sounded like much fun.  I wish I could sleep in and go a bit later...you know like when it gets light.  But having kidlets kind of requires me to be a mom so I can't be gone all day.  Plus, we are in the middle of gymnastics competition season so most Saturdays I am in a rush to get home so that I can get the beautiful children of the corn off to their meets.


Have any of you ever gone through something like this...that has lasted this long???

If my marathon is on a Monday should I start doing my long runs on Mondays?  I always have great runs on Mondays, probably because Sundays are the day of rest so I'm all refreshed and ready to run.

Any suggestions you can give would be greatly appreciated.  And none of this stop running talk, I paid $150 to run this marathon and I will NOT miss it!!

Sorry to bore you to death with my non-sense :(

Go With the Flow!

I’m in love, I’m in love and I don’t care who knows it!  Of course, I’m in love with Jake but I am also in love with my new Brooks Pure Flow running shoes.  I have known for some time that I have wanted to work my way into a more minimalist shoe but quite frankly I have been scared, me scared?  Shocking I know, I mean seriously I’m not scared of anything (I’m really scared of just about everything) ;)  I have been scared because I have heard horror stories about people going minimalist and getting injured and that’s the last thing I want right now, after all today marks the first day of my BOSTON marathon training.  (Actually I wrote this a few weeks ago but never posted it and the marathon training is going GREAT...I know you were all dying to know ;)

The second I tried this wonderful shoe on I knew I had to have it.  I kept putting it off because A. I had just gotten my Asics Nimbus, which I still love.   And B. I was scared!  I work at a shoe shop as most of you are well aware, so these shoes just kept taunting me.   When I FINALLY decided that I had to have these shoes I was sad to find that we had sold my size, at least I thought.  To my very pleasant surprise as I was looking through the shoes at the American Fork store I stumbled upon my shoes!!  YAY!!  They hadn’t been sold they had just been transferred, the A.F. store didn’t get any of these little beauties…sad day for them ;)

My first run I was expecting to have to change shoes mid-way through my run.  After all, I am used to my Nimbus which I believe have a 12mm heel to toe drop and these only have a 4 mm heel to toe drop.  I finished my 7 mile run and felt awesome, I could definitely feel my calves working a little more which I love because who doesn’t want juicy steaks for calves?  I do!!

These shoes are very light weight you can feel your run rather than float through your run.  The people at Brooks compare running in their Pure line to driving a motorcycle rather than a luxury car.  With a motorcycle you connect with the road, feel the curves and become a part of your ride.  Whereas, with a luxury car you float along in comfort just like in my Nimbus.  Both shoes have their place.  For me, my Nimbus are used on my long runs and my Pure Flows are used on shorter running days.

Working at the shoe shop I have learned the importance of rotating your shoes.  Of course, when my boss first told me that everyone should have 2 pairs of running shoes I thought “Sure, you just want more money!”  Sorry for the honesty put that’s what I thought.  So being the stubborn gal that I am I went home and did a little research of my own.  I am sure that all of you runners out there already know this but it really is important to have at least 2 pairs of shoes to rotate through.  For those of you who don’t know this let me explain.  You see when you run in a shoe the cushioning becomes compressed and it takes about 36 hours for it to fully decompress.    If you are running in the same shoes day after day you are never allowing them to decompress which will make the foam  break down faster than it should.   So your shoes will last longer for two reasons.  1. You are not wearing them every day so it takes you twice as long to put the usual 500-600 miles on them.  And 2. You are allowing the shoes to decompress which makes them last longer.

I also think it is important to have two different shoes so that you are working different muscles.  My Pure Flows are going to work my legs just a little differently than my Nimbus’.  With the Pure Flows I am landing more mid-foot.

Here are some important features of the Brooks Pure Line:

Ideal Heel: This aligns your body for optimal spring in every step it helps you land more mid-foot rather than on your heel.

Toe Flex: Empowers your natural balance for a powerful push-off.  As you run you should be rolling off of your foot so that you are pushing off of your big toe and this helps you do that.

Nav Band: This wonderful little band wraps your foot for a perfect fit.  It feels like your foot is getting a little hug.

Anatomical Last: The shoe contours your foot, your foot has room and your toes don’t feel squished together.

BioMoGo DNA:  Tunes to your stride with adaptable cushioning.  This shoe is SUPER comfortable, you can feel your run without FEELING your run, if that makes sense.  I feel the run without feeling like I don’t have the cushion that I need and want.

I hope I haven’t bored you to DEATH but I truly love these shoes and thought everyone should know about their awesomeness J

What are your most favorite running shoes?

Brooks Pure Flow’s and Asics Nimbus

Do you rotate your shoes?

I do now…I’m a little slow but I catch on eventually