I survived!!

3.3 miles today.  I finished the Warrior Dash in Michigan.  I don't know what time or what place but I walked with my friend P and had a great time.  It was certainly a different race!  It was a fun course(not hard) and will give all the details once photo's are up.

Have a great day and....Keep Running!!!

Runner of the week! Yeah!

Cross training on the schedule today.  I ended up biking about 19 miles at Stony Creek.  I drove home and was feeling pretty good so I decided to run the four miles that I missed yesterday.

Wow - a brick workout is tough.  I guess that's why they call it a brick, huh?

My legs felt like lead for the first mile but I did fine.  Finished four in this heat.  Yes, we are getting back to the 90's again today.  Just to be clear, I'm not training for a triathlon since I can't find one to fit in my schedule but I really am enjoying the bike again.  It's also nice to train on the bike without having a schedule.  I should try that for running sometime too.

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I saw the Stony Creek King - Ken from Eastside Stony Creek TNT running this morning at Stony Creek.  It was already hot by about 8:30am when I saw him.  I was glad to be on the bike.  Little did I know I was going to run too.  Haha!

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Warrior Dash tomorrow.  I decided I'm not racing.  I will actually be walking much of the course with my friend, P.  She hurt her ankle last week so she has to be careful.  She wants to complete her first half marathon in Detroit this year so I understand her not wanting to miss that.  I'm totally fine with walking because I know that I'll have so much more fun with her by my side versus going off on my own.  Do you enjoy running races alone or with people?  92 degrees for a high tomorrow - it should be an interesting time.

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Welcome new followers!  For those of you interested in hearing a little more about my history over the past two years or to help you fall asleep, I was nominated as the runner of the week on Runner Dude's Blog.  Actually I'm not sure if I was really nominated.  I just submitted my story to him and he posted it about me.  If you have not checked out his blog before, he has some great information to share.  Click HERE for my story!  Thanks for sharing it Runner Dude!

Have a great day and....Keep Running

TGIF...

4 mile on the schedule today.....0 miles run.  Too tired.

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Doing my long run during the week really messes things up.  It's too long of a run during the week.  It's not easy running that long then working all day.  Also, getting up that early just makes me tired all day as well. Live and learn.  I won't be doing a run longer than 10 miles ever during the week going forward.

Sunday I have the big mud race!  Warrior Dash.  I'm not treating it as a race though.  First, I don't want to hurt myself and be out of commission for a long time.  Second, it's my first race of this kind.  Third, I just want to have fun and not worry about the clock and do something new.  12 obstacles.  It's looking like it's going to be in the 90's for Sunday.  It also rained like crazy yesterday and today so who knows what the course will be like.  Really muddy?

I know some of you have done a race like this before.  It looks like you enjoyed doing it.  There is another race that's coming to Michigan next year called the Tough Mudder.  Now this looks crazy!  19-20 obstacles, really crazy obstacles, and 10 miles.  Take about 2.5 hours to complete.  Plus it's in April in Michigan so the water parts would be REALLY cold.  I will NOT be signing up for this one but it would be interesting to watch.  Unfortunately, the charge spectators to watch it - no thanks!  Each one is different but this gives you an idea of the course - Crazy!

Question fo the day?  Have you ever done the Tough Mudder?




Have a great day and.....Keep Running!!!!!

The deadly treadmill.....

As you know, I hate the treadmill.  I got up today at 4am to get out there because I wanted to do my long run today since I have some things going on - a race and family get together.  The plan was to do 14 miles - 14 miles! Before work!  Yikes.

14 on this?

Unfortunately I got up and it was raining, thunder and lightning outside.  Crap.  Do I dare use the treadmill?  My last treadmill run was on March 24th and I hated to break that streak.  I had no choice.  I got on and did the the run - all 14 miles of it.  That's a record for me on the mill.  The most I have ever done is 8 miles and that was painful enough.  I actually watched the entire move, Forrest Gump!  Haha!

The other thing I found out was that my treadmill shuts down went it hits 100 minutes.  I guess they think nobody is stupid enough to run that long on a treadmill.  It stopped automatically on me so I had to turn it off and back on again to reset the clock.

The other issue is that it was really hot.  So hot I had to use a towel to keep all the sweat from getting all over.  So hot that at about mile 7 my foot felt like it was going to burst.  I had to stop and put some bodyglide on my foot again.

The final issue is that the Directv was out since it was raining so hard so that is why I resorted to a movie.

Here's to hoping I never have to do that ever again - ever!!!

What your longest treadmill run?




Have a great day and....Keep Running!!!!!

WTF Wednesday and contest!!!

7 miles on the schedule; done!  It was much nicer out this morning.  In the low 60's!  Yeah.  Much easier to run in.

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WTF Wednesday......

1) 60's in the morning back to 90's on the weekend....WTF.

2)  Justin Bieber and his Dad get the same tattoo; a Hebrew Jesus....WTF.  This is a role model for my teenage daughter?  WTF!

3)  I need to do my long run before work on Friday - 14 miles!  WTF - that should be interesting.

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As you know, I did a review of Auria's Exceed Headphones (Click HERE to read it).  Auria also offered to give a set of these fine headphones away to one of my lucky readers.

So....here's the rules:

1) You must be a follower and let me know you are.(mandatory)

Extra entries:

1) Follow Auria on facebook and post a comment that Detroit Runner sent you there and then come back here a post a comment about it. (Here)
2) Tell me when you use music to work out!

PLEASE provide a separate comment for each entry!

That's it!  An easy entry and a chance to win some great headphones.

The contest will run through Saturday, August 6th when I'll pick the winner.

Have a great day and.....Keep Running!!!!!!

Minimalist shoes....

4 miles today.  Felt great today.  It's much cooler this morning than it has been over the past week.  Even 5 degrees makes a big difference.

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Minimalist shoes.  I've been thinking about trying them for some time.  My biggest issue was buying a pair of shoes that I was only going to use 10% or less of the time I run.  My plan was to not use these shoes as a replacement for my regular running shoes but to supplement my shoes to help strengthen my legs and feet.

Fortunately, for me, I WON a pair of Somnio Nada barefoot shoes through Barefoot Angie Bee's blog.  I just received them yesterday in the mail.  Here's a few pictures of the real thing -

Nice looking pair of shoes

Look how flat these are!

Bottom

Heel

Front

They also came is a nice shoe box and a CD to help you learn how to stretch before you use them.  I love the "It's all about YOU" saying on the box:

Overall a really nice pair of shoes.  I'm going to take this really slow so I don't hurt myself.  Frankly, I probably should not be going straight to barefoot shoes.  I should probably go to something with less support than my Saucony's and then move to this but I will take it slow and ease up on the mileage.

So far, I've just tried them on to make sure they fit.  They run really large.  These are a 7.5 shoe and I normally wear an 8.5 - a full size difference!

One thing I noticed this morning as I was getting ready to go outside for my run is the huge difference in what I'm wearing now versus these.  The picture says it all:

Look how much bigger my Saucony Ride 2's are versus the Somnia Nada.  Wow - that's a really big difference!

Saucony's weight :  11.50 oz.

Nada's weight:  3.50 oz.

Question of the day:  What's the light pair of shoes you own?




Have a great day and.....Keep Running!!!!!

Weekend running stuff.....

Rest day today.  Yeah!

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This weekend I did a couple things related to running(surprise, surprise).  First, I bought a new shelf to install in our laundry room so that I can store all my running/biking crap in one place.  I was starting to take over our dining room and, really, who wants to see running crap when you walk into the house?  So this little project, which took be about 15 minutes, is a little on my nerdy running side and also my cleanliness side since I hate stuff lying around all over the house.  Here a picture of my final product:

Geeky but clean!

I put a shelf in and I also installed a 6 hook hanging rack below it to let stuff dry out after my run/bike.  I sure do have a lot of crap, huh?  I like having everything in one place set up the night before so I don't forget anything at 5am and so I don't disturb anyone in the house.

The second thing I did this weekend was stopped by by local running shop, Hanson's in Utica.  I'm sure most of you have seen Hanson's/Brooks runners in some of the biggest marathon's in the country.  Does Desiree Davila, runner up for the Boston marathon sound familiar?  She's a Hanson's Brooks Runner.  Unfortunately, she was not at the Hanson's store but they were having a Hanson's/Brooks promotion.  It was called the Brooks Run Happy Cavalcade of Curiosities.

Brooks had their bus there showing off their shoes.  You could actually try on shoes and run on one of two treadmills that were on the second level of the bus.  I wish I had brought my camera to show it to you.  Here's a picture from Brooks website.  This was what the bus looked like on the side:

They were also doing a giveaway as well.  When you signed up, you got a chance to win a bumper sticker, a pair of headphones, a hat or a T-shirt.  We(I dragged the family there too) won two hats and two bumper stickers.  Here's what they look like:

A little hot for this now but when winter comes, great!

Yup, that's me

They also had a dunk tank and we were able to try dunking one of the Hansons runners.  Since it was 92 degrees out, it seemed like a good thing to do but neither my son or I were able to get them dunked.  After that, we went in the store to check things out.  They had 20% off all brooks shoes but I'm not in the market for shoes now, so we passed on the sale.  It was fun checking out everything though.

Question of the day?  Does your local running store do promotions like this?




Have a great day and.....Keep Running!!!!

Review of Auria Exceed sport headphones...

9 miles on the schedule today.  We(T and I) started at 7am at Stony Creek today.  I ended up doing 10 while T had to do 5 more since his next marathon is a few weeks before mine.  We did hills today running up to the nature center and back.  Hot!!!  Those hills did not seem that big last year?  Yikes!

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The people over at Auria sent me their Exceed Sport Headphones for me to do a review of the headphones.  I was happy to do this review because I'm still looking for a good  pair of headphones.  These headphones are specifically made for sport(running/biking/working out, etc) as you can see by the cover of the package.  (Although I would not recommend anyone wear headphones when on a bike for safety purposes)

As many of you know, I run with music always when training but never at races.  I have gone through so many Apple ipod headphones over the last two years, I have lost track as to how many I have replaced.  Coincidentally, the ipod headphones went out again this weekend too!  It was REALLY nice to try something new.  These headphones are compatible with all mp3 players/ipods/iphones.  It's clear that these are made quite well.  The actual earbuds take a little getting used to but once you are used to them, you don't even know they are there.  They are put in your ears but they don't go into your ear canal.  This way, when you are running, you can still hear the music very nicely but you also can hear all the sounds around you so it keeps you much safer when working out.  This is especially important for me since I workout at 5am and it's still dark outside when I start.

The headphones also come with an in-line adjustment to change songs and change the volume.  Because I have an old ipod(with no buttons) that has in-line headphone controls, these are not 100% compatible with these headphones.  Actually, they work with my ipod but they will not change the songs but will change the volume.  According to their website, you can purchase a "iLuv Adapter" which will likely work with my ipod but really I'd rather just get a new ipod.  I have an old style of ipod shuffle(which I hate by the way) that you cannot normally find fully compatible headphones for it(except Apple's) except now.  This is the only headphone company I know that has this sort of adapter for my ipod.

In addition to the headphones, these come with three additional silicone earpieces to fit in different size ears as can be seen in the picture below.

As can be seen below, the headphones are very easy to put on.  Point, insert and rotate.  And guess what?  They stay put.  I have been running with these all week including my long run and they don't fall out.  I can also talk with my running buddy and still listen to the music too.

The only reason I say that they take some getting used to is that they are so light.  Also, when you put them in your ear, they don't feel like they are in your ear, so it feels like they are going to fall out but they never do!  It's nice to run with headphones that you don't have to shove into your ear but will still stay on.

Would I recommend these?  Absolutely.  They are made well, sweat proof, easy to fit, sound great and are inexpensive but most of all, they stay in your ear and don't move which, for me, is the most important part of the headphones.  So if you are looking for a new set of headphones, try them out!

To learn more about these headphones and other great products they sell, go to Auria's website(Click HERE)

Have a great day and.....Keep Running!!!!!!

Disclaimer:  I was sent one free pair of Auria's exceed headphones and promised an additional pair in exchange for a review/testing of these headphones.  All opinions on this review are my own and "free" anything is not going to have me give a good review of something that I would not use/endorse myself.

Winner, winner, chicken dinner...

12 miles on the bike today.  Today was a scheduled rest day but I decided to bike today instead of Monday morning.  Much easier since I don't have to rush today and I have to rush on Monday.  That means I get a rest day on Monday.  Yeah.

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Today's the day - who wins the 26.2 car emblems provided by Elektroplate?

We only had 40 entries for these two emblems so your chances were really good to win.  Pulled by random number by Random.org.  The winner of the white 26.2 emblem is:

Penny from Pink Hat Runner!!!!  Congratulations!!!!

The winner of the pink 26.2 emblem is:

Annette from (Running) in the Right Direction.  Congratulations!!!!

I want to again thank Elektroplate for sponsoring the two emblems and thank everyone who participated.  Winners please e-mail me your address and I will get them sent out to you.

For those of you that did not win but liked the car emblems(they are very reasonable - I bought two!), please go HERE to Chromeemblems and see what they have.  They have a great selection of running ones as well as many other choices and they look much nicer than the regular stickers/magnets.

Thanks and have a great day!!!!!!

Pre-race meals?

6 miles on the schedule today.  That's what I did!  It was certainly cooler out there this morning.  By like 10 degrees!  That made a big difference in my run today.  Could mid 70's actually feel cool?  After you run in the mid 80's it sure does.

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86 days until my next marathon - let the countdown begin!  I know one thing is for sure, next season if I run a marathon, I'm only doing one per season.  It's really too much training and I don't even train like some of you do.  My plan has a running maximum of 43 miles - pretty low overall.  One good thing is I can eat what I want which is a nice side effect of running so much.

It's been about two months since my first marathon.  I can say that doing two in one year is do-able.  Your body has time to recover.  Although I did not feel that way the week after the race.  Haha!  In my case, I will have had 4.5 months between marathons.  Plenty of time to get strong again.

Here's what the shirt looks like for the Detroit marathon.  Not too bad - I like it:

And of course, I have shared what the medal looks like:

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Now that my mileage is going to start building up, I really need to start eating more before I run to help change the nutrition I get before a long run.  I'm only doing 10 miles this weekend but next week I have 14 on the schedule.  I'm pretty good with knowing what to eat for up to a half marathon.  It's after those miles that I need to work on.  I'll be trying out the Hammer nutrition drink that Stephanie gave me over at In Steph's Shoes soon.  It sounds yummy.  My goal is to eat a more tangible breakfast before each long run so I have that nutrition in me longer.

My running buddy, T, eats oatmeal before his long run but I just hate the consistency of oatmeal.  I see lots of you also eat that as well with peanut butter.  Anyone eat oatmeal now that used to hate it but like it now since you have a good recipe for it?  Please share!  Maybe a peanut butter and jelly 1/2 sandwich for breakfast might be a possibility.  I've seen some people eat crustables which is a little PB&J pie sandwich.  I've also eaten a granola bar and half banana before my half marathon races which work well for me.  Perhaps I'll move to a full banana and eat it a little longer out from the run time.  It's amazing how what you eat before can really effect your race performance.

What's your pre-race or pre-long run go to meal?




Have a great day and.....Keep Running!!!!!!

WTF Weather Wednesday.....

5 miler on the schedule today; done!  This week's workouts have just been terrible.  I get through them but it's crazy hot at 5am!

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Did I mention it's hot in Michigan?  I mean, I know it's summer and all but look at this:

1.  WTF - 80 degrees at 5am??
2.  WTF - I can't even get away from the heat at the cottage because it's hot there too!
3.  WTF - Crazy hot running through the weekend?

You people that run after work are even crazier than I am!  Haha!

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Just another reminder that my giveaway for the Elektroplate 26.2 emblems is over on July 23rd(Click HERE).  I only have 35 comments on the giveaway right now so you have a pretty good chance of winning one.  Good luck!

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Question of the day?  Are you running in this heat?




Have a great day and......Keep Running!!!!!!