Excited About New Shoes....yet not really....

One Year...
600+ miles...
Two Pairs...
Three Races...wow, just three?

Regardless, it was time for some new shoes (as previously discussed a couple posts back). I try to support the local running stores here in town, and since I had some store credit I went ahead and jumped for the GTS 13's. First run tonight and DAMN what a difference! I was really starting to feel the effects of adding mileage on some worn down treads lately, so tonight felt like running on pillows with springs on the bottom.

I think I mentioned a brief brush with pain a couple weeks ago when I started to feel some pulling in my right calf, but I'm starting to think that could also be attributed to the old shoes. No sign of injury recently and the runs are still just clicking along. Six and half weeks to go and I'm feeling pretty good. The long weekend runs are the ones I'm most interested in at the moment. As long as I can complete the mileage I'll be happy.

So, about the whole "not excited" part. After Brooks killed the color options on the 11th and 12th edition, the 13th comes in rather mundane if you ask me. Brooks returned back to a look similar to the X edition. You pretty much get red/white or blue/white. Blah. I actually reserved my pair on the phone, so I wasn't sure what I was getting when I picked them up today. Thank God they were the blue. I hate red. I don't think I should have to explain myself.

So here we are, the last four pairs of Adrenaline shoes...guessing I threw all other former pairs out in the trash, but I absolutely LOVE this shoe.

Mental Humpin'

Well, my ultimate nightmare for the P200 & 13.1 has been realized. I'm going to die if the weather is anything like tonight....

Cold ( ~40*)
Windy ( Gusts at 30 mph )
Rain. Real rain.

But my goal was to let as few things as possible interrupt my training schedule, so I set out in the elements. Seems pretty important to me to have the right gear for bad weather, especially the rain. Pretty easy to work around the cold, but nothing is worse than being wet. At least not to me. If I'm wet for any reason other than:

a.) working out
b.) swimming
c.) showering

...I'm not happy. My Brooks LSD jacket did the trick tonight for both the wind and the rain, fortunately. I think they should start paying me for endorsement as much as I mention their products.

So that brings me to my question. What gets you over the mental hump during a run? Whether it be pain, cold, rain, disinterest, etc...what keeps the legs churning? I think it varies based on the session, but for me I ventured off to thinking about work and some lingering issues I'm dealing with. That's sad, if you ask me, but hey it worked. So, what is it for you? Music? Running Group? Let's hear it!

And just for entertainment value, I offer you this....

Half Marathon Kick Off

This week marked the official kick off of 13.1 training as we are now 12 weeks out from the race. I'm using Hal Higdon's Novice One plan as guidance but will most likely improvise along the way a little. Best example being that my long weekend runs are already six+ miles. I think the biggest change in routine will have to do with number of runs per week. I'm used to three runs, so hopefully the additional day and mileage have ONLY a positive affect.

So...what better way to kick off training (outside of the seven miler on Sunday) than to post-surgery PR a 5k run. Bested the previous PR from earlier this month by roughly 25 seconds. Best part was feeling awesome during not quite ideal weather conditions. This evening it was roughly 45 degrees with wind gusts up to 30 mph. It did give me a chance to field test some new apparel (yay Christmas!). So I can give my best two thumbs up to the following items:

Brooks LSD Lite III - lightweight but amazing as far as wind protection. I was extremely warm despite the conditions, plus it contours well to the body. Only a typical tech t-shirt as a base layer. Well worth the money IMO.

Saucony Gloves - basically these gloves, without the weird Euro design. They're lightweight as well, but excellent wind protection. I would say they run big as a medium was plenty of room for my hands.

With all that said, I'm pretty much checked out for the week. Friday, I'm off to Colorado to visit my brother and sister-in-law for NYE. I promise a report from what is certain to be a frigid weekend run. CAN'T WAIT

More Milestones

In lieu of holiday indulgence, I actually decided to venture out on a run this evening in hopes of diverting any Christmas weight gain. Not to mention, this week "officially" started my half marathon 12-week training program. I would say that the training got off to a good start...1:05 and 7.1 miles. This marks the longest run I've completed since junior year of college prior to breaking my leg. Needless to say, this is extremely encouraging as I jump into 2013 full bore staring down the barrel at the half marathon.

So onto some gear talk: I've already been given a couple REI and Academy Sports gifts cards for Christmas, and I'm ready to do some strategical shopping for the winter season. On my list is:

1. Gloves - lightweight, breathable. I lost a nice pair during the move. Since I'm a big fan of Brooks apparel, considering these:

Night Life Gloves

2. Long Sleeve Shirts - Love REI's poly/spandex tech shirts Found Here

3. Shoes - still trying to decide on new shoes and will probably try to find a cheap pair of the GTS 11's that I mentioned a few weeks ago. If no luck there, then it's on to the 12th addition. Although, I'm doing more research into the PURE line from Brooks...not sure if they offer enough control for my gait though.

Good luck to those running holiday races, and Merry Christmas! Put together a plan for 2013 that has you pounding more pavement!

5K PR!

I'm rather swamped these days; even more so than I used. I used to think I was swamped, but those days are long gone. Today, I started a new job (again). Basically, I was expecting your typical orientation type first day but what I encountered was quite the opposite. Sat down, fired up my computer and was given a project that needs a finished contract by the week's end. Oh, and I haven't done what I'm doing now in three years. So heeeerrreeeeeee weeeeeeeee gooooooooo!

Running has really taken a back seat the past week or so. Last week I was busy transitioning my old job accounts to new people, followed by an early departure to Richmond for a wedding weekend. It's hard to complain too much about the weekend as I got to play golf twice and indulge in a tremendous amount of free booze...speaking of...the groom was a friend of mine from Clemson...we warned the bride's father that he would need plenty of bourbon at the reception. They ran out of bourbon...then ran to the store for more...and ran out again...ran to the store yet again...and yes, ran out once more. Anyway, I think I'm supposed to be bragging about running accomplishments right?

December update - haven't run in a week I believe - and PR'ed tonight in the 5K. As always, I'm referring to the post surgery PR numbers. 27:04 & an 8:40 pace. Probably not a coincidence, but I also cracked 200 lbs tonight. The battle with the Clydesdale mark continues....

Muuuur Crimmus

Well, a mere seven months after purchasing our house and we finally have a relatively finished living room. My wife did a great job decorating for Christmas, and we finally bought a TV for "her" room. I say "finally" because the man room has been set up since the day we moved in. Anyway, as they say, "if momma's happy, everyone's happy".

So, here's what I'm battling right now. It's about time for new shoes and I'm doing my due diligence. I'm a huge Brooks fan, specifically the Adrenaline GTS. I've owned every pair since the 5th edition. Currently, I'm rotating two pairs of the 11th edition and it is clearly the best shoe I've ever worn. Now, here's the kicker...Runners World just announced the GTS 13th edition as their editor's shoe of the year. I mean, I have to try it right??? But why go away from a good thing especially with four critical months upcoming? Plus there's the cost issue...if I can find a pair (or two) of 11's online, I could pretty much get both pairs for the cost of one pair of the 13's. Plus the 13th edition has terrible colors, you know, because that's pretty important. What have your experiences? Thoughts in general?

Training these days is mostly maintaining. I have about three weeks to go until the official 13.1 training begins. Last couple runs have been good, although I'm starting to develop a little pain in the arch of my left foot. Going to do some research on plantar fasciitis and pray that's not what is going on here.

Nightlife!

Wow, talk about a rude introduction into the winter running season! Ol' Sandy made her presence felt even down here in the south as we were welcomed this morning by 40 degree temps and 20 mph winds. Brrr. This prompted me to head over to Run In to look for a wind resistant vest to aid in the winter training. Got the vest on sale, for $40, and I tell you it's WELL worth it. Conditions when I ran this evening: 45 degrees, sustained winds at 15mph, gusts at 21mph. Now, I didn't overreact and suit up in leggings and arm warmers...see for yourself my attire!

The vest stood out...for something so lightweight, it certainly was up to the task tonight! Not to mention the nightlife color...comes in handy this time of year as it's almost guaranteed that you're running in the dark. So this is my official endorsement of the Brooks Essential Vest, available on their website @ Brooks Running

So another good run tonight that I could've kept going, but it was getting late, I was ready for dinner, and wasn't all that far from the house at the time. Also, don't want to increase mileage too much too fast...injury looms. The next few steps for me will be looking into more gear (LOVE gear), figuring out energy supplements for longer runs, and defining an actual schedule instead "run when you get a chance to run". Thanks work.  

And I just uploaded the picture...I look like I'm 5'0" tall. And hell yeah I rocked the headlamp.