Whew…. what a full, fun and somewhat strange few days it has been. A long, tough week at work, my highest mileage week since the 3rd week in May, a strange 25-hour power outage at home that started at 4am Saturday, getting to buy my husband new clothes now that he has lost a total of 30lbs (WOW!) since March of this year; beer, raw oysters on the half shell, a movie, and a terrific 10 mile run at the beach Sunday morning.Last week was a big leap forward for me from a self-confidence perspective. I ran 27 miles total in 257 minutes (avg pace of 9:30 min/mile).. The last time I ran 27 miles in a week was back in May with an avg pace of 10:30. I am feeling really great about it. Granted, my longest run this week was only 10 miles, and back in May, the longest was 14 that week (which I would run at a slower pace than 10 miles). Nevertheless, I am now running 4:30/0:30 run/walk intervals (previously used 4:1 intervals), I’m also able to do a lot more hill and speed work, and I’m now running 4 days a week instead of 3. Progress, progress, progress.
Recap of 10 mile run yesterday: Goal pace was 9:45 for the first 7 miles, and then progressively increased my pace over the next 3 miles, averaging 8:51 for that segment. Average overall pace was 9:24 – coming in slightly 5 min faster than the 10mile run I did a couple of weeks ago. Had a little right hamstring and butt pain (I'm guessing an inflammed Piriformis muscle) which I somewhat attribute to the increase in speed and weekly mileage.
We were able to get a technician out for annual maintenance on the treadmill Friday night. Between my husband and I, we ran 777 miles combined over 153 hours total in the last 12 months. Just a little over 6 days?!?! And that doesn't include our outdoor runs which are typically 8+ miles on the weekend. My theory that I was having new pain due to unevenness between the right and left sides of the belt cushioning/firmness was squashed by the tech. He said it’s in great condition.
I recently starting rotating in the new Asics Kayano 16’s I bought after learning the 15’s were no longer being produced. The 16’s just don’t feel the same (not to mention an additional $40). Asics widened the toe box and I’m getting calluses and raw spots on my feet that I don't have when I wear the 15’s. How can these models be right for the same type of foot? The toe box widened the shoe and is not a good fit for my narrow, high-arched feet. was elated to learn from Road Runner Sports that they made a deal with Asics to keep producing the 15’s. I am stocking up. I don’t understand these constant model upgrades. You find a shoe you love, and 1 to 2 years later, they’re no longer available. My experience has been that the next generation model never feels the same. I’ve known several runners who have tried a new model or new brand of shoe on the recommendation of a “running expert” sales person or because their favorite shoe was discontinued, and ended up getting hurt or exacerbating an existing injury. Why I say – WHY must companies do this to us?!
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| Asics Gel Kayano 15s - Women's |
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| Asics Gel Kayano 16s - Women's |
With only one long run left this coming Sunday before beginning the taper for the Disneyland Half, I’m definitely feeling ready to break 2 hours. Goal pace is going to be 8:50 overall. That gives me a few minutes of wiggle room to run through the masses at the Start. The first few miles can be a little frustrating due to several narrow parts of the course as we enter and run through the parks. I am hopeful to be moved up a corral or 2 now that my most recent Half finish time was 2:01:36 at the beginning of June. I am going to prepare myself mentally for the possibility of not being able to maintain my goal pace initially, but I have confidence I will be able to make up the time with a good kick in the last 4 miles.
About this strange power outage…. My husband and I are very early risers. Sleeping in is 6:30am on the weekends. Well, this past Saturday, we were up at 5:15, finally rolling out of bed around 5:30. As we started turning lights on and walking around the house, we noticed the lights weren’t as bright as usual (some wouldn’t turn on at all) – then we checked the computers that are always on and they were off. We tried to turn on a couple of televisions/monitors and it was as if they couldn’t maintain a steady enough or powerful enough electricity flow to stay on. Weird. It’s like we had half the power we usually do. Without “enough” electricity, we have no Internet, which means no phone for us. We live in an area that has little cell phone reception so we headed outside to call Edison (after flipping all the breakers to see if it was a problem specific to our home). We saw another couple leaving in their car, but were manually opening and shutting their garage door. I asked them if they were having power problems and of course they were. The Edison rep my hubby talked to said no one else had called in (um – probably because it’s 5:45am on a Sat?)– who in their right mind is up at this time? Edison finally showed up a few hours later, checking cables under the manholes (or whatever you call those things), and they were spread out throughout our small community. We hear neighbors talking about having “half power” too…. Shortly thereafter, the electricity was completely shut off and the Edison trucks had left. It wasn’t until late afternoon/early evening that they showed up again, this time with 5 trucks and a huge drill. That’s when we took off for beer, oysters and a movie; Dinner with Schmucks.
At 9:30pm, almost directly in front of our house are several men playing with big pieces of noisy equipment, frequently looking at blue prints taped up on the side of a truck. It’s going to be a long night. Fortunately, we are not in the middle of a heat wave, so just keeping our bedroom window open was enough to keep the temp down so we could sleep. Sure enough, just as the Edison workers told everyone, we had our electricity back by 5am Sunday. It seemed like all of our electronics and lights turned on at the same time. We couldn’t figure out what was on and what was off – the strangest thing was the downstairs stereo turning on (not just the receiver, the actual radio part). I can’t think of a time we have used that setting. We don’t know exactly what the issue was, but obviously it was something major. Kudos to the Edison team for working all night!!!Looking forward to easing back on the speed and hill work this week in preparation for the 14 miler I’m doing on Sunday. I am really getting excited for race day!
3 comments:
I've shut down buying asics anymore. I'm fed up with their approach to constantly changing their shoe models. I'm pretty sure it's their way of getting people out to buy new shoes, create more profits, and turn their inventory etc. Try New Balance as an alternative.
I hear you, Will. And thanks for the advice! I've heard New Balance is good for narrow feet too. I'm definitely open to finding another brand that works for me!
I like the shoes looks so great. i like the design and the color. It also seems very comfortable to foot.
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