2010 Review in Pictures

How can we already be in the last week of 2010? The older I get, the faster time seems to go by. Looking through this pictorial year in review has been therapeutic for me. I came a long way in 2010. My base mileage is higher than ever, I've finally got a handle on caring for my IT bands and am on my way to racing to the best of my abilities. Thank you 2010 - I learned a lot from you.

1/10/10 - First Marathon; Disneyworld, FL (Official time 5:36 in 28-40F degree weather)- PR!

Less than 1/4 mile after crippling IT pain
almost caused me to drop out of the race. 

Hubby's first marathon too

3/27/10 - Great Race of Agoura Pacific Half Marathon (Official Time 2:09) - PR!

Despite a little lingering IT pain, I set an unexpected PR on this very hilly course by 11 min;
My best Half time since the 2008 Disneyland Half thanks to careful training and a solid IT rehab plan

6/6/10 - San Diego Rock-n-Roll Half Marathon (Official time 2:01) - PR!

Dying in the final stretch (look - no IT wrap!!!). I remember a feeling of disbelief when I
realized I was coming in 3.5 min faster than planned; and so close to 2 hrs!!

7/4/10 Village Runner 4th of July 5K (Official time 23:51) - PR!

Even though I missed my goal time by 21 seconds (because I went out too fast),
 I shaved 57 seconds off my 2009 time. I finished in the top 10 in my age/gender group!

7/22/10 - 7/25/10 Comic Con International (San Diego)
Totally unrelated to running but worth mentioning here because it was so much fun - and we deserved it!

I heart Smallville.
We waited in line for 4 hours to see the cast panel (lining up at 6 am!)

Who doesn't remember Geordi La Forge (aka Levar Burton)?
Super nice guy, acting cool for the pic. Reading Rainbow anyone?

Master Chief from the Halo game series for XBox.
 I am a self-proclaimed video game addict. Don't bother me - I'm playing Halo!

8/19/10 - 8/22/10 - Family vacation to La Grange, GA
Our first lessons learned about running in terribly high humidity and heat. My first time becoming disoriented and scared on a run. Nevertheless, a great vacation!

Hubby and nephew at Calloway Gardens

Fun times on a pontoon boat

9/5/10 - Disneyland Half Marathon (Official time 1:57) - PR!

On the heels of a terrible flu, I managed to PR by 4.5 minutes over the SD RnR Half.
My fastest time on this course was 2:20 in 2008 as my IT injury held me back to 2:28 in 2009.

My fave Finish pic of the hubby to date.
After a challenging year, he PR'd!

11/6/10 - Santa Barbara International Marathon (Official time 4:57) - PR!
My 2nd marathon. So different from Disneyworld. I over-analyzed, recapped and followed up with lessons learned. While I did break 5 hours (38 minute PR), I was expecting a 4:50 finish and beat myself up over it for days. I'm over it now. :-)

11/14/10 Calabasas Classic 5K and 10K
One of the best times I've had during a race. A fun run with our best friends who were visiting from St. Paul. All 4 of us ran both races. No time expectations, no pressure, just FUN!  It was a good great day! We love you guys!!!

2010 Milestones:

1. As of 12/31/10, I will have run 976 miles this year. Wow.  Almost 1,000. I had no idea.
2. Understanding IT pain triggers, early warning signs and irritants 
3. Mental trickery and visualization - I can override my left brain like never before. Bring on the challenging times!!
4. Form "a-ha's" (midfoot, careful not to overstride) - transitioning to Lunar Glides this month.
5. Consecutive PRs

 Goals for 2011:

1. Break the 1,000 mile mark by the end of 2011
2. Stay healthy and injury free
3. Galloway training group - inspire more people to run and love it!
4. Continue building base-mileage - according to most predictions, I'm still under-performing (in fear of injuring IT?)
5. Cross train more frequently (yoga, strength, cycle)
6. Run Surf City Half in 1:55 - Feb 6
7. Run Grandma's Marathon in 4:30 - June 18
8. Fingers crossed I get into the ING NY Marathon

Happy New Year everyone!

2011 is looking great already!!!

Balancing Acts

I thought I may have had a case of writer's block - but maybe it's just that time of year. I’ve noticed a slow down of new blog posts from others that I follow. Between work, holiday shopping and the ramp of both the Galloway Training Program and my own personal marathon training, I haven't stopped long enough to take a breath and reflect on the fact that I’m holding all of this together pretty well! Fortunately, 95% of my holiday shopping is done and with so many people taking time off between now and New Year's, I'm hoping work will be a little less stressful. It's times like these I appreciate running and what it brings to my life even more than I usually acknowledge. Talk about things that help you maintain sanity in this crazy world we live in, especially between Thanksgiving and the end of the year!!! A perfect break from all this end of the year/holiday noise, whether I'm running alone our with our training group members.

This year is different in many ways from the 2009 holiday season. Last year at this time, John and I were tapering for our first marathon. We'd had a couple unpleasant excruciating long runs leading into the taper so while we were anxious about that final 10K on race day, knowing we'd be weaving in and out of all of the major parks at Walt Disney World for 26.2 miles was just what we needed for some added confidence and major anticipation/excitement. We spent Christmas with my family up north and enjoyed a quiet New Year's Eve with friends back home in So Cal. I don't even think we stayed up until midnight. I'm lucky if I make it past 9pm anyway. Maybe if I stopped waking up at 4:30am I wouldn't be so tired but I can't seem to do anything about it now so why stress over it?  This year, we’re spending a quiet Christmas at home with my sis-in-law and shooting out to Vegas quickly for a concert on New Year’s Eve. The Galloway group will be running their furthest distance yet on Jan 2^nd – 6.5 miles.  I can’t wait!

I officially registered for the 2011 Grandma's Marathon with the hubby and our BFF's (one is running the half) and am using Jeff Galloway's "Boston Marathon - How to Qualify" training schedule but for a 4:30 finishing time. My goal is to BQ sometime in 2013 which is the year I turn 40. At that age, I'll need to finish in 3:50. With all the success I've had using Jeff's programs, I'm starting to use this formula now and will use it over the next 2.5 - 3 years to progressively shave 10-15 minutes off with each marathon I run until I hit 3:50. I get goose bumps just thinking about it. I do not expect to be able to PR by 38 minutes with each successive marathon like I did this year in Santa Barbara, but I do think it's reasonable to improve my time by 67 minutes over the next 3 years. I’m officially in the 3^rd week of this 30-week program. It’s definitely more intense and I can tell my body is ready for the challenge. My mile repeat times have already improved – I think this is also due to the re-introduction of Yoga into my schedule as well as the plyometric work I’m getting in with the XBox Kinect Adventures and Sports games.

Balancing the two training schedules has gone really well. The timing between this group's half marathon training schedule, the next group’s half marathon training schedule and my personal schedule is as close to ideal as it can get. With a few tweaks of my own schedule, most of my very long runs will take place the day after a shorter Galloway training group weekend run. I'm using Tuesday as my optional double workout day and am now doing 2 shorter runs on this day since I have personal Tuesday session goals as well as the Galloway group run.

Having just run our 3rd weekend group run this past Saturday (5 miles - woo hoo!!), starting this Galloway Training Program is like getting a new set of eyes and a new source of motivation. It’s so funny - I am realizing that no matter how many cups of coffee I have before our early Saturday morning runs, my brain doesn't really open up and kick in until we're about a mile into the run. I think maybe I'm just becoming aware of this now because for almost the last 4 years, most of my runs have been with me, myself and I. None of those people seem to care (or notice!) if I’m able to carry on meaningful and intelligent conversations during early morning training sessions. LOL!

This week will be my 3^rd week of transitioning into the Nike Lunar Glides. The shoes feel GREAT and I’m getting anxious to run in them more often that just once a week. One more week after this, and then I’ll step it up to using them on 2 shorter runs during the week for the following 4 weeks. My Excel training log is looking crazier than ever with balancing 2 schedules, rotating 3 pairs of shoes, and keeping a cautious eye open for early signs of potential IT band pain.

Here’s an interesting observation – since I stopped using those Medium Arched Sorbothane Graphite orthotics, the aching I’d been having in my left IT band has disappeared almost completely, even with the increase in my training. So that’s it. I won’t buy them again and I would discourage use of them for runners – period.

Kings and Queens of Inspiration

Who am I talking about? Our Galloway training group members of course!! With our first 3 and 4 milers under our belts, I don't know who is beaming more, them or me. Maybe it's an equal beam but one thing is for sure - we have accomplished a lot together in less than 2 weeks and we are just getting started. I am truly thankful for this opportunity to be a program director. It has already added so much joy and inspiration to my life as a runner and as a person. I can think of few things more enjoyable or fulfilling as sharing your passion with others and seeing that reflected right back at you.

Starting off as a new runner completely on your own is a lot like trying to be Superman based on a simple set of instructions.

 Substitute "shoes" for cape and "run" for fly - you get the idea. Maybe you remember feeling this way 6 months ago, a year ago, 10 years ago? Maybe you're reading this and thinking, "that's how I feel right now!". Whenever it was, this whole idea of running, while seemingly simple on the surface, can feel as overwhelming as trying to find your way out of the Sahara without a map with one Google search. Shoes, clothing, gear, hydration, nutrition, speed, tempo, recovery, tapering - wait, how do I know how far to run? Or how fast? Do I just "go"? Where the h-e-double-hockey-sticks do I START?

Training groups and running clubs provide platforms to address these types of questions - whether you're training for your first 5K or trying to qualify for Boston. This is certainly not to say any one person or group has all the answers. Not one single method of training is "right". I think we can all agree I have a bias here and say I love the Galloway program. I don't think I'd be a runner if I hadn't started following his training methods. If I hadn't gotten started with running again almost 4 years ago, would the 10-15 friends, family members and co-workers who asked me to train them be running right now? Would these 30+ Galloway training group members of ours be on their way to running a half marathon next March? I'm so glad I'll never know the answer to these questions. I couldn't be prouder to say that as of right now there are 40+ runners out there who got their start by asking me one question. How do I start?  I try not to blur the line between passion and obsession when I start talking about running but with this subject in particular, it is a very small, thin, light grey line.

I understand that a lot of runners (not just beginners) are intimidated by the thought of joining a running group. I certainly was - and even though I thought a group was a fantastic idea, I was too scared to try it. As I'm watching this group bond, I already regret not having joined a group as a newbie myself. My husband (one of our pace group leaders) and I come home from Saturday group runs with indescribable exhilaration. Seriously. There is not one ounce of exaggeration in that statement. We literally have come home, sat on the couch with ridiculously huge smiles on our faces and can talk of little else but how amazing everyone is. It's the little things you hear people say. "I can't believe I did it". "I feel like I've already conquered the world". "I feel like I could do this all day". "I'm actually enjoying this!" These are beginners!!!!

I am not one for New Year's Resolutions. If you want to try something new or make a change in your life and you have identified what that is, why wait? Start it now.  If you don't know how, ask someone who does. If you are a beginner runner, take a chance on a group  - just to get you started off on the right (or left if you prefer) foot. You will not be the only beginner. Talk to the program director before the group runs begin so you understand their running philosophy and training methods. Talk to a few program directors in fact! Go with the program you feel is most fitting to your lifestyle and your personality. Ask if you can join for a group run before deciding to sign up.

And for all you seasoned runners, when was the last time you volunteered with a local training group or running club and ran with novice runners? Not just talk with - run with. Not only will you be inspired by their excitement and determination, you are with them to celebrate their enormous progress every week and be there to lend an experienced ear when a run doesn't quite go as planned. What are you waiting for? Spread the love. Share your passion. 'Tis the season, isn't it? ;-)

Product Review: Rx Sorbo Sorbothane Performance Graphite Arch Insoles

The Sorbothane trial period is over. Actually, it's been over for a little under a week. I started this blog 3 times over the last 5 days trying to come up with some kind of professional and formal review of these products. I got nothin'. It was killing me for days that I couldn't find a way to just spill my thoughts out. Then it hit me last night that I am, in fact, NOT a professional reviewer, so why am I putting that kind of pressure on myself? The truth is that I'm a recreational runner who loves to run, wants to continue running and stay healthy and injury-free for life. I want shoes, clothes, accessories and gear to fit me well and feel good; not inflame weaker spots in my knees or IT bands, strain muscles, or chafe my hips and back. I'm an ordinary runner who wants to gather and share as much information for and with my fellow runners so we can all make the best decisions possible when it comes to choosing a new anything!

The back story of how this review came to be can be found here. In short, I was asked by Sorbothane to review 2 types of insoles the President of the company recommended for my arch type after I complained about another Sorbothane insole that caused a flare up of IT band pain. I was sent the Rx Sorbo Performance Graphite Arch Insoles; one for medium arches and one for high arches.

Medium Arches
My first impressions of the medium arch insoles were good. I liked the added cushioning in the forefoot. I was a little hesitant about how comfortable the insoles would be considering the rigid graphite-supported arches, but other than lifting my heel slightly and causing my foot to fit a little more tight in my shoes, they felt pretty normal. After 49.69 miles, I can tell you that they did not hurt me like the previous model did. I ran normally in them for a couple of weeks with no noticeable change in the way my foot felt. I recovered from the Santa Barbara Marathon with no problems at all (I started wearing these beginning with my first recovery run). The longest run I did was a hilly 15K. I did both hill and speed work as part of the testing as well.

These pictures were taken after I put 50 miles on them.

Max height of the graphite reinforced Medium arch is about 22 mm (7/8")

Effect of the medium arch on heel lift

Insole rides a little high on the inside (see orange)

High Arches

I switched to the High arch insoles early last week, with the expectation these would be even more appropriate for my very high-arched feet. Just getting them in my shoe was a bit of a challenge. The graphite piece is SO rigid, it took me several tries just get the dang thing to sit correctly in my shoe. As soon as I slipped my foot back into my glass slipper, I knew the wrong Prince had shown up. This can't be my shoe. I had to almost completely re-lace my shoes just so I could get my foot in. I use an extra loop in my lacing to keep my heel from slipping since I have a narrow foot. Not only could I NOT do that, I barely had enough lacing left over to make even a single bow to keep the shoe tied. Already my foot is unhappy - cramped and ready to bust the shoe at the seams. I stood up and felt about 6 inches taller. 

I walked around the house for a few minutes, trying to see if I could get the shoes to loosen up a little. After 15 minutes of fussing with them, I was finally ready to give them a test spin on the treadmill. The first thing I noticed was that my feet felt heavy. As I continue cranking up the speed to a comfortable running pace, I can hear my feet slapping the belt. This can't be good, I thought. Maybe I need to change my gait a little. I tried shortening my stride but the slapping continued. I could not get my foot to roll naturally through the landing phase. My forefoot almost felt like it was in a cast and my shoe felt full of bricks. Suddenly, the outsides of my calves are tightening and I can literally feel straining in my lower legs and ankles. No way I'm taking any chances injuring myself, especially with a previous history of pain using this brand. I kicked them off at exactly 0.23 miles. Yep, all of this happened in less than a quarter of a mile. I switched to my older shoe with the RRS insole and felt immediate relief in my lower legs.                                                                                      

These pictures show the drastic effects of these high arch supports.

Max height of High arch insoles is approx 26 mm

Effect of the high arch on heel lift - an unacceptable added 6 mm heel lift

This is a comparative view of how differently the insoles sit in the shoe. The high arch insole is ridiculously high and quite frankly, now that I'm seeing these 2 side-by-side, I would go so far as to say these are dangerous for runners. It's almost "forced supination" - forcing the foot to roll on the outside- starting way back in the heel! I understand the theory - high arched runners are notorious over-pronators, but seriously, this is overcompensating and risky from an injury perspective. The top pic is the Med arch and the High arch on the bottom. Is that High arch insole crazy or what?

These are the notes I wrote down after I finished out the run in the high arches verbatim:

• It made me hate my shoe
• Severely restricted flexion
• Couldn't lace my shoes properly
• Foot sat very high in shoes, right heel slipping
• Perception was a heavy shoe because of the flopping
• Threw them off after 0.23 miles and put on an older pair with old RRS inserts and it was like running in a completely different pair of shoes
• I would never recommend the high arch graphite support for any athletic activity requiring walking or running.

Closing Thoughts

I guess it's pretty obvious what my opinion is of the high arch Rx Sorbo Performance Graphite insole. Use these at your own risk. I won't even wear these in my walking shoes. I could see how they might possibly benefit people who stand all day, but as far as athletic activity goes, I would steer clear of these completely.

I'm torn on the medium arch insoles. They didn't hurt me but there wasn't anything special about them either. The extra padding in the forefoot felt good sometimes, and other times it felt like a nuisance. I didn't realize how tight my foot felt in the toe box until I went back to my old RRS insoles. I suppose if you wear a shoe with a wide toe box and feel you need solid arch support to correct over-pronation and you don't mind adding $40-$50 onto the price of your shoe, these may be right for you.

I may or may not continue using the medium arch supports. I've started having some IT band aching these last few days, but I cannot say it is due to the insoles because I'm starting to step up my training and these aches may very well be just normal 'growing' pains.  To be safe, I'm going back to my RRS insoles for the next month. With the Galloway Training Group having officially kicked off with an awesome and fun 3-mile run last Saturday, I simply cannot risk getting injured and this trial period did not increase my confidence that these insoles are safe or appropriate for runners.