The Week After and the Shoe Dilemma Continues

I haven't done much at all this week in the running department. This week was spent resting and recovering and trying to get my thoughts together. The most important thing for me was finding a pair of shoes! I was not able to find my beloved Mizuno Wave Inspire 9's so that has been a big issue for me. The pair that I wore for the LA Marathon can no longer be used for running. They have over 400 miles on them and they were not very comfortable during the LA Marathon. 

I got fitted for new running shoes and was told that I should go with neutral shoes. When I started running back in 2010, I was wearing neutral shoes but after my injury in 2012, I was told that I should try stability shoes. Now I am heading back into neutral shoes and hoping for the best. I am trying out the Brooks Ghost 6. I ran in them for the first time today and did 3.1 easy miles with my other half.

They felt different and I swear that everything was hurting but we will see how I feel tomorrow. My other half got some new running shoes too. He is now running in the Mizuno Wave Inspire 10's and he like them a lot. I am so jealous of him right now. I guess the 10's work for him but not for me.

I didn't really miss running this week because of my shoes and my calf issue. I am actually a little nervous about running in different shoes because I am afraid of what will happen since I had issues when I tried the new model of my Mizunos. The calf pain is still lingering around and if it doesn't go away real soon I am going to have it checked out. I know it is not normal and it bothers me. My goal race is right around the corner and I don't want to go into this race with this hanging over my head. 

My next event is Ragnar So Cal on April 4-5 so I am glad that I do not have the pressure of a big race hanging over my head until May. I don't have a lot of miles for the relay so I am thankful that I didn't challenge myself with too many miles. My team runs this for fun so there is no pressure in the pace department either :)

Anyone else running Ragnar So Cal? 

What is your team name name/number and what time do you start?

My team number is 57 (Runners High) and we start at 6:45 am.

Three Things Thursday

1. This has been a hectic/stressful week at work. We had inventory this week and everything that could have gone wrong did.  Not to mention, that the warehouse manager is retiring this week so that made things even more chaotic.  I had to learn how to do the inventory in a day which is something that he has been doing for the last 25 plus years.  I am looking forward to the weekend because I need a break. If I am going to be tired, I prefer to be exhausted from running not from working! I'm not planning on going postal or anything like that but I am just more tired than usual this week.

2. I spoke to my Dad on Tuesday and he is due for his scan next Thursday. I always get really nervous when he goes for his scans because I want to hear that the cancer is gone!  The last scan he had six months ago showed that the cancer didn't get better or worse.  This is not bad news but not the news that I wanted to hear. Please keep my Dad in your prayers and pray for a positive outcome.

3.  The Brooks Pureflows did not do it for me!  My calves were really sore after I ran in them and they made for a very uncomfortable run.  They also run small and I had to go a size up and they felt huge on my feet. I am back in my Nike's but my next attempt at new shoes is probably going to be the Mizuno Wave Rider 15's

or the Brooks Glycerin 10. 

 

Do you have a stressful job? 

My job is pretty decent for the most part. I am definitely grateful to have a job but this week was just crazier than usual!

Some New Things In My Life

We always look forward to going to the REI Used Gear Sale. I always find great deals and we have been trying to score a good deal on some road bikes so we can ride together as a family. The problem is that you have to get to REI at 4am in order to get first pick at the gear and I am not going to do that. I do the Black Friday thing once a year and that is way too much for me. This year REI did things differently and gave out colored wristbands and randomly determined which color shopped first. We got lucky this year with a pink wristband and shopped with the first group!

We were eyeing the merchandise as we were in line and made a plan to head over to the road bikes right away. We weren't willing to die for them but we knew we had a good chance and we got them! I didn't want to pay $1000+ for my bike because I am not a serious rider. I have tossed around the idea of a triathlon but without a bike I just left the thought in the back of my mind but now I just might revisit the idea.

I ended up buying a Novara Carema Pro which retails for $1100. Since it was used, I bought it for less than half the price and it is in great condition. The bike ended up being my size as well so I got lucky. My husband likes the fancier road bikes and he was also able to score a really nice one for half of the cost in his size. His is a much fancier bike than mine but he has been wanting one for a long time so his road bike was his Father's Day and birthday present for the year. He does not like to spend lots of money on himself but I convinced him that he deserved it and he is very happy with it. There was only one condition to buying his bike: his riding schedule can't interfere with my running schedule. Just Kidding :)

I also bought a couple of used Garmin's for super cheap and some new running shoes.  I am getting bored with my Nike's and wanted to try another brand. The last time I switched shoes I ended up with bad shin splints so I tried to stay with a neutral shoe and not a stability shoe like I did last time. I ended up going with the Brooks PureFlow. I am going to try them out on a couple of short runs to see how they feel. They are very light and comfortable so hopefully they work for me. If not, then I will stick with my same old Nike's.

Do you own a bike? Have you ever done a triathlon or considered doing one? Do you run in Brooks shoes? If yes, tell me what you think of them?