Running with Pixie Dust

Yesterday's workout:

Fire 45 and Stretch 10

434 calories/45:38

Today's workout:

Half Marathon Training Week 6, Day 3 (6 mile run)

6.61 miles/1:29:00

I also am proud to say that I woke up before my alarm (which was set to 5:15 am... maybe I'm not that proud...) and got myself up and moving and out the door by 5:45 - it was actually CHILLY outside when I got out, and it was probably the best feeling ever.  Plus, it meant that I was done with the whole run, cool-down, stretching, and sticking by 8 am.  And the best part about the whole thing?  It didn't completely suck!  It was not a repeat of the run from hell like I was afraid of.  That's not to say it was a complete breeze... my left hamstring tightened up at about mile 2 and never let up, which was less than stellar.  It's actually still very tight and very unhappy now, but I am hoping a good night of sleep will make a world of difference.  Other than that, and a little bit of my legs saying "seriously?  we're still running?" for the last half mile, it was a damn fine run.

I did NOT take the trail this time (shocking) and I wasn't much looking forward to running all the hills in my neighborhood... but luckily, I have the nicest mommy in the whole world, and she graciously offered to pick me up at the end of my run.  So I got to pick and choose great paths that were mostly flat or slightly downhill, and then have a nice stretch while I waited for my ride.  This must be what it feels like to be rich and have people wait on you.  It was deeply civilized.  

It was also fun because I got to try out my new shoes!  I went to the Boulder Running Company yesterday and made a very nice girl probably a little crazy because the first thing I said was, "I'm going to be a problem."  Then I preceded to tell her that I am a child and even though I know I over-pronate and need stability shoes, I continue to hate stability shoes because they all feel like heavy rocks and they give me shin splints and whine whine whine.  I'm sure I was her favorite customer ever.  BUT, she was great, and showed me several stability shoes that didn't feel like rocks!  I ended up with a pair of Brooks Trance 10, which I find amusing because I saw the annoying commercial for them with the magician on Runner's World at least 15 times looking at reviews of other shoes... I know, universe, you're hilarious.

Runner's World says, "The midsole offers overpronators gentle correction, and the segmented crash pad and pillow of soft foam in the heel absorb slow, pounding miles... Recommended as a supportive trainer for average and heavyweight runners."  Well, that sounds like me... slow, pounding miles are definitely my specialty, and since I continue to love Chick-fil-a waffle fries and cupcakes, I will continue to be a "heavyweight" runner.  Thanks, Runner's World... I needed that ego boost.

I actually really like these though, and think they're great for my long runs.  The only real pain I had was my left hamstring, and since it's been a problem before, I don't think it had anything to do with the shoes.  Considering that I just bought them yesterday and took them on my longest run yet today... I'd say they are keepers.  I am super impressed.  I also brought some profoundly overpriced socks, which always makes me a little grumpy, but I might be in love.  They didn't move at all the entire run.  The real test will be on Tuesday, because I'm going to take them out with my other pair of Brooks (Ravenna 2) which I really liked, but had serious sock slippage problems in.  If they make it through a short run with no slipping, I may have to go crazy and buy a couple more pairs.  


But for now, I'm just going to reap the rewards of a long run - being able to eat more.  Seriously.  This is my new motivation for long runs.  After I actually sat down and did the calculations, it turns out I earned 12 activity PointsPlus values for today's 6 mile run.  And that's still being a little conservative.  So I'm going to devour a peanut butter and jelly sandwich that has been staring at me the entire time I've been writing this entry...