My winter running gear (so far)

One thing that people who do not know me should know is that I do not like treadmills. The last few times I have run on one, I have gotten hurt in some way and have had to take time off of running. In fact, I can not remember the last time I have been on one. Running outside is just a lot more than being stationary. I always tell people not to be afraid of winter running! With the right clothing, the cold can be something you do not even think about. Here are some of the cold gear I have been using so far.

This Brooks Utopia Thermal 1/2 zip has worked great so far. I need a better baselayer, but it has done the job during the cold temps so far. All I have worn under this during runs are a long sleeve tech tee and maybe a dri-fit t-shirt of some kind. It has a nice pocket just behind just pass where my hip is and it is quite big. I usually have an iPhone charger, keys and a snack possibly for after the run. The other nice thing about this jacket is that it has a pocket for the zipper when you zip it all the way up. The sleeves also have thumbholes for extra warmth. The only real thing I do not like about the jacket is that sometimes I wish it had pockets on the side. Sometimes I will instinctually try to put my hands in pockets that are not there. 

Brooks Utopia Thermal 1/2 Zip

The Brooks Men's Infiniti Tight II are the first pair of running tights I have owned and I am enjoying them so far. My legs have felt warm and I do not feel constricted in them. It has zippers that go down to the ankle and makes the pants easy to take off. The pants also have reflectivity as shown in the picture below.The tights also have mesh panels behind the knee and a zippered back pocket. I can not think of any downside to the tights yet. 

I also forgot to mention that I sat through a whole Northwestern football game with this jacket on where it rained the whole time  and I did not feel wet at all. 

Brooks Men's Infiniti  Tight II

These Sax Pro Elite Boxers are also the first pair of performance boxers that I have worn. I honestly did not know much about them before I got a pair to try on. The boxers provide some compression and are tight, but not too tight. The most important thing about the boxers is that they are windproof and that is very important for guys during the winter. It also has a nice pouch to, as it  says on the box, to hold your gear in place. 

Sax Pro Elite Boxer

I need to have gloves on when I run. Cold hands can just make a run brutal and no fun.  The Utopia Softshell Gloves from Brooks help keep my hands warm. I like that these gloves have a good grip on them and have iPhone sensors. My hands also do not sweat in these gloves; that is a big plus for the gloves. The downside to these gloves are that they run somewhat big. I tried on the small's and the medium gloves and they both felt big on me. They feel fine when I am running, but I would like for gloves to be a little tighter.

Brooks Utopia Softshell Glove

Using the thumbholes from my top

How it ends up 

This is my winter gear outfit at the moment. They are working well for me so far and I will eventually have to get a jacket at some point. Let me know what kind of running gear you all are running in! Enjoy winter running.

Run chat 11/24

Sorry I have not gotten to put another product review. I have gotten pretty busy with coaching basketball at my high school. Sometimes it is hard to have the energy to sit down at the computer and post something. Answering the #runchat questions are a way for me stay involved with it and get a quick post up.

Q1-One piece of advice for someone who is running their first Turkey trot?

A:Have fun! I have never run a Turkey trot, but that definitely seems to be the idea around them.  Do not worry about time and just focus on pace and form if you have a goal of getting better at running.

Q2-Are you running a turkey trot? Which one? Where?

No Turkey trots for me. Thanksgiving day is all about relaxing and eating lots of food. I also like to enjoy the night before Thanksgiving day.

Q3-Do you rock a hat when running? Visor? Do you look to send a message with your running hat?

I generally wear a hat when I am running; definitely in the winter. During the summer, it is hit or miss whether I wear one. There is definitely no message to send with any of the hats I am wearing during a run. During the winter, the goal is just to stay warm. When the weather is warmer, I just grab whatever hat I have to keep my head protected from the sun.

Q4-When you have to run on a treadmill, how do you kill the time? What's an effective workout for you?

Ugh. This is something I will try my hardest to not do. Originally, I had the never typed out, but at some point it might be something that is a necessity. Since I started running outside, the treadmill became a nag. It also does not help that the last two times I ran on one, I got hurt on them.

Q5-My go-to power word/phrase is____?

Just keep on moving. It does not matter whether involves walking or running. Combining that phrase and mentally trying to shorten the race usually works for me.

This might be another Monday post next week with my schedule next Sunday. Hopefully I can get up a post talking about the winter running gear I have been running in. Do not be afraid of the cold! It is definitely possible to stay active with the right gear.

Saucony Guide 7 review

When I first put the Guide 7 on, it felt immediately comfortable. I love the static fit in the shoe. My foot is locked in, in the upper, but it is not too grippy on my feet. It never once bothered me during the four times that I have run in the shoe. I felt like my toes and heel were free to move.  It also has a very breathable upper. My foot looks like it is spilling out a little on the medial side of the shoe.

I got the Guide 7 in a size 11 and assumed it would be tight. In my Brooks shoes (Adrenaline 11&13), I wore 11.5. My current Ravenna's are a size 12. I have about a thumbs length width in my right foot. It fits a little truer to my shoe size on my left foot, but I still feel like I have enough room in the toe box. I would probably go to an 11.5 in this shoe due to the fact that my foot looks like it is kind of spilling out a little. 

The Powergrid cushioning is very comfortable. It is very supportive without making the shoe heavy. I got a bruise under my forefoot area the second time I ran in the shoe. That may have just been due to the socks I had been wearing. It did not bother me during my next two runs when I changed socks. I also walked around it a few times while at work and felt supported and comfortable.

I liked that the stability zones are spread from the heel through the mid-foot to provide stability and comfort. I am a mild to moderate pronator and I felt very stable in the shoe. The dual density EVA on the medial side is supportive and cushiony without feeling like too much shoe. I do not like to sound to repetitive, but the full length Powergrid is a nice touch.

The shoes felt great while running. I ran in them four times. It is only a ounce lighter than the Ravenna 4, so I would not say that is a huge difference between the two shoes. The big difference is the 8mm drop in the Guide 7. It is a little different at first, but after the first couple of runs, I enjoyed it. I also enjoyed the tight, yet comfortable grip in the upper. My foot never feels like it is going to come out of the shoe. It is nice to have a guidance shoe that I can run in without it feeling like it is making my feet heavier. It is a soft ride from heel-to-toe. The deeper flex grooves and flared forefoot make it a very responsive ride throughout.

I also have some winter running gear that I have tried on that I will talk about on Monday or Tuesday. So far my winter running if off to a good start.

Run chat answers 11/10/13

Q1: What tips do you have for overcoming post-race blues?

First, I would enjoy the day. The hard work you put in for the race, wether it is a 5K or half-marathon, had paid off (typically). Take a moment to be proud of yourself and friends that may have run with you. Do not forget to thank people who have supported you on the way to the race and came out to watch you. 

Second, take a break from running for a while. Training, especially for longer races, can be quite taxing and dreadful at times. The body will thank you for the time off and whenever you go on the next run, it will be that much more fun because you missed it.

Q2: What's your favorite distance to race? Why do you like it?

Half-marathons. The races are a distance everyone can do, but it is still challenging enough. It is just the perfect distance. Marathons are fun, but they are just a different beast.

Q3: Have you ever purchased "official" race photos? What would you call a fair price for photos?

Never. They do not do anything for me. I typically just look at them to what my form looks like at various points. It is difficult to say what a fair price would be for them. They are typically so expensive, that I do not even look at the prices when they are sent to my inbox.

Q4: Do have races on your 2014 calendar yet? Which ones?

This is a fun question! A friend and I have looked into doing the Chi-Town Half Marathon. I have a few cities I would like to visit next year (Austin, Nashville and Memphis to name a few). Maybe doing a race in one of those cities would be a fun way to see them and get a race in.

Q5: What's the farthest you've traveled for a race? Which one? Why did you choose it?

I guess the Chicago Half-Marathon. It is the first race half-marathon I ever completed. I only did it twice and do not like doing it because it is on the opposite side of the city from me. Maybe I will do it again sometime in the near future.

I ran!

I ran! 

I woke up on Friday and felt pretty good. This article got me really itching to run. I also really wanted to try some new gear that I got(more on that in a different post). It had been nearly four weeks since I had run; a week due to the marathon and three because of this annoying bone bruise. I felt scared but I had to give it a shot at some point. 

It surprised me how good I felt after a mile. The knee felt good and I had a little pain. When I felt the knee starting to hurt, I forced myself to walk for a tiny bit, then I would start running again. It felt really good to be out there and not limping along. 

The run ended up being a little shy of four miles. Despite how good I felt, it would have been really silly to try and push it more. The pace stayed even for three miles and I had a great finish to the run. I iced and took an ibuprofen when I got to work. The next step in the bone bruise test would be seeing how it felt the next day and that worried me. 

The results: it felt ok. It hurt to keep my knee at a 90 degree angle while sitting. It also hurt to straighten it out after keeping it a 90 degree angle. It also hurt to get up after sitting for a while. I never thought this bruise would last for so long, but a couple of people I have talked to said it could be at least a few more weeks. 

With that being said, it looks like I will not be able to run on back-to-back days for a while. I will keep icing and loosening up the muscles in my hamstring and quad. I used the Orb quite a few times last week and my legs felt great. My knee and I are going to be in a fight for the next few weeks it looks like. I hope it does not expect me to just sit around and be a bum for multiple weeks. 

That is all I have to say today. The first "snow"of the year is currently happening as I write this post. I will be ready for winter running with some of the new gear I got. Time to use the Orb and attempt a four mile run; just do not tell me knee! 

P.S. Expect a product review blog at some point this week (I hope). 

Things I am not liking right now

I thought about making the title of this blog more dramatic, but I thought that might scare some readers; haha. Anyways, since the marathon ended, there have been a few things that I have not liked. This blog post(obviously) will explain some of those things.

Number one on the list: the fact that I haven't been  able to run

After the marathon, I took a week off and felt  good. I went to work on Sunday(10/20) and thought I would run the  next day. Unfortunately, my plan  did not work out. My clumsy self decided to walk into some metal pole. I am still not sure what I walked into, but I thought nothing of it and thought it would just be a bruise or temporary pain.

My knee did not even hurt on the walk to the train station. However, the pain came  when I sat down and had  my knee at a 90 degree angle. I thought straightening would help it, but that only made it worse! I atill thought the pain would not last long, but it continued to hurt when I tried to stretch later that night.

Ten days later, my kneecap/patella/whatever I hit, still hurts. The one positive is that today is the first day I woke up actually being able to bend my knee. Lately I have been icing and taking ibuprofen for the pain ann I hope it is helping. Anytime, I think  I  am getting better, the pain  shows up again.

I forgot to mention that a doctor that I know thinks it is just a bruised kneecap. I am  hoping this gets better before I have to go see a doctor. It is definitely my style to get an injury that is not running related.  I would love to get crutches so I do not have to walk on it at all, but that might be a little dramatic.

Number two on the list: my water consumption

This may seem like a minor complaint, but it is really frustrating me. Up until a few weeks ago, I drank a least 100oz. of water everyday day. Lately it has been pretty awful. I have been trying to figure out why this has been the case and I can only blame myself.

The water consumption has been better today than it has been in a while. I am about halfway to my goal and hope to make it a consistent goal. My body definitely feels better when I get a lot of fluids in it. Hopefully this is something I am not complaining about in the near future.

Number three on the list: My eating habits

Boy, have they been horrible since the marathon ended. Normally, this is not something that I  would complain about because of my running. I think I ate pizza everyday last week due to work related functions. I love pizza and carbs in general, but when I am not running, I need to a little more health conscious. With that being said, I am having pizza for dinner tonight!

Thanks for letting me complain a little. It is not something that I like doing a lot, but it is ok every onee in a while. Hopefully the next too at will be about my first run since the marathon.  Thanks for reading.

Marathon recap part II

I think I mentioned in the last post that I had a pretty big cough and head cold leading up to Sunday. I have not had to use my inhaler in a while, but I definitely used it a few times leading up the race. That combined with my horrible run the Sunday before the marathon, made me nervous. Vitamin C and I were best friends during the week. I rested up Saturday and tried to get ready for the big day.

Imerman Angels before the race

My 4 a.m. alarm came quickly. It felt more like a quick nap instead of getting some actual sleep. With heightened security at the marathon, charity village runners had to be at charity village a little earlier; charity village closed at 6:15 a.m. I ran with Imerman Angels and I really enjoyed meeting fellow runners who I had never met before. We hung out there, took a team picture and walked to the corrals, which were about a mile away;ugh(more about this later).

On the way to my corral, I ran into a couple friends of mine; Natalia and Maria.

                                       

 

We were all excited and nervous about the race for various reasons. It had been Natalia's first marathon and she seemed very ready to go. I chatted with both for a while and then rushed to wait in my corral. The wait seemed like forever because it got a little chilly and windy. While the National Anthem played, a cool thing happened. The sound system had been acting funny and going in and out, so people decided to sing it themselves.  I really enjoyed and smiled while others sang. Once that got done, we waited for others to go off and got ready to go. I could not figure out why people wanted to run before we crossed the start line. We were already about to run 26.2 and people were trying to run me over. Anyways, time to get going! 

The first half of the race went great and I could not complain. The cough did not bother me, I saw a few friends and I stayed with the 3:30 pace group. I could not have asked for a better start. I made sure to check my pace tat after each check point. I did not want to make the mistake of coming out too fast. I thought about dialing it back, but I felt really good. 

When I got to 18, this is the first time I really felt somewhat tired, but I kept it going. During mile 20, I walked a little bit to try and gain some energy back. My legs were starting to feel like jelly but I stayed with my pace group. I avoided going to the bathroom until mile 22. I thought about skipping it altogether, but I figured I am walking a little at this point and should just go. I went quickly and got running again. Up until this point, I had no cramps and thought I would avoid them. 

23.5 hit and here came the cramps came out of no where. The first cramp hit my left quad and I stopped on a dime! It hurt quite a bit and I tried to walk it off as much as possible. There is no way I wanted to quit at this point and tried my best to push through. Once I thought they went away, I tried to run again, but then they hit both legs. I really wanted to hit 3:30 as my goal pace time, but I told myself that I would not kill myself to get it. It is hard for runners to dial it back, especially during races, but it had to be done. The next thing I will have to do is to figure out how to avoid these cramps. That is the one thing that has been going through my head since I finished last Sunday. My friend Rob found me at this point and helped me work through them. 

Running towards my sister, niece and brother-in-law

We decided to finish the last two miles together. He saw some friends, I saw some family and we pushed towards the finish. He said his knee had been really bothering him and we just tried to keep each other motivated since we were so close. We had one challenge left; Roosevelt "Hill."

Rob and I were doing alright but his knee kept bothering him and he decided to walk while I kept running. The finish never looked so good and I finished strong! It felt soooo good to be done. Seeing a few people look dead and throwing-up after I got done, reminded of how lucky I had been to finish relatively healthy. I am lucky man that cramps were the only thing that hampered me. I ended up with a time of 3:47.40 and could not have been happier. This is a huge improvement over the first marathon I did and finished happy. 

I mentioned earlier how far charity village had been from the corrals and this is the part I feared the most. The only thing that made this walk after the finish ok is that I knew it would be coming this team. I remember finishing my first marathon and not expecting this brutal walk and feeling like I would die. I did not enjoy this walk, but it felt so good to reach the Imerman tent and get rolled out by a PT.

A fellow Imerman runner and I.

Normally runners who complete a marathon are unsure if they want to try another marathon, but I am pretty sure I will be ding another one. Chicago is so great because the atmosphere is fantastic. There were certain points during the race that I had to stop and smile because I felt like such a celebrity. Thank you to all the mostly random strangers who came out cheered all of the runners. Our "fans" keep us going. 

I am not sure what is next, but I am already ready for a race!