Random Running Thread

[roo4]

I've been doing a bit more running than cycling lately. This morning I am taking my kid on a run, probably just a mile. We're headed to a local rail trail. Soft, flat, no cars.

[yellow]

I'm finding it easy to discover new shoes that I like or love a lot these days. So many to choose from now. I'm not too fussy, so it's fun to try different things. Current favorite trail shoe is the PI N2, which is their neutral training shoe. I've found that minimal just doesn't work for me for big mileage. The PI shoes are what I would call a happy medium and I plan on wearing them for all races this summer. I think my next experiment will be the Salomon Sense Mantra 3. I have the Sense Mantra 2 and I like it well enough, but I don't reach for it for 3+ hour training runs. Word from friends in the know that if I like the 2, I will love the 3 and that I will like it for those long trail runs. We shall see. That said, I am currently cycling through at least 2 pairs of the PI shoes, a pair of Hoka Stinsons, an older pair of Saucony Peregrines that I hoarded in my closet because I loved them so much (I don't care for the latest versions), and the Salomon SM 3. Yeah, I have a lot of shoes. And that's not including the "rejects" that I don't reach for (meaning that they aren't anything special) and/or the ones that have become garden shoes.

I took about a month off in April-May (for a good thing--a Grand Canyon river trip!) so I decided to forego a big run for June and stick with July and August races. I am doing a race (trail, since that is really all I do) as a training run in 2 weeks in Idaho; the area and terrain are similar to that of a stage race I am doing in August so I kind of want to check it out. I have a rematch with the Tahoe Rim Trail 50 in July (it kicked my arse in 2013) and then the stage race (in Idaho, the mountains around Stanley) in August. I fully expect that to completely kick my arse. So I am building mileage and trying to get into the mountains and am focused on staying healthy. After that, who knows. Maybe a 50k in Oregon in September, maybe just riding my bike, maybe nothing. I keep saying that one of these days I will hang it up and just lounge on the couch for the duration I reserve the right to take myself up on that offer any time!

[OakLeaf]

Yellow! Good to "see" you. Those are some beautiful places you're running and rafting in!

I managed to break 50 minutes for the 10K this morning, for the first time. I knew I had it in me but didn't really expect to pull it off today. Going to be sore tomorrow ...

[rocknrollgirl]

Hi Ladies,
Yellow!!! Good to see you. I have been running and too lazy to post. I am just trying to be consistent. I have lost of of my speed since my surgery in Nov, so I am going to have to work on that. So right now I am just trying to get out regularly. I do not have any races planned until the fall leading up to The North Face Endurance Challenge at Bear Mt next May. So I have time to get things rolling.

[yellow]

Okie dokie, a couple of updates.

First, I know I said I was going to try the Sense Mantra 3 but when presented with an option that feeds on one of those little back-of-the-brain lurking thoughts, I went a different direction. It took a gift card, a sale, and a regulars discount at the LRS and suddenly I found myself in a new pair of Hokas (trail), this time the Challenger. I'm pretty much in love with it. It's not as clunky as the Stinson, which kind of bugs me but isn't a huge deal since I really only wear the Hokas when I am feeling beat up and want or need to slow it down. But the Challenger is definitely more streamlined and lighter. I haven't tested them with a super long run yet--that will come next weekend. This week is an easy week so my long run won't be all that long. I'll still continue racing in the PIs, though. They are currently my #1 love.

Oak, any updates on the Skoras?

My other update is that the 50k went well. Better than expected, even. It was my slowest 50k evah but that's ok. I ran consistently and my fueling and hydration were just right. The next event is a headphone-free event and I expect it to be warm, so my training for the next month will include some runs when it's over 90 (I did 2 of those this week) and without listening to podcasts. I don't know which I am more afraid of. I'm a total podcast junkie and not listening is going to be a challenge. I'm looking at it this way: I get to save up a month's worth of podcasts to get me through the month after that and the stage race. The heat? Gah. I do not thermoregulate well, hot or cold.

[OakLeaf]

Glad you're doing well!

I don't have that many more miles on the Skoras - it's the kind of thing where I have to drive so far to do anything at all, that if I'm going to the trails, I want to work it in with another errand, and that doesn't always happen. But, I've been up to four miles of uneven surface with some elevation change, and the more I run in them, the more I like them. If I hadn't already stocked up with a year's worth of Altras when they discontinued the model I'm wearing now, I'd be trying the Skora Tempo, their most cushioned shoe, for sure.

Hoka sponsored the 10K I ran earlier this month, and the rep says they're going to start making one model in wide this fall. I'll be curious to try those on also.

I'm starting to kick my mileage back up a little again, two months is long enough to laze around the house and never run longer than 10 miles at a time. I'm finally starting to acclimate to the heat too, I could tell yesterday when it dropped all the way down to 77° and 70% humidity and it felt pleasantly cool and bone dry. Three years in a row now when the humidity stays above 80% 24 hours a day, welcome to our new climate.

Thinking about running Columbus again this fall. I'd like to run the marathon, I've only done Columbus once, but I'm not sure I really feel like another one just quite yet - might just do the half again.

[BikeDutchess]

2 weeks ago I did a 6.5 mile training run and just wasn't feelin' it. I managed to finish but felt totally wiped and discouraged. Today I had an 8 mile run on my schedule - and it went so much better! I got an earlier start so the sun wasn't quite peeking over the mountain tops yet for at least the first hour, which made a big difference. My pace per mile dropped by a full minute and I felt great at the end. Very happy. And grateful to my dear daughter, who rode her bike alongside as my support person both times. Those sips of ice cold water along the way were heavenly!