Thursday, July 26, 2012

Running gear is fun

So yesterday I tried out a couple new things, photographing all my food for the blog, and biking to work. Biking to work gets a thumbs up, but I'm pretty excited to just be able to chow down today without trying to find the right angle for a picture. 

I should mention that I'm a member of the clean plate club, or in yesterday's case, the clean tupperware club. I've been making food and serving myself for quite a while now, so I think I'm a decent judge of how much I need to eat to feel full. I ate every last drop of everything I posted yesterday.

I know, I know, it's lame, I didn't realize quite how lame and HLB-ish it was until I saw it all posted together. Unfortunately, I really can't say this is atypical at all for me. I don't always have a second snack, it depends when I'm able to get home for dinner/how hungry I am. I do normally have dessert, obviously, but last week I was on vacation, and went a little crazy with desserts and drinks, as one should on vacation. So this week I'm trying to tone it down a tad. At least the general consensus was that, while boring and healthy, it was a lot of food. 

Moving on to more fun stuff - I tried out some new running gear yesterday! I'm not going to review it, because reviews are boring, and I hate reading long detailed descriptions of expensive products that I'm not going to buy. I'm just going to share some random thoughts.

I love Brooks, and got sucked into their PureProject, and bought a pair of Pure Flows. The Pure line is supposed to be lightweight and springy, and encourage a more natural stride. I've been dying to try them, but I've heard you are supposed to start with a shorter run. Yesterday, when I had a magic extra half hour, I couldn't get them on fast enough for a run.

For once, a before run, non sweaty pic.
I swear I didn't only buy them because they were pretty.
I could tell right away they were lighter, and felt the ground more than in my usual Adrenalines, which have a lot more cushioning. When going up hill, I felt all dainty, like a sprightly little nymph. In my mind, I was bouncing right up the hill on my toes, and I have no doubts that if you asked drivers who rode by me, they would have described me in those exact words.

I did feel a lot more impact on my midfoot, so maybe that's why you are supposed to ease in slowly to get used to it. I wouldn't run a 20 miler in these, but I still really loved them and I'm so glad I bought them. For the record, I ran a 5K at an 8:17 pace, which is quite fast for me, especially on a hilly route. 

That's not the only new thing I tried on this run, though! While I love, love, love my Garmin, I used a Nike + GPS watch. 

It didn't help me to run at a 7:27 pace.
I'll always have a special place in my heart for my Garmin, but I must admit, I really liked how much smaller the Nike + is.

It's almost like a normal watch!

It also says nice things to encourage you
The display is smaller, and split into two sections. The larger one shows whatever data you choose (in my case, distance) and the smaller one rotates between all the other stuff (pace, time, etc). Since I've been kind of over obsessing about my average pace, I enjoyed not having it staring at me the whole time.

It also plugs right into the computer, so you don't need a charger.


Apparently it compares you to others. After a whopping two runs, I came out pretty favorably, much better than I do on Daily Mile.  



   I don't know if I'll switch over entirely, but I'm enjoying having two GPS watches right now. My sister's due date is just 4 days away, so my Garmin is packed in my emergency drive 400 miles to meet my nephew bag.

It's basically running clothes and makeup. I can't be an ugly Aunt.
Oh wait, why would a poor teacher on a summer salary (hint: that means no salary) buy all these new running things she doesn't really need? 

The Nike + watch retails for $169, and the shoes are $90. Guess how much I paid for both?

Around $30. Maybe closer to $40 with shipping.

The shoes I got at a massive discount after doing a Brooks online training. Nike reps came to visit my running store to do a training, and the rumor was we'd get an "incentive" for attending. I was really hoping for some sweet moisture wicking socks. Instead, we all got the watches - for free!

FYI, this is not "disclosure", neither Nike nor Brooks know I have a blog, and I highly doubt they'd care if they did. These are both perks of my new wonderful job, and I just wanted to brag about them because I love deals.

Would you/have you tried all the new trendy, lightweight or minimalist shoes? This is probably as low as I'll go in terms of support. You won't see me in Vibrams.

Are you a member of the clean plate club?

10 comments:

  1. I'd run with a jester hat if I got it for free. That's just how I roll.

    I'm not sure about the minimalist shoes. I'm afraid of getting hurt because I know so many people who have hurt themselves with switching over.

    I wish there was video of your nymph-like running. I can almost see it in my head.

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  2. I bought a pair of PureFlows this spring or summer, for racing - my first time buying something lighter.

    I carry them in my car so I have them at the track meets. I believe I've raced the long distance race (1500,1600,mile,3000,3200) at four out of five meets, and I've remembered to actually wear the PureFlow shoes one of those times.

    So... yeah, that's part of that attention span issue.

    They do feel a bit lighter though.

    I intentionally did NOT wear them to Rosaryville, by the way. And I am pretty sure that I forgot to wear them to the mile race the day before Rosaryville.

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  3. Awesome on the cheap gear!!!

    I love my Brooks Launch, and will have to consider the Pure Flow line. The closest to minimalist I've come is that fact that none of my shoes are super padded. (I also have a pair of Newtons).

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  4. I'm always a member of the clean plate club.

    I love that you have an emergency bag for when your sister goes into labor and it contains running gear.

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  5. I was an Adrenaline girl too until I switched to the Pure line. You know I SWEAR by my Pure Cadence. I never had a transitional period in them either, which I thought was kind of off. Thus far, I've done up to 15 miles in them with zero problems. They do wear out much quicker though--I'm around 250 miles for mine and they are about toast. One drawback of minimal/light shoes I guess :(

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  6. now i'm even more jealous of your job! i want pure flows and will get them soon. not with the amazing discount you had though... :(

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  7. Totally a member of the clean plate club.

    I've wanted a pair of the Pure Flows for a while now, but I know my Ghosts work and well, I don't like change. ;) Also, I have Vibrams so I don't think I need a quasi-minimalist pair.

    Have you run in the Saucony Kinvara? I really like them and, if I ever run fast again this summer, am considering using them as a racing shoe for fall races.

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  8. For some reason, I thought your shoes looked big in the first picture. I keep seeing people with the Nike + watch and I have envy. It looks soooo techy while mine is so clunky. I, like Mandy, am a Launch wearer but the Pure Flow sound interesting!

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  9. I'm so jealous. I can't say no to free stuff. I'm curious about the Pure Flows, but I feel like I'd hurt myself. I have so much trouble finding shoes.

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  10. The perks of working at a running store are amazing! Enjoy your new watch.

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Thanks for commenting! Comments make me probably more happy than they should.