I'm So Pretty!

So, thanks to my income tax refund, I was able to afford my new running shoes!

YAY!

I ordered them Sunday night and they arrived today. Zappos was super nice and upgraded my 3-5 business day shipping to Priority Overnight shipping for free! Holler! (I'm officially a Zappos fan). Anywho, my Saucony Progrid Kinvaras came in and they are BRIGHT pink! I think I'm in love!

Aren't they Sassy?!

As soon as I got home from work and saw the box on the table, I tore it open and put my shoes on. They fit wonderfully! I wasn't originally intending on running today as the rain has been brutal, but by the time I got my shoes on, the rain had slowed down enough that I had time to do a quick 2+ mile run. The shoes feel much different than my last pair. They are a somewhat minimalist shoe (not as intense as the five finger shoes though) with a mesh ventilation on the top and sides of the foot, and is a neutral for those of us who under-pronate. I paid close attention to my feet as I was running and I noticed that there wasn't as much pressure on the outside of my feet as there used to be. Whether that's because of the fact that the shoes were specifically designed for supinators or whether it's because they are minimalist and my feet are just naturally hitting differently, I have yet to figure out. But, all the same, my pinky toes were grateful to not have to be the main pressure points for my push-offs anymore. I will do a full review after I've worn them for a few longer runs, etc. 

In my spending spree, I also ordered two Bondi Bands to try out. I saw on Facebook that they had a Whirly colored band on sale for almost half off, and I've been wanting to try one, so I figured what the heck? These are the two I got: Pink Whirly - Bondi Band and Keep Running (pink ink) - Bondi Band

They are both pretty and I figure the Keep Running one might help to keep me motivated while training. I mean, how awkward would it be to wear that and be walking on the side of the road? Bwah Bwah.  My Bondi Bands shipped today so I'm hoping to get them in by the ed of the week. More photos to come!

During my run tonight I had another upset stomach. Any ideas as to what can help that? It's starting to get annoying, especially because I was going at a good pace and my legs felt good. I had to stop because my tummy was cramping so badly though. Darn stomach!

Questions of The Day:

1. What are your favorite pair of running shoes? Why?

2. What are your feelings on minimalist shoes?

3. What do you do to help get rid of an upset stomach?

Oh Poo (and I Don't Mean the Bear)!

I had a really good short run tonight. I'm actually rather proud. I managed to run 1.4 miles before I had to stop and walk. Hooray! I don't know if it's because I'm still on a "I'm-so-proud-of-myself" high from Saturday's race or if it's because I'm well rested or because I was just in a running mood- whatever the reason I managed to maintain a nice steady pace for almost 1.5 miles. Holler! According to my iTouch, the first mile was a 13:25 and the second mile was a 14:30. Not too bad at all, in my opinion.

Perhaps I ran faster because I had a rather upset tummy.

 

Source

About 0.75 miles in, my stomach started giving me that "I'm SO not happy with you" feeling. I refused to stop running and pushed through it. I didn't want to have to turn around to use the bathroom so early into my run (I can be stubborn when I want to). As Watch Me Go Run found out HERE, running whilst clenching one's butt muscles is a rather difficult endeavor. However, I do think it made me run a little bit fast during that second mile because I didn't want to waste anymore time getting back to the potty. (TMI?) Considering how upset my stomach was, I only actually walked 7-8 minutes of the 32 minutes I ran. That's awesomeness! So excited!

I'm also excited because a friend is going to come over tomorrow morning to go running with me. I love running with new people- it pushes me to do better (I mean, I don't want to look like a complete fail in front of my friends and family, do I? haha). Tomorrow's training run has to be 40 minutes long. I'm hoping to get in 3 miles, if not a whole 5k. I'm ambitious, I know. It also depends on how hot it is (we have FINALLY hit a warm weather patch) and what sort of pace E is comfortable running. We shall see how it goes, but as of right now, I have a positive look on things. :)

Also, found this quote today and it sort of inspired me:

“Don't wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles and less than perfect conditions. So what. Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident and more and more successful.”