Life Lately

I tweaked my back something fierce a couple of weeks ago and I've been taking it easy easier and focusing on getting back in tip top shape. That means less CrossFit, more walks, and some quality time with Frank since I got back from Phoenix last week.

reunited and it feels so good

New Nano 4.0s!

Hot man bearing new Nanos = my kind of birthday fantasy

Ryan came down for a long weekend so we could celebrate my birthday a few days early. I'm leaving for Houston today and won't be back until this weekend. I have a wonderful boyfriend who has a wonderful family and they made me feel very loved this weekend. Ryan's nieces made me the best card I have ever received and it is my favorite present. My new Nano 4.0s are pretty sick too.

We both took Monday off from work and had a great day hanging out with each other. Ryan joined me for the noon class at CrossFit Identity. We worked up to a 1RM back squat and I PR'd with 190#. One hundred ninety pounds of barbell (and not 188# because I used the men's bar) went down with me below parallel and then made it back up. There was a moment there where I wasn't sure I was going to make it but my partner Stacey talked me through it. Thanks Stacey!

The WOD was awesome. I used 75# instead of 95#, but Ryan Rx'd it at 135# and crushed it!

WOD:
Power Cleans (PC) 1 minute-max reps
Rest 1 minute
Shoulder to Overhead (STO) 1 minute-max reps
Rest 1 minute
PC-1 minute-max reps
Rest 1 minute
STO-1 minute-max reps
Rest THREE minutes
REPEAT

photo courtesy of @cfidentity

Running in Nanos

I don't recommend it.

After my midday track workout yesterday, I went back to work for the rest of the afternoon. Then I asked my mom to drop be off at CrossFit Central LI because my car was still in the shop. We had a bench press deload week followed by a nice 21-15-9 couplet.

My overhead squat is still pretty light. Back at Frostbite 2014, I PR'd with a 65# OHS and I was able to get 4 unbroken at that weight, barely. I managed 35# (15# training bar and 2 tens) but I certainly wasn't going unbroken.

Happy Feet

I hate blisters and foot pain. This is obviously nothing revolutionary. I'm sure most people hate blisters and foot pain, but when you're into covering long distances by foot, it's kind of par for the course.

You need to have proper footwear for a trail race. I own La Sportiva Wildcats and Brooks ASRs. As a wear tester, I'm really fortunate that Brooks sends me pairs to test out. I'm a big fan of the ASR 9s.

I wore the ASR 9s for the first 25 miles of the race. They are pretty lightweight for trail shoes, 9.5 ounces, and they're really similar to the Adrenalines I wear on the road.

I packed my Wildcats in my drop bag and switched pairs at the halfway point. I am so glad that I did because they have a lot more cushion and the ankles are higher for more stability. Different shoe models mean that my feet weren't subjected to the same pressure points, which means less pain and risk of blisters.

This kid did not come with two pairs of shoes and tried to run the trail in road Vibrams. Eek. He was hurting pretty bad so I offered him my ASRs for the last 17 miles. I was happy to help him out and glad he had small lady feet.

Always bring two pairs of shoes!

I've found myself in a bit of a predicament. I track the mileage on my shoes using RunningAHEAD. If I switched shoes in the middle of the run, how do I track one run with two pairs of shoes? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated because it's keeping me up at night. That's not a joke.

Morning Mileage

After reading about Sarah from Once Upon a Lime try to become a morning runner, I remembered that I used to like to get up early and run before work. I hit snooze multiple times this morning but I was dressed and ready to run by 8 8:15. My Garmin was being an asshole but the walking I did trying to get the satellites to catch gave me a chance to wake up.

I decided that I didn't want to wear my running pouch but I needed a place to stash my keys. My running partner/neighbor (who moved back to San Francisco without telling me!) used to tie his keys into his laces. I am psychotic about things moving and bothering me while I am running so I've always been hesitant to do this, but I managed to get the keys secured in there. I took the lace out of the left loop, strung my keys onto it, wedged the keys under 3 other laces, restrung the lace, and then tied everything tightly over the keys. I also have a separate set of keys I use for running that only have the two keys I need to get into my building and nothing else.

Good morning New York!

I was moving pretty slowly - Garmin says an average of 9:11 minute miles. It was nice just to get out there and enjoy the sunshine.

Don't I look happy?

I didn't even run the whole way back. Once I hit 4 miles, I stopped the clock and walked the rest of the way home, which is probably about a quarter of a mile.

It's sunny out but it's not warm. I wore a pair of ADIDAS capris that I usually wear for spinning. Not ideal running pants because they kept sliding off my ass. Does anyone have any good recommendations that are not lululemon? Ideally, I am looking for bermuda length shorts.

Flagified

I spent my break designing this today. The Reebok CrossFit Nano 2.0 is a mighty fine looking shoe on its own, but after I flagified it, I am obsessed.

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Unfortunately, I have no reason to purchase them. I have 4 pairs of trail running sneakers, 3 pairs of road sneakers I actually use, 1 pair that I do not, a pair of Nike Frees that I hate, a pair of Vibram Five Fingers, two pairs of crosstrainers, and tennis sneakers. This list does not include any of my "fashion sneakers." I also do not do CrossFit.

If you'd like to spend $149 on me, I am a size 8.5.

Neon Yellow

Today is the first day of September and I promised myself I'd start it right by going to the gym. METCON3 kicked my ass today. There was whimpering and a lot of swearing.

The coolest thing we did today was row with our weights and our bench. We placed our heavy weights (mine were 8 lbs and I was embarrassed by my wimpy choice) on our bench, squatted over the bench, picked up the bench and performed rows with flat backs. I'm going to try to remember to work this into more workouts.

You don't need a play by play of how I begged for mercy and couldn't keep up, so I am going to focus on something I noticed - almost everyone in the room was wearing at least one piece of neon yellow apparel. I was wearing my neon yellow C9 Champion for Target shorts (actually I am still wearing them because I was too tired to shower at the gym), but others had on tank tops, shorts, and sneakers. There were a lot of neon yellow Nike shoes - Nike calls this color volt, and I blame the Olympics for this sudden neon yellow shoe craze. I prefer white sneakers with neon accents, but maybe that's just me.

I picked out some pieces that I think are cute so that you too can be stylish at the gym.

Nike Free Advantage

The Nike Free Advantage is a trainer. I really believe that trainers are for the gym and running shoes are for running. You might find it annoying to have to keep track of multiple pairs of sneakers, but I think it's worth it. In a pinch, I will workout in my running shoes though.

I'm not that big of a fan of Nike shoes anymore, but they carry a colorful selection. I hate my Nike Free running shoes, and I don't like how flexible the toe box is because it hurts my toes during boot camp classes, but some people love them. Just because I don't like something, doesn't mean I won't let you know it's available.

lululemon turbo run short

I love the turbo run short but I am poor so I only own one pair. And those were a gift. If you want to buy me a gift, please buy me more turbo run shorts. I love how they don't ride up my butt on long runs and they're pretty short, so they show off your legs.

C9 by Champion for Target compression shorts

These are so effing badass, I need a pair immediately. I'd wear them alone, but you could also wear a pair of black shorts over them so that they peak out. Depending on your fitness level, a grey or black sports bra would look sick with these, or you could wear one of those fancy flowy tanks lululemon is always hawking. I think I'd get my arms trapped, but they certainly look good. The other option is my favorite, buy men's extra small undershirts and cut the arms off. Make sure you cut to the outside of the seam. Now I'm thinking about driving over to Target to get this outfit.

ASR9s Drop Just in Time for August Trail Running*

On Friday, Olivia from Lovely At Your Side asked, "Allie, which brand of sneakers (in a moderate price range) do you recommend for running? My New Balance's broke (for the second time in my life!), and I'd like to not have that happen again! Thanks, girl!"

I wear Brooks running shoes and I am currently wearing Adrenaline 11s and Ghosts 4s for road. There's a sale going on right now so if you have the right sized feet, go snap up some discount sneakers!

I'm also a Brooks wear tester. The ASR 9s finally hit the website almost a year after I got my first pair in the mail. I'll let you in on a secret. They're already designing the 10s. I have wear tested two pairs of ASR 9s and I like them. I've run a trail race in them, completed a 20 mile road and trail long run in them, and sometimes wear them for road runs if it's raining. The pairs I tested were a lot more blue than black, but I am a fan of the finished product. If you wear Adrenalines for road and you are looking for a hybrid shoe, I definitely recommend these.

If you own the new ASR 9s or if you are an ASR 8 wearer, I'd love to pick your brain on how they handle technical trail.

*Not as exciting as the Air Jordan 7 Olympic that dropped last Saturday. There was a line around the block at Foot Locker in Herald Square.

Ghost 4 Review

Now you might think I'm a little late to the party writing a Ghost 4 review more than six months after they hit the market. Since no one pays me to write reviews about their products (yet) or sends me free shoes to blog about (hint, hint), I review products as I buy them. I purchased my Brooks Ghost 4 running shoes a week before the ING NYC Marathon. (The marathon was on November 6th for all of those who don't have that date permanently seared into their memory.) I wore them once before the marathon and then spend a solid 4 hours, 21 minutes, and 44 seconds running in them. I like Brooks shoes. They're good to go from the box.

I also wore them for the Brooklyn Marathon two weeks later and the Garden City Turkey Trot four days after that. I noticed that I had a serious pain on the top of my foot. I'm not sure if the pain came from switching to the Ghost 4 from the Adrenaline, or if I was tying my laces too tight. I tend to do that, especially when I have new laces. Older laces have some give to them and seem to stretch out later in a run, while newer laces hold their tie. After the New York Marathon I might have created a sore spot that was later exacerbated by wear the same shoes tied too tightly again.

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I have the blue ones, obviously, since my favorite color is blue. (Take this into consideration when buying me presents.)

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I also really like the yellow and green ones. I think they would match a lot of my running outfits. (In case you were planning on buying me a present.)

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Brooks recently came out with a pink pair. I don't do Pepto Pink. I wish they were neon pink and then I'd be dying for a pair. However, this is the perfect shade of pink for breast cancer awareness, so if you're running a race for breast cancer, you should definitely consider buying these.

To buy your own, click here.

Planting Fields Arboretum Woodland Trails

Today I decided to run over to the Planting Fields Arboretum. I haven't been there in years, but I used to volunteer there and it's absolutely beautiful. The last time I tried to run up there (and this was like five years ago) there was some misunderstanding about entrance fees and I didn't have any cash on me. To avoid this nonsense again I looked up their website before I left. That's when I found this map. Five miles of trails and I don't even have to get into the car?

I ran the three miles from my parents' house over to the arboretum on the road. The very nice man at the gate said runners do not have to pay the $8 car entrance fee (just as I had thought!) and I ran over to Coe Hall. I used to be a tour guide at this Tudor-style mansion. You're jealous, I know.

Obviously I neglected to bring the map I had found, but I ran along different paths (and through some grass) until I saw a marked entrance for the Beech Path trail. The Beech Path connects to the Oak Trail. Very pleasant running and not too many technical obstacles. At one point I got a little nervous that I was going to get lost so I pulled out my phone and brought up the map. This is why you should run with a smartphone if you're going to run alone. I realized I was quite close to the Boundary Road and kept going.

Once I exited the trail, I assumed that I was back on one of the arboretum's many lawns. That's when I saw a building that looked vaguely familiar. Then I realized I was standing behind a driving range. You can see on the Mill River Country Club marked on the trail map. Yeah, my family used to be members there. (Apparently we could no longer justify a full club membership so that I could eat a salad by the pool three times a year.) Now there I was in sweaty spandex covered in dirt. I waved to the staff and hightailed it down the driveway, back to the road, and back to my house.

This brings me to my next point - what shoes do you wear fo a multi-terrain run? I wore my Brooks Adrenaline 11s today. Sure, I would've preferred my trail sneakers on the trail but I was on the trail for less than a mile; I spent over 5 on roads. If I was planning on running all of the trails, I might suck it up and wear my trail shoes on the road. I've done it before and it's really not so bad. That's why Salomon created the XR Crossmax. One shoe from door to trail!

I covet these shoes. Size 8.5 please.

Brooks Adrenaline GTS 11

I bought my first pair of Brooks running shoes last weekend. I'm in love. After more than a year struggling to run in shoes that just never felt right, my new sneaks have me running happy.

Brand spanking new sneakers.

The Adrenaline is a support shoe available for both men and women. It feels cushioned, but not so much that I couldn't feel the road. I felt like I was able to run in my "real gait" if that makes any sense. The shoes fit my arches and are very comfortable. When I left for my run this morning, the right heel felt loose and began to slip, but I tightened the laces and corrected the problem.

Yes, my nail polish matches my new shoes.

I have taken my new Brooks Adrenaline GTS 11s on road (asphalt), pavement (sidewalks), track, and mulch-covered trail. These versatile shoes held their own. They provided the stability and support I need, while remaining lightweight and comfortable. Two thumbs up from In Shape Out of Mind.

Runner's World Training Log

I froze my Equinox membership. It is for the best. For the next three months I am on my own in my fitness endeavors, and I think I am up to this daunting challenge. I am going to get lean and actually train for my races. ING NYC Marathon 2011 - here I come!

Since I am obsessed with tracking and data, I signed up for the Runner's World training log. This free service can be accessed here. I am super excited to see my running in graphs and tables, but I am a nerd and I do not deny it. You can also record your favorite routes, your sneakers, your weight, and your heart rate. The sneaker thing is awesome. You log when you bought them and it will keep track of the mileage you put on them. You can even input the mileage a pair has already endured. Sadly, I have no idea, but the next time I buy sneakers, I'm logging them pronto. Vibrams are not an option yet, but I logged mine under other. Come on Runner's World - get on the quasi-barefoot movement!

I got a nice little run in today. My right calf started bothering me though. I blame the ridiculous amount of stairs I am asked to climb each and every day. No day is a rest day when you're acting like a sherpa. I walked a good portion of the route back and put some ice on my calf before dinner. 

Proud to be an American

Today I am even more proud to be an American than usual. I have been listening to Darryl Worley's Have You Forgotten? (absolutely not!) and remembering that red, white, and blue are the colors that don't run. In honor of this momentous occasion, here are some pieces that a proud American can get sweaty in.

 K-Swiss makes the K-Ona S in American flag. The K-Ona S is a lightweight shoe perfect for fast days, races, and triathlons. I've been dying for a pair for MONTHS. They're $100 and my birthday is in August.

 K-Swiss also makes these bike shorts. There's a version for triathlons as well.

I recently received these supersick Knockaround sunglasses as a gift. I've been wearing them everywhere! I desperately wanted to wear them for my last race, but alas, it was pouring rain. 

New Sneakers for My First Ultra

This morning I went to Eastern Mountain Sports in Carle Place to get a pair of trail running shoes and some special socks for this Saturday's race. EMS moved across the street last November (I had no idea; I asked), and the new store is located across the street at 204 Glen Cove Road.

I was promptly directed to a shoe guru named Jason who was very helpful (and cute!). He gave me a pair of Brooks and two pairs of La Sportiva trail running shoes to try on. The La Sportiva shoes felt the best, and we decided the all-purpose pair were better suited for my needs. Slight problem. They are grey and orange. Grey is practically my favorite color, but I hate the color orange. I hate it almost as much as I hate clowns. I think I hate the color orange because I hate clowns. I almost asked if he had them in any other colors, but I figured he would've told me if he did, and I was slightly embarrassed to admit that I have a clown-phobia-caused disgust of a color. Otherwise, the shoes are sick!

Jason helped me pick out double-layer synthetic WrightSocks. The Dri-WRIGHT II fabric wicks moisture and the double-layer offers padding for the 31 miles I will be covering next week. As much as I love my Old Navy cotton fitness socks, they have a time and a place, and an ultra is not one of them.

I hurried home to throw on some shorts and a tank. I couldn't wait to try out my new socks and shoes on the trail in the woods across the street from my house. The weather was 68 degrees and sunny, perfect running weather in my book, and I ended up getting a nice tan on my face and arms today.

Now I'm not scared of many things; I'm scared of mediocrity and clowns. I don't care for rats, and they make me kind of nauseous, but it's only mediocrity and clowns that terrify me. But I kept on getting nervous while running on the small trail in the woods... What if I accidentally stepped on a den hidden beneath a pile of leaves and I was attacked by disgruntled animals? What type of animals live in the woods of residential areas on Long Island? No one knew I was out there, and I don't think death by angry skunk is the way I want to go.

I ran around the trail for a while, before heading out into Oyster Bay and down to Roosevelt Beach. I ran along the beach, and then headed back up Mill River Road. Yesterday my IT band freaked out after a mile and a half. Today I ran over 3 miles without a problem, and then only after pounding pavement. After that, I stayed on sand or the embankments on the sides of the road, and my leg felt much better. Hopefully a sensible approach to exercise this week will prepare me for Saturday's 50K.

Toning Sneakers

I never got on board with the toning shoe trend. I just can't justify buying another pair of shoes when I have so many unanswered questions.

Do they actually work? Do some brands work more than others? Do they mess with your spinal alignment or cause injuries? Will they make me look like Kim Kardashian?

My co-worker came by my room to show me his new pair of Sketcher's Shape Ups. Yes, they make them for men and they are surprisingly stylish. I'm going to hound him for an interview once he wears them for a while.

Please post comments about your thoughts and opinions of toning shoes. Do you own/wear them? Have you tried the sandals?