Thursday, March 12, 2015

Trying something(s) new...

Today's run was hosted by my local Runner's Depot store...
It was my first time doing one of the group runs with Runner's Depot so I was kind of excited to check it out. Kai came with me and we met up with a friend of mine from work whose kids go to/went to the same school Kai attends now. 

When we got to the Runner's Depot a Saucony rep was there with different shoes for us to "test run"...
I've never done that before either so I decided to give it a try.

The Saucony and Brooks brands seem very similar in terms of their design/shoe shape...
(Saucony on the left; Brooks on the right)

The noticeable difference when I had one brand on each foot was the weight of the shoe. Saucony feels like a light(er) shoe to me. I could definitely tell the difference in weight. This became an issue during my run because I'm not accustomed to running in a "lighter" shoe. I ended up landing with the same heavy footfall I normally have, but I felt the impact much more during my run. At one point (even though the shoe is lighter) my legs started to feel heavier. I don't know how much that has to do with the shoe, or the route, or the humidity, but it was a painful run. I didn't enjoy it at all. It was one of those runs where you're just glad it's over.

I also tried a new energy gel today. I've been trying to find the one that I tried at the Miami Beach half, but I've only seen it on Amazon. Today I tested GU...
(this tastes so good!)

It didn't do anything to help boost my speed but it might have helped prevent me from crashing. I only had half the pouch because I wasn't sure how my stomach would react to it. In the end my tummy was fine and I plan on getting more of these for Sunday's half marathon in Sarasota :)

Run summary: 4 miles... not bad for a mid-week taper run...

I'm having some soreness in my knee so I'm going to "baby it" with a tiger balm massage and a knee sleeve overnight (and hope it gets better by the morning). 

What's your favorite running shoe brand?

What's your favorite energy gel/fuel source for your race days?

2 comments:

  1. So far, I've run in Nikes, and they seem ok. I want to try the Hoka ones (big and fluffy soles). I'm still working on nutrition before a run (longest run is 6miles so far, so I haven't really needed to fuel during that).

    --Mei

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    Replies
    1. I've heard the Hoka's are great. You just have to remember to lift you feet higher off the ground. The latest models aren't as bulky but are said to provide the same cushioning so those should be nice :)

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