Friends and family discount!

You're all my friends, right?
Today you can get 15% off at Walgreens for friends and family day. Print this coupon and bring it in today, May 11th, for 15% off everything and 20% off Walgreens brand items.

You can also get the discount at Walgreens.com. Use the coupon code FRIEND15


Happy shopping!

Running plans: beat the 5k!

I transition into summer running in an unusual position.

I have no races coming up and I am teetering on the brink of injury.

This, to me, sounded like the ideal time for a little break. I mentioned once before that my hip/groin has been bothering me. For several months I've felt like my adductors are strained. I feel them sort of pulling on bone. During RnR NOLA I thought my lack of gym time was the culprit, perhaps my lack of abdominal strength. I do still need to work on that. I was ignoring the pain since it only occurred when I ran long miles and went away when I stopped running. However, now I am feeling pain at rest, and it's mostly my right side. It isn't bad, but I think I need to take care or it could become a problem.

Timely reading

So, my plan is to take this week off of running and see how I feel after that. After that, if I feel better, I'll pick running back up.  I will keep my miles a little lower and go for speed. Lucky me, Runner's World has an article on running a fast 5k. It has some suggested work-outs which will do just fine for my time goals.

Controversial question: The article says, "Busting the 25 minutes barrier marks you as a "serious runner." Discuss. 

Since the 5k is so tough for me, does anyone have any good tips for training for them? Also I have no idea how to warm up before a 5k. That's something I need to learn, too.

Hanging up my shoes

It's over, folks.

I didn't really have any place to hang my shoes up, so I tied the laces together and tossed them over my electric wires. It made sense to me. 

I'm hanging up my shoes. I'm done.
Done with Monday night track that leaves me with really amazing hair the undereyes of a 78 year old.
Done with Saturday long runs that are my ticket to a 4000 kCal consumption day.
Done with mediocre mid-week runs that only become speedy when the bells at Holy Name chime the quarter hour and I realize that in an hour and fifteen minutes I have to be done running, bathed, dressed, fed, lunch packed, dinner started, commuted, car parked, and my pharmacy open for business,
Done with 6:00 am ignore-the-alarm sessions.
Done with Sunday breakfasts of Gu and race Gatorade.

That is to say, for this week. I'm taking a break this week to recuperate and rest and hopefully to heal. My hip has been bothering me for awhile now, so I am going to take a little break and see if that fixes it. Plus I'm due for a running break.
I haven't taken real time off in a long time, and I think I need it. Maybe I'll return all fresh, uninjured, and ready to run!

Ipod nano 6th generation: a review

The June Runner's World gives a review of what the editor's consider "Run-worthy audio devices". This article prompted me to review the ipod nano 6th generation, a pricey gadget that now sits unused on my shelf.

You can buy a vest with speakers in the shoulders for races that ban headphones. Dumbest invention ever. 

Précis: This ipod sucks for runners, do not buy it.

Long version: I can't think of a worse design for an mp3 player as far as running is concerned. There is so much wrong going on here, I'm just going to bullet-point it.

- Touch-screen is terrible when running. Instead of going by feel, you have to look at the screen while trying not to run into the racer in front of you. Oh, and you can't see it in bright sunlight. Like, you know, outdoors.

- Finicky screen technology means the device is very moisture sensitive: a horrible flaw since it clips to your clothes. If you sweat when you run, you could damage it. Trust me, I know: my husband killed two in a row just from a sweaty shirt.

- The dumb "only one button" design means you can set it to EITHER skip the song or pause. Both features would be useful while running, but nope, you can only have one or the other. 

- There is no easy way to replay the song you're on. If you're like me, sometimes you hit just the right song and might listen to it several times in a row. Well, you can only do that by going all the way back to the menu and scrolling to that song.

- Clip is not very secure. It is especially bad on thick or folded waist bands.

- Because the clip isn't secure, if you want to use the one top button or the +/- volume buttons, you can't do it with just one touch - there isn't enough support to press against. You'll just accidentally un-do the clip. Instead you have to hold the edges or unclip the thing and hold it to press a button. (Not that you could really just reach down and quickly hit the volume + button anyway; it's so small you could easily pick the volume - button by mistake).

- If you don't set it to lock, anytime you brush or adjust it you'll change the song or pause it or something since the entire device is a touch screen. If you do lock it, you have to unlock it to make any changes: just one more step when you should be focused on running.

- Get cold fingers in the winter when you run? Good luck getting this ipod to respond. 

- Get sweaty fingers in the summer? Ha! Forget it! 

Do you run with music? How often? And what device do you use?
I sometimes bring music - about half my long runs and long races. I find that turning my ipod on in the second half of a marathon can give me a boost. Since I shunned the nano 6th generation, I'm using the 3rd generation player that my husband and I spent two weeks of our lives repairing. 

A new shoe

For some reason lately I've been hankering to try a new shoe. It's not that I don't love my Saucony Kinvaras. I do. I adore them. My husband is jealous of them.
It's just that I decided to add a different shoe to the mix. I tried on 86 shoes (43 pairs) and decided on the Asics SpeedStar.

These are the least offensively bright shoes I own.

It's a lot like the Kinvara: it's neutral, it has minimal structure, it has a one-piece mesh upper, and it's one of the more flexible and lightweight shoes out there.
However, it's not as flexible as the Kinvara, there is less cushion, and each shoe weighs 1.2 ounces more. So it won't be my fastest shoe, and it won't be one I choose for races or long runs - it's just to try something different. I've never worn Asics before, so I'm curious to see how they perform.
I ran in them today - 10 miles - and didn't have any problems; they didn't knock my socks off but it was a good solid run.

Do you rotate your running shoes, or do you stick to one tried and true model?

Fueled for life!

I won wonderful stuff from the fastest blogger I know.

Here is all the stuff:

Minus the protein bar that tasted like a Little Debbie that I already ate.
Can't wait to try Gu chocolate raspberry!
Thanks, RoseRunner!

It's back!

The humidity is back!
Um, yay?
This morning I headed out for a 7-10 mile run. It ended up at 7. I was sweating in less than a minute and struggling to keep moving. Our cooler temperatures for most of April had me fooled. Now I'm not acclimated!

Since I have very, very loose running plans (please notice my completely empty Daily Mile "Race" widget to your left), I can afford to be picky about the heat. I'm throwing around a few plans for the summer miseries:
1. Take a running break. I am teetering on the brink of injury anyway.
2. Decrease miles and intensity. Continue Monday track, Saturday long run (but not over 10 miles), and one easy run; other days go to the gym and work on these scrawny muscles.
3. Decrease miles but add intensity; work on 5k time (currently pathetic).
4. Continue current schedule to prevent loss of acclimatization in case an early fall race comes my way.
5. Use heat and humidity to build strength and endurance and increase miles.

How do you deal with summer heat? Or if you're from a colder climate, does winter weather change your running plans?