New Shoes: Adidas Supernova Sequence 4

There are a few things in life that still makes me giddy like a little kid. Opening up a fresh jar of peanut butter comes to mind but very close in second is getting my hands on a new pair of running shoes. It's obvious where my priorities are.

So meet my new Adidas Supernova Sequence 4. I don't know why it has such a long name. They should just call it the Adidas SS4. Anyhow, this is my 100th pair of Adidas running shoes. Okay, not that many but close. I just keep buying them year after year. I use to be a huge Brooks fan but switched over to Adidas a couple of years ago at the recommendation of one Shoe Dog at RoadRunner Sports. Oh and by the way, if you ever need a new pair of running shoes 'quick-style' like I did and you need it the very next day, RoadRunner will take care of that...for free! I love them...RoadRunner and my new shoes!

I really like the new colors. I seem to remember that when I first started buying this model that it had pink stripes, then aqua, then blue and now it is purple and the shoe color went from white to grey. I read in Runner's World that this model is a little bit heavier than the 3s but it is minor. The weight of these shoes go up and down, pretty much like my weight but it all balances out in the end. :) Oh and these are stability shoes by the way because I pronate.

Lululemon, I tried so hard to resist! But I FAILED!

Yeah, is this a weird post or what? Anyhow, I was at the mall recently exchanging something I got for Christmas for a larger size...ahem I'm talking about shoes...I didn't gain that much weight!

It's weird how I feel more comfortable confessing I needed bigger shoes than larger clothes. Back in the days in China, they use to value women with small tiny feet. Women use to put themselves through hell with the practice of feet binding to obtain small feet. I've seen some photos of women doing this and I have to say that I think their feet looked so much worse after wards. I mean it is just not possible to turn a size 10 feet into a size 5 feet without it looking strange. I will spare you the photos. Seems like women are always trying to conform to some impossible standards. But that's neither here nor there. Definitely not connected to this post in any way. Looks like I've gone on a tangent.

Back to my story, after I exchanged my shoes, I walked passed a Lululemon store and decided to walk in. I live in the OC, and Lululemon stores seem to be everywhere. I have to admit that I went in one of them once and came out with the worse sticker shock of my life; second only to when I went to look at BMWs once (I was driving a Honda at the time). I swore that I would never go into another one again. Not because I didn't like what they were selling because believe me, they have some really great stuff in there.

On this particular day, I happened to remember that I had a gift certificate in a very decent amount which would buy maybe 2-3 pieces of workout wear in other stores. But not this store. I went in anyways because that gift certificate was burning a whole in my purse.

I picked out a pair of workout capris and a jacket. I tried them on. I see what the fuss is all about. I go to the counter. I drop major moola. I walk out of the store and feel guilty for spending so much on workout clothes. I go home. I try on clothes again. They lift and slim. All is well in the universe again.

iPod Nano - 8 GB Review

I ran into an old friend at the gym the other day and he asked me how I liked the new iPod Nano and I told him. Afterwards, I realized that I should blog about what I had told him in case anyone cared about what I thought of it. 

Earlier this year my iPod Shuffle (Pinky) finally decided to crap out on me after 3 years of running/traveling companionship. I was heart-broken. Yes, I am one of those people who hates having to replace things. I especially hate replacing electronics because I'm not tech savvy and the thought of having to relearn to use something that I was already comfortable with, makes me want to cry. Plus, I had won that Shuffle as a door prize from my company and it was engraved. It was sad, the Shuffle died a slowed death. One day, I was out on a long run and it just shut off 3 miles into my run on a full charge. I pressed on the play button and nothing happened. I pressed it again but this time harder and it turned back on and everything was fine. I knew something was wrong but I was in denial and continue to use it. Then the stopping became more frequent and there were times that I was not able to turn it back on no matter how hard I pressed that play button. Then one day I took it out for what would be its last run with me and it turned off 1 mile into the run and I could not get it to turn back on. It was at this point that I realized that I had to move on. I was really sad for a few weeks and actually ran without any music. MC offered to lend me his iPod but he had the really big one that was not so good with running and I realized that I would rather just not deal with it.

Then on my birthday this year, MC got me the iPod Nano 8GB in blue because it was almost the size of my now broken Shuffle and it had more features. I call it Blue, yeah I am so creative with names. The 8GB unit retails for $149 while the 16 GB is $179. This thing really is small and it IS very cool but...

Some reasons why the iPod Nano is not so good for runners:

1) The touch screen feature is neat but not so good when you are running and want to change songs. You actually need to un-clip the device and look at it to change songs. It is very difficult to do this without un-clipping the device which is such a pain.

2) This second reason is somewhat related to the first one in that the touch screen is very precise. This means that if you do not hit the next or back song button right on the arrow, it will not change. Imagine having to do this while you are racing.

3) All this can be overcome by setting up a playlist. But I don't do this.

4) I guess more features doesn't always mean that it works better for some. My old Shuffle was very simplistic. There was only a play, stop, back and forward buttons and if you want to get fancy it had a shuffle function. I guess I am just behind on the times.

5) Finally, maybe it is just me but every time I try to use the FM radio function, I can never get a clear signal of the stations I want to listen to and I normally just listen to the popular music stations here in LA.

Using my Nano on the plane ride to the Chicago Marathon. This thing is awesome when you are not running.

Look at all the pretty colors. Just like candy!

Decisions Decisions

My IPod Shuffle has been acting up lately. It does weird things like shut off in the middle of a song, even when fully charged and it will only turn back on again when I press the play button really hard and hold it down for multiply seconds. Sometimes I turn it on and it shuts off by itself 5 minutes into my workout and never comes back on again. I've fiddled with it for the past month now and have gotten it to work to get me through the tail end of my marathon training. One time it crapped out on my on a 20 mile run and I was so mad. So I think after 3 years of keeping me company on my runs, it is time to retire the old girl and get something I can depend on again. The last thing I need is for it to crap out on my trip to Chicago. So, I was thinking of getting another Shuffle to replace the one I have. I currently have a pink one and was thinking of getting a green one, just to mix things up a bit. I went on the Apple website and right next to the Shuffle was the new and improved Nano. So I  read up on it and noticed that it is almost if not the same size as the Shuffle, also with an attached clip but it holds so much more songs, plus it has a touch screen and a built in pedometer. The Shuffle is currently going for $49 and the Nano is $149...I think all the new feature is worth the extra hundred. Don't you? Don't answer that because I'm already sold!

Salt Stick

I remember when I ran my first marathon...it was the LA Marathon. I remember how nervous I was about running such a long distance and rightly so, the Marathon is not for the unprepared. Show up on race day without proper training and experience and you will suffer. Back then I didn't know too much about anything really, not that I know so much now but I knew less, especially about running supplements. I was such a noob, I even wore makeup to that first marathon. What? Oh yes I did! At that first marathon, I recall that around mile 15, I had the worse calf cramps ever. The drama queen in me thought I was going to die. There was little I could do to relieve the tightness and pain and for awhile as I sat there on the curb, I thought about throwing in the towel. There might have been a couple of tears of disappointment but eventually I got up and finished that thing. But it was not easy. I mean..15 miles was really good for me back then, quiting was an option for me. I guess you can say that I came to that race really under-trained. I don't know what I was thinking. I guess what you don't know, can't hurt you, until race day. Please don't make that mistake, it's awful! I wish at that time, I had known about salt tabs and maybe trained a lot more. Well, it has been 4 years since that first marathon and I've ran eight of them since. Along the way, I've picked up a few tricks to help make my marathon training and race day better. Things such as glide, GUs and salt tabs. This post is mainly about salt tabs, even though I tend to ramble and am really good with digressions.

I've only ever used 2 types of salt supplements, Endurolytes and SaltStick. I know there are a lot of options out there but I've only tried these two. SaltStick is a really good product and I'm not being paid to say this. I'm just a big fan. I use to use Endurolyte for my running salt needs but since I've discovered SaltStick, I haven't looked back. Why? Because you use so much less of the SaltStick capsules. I use to have to carry so many of the Endurolytes. You can take 1 capsule of the SaltStick per hour of active sweating versus 2-4 of the Endurolyte. They basically work the same but I like carrying only a couple of capsules versus a handful of them, which was what I use to do. This stuff works great on really hot days when you are sweating like a pig and therefore losing a lot of salt and minerals from your body. This stuff works for legs cramps at night. I use to get them for some reason and be awaken in the middle of the night with awful leg cramps. I use to have to hop out of bed and stand on the cramping leg to make it go way. Painful! Needless to say, it was difficult to fall asleep after that. Then the tight calf muscle would hang around for days and felt like a bruise. And I took salt caps for this and it worked.

I still get cramps during marathons but mostly is it due to going out to fast or not training enough. This stuff helps but it is not a mircle pill. You still need to train adequately and pace yourself.

I got new kicks! (Adidas Women Supernova Sequence 3 Review)

I finally caved and decided to buy yet another pair of running shoes. I hate how often I have to replace them. They are so freakin' expensive! But at last, it had to be done. The older pair was approaching 500 miles but it still looks ok but I knew it was time to replace, especially since I've been running so much. I still use the older pair when I run on the treadmill, or do short runs or run on a padded track. This new pair is my 4th shoe from this company and line. I loved it the moment I first tried them on and still love it now. The sequence 3 has a newer and a brighter blue color. I think it started out as dark pink (Sequence 1), then the sea-foam blue/green and now this lake blue. I really like this shoe. It has never given me any sort of foot problems what-so-ever. It is a stability shoe, so if you don't need that feature, Adidas has shoes without it. They carry a pair very similar in appearance to the Sequence 3 but it is a Neutral shoe. I really should line up and photograph all the running shoes I've blown through these past years. I think I've only donated 1 pair away to goodwill, but I still have them all mostly.

Women's Sequence 2

Women's Sequence 3

What am I...a camel? (iFitness Review)

I've always been one of those people who over pack. I can easily pack a suitcase full of stuff for an over-nighter. On any given day, I can be seen out and about toting around at least 2 bags. Of what you may ask. Oh, you know, random knick-knacks and I have lots of it. So it comes as no surprise that I own 2 different fuel belts for my running habit. They are both from AmphiPod. One is a 3 bottle belt with a small pack for storing phones/keys/GUs and the other is just a fanny pack-like belt that I take with me on shorter runs but still feel the need to bring a bunch of crap along. When I first purchased these two belts, I was really happy with them because up to that point, I was only able to carry 1 GU in the back pocket of my Nike shorts. Or my other favorite go-to method of training before I got a fuel belt was to go to the park near my parents' house and do my 20-miler around the park's 2.5 mile loop. I would park my car at a designated spot and everytime I completed one loop, I could stop and rehydrate and such. Yeah, it was no fun to run in circles. So when I finally got serious about my long runs, I decided to look into fuel belts.

Then this past weekend while I was walking around the SD RnR Expo, I felt the need to add to my collection of fuel belts when I walked past the iFitness table. I honestly don't have an impulsive shopping problem and the reason I was even looking to buy a new fuel belt is because my other 2 have been chafing me on my runs lately. Plus they tend to bounce a bit if you don't strap them in really tight which can cause chafing especially if you are sweaty. And after running 20+ miles of running, there is almost always some chafing around my waistline. So I forked over some cash in exchange for a black with pink trim iFitness belt with the double pouch. The material is stretchy and soft. I just want to say that I love this thing! It might have been a stupid move on my part to wear it for the very first time at the SD RnR Marathon but this thing did not disappoint me. I love that it is wore low on the waist. Being the pack mule/camel that I am, I stuffed 4 GUs and my hotel card in one pouch and my Blackberry and pill case in the other and at no time did this thing bounce. I almost forgot it was there. I'm pretty sure I can probably get more stuff in those pouches if I tried. And even after running a marathon, there was no chafing! None! Wow, I am really happy with this purchase and for me it is worth the $27. I am hoping that one day my running will improve enough that I don't have to lug around all this junk to get me through a long run but until that day comes, I'm glad I have this thing.

Running for Fun, CEP and English Muff

So in preparation for my promise of daily postings starting in about 2 weeks, I thought that I would post again today to get in the swing of things. I know, shocking! It helped that I actually got my butt out this morning to get in a 5-6 mile run. I am unsure of the exact distance because I just went out today to run for fun. I ran a route that I always run but went a bit further so not sure. To be conservative, I would say 5 miles. I am planning to run the same route again tomorrow so maybe I will take the Garmin along to see how far it really was. The run was hilly and lovely. The sky was overcast but not cold so it was a great run. I honestly love living in the OC.

So recently while reading some blogs, I came across SkinnyRunner's review of CEP All-Sports Compression Sleeves. She apparently wears these all the time and that girl can run fast but that's not why I ended up buying these. Although I wish I could run that fast just by wearing these sleeves. I reason I brought these sleeves was because I get some really bad shin splints and thought that these would help. I got them in the mail yesterday. Let me tell you that they have very fast shipping. They are pricy at $40 but the shipping is free. I got the pair in black and took them out for my run this morning. I still felt my shin splints coming on but all-in-all I really like the way these worked out. I felt like they really held my calve muscles together. Even though I haven't tried a whole lot of compression sleeves for legs, these are very good. I like them so much that I am even thinking about getting another pair in white. They are also really cute on. ;)

So after my run this morning, I was hot and did not feel like eating my usual oatmeal so I remembered that I had purchased these sprouted english muffins made by Food for Life from the local heath food store. I must say that for being a runner, I don't eat a lot of bread. I actually haven't had bread at my place for months now. I use to eat those sandwich thins or whole grain tortilla wraps which I would get by the truck load from Costco but eventually, I decided to just stop eating it. I haven't really missed it that much. I think the only time I eat bread now is when I go to restaurants and they bring out the bread basket. With my marathon coming up, I will probably be eating it the week of since bread is my carbo load fuel of choice. For me, bread or potato is far superior to pasta. I actually will eat some pasta 2 days before the big race and then bread the day before. This has worked for me and has taken me 9 marathons to figure out...haha.