the week:
Recovery has been nice! I’m one my first of TWO WHOLE WEEKS without running. I started my ladies’ golf clinics and went roller skating for a few miles (including wiping out in the grass within the first five minutes lol). I feel like I have all the energy and time in the world — using it to clean out dressers and organize closets… and, um, drink a lot of wine.
Being fresh off a marathon finish has also given me a new kind of confidence to take on all the other life bullshit falling into the Procrastination category, and I’m on a roll crossing things off my to-do list! #gettingshitdone
weekend:
I volunteered this morning at Dam to Dam at the Tacopocalypse food table. It was so hot, and I was SO happy not to be running. Sorry to all the runners who didn’t get any pork nachos — we ran out of food after only 2 hours. 🙁
I plan to go for a bike ride tomorrow morning, and then partake in a little Sunday Funday (and probably Jethro’s BBQ brunch). I’m kinda liking this run-free summer lifestyle right now.
seven things, seven days:
1. Can you believe the back brake pads and rotors of my NEW CAR had to be replaced already? Crazy.
2. I put on my big girl pants and cancelled my gym membership (that I barely used once a month).
3. And now I need a place to do drop-in yoga. Any suggestions for Des Moines, preferably west/northwestern suburbs? No membership, please.
4. Got any early favorites for this season’s The Bachelorette? ?
5. Deep Inside Taco Bell’s Doritos Locos Tacos. I haven’t had Taco Bell in a few years, but I still crave it like my post-party, bar-crawling former 20-something self.
6. The Rise and (Maybe) Fall of Influencers {via NYT}
7. Brutalist redesigns of your favorite social platforms. BE STILL MY BRUTALISM-LOVING HEART. {via The Verge}
Disclaimer: I received a pair of OOFOS OOmg shoes to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!
One of my favorite things about being a BibRave Pro is the opportunity to review new products to the market. I’m already a HUGE fan of OOFOS — owning a pair of their recovery slides and randomly winning a pair of the OOriginal sandal during an Instagram contest last year — but never have properly reviewed. Getting the chance to try out their new OOMG shoes gave me that very opportunity!
The first fully closed shoe with OOfoam technology: A combined OOFOS patented footbed design with a 4-way stretch mesh upper that takes stress off your tired soles and joints — providing natural foot movement that allows you to wear the shoe all day, every day.
Short story: OOFOS is ALL about recovery. As a runner, this is super important to me. While the OOmg is good for recovery post-run, they are designed as a lifestyle shoe and meant to be worn at all times.
Perfect for commuting to POPUP YOGAFirst impression: When I first pulled these out of the box, my first reaction was, “Oh, these are fug.” But seriously, the ugliness wore off when I put them on. These shoes are COMFY. To be honest, they don’t look bad when they’re on my feet, and they were so light. I instantly dubbed these my commuter shoes, as I have to do a good amount of walking from car-to-cube on my work campus; I have worn these to work nearly every day since I got them. I don’t care if I’m wearing a skirt, pants, jeans… fug or not, they have not ripped up my feet like other flats have. AND they’re a lot sleeker than wearing tennis shoes to work.
Fit: I do want to talk about fit a little bit. Out of the box, these fit snugly and comfortably. I loved how my arch was cradled and the elastic mesh was breathable and didn’t compress the top of my foot at all. Though on my left foot (which is not the wider of the two), my toenails were catching something on the inside-top front of the shoe (I do NOT keep my toenails long, so it was a weird observation). I notice the toe catching — not with every step — it feels like it might rip my toenail off (it’s probably an exaggeration, but it’s a jolting reminder when it catches). I haven’t worn my OOmg shoes with socks and imagine that would prevent, but the no socks thing was exactly why I LOVED these shoes. This hasn’t prevented me from wearing the shoes nearly every day, however.
I’m generally not in-between sizes, but I feel as though that’s where this shoe would fit me better. I haven’t yet tried a size 9, and I feel it would be too big, but I don’t have the comparison. OOFOS OOmg is the perfect post-workout and commuter shoe for me, while also giving me the benefit of:
– Reducing stress on feet, knees, and back
– Enabling more natural motion
– Being extremely light weight
– And being machine washable — which makes these perfect for a rainy day shoe!
Science!
Learn more about the OOfoam technology:
30-something 40-something approved: I made an investment in comfort brands a few years ago because I was walking everywhere in Pittsburgh (I rarely drove), and I was tired of sore feet and nasty blisters or spots that rubbed (and eventually bled) — even from wearing flats. An ill-fitting shoe positively ruined my day! Though it’s expense to do so, I want to protect my feet; and dang it, I just want to walk comfortably and not have to travel with 382 shapes of band-aids.
The OOFOS OOmg shoe retails at $120, is sold in full sizes, and comes in three colors (black, gray, and citron green). I plan to get the OOmg in another color (likely gray) and can’t wait to see what’s next from OOFOS. At the moment, OOmg is sold in the women’s section of their website, but are considered unisex up to a certain size. Expanded men’s sizes are expected for next year.
Disclaimer: I received a free entry to Vermont City Marathon as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to find and write race reviews!
Tired feelings, new Launch Shamrocks and BibRave buddy!
Week 8 was my time to focus on foam rolling, recovery, and good habits in general — especially as it was my first 25+ mile week since November. Daily stress is fatiguing me pretty hard, and I know big mileage weeks only add to that feeling. And there are a LOT more weeks that are going to feel like that. I haven’t raced in a while though, so I’m getting excited as I approach some of those dates on my calendar.
MONDAY Rest Day
TUESDAY This felt like the longest 4 miles that I’ve ever done! But my paces were pretty fast for a slower-than-easy run. This is probably why I’ll always run with a watch.
4.32 mi / 42:39 / 9:32 average pace
Splits: 9:44, 10:25, 9:47, 10:03
Ended the run with 4×20 second strides (and a big chocolate milk, of course).
WEDNESDAY Rest Day (planned in advance, since I had a social thing after work)
THURSDAY Interval training day! I always get so excited for speed workouts, as they allow me the time to FOCUS on my runs instead of zoning out on the treadmill watching the third season of Desperate Housewives. And while I can’t run fast for long distances, running fast is SO FUN. Though running fast on the treadmill kind of freaks me out!
Overall, this was a weird run. I felt like my legs couldn’t turn over any faster, though felt like I didn’t even workout when my sprints were over. I was running so hard on those 400s but not even out of breath!
Finding bad habits in the week already taking over, I made sure to get some foam rolling in after my run.
FRIDAY Rest Day (unplanned). Skipped my strength workout that was on the schedule, since some impromptu fun plans came up after work. I moved my Strength Day to Sunday, alongside my recovery run. I still need to do better on getting in my strength workouts and foam rolling.
SATURDAY Long run with the Capital Striders in the AM (UGH, start times changed to 7am, and it was ROUGH — but I made it). I completed the 12-mile route, and then came home to do an additional 2 miles on the treadmill. I honestly just had enough of the cool weather, and I was REALLY hoping to enjoy the expected 65-degree day. Alas, it was NOT in the 60s at 7am and wasn’t until well into the morning that the temperatures warmed up. At least it was sunny?
SUNDAY I originally planned to meet some Turkeys out on the trails, but I had a gnarly headache in the morning — and I just knew there was no way I wanted to wake up for another 7am run. No fun on the trails for me!
Ahhhhhhhh….
Sunday is my weekly recovery day; beyond doing my usual recovery run, I also needed to make up my skipped strength workout from Friday. I want to start GOOD recovery habits rather than using Sunday as a make-up day. So I finally took my first epsom salt bath using the San Francisco Salt Company’s Epsoak Muscle Soak. I get really antsy sitting in baths (similarly, I always think 5 minutes is TOO LONG for foam rolling. Patience is not my virtue.), but forced myself to stay the entire 20 minutes. And my body felt GLORIOUS when I was done. All my muscle soreness was gone (along with my hot water to shower afterward).
On Sundays, we recover. If I’m not having a massage, I’ll be using the salts. And foam rolling for longer than 5 minutes. Promise.
WEEKLY RUNS: 4 WEEKLY MILES: 27.1 miles TOTAL TRAINING MILES: 127.66 miles
I’ve been completely inspired by podcasts these last few weeks. Today’s title quote comes from Episode 7 of the BibRave Podcast — an incredible interview with Race Director of THE Boston Marathon, Dave McGillivray.
the week:
I’ve felt very harried and scattered all week, despite getting plenty of good sleep and not changing anything in my schedule. My to-do list feels a mile long, and I’m really anxious at getting a lot done this weekend. I don’t know… it’s like nesting or something but without the pregnancy. Maybe because of the changing seasons?
weekend:
Tonight is the members’ preview of the Vivian Maier photography exhibit at the Des Moines Art Center. YOU MUST ATTEND THIS EXHIBIT! It’s open through January 22. We’re also having dinner at Eatery A for the first time. So, I guess we’re having a date night.
seven things, seven days:
1. Today is National Run at Work Day — kinda bummed that I found out about it too late to plan something. I participated last year and had a blast!
2. I’m so proud of LifeTime in taking steps to implement a social media policy, restricting use of photos in locker rooms, saunas, and other private areas — and adding: No member may capture another member’s likeness without their consent. YES.
3. That time I went to BibChat and wasn’t wearing pants. ? ? ?
4. Are you recovering properly? {via Appetite for Health}
5. How do you feel about getting older? Well… it’s complicated. {via Pacific Standard}
6. The appeal of Botox — the savior of Resting Bitch Face {via Pacific Standard}
7. Couldn’t miss this article all week — Hint: it’s about SUGAR (Ugh!) {via NYT}
This past week, however, was my recovery week… so I did nothing! I did have to walk to work several times though, so that was good to keep my joints moving. So, instead of writing out my workouts for the week (because there were none!), I’m going to talk about my recovery.
Recovery: Resting your tired feet in the cool sand of Siesta Key is optional.
2. Compression sleeves: I had a conversation about compression gear recently with another runner friend (re: whether they actually work or not). VIM + VIGR sent me a pair of compression calf sleeves a few months ago to test out (no monies exchanged for testing or review, but I got a free pair). For recovery, these have helped my tired calves immensely. After my long runs, I put on my calf sleeves and prop my legs up for a good hour (or longer, if I nap, which… likely). I used them in the hotel room after the first day of Gasparilla, too, and I felt really fresh for Day 2. It might all be psychosomatic, but at the very least, this post-training regimen forces me to relax.
3. Massage: Sadly, I couldn’t get into my usual massage therapist this week (and OMG I have to find a new massage place in Des Moines!), but a massage after a long race is KEY to my body feeling back to normal. I get really tight IT bands, calves and quads like a lot of runners, which she works out perfectly; she also spends a few minutes helping me stretch those areas that I can’t get by myself. Because I didn’t have a massage this week, I definitely feel more “lead-legged” than usual. I probably should have scheduled one down in Florida. Sigh, 20/20.
4. Trigger-point therapy: I am guilty of not doing my foam rolling as much as I should (I’m a work in progress!), but I use several apparatuses to release tight and knotted muscles after big races or long runs: my RAD roller, a lacrosse ball, and two different foam rollers. I use this Foam Rolling app for guidance. I love the RAD roller especially, as I can easily toss it in my suitcase for traveling.
5. Hot tub: I don’t own a hot tub, but if I’m traveling for a race, I make sure to book a hotel that has one. We had access to a hot tub at the parent’s condo development — and sitting in one the day after the race, even for just 10 minutes, is just MAGICAL for relieving tired, sore legs.
