brooks ravenna

(running) lessons learned at 21 weeks

August 25, 2013 by Kristy 8 Comments

Running is still going fairly well at almost 22 weeks. It’s not necessarily blog-worthy – lots of slow miles – but I feel like I’ve learned some lessons along the way.

You never know how you are going to feel day to day. I used to map out my mileage and workouts for the week every Sunday. During the 1st trimester I still did that but then discovered it’s rather pointless. Good days and bad days come and go like the wind. These days if I feel good, I add miles. If I feel bad, I cut the run short. 6 milers can turn into 8 milers or 4 milers…it all depends.

I hold myself accountable for weekly miles, not pace. This sound like a contradiction to what I just said above. During the 1st trimester I was running 35-40 miles per week. Now I’m holding steady at 30-35 miles per week. I really strive to hit that weekly mileage for 2 reasons: (1) it motivates me and (2) why the hell not? If I still feel good, go for it. Things could change drastically in the next month. But pace is the one thing I cut myself some slack on. I stopped wearing my Garmin a long time ago. I’m slow and I’m getting slower. But if I hit my weekly mileage goal, all is good!

Lungs are fine, legs are sore. Some days there is so much tension that builds up in my legs (mostly my shins) that I have to take a short walk break to shake them out. I attribute this to the increased weight (concentrated in one spot) and probably gait changes as my body figures out the best way to handle its changing shape. The plus side is that I’m rarely out of breath (but I also run like a turtle).

The more support the better. I’m talking shoes here. I usually rotate between my Brooks PureCadence and Brooks Ravenna. A few weeks ago I noticed the PureCadence were not cutting it anymore. I could feel everything and I felt like my feet were working overtime. Again this is probably due to increased weight in one specific area.

Sundays are rough. I generally do my long runs (these days that’s 10-13 miles) on Friday or Saturday and, come Sunday, I’m just not mentally up for a run. Rather than take a rest day or bog myself down with a “longer” run, I do 4 miles and allow myself to walk/run. It allows me to get in a shake out run but also not set myself up for failure.

Motivation. I always thought running without training for something specific would be hard. I am running the Philly Rock n’ Roll Half in a few weeks but don’t really consider myself training for it. Instead, the biggest motivator (besides hitting my weekly mileage), is knowing that I’m doing good for myself and the baby. Cheesy, right? While I’m at it, I love running “with” the baby. He/she is the best running partner and our runs together are our special bonding time. I’m becoming a softy with this pregnancy!

Any running/exercise pregnancy lessons you can share?

Brooks PureCadence

February 15, 2013 by Kristy 18 Comments

I’m loving these shoes…even if they are pink.

I despise pink but they were only $78!

I’m a Brooks girl. I wore Adrenalines for a long, long time before they started to tweak the design (for the worse, in my opinion). So I transitioned to the (slightly) less supportive Ravennas and all was good.

I’m a big believer in “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” when it comes to running shoes. So then why try the PureCadence?

I just finished reading Jay Dicharry’s book, Anatomy for Runners (review coming soon). While he did stress “if it ain’t broke…” when it comes to running shoes, he also pointed out that going as minimal as possible could be better. If Adrenalines are as minimal as you can go, then stick with them.

Going more minimal improves muscle activity in your foot, improves balance and proprioception (something I am trying to work on), and improves foot strength. Our foot responds differently in more minimalist shoes. The cushioning of traditional running shoes have made our feet dependent on that support.

None of this is ground breaking news. And I’m not advocating that everyone switch to a more minimalist shoe. For me, I have an issue with overstriding whenever my pace dips down to HM pace. I can feel my right hamstring tighten after a few miles. This hasn’t manifested as an injury but it’s something I should try to fix.

Dicharry’s advice for runners wanting to switch from a traditional shoe to a more minimalist one is to drop your current heel height by ~half. The Ravennas have a 10mm drop and PureCadence has a 5mm drop.

So far I’ve put 17 miles on my PureCadences (2 short runs and a 9-miler this morning). So far, so good. I can definitely “feel more” when I’m running and I notice the difference in weight. I’m hoping that these shoes, coupled with a few tweaks to my form, will nix my overstriding issues. I haven’t been able to do so in my Ravennas.

Did you transition to a more minimalist shoe recently? Which one? I know the PureFlows are very popular. They might be my next pair.

New Kicks

June 25, 2012 by Kristy 15 Comments

On Friday I went to Born To Run (Lafayette Hill) to get fitted for new running shoes. It has been 10+ years since I was last fitted. I have been living a happy existence in my Brooks Adrenalines for that long…until their Adrenaline 12s came out.

When I started training for Boston, I ordered the latest and greatest edition of Adrenalines like I do for (mostly) every training cycle. I immediately noticed that the 12s rubbed the inside of my ankle so bad it started to swell – not ideal for marathon training. I didn’t want to transition to a completely different shoe midway through training so I went back to the Adrenaline 11s and used them for Boston.

Realizing Brooks won’t make the 11s forever, I needed to find a new shoe. I was torn because I loved the Adrenalines and really credit them for my injury-free running (knock on wood). In the back of my mind I was thinking about switching to the Brooks Ravenna. They would probably fit similarly and, although they provide slightly less support, I use orthotics so maybe less support would be OK?

I walked into Born To Run with an open mind and ready to try any shoe they threw at me. Megan (owner) was wonderful and extremely patient as I hoped on and off the treadmill testing out different shoes.

I walked out with Brooks Ravenna Smile The fit was so similar to the Adrenalines. I broke in my new kicks over the weekend and so far, so good. I still haven’t parted with my Adrenaline 11s yet…just in case.

Did any Brooks Adrenaline wearers experience a similar issue with the 12s? I placed the 11s and 12s side-by-side and the 12s are cut slightly higher on the inside which is why it rubbed my ankle.

Are you nervous to try out a different running shoe? I’m a creature of habit and you know the saying “if it ain’t broke…” I’m really hoping the Ravennas continue to be OK.