oiselle distance shorts

Back In The Day…

July 4, 2012 by Kristy 13 Comments

Happy 4th of July!

During this morning’s super sweaty 8-miler, I was thinking about how far running gear has come since my first marathon way back in 2004.

So what has changed?

All hail to the Garmin
My first watch was a $20 Timex I bought from Target. I used to tediously map out my runs on USATF routes to see how many miles I covered. That seems like many moons ago. Mr. Garmin came into my life in December 2009 and has forever changed the way I train for a marathon.

Better fuel
I remember using GU gels to train for my first 2 marathons. I despised how they tasted. I used to eat them like I was doing a shot – get it in and get it down as fast as possible. During marathon #3, I discovered Shot Bloks and was hooked. I can’t believe how much there is to choose from these days: chomps, sport beans, energy chews, waffles…and how many different brands there are.

I also sucked down Gatorade during long runs and then just dealt with the heaviness and sloshing in my stomach. Now I use NUUN (which I originally didn’t like last summer but I gave it another try) during and after my runs to replenish electrolytes.

How am I supposed to carry all of this?
I used to safety pin GUs to my Nike Tempo shorts. That little pocket in the front is essentially worthless (even a car key will jab you in the pelvis). Running clothes have become more practical and smart over the past few years. There are more pockets to stash fuel and hidden holes to loop your earphones through.

I love Oiselle Distance shorts (just ordered their Roga shorts – can’t wait to try them out)! Lots of pockets and super comfy without the “diaper” look. I can also stash 26.2 miles worth of Shot Bloks into my North Face Stow-N-Go Bra.

Tools of torture
What foam roller? If anything was sore I would just slap some ice on it and pop some ibuprofen. Now we have the handy dandy foam roller to massage our aching muscles and help prevent injury.

Ill-fitted tanks
Thanks to my freakishly long torso, finding a tank that was long enough was impossible. I would give up looking and just run in T-shirts. Yes, T-shirts…100% cotton…in the summer. Eww. Now I’m an avid lululemon Racerback tank wearer.

It may sound like I just plugged a lot of gear. I can assure you that in no way, shape, or form am I getting paid to endorse any of these products. I simply love them and cannot believe I used to run without ‘em!

Your turn – what has rocked your running world? After everything I listed above, I would have to say the Garmin.

Three Torturous Loops

March 26, 2012 by Kristy 17 Comments

For the past few weeks I’ve been studying the Boston course. A book, YouTube videos, race recaps from other bloggers – you name it, I probably read it.

I’m not so concerned with the quad-thrashing downhills. I ran Steamtown in 2010 – a course where the first 8 miles are practically downhill – and I was fine for the later uphill miles. I’m so glad I had the experience of Steamtown before Boston.

I’m more concerned with my ability to maintain MP over all the hills. Let me rephrase that…I know I won’t be able to maintain MP on all the uphills so I’m worried about it affecting my overall time. Definitely a valid concern.

My typical long run route is a hilly 5-mile loop with the perfect mix of all types of hills: long, windy stretches, short, steep climbs, and rolling hills. The flat stretches are few and far between and rarely last a half mile. I generally do 2 loops and then transition to a flat, paved trail for the final miles.

This week I did 3 torturous loops totaling 15 miles. Whoa, was it tough. I’m hoping this is a worst case scenario and Boston is a bit easier! I climbed the hills strong and tried to pick up the pace in between. I finished in 2:08 (8:32 average pace).

I wore my Oiselle distance shorts and, as suspected, they were perfect.

Taken post-run. I was a sweaty beast.

On Sunday, I spectated the OD Marathon since my sister was running it. Spectating is almost as fun as running one! The race was so small – my sister said they capped it around1500 runners. Can you believe the race wasn’t chip timed? I think that’s terrible for a marathon.

Just before Mile 12

Finishing strong!

My sister did a great job and she said it was the best she has ever felt in a marathon.

Have you ever run a marathon that wasn’t chip timed? Or a half marathon? Luckily, I haven’t. Most of the 5Ks I’ve done were not but that’s expected…and potentially dangerous if you have a large, competitive field. Everyone wants to be in the front but not everyone is going to start off running a 6:00 minute mile.

The peak week that wasn’t…

March 23, 2012 by Kristy 20 Comments

I find it hard to write a post solely on 1 topic these days. It seems my head is bouncing back and forth. It’s going to be a long 3 week taper…bear with me Smile

5 days in-a-row or 52 miles
I generally never run 5 consecutive days. I had to be a little creative with getting all my runs in this week so I ended up with running 5 days in-a-row. I didn’t really realize it until the 5th day, which called for 11 miles with 9 at MP. My legs felt like lead the entire time and MP felt difficult. I couldn’t figure out why until it dawned on me that I ran 52 miles in the last 5 days. No shit my legs are tired. Funny how we can miss the little details.

So my grand plans for hitting 50 miles this week were foiled. Thursday was a much needed rest day and this morning I ran 4 easy miles to be on the safe side. I have 15 tomorrow that I hope to do at MP.

Does all this matter? No. I had a great training cycle and I’m healthy going into the taper. That’s what matters.

Can I freeze time?
I was excited for Boston for so long (or I guess I should say waited for Boston for so long); I’m already a little sad that time is passing so quickly. These next 3 weeks will fly by and before I know it, it’ll all be over. I am going to savor these last few weeks and enjoy each and every mile.

My new love: Oiselle Distance Shorts
Umm, these are awesome. It’s like running without shorts on (that’s the more accurate way I can describe it). The length is perfect, the fit is perfect, they don’t bunch, they don’t chafe. They are perfect. Once I get another long run in them, they will be my marathon shorts.

They run a little big. I have 2 Oiselle tops – a jacket and a long-sleeved T – that run small (I normally wear a small but have a medium in these items). I initially got a size medium thinking they would run small and the mediums were too big. The small fits great (sidenote: if you want to gauge what size to buy I wear a small in the Nike tempo shorts).

Shout-outs
My sister is running the OD Marathon on Sunday! Karyn, you WILL do great. We’ll see you at the halfway point and finish! Run strong!!!

Good luck to Beth who is running her first ultra on Saturday!

Got a favorite pair of running shorts to rave about?