Running and Laughing through the Garden State
Luckily for the US, exercise is permitted right now. With most everything shut down, exercise and outdoor activity seems like one thing we can control. YAY, as long as your safe and stay 6 feet apart, exercise is great for both the body and mind. (This is a running blog after all, so you don’t have to tell me that twice).
Continue reading “Exercisers You’ll See During Social Distancing”
Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup 4 Miler (27:13)
The Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup 4 Miler is one of the few races I’ve run multiple times. In fact, I’ve run the Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup 4 Miler the last five years and gotten slower every year. I’m not sure how I ever ran around 24 minutes, but hopefully, fitness will come again.
I’ve been struggling all week to write the post. For several reasons but the race never felt good. My ankle felt fine, but since I hadn’t run anything fast, I didn’t feel good. In the minutes after I took off my shoes from the race my ankle hurt enough that I decided not to run…which I haven’t since I crossed the finish line.
My husband and I got to the race around 9, did about 4 miles to warm up and got the race start at 9:55. During the warmup, I felt fine. My ankle felt fine, and my body felt ok. I didn’t feel great, but ok. I saw a couple of good friends and by the time I knew it, we were off.
My fast friend Meghan took off and I found myself as second female overall where I (barely) stayed. The first mile of the Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup 4 Miler makes a giant loop around the parking lot. It’s paved and about the only paved section. I hit mile one of Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup 4 Miler in 6:33. I thought on a perfect day I could run 6:30 pace and I still kind of held my breath for that my body would feel good enough to do that.
The next couple of miles go out on Washington Crossing Pathway. It’s a narrow dirt path, but there is space to run. I hit the next mile in 6:57 and felt defeated. How could I have ever run a minute faster per mile? I felt stale and just kind of plugged along. 4 Miles doesn’t seem like a long race until you’ve taken it out too quickly for the day and need to hang on the second 2 miles.
The next mile of the Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup 4 Miler turns around and I saw the leaders coming back. I hit mile 3 of the Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup 4 Miler in 7:02. While slightly windy, I just laughed. My stomach and body just didn’t feel good for the day.
During the last mile, we headed back towards the finish. One of my friends was quickly closing the gap and I just sprinted as hard as I could. I crossed mile 4 of the Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup 4 Miler in 6:51 and finished in 27:13. My slowest time yet.
When I crossed the finish line of the Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup 4 Miler, I felt fine. When I got to the car, my foot felt funky and when I went to cool down, it hurt. It hurt enough that I’ve shut down running since. I’ve just waited for MRI results because it could be several things ranging from severe Achilles tendonitis to a broken foot, I just don’t know. Ther are different steps to recovery for all, so after a month of on/off dealing with it, it made sense to get an MRI.
Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup 4 Miler Thoughts:
As much as the Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup 4 Miler is one of my favorite races of the year, I wish I hadn’t done it. I felt fine during the race, but running the race might have been a classic example of too much too soon. I felt fine running above 8-minute pace, but clearly, my ankle did not feel fine running faster. Only time will tell.
That being said, Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup 4 Miler is a well put together and fun race.
For those asking, there are grilled cheeses and tomato soup waiting at the end of the race for runners. RunBucks and Pat always has fun and unique races and I recommend any to friends.
Questions for you:
What’s a race you like to do every year?
Do you like Grilled Cheese?
Recently I went to the new Restore Hyper Wellness and Cryotherapy in Marlton. The company, Restore Hyper Wellness and Cryotherapy is a franchise and there are plenty of locations, including Marlton and my hometown of Virginia Beach. I popped in because I was interested in some of the services they provide. Restore Hyper Wellness and Cryotherapy in Marlton also offers discounts for military, veterans, firefighters, police, high school athletes & persons aged 60+.
There are a lot of things at Restore Hyper Wellness and Cryotherapy that were new to me. In fact, I’ve only ever tried Cryotherapy. As someone who doesn’t love the cold, I can’t say it’s for me, but I know a lot of athletes swear by it. My body responds better to active release and heat!
Cryotherapy is a 3-minute treatment that reduces inflammation and releases endorphins. Cryotherapy can help alleviate pain and increase the body’s natural healing abilities. It gets colder than an actual ice bath and for a shorter amount of time. With cryotherapy, your body is exposed to temperatures colder than -200 degrees F for about 3 minutes.
They also do isolated cryotherapy that can be good for individual spots like feet or Achilles. This is a good option if you have an isolated issue or don’t want to get your whole body cold.
Restore Hyper Wellness is known for its stretch base and therapy. You can get professionally stretched, which who knew that was possible. As one of the least flexible people I know (I’m working on it), stretching is something I’ve actively worked on. With my Achilles, I’ve been focusing on stretching my calves to get more blood flow to the Achilles.
At Restore Hyper Wellness in Marlton, each stretching session begins with vibrational therapy using a percussion therapy (IE message gun) to increase blood circulation and relieve muscle tension. Then based on your needs, they’ll help stretch you as appropriate. The employees that work there, like Krista, have a college degree in sports medicine so they are interested in helping you towards your goal.
Normatec has become the latest and greatest in sports recovery.
What are NormaTec Recovery Boots? Using sequential pulse technology, NormaTec synergistically combines three massage techniques to speed the body’s normal recovery process. It allows helps your body to get more circulation. I’ve used NormaTec in the past, and I find the best use for them is on my calves. I don’t think they take the place of getting active release or a deep tissue massage, but I do believe they allow you to recover faster (like compression socks).
I had no idea what Photobiomodulation was before visiting Restore Hyper Wellness and Cryotherapy, just that I wanted to try it. What is Photobiomodulation? Photobiomodulation was once known as Low-Level Laser Therapy. It is the use of near infra-red light to improve soft tissue healing and reduce inflammation. It works at a cellular level by stimulating repair. In fact, Photobiomodulation has been studied for nearly 40 years.
Photobiomodulation doesn’t heat tissue; it increases circulation. One reason I wanted to try Photobiomodulation was because it has is used for experimental treatment of both depression and anxiety. I’ve had both and I’ve responded well to light therapy. Photobiomodulation has been linked to increased cerebral blood flow, which can help lead to reduce symptoms of some neurological disorders. It’s never a bad idea to consult with your doctor to figure out what’s right for you.
Going inside the Photobiomodulation Room at Restore Hyper Wellness and Cryotherapy was fun. It’s a small room with infrared lights. You stand for about 12 minutes. I will say, I did feel good after coming out. Even if its placebo, my mood felt better and there aren’t many substitutions for that.
The infrared Sauna is like a traditional sauna but infrared light to heat you directly instead of heating the air. The result is a much more comfortable experience.
The Infrared Sauna at Restore Hyper Wellness and Cryotherapy in Marlton also has a chromotherapy light. Chromotherapy is often used to help manage SAD (or Seasonal Affective Disorder). Something I dealt with more when living in Northern New York.
I had never heard nor seen a hyperbaric chamber before visiting Restore Hyper Wellness and Cryotherapy. In fact, there are very few in the country.
The Hyperbaric Chamber is a noninvasive therapy method that has users lie in a pressurized chamber while breathing between 90% – 95% pure oxygen. The chamber expands to over twice it’s size!
What does this do? The excess pressure causes all of your cells, tissues and fluids to hold up to 10 times more oxygen than normal concentration. Research has shown it helps heal traumatic brain injuries, help fight off cancer, and heal tissue that is slower to recover. While it sounded interesting, I’m slightly squirly in enclosed spaces, so I decided not to try.
I don’t have great skin and even with annual visits to the dermatologist, I’m never going to have flawless blogger skin.
While I haven’t tried it yet, one of the features I’m most interested in at Restore Hyper Wellness and Cryotherapy is the Cryoskin. Cyroskin uses cold temperature, which causes the widening of the blood vessels in the face.
This extra blood flow helps collagen production which is important for skin health. I wrote about how collagen has helped me here. Cryoskin reduces pore size and improves the elasticity of the skin. I already take a collagen supplement at home.
In all, Restore Hyper Wellness and Cryotherapy in Marlton is a fun and unique spot. I know I’ll be back for Photobiomodulation and Infrared Sauna as I do feel like those are great resources for me personally. I do want to try the Cryoskin as well and see how my skin responds to that.
They have a lot going on. The important thing about Restore Hyper Wellness and Cryotherapy is they aren’t diagnosing you with problems or issues, but they are helping you recover. If you find yourself with a serious injury or issue, it’s important to go to your doctor.
Questions for you:
Have you tried Cryotherapy?
Have you been to Restore Hyper Wellness and Cryotherapy?
I haven’t found a Mizuno shoe I’ve liked as much as the Mizuno Wave Engima in quite some time. A few weeks ago, I went for a group run with our Mizuno rep and he let me run a few miles in the Mizuno Wave Sky 3. I couldn’t believe how much I liked them and it was a shoe I was looking for. A high cushioned, neutral trainer, that could take the pounding of easy runs.
While I’m familiar with the previous versions of the Mizuno Wave Sky, I haven’t run any significant mileage in them.
The Mizuno Wave Sky 3 is different from traditional Mizuno models like the Wave Rider and Wave Inspire. The Mizuno Wave Sky 3 lacks the Mizuno Wave Plate and I’ll get into that later.
Weight: 9.3 oz
Drop: 10 mm
Mizuno has gone to the “Waveknit” upper in many of its models. I reviewed the Waveknit R2 and Waveknit R3 (the Mizuno Wave Rider but a different upper).
The Waveknit upper in the Mizuno Wave Sky 3 makes the shoe fit and feel different. The knit construction gives the shoe a lightweight structure and a more streamlined fit. It doesn’t feel constricting but allows the foot to breathe. According to Mizuno, the waveknit upper construction provides a comfortable fit with natural movement. It does feel slightly tighter than the traditional upper and I typically recommend going up a half size.
The Waveknit Upper uses an open-knit pattern, which allows sweat to evaporate. With the removal of a few overlays and the Waveknit mesh upper, it’s about .2 ounces lighter.
Fit wise; the Mizuno Wave Sky 3 fits fairly true to size. From time to time, a Mizuno shoe is too narrow for my foot. In running shoes, I wear anything from a women’s size 10-11 wide and I’ve found the size 11 to fit perfectly.
The Mizuno Wave Sky 3 uses a brand new cushioning that removes the “Wave Plate” altogether. What is the Wave Plate? Why does it matter?
Mizuno’s Wave Plate is in almost all of their shoes. It’s a thin, rigid piece of plastic between the layers of the midsole. It’s what gives Mizuno shoes that firm but smooth transition while running.
Without the Wave Plate in the Mizuno Wave Sky 3, the shoe is much softer and plush experience. So if the Mizuno Wave Sky 3 doesn’t use the traditional wave plate, what does it use?
The new midsole of the Mizuno Wave Sky 3 uses a combination of XPop PU Foam and Mizuno u4icX midsole (Mizuno foam wave that delivers a softer underfoot feeling).
Another component I appreciate of the Mizuno Wave Sky 3, is the durable carbon rubber outsole. The first run I did in the Mizuno Wave Sky 3 was in the torrential pouring rain and I didn’t feel like I was sliding at all.
I’ve done a few different types of runs in the Mizuno Wave Sky 3, including speedwork, long runs, and easy runs and I’ve found it to be best for easy runs.
I am pleasantly surprised by the Mizuno Wave Sky 3 and I will continue to wear it until I’ve used the life up. The Mizuno Wave Sky 3 has quickly become one of my favorite shoes and I appreciate the cushion for easy runs days.
Easy/Daily Runs: Mizuno Rider Waveknit 3, New Balance 1080 v10, Diadora Mythos Blushield Blushield Hip 5, Hoka One One Arahi 4, Asics Cumulus 21
Speed Work: New Balance FuelCell Rebel, Reebok Float Ride Run fast Pro, Nike Pegasus Turbo 2
Long Runs: Brooks Ricochet 2 Shoe Review, New Balance FuelCell Rebel, Altra Escalante 2.0, Hoka Cavu 2
Races: New Balance Fuelcell 5280, Nike Next%, Reebok Run fast Pro
Finally, have you subscribed to the LOLZletter? It’s a free newsletter that comes out each Monday. In the newsletter, I share running industry trends and things relevant to the sport.
Questions for you:
Have you tried Mizuno before?
What is your favorite running shoe?
This post is a lot of thinking out loud, rambling, and just sharing my thoughts and experiences. Be Warned. 🙂
I’ve run marathons in questionable shoes. I raced my first marathon in the Nike Waffle. A spikeless version of my cross country spikes. Why? I didn’t know much better. I didn’t get hurt. I probably should have had an issue, but I didn’t.
Several years ago, I raced half marathons in extremely lightweight racing shoes. I loved them. They weren’t designed to run more than a 5k, but I liked them, they worked, and I ran well. In fact, I PRed in everything. Could I possibly be more suited to the minimalist running shoes and never know it? Maybe.
Which leads me here: How on earth did I get injured running in the Next%? Is it the Next%? Am I the only one?
In the last two years, I’ve run, but I haven’t been all in to the sport. The good thing about that is you don’t risk a lot, so you don’t suffer the injury consequences.
I was selected to run the Big Cottonwood Marathon. Throughout the summer, I strung some decent weeks together, and it was enough that I was confident I would be able to run down a mountain without injuring myself. My training cycle wasn’t great, but it was good for where I was in life. I was proud of it. About two weeks before the race, I ran the 18.12 challenge in the Nike Next%.
I won. I ran faster than I thought I had in me. I shocked myself and I felt confident I could run well at Big Cottonwood Marathon. I had run other races in the Next% but nothing above 10 miles and nothing that fast.
Two days later, I found myself with excruciating pain in my hamstring. I had no clue where it came from. It just hurt. I couldn’t sit still. I couldn’t walk, and I couldn’t run. So I DNSed and I was bummed. I had skin in the Big Cottonwood Marathon Game and I felt like I failed.
I also had no idea where my hamstring injury came from and to be honest, I didn’t even think it was a shoe problem. I’m not prone to muscular injuries. In fact, I’ve had maybe 3 muscular injuries in my entire running career and they usually haven’t lasted more than a few days.
I chalked it up to running a long race harder than I had in a while, then privately flying home (a 2 hr, small aircraft flight).
After rest, PT and seeing a sports doctor, I recovered and I was able to use my training to reach my goal of starting and finishing New York City Marathon healthy and strong. 26.2 miles.
Why is that important? I ran in the New Balance Fuel Cell Rebel. One of my favorite shoes to train in, no carbon plate and a lower stack height than the Next%. After that, I recovered and began training for what I called: “get back into shape.” There is no timeline and there is no goal race, but darn it, I’m going to get back into shape. (This is where I am now).
Training in December, January, and some of February went well. Too well. I hit the paces of one of my last workouts perfectly a few weeks ago. I felt amazing. Then I raced the Hilton Head Half Marathon in you guessed it the Nike Next%. While my opinions of the Hilton Head Half are another topic, I ran decently but didn’t feel like I ran to my fitness. I still ran faster and longer than I have in a while.
Two days later, I found myself in excruciating pain. This time in my Achilles. Not just one Achilles, but both Achilles. My left is worse, but the right hurts as well. Two ankles, same spot…that’s when my running store employee hat was put on.
With both feet, it’s probably a shoe problem. Last week, I tooled around running. I knew something was wrong. My body wasn’t thrilled running, but it wasn’t thrilled doing much of anything else either. I didn’t run anything hard or fast. I wasn’t thrilled to put any weight on my ankles that now looked like cankles.
It wasn’t until last weekend, I tried on the Nike Next% again (not to run, just to put on my feet) and I realized my inflammation matched the exact outline of the Nike Next% shoe…in both feet. Will I say, it’s absolutely a shoe problem? No. But will I say, both muscular/tendon injuries happened two days after I ran 13.1 miles in the Next%? Yes, yes, they did.
The amount of stack height and cushion alters anyone who runs in the shoe’s form. For me, I believe it caused me to land more on my heels and harder. Doing that for 20,000 steps caused muscles to work that don’t usually. It caused muscles to irritate that don’t usually. That force probably caused my muscles to develop microtears, which lead to an injury. This is not the most serious running injury and my hope is with proper rehab, PT, and flushing out the inflammation, I’ll be healthy in a few weeks.
I saw Dr. Craig with Dr. Kemenosh, who worked some of the inflammation out of my cankles. I’m resting and letting my Achilles cool off. I am bummed because I finally thought I was making good progress, fitness-wise. I am also bummed because a shoe that seemingly “works for everyone” may not work for me. Will I ever get the 4% advantage? I don’t know and honestly, I don’t care as much as to be healthy. My career isn’t based on being 4% faster. (Nothing I do in life is affected if I’m 4% slower or faster in a running race).
I’m also not bitter but I wanted to share because I cannot possibly be the only one who hasn’t had “the best results ever” in the Nike Next%.
It’s hard for me to admit that I might be in the small population the shoe just doesn’t mesh well for their gait and form. While my Achilles is slowly getting better, my mind is trying to process through an injury and also process why a shoe “made for everyone” may not work for me. Typing out loud seems silly, because I’m the biggest proponent of not everything works for everyone.
Anyway, that’s where at there. It’s not the most serious injury but it has taken me out of running until I feel better.