My first worn out running shoes

This is a big accomplishment. Runners replace shoes fairly often and I’m proud to say I’ve worn out my first pair. Until now, the only time I’d worn out running shoes was if the dog ate them. This time, I ran until there was no more running left to be done. These shoes earned retirement.

Old on the left, new on the right.

I made the faithful journey to Fleet Feet Sacramento for replacements. I loved my Saucony Kinvara 3s, so it was an easy choice for new kicks. I did choose to do one thing different: get a second pair of runners to help reduce the repetitive stress on my feet. I’ll be adding a fourth run to my weeks soon, so slowing the impact on each pair will be nice, too.

Nike Free v3‘s. Holy comfort and flexy shoes, batman!

I’ve been running three times a week, with two strength training days mixed in. Moving to four runs will help with my conditioning and make mileage increases faster. All in time for a spring and summer of half marathons. We hope to run the Avenue of the Giants half marathon in early May, so it’s time to kick it up a notch.

I’ve taken recovery up a few notches, too. I’m using Nuun tablets for hydration and increased water intake before and after runs. During, I rock some sweet CEP compression socks. I’m a believer in compression (the day after a long run, too).

With hydration has come the need for recovery calories after long runs. Dairy milk makes me, well, not pleasant feeling. We drink rice milk and for recovery, I add a little protein powder to get the 4:1 carb/protein ratio and cocoa powder to help the flavor and extra antioxidants.

I’ve a small winter running clothing collection. Cold mornings and rainy weekends called for North Face running tights. My goodness they’re soft and warm. Have no fear, I still wear shorts over the tights as a “public service.” I picked up a light running hoodie for warmth and the wicked awesome thumb holes and half zip.

Mix it all together and what do you get: no excuses for not getting out and running. We’ve done two 5k runs so far and have our first 10k planned for Super Bowl Sunday. I’m told if you run in the morning, you can eat all the nachos you want during the game. I’m in!

What’s next? More time foam rolling and recovering with Trigger Point. My calves need all the help they can get. Those half marathons, for sure. My big, new goal is trail running and racing. Auburn is loaded with trails and I’m ready to get off the hard pavement every now and then and  into nature.

Until next time, run on.

Birthdays, Christmas, Seattle oh my!

I spent each day since Thanksgiving looking forward to this time of year. The rapid succession of fun that is the end of December. We go from Kari’s birthday to Christmas to New Year’s without a minute to rest. It’s great.

Us in front, my parents in back on one of Seattle’s busses. Seattle natives love their bus transit.

The other benefit? Traveling. We took to the sky to visit my parents in Seattle. To us, it’s one of the most amazing city’s in the country. Clean, with the perfect mix of modern and historical, and a thriving downtown waiting to be explored. Good coffee, better seafood and world-class views of the Puget Sound.

Sidenote: I don’t fly a lot anymore, but is Alaska Airline’s the only one offering healthy food? I buy their fruit and cheese plate onboard and love it. It’s the perfect portion of apples and grapes, cheddar and brie and crackers. How is an airline offering healthier snack options than most places I live near?

Look close and you can see the birthday girl.

For Kari’s birthday, my folks treated the four of us to a float plane tour of Seattle. Amazing. The sun broke out and gave us a window for flight. Not only are the views great, but the thrill of flying in its most simple form makes Kenmore Air’s tour so memorable. We saw the pilot adjust the throttle, flaps, tail rudder, everything with ease. Flight is an art, an art that toys with the laws of physics as we push a 1950’s piece of metal through the air and back down to bob on the lake surface, floating back to the dock.

We saw more parts of Seattle. So many great things to say, so many ideas for improvements Sacramento can/should/I wish would make. Seattle is a world-class city in every way. Especially the South Lake Union Trolly -or SLUT as locals call it. Ok, that’s just plane funny if you ask me.

We also got to see one of the most important pieces of flight history: the Air Force 1 plane that held the swearing-in of Lyndon Johnson after JFK’s assassination. The plane was witness to so much history and never before have history books come to life in such a way.

As best I can tell, this is where LBJ became president.

Christmas came all too soon, which meant we had to fly home the next day (Boxing Day, for us Canucks). It’s a shame we have to wait another year for Christmas to come back.

We had so much fun in Seattle that it’s hard to put it all in a blog. Above all, we got to spend time with my parents. It had been over three months since our last visit, so this was long overdue. Until next time Mom and Dad, cheers!

He came, he ran, he ran farther…

Last weekend, my good friend Joe became a marathoner. One website shows that half of one percent of people have run a marathon. Joe is one of those people.

I watched Joe train for a full year to run the California International Marathon. He ran 835 miles training for the big day.

I get bored driving 26.2 miles, so we knew Joe would need to see friendly faces between the start and finish lines. Kari, Greg and I prepped for our duties with funny signs, nearly each piece of waterproof clothing we owned, trash bag ponchos and an understanding that we’d get soaked.

Our first stop was around the 10 mile mark. My shoes took five minutes to be soaked through. Despite our best attempt calculating Joe’s pace, to limit our time in the rain, we still had to wait for him. Better be early than miss him.

After a coffee break, we headed to the 20 mile mark to wait in the rain, again. One thing we didn’t know: Joe was involved in a “Tour de France style pile-up,” somewhere near the 13 mile mark. His knee got trampled but he was moving still. We knew one thing; Joe didn’t put in a year to take a DNF. He went on. That’s our Joe!

We saw him run across the finish line, bashed knee and all. I could not have been more proud. Joe’s name is now included in the definition of perseverance. I’m also pretty sure that he needs to put “Marathoner” on his business cards.

Joe: you’re a star in my book. You helped inspire me to start running in the first place. I can’t wait to see what time you get next year. I’ll be screaming on the side, waving another obnoxious sign.

My long run next weekend is six miles. I’ll let you know how adding 20 might feel.