Pile on the Miles

13.1 miles. Am I crazy? I grew up a mid distance runner, no high mileage weeks for this girl.

What’s even crazier is the fact that I’m liking the mileage. Running longer distances gives me a satisfaction that shorter runs and work outs never gave me. I have time to focus on myself and my run.

That being said, running longer distances has not only made me crazy, but also made me a selfish runner. I feel the need to run everyday to get that time to myself, and I want to run further every time. I feel that the further I run, the better I understand myself; as person and a runner.  Running is something so completely about me and personal to me – I need that. It’s my daily therapy.

oh…and I run so I can eat this all the time:

So bring it on 13.1 – pile on those miles.

Gear Review – LOVE MY ZENSAH

I have really bad calves. Constantly tight, sore and all in knots. The kind of bad that I literally will beg my fiance to rub my calves every night. A few years ago I tore my soleus (that’s the inner calf muscle) and that calf has never been the same. Short story; my calves suck, I’ve just lived with pain and my fiance probably has constantly raw thumbs.

BUT I think I’ve found my calf savior – Zensah compression leg sleeves. I’ve worn them only once so far – a 7.5 miler last night – but I feel like I need to run to the top of Pike Peak and shout out to the world how ABSOLUTELY AMAZING these things are! I’m sold, hooked – I’m a total believer in the Zensah magic.

I felt like I could push myself a little harder than I normally would, and I didn’t feel tight or like I was going to hurt myself. Point is, it was amazing…I felt like I was running before my injury.

PLUS, they’re super fashionable (semi-serious…they looked cute with my runner skirt, but not sure they’re office appropriate) and come in a rainbow of colors to match (or mismatch) all your running clothes.

I’m going to need to make a budget for my newest addiction – I wonder if Zensah has a calf sleeve of the month club? hmmm…

Soap Box – Running Groups

I’m going to hop on my soap box for a minute and preach to you. I promise it won’t last long.

One of the best running (and personal!) decisions I made after moving to Colorado was joining a running group.

Why join a running group?

• keep you accountable for your running – hey, you don’t want to suck wind in a group so you make sure to keep up with your running between group runs
• learn about new places to run
• advice on shoes, gear, the best races in town
• support – we all have tough runs and bad days, having a running support group is mentally beneficial
• its FUN! running with a group is 100x better than running alone

Your next question might be, “okay, I’m believer now, running groups are AMAZING – now where do I find one?”

I found my running group, Team Luna Chix Denver Run, through Meetup. Meetup had HUNDREDS of Denver running groups to choose from but I chose Team Luna Chix because I really wanted an all -women’s running that was a little more organized than ones with group titles like “meet me at Joe’s on wed”. Luna is an established brand that supports women, healthy lifestyles, fitness and has a delicious product to boot! So I figured a Luna sponsored running group would be a perfect fit for me.

PLUS we do awesome things together like the Kiss Me Dirty Mud Run

My running group – we’re awesome, we know.

Not sure Meetup is the way to go for you? Try asking your local running store if they have a running group – the runner store up the road from where I live also has a weekly evening run! Other places to look are rec/community centers, colleges and fitness centers.

What are you waiting for! Get out there and find some run buddies!! Already found your dream running group? – tell me about!!

Morning Run Tip #1

NEVER ever make a decision within the first 10 minutes of your run. Especially morning runs. Why? Because when it’s all dark and cold outside and your bed is all warm and comfy back at home, you don’t think clearly. Every step hurts more than it actually does because your muscles are not awake or warm yet, your breathing is all off from yawning and your mind is racing with excuses to stop. Point is – don’t.

At least not in the first 10 minutes. Give your body time to wake up and most likely you’ll have a great run (or you could really not be feeling it and you need to have a rest day – but hey, at least you gave it shot!)…and the best part is, its done, no worries about getting your run in after work when it’s all hot and you just ate a late afternoon snack that is gurgling in your stomach.

This morning on my run I saw the moon set and the sunrise – it was beautiful and a little trippy. I ran 4.68 miles, training schedule was to do 4 so I’m happy with that. I then ate one of my FAVORITE breakfasts of champions – coffee (of course) and a GF Van’s waffle with PB and fresh blueberries. DELICIOUS. done.