Week 4 - February 10-16, 2020

This was a good week. I started off back in FL, and finished with a really strong feeling treadmill run for my long run! Late to publish this post, was just slammed with work this week.

Overview:

Monday - Day off

Tuesday - 6 miles easy

Wednesday - 35 min Bike w/ 20 min Tempo
                     Lower Body Strength Routine

Thursday - 30 min Easy Bike Ride

Friday - 6 miles w/ 4 miles Tempo

Saturday - 30 min w/ 5 min/1 min INtensity intervals

Sunday - 12 miles Long (on the treadmill)

Run Details:

Easy run - this was a good recovery run from Sunday's 5K race. Felt smooth and strong. Nice to be back on the Pinellas Trail!

Light Tempo - Decided to do 4 miles of Tempo rather than 3, since I cut back my tempo run last week. Felt fairly strong. I didn't properly calibrate my Garmin to the Treadmill, so the paces are off. My actual pace was 7:20/mile for the Tempo portion.

Long Run - This was the fastest long run I've done in quite a long time. It was nice to feel my stride so consistent and solid for that length of run. Took 3 water breaks of no more than 30 seconds each. I'm really happy with how this has been feeling!

This week, I crafted my own strength routines. I took the exercises I've most benefited from over the years and aligned them with specific muscle groups and focus areas, like lower back and hamstrings in particular. We shall see how they go.

Week 3 - February 3-9, 2020

This was a different week, both because of my travel plans and because of my 5K race on Sunday. All in all, things went quite well...

Photo by my dear friend Laura, who was also kind enough to be my gear sherpa for this race!

Overview:

Monday - Day off

Tuesday - 30 min bike w/ 10 min hard tempo
                 Poseidon Total Body Workout

Wednesday - Tempo: 7 miles w/ 3 mile Tempo pace
                      Atlas Basic Core Workout

Thursday - 45 min easy bike

Friday - Off, travel

Saturday - 4-mile easy run.

Sunday - 5K Race!

Run Details:

Tempo Day - I decided to keep the tempo run and cut the repeats, in lieu of the race. Felt really easy, since it was a shorter tempo than I had been doing. Nice to feel that it was easy!

Easy Run - this was a fun, light run in my old tromping grounds with a good friend. It was refreshing to have good weather and be able to wear shorts!

5K Race (St Pete Distance Classic) - this actually went pretty well. I had a solid 6:20s pace for mile one, and then slowed a bit. I was frustrated with my mentality for most of the run; I don't seem to push myself the way that I used to, and then I finish the race with gas still in the tank and no soreness. So I am obviously physiologically capable, but I need to work on my mental game for short-distance races. But this was a good baseline indicator of where I am, and where I can go in my marathon training. Best 5K time in 3 years!
Finish time: 20:55

Overall, I'm pleased with how my body is responding to the training and with how the race went. Now I want to focus on really dialing in those training paces, based on my current time, and keep pushing forward into longer long runs. Desired long run pace: 7:44/mile.

One thing I need to change: my strength program. I appreciate how Runner's Connect approaches their strength philosophy, but I don't feel the workouts are specific enough for my training. I am going to design my own strength routines moving foward, ones that combine the best of RC and the Bodybuilding programs.

Week 2 - January 27 - February 2, 2020

This was a pretty solid week! I'm proud of how the speed work went, especially since I didn't get great sleep in the days leading up to it.

An overview:

Monday - Day off. I really needed it

Tuesday - 20 min bike warm-up. Speedwork: 1-mile warm-up, 4x1200m reps @ 6:15/mi pace w/ 400m recovery, 1-mile cool-down

Wednesday - 30 min bike w/ random interval
                      Poseidon total body workout

Thursday - Took another day off. Horrible sleep last night.

Friday - Tempo: 7 miles w/ 5 miles @ tempo pace, 7:14/mile.
               Atlas basic core routine

Saturday - 45 min bike at a moderate pace
                 Bia hip routine

Sunday - 12 mile Long Run, 8:00/mile pace

Run details:

Speed Work Day - This went well! I really HATE 1200m reps so success with these is a big deal for me. I was definitely dragging towards the end but kept my pace on the last one.

Tempo Day - not too bad. I did take a brief water stop three times, but for no longer than 30 seconds. I used a VR program on the treadmill that was really kinda fun but disorienting! Felt strong.

Long Run Day - even better than last week, with two miles longer. This was my first run in new trainers, Mizuno Wave Shadow 2. They were much more responsive and firm than the Saucony Ride Iso pair I had been training in, but they were an adjustment and my lower leg tendons are a little sore from it. The elevation profile is, believe it or not, as flat as it gets here!

Nutrition & Hydration:

Fairly good week, but can always be better. Made a greater effort to consume water throughout the days. I also tried a new post-workout protein but wasn't a big fan. I am generally happy with my energy levels during workouts.

Rest & Recovery: 

Got some good sleep early in the week, but then terrible sleep on Wednesday night and that had me exhausted on Thursday. Much better sleep over the weekend.

Next week, I do one complete workout and then prepare for a 5K on Sunday in St Pete! Haven't raced in months, very excited to see what these legs can shake out.

Week 1 - January 20-26, 2020

This week was the first official week of the plan!

An overview:

Monday - Day off

Tuesday - Speed work: 2 miles warm-up, 8x400m repeats w/ 400m recovery, 1 mile cool-down

Wednesday - 30 min bike: 10 min easy / 10 min moderate / 10 min easy
                     Poseidon total body workout

Thursday - 45 min moderate bike
                  Atlas basic core routine

Friday - 5 miles w/ 3 miles @ Tempo Pace (7:15/mile)
              [was supposed to do Bia hip routine, moved to Sat]

Saturday - 30 min bike: 10 min easy / 2x3 min hard w. 2 min recovery / 10 min easy
                 Bia hip routine + Achilles lower leg routine

Sunday - 10 miles Long Run

Run details:

Speed Work Day - this turned out to feel really good. I hadn't done 400m reps in quite some time, but enjoyed the quicker pace and the way the treadmill kept me on track without much mental exertion on my part (there WILL be a time for that later, though). Felt smooth and strong!

Tempo Day - this also felt fairly smooth and strong. I did break after 1.5 miles for about 1 minute before returning to the pace, so my HR did recover slightly. Pace seems to match feel in the way that I was hoping it would after the training I had put in so far.

Long Run - started off so quick, but that was due to elevation changes! I wanted to keep my pace in the 8:00-8:20 range. Weather was cool and damp, and I chose to run down a road I didn't typically run, knowing that the elevation changes would be more significant. See for yourself....

 

Nutrition & Hydration:

Not my best this week. I still consume more coffee than I should throughout the day and not enough water. Over the weekend, I felt the urge to snack a lot more, perhaps indicating the increase my training workload, and usually salty things. Even though I still consume pre-workout / electrolyte drink before and during workouts, followed by protein + creatine after, I might need to tweak my electrolyte intake throughout the week.

Rest & Recovery:

Could be better, but I did have a lot of down time over the weekend. I need to get in the habit of elevating my legs post-workout to help with the lactic acid removal. Sleep has generally been OK, relatively speaking.

Looking ahead, I am *kinda* nervous about doing 1200m reps next week. Those have never been my favorite distance for repeats, and we shall see how that feels on the treadmill compared to outside. But the tempo pace continues to feel strong and natural.

Giddyup!

Return to the Marathon

After nearly three years without a full marathon, I'm back.

Those three years were spent doing shorter-distance training a couple of half-marathons here and there, and some 5Ks. Twice I was registered for a Full, and had to drop prior to the races due to injury.

But most importantly, those two years were spent attempting to understand my thyroid condition, Hashimoto's Disease, and achieve the proper dosage of medication.

For anyone else who struggles with this condition or any other metabolic disease, frustrating doesn't even begin to describe it. One day your body feels entirely "normal" and the next you don't recognize yourself. It's a process, and if you are going through it, just know that it does indeed take time. You WILL return to feeling like your normal self.

My family recently relocated to northern Massachusetts, and I couldn't have been more excited to begin a new running life: cooler weather (if not extremely cold in the winter), more trail running possibilities, and hills. I was registered to run the Space Coast Marathon in December, back in Florida. After a couple of months of running the roads of Ashburnham, I was developing greater fitness, but also some knee problems. Those problems hit a breaking point when I ran the B.A.A Half Marathon in October and caused a severe strain on my right knee that required about 6 weeks of rest to fully heal. During that time, I did some light stationary biking and as much strength training as I could without doing further damage to the knee.

The Bodybuilding.com app helped with this greatly. I had not previously been as consistent in strength training as I should have been, and this was a great boost to my overall body strength and resiliency. I was not going to allow weaknesses in my form or frame to allow me to be injured again. Eventually, I was able to start running again. Only two days per week on the treadmill at first, and then worked back to Sunday long runs (outside, weather permitting).

I decided I wanted to refocus my sights on another marathon. A local one, if possible. After some research, I chose the Shipyard Marathon in Maine, slated for the first weekend of May. I had already been planning on running the Half, but with my strength returning, I decided to aim for the Full. Worst case, I drop down to the Half. Given the successes I had with my strength and crosstraining routine of late, I researched a marathon method that would be geared towards injury prevention.

Behold Furman University's F.I.R.S.T marathon training program.

Here are the details of the program

This plan is rather radical for marathoners, as it posits only 3 days per week of running and the other days spent crosstraining. As a marathoner who is firmly ingrained into the 'more mileage equals faster' mentality, this is still a challenging concept for me to wrap my head around.

But make no mistake, 3 days of running is NOT easy. Those three days are all intense, quality workouts: one speed repeats, one tempo, one long run (at a sustained, slightly elevated pace). And the success of the program also depends strongly on consistent crosstraining on the other days. I have chosen to stick with the stationary bike for this purpose, and the types of acceptable workouts are 30-45 min of intervals. Essentially, you don't lose cardio fitness. You simply swap the easy runs you would be doing in a more traditional program with non-impact biking, swimming, elliptical or other.

Reviews for this program were somewhat mixed, but by consulting fellow Oiselle Volee runners, I got a much more positive picture from others like myself: working moms about my age who struggle with the same challenges, at all levels and abilities. This system kept them injury-free, and some commented that the program's emphasis on speed work resulted in tremendous gains.

In the month prior to starting the program, I started to get myself into the routine, by doing three runs per week, with the same emphases: speed, tempo, long. I started off gently adding in the speed, and running by feel more than time. By the end of the month, I was already regaining some comfort with those paces.

As for strength training, I have decided to shift from the Bodybuilding.com plans to a more running-specific routine. As much as I loved developing a "total athlete" body from BB, they are not always well suited to the needs of marathon runners. So for this, I am going to use a strength training plan that I have had great success with in the past from Runner's Connect:

Here are the details on Runner's Connect: Strength Training for Runners Programs

So here I stand at the beginning of the training program and have decided to blog my progress weekly. This is more for my own benefit than anything, but if it proves in any way helpful to you, reader, then that brings me happiness as well.

Wish me luck!!

Runner's Connect Interview

One of my favorite podcasts is the Runner's Connect: Run To The Top podcast, hosted by Tina Muir. She has such an incredible variety of guests on the show to discuss any and all topics related to the pursuit of stronger, faster, happier, and healthier running, including many elite superstars, coaches, and race directors.

Recently, I had the honor of being a guest on the show, along with elite 1500m runner, Sarah Brown, who had a beautiful baby girl about six months before competing in the Olympic Trials. 

As a listener and fan of the show, I had communicated with Tina in the past about some of the topics covered, singing praises and suggesting possible topic ideas. When my book was published last summer, I sent Tina a copy. She enjoyed reading it, and asked me to come on the show for a special "pregnancy special"! 

It was a really great conversation about the challenges and joys of being a competitive runner and new mom or mom-to-be. 

Check it out here!

Running While Pregnant: How Sarah Brown Trained for the Olympic Trials During Pregnancy

Halloween Halfathon & Training Recap

Haven't written in a while. Time goes by way too fast! Especially in the fall, it seems. Frequent races, busy school schedule, and right now an energetic 2-year old who is growing before my eyes. I can't believe that Boston is almost exactly 5 months away...

My training has been going wonderfully! Mostly, that is. Since my last post, I built up my weekly mileage to around 60 miles/week, with a couple of lighter weeks surrounding the Halloween Halfathon. I've shifted my workouts to be more half-marathon-specific, which is quite a relief for me, since I tend to thrive at long-interval and tempo-paced workouts, not so much the shorter stuff. 

Which brings me to another fun addition - I joined the inaugural group of the McMillan Run Club, a recent development by Greg McMillan's training program. I have read his books and implemented some of his training philosophies into my own program, and am very impressed with his thoroughness, individualization, and openness to other training methodologies. The Run Club is basically a way for runners to connect to the coaches - usually Greg himself - with Q&A, training advice, and specific race preparation plans. 

Anyways...one of the tenants of McMillan's training programs is identifying the type of runner you are: a speedster, an endurance monster, or a combination of both. McMillian describes these types in greater detail in this Runner's World article. If you're a speedster, you respond best to short, fast workouts and tend to perform better in mile up to 10K races. If you're an endurance monster, you respond best to threshold and tempo workouts and tend to perform better in 15K to marathon or longer. If you're pretty balanced across both, you are obviously a combination.

I am most definitely an endurance monster. I feel like a rockstar after tempo runs and a pile of poop after track workouts. Learning this and adjusting my training accordingly has really helped me maximize my training. For example, I do fewer speed workouts, but still some, and give myself longer recovery after them. I use my threshold and tempo runs more strategically, and gradually build up the distances I run at goal race pace during longer runs. The result: I feel faster, less mentally and physically worn down, and more responsive to the training. 

Proof is in the pudding! I ran a big time PR - a 5 minute improvement on my last time - at the Florida Halloween Halfathon, placing 2nd overall female with a time of 1:32:12. I was more cautious in the beginning (see my post about my overzealous start the last time I raced at Ft. DeSoto) and felt strong and steady for the rest of the race. There was a pretty solid headwind during the middle miles, but I didn't slow by much. Held on to about a 7 min/mile average and finished feeling strong. 

Thanks for another great race, Chris Lauber!

The week after this race was really tough on my body. It didn't help that I was sick with a mild flu or cold the day after the halfathon. I took Sunday and Monday completely off, but then jumped back into my training plan without a significant amount of recovery time. This race was not my goal race, which I am currently still training for, and I wanted to get back to progression runs and 800m repeats the following week. It just didn't happen. The progression run turned into a very slow, random tempo, and I made it through 2 of the 800m reps before my pace really took a dive. Bottom line: give yourself more recovery time than you think you will need. Especially as you get older. When we run longer than the half-marathon distance regularly during training, we tend to assume that we don't need much recovery after racing a half-marathon. But races really take it out of you, if you're running faster than your easy pace, that is. I certainly did. Left it all out on the course. And for that, I needed more serious recovery.

Finally did feel fully recovered after about a week, and my training this past week has been fantastic! A nice light fartlek of 12 x 1 min hard / 1 min easy on Tuesday got my fast-twitch fibers re-ignited, and then an awesome workout of 3 x 2 miles @ 15K race pace with Christina, who really pushed me when I felt sluggish towards the end. I plan on doing more workouts with running buddies rather than alone, as it is certainly more effective and less painful to get through. 

Feeling great after a tough workout!

Now here's to hoping that the weather continues to cool off!

One last note: I added a tab at the top of the blog to a list of Favorite Links. Check it out!

Short & Long Distance Predisposition

It's been too long since I've blogged!

Since recovering from the Tomoka Marathon, I have been turning my focus towards shorter distances, as many runners do following marathon training, certainly in the heat of the summer. My PR in the 5K is 19:56 and was run in 2010. Now, 20 months post-pregnancy, I am much, much fitter now than I have ever been. The steady increase in training volume and intensity over the past few years, even with the hiatus from pregnancy and then injury, has dramatically improved my times in the 15K up to the marathon. 

I've had many friends tell me how they have banked on their marathon fitness by racing a 5K about 4-6 weeks post-marathon, and wound up with a nice PR. Given how much my fitness has improved since my last 5K PR, by all accounts, I figured I should be able to hit a new PR after working some speed back into my routine. Using Jack Daniel's & Greg McMillan's equivalent race times calculators, given that my marathon time was 3:18:23, I should be able to run a 20:22 5K. Though I am skeptical of equivalent race time calculators; they assume equal and significant training consistency across all distances, and don't necessarily work both ways. When I ran a 19:56 5K, I was in no way ready to race a 3:14 marathon, even had I followed the same training plan I most recently used to run a 3:18. Fitness is cumulative. So take equivalent race times with a grain of salt. I did figure, though, at the very least, I should be able to run in the 20:30-ish range for a 5K.

Wrong. 

After adding about 3 weeks worth of speed work back into my routine, while working mileage back to around 35 miles/week (I was doing around 55 for the marathon), I ran a 21:03 5K. Not bad, by any means, but not as fast as I would have liked or expected.

It boils down to which training element has the biggest impact on improvement at the 5K distance: mileage or speed. I certainly had a great deal of mileage under my belt, so endurance was my strength. But even my interval and tempo runs had been, leading up to my marathon, specific for the marathon. So its possible that only three weeks of 5K-specific speed work left me lacking a bit.

Individual predisposition towards longer or shorter distances varies. Some runners are more pre-disposed to the longer race distances and some towards the shorter. While someone can certainly change their fitness for different race distances after several cycles of training, genetic and "fixed factors" such as body stature and max heart rate can definitely lend themselves more towards one type of running intensity than another, hence making someone more predisposed for some distances over others.

Coach Mark Hadley's Elite Marathoning website has some really excellent resources on this subject, and he even has charts showing differences in training paces and equivalent race times for "long distance predispositions" vs "short distance predispositions".

Check it out! Elite Marathoning Workouts

Tomoka Marathon FTW! Post-Race Review and Nutrition Analysis

I raced the Tomoka Marathon on Sunday March 29th...

At the finish with my biggest fan!

Synopsis:

3:18:23 (chip time), a BQ and PR by more than 16 minutes

3rd overall female, 1st in my age group (F 30-35)

Going into the race, I had the following goals:

Primary: Run sub 3:20
Secondary: Run sub 3:30
Tertiary: Run a BQ, sub 3:35

In other words, I killed it!!

Happy finish!

Pacing:

The thing I am most proud of is how I held my pace. Solid 7:25-7:30 for the first 16 miles, and slowed up just slightly during the portion on soft dirt, miles 19-21. But I resumed 7:30 pace for the entirety of the race, and actually picked up to a 6:50 pace for the last mile.

The other thing I came to realize during and following this race is that I think I could have held an even faster pace. I felt consistently good during the race, and pushed myself to the edge of my "safe zone" that I knew I could hold. But perhaps it was too safe. Perhaps I felt too good in the last 10K of the race. Perhaps I could have pushed it beyond and succeeded! This idea is hanging with me as I move into the next phase of my training for the year: getting back to shorter distances and speed. I want to test myself at faster paces held for longer intervals. I feel like I have a mental barrier on how fast I think I can run, and I want to push that barrier down.

Nutrition:

I stuck with my fueling plan and it seemed to work flawlessly. For the first time, I did not hit the wall in a marathon. There was no bonking whatsoever. Even as I began to feel fatigue, I did not feel total energy depletion, and my intake of fuel was spaced perfectly for my stomach to handle.

Here is what I did in the days leading up to the race, race day, and during the race:

10 days out: Switched to 65% of calories from fat

3 days out:  Switched to 70% of calories from carbs (approx 500g carbs/day)

2 days out: Last big meal for dinner, consumed more electrolytes

1 day out: Continue complex carbs, even more electrolytes

18 hours out: Small meals every 2-3 hours. After lunch, cut out: red meat, fried foods, dairy, fats, & fiber

3 hours out: Breakfast of low-fiber carbs, small amount of protein (bagel, banana, peanut butter)

2 hours out: 12-16 oz sports drink (Gatorade)

1 hour out: Black coffee and Hammer Perpetuum

30 min out: Edurolytes, Tylenol

2-1 min out: Gel + 4 oz water

During the race: 

• 4 oz Gatorade at 4.5 miles
• 4 oz water + Hammer Gel at mile 8.3
• 4 oz Gatorade at mile 12.9
• 4 oz water + Hammer Gel at mile 16
• 4 oz Gatorade at mile 19
• 4 oz water + Hammer Gel at mile 23

I generally followed the Marathon Blueprint plan from Runners Connect, which really helped me realize how I had been under-fueling for pretty much all of my past marathons. The only thing I adjusted was the volume of fluid intake. The Blueprint suggested 8 oz of water/Gatorade at each stop, based upon my calculated sweat loss rate. But when I tried this on my "dress rehearsal" run of 13.1 miles at marathon race pace, I got a bit sloshy. So instead of taking two cups at each aid station, I took one, and never felt sloshy or thirsty during the run. While I really like the Marathon Blueprint, that is one adjustment I would make to it: it assumes that all sweat lost must be replaced, but everything else I have read, and experienced, suggests that drinking by thirst is the best way to go.

All in all, everyone's nutrition plan is going to be different and it is mostly a matter of trial and error. I can do bananas before races, some people can't. So by NO MEANS should anyone mimic my nutrition strategy with precision! I'm just documenting what worked well for me...extremely well, in fact!

Post-race fueling is a must.

It is also important to note that post-race, within 10 minutes of finishing, I took down two scoops of Endurox R4 (Pacific Health Labs), which has been my choice of carb/protein recovery drink.


My body:

My hips and hamstrings held up just fine, much to my relief. I didn't even feel the little nagging hip pain that had been sitting there for a couple of weeks. I held my form pretty well, judging by my husbands pictures and video, and my achilles never gave me a problem. Tapering definitely helped get rid of those little issues that started to hit towards the end of training. Big thanks to Dr Matt Maggio for his incredible help keeping me structurally sound!

Gear:

I don't have too much to note about gear, except that my Oiselle Mac Roga shorts were PERFECT. Didn't ride up, didn't chaffe. First time I finished a marathon without raw inner thighs!

As I noted in a previous post, I ran in my Saucony Zealots and they worked flawlessly. Exactly the right combination of low weight and forefoot cushioning for my taste. Toes splayed out in the toebox, and I still have all of my toenails!

I ran in Zensah calf sleeves, as I always do during marathons. No calf soreness or cramping, but I have no way of directly linking that to the calf sleeves.

Everything held up wonderfully!

Race Review:

The Tomoka Marathon was very well organized and set in an ideal location. The start/finish area was at Rockefeller Gardens in Ormond Beach, which was easily accessible and a beautiful setting. My family had no problem parking and finding me. The course itself is absolutely gorgeous - flat, shaded most of the way, and very scenic, especially in the latter half of the race. The first half was through residential areas mostly, after which it snaked through Tomoka Park. The beautiful, old Florida cypress and oak trees shaded the roadways. The only part of the course that I disliked was the short jaunt into a soft-dirt trail around miles 19-21. My pace slowed then, naturally, but I did regain it when we got back on paved road. The only "hill" of the race was the bridge crossing in the final mile. It actually didn't feel as bad as I had feared, especially the nice downhill side.

A beautiful course!

The only thing about the race that I would change:

They started the half-marathon about 30 mins after the start of the full marathon, and the half course was went the opposite direction of the full marathon, then doubled back to the same finish line. So the last 6 miles of the marathon was quite congested with the latter group of half-marathoners - many walking - and the lead group of full marathon runners. Maybe in the future, they could either start the half an hour before the full, or have the half go the same direction as the full and then double back.

The final stretch to the finish, having just come over the bridge.

All in all, I am SO happy with this race and how my preparation paid off! As we all know, marathons can be hit or miss, and often random factors can turn a very well-prepared-for race go south. This time the stars aligned for me, and I am grateful!

Saucony Zealot Review

Shoe review time! I haven't written a running shoe review before, but with the new Zealot release, I definitely wanted to weigh in.

About the Zealot

Saucony released it's new model, the Zealot, on February 1st as the third member of its ISO Series following the neutral daily trainer, Triumph ISO, and the stability trainer, Hurricane ISO. Zealot was also meant as a replacement for the prior Cortana, and as a lightweight but cushioned neutral trainer. It has a 4mm heel-toe drop, same as the Kinvara and Mirage. It retains the characteristically light PWRGRID+ and Ibr+ sole technologies of other Saucony models, but the ISOFIT upper is new to the series. You can read up on the Zealot specs here.

About me

Since the running shoe experience is a very individualized thing, I thought it useful to provide some information on the reviewer.

I am currently marathon training and maxing out at 55 miles / week, averaging about 8:30/mile easy pace and a 7:30/mile marathon race pace. I train in Brooks Glycerin 12's as my daily trainer and Saucony Kinvara 5 as speed trainer & racers. Though I do overpronate slightly, I tend to wear neutral shoes, as I am a mid to forefoot striker and prefer moderate to high cushioning in the midfoot region. I wear an 8 to 8.5 and my feet run a tad wide, but I don't necessarily wear wide sizes - both the Glycerin and Kinvara have inherently wider toe boxes than their predecessor models, as many manufacturers are making more room up front for toe splay.

Why did I buy the Zealots? (And yes, I bought them...alas Saucony did not send me a free pair for review). 

I was looking for a shoe that is ideal for the marathon race distance. While I love the supportive, soft, "hugging" feel of the Glycerin, it is too heavy for racing. While I love the light, nimble feeling of the Kinvara, and have enjoyed PRs in them from the 5K through the half marathon, they aren't quite enough shoe for me on longer distances. I prefer a wide toe box but with a snug, secure fit in the heel and midfoot. I wanted a lightweight shoe, comparable to a racer but with more cushioning underfoot.

Fit and Feel

The Zealot fit this bill perfectly, and continues to impress me with each run. My first impression was the wonderfully secure feeling of the ISOFIT upper. The mesh really does conform to the top of the foot, flexible yet snug, without any of the bunching from overlays (which can sometimes happen when there is that much fabric on the upper). And yet the shoe is fairly breathable in hot weather; remember, I live in Florida. The toebox is perfect for me - though I do prefer wide, and those with narrower feet might find it a little too roomy in the front. But, ISOFIT definitely allows for a custom feel on the midfoot. Best of all, the heel is soft feeling and very secure - I don't have to put runner's loops in my laces to keep my heels from sliding up.

Performance 

The PWRGRID+ midsole and Ibr+ outsole allows for this shoe to be exceptionally light (7.4 oz women's / 8.3 oz men's) yet provide a substantial amount of cushioning. I felt a nice spring in the midfoot at the toe-off - a similar feeling as the Triumph Iso, but less spongy. Initially, it feels similarly cushioned as Kinvara, but the more substantial midsole becomes evident over longer runs. I had also previously tried the Mirage 4 as well, which was too firm for my liking. Zealot is truly more cushioned than either Kinvara or Mirage. It feels like a standard neutral cushioned trainer at easy / conversational pace, but responsiveness really takes off the faster you go. At tempo and interval paces, the shoe performed beautifully, with great pep and snap, yet still cushioned on landing in the midfoot. I can't comment too much on how it would feel for heel-strikers, but the outsole seems to provide a very smooth transition across the entire stride. I recently did a 22 mile run with the last 10 miles done at my marathon race pace (7:30/mile) and the shoes held up flawlessly. They definitely fit the bill for my needs. My marathon is at the end of March, after which time I will update my review if need be.

Summary and Recommendations

The Zealot ISO is a wonderful neutral, daily or uptempo trainer, that could also serve as a long-distance racer. It continues the comfort of the ISO series, but is lighter and more responsive than Triumph or Hurricane. It would be an ideal choice for mid to forefoot strikers looking for a fast but smooth ride on longer runs, without sacrificing cushioning. It is likely to be more comfortable on normal to wide feet that on narrower feet, but that is definitely for each to decide. So far, I am loving these shoes and cannot wait to race in them soon!

Scar Tissue: Pain in the Butt

Why is it that I only really seem to blog when I am injured, or excitedly returning from injury? Maybe this has just been an outlet for frustration. Not acceptable! I need to better document my running journey, for my own reflection primarily, and maybe in hope that it can be of use or inspiration to fellow runners.

So, an update. Since settling back in in St Pete, I got a part-time job at Fit-2-Run (awesome people to work with, great to connect with other local runners) and in my training, have been following the Hanson's Half-Marathon method primarily. The premise of which: fast speed work in early phase, strength workouts in middle phase, with lots of race pace-specific mileage.

I liked it, and it was working fairly well so far. I was beginning to master my tempo pace (7:20/mile) over 3 and 4 consecutive miles, and even ran a 22:50 5K in the middle of my workout. Definitely not a fast 5K race time for me, but pretty damn good for the middle of a workout, 10 months after giving birth. I was struggling a little bit with the faster (5K race pace) intervals, though.

All was going well...so, so well...and in the midst of this, my Brooks Adrenalines were starting to feel a bit different, more lumbering and too roomy. After spending some time on the camera treadmill at my workplace, I discovered two intriguing anomalies of my post-partum body:

1) My running shoe size went from size 9 down to a size 8
2) I no longer overpronate.

What?

Isn't everything supposed to get bigger after having a baby? Not smaller and more efficient? Whatever, I'll take it! So now, am in a soft, comfy neutral trainer - Brooks Glycerin 12 - and am doing speed/tempo runs in Saucony Kinvara 5 (see left). I never could wear Kinvaras before, as they were always too narrow and didn't support my pronating feet, but due to my body changes and the wider toebox in the newest model of the Kinvaras, they are perfect! Fast and light, could even be a racing flat.

I was finally starting to feel like my old running self again! Fast, confident, and had trimmed down to about 6 lbs lighter than I had weighed in years. Couldn't wait for my trip with baby Jack to NY, and the 10 miler race I was planning on running there.

Then it happened. Low back pain on the left side this time, which initially felt like I just didn't sleep well on it (with an 11 month old, it happens. A lot.) But the pain persisted, and started traveling down into my glutes and hip.

Too. Damn. Familiar.

I knew right away why this was happening: with our new family schedules and Jack needing me as soon as I walk in the door from my runs, I was neglecting my strength training, and post-run stretching/rolling. Basically I was doing little to none. And I should know better. Definitely, should know better.

So I engaged in typical foam rolling, denial that I should take it easy, icing, heating, more denial, and then two days before the race in Nyack, my cousin (an amazing massage therapist) worked on me a bit, and she suggested some strengthening exercises. Called Foundation Training, these were lower back, glute, and hamstring exercises, that would also improve my posture and stabilize my core. Great exercises, though too late for my 10 miler. The day before the race, I did a test run, which did not go well. It didn't feel exactly like before - possibly not the piriformis - but definitely hip and lower back pain. Part of me wanted to grit through it and race, but the other part knew better. So I didn't run. I moped, I cried, I watched other runners gleefully run through town on a beautiful, perfect day. And then we went into NYC as a nice consolation prize. A wonderful day! Where else could Jack and I hang out with Teddy but at the Museum of Natural History?

Upon returning to St Pete, I grappled with what to do next: see a chiropractor, see a physical therapist, find another ART practitioner? A coworker gave me a recommendation for a sports doctor who practices Manual Adhesion Release - distinct from ART in that it takes a more targeted approach to soft tissue problems by analyzing motion, rather than a shotgun approach to the symptoms. My coworker said Dr Maggio at Peak Performance Sports Therapy worked wonders on her, so I set up an appointment with him. He was able to diagnose my issue fairly quickly based on my range of motion: scar tissue buildup on my hip, interfering with proper muscle contraction in my "deep 6" muscles.

Now we get to work...his techniques are similar to ART, taking my leg through a range of motion while he works to break up the scar tissue. It hurt like hell, and afterwards I was sore in a part of my body I didn't think I could be. But I trust his assessment, and trust that the process will take time to fix my issue for the long term. He assured me that I would most likely be able to resume training for the Women's Running Half Marathon in November, my near-term goal race.

I am grounded from exercise of any kind for the rest of the week, going on 1.5 weeks of no running now. While I am, of course, going a little bit crazy (especially working at a running store), I am able to keep better perspective than before. Though I am still sore when I rotate my hip at all, my range of motion has been improving.

No less than 2 days after my first appointment with Dr Maggio, the Women's Running Half Marathon was cancelled. Very sad about this for lots of reasons, though maybe its a blessing in disguise for me. I can fully commit to getting my body healthy and stronger, so that I can make a powerful comeback at the Tomoka Marathon in March.

This injury, here is what I have learned thus far:

- Scar tissue can build up over years of muscle stress, not just from acute injuries
- Scar tissue can be cleared fairly quickly
- The "deep 6 muscles" are a real bitch to massage and treat. They are the hip's external rotator muscles and are shown below (piriformis, gemellus superior, obturatur internus, gemellus inferior, obturatur externus, quadratus femoris)
- Back pain can be attributed to hip dysfunction and muscle compensation
- Improvements in my posture and back strength will significantly help my running (once my hip is healthy)

None of these things are surprising, they do make a lot of sense. I am now committed to getting this pain in the butt healed, and committed to better strength training to prevent future injuries. Stephen and I joined LA Fitness just three blocks away from our home, and I have established a stretching routine that works with Jack's schedule. We shall soon see how the recovery goes, and how quickly my fitness returns to normal...

In other news, today I became a member of the Oiselle Flock! Very excited to be connecting with this awesome group of women in their running pursuits. It already is great to see them on Twitter, and they have been so welcoming and warm to the new members. Helps me feel less alone during my runless days. Can't wait to get my singlet, and more than that, I can't wait to be "Fit-2-Race" once again!