Tag Archives for Running
Review: Merrell Barefoot Pace Glove
I have had problems with running shoes ever since I got serious about being more active. I’ve been to two different speciality shoe stores where they checked out how I walked, fitted me in shoes and videotaped me running on a treadmill in slow motion to see exactly how I ran.
Both times I remember leaving the store so excited only to be disappointed each time. I would get horrible knee pain after each run to the point where I had to take almost a month off running completely to ice, rest and heal. I started to hate running and felt that I just wasn’t made to run. I gave up.
The thing is that I have completely flat feet. There is no arch whatsoever. The more I thought about this the more I wondered why the solution was to put me in a high-arched orthopedic running shoe. The arch in these shoes would cut into my feet so badly that the part where my arch should be would bleed and take days to get better.
I did some research online and came across others who had the same problem as me and their solution was barefoot running. It made sense to me. All my life the only comfortable shoes I could wear were ones that were completely flat and I wondered why my running shoes should be any different.
So I went out and bought a pair of KSO Vibrams (review coming soon) and this pair of Merrell Barefoot Pace Gloves. The Vibrams are taking a bit to get used to but these have been absolutely comfortable from the first step.
These shoes have a Vibram sole and are extremely light- only 4.7 ounces! They are very breathable and can be tossed into a washing machine when dirty.
As you can see they bend any which way you want ‘em to. The first run I had with these was incredible. While I am definitely taking it slowly transitioning to these shoes, the comfort they provide made me not want to stop running. The only problem I have had was when I was running over a concrete bridge that had some water on it and I almost slipped. I quickly found out that they become extremely slick whenever there is water on concrete. They were fine on trails, wet grass and dry concrete though.
I normally wear a 7.5 but got these in an 8. There was quite a bit of room in the toe, but once I started moving I really liked the extra room and they became much tighter because of my feet swelling a bit while running.
I love how light and stylish they are. I hate boring looking shoes and these come in quite a few vibrant colors which is a big selling point for me. The best thing though was that after my first run of almost 3 miles I had no knee pain. I thought it might be too good to be true and I’d probably wake up in the morning and my knees would ache, but no. The only thing that was sore the next morning were my calves and quads from the running.
I have been thrilled with these shoes and absolutely love them. I can’t wait to run again in them, but for now I am easing into the whole barefoot running thing because I want to avoid any injuries.
Do any of you own a pair of these? If so, how do you like them?
*Disclaimer: Just because these worked for me, doesn’t mean they will work for you. I just wanted to share my personal experience with these shoes. This is my personal review and I was not paid or given anything free for it.
Always be careful when starting a new exercise routine and consult with a doctor or fitness professional.
Food Diary: WIAW
This morning started off with a loud thunderstorm which made it so hard to get out of bed. The thought of breakfast motivated me to get up though. :]
My breakfast appetizer was a date with almond butter. Thank you to everyone who suggested this combo! It makes dates much more delicious!
I then had my usual breakfast of one egg, two egg whites and a toasted Ezekiel pita bread. I think I’ve had this same breakfast for around two months now. I don’t like to eat a lot or anything too heavy early in the morning and this seems to agree with me the most.
I also had a glass of iced coffee with unsweetened almond milk.
My lunch was some mixed stir-fry veggies with a bit of szechuan sauce. I also had a sweet potato and an apple that I forgot to photograph.
I got home and had a quick snack. Half a slice of Ezekiel bread and some Asian pear butter I received from Krissie over at A Philly Nerd Girl! We did a swap of local farmer’s market goods and she sent some awesome stuff!
Check out all this great loot! I’m so excited to try everything out. Greg & Pepper already ate the jerky. I usually make Greg eat veggies and tempeh sandwiches so he was really excited :] Here’s what I thought of the pear butter…
I loved it! It’s just a tad sweet but also a little tart which I love. It’s so different from anything I’ve had before and I just need to pace myself to not eat the entire jar. Thanks again Krissie! :]
After that I put on some sunscreen and grabbed my running shoes! It was a super long, stressful day at work and I really need to get some frustration out. I had a great three mile run. I kept a slow pace, but the weather was nice and I listened to Drake talk about his purple drink almost the entire three miles. This is my favorite workout song at the moment by the way:
Dj Khaled (Feat. Drake, Rick Ross & Lil Wayne) – I’m On One
Once I got home I decided to have some purple drink of my own…
Not exactly what he was talking about, but I enjoyed it. :]
I also had a smokey miso tofu sandwich with lots of tomato and avocado. I enjoyed a plum for dessert which was super good.
Now I’m here icing my knees while Greg does his thing on the computer. I’ve had knee problems in the past when starting to run and I’m just doing this as a preventative measure. Does anyone have any info on whether that’s good or bad to do? I figure it couldn’t hurt as I’m really afraid of injuring myself again. I love running so much so I don’t want to have to stop.
I felt much better after my run. Never in a million years did I think I’d be running to relieve stress, but here I am and I have to say it feels pretty darn good. Now I’m off to catch up on some tv shows and then head to bed.
Be sure and check out what everyone’s eatin’ at the What I Ate Wednesday party!
What was the best thing you ate today?
Fireball Classic 5k
Last night was the Fireball 5k and it was so much fun! The race was at 9pm and it was super hot and humid out so I was a little worried, especially because we went to a BBQ a couple hours prior where I got down with some veggie dogs and snap pea crisps. I had been drinking water all day long so I’d be hydrated but once I got to the 5k site my mouth was so dry. I had a glass of water even though there was still half an hour before the race started. I was scared to drink too much because a lot of people puke during this race due to the heat and humidity.
Greg & I took a photo before the race and then he took off to jog and warm up before it was time to start. I stayed put and hung out with Greg’s sister and waited for everyone to line up. I had two goals that night: to make it in under 40 minutes and to not throw up.
We lined up for the race as the sun was going down and the energy was amazing. There were so many people and there was so much excitement in the air that I couldn’t wait to get started! All of a sudden we hear the gun shot and it was time to go! It was slow to start at first, but soon the crowd thinned out and I was keeping a slow and steady pace and just trying to focus and not worry about the heat.
I hit mile one at 11:30 and knew I needed to pick it up a bit. I zoned out during mile 2 and don’t remember much of it except for hearing Gin & Juice playing on someone’s headphones. I look over and this older lady is jamming to that song and it was so loud! Haha! It made me laugh and I kept my pace with hers until we hit mile 3.
There were quite a few people passed out and puking on the side of the trail. Volunteers were pouring water over their faces and ambulances were speeding by to pick them up. It was crazy! I was so focused on all them that I didn’t realize I was right there at the finish line! I saw the police lights flashing by the finish line and I took off. I probably passed up around fifteen people and I was flying. My heart rate got up to 205 at that point but I was so hyped up I didn’t even realize!
I crossed the finish line at 35:41 and was so thrilled. I gave it my all, kept running the entire time, didn’t puke and there were cups of water waiting on us so I was super happy! I went looking for Greg and his sister and found out that he had finished at 22:30. I am so proud of him! He’s awesome :]
We were so happy (and sweaty). We hung around for a few minutes while Greg talked to some people he worked with and I grabbed a couple of pieces of watermelon which tasted amazing. It was such a great race and the next one I’m planning to do is a Halloween half. I have plenty of time to train and am already looking forward to it!
Good Times
Yesterday was a really nice day spent just hanging out and relaxing. We woke up early, got ready and set out to pick up our bibs for the 5k. We made a quick pit stop first for some frozen yogurt. We’d never tried this place before and it wasn’t the best, but still pretty good.
Greg went all healthy on me with tart yogurt and fruit while I…
went a little crazy with cake batter yogurt, waffle cones, Reese’s Pieces and cheesecake. It was so super sweet that I didn’t finish the whole thing but Greg was happy to take my leftovers.
After that we picked up out bibs! This will be my second 5k and I am really excited. It’s supposed to be super hot so I’m trying to hydrate all day which will hopefully help!
We picked our race bibs up at a local running store so I bought a pair of socks to wear in the race. The current ones I have shift around a lot and bother me so I bought some super fancy ones. I’m glad I took this picture because I didn’t realize there was a left and right sock! haha! I’ll get them on the right foot for the race.
After that we headed to the farmer’s market. You can swipe your debit card to get market tokens to spend at all the booths. I love how look.. the design of the tokens and posters are really nice.
We bought some local honey and I got an iced coffee while Greg got his usual breve latte. We were having fun and about to make a second loop to pick up some salsa when Greg’s shoe broke. So we finished up at the market while he was wearing only one shoe and he definitely got a couple of stares. Haha!
We decided it was time for shoe shopping so we hit up a few stores and did a little shopping. We finished up the night by staying home, eating pizza and watching Jumanji. That movie is awesome, I don’t care what anyone says! :]
We’re getting ready to head to a BBQ soon and then later tonight it is 5K time! I’m nervous about the heat, but I’m hoping it won’t bother me too much.
I’m off to chug some water and eat a couple of veggie hot dogs! I hope you all are having a great weekend and have a happy fourth!
5k Recap
On the morning of my 5k I woke up around 6:15 to get ready. I was so nervous the night before that I laid out my shoes, headband, bib, chip and what I’d be wearing so I got ready pretty fast. I ate two slices of apple with a tablespoon of almond butter around 6:40 along with a glass of water. My sister came to pick us up and we arrived to the course around 7:10.
There were so many people and I was so nervous. There was a long line at the registration tent which made me really happy that Greg & I had picked up our bib and chip the day before. If it’s your first 5k I definitely suggest picking those up the day before as it really helped with my nerves knowing I had everything I needed already.
It was a cold morning so I warmed up a bit by walking up and down this huge hill a few times and then doing a little bit of stretching. The race was getting ready to start as it was ten til 8 so I said bye to Greg and headed towards the back of the starting line. Greg was up front because he’s much faster and was looking to hit under 22 minutes. My goal was just to not stop running and make it in under 35 minutes.
The anthem was sung and then I heard the shot and we were off! I was a little annoyed at the slow start because a bunch of people walking the course had moved towards the front and were slowing everyone down. I wasn’t really sure why they would do that, but what are ya gonna do? I crossed the start line and the crowd got less congested and I was finally able to pick it up and pass a few people.
I don’t know if it was my lack of training (as in no running whatsoever) or that I ate so close to race time, but I had an instant cramp in my right side and I started to panic a bit. I kept telling myself to breathe through it and I slowed my pace down to see if it would help. It started to lessen up so I decided not to focus on the cramp and instead just enjoy the beautiful morning. It was a gorgeous, sunny day and having so many people around was really motivating. I remember passing the mile one marker and I just felt so awesome. I was doing something that I’d never done before and I was making good time!
I could see the water station coming up and cold water sounded so good so I grabbed a cup and went for a drink. Yeah, not a good idea because I ended up choking on it! I knew better since I can barely walk up stairs without tripping so I should have known I couldn’t drink and run at the same time. Once I stopped coughing I was good again and decided not to hit up the water station on the way back.
I remember wondering where the two mile marker was. It felt as if I’d been running for so long, but I think it had to do with the hills that were slowing me down. When I saw the huge, bright orange number two in the distance I got really excited. I knew that I needed to keep a steady pace so that I could really pick it up at the end and that’s just what I did. As soon as I heard a lady say there was only a quarter mile left I took off. I started passing people and then I hit the last hill of the race and people started passing me up. haha.
I heard my name and looked up to see my family cheering me on. It was such a great feeling and I crossed the finish line at 34 minutes even. I had to stop to get the chip taken off my shoe and my legs felt so crazy that I didn’t think I’d be able to lift them to walk. It was such a weird feeling!
I went over to the side of the course to talk to Greg and my family. Greg came in at 22:02 and I was so proud of him! He trains really hard and is so motivated and dedicated to anything he puts his mind to. He’s just awesome! But even more awesome was the 92 year old man in a walker that crossed the finish line at 48 minutes. As soon as we all started cheering for him he started sprinting and it was such an incredible thing to see. I found it so inspirational that it was all I could talk about for a few days after. It’s amazing what you can do with the right attitude and staying active throughout your life. Just amazing.
It’s really addicting to run these things because you get so caught up in the excitement and good vibes from everyone else. I’m already looking forward to my next run in July where hopefully I will do just as good. That race is usually a humid 90° run so we’ll see how I do! My goal is to not pass out and maybe perfect my skill of drinking and running at the same time :]
