Lina posted this on Facebook! I loved it… so there was no question about it, I had to share it with you!
Me and Lina, wearing Newtons. Trying to run Natural, on an unnatural service.
So as you may know, I have been running in my Newtons for a month now, but today was my fourth time in a row running in them, while it was Lina’s first time running in hers. I am running in the Distance U and Lina is running in the Motion. There is not much difference between the shoes, except the Distance U is a little bit lighter and has less cushioning and support in the heel. I am a neutral runner with a slight overpronation in my right foot. Lina is a heel-striker who overpronates.
I am really trying to focus on proper running form, natural running. So far my stride has not transformed 100 percent, since running in the Newtons, but I have become more aware of my stride and what I need to do to change it. The one thing that I have noticed and love about running in the Newtons is how much I can feel the ground. Feeling the ground also makes me more aware of how my foot moves and how it strikes the ground while running. Â Here are pics from today’s Daily Work Out.
LINA: has had stress fractures in both lower legs. The shoes she has run in previously have not helped her stay injury free. Hopefully, she can changer her stride by wearing the Newton shoes.
Lina running in her Newton Motion shoes. Although, she is still heel-striking, she is confident that with time her stride will improve. She also loves the lightweight feel of the shoe.
Lina again running in her Newton Motion Shoes. As you can see the shape of her elevated leg, shows she is over-pronating. Again, this is Lina’s first 3 mile run in her Newton shoe. Hopefully, with time her stride will improve.
MEG: I have never had any injuries, only a blister here and there. I have always run in Asics Nimbus  in a size 6.5 and just recently the Brooks Glycerin in a size 7.0. Both are good running shoes. But after reading Born to Run, I have always been interested in the idea of Natural Running. I am hoping the Newton shoes will help improve my stride and make me faster. 
There I am running in my Newton Distance U shoes. I am not heel-striking but rather running by landing on my forefoot/midfoot, the key to Natural Running. Also notice legs and ankles fall right under hips.
Again running on my forefoot/midfoot. Also notice legs and ankles in line, right under hips. Key to Natural Running.
Again forefoot/midfoot striking, and legs landing right under hips. Demonstrating Natural Running.
I have always been a neutral runner, so I am having a little more success in the Newton shoes and in transitioning to a Natural Runner, than Lina is. However, I have also been running in these shoes for a full month longer than Lina. Today was her first day wearing them. Â I still am not perfect and still heel-strike a little sometimes and slightly over-pronate with my right foot. Another awesome way to judge is to look at the bottom of the shoes. You can see more wear and tear on my right shoe.
Friday, 5/11/12: Today, I woke up early, and hit the trail with my running buddy, Lina. The Mount Vernon Trail was super sunny, a tad breezy and around 60 degrees. It was Heaven out there, only a runner would understand. I felt like running far, but because Lina and I, Â are both running in our Newtons, we are still transitioning into a more Natural Running form, so we still ran short.
Today, I ran 3.41 miles in 31:17. This is the slowest time, I have run this week . I think it is because I was with Lina and she is a slower runner than me. I started with her, but then went on and ran ahead. After we were done with our run. We practiced high knees and video taped our running strides. We also snapped a couple photos. Â See next post for update on my Newton shoe experience and pics.
My favorite page of Runner’s World world magazine is the Rave Run page. This page, usually found towards the beginning of the magazine, describes a spectacular place to run, that is worthy to Rave about. The page reminds me of a tour guide, revealing a secret running spot that is not known by the tourist, but rather an amazingly cool place to run, popular among the locals. It immediately makes me day dream and inspires me to plan a trip.
Well my city, Washington, DC, has been on the Rave Run page several times before. I have lived here my whole life, and although sometimes I get bored of the area, I am lucky to live in a city with numerous places to run. If you run or cycle DC is your dream city. Let me tell you why…
DC has several bike paths, paved for the road cyclist and road runner. The most popular are Mount Vernon Trail, Four Mile Run, WO&D, The C&O Canal, and although not the safest there is Rock Creek Park. Â DC also has several trails for the trail runner, including Roosevelt Island, Capital Crescent, Rock Creek Park, and Great Falls National Park. All of these paths/trails I have run and cycled on several times except for Rock Creek, and when it comes to safety, they are all pretty safe except for Rock Creek.
If you do not want to be stuck on a trail, the city has some amazing loops around the historical monuments. There is also tons of cool bridges to run over, including Memorial Bridge and Key Bridge. There is water to run next to, such as by the Tidal Basin, and even cemeteries to run by, including the famous Arlington Cemetery.
DC also has an amazing community of runners, and tons of running events. There are running groups/clubs that meet several times a week. There are also tons of races year round. Marine Corps Marathon, Army 10 miler, and the Cherry Blossom 10 miler are the three most popular races. There is also the Nations Triathlon, and several bike races, including some Centuries.
Monday: I rested. The weekend was overwhelming with Friday’s 2012 CrossFit Games, Saturday’s Crab Feast, and Sunday’s Photo Shoot.
Because I am running in my Newtons, I am still running shorter distances and paying close attention to the way my body feels and my running form. I am really trying to focus on
- leaning forward
- relaxing my shoulders
- arm positioning
- looking straight ahead
- most importantly landing on my mid-foot
Tuesday, 5/7/12: I ran a short 3.41 miles in 28:39, in my Newtons. Honestly, I am not sure how accurate my garmin is being. Because Newton shoes are light weight, they are known to make you run faster than traditional running shoes, but I am still not sure how much faster.  When timing my mile using the markers I am running 8.30 min. mile.  But I think the best way is to run in my other shoes to compare, timing to milage. The timing is correct, but I think I am running closer to a 5K. There are mile markers on the trail. I have been paying close attention to those markers.  Tuesday was a hot and humid day, it felt good to really sweat hard.
Wednesday, 5/8/12Â : I ran again a short 3.41 miles in 29:10, in my Newtons. It was overcast and breezy, but it felt fantastic. I felt like I was in Seattle, the trees were so green, and the sky so gray. I just love running outside. Being surrounded by nature, is so refreshing. Â I also recently bought a 25lb kettlebell, that I always leave in my car trunk next to my yoga mat. I decided to take them both out an go by the water in the grass. I completed 3 sets of squats with the 25lb kettle bell 10 reps per set. In between each set I held plank for 60 seconds. Energy was pumping through my body for the rest of the day!
Thursday, 5/9/12:Â Today, I ran again a short 3.69 miles in 32:25. It was cooler today, about 65 degrees. It was gusty breezy and sunny. My legs today were sore from the squats from yesterday. I ended my run with 3 sets of high knees. It was a good run and once again felt great to work up a sweat and be outside.
Photo from the 2012 CrossFit Games
This weekend was packed full, and randomly I ended up at the 2012 Reebok CrossFit Games Mid-Atlantic Regional Final. My mom, sister, and I headed to Landover, MD early Friday morning to watch my cousin’s gymnastics tournament. The minute I walked into the PG Sports and Learning Complex, where the tournament was held, I  was surrounded by some seriously strong athletes. On one side of the facility was gymnastics, on the other side was CrossFit.
I know what CrossFit is, and I know a ton of people who do CrossFit, but I never knew there were CrossFit competitions. Â When it comes to CrossFit, I have always been interested in trying it, I just haven’t had the opportunity to. CrossFit is also super expensive. It is $200 a month, and I already spend so much money towards fitness as it is (yoga studio, gym membership, running, cycling, snowboarding.)
Anyway, the Reebok CrossFit Games Mid-Atlantic Regional Final, was worth watching. It was really hard not to stare. The men had amazing bodies, and the women had fabulous bodies as well, some a little bit to strong. Another thing that I noticed was the patriotic spirit the CrossFit competitors have towards their CrossFit gym. To see that spirit, is really interesting, because I never thought of CrossFit as team oriented. But after watching the support the competitors had from the other athletes that they know from their gym, I now consider this a sport. A sport with a competition, with a team, with team mates.
xMost of the sports that I participate in, (yoga, running, cycling) I do solo. It would be nice to work out with a group. The energy at the event was amazingly positive. It definitely inspired me to strength train more, and I might actually go ahead and try CrossFit.
The Parkway Classic, is a 10 mile running event, put on by DC’s local running store, Pacers. Â It is scheduled in late April, a couple weeks after the famous and very popular, Cherry Blossom 10 miler. It’s timing is perfect, because the Cherry Blossom 10 miler is now a lottery, so those that registered, but then were rejected from Cherry Blossom, can still have the opportunity to run a 10 mile race in the Spring. Â Another benefit to running the Parkway Classic is its capacity. The Parkway Classic is only around 4,000 runners compared to Cherry Blossom that is capped at 15,000. Â Less runners mean less crowded on the course, and more freedom to run the fast pace you desire, allowing a new PR.
So three weeks after I ran the Cherry Blossom 10 miler, I ran the GW Parkway Classic. This is how it all went down.
FROM THE BEGINNING…
The reason why I ended  up running the Parkway Classic is because my sister Emily, my original running buddy, didn’t register for the Cherry Blossom 10 miler, but still wanted to participate in a spring race.  Unlike me, who uses Cherry Blossom 10 miler as a yearly tradition, Em, doesn’t find it exciting to run the same races over again. So I registered us both for the Parkway Classic. Although, we have run plenty of 10 milers before, it would be our first time running this particular race. Lina, my coworker and new running buddy, who ran Cherry Blossom with me this year signed up as well.  Cherry Blossom was her first 10 miler and she loved it so much, that she immediately wanted to run another one.
After running Cherry Blossom, I was feeling pretty good. I hadn’t over trained at all, so I wasn’t feeling burned out. But I didn’t under train either. I was consistently running, and it showed.
LET ME EXPLAIN MORE IN DETAIL…
I have been running for five years, and I have run plenty of 10 milers. I am no longer at the level, where I am running, “just to finish.” And while I am writing this, it seems like I am bragging, but I am actually just reminding myself that. I guess it is time to start thinking about timing.
For the last three years, when running the Cherry Blossom 10 miler, I have always set my goal to run it in under 1:30:00. So three years ago I ran it in 1:29:25. Last year I ran it in 1:29:33. This year I ran it in 1:29:26. As you can see, very consistent. I guess my body is just comfortable with that pace, or maybe it is a mental game and because I put it in my mind that I want to run it in under 1:30:00, thats what I do. I don’t know which one it is, but I do know that I really wanted to set a new PR for the Parkway Classic. Just get me away from 1:29 please.
THE TRAINING…Â
Now that I reviewed my past times, and mentally prepared for a faster race, it was time to train a little faster. Unfortunately, I got a little sidetracked when I was introduced to the Newton shoe. If you have read previous posts, you should know, that I went to a running form clinic, and bought a pair of the Newtons, and became obsessed.
The Newton shoe is a light weight running shoe, that promotes Natural Running. Well before a race everyone knows it is a big NO NO to switch your shoes, and it is definitely not a good idea to start changing your running form and stride, but I did. Â I was thinking, switching to a lighter shoe, will make you faster. Adjusting your running form, will make you faster and help prevent injury. Or it could totally backfire.
The day after the Running Form Clinic was Easter. My sister really wanted to fit in a 7 mile run that day. She hadn’t run longer than 5 miles in a while and she just wanted to have the peace of mind, that she could run a strong 7. But because of the holiday it was difficult to find the time. So we ended up heading out randomly at 3:30- 4 pm.
Here are some factors to keep in mind…
- I had already had a mid day Easter dinner with my boyfriend and his parents which included a cocktail. So I was very full and dehydrated.
- The day was sunny and 80 degrees. I hadn’t run in that type of heat in a while.
- The Friday before I sprinted a 5k. I am not use to sprinting short distances, and hadn’t done a 5k since November.
- The day before, I had participated in a Running Form Clinic which included running drills, in a light weight, almost minimalist shoe.
- I also ran this seven miles in my regular traditional running shoes.
So as you can see, I had been doing a lot of different types of running, totally out of my normal routine. So as you can guessed, my seven mile run didn’t go as well as I had liked. I was still happy I ran, but I will admit, I felt very sluggish, and my legs were really sore. I think it was a combination of everything I said above, including the fact that the day before I was testing out a more light weight shoe, and then during my run I was wearing my Brookes, and they felt extremely heavy.
After that training run, I felt a little insecure, maybe I won’t PR, after all, the course is rolling hills the whole way. Â So I continued training, consistently running in my new Newton shoes, working on my form, up to the day of the race.
The Wednesday before the race, Lina and I met up for a training run. I was wearing my Newtons. She was jealous, and tired of feeling pain from heal striking so right after our run, we headed to Pacers to get her a pair as well. On the Friday before the race, we met up again for a training run, then headed to Pacers, to pick up our bib numbers for the race. The Saturday before race, I relaxed and grilled steak and veggies for dinner. Â I set up my race clothes,
updated my Garmin, and charged my iPod. Â I didn’t feel nervous, just really excited. I set my alarm for 5:20 am, and fell asleep to the sound of the rain.
RACE DAY…
I am not a morning person, so when my alarm went off, I felt like I had hardly slept.  I even thought, “Ugh, maybe I shouldn’t even run this race.” It was dark, cold, rainy, and all I wanted to do was crawl back into bed, but I didn’t. I got dressed in my race clothes. Packed my bag I was going to check, and met Lina out front of my apartment. We headed to the shuttle buses, met my sister on the bus, and headed over to Mount Vernon, the start. 
After the horrible Hot Chocolate 15K, that I had to endure and run in December, I was a little worried about getting people to another Race Start that wasn’t metro accessible. But there is a difference between 20,000 runners and 4,000. Anyway, I had total trust in Pacers, and they did not disappoint. When we arrived to the start, it was still cold and rainy, but they provided us with space blankets. I have used them before, after a marathon, but I never remember them doing anything. This time I was very impressed, they actually really trap your body heat and keep you warm. There was also breakfast, coffee, and coconut water. Over all, I thought Pacers did a fabulous job organizing this race.  It is very important to have a well organized race. It makes a difference when a running company, that is made up of runners, organizes a race. They truly know a runners needs and wants. 
Soon enough it was time to check my bag and get in line at the start with all the other runners. So around 7:45 am I stripped down to my shorts and tank top.
 I almost chickened out, and wore my long sleeve running shirt, that is how cold I was, but I shivered and checked it. Then my sister, Lina and I headed to the start.
 We lined up with the 9:00- 9:59 corral. It was fine but now looking back maybe we should have stood with the 8:00-8:59 corral. 
The start line was crowded, but it had an amazing energy. We were all cold, just ready to run and  get warm up.  But soon enough the race began, and we were off.
For the first three miles of the race, my legs felt heavy and sore. I wasn’t sure if it was because of my pace or maybe it was because I was in my heavy shoes, rather than my light weight shoes. Whatever it was, it took the first three miles for me to really warm up. When the fourth mile went by, I was feeling good, fast, and strong. It was funny because I was running side by side of my sister, Emily. But then she started to slow down. At points I was ahead of her. I took advantage of most of the all of the water stations. I pulled of to the side at one of the water stations and then saw my sister go by. I finished my water and ran to catch up to her. I thought she had chosen not to take water at that water stop, but it turns out she missed it, not realizing there was a water station. At mile 7, we saw our friend, Adrian. She came to the cheer us on, with a huge sign. Emily went on running ahead, while I pulled to the side to give Lina’s daughter Kadi a hug. Letting her know that Lina wasn’t far behind. A guy actually stopped me saying the hug I gave Kadi was sweet and totally worth the loss of 30 seconds. I totally agree. Although, I am trying to take my running to the next level, and work on getting a little faster. When people come out to see you, they want to have an enjoyable experience too, and it is rude to run passed them. I wasn’t with Lina during the race, but according to the photos it looks like she ran a very fun, controlled race.
There is Lina, looking focused and relaxed.
In the end, I set a new PR of 1:28:05. I finally broke 1:29. I was really happy with this race. I felt strong and fast. I felt like I could have continued to run 3 more miles or more. Â So for the month of April I ran 3 races, two 10 milers, and one 5k.
ALL (but 2 of these photos) were taken by Swim Bike Run Photography.  © 2012
Because of the disgusting unbearable previous summer, and then a warmer disappointing winter, the thought of things heating up has scared me. But summer is right around the corner, and although this week is going to be cold, we have been blessed with some amazing sunny summer-like days. These summer-like days have made me begin to feel excited, because I love the change of seasons, and the variety of food that come with it. All of this, brought me inspiration on Saturday night. Nothing to me screams summer like grilled veggies with a side of steak.
© 2012