Shoe Review: Newton Gravity 6

Hey there lovelies!

Hope all is well…

I have been having a super busy summer, so the blog had to take the back burner, but I’m hoping to be more consistent with writing – so stay tuned for many more posts.

My daughter, Zoe just turned two!! I can’t believe I’m a mother runner of a two year old. Along with chasing a super active two year old, I have been running tons of summer stroller miles. This summer has been a mild one, which has made for some perfect running weather.

I also finally got my new running shoes, the Newton Gravity 6. I’ve been running in them all week.

Review: side note – I’m currently running in the Newton Gravity 6, but in this review I’m going to compare the 6 to both the 4 (my favorite) and the 5 (last year’s Gravity.)

Newton Gravity 4

Let’s begin by talking about my favorite shoes. I still love love love the Newton Gravity 4s – best shoe ever. When I opened the box it was love at first sight. They were the first running shoes I put my feet postpartum and they were the shoes I trained and ran my last marathon in. The newton gravity 4 had a roomy fit, that was totally weightless. Roomy fit is ideal for long distance runners, because feet might swell as the miles increase. This shoe let my toes spread and my foot move. The tongue on the shoe was so thin you never noticed it there. Not that it matters, but I also loved the look of these shoes! They were orange and pink with silver details.

Newton Gravity 5

The 5 was okay, but the tongue on the shoe was so thick and large, which was unnecessary. It had a very snug fit, which made the shoe feel stiff. And although, it might have weighed the same, or less than the previous Gravity, it still felt heavier. It was the first time I was unsure about the Gravity. It made me question what’s going on with Newton, the company – especially since the co-founders are no longer with the company and the shoes are no longer sold in any local running stores. I also have been seeing less runners on the trail and at races wearing Newtons. I use to wave at every Newton runner. However, the color on the Gravity never disappoints. These were yet again a badass looking running shoe.

Newton Gravity 6

After running in the 5 for months, it was definitely time for new running shoes. And because the 5 didn’t impress me, it made me a little nervous to try the 6. I loved the 4 so much, I thought about looking online to see if anywhere was selling it in my size. Turns out after lots of debate I made the decision to give the new Gravity a try. I really don’t want to just run in one shoe, and get my foot use to one shoe. I ultimately want a shoe rotation, and although, I didn’t fall in love with the 5, I never had any injuries.

The Newton Gravity 6 is definitely an improvement from the 5. The tongue is still a little thick, but they made improvements by making it shorter. The shoe still feels a little snug, but not as stiff and snug as the 6. I normally where a size 6 in regular shoes, and a size 7 in running shoes. In these shoes, I’m wearing a size 7, but sometimes feel my toe hitting the end of the shoe while running. This makes me question, is it my foot (your feet can change size due to having a child) or is it the shoe? I am missing that unique feel that the original Newtons gave me back when they first came out. Did they change? Or maybe I’m just use to wearing them after years of running in them.

Otherwise, they still have everything that I love about Newton. They are light weight (6.5 ounces) with the 5 lugs, and a 3 mm heal to toe drop. They are a badass looking running shoe with the trademark bright color combination.

I just hope Newton continues to keep the shoe as minimal as possible. Although, they don’t want to be in the category as a minimalist shoe, they are all about perfecting a naturally barefoot running stride and getting a runner to run more efficiently by landing on their forefoot. Us runners who are loyal to Newton love that they don’t have too much added to the shoe, and that the shoe allows the runner to feel the ground and let their toes spread in a wide toe box. Less is more, when it comes to a running shoe.

So that’s it for now! I can’t wait to run all the miles in the Newton Gravity 6.

What shoe are you running in?

Have you tried Newtons before?

I love connecting with other runners, and would love to hear from you. Comment below, and follow me on Instagram @sweat1xdaily.

Marathon Training Recap for September Miles. 

Oh September…

I was envisioning September to be cool and crisp, but instead it continued to be a scorcher. Actually, there were even several 90 degree days. 

Honestly, the heat was really starting to exhaust me. The game plan was to increase weekly mileage so I would complete 148 miles total for the month. 

But because I was feeling so tired, I changed my game plan. I decided not to increase weekly mileage to much, with the hope that I would be more rested for my weekly long run. So I dropped my average weekly runs, from 5/6 to 3/4. Running one short, one mid/long, and then one long run a week. This plan was so successful. Honestly, for my body, sometimes less is more. 

I also switched my usual Saturday long run to Monday depending on the which day had cooler weather. This made me feel less rushed to hurry on Saturday morning to get out there and get my long run done. Plus, I was running on the cooler day, so all of my long runs felt really good. More rested + less rushed + much cooler weather = a successful long run.

My long runs this month consisted of a 17 miler, 18 miler, half marathon, and 20 miler. All of them went went well and my half marathon race was very successful, bringing me my confidence back.

October is Marathon month. 29 more days of training. This month my monthly goal is 148.2 miles. I will be running one more super long run, which will be in the 20s. And then I will be in taper town. 

This week I am heading out to Idaho, and I plan to continue with training. Which means I will be running there in altitude. It will be hard to train in altitude, but hopefully it will just make me stronger when I get back. My motivation is that all of the Olympic marathoners trained at altitude. Look at how awesome these ladies are. (Amy and Shalane.)

I’m planning on running all the miles, work on some speed to keep my legs light, and weight train occasionally to add a little more strength. I also need to keep my nutrition on point. I have been cooking a lot of recipes from the book, Run fast, Eat Slow.

I have a little longer in training so might as well give it my all. Let’s run all the miles. Soon I’ll be running with the Marines.

What’s next on the blog: I plan on writing some posts about Idaho and running in altitude so stay tuned. 

Who else is running a Marathon this month? 

copyright 2016 sweat1xdaily

Marathon Training Update: Week 4

“Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up, it knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or it will starve. It doesn’t matter whether you’re the lion or a gazelle-when the sun comes up, you’d better be running.”

– Born to Run

Even, with the extreme heat conditions in the DC area, I ended week 4 of marathon training on a high note.

Monday, July 18th – Distance: 3 miles, Time: 28:27, Pace: 9:27, Type: Stroller Miles 

Tuesday, July 19th- Distance: 4 miles, Time: 39:38, Pace: 9:52, Type: Stroller Miles

Wednesday, July 20th- Distance: 6.1 miles, Time: 57:36, Pace: 9:23, Type: Solo running 

Thursday, July 21st- Distance: 3.1 miles, Time: 29:15, Pace: 9:29, Type: Stroller Miles

Friday, July 22nd- Distance: 6 miles, Time: (5 miles – 47:26, 1 mile – 10:16), Pace: (9:34, 10:16), Type: Stroller Miles

Saturday, July 23rd- Distance: 11.4 miles, Time: 1:54, Pace: 10:01, Type: Solo Running/Long Run

Total miles for the week – 33.6 miles

RECAP

I ran 6 days this week. 4 out of the 6 runs were stroller miles, with Zoe. The combination of stroller miles and the extreme summer heat is finally making me stronger and faster.

STROLLER MILES

Running a 6 mile (mid distance run) with the stroller, the day before my long run, made me confident and strong during my 11 mile long run.

LONG RUN

I was a little nervous about the heat. It was all over the news that the DC area was under a heat advisory, and that because of extreme humidity, the air quality was at dangerous levels. So I made sure on Saturday for my long run, I was out on the trail by 6:30 am. When I started my run it was in the high 70s, when I finished my run it was in the 90s. Most of my splits were at marathon pace, between 9:30-10.

I’m actually really enjoying running early mornings. The city is quiet while everyone is still sleeping, but the trail is busy with all of us morning runners getting our long runs done. It’s such a great vibe, and the sun rises are so pretty.

I hope everyone had great runs this week. Run Happy!!

Stroller miles, Mother RUNNER, Marathon Training

Hey lovelies,

I forgot to tell you, I am registered for the Marine Corps Marathon!

I have just finished week 3 of my marathon training. And, although this will be my 4th time training and running the Marine Corps Marathon, things are very very different this time around.

My running buddy is Zoe, my 10 month old daughter. And because we are inseperatable, we do everything together… It is not all about me anymore. This has made training a little bit more challenging, but also way more fun!

WEEK Day Training with the stroller.

During the week, I have been doing my shorter runs pushing Zoe in the running stroller. Pushing the stroller is definitely harder than running solo. (For those who are interested, I am running with the BOB revolution, pro. I intend on writing a blog post about the product so stay tuned.) Not only do I have the extra load, the stroller itself weighs 25 lbs, plus Zoe, but my running form is different when I run with the stroller.

If you have been following my running journey for a while now, you may already know, that I’m obsessed with proper running form, especially since I run in a natural barefoot running shoe, with a low heel to toe drop. (Newton)

And although, I have gotten faster running while pushing the stroller, it is impossible for me to pick up my cadence. Which means I must be over striding. When I run solo my cadence is a perfect, 180. But when I run with the stroller, it is low 130-140 spm.

I also usually use my right hand to steer/push the stroller. I need to work on switching arms, so both sides of my body are balanced.

The longest run I have done with Zoe, is an 8 miler. My legs didn’t hurt, but my arms did by mile 6.

Weekend running, long run.

The plan is to run my shorter miles during the week with Zoe, but run my longer runs on the weekend solo. Well, of course the first week of training, I told my husband I was going out for my long run, and he told me he had tons of things to do, and he needed me to take Zoe.

Week 1- long run 8 miles

Because according to my training plan my long run for the week was only an 8 miler, I decided it was doable to bring Zoe along. So off we went for an 8 miler. This was the longest run I have done while pushing the stroller.

It was also late afternoon and 80+ degrees. I knew this was a big mistake. I should have gotten out there earlier, but I had to get the miles in. I chose the shadiest part of the MVT, however, the shadiest part is also the hilliest part.

My plan was to just chug along up and down those hills, stopping briefly to check on Zoe every 2 miles.

1-4 miles went really well. Miles 4-6, I mentally broke down. Miles 6-8 I pulled it together and finished strong. So strong that I thought I could have kept going for another mile or two.

Zoe absolutely loves going on runs with me. It is really nice for her to get fresh air. She loves all the views and the trail gives her lots of trees and water to look at. It is also important for her to see me living an active, healthy lifestyle, enjoying nature.

However, with that being said. It takes me between 1 hour and 25 minutes and 1 hour 35 minutes to run 10 miles.

I will take Zoe out for a 10 miler, but I really don’t want to take her out longer than that. I am very lucky, that she loves her stroller, and like I said above there are some amazing, healthy benefits about stroller miles, but I can’t keep her strapped in a stroller for longer than 10 miles.

Now that she is scooting around and pulling herself up, it is important for her to move, and play. It’s my job as her mama to give her that time and opportunity to play and move, to problem solve and discover. She needs her exercise too.

Week 2- long run 9 miles

Again, I didn’t get out there early enough, however I was excited to see what I could do running solo, (with out pushing a 10 month old in a stroller.)

The heat was killer, a lot of runners were falling apart on the trail. But I had my water, and kept chugging along. Over all it was a fine run, mainly slower because of the heat.

Week 3- long run 6 miles

Once again, I will have more success if I get out there earlier when it is cooler. The heat is definitely taking its toll on me. Getting out there around 9:30 am is just way to late.

The more I practice running in the heat, the more my body will get use to it. However, lately it has been a heat wave and it’s just not healthy to run in, because of the high humidity levels.

I had a really slow 6 miler and thought to myself, goodness, maybe I can’t do this marathon training. If I’m feeling bad doing 6 miles, what am I going to do next week when I have to do an 11 miler.

Although, my 6 miler felt bad during, I felt great after.

Later, that night a fellow mother runner, Lina, asked me to do 4 miles with her. It had just stormed which cooled the 90 degree day to 70 degrees and there was a breeze.

This was my chance to test myself. It was only a 4 miler, but I wanted to see how I would do. Turns out I ran just fine and all of my negative thoughts from earlier were erased. It was just the heat and running in cooler weather made all the difference.

It was also great doing a double, running 6 miles in the morning, and 4 miles at night which gave me a total of 10 miles for the day.

Training PLAN and Apps

The training plan I am following is the Hal Higdon Intermidate training plan. I am interested in heart rate training, and considered following the heart rate marathon training plan by another mother runner. However, for this marathon, I am following Higdon’s plan because I have used his plans in the past and I have always found success. So I’m sticking to what I know works, while throwing a baby into the mix.

Although, I love my Garmin, I am also tracking my mileage using Strava! The Strava app is awesome! I love that I can follow other runners and they can follow me. When training for a marathon alone, it is important to check in with other runners and be inspired by their training and give/receive encouragement and support. I will also be reading more running blogs. I read tons of running blogs two years ago when I trained for my marathon and I didn’t feel so alone.

Another feature that I love about Strava is how it breaks down your running stats. It also records your PRs.

So if you are on Strava please follow me! I’m on there under sweat1xdaily. You can also find me on Instagram @sweat1xdaily.

Well that’s all for now!

Run Happy!
Which marathon are you training for?


The time I kind of ran the Chicago Marathon.

It is the weekend of the Chicago Marathon.

I am not running it this year, but I will be running, The Army Ten Miler, a very popular local race here in the DC area. Although, the ATM has the same amount of runners as the Chicago Marathon, it is no 26.2.

In 2011, my sister and I signed up for the Chicago Marathon. I had run Marine Corps Marathon two times before. The 2011 Chicago Marathon would have been my 3rd full. Unfortunately, the summer was brutally hot, and I ended on antibiotics, because of stomach issues most of my training. It was hard to fuel my body for my long runs. At the end of the day, I decided I just couldn’t continue training. I was really disappointed, but I run to be healthy and have fun, not to injure myself.

Because hotels and flights were already booked, I decided I would still go to Chicago. My mom and younger sister were coming with me. My older sister was running the full marathon, and we all wanted to be there to support her. My mom had a brilliant idea. She told me to go to the expo, get my bib number, and run a portion of the race. I paid for the race, so why not? I decided to meet my sister at mile 16 and run the last 10 miles with her, as a pacer, as support.

So I went to the expo. It was the best expo yet! 313001_10100216570772486_192728463_n

I got to see Hal Higdon. Hal Higdon is guy who created the marathon training plans I follow. I have always had success. It was cool seeing him!

 

317430_10100216570532966_147782703_n-1

315509_10100216570483066_1713784094_n-1We took a selfie together.312941_10100216568921196_1160650670_nHe signed my bib!

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Em had fun at the expo too.

The next morning I woke up early with my mom and little sister and we headed to mile 2 to cheer my sister on. She was doing great. Once we saw her, I jumped on the ‘L’ waited around mile 16. Once, I saw my sister I jumped in and ran the last 10 miles with her. It was a hot one! But she made it to the finish.

301209_10100218174598406_769512413_nThe picture is small, but there Em is wearing her Chicago Marathon Medal. I am hoping to run the full Chicago Marathon sometime in the future and get a medal of my own.

The Spirit of the Marathon

Today in honor of the Chicago Marathon, I watched The Spirit of the Marathon. If you haven’t seen it yet, you should watch it, especially if you are running Chicago tomorrow.  It is about a couple different people who decided to run Chicago. They are of all different fitness levels, and have different running goals.

So go ahead, rent it off of itunes or amazon. It is only 1 hour and 40 minuets, so you still have time to watch it. Crawl into your hotel bed, get comfortable, and I promise you will be inspired.   The documentary will totally get you pumped to run.

Spiritoffthemarathon_cover

As for me, I am doing my night before race ritual, laying out my race clothes. And getting a good night sleep. I am very excited to wake up at 5 am tomorrow morning and run the ATM. I haven’t raced since April, and this will be the first race since my running buddy had a baby, that we will be running together. Can’t wait!

G O O D    L U C K   C H I C A G O   M A R A T H O N E R S ! ! ! ! !

Have fun! 

and to everyone running Army Ten Miler! See you at the start!  xo

 

Questions for you…

  • Whose running a race tomorrow?
  • Which race are you running?
  • Have you ever seen The Spirit of the Marathon?

© 2014 sweat1xdaily