Same Shoes?

My beloved Asics GT-2150 running shoes have been discontinued!  What to do, what to do?

About a week ago, I decided I would drive around my town and buy up all the size nine 2150’s I could find.  My first stop was Kohl’s.  I really love Kohl’s because if you have one of their credit cards, they send you coupons all the time.  I had a 30% off coupon.  I walked directly to the shoe department—and there they were!  My 2150’s!  They had one size nine—on clearance!  With my coupon, I paid forty two bucks for them!  Score!!!

My next stop was our local running store.  I walked in and was immediately greeted by a nice sales woman.  I told her I was looking for Asics GT-2150.  She told me they had been discontinued and to try the 2160’s.  I explained to her I was not interested in the new ones and asked if she had any 2150’s in stock still.  She went to look and came back with a pair!  She opened the box and there they were—the exact same shoes I just bought at Kohl’s—accept the prices.  These shoes were 80 dollars.  I told her I just got a pair at Kohl’s for half that and ask if she could give me a better price.  The sales woman then told me that the shoes I got at Kohl’s might look the same and have the same name as the ones she was holding, but there are not the same shoes.  She explained that shoe companies make different models of shoes for different stores, even though the shoes look the same and have the same name.  I questioned her as to the specifics, but she would not tell me anymore. I decided against paying full price for the shoes, thanked the sales lady, and left the store. 

This has been bothering me all week.  Is it true what she told me?  Do big shoe companies make different shoes for different stores that carry the same name and same look?  If so, what are the differences?  What has been your experience with this? 

A dream is a wish…

--Amy

***Blogorama starts in just a few days!  My best giveaway ever!  Stay tuned! 

Road ID

If you are anything like me, you worry all the time.  When I run, I used to stuff my SPIbelt with my phone, keys and my Vera Bradley wristlet, because I did not want to be without my ID in case of an accident.  Anything can happen when we are out running—vehicle accidents and falls just to name a few.  If I did not carry all that stuff in my SPI, how would emergency help know who I was if I was hurt and could not speak for myself.  These things scared me a lot, until I got my Road ID. 

According to their website, Road ID is a durable, rugged, athletic, fashionable line of identification gear. Road ID was created on the concept that active people should wear ID as part of their gear when participating in outdoor activities. It was started by a couple of guys who began to wonder "why in the heck don't we have ID on us when we go out for a run or a ride.  If we had an unexpected accident, while running or cycling, we would be in bad shape - nobody would know who we were or who to contact. That freaked us out."

It freaks me out too.  I have a lot of responsibilities at home, with an 8 year old son and 2 year old special needs daughter.  If something were to happen to me, I want my husband and my mom to know right away.  Knowing who I am makes it possible for my family to make the best possible medical decisions and get me better, quicker.  Getting a Road ID was a no brainer for me.  When I did my 10 miler on the Rail Trail a few weeks ago, I wore my Road ID.  Not only did I feel safer knowing that if I was hurt, emergency personal would know who I am, I know my family would know where I was too. 

The Road ID bracelet I chose is the Road ID Wrist ID Sport…in pink, of course!  I put my basic information on it—my name, my address and birthday, along with my husband and mom’s cell phone numbers.  The Road ID bracelet was comfortable to wear during my long run.  What made the run even more comfortable is that my SPI was not so packed!  I left my Vera wristlet in the car because I had my Road ID on. 

Road ID wants all of my reader to be safe when they run.  If you like what you see and want to order one of your own, use coupon code:  ThanksAmy8727236.  This code will get you $1 off any Road ID order.  Don’t wait, its only good until 9/20/2011 or until it is used 20 times. 

A dream is a wish…

--Amy

***Blogorama starts in less than a week!  I have my best and most valuable giveaway ever!

Don’t Compare Your Times to Other Runners—Only Yourself

In my ten mile race this past weekend, I was not last…but very close to it!  While no one ever wants to be last, I have to keep reminding myself that I am not racing everyone else, I am racing myself!  I am racing the old me…and the new me is winning. 

When I start to feel insecure about my times—I look at where I started and where I am now.  When I first started, I could run only a few minutes of my 2 mile runs.  These two mile runs were hard work for me and it took me over thirty minutes.  I would average about 16 minutes a mile.  Now, I can run an 11 minute mile.  My “easy” run days are 3 milers and I can finish in about 35 minutes.  While 35 minutes for a three mile run may be terrible for some, for me it’s awesome! 

I have been thinking a lot about my 9/11 Run to Remember 5k coming up.  My sisters and a few friends will be doing it also.  My goal is not to beat any of them, but to beat my time from my June 5k.  I did the Baltimore Women’s Classic on June 26^th and came in at 41:44.  I have done lots of 5k practice runs since then, coming in at around 36-38 minutes.  So, that is what my goal will be:  to finish the 5k in less than 38 minutes.  If I achieve my goal, I will cut my 5k PR by almost 4 minutes.  Not bad for less than three months of a time difference. 

Do you compare yourself to other runners?  Do you find it helps or hurts you?  How to you make yourself stop?

A dream is a wish…

--Amy

***Blogorama starts next week!  I have an AMAZING prize for you to win!  It is by far my favorite giveaway to date and from a company I really believe in.  I can’t wait for you all to see it! 

Running Body Image

You all know I just did my big 10 miler this past weekend.  While trying to recruit friends to run it with me, one of my friends told me she “is to fat to run with all those skinny, in shape people.  That statement made me really sad and I began to think—I hope this does not hold a lot of other runners back from entering events. 

While saying that, I can understand the feeling.  When I first joined my gym, Strictly Fitness, I felt very out of place.  I would look around and see the skinny girls trotting away on the treadmills and ellipticals and see the buff guys on the weight machines.  I felt very out of place!  Once I went a few times I started to feel more comfortable.  No one there cared how out of shape I was or how over weight I was—they cared about getting their own workouts in.  The people I have met at the gym are always encouraging and congratulating me on my successes. 

The same thing goes for the races I have entered.  Runners, as a group, are usually very supportive of each other.  For example, in my 10 miler on Saturday, I was in the very back of the pack.  I was not last…but close to it.  Even though I am not as fast as them, there were lots of other runners cheering me on at the finish line.  The same goes for my very first race ever, the Baltimore Women’s Classic.  They made the last person who crossed the finish line feel just as great as the first. 

I still have my insecure moments, but running gives me a really positive body image.  For one thing, I have seen some positive changes in my body.  I have lost some weight, but I can also see where I have added muscle, especially in my quads.  When I am having a particularly insecure moment, I think of what my body can do.  I can run 10 miles too, just like the skinnies.  My 10 miles may not be as fast as them, but what matters is that I can do it!  

There is always going to be someone skinnier and faster.  I try hard not to compare myself to other runners.  I try not to compare my body to them.  I do compare myself now to myself in the past.  That is what running is all about for me—not beating other people—but betting myself! 

How has running affected your body image?  Do you hold yourself back by insecure thoughts?  How do you overcome them? 

A dream is a wish…

--Amy

You all know how much I love Clif and Luna.  Here is a link to a cool (free) program they have, and they will send you free samples! 

Race Fueling

I did my first ever ten mile run the past Saturday.  Around mile six, I could feel my stomach growling!  I was not sure what to eat for breakfast before the run.  I wanted to eat something to fuel the run, but not to much that it would upset my stomach.  I decided on a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  I decided against my usually morning coffee because I did not want to much in my stomach.  It seems like the PB&J was not enough. I chose PB&J because it had a good mix of carbs, protein and fat.  I had several gel packs in my SPI, but could not take one of them during my run.  I did take one right before, but while running I did not feel up for a gel.  I have been thinking about what to eat during a run that would be portable enough to put into my SPIbelt to fuel my next long run.  So far, I got:

Luna Bar

Banana

Granola bar

Do you have any other ideas?  What do you carry with you to fuel your long runs?  What do you eat before a long race?

A dream is a wish…

--Amy

***Congrats to Kim, who won the Shakeology Giveaway!  If you are interested in Shakeology and did not win, please e-mail me with your shipping address (amysmith7@comcast.net) and I can get a sample right out to you!

***Blogorama starts in 2 weeks!  I have a great giveaway lined up for you.  There will be 200 blogs linked, all doing giveaways valued at $75+. 

Rail Trail Ten Miler

Today was my longest race to date, a 10 miler, on the Rail Trail in southern York County, Pennsylvania.  My day started early at 5am.  I picked up my friend Kelly at 6:15, and we headed to the finish line.  The crazy worrier I am, I was afraid that if we did not get there at the crack of dawn, I would not get a parking space in the small lot at the finish line where we met the bus.  Kelly and I were one of the first cars there.  That gave me plenty of time to stretch and pack up my SPIbelt.  Then it was off to the bus!

I am not a fan of busses, but the ride was not that bad.  Once we got to the starting point there was a long walk up a hill to the porta pottys.  I am not a fan of porta pottys either, but when you got to go, you got to go.  We headed back down the hill to the starting line.  Once they yelled “Ready, Set, Go”, it was back up the big hill again.  The race began in the small town of Seven Valleys.  Many of the town residents were out cheering for the runners at the beginning of the race.  After weaving through the small town for about half a mile, we hit the rail trail. 

The terrain of the rail trail is loose gravel.  I had never run on gravel before.  It was a totally different feeling than the treadmill or the blacktop track around my neighborhood.  While running, as I pushed off with my back foot, it would slip a bit.  It felt like it took a bit more power to push off than running on blacktop or the treadmill.   

The weather this morning was not to hot at about 78 degrees, but the 86% humidity was awful!  It took me a while to get used to breathing in the heavy air.  I don’t think I have ever run in that much humidity before.  I got used to the air after a while, but I feel like it slowed me down a bit.  The humidity had me soaked from head to toe!  By mile three, I was soaked!  My tank was as wet as if I had just jumped in a pool.  My hair was as wet as it is about an hour after a shower. 

The trail was really pretty to run on.  A creek ran right next to the train.  We passed by several farms and lots of country scenery.  Around mile 5, the trail passes through a really long train tunnel.  The tunnel was especially hard to run through because the pavement was very uneven.  The tunnel was dark and shadowy.  Around mile 9, we ran past my alma mater, York College. 

Around mile six, I could feel my stomach growling!  I was not sure what to eat for breakfast before the run.  I wanted to eat something to fuel the run, but not to much that it would upset my stomach.  I decided on a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I figured it was a good mix of carbs, protein and fat to fuel my run.  I decided against my usually morning coffee because I did not want to much in my stomach.  It seems like the PB&J was not enough.  I did take a gel right before the start and a few Clif Bloks on the bus ride, but they don’t really fill up the stomach.  I do wish I would have had my coffee too.  The caffeine would have helped.  I thought that the caffeine in my gel would have been enough, but my body is used to more caffeine!  Live and learn…

Around mile seven, my blisters busted back onto scene!  I had really babied my feet this past week, using blister healing products, being careful with the shoes I wore, and not over training.  On my to-do list this week is to take a trip to Charm City Run and see what ideas they can give me. 

Overall the race was a huge success for me.  I finished!  That was my goal going into the race—to finish!  My time was 2:24:02, or about 14:24 per mile.  This time was for sure not my best, but I am happy with it.  I feel like the humidity and a different terrain added to my time, plus I had never run this far before.  At the finish line, there was a group of people cheering me on, including my husband and children.  It was nice to have them there, watching my accomplishment.  My friend Kelly finished one second after me.  It was so great to finish together since we planned and trained for this moment together for months.  Kelly’s family was there too, cheering us on.  My kids’ pediatrician was also there as a fellow runner, as well as two of Andrea’s former NICU nurses.  One complaint I have for the race organizers is the lack of water stations.  There was supposed to be four of them, which seems like a small number for a ten mile race, but water station number three was already packed up when I got there.  Now, I realize I was at the back of the pack, but I was not last and my time was not that terrible!  Besides the low number of water stations, the race was a great experience.  It is one I plan to make an annual run for me.  The best part, after finishing ten, I now know I can do 13.1 and finish the Disney Princess Half! 

A dream is a wish...

--Amy

***Don't forget--one more day to enter my Shakeology giveaway!!!

Meet ups?

Ok ladies…we are about a month and a week from the Disney Princess Half Marathon!  As any Disney regular knows, it time to finalize your ADR’s (advanced dining reservations.)  If you are not a Disney regular, I will fill you in on something very important—if you plan to eat at the sit down restaurants or character meals of your choice, at the times you would like, you must make reservations 180 days in advance.  I have mine all planned out.  Do you? (If you need any help with this, please facebook me!  I am a fountain of Disney knowledge!)

Since it’s almost reservation time, I wanted to ask you all—would you be interested in getting together for dinner while we are in Disney?  We could do it the evening before the race or race day after the race.  I am up for anything!  What do you think?  Any ideas of a place to meet up?  My favorite place and the place I plan to hit for dinner the night before the race is ‘Ohana.  Cost does not really matter to me, as we will be on the dining plan. Is price a concern for anyone? We could also meet for lunch the day before.  I was thinking about Wolfgang Puck’s Express in Downtown Disney.  That way, we don’t need a reservation, and it’s one of the cheaper places to eat. 

I can’t wait to meet everyone in person!  I have learned so much from you already, I can’t wait to see where the next six months brings us all.  E-mail me or comment below with your idea! 

A drea is a wish...

--Amy

P.S.  How do you like my new banner?

Have you entered my Shakeology giveaway yet??? Only a few more days!

The Blogorama is coming up in just 3 weeks!  I hope you all win some great prizes!