Pearl Izumi Streak II - I am in love!

I was asked to review a pair of Pearl Izumi Streak II running shoes and was happy to oblige. However, deep down I was a bit skeptical that I could find a shoe I'd like more than my Nike Frees and Brooks Launch. Little did I know...

This shoe is marketed for training and racing. I have never owned racing shoes before; I always thought they would not feel comfortable, and that was the case with a couple of pairs I tried in the past. However, this was not the case with the Streak shoes. The shoes are comfortable, and fit like a glove. They are light (6.8 ounces for 8.5 women's) and mold to the foot. The moment I put them on I did not want to take them off. So I ran a half marathon in them without having ever taken them on a test run. Oops! But, they felt amazing. I have a midfoot strike, but in this shoe I was on my toes much more. Running on your toes means running faster, and faster I ran:). When I got back to my "other" running shoes, my midfoot strike returned...

The shoes are very flexible, there is almost no heel drop, and these two factors make you feel like you are running barefoot but landing on soft yet springy foam. The shoes are very soft, the heel cup is tight, and the forefoot is roomy but can be tightened with the laces to fit ones foot width. The upper is seamless which I love because it allows running sockless without fear of blisters or hot spots. I have not tried this yet, though:)

I absolutely love these shoes. I hate reviews that are super positive, but really I am having a hard time finding anything I don't like about this shoe. Oh, yes, the price...They are a bit expensive @ $110, but found them on google shopping with $85, which is the same as the Nike Frees and cheaper than Launch. If you are interested in a neutral, cushioned, light racing/training shoe, this one is a gem. If you don't believe me, go to your local running store and get a pair out of a stroll. You will most likely fall in love, like I did!


All the technical details from the manufacturer could be found here.

Thank you, Pearl Izumi, for giving me these shoes to review!

Welcome to tri training!

I confess.
I am sad.
I already miss not running a race almost every weekend.
But my running legs need a rest. They worked hard. They delivered. They gave me 2 of my best races ever.

Here is me concentrating on passing this woman who kept speeding up every time I would try to pass here. This was only mile 4 or so, what was she thinking? (I cut her out of the pic).


On Sunday afternoon we went swimming. I got in the water to swim a few laps while Chris got Petru ready. Ten minutes go buy, and then 10 more....I get a bit worried but I keep swimming. After a little over a mile, I see Chris and Petru through the pool's glass wall...Petru found some kids and decided that he did not want to swim. I tell you, if it were up to Chris, Petru would be doing everything he want all day long. Ha!

On Monday my legs were trashed. This was a bit of a surprise, but running the last mile of a half at your 5K pace will do that to you. So I biked...for 3 hours, mostly easy with about 30 min on the big chain. I first took my tri bike out for the first time. Go ahead and laugh... I was so nervous that I first rode it up and down the street 10+ times. Then I rode to the bike path and rode for 5 miles before my hands froze (it snowed on Monday!) and I moved to the trainer. I tried to get into aero but was too nervous. That's OK, baby steps. I'll get on it during the weekend. I need to make falling a goal!

On Tuesday I took my legs out for a slooow 10 miler. This run was harder than my half on Sunday (OK, not really, but close). My legs were heavy up to about mile 8, when they loosened up and started working properly.

Today I did my longest swim since my half iron, a 2 miler! It felt awesome. I did 400 warm up, 4X400 with 3 belly breaths in between, 400 4X (50 free, 50 breast), and 800 with paddles. At some point we had to give up a lane for the swim team and I was asked to lead a lane of 3 since I was "the fastest". Really? OK then (disclaimer, I am still slow...fast is relative).

More biking and swimming, and a bit of running for the week. I am still debating whether I should do the Fresh Pond race on Saturday. I don't care about my time, I just miss the folks over there. How weird is that I am feeling a bit uneasy that I have worked my body so hard and I am not injured, while some of my favorite blogger who train less than I do are currently injured. I know this is silly and am restructuring the heck out of such thoughts. The thing is, I had my share of injuries in the past (though none since 2008) and I know how tough it is to not be able to do what you love...

On other news, we are supposed to get 3-4 inches of snow tomorrow! The only happy thing about that is that I'll have to delay practicing riding my bike in aero...Any tips on making the transition to aero easier?

Quincy Half Marathon RR OR how Ana-Maria went sub 1:30

Stats:
1:28:46; 6:46/mile; 4th woman overall/ maybe 400?; 3rd AG 1-39 (seriously, is this an AG?)
BTW, for everyone needing inspiration, the winner was 40+ and went 1:25!

Here is how it went down;

Mile 1: 6:53
Mile 2: 6:54
Mile 3: 6:50
Mile 4: 6:59 - last .25 start of a .78 mile hill
Mile 5: 7:00 - ending that hill
Mile 6: 6:43
Mile 7: 6:48
Mile 8: 6:50
Mile 9: 6:46
Mile 10: 6:50 - 1 .25 hill
Mile 11: 6:53 - 1 .25 hill
Mile 12: 6:44
Mile 13: 6:20 - last .5 downhill
Last bit: 4:56 - downhill

My secret goal for this race was to average a 6:52, which is what McMillan told me I could do after last weekend's 5K. I also wanted to start a bit faster than normal, and get on pace right away. The race was not chip timed so I placed myself in the second line, after warming up for 1 mile. Immediately I saw Mary about 100 feet in front of me, and decided that I would try to keep her in sight. The first 2 miles were rolling and windy; my legs felt off. I told myself to keep going and that my legs need to warm up. I ran the race in a pair of Pearl Izumi Streak II shoes which I received on Friday from Outside PR, and loved so much that I decided to wear without testing them on a run before. They are awesome (review soon).

Back to the race. Miles 2-4 were flat. I started feeling better, and just maintained the pace while getting closer to Mary. A tough hill about .75 mile long started at 4.5 mile and I felt great on it and started going on my own, passing a few people. I always though hills are not my strength as I have a butt and it feels like is dragging me down. But recently I have been feeling awesome on hills. There was a nice downhill thereafter and I pushed the pace hard. I love the downhills and I can run them very well. By mile 6 I started to feel great. Miles 6-8 were flat and I knew that, so kept plugging along without worry that my lap/mile pace was faster than I wanted it to be. I ran with a couple of women for a while, one had passed me before the hill, and the other one faded by mile 8. I took a gel before mile 8 (took one before the race as well), as I knew there will be a series of short but steep hills up to mile 12.5. In my head, I decided the races ended at mile 12.5. From mile 9 on, I had periods of time when my legs felt tired, and then periods of time when I felt great. At mile 10 someone told me I was the 3rd woman. I could see one woman in front of me, about .25 ahead, and decided to see if I can catch here while not going way too fast. I knew by this point that I could break 1:30, as the course was accurate, if not a bit short (it is certified though, and I did run all the tangents). I caught the woman at mile 12, and I sped up. Last year I ran the last mile @ 6:40 (it has a good downhill from 12.5 to 13) and this year I wanted to go faster than that. Plus, once I passed that woman, I wanted to go super fast as to not have her fight back. So I pushed hard and ended up with a 6:20 mile. Happy. As I approached the finish I saw the clock and could not believe my eyes. Happy, happy, happy!

And now the challenge is going to be to get really excited for triathlon training. Chris is a bit skeptical that I am going to stick with triathloning so I have to prove him wrong:)

At the end of the race I got a chance to talk to Mary and Kristina who both PRed (and who have great blogs, by the way!)

And now, I rest my running legs for a bit!

Moving on...ramblings

# Thank you for the lovely comments on my race report! I have been on cloud 9 since the race. It was only a 5K, but it feels so good to accomplish a long term goal! But life goes on and I need to change focus to my last big running race on Sunday. I raced almost every single weekend this year, putting in 45-65 miles/week, and my running legs are in serious need of rest. I am actually feeling fine, but sometimes I think I am like a ticking bomb and if I don't rest soon, I won't be able to train well for my June HIM. One more race, legs!

# No soreness post race. E 21 + 5 mile easy running back home + 1 mile swim post race = happy legs!

# Today I did my last key run before Sunday, 6 miles w/ 3X 1 mile @ 10K pace. I ran in shorts! Although I do like winter running and race best in cold temps, I am truly excited to show off my pale legs and arms. The run went well, though it was a good reminder that I really need at least 3 miles warm-up in order to run well. Hence, my first mile repeat was rough and the last one ended up as a 5K pace mile. Now, the tough part, I rest.

# I am not nervous about the race on Sunday. It's like I am already giving myself permission to have a bad race. Don't get me wrong, I plan to race hard, but if my legs don't show up, I won't be upset (I think!).

# A lot of people asked me how I gained so much speed in so little time. My first half marathon was a few years back, and I ran a 2:06. I personally think consistency and hard work are the most important factors associated with improvement in running. Consistency implies not getting injured, or catching injuries early on so that you don't have to take too much time off, and hard work meaning having a few miles every week where you feel like death, however that may be for you (for me it is getting close to or actually vomiting). I don't think racing success is in the training plan, although having one that fits your style and schedule is important. OK, I don't mean to sound like an expert, because honestly I am not, just my opinion here!

# On Monday I will switch to tri training only. I have this vision of having mega weekends where on Saturdays I do an hour or so on the bike before running to the Fresh Pond race and doing the 5 mile race as a brick. Then I'll swim in the afternoon with the family. On Sunday I plan for a mega bike ride, 3hours or so, followed by a short 3-5 mile run, and a swim with the family in the afternoon. Not sure if this is smart, but I know my body will let me know and I'll make changes if I get pooped. I am getting excited about tri training, which makes me happy!.

# Wish me luck surviving this taper week. I did not use to believe in taper, but now I do and will stick to low running mileage, almost no biking, and, gasp, a full day off on Saturday! I think someone out there should market an exercise anti-withdrawal pill! In the meantime, I am hitting Lululemon in Harvard Square after work tomorrow!

Ras Na Heireann 5K race OR how Ana-Maria finally broke 20!

Garmin stats: 3.12, 19:26, 6:15 pace.
Official results: 19:26, 6:16 pace.
1st 30-39 AG.
8th/2599 women
82/5029 with men

I was thinking about doing another 5K for a while now, but the thought of puking AND failing to meet my goal kept me back. Lets face it, I have been chasing the sub 20 for almost a year now, and have been running courses that are too long, or too hilly, or accurate but I would vomit and have to slow down. So when Jenn emailed me to wish me luck, I really had no idea if I am going to do it.

This week I went about my training as usual. I ran 55 miles, after 2 weeks of 60 miles. Sometimes yesterday I decided that I would do the race, and ran only 5 miles easy as prep. This morning I woke up with shaking hand. Literally. I did not feel nervous but obviously I was.

Chris and Petru drove me to Somerville for the race and left for Petru's drumming class. I warmed up for 3 miles (not on the course since I got lost...) at a slug's pace (as Katie suggested!) of 9:45. I never run this slow these days!

I lined up toward the front. This was a 6000 people race, with many elite runners (the course record for women is 15:59!), so I did not feel like going right in front. Plus, the race was chip timed. That was a mistake as there were tons of slow people in front of me, that I had to go around...or maybe this helped my race.

Mile 1: 6:28
I got a bit worried as I got to .5 and my pace was 6:47. Really? WTF? We took a turn and found some clear path and pushed the pace a bit to get to the 6:28 average. Much better. I did not feel great in this mile, my legs were a bit heavy. The entire mile was a false flat going up which I did not think off when I ran the race, even though I had seen this on the course map.

Mile 2: 6:14.
This was all rolling, and I pushed hard on the downhills. Here I started to think about when the puking feeling will start. It did not. I was passing people left and right. It felt great. I felt great. This was the best mile for me.

Mile 3: 6:13; .1 @ 5:20
I kept waiting for the puking feeling, but it did not come. The hurt did, but I was prepared. I had this song on twice and played it in my head, modified version.

" You know I know how
To stop em stop and stare as I go by
The club RACE can't even handle me right now
Watching you watching me
I go ALL OUT
The club RACE can't even handle me right now"

I felt amazing, passing people, feeling the flow. We ran the last .5 mile on a bike path and it was nice to see the finish so early on. There was a young girl in front of me and I tried to pass her, but she put up a fight. I let her go, but passed her in the last 100meter. Not v nice of me, but I do have a nice problem in races that I need to get over, so this was good practice!

So no puking. I had some nausea, but nothing that bad, really! I think all the racing I did at Fresh Pond got my system ready for harder efforts. Funny how, in retrospect, my best races have not felt like the hardest efforts.

Since the race was so large and had so many elite runners, I knew I probably did not place (WRONG!), and ran 5.5 miles home ending the day at 11.5 miles. I stopped at a bakery and picked up a diet coke and a muffin only to get home and see that Chris got me the same. He knows me well.

It is amazing how a little 5K can make me feel so good. It's the things that you work hard for that matters most!

And now, off to chase a sub 19, because I have no doubt I CAN DO IT!

Random thoughts

* My eyes are closing and it is only 7:30pm. Tuesday is my toughest day, but pretty soon I am going to head into bed with "Unbroken".

* I came home from work today and the house smelled like fresh bread. Except the bread had 25 more minutes to get done, and I had to go for a run. I opened the bread machine and ripped a chunk of crust. It was delicious!

* At some point I would love to run a marathon in another country. Anyone interested?

* I almost wore shorts on my run today. The weather was beautiful, though it looked warmer than it was. Runners are coming out of hibernation in Boston! It's a great time to run!

* I may be running a 5K this weekend. I have not decided yet. I worry that my legs will fall off. Two more week, two more weeks!

* My son asked me which state would allow him to marry more than one person. Apparently he wants to marry 2 boys and 5 girls! He is pretty serious about it, teachers say...He also wants to marry me, by the way, but once we are married I will not be allowed to tell him what to do!

* My husband and I started a competition where we set out about 10 goals each for the week (household stuff that we have been procrastinating on) and the winner (person who accomplish the most) gets a prize (not to be mentioned here!). Guess whose idea this was? Unfortunately, I think I have been using most of my competitiveness for running...

* I think I finally beat that awful virus! Hurray!

* We saw The Black Swan over the weekend. I loved it! It reminded me of how much I love ballet! It also reminded me why I did not want to get into ballet when I had the opportunity!

* I read a blogpost the other day about goals and resolutions. It made me realize how content I am with my life now, and how I really don't have any major goals or things I want to accomplish. My first 35 years have been filled with goals, now I am mostly content with being content! I like that!

A taste of things to come

My typical Monday includes running, biking and work.

I typically run early in the morning, and bike in the afternoon.

Except that today it rained hard, and at 5 am I decided to bike first, in hopes that the rain would go away. I biked for 1:45 min, with some big chain intervals and some sets of high RPM. By the time I was done, the rain was gone. Then I realized I still had some time and I could actually do my run, too. Except that I had 5X2000m @ HM/10k pace and I did not know how my legs would react. But I gave it a try. And all was well. I did the intervals @ 10K pace, and managed to do the last .25 of each interval @ 5K pace or better. Pretty happy with that! Maybe I am going to run off the bike better than last year?

Recovery tights on and off to work. Legs screamed at me for a bit, but now they feel pretty good.
Except that I am really tired!

We have been skimping on sleep over here, and we decided to go to bed @ 10 pm every night this week, except Wednesday and Sunday when Chris goes out to watch sports with friends and wakes me up when he returns bc he can't wait until morning to tell me the interesting happenings of basketball. Will see how that goes!

In other news I am working on getting excited about switching gears to tri training. I am surprisingly not nervous about my half in 2 weeks. If I do get nervous, I'll just read Jenn's email again:)