The Good News Fairy

 It's Friday, or as my Mother-in-Law says, "Blursday". She has a point, though. Do days really matter anymore? If it weren't for my training calendar, I'd just operate by sunrise to sunset. Before we get into the good news, let's get geeky for a moment. 

Last night, we got to watch the ISS (International Space Station) fly by! There are two things I'm pretty obsessed about: weather and space. It went by so quick and was like the brightest moving star I've ever seen. Would have been cool if Bob and Doug (Dragon Crew) were still on there but alas, I still waved like a weirdo. 

I cycled my life away last week but thankfully, I enjoy riding the bike. I ended up riding the most miles I ever have in a week (110) and my longest ride (30.some odd miles) for what would have been my long run. Some people ask me how I keep my mind occupied while on the bike for that long. Sometimes I watch Amazon Prime Video, which currently I'm on The Mysterious Mrs. Maisel, or I listen to podcasts and music. Otherwise, I'll do a ride with the iFit crew. I completed a series in Boulder with Ryan Petry, a professional mountain biker, and it was a blast. Originally, we were told our bike didn't have bluetooth but I was able to play around and hack it to access the settings menu. It's an Android system on the backend. Now, I have my Trekz Titanium's connected! Normally I wouldn't care but if I ride while my husband is still working, I like to be as quiet as I can so I don't disturb him. He says he doesn't care but it's the least I could do, at least when I don't wake up early to ride before we both start work!

So, as I mentioned in the last entry, I was having knee problems that sidelined my running. I've still been keeping up on my rehab. I just found out my PT practice has an app that they put your plans into to follow. It's super helpful! I just press play and run through the routine. I had my MRI on Tuesday. I wasn't really nervous at all. This was my second MRI I've had (first one was on my hip). I arrived early and checked in, shelled out the x-amount of money, and waited. The staff was super nice! I really appreciate that both as a patient and as someone who has worked in the medical field. They had two separate what seem like mini-waiting rooms, one for women and one for men. I joked with another lady that was in there waiting to get her Mammogram done that it was like we were at the spa but there wasn't champagne. 

The test was quick, maybe about 30 minutes. I listened to Led Zeppelin while the sounds went on around me. I actually find it quite relaxing just laying there. I fell asleep during my first MRI but that one was also at 6:30am. I had the study burned on a disc to take with me just in case I'd have to send it over to my sports physician back in Michigan. He's really the only person I trust. He has diagnosed both of my previous injuries. I didn't expect to get the results so quick but my doctor called a few hours after I arrived home to tell me that there wasn't any sign of damage. Everything looked intact aside from some swelling in my meniscus. While I was relieved I also said to myself, "that was the most expensive test to tell me I'm fine". Really though, as much as we hate to pay money for specific things, I'd rather know I'm good than to carry on into the unknown. While I really wanted to just lace up my shoes and run this week, my coach has me finishing out the rest of my cycling week and we'll start up again Monday. She's the smart one!

The other piece of great news I received really got me jumping for joy. I actually forgot that I had signed up for a Strava challenge at the beginning of July with Sole Sports, a local running store company that was partnered with Hoka One One, the shoes I use. At the end, they were going to randomly pick four winners. Long and behold, I was one of the four after receiving an email. That made my year and saved my wallet. 

I actually wanted to buy the Edge when I was due for shoes recently but the Clifton 6 had went on discount so I couldn't pass up the price tag that was under $100. Living in a pandemic means ballin' on a budget, am I right? The Edge is so light, I was pretty mind blown. They may look a little silly but don't all Hokas? I'll take some funky looking shoes in favor of some serious comfort. Can't wait to test these out next week! Maybe I should go play the lottery if this winning streak will hold strong...

Achievement Unlocked

I didn't know whether or not to start this entry with my great news or to share the pizza I had. I'm going to go with the latter.

I take my snacks very seriously, you guys. Yes, this was a snack. Pizza is a very important food group in my life. If you've been living under a rock, Whole Foods has one hell of a salad bar, hot/cold bar, AND a pizza bar. This here is their vegan BBQ chicken 'za and it was fantabulous. And no, you don't have to be rich to shop there. That's a big misconception. It's quite affordable if you know to buy the right things. The end!




Just kidding.




Let's talk about why we're really here. I could go into this huge lengthy paragraph about therapy and what not but I'm a little busy today so let's make this easy: I GOT CLEARED TO RUN!

You and me both, Brad. My therapist said I could start with some walk/jog progressions. Nothing heavy or fast, just some light work. I'm totally okay with this because, well, I get to run! He also told me it's time for new shoes, which I was aware of, but appreciate him keeping an eye out for that. I was well overdue for a completely new analysis anyway. It's been a few years and I've just been buying the same shoes each cycle. I've been a huge fan of the Saucony Guide. I was told many years ago that I over-pronate and needed a good, stability shoe. It helped a ton. That was then, though.




Clearly there are no Hansons Running Shops in Arizona but damn, that would be awesome. I do truly miss them. Alas, I went to Road Runner Sports in Scottsdale, hopped on the treadmill for a gait analysis and was on some machine thing to measure whatever else it does. Side note, getting properly fitted for shoes is SO FREAKIN' IMPORTANT. Stop going to Dick's Sporting Goods and buying whatever shoe says "running" on the sign next to it. If you do this sport on the regular, do yourself (and your body) a favor and treat it the way it should be. The lovely people at our local running stores are there for a reason. Let them help you. If you PR, maybe send them a card or something.




Okay, phew. Back to the analysis. I learned so much. I don't pronate as much as I used to, my arches are flatter, and my true foot size (not shoe size) is a 7. I also would benefit more from a wide shoe. I literally said out loud to the poor guy, "NO WAY THIS IS RIGHT". You guys, change doesn't scare me in anything that doesn't involve running. When it's my running, I'm pretty set in my ways. I wear this shoe, these shorts, body glide these parts, same song, and dance every day. I think I scared him a bit but I reassured him that I trusted him and that I'm willing to try anything new. A clean slate, once again. I tried on the new Saucony Guides. Remember when I said I loved that shoe? I do not like the new model. It felt heavier and not as comfortable. I tried the Ride ISO and really liked it. The wideness was just right. The Brooks Ghost was too narrow and quite frankly, not for me. And then there was Hoka. I have never even put a pair of Hokas on my feet before but I always knew they were a great company. My husband is a huge fan and they are the only tennis shoes that have successfully fit his extremely picky feet. I put on the Clifton 6 and didn't want to take them off. I also tried the Bondi but the Clifton definitely was a gamechanger. I walked around. Walked some more. I ran on the treadmill. I was probably on the step right before you reach heaven. I walked around with one foot in the Ride ISO and one in the Clifton. Probably looked silly but whatever it takes. I made my choice and walked out joining team Hoka.

Does color really matter? No. But this shoe comes in black with teal soles that look incredibly badass but alas, it didn't come in a wide. Though I was very excited to have new shoes as would any runner feel, I still felt a bit skeptic. Would they actually work? What the hell am I doing without Saucony shoes? I don't know how I feel about this. What if they don't work? Literally, I don't think I've ever been so unsure of something I'm so sure about. But the only way to find out is to test them.




After talking with my coach because at this point I'm friggin' lost as to how and where to begin aside from just going, she gave me advice, I programmed a workout and went.

Aside from my heart rate going into shock because I haven't done any type of cardiac activity in almost two months, it felt good. It felt good to press start, it felt good to breathe the air, it felt good to see all of the people I would always see at the park walking. I went with comfort and enjoyment. For a split second, I thought my knee was going to act up but I also believe it was my mind expecting it to. It felt fine! But the shoes, how did they feel? I didn't feel them at all and I mean that in a good way. They are so light, it's almost mindblowing. Now, I'm not going to sit here and say they will carry me across the finish of my next race because I still have time to adjust but, for now, they'll most certainly work.




Back to recipe sharing, yay! Fall is slowly coming here to Arizona. When I say slowly, I mean it's still in the mid-80s to low 90s, but it's not 100+! This time of year, I certainly get a big craving for comfort food. I mean, I do all the time but like especially right now. My favorite chili recipe was simmering on the stovetop yesterday. Fartlek chili isn't just for runners! It's so hearty and delicious. I used Beyond Meat's ground "beef" myself, which worked great, but regular or turkey works too if you're a meat-eater! I also used one green pepper and one red instead of 2 green. I simmered mine for an hour and paired it with some Bob's Red Mill gluten-free cornbread! It also makes enough leftovers for a few nights. You can find the recipe here!

I swear, one day, I'll be better at this whole food picture stuff. We'll continue the week of slowly base building, progressing, more therapy, and everything in-between. See you next time and thanks for coming!