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I. Am. Tired.

Miles today: 2.4

Miles this week: 13.7

Miles in 2010: 132.5

Today's run was just a quick one...I'm tired. My. Ankles. Are. Exhausted. That means that I ran 2 miles...up and back down Rivermont.

Part of the problem is that it's much harder work to run in the snow/slush than it is to run on the regular road/sidewalk.

I am not complaining because I actually love snow running, etc...but I just feel like it's harder on my body--a more difficult workout...

I guess I should be thankful because even though I haven't worn pants this week, just shorts and capris, I haven't fallen on my bad gruesome knee, so that's a good thing. Jeff told me to keep it moist under a band-aid, and so did my sis, so I suppose for it to heal properly, I should listen...

But here we are at Friday, and here's the snowcast:

wish me luck on tomorrow and Saturday and probably Sunday's runs!

the Wave Cabrakan

Miles today: 3.2

Miles this week: 11.3

Miles in 2010: 130.1

Ran the same route out to Oakwood Country Club and back tonight. My ankles, calves, and shins are tired from all this stabilizing for snow running. I could feel them burning about 3 minutes into the run. I think tomorrow might just be a one mile day...we'll see.

I had the pleasure of receiving a pair of these trail shoes on Tuesday afternoon, right before I headed out for an evening run. Typically, I'm not a huge trail runner, but one of my goals for Project 365 is to run trails more often this year. I know its great for strength, endurance, and hills. So...with that in mind, I ordered a pair of the Cabrakan.

I wasn't expecting to use them before trail-running because I have plenty of road shoes, but Tuesday night's weather unexpectedly dropped an inch or so of snow on us in the matter of an hour and it was right when I needed to run. So I laced them up and went out for a run...and ran in them again tonight.

here's a review:

Mizuno: Women's Wave Cabrakan

Rating: 5 stars 

Mizuno makes their shoes a bit differently then all of the other shoe companies. For instance, where most shoe companies handle "stability" shoes with a dual-density EVA foam, with most of the shoe in one soft density, and then a wedge-shaped part of the shoe under the medial side of the arch in a denser foam, Mizuno does not. In dual-density shoes, the dense material acts as a post to slow down a pronating foot.

However, Mizuno's shoes use a different technology, called a wave plate. The wave plate in combination with an EVA midsole, covers the heel and midfoot in all of the shoes, and in some of their maximum protection shoes, the wave extends the whole length of the shoe.

In the Cabrakan, there is a double fan wave, meaning the wave on the medial side of the arch has two pieces, one that kind of fans out toward the top of the EVA, which acts kind of like the post in a dual-density shoe, but does it in a way that uses any overpronation motion to propel the foot forward. It's kind of like the Conservation of Energy from physics...or something like that. The shoe would therefore be considered a stability trail shoe.

Some other great benefits of the Cabrakan are water resistance in the upper and wet traction in the outsole.

The water resistance is definitely awesome. When I ran through snow, slush puddles, and water, my feet stayed perfectly dry. My socks were only wet at the ankles where my shoe didn't cover.

The wet traction is also an awesome feature of these shoes. Basically, wet traction just means the outsole has a "bi-directional rubber compound that breaks through water, improving grip in all conditions." When I ran on snow, ice, and slush, my feet stayed very stable.

The color scheme of the shoes is navy and yellow. Laces are dark navy...overall look of the shoe is pretty cool.

Easy to run in, comfortable, firm cushioning, and fitted upper that holds my feet nicely. Toe bumper isn't huge, but seems more protective than a regular road shoe.

Very functional, great for running in the current crazy Lynchburg snow weather, but I can only imagine how good it will be on trail as well. Can't wait to go out and use it again.

Captain (Snow) Crunch

Miles today: 4.9

Miles this week: 8.1

Miles in 2010: 126.9

I kind of think of Jeff, my boss, as the Captain of the ship at Riverside Runners. He's been at the helm since the store started nine years ago and he is so good at his job. He knows so much about running a business, selling shoes, and taking care of customers. He's really good with words and always explains himself really well. He spends lots of time meeting and talking with people who want to make a difference by putting on races in their communities. He works with lots of different venues in Lynchburg to help promote wellness and fitness in the community. He sponsors and puts on a bunch of different running events for many great causes. He's dedicated and confident. I really enjoy working for him...and even more than that, I love, love, LOVE that he supports my running project. It makes me feel like I actually have credibility. When he put the link to Project 365 on the Riverside Runners website, I was pumped.

Tonight, when I was getting ready to leave work to go for my run, Jeff got back to the store and was dressed in his running gear. That meant one thing: he was running with me!

We headed out into the blustery weather, which had picked up since earlier in the afternoon...and big huge wet snowflakes were falling down. The porch, stairs, and sidewalks were all covered and the roads were beginning to cover too...

I haven't run with Jeff since Monday, January 4...when I wrote about the Buddy System and my Cold Weather Gear Debut. Since then, we've been pretty busy at the store and then bombed with snow...so I've been getting my miles in and I haven't had a chance to run with him.

It was really fun to run with him tonight. There are several reasons:

A. Jeff is fun to talk to while running because he always has something interesting to say. (For instance, we talked about barefoot running, my recent falling history, reflective vests, etc...)

B. Jeff knows a lot about running and it makes it interesting.

C. Jeff hasn't been running a lot, so he's not going all out crazy and it feels pretty comfortable to run with him.

D. Jeff always makes me wear a reflective vest when I run with him...even though I oppose it. But then I'm always safe.

Those are just some of the reasons. Anyway, we ran down Rivermont to Oakwood Country Club, through the parking lot, and then decided to head down Peakland, too. I was suprised we would do the whole 5 miles, partially because of the weather and partially because I thought he'd want to go easy, but he pushed through and we made it all the way to the end of Peakland and then turned around and came back.

We talked a little about how some people aren't very good at shovelling their sidewalks, ran some on the road, and just kind of enjoyed the run.

It was fun to be out when the weather was kind of bad because it always feels good to hear fresh snow crunching beneath your sneakers and the feeling of snow flakes in your throat as you inhale them. Jeff's a great running partner. I'm glad I work for him.

The pictures are of us on the porch at Riverside Runners after our run. 

PS: I read somewhere that: "It is not legal for pedestrians to walk or jog in the street if a sidewalk is available." Interesting.

peroxide and shorts

Miles today: 3.2
Miles this week: 3.2
Miles in 2010: 122

I've been trying to keep my knee clean since I busted it last week when I fell...and it was always my belief that peroxide was good to pour on an open wound to keep it from getting infected. So for the past 5 days, I've been pouring peroxide on my knee, letting it bubble and fizz and burn, and then putting Neosporin and a Band-aid on it to keep it covered.

I was informed last night by my sister that peroxide is not the best thing for a wound because although it gets rid of bad stuff, it also eats away at good cells and actually slows down the healing process. So, I've been re-trained and know now that I just need to keep my wound clean with soap and water and then keep it moist and covered...via Neosporin.

So, I'm working on taking care of my knee a little better now.

Tonight's run was one that I was dreading, especially because we still had customers in the store after 7:00pm and I hadn't run yet. Much to my surprise, though, Gregg showed up just after 7 with his running gear on and treated me to a nice little buddy run.

We ran from the store to the end of Rivermont where it meets Link Road and back. Since there was a lot of snow Saturday, and this was my first time on Rivermont sidewalks since then, we had to do a little weaving, hopping, and sliding to get around the sidewalks that were maintained and those that weren't.

I've been wearing shorts to run in yesterday and today, and I must say that the cold air gives me a brisk, awakened feeling that I prefer to tights and pants.

Good run, knee is progressing, though I'm glad wedding dresses are long, because if I were wearing a short one, people would wonder how my knees got so cruddy...