running shoes for wide feet and a rustic country wedding

I returned to running about 3 weeks ago and am still trying to figure out the best running shoe situation for my feet post-injury. #thestruggleisreal

8 successful runs! On target to reach my 5k distance at the end of the month

8 successful runs! On target to reach my 5k distance at the end of the month

Before injuring my toe I was running in the Asics Cumulus 18s.

Cumulus 18s

Cumulus 18s (photo from March 2017 the day before I started limping)

I wore a size 8 regular width and they felt great. I’ve also run in the Brooks Ghost (size 8) back when they were only up to the 6s (now they’re up to the 10s).

Brooks Ghost 6s saw me to my marathon PR

I have a wider forefoot but when I was analyzed and fitted by both Jackrabbit and Road Runner Sports both said I could wear a regular width. But now after this dang toe injury I find that I’m happiest with more room for my toes to splay. I also find that the two widest bones don’t like to feel squeezed in the slightest (where the base of the pinky toe connects on the outside of the foot and where the base of the big toe connects in the inside of the foot). Back in April I discovered the brand Altra—with their “foot shaped toe box”  and “zero drop” and purchased the Escalante. They have been amazingly comfortable walking and I have also run a few of my short recent runs in them.

Wore the Escalante yesterday as I took a stroll through the neighborhood

Wore the Escalante yesterday as I took a stroll through the neighborhood

ran 22 minutes last week in the Escalante

ran 22 minutes last week in the Escalante

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Tuesday 3 miles

So after feeling a slight improvement running 3 miles on Tuesday I ran 7 miles today and FINALLY felt like the runner I’m used to.

7 miles

7 miles

I’ll never be fast but today I felt pep in my step. My leg turnover felt normal (NO MORE SHUFFLING!), my gait felt normal and my breathing felt normal and no side stitches. I averaged 11:15 miles and was pretty consistent for all 7 miles.

What do I think is the reason for finally having a better run?

1. I slept 2 extra hours on Monday and 1 extra hour on both Tuesday and Wednesday
2. I stayed away from artificial sweeteners and processed foods for the last few days.
3. I got new sneakers! (Brooks Ghost 8s)
4. The temps have been a little cooler
5. I took ibuprofen and walked for a mile with Duncan this morning before running

new kicks!

new kicks!

OK let’s discus #5 shall we? I have been suffering with some general back pain since the end of April. When the pain first arrived I thought I slept wrong and hoped it would go away in a few days. Well it didn’t. It comes and goes in waves and the actual pain center migrates. Sometimes it’s the sciatic nerve, other times the small of my back, sometimes it radiates to the front of my hips to the point I think i’m having issues with my ovaries!

I was trying to relieve my back pain last night. He was obviously quite comfortable

I was trying to relieve my back pain last night. He was obviously quite comfortable

Anyway, this morning while I was still in bed and waiting for the alarm to go off, the pain was this constant dull ache and I just couldn’t get comfortable. I finally got up and took 2 ibuprofen. Then I grabbed the dog and we headed to the park for a walk.

6:45am walk with the doodle and my very much needed coffee

6:45am walk with the doodle and my very much needed coffee

Both the ibuprofen and the walk did wonders and the back started feeling great. And as a side-effect, my achy sore legs felt great too. I think this was one of the reasons I felt so much better running today.

celebrating my good run with some relaxing in the grass

celebrating my good run with some relaxing in the grass

I didn’t carry a water bottle but was happy to hit up this water fountain about 1/2 way through.

hydration station

hydration station

I’m meeting my running friends on Saturday morning for a long run. I’m aiming for 17 while they are going to cover about 23. We’re running most of this along the NYC Marathon route which is key! I’m feeling confident with some good sleep tonight and tomorrow night I’ll make it through Saturday’s run just fine. Not to mention having great company!

Whew!

So what’s new with you? Tell me one thing you’re happy about and one thing you’re frustrated with.

First I must share this video with you.

I have had some really isolated soreness in my upper calf (same leg that the ankle tendonitis is) Every time I go to physical therapy they massage the area but apparently running and biking cause the knot to return no sooner than it was unkinked. I found this video and have been doing this mayofascial release technique and it’s helping a lot. I spent more time viewing videos on this chick’s channel and found this video to be amazingly helpful as well for hip flexors, glutes and core stability.

OK, now on to this morning’s run. I had originally planned a 4 miler on the dreadmill at the gym during my lunch break but as I was packing my gym bag I kept thinking about how difficult it would be to slip out of work for more than an hour. (p.s. I never even took a lunch today because we were so busy and just ate at my desk so my intuition was on the money #winning). I’m slower these days so I would have needed close to 50 minutes for the workout, plus 5 minutes walking to and from the gym and another 15-20 minutes to shower and change.

Bottom line: I grabbed the bull by it’s ass and just decided to bang out my run outside by my house at 6:30am. I went to grab my Garmin and it was D.E.A.D.

dead Garmin

dead Garmin

Not sure why but since I was pressed for time I just grabbed my iPhone and started my RunKeeper app. 4 miles became 3 miles mainly because I am not feeling well.

78run

I’ve been super fatigued lately and I think I’m fighting something. Anyhoo, I kept a slow and steady pace and was happy to know my “good faith” run was done. The ankle was literally feeling 100 percent Friday and Saturday. Then I ran 8 miles Saturday and walked on the sand at the beach and by Sunday my ankle was feeling achy. I need to not freak out as this is just a sign I might have done a little too much too soon.

A different kind of sweat band

A different kind of sweat band

So while I was running I thought about all the rituals and superstitions we, as runners have. You see I opted to wear my Brooks Ghosts today.

Brooks Ghost

Brooks Ghost

The last time I wore them was on 4/27 when I ran the NJ Marathon and crossed the finish line with what eventually got diagnosed as ankle tendonitis. So in my mind, I’m working on forgiving those kicks. I’m pretty darn sure it was the 4 hours and 38 minutes of continual running that caused the injury and not the sneakers themselves. Especially because they never gave me any issues during training. And the dead Garmin….yeah, i made a plan B really quick but for a few minutes after stepping out the front door i just felt that OCD feeling of “my watch? where’s my watch? oh right it’s dead. I’m using RunKeeper. All is good. cCarry on now and run girl.

I have rituals with the way the wire of my ear buds have to be. I have rituals with my pre-run routine including coffee and potty (as i’m sure most of us do). I have superstitions with running gear….I have my favorite running capris only for marathon distances but I’ll wear just about any type of workout gear for shorter distance. I run the same routes for my midweek runs. Hmmm…maybe these aren’t rituals, maybe it’s just a case of Runner’s Rut. Or Runner’s Routine.

So what type of rituals and/or superstitions do you have when it comes to running (training and races)?

Happy belated National Running Day! I hope you all were able to celebrate in some way. Whether it was running, signing up for a race, buying some new running gear, subscribing to a running mag or maybe donating to a fundraiser of a runner.

I was sad that my tendonitis injury wouldn’t allow me to run (technically based on dr’s orders) so I did a couple of other things.

First, after reading this, I went here. Go #TeamJaimie, Duncan and I are rooting for you. Then, on my lunch break I headed up to the ASICS store to see if they had the Cumulus 16s in.

asicsstore

I discuss my love of the Cumulus back in this post and how I ended up with Brooks Ghost when the Cumulus 13s couldn’t be purchased anymore. Well, I’m excited to say the 16s felt just like the 13s when I tried them on. Nice and cushy. And so I bought them.

asics cumulus 16

 

So after skipping over the 14s and 15s I’m really happy to be reunited. I still have plenty of mileage left on my Brooks Ghosts and I’ll be keeping them in rotation for sure. Of course I have to get past my fear that they caused my tendonitis.

Just to share about what I was looking for in a sneaker in case you are wondering I have a wide forefoot but a narrow heel. I also tend to get metatarsalgia (feels like you have a pebble in your shoe under the ball of your foot) on the bottom of my left foot so cushioning is really important. My gait is quite neutral so stability isn’t as important. Asics tend to be roomier in the toe box and forefoot area.

On my way back to the office I passed this port-a-potty in an abandoned storefront that had been gutted but then construction stopped (for probably a year now). Something tells me it’s in worse shape than one at the start of a marathon. LOL!

scary potty

your welcome

On my commute home as I was scrolling through news feeds galore I saw that on Staten Island (and all 5 boroughs of New York City) they were celebrating National Running Day until 8pm at one of my favorite parks. With new sneakers, and a huge craving to run I roped my friend Mike in to coming with me and Duncan for a “walk” there. I just wanted to check it out. =)

I run to Sweat Out the Small Stuff

I run to Sweat Out the Small Stuff

They were giving out free bandanas and had race bibs that you could fill out.

nrd-bib

Once I filled out my bib I knew I had to at least run a few strides. And so I ran about 100 yards.

This video shows my entire run! LOL! I think that was a perfect compromise to following Dr’s orders. Then Duncan and Mike and I walked for about an hour.

Thin Ice

June 4th, 80 degrees….I think it’s safe to take this sign down. LOL!

Just a duck

Just a duck

note to self: Hill repeats to prepare for San Francisco should happen right here

note to self: Hill repeats to prepare for San Francisco should happen right here

YAY! Honeysuckles are finally appearing!

YAY! Honeysuckles are finally appearing!

National Running Day with Duncan

Clove Lakes Park, Staten Island

scenic

scenic

After the walk Duncan got dropped home to eat his kibble and we went to the diner where I had a roast beef melt sandwich and sweet potato fries.

sandwichOn the way back we noticed that in the same shopping center as the diner that a Tasti DLite is coming. This shopping center is only 1/2 a mile from my house. This could become my new obsession. Especially since duncan’s groomer is also in that shopping center.

tasti-d-liteThen I came home to see the progress of my kitchen cabinets. My dad started this project back in 2010 and then lost the mood but after some gentle nagging from my mom he’s finally back to business and progress is being made. Basically he’s painting them with this special, made for kitchen cabinets paint/process by Rustoleum called Cabinet Transformations. They used to be a washed oak color:

oldfinishBut will now be chocolate brown:

cabinetdoor

door

cabinetframe

cabinet

Did you get to do anything for National Running Day? What are your favorite running sneakers?

Have you ever done a kitchen renovation? I’m so hungry for breakfast but can’t access anything because my dad is on his way to put the second coat of paint on and everything is all masked off. Sigh!