The B!&$# Knee and Why You Should Shop Local

I fell in love with the wood floors the moment we first walked into our house. They were original to the 1935 structure and added so much character. Some spots are worn and others are perfect. They are cool under your feet and, if you hit the right spot, they creak.

Just like my knees seem to be lately.

I noticed it a few weeks ago when I went down to the basement to do some laundry. Each step seemed to ache, just behind the knee cap. It didn't hurt. It wasn't uncomfortable. Just stiff and achy. I didn't think much of it at the time.

However, as time has passed, I've noticed it more and more. It's not necessarily more frequent or a stronger sensation but it's there. After each time I run, the steps are a bitch. Well, my knees are. The steps are just steps.

I decided that the answer had to be new shoes. If anything hurts and is related to running, the first answer is always get a new pair of shoes. I had already been drooling over the Ravenna 6 colors so a fresh set wouldn't be a hard sell.

Hello, I love you!

Finding the time to actually buy them and, to be honest, the money would prove a bit more difficult. (Miles will go to Pre-K this school year, and I basically sign away my paycheck every time a letter comes from the school.)

So I decided to think about what else it could be – too many plyometrics in boot camp classes, uneven road conditions on my regular routes and the stupid baby weight. I tried to reduce my ground contacts in class and reversed my runs. As for the extra weight ... well, I'm trying but it's stubborn and I'm frustrated.

Anyway ,,,

I decided that I needed to get a little guidance before I splurge on shoes or get hurt. Via Facebook, I messaged the shoe guy from my running store. (You know my running store because if I owned it, I wouldn't worry about money for shoes.)

The conversation that occurred is why you need to find a good, local running store and stick with them.

• He remembered that I was wearing a lighter shoe last summer. He said that the heavier Ravenna might be too clunky for me now. The extra cushioning, too, could be causing my gait to be less efficient and thus causing the knees to be sore.

• He knows that pregnancy can change foot size and gait.

• He asked more questions. Where was the pain and when did I feel it? Where was I running?

• He recommended stretching and other changes before coming into buy new shoes.

There was a small part of me that was disappointed that new shoes wasn't the first thing I said but I was so impressed that helping me wasn't about giving me a pitch. He knows that creating a good rapport with a customer will lead to a sale. And not just one but many.

I could only hope that my knees are as nice as my shoe guy. I'm doing my stretches and getting down with the ice and Deep Blue oil, and I feel confident that things are going in the right direction. I suspect I'll head into the store in a month or two when the miles add up on my Ravennas. Then, he'll get the sale and I'll have some fresh kicks.

Ready for the Weekend {A Three Things Thursday post}

There was a moment this morning when I realized today was Thursday – not Wednesday. What a relief! Just one more day of work and then it's onto the weekend.

And what a weekend it will be! Here's what I'm excited about:

1. On Saturday, I'll make the two-hour drive down to Indianapolis to attend two Silver Sneakers workshops (Classic and Circuit). Silver Sneakers is a fitness program that focuses on older adults, providing a chance to exercise in an environment that's fun and encouraging. My primary motivation in attending is to earn much needed continuing education credits to maintain my personal training certification. Though there are tons of options, many of which don't involve additional program certifications, I have subbed older adult classes and very much enjoy the atmosphere and attitude of the clientele. Sure, barre or cycling would be sexier sexier and closer to how I work out but moving forward with my fitness work, I want to focus on what's rewarding and beneficial to me.

2. Lauren Fleshman is speaking at the track club banquet on Sunday. {cue fan girl screaming} I had heard rumors for nearly a year that this was in the works, and I am so excited personally and for the community to have her here in Fort Wayne. I had the chance to interview her for work, and she was just like I thought she would be – honest, funny and totally rad.

I am going to go full geek for the banquet and wear a Fleshman Flyer shirt that I picked up at the local running store. I think it will look appropriate with a maxi skirt and belted cardigan, don't you?

Bonus: Kim and Tami are coming in to Fort Wayne on the weekend just to see me see her. Well, see Lauren with me. Whatever.

3. Running in new shoes! While I was at the running store to get my flyer shirt, I made an unplanned walk down the clearance shoe aisle. I wasn't in the market for shoes, per se, as my Skechers GORun only have 100 miles on them. I had blown out the sides of my Saucony Fastwitch, though, and they are looking rougher by the mile. But anyway. Three Rivers had a pair of Brooks Ravenna 5, what I was wearing before I switched to Skechers based on cost, in my size. Marked down to $77. And I had a $25 reward/credit. Fifty-two dollars for a new pair of shoes? Don't mind if I do. They are so pretty and clean, and I can't wait to get some runs in them.

What has you excited?

A few housekeeping items:

• Nuun has free shipping through today. So if you are running low, now is the time to order! We are down to caffeinated flavors so I've got a few things in the basket to get us through our winter fitness endeavors.
• It's time to break out with PRO Compression's latest sock of the month. The black-and-white stripes are reminiscent of old jail uniforms but 1,000 times cooler. Use the code JAN for 40 percent off the socks. Or, BLG14 might still be good for 40% an entire order. Free shipping for those orders $25 and more.

Athens Half Marathon: Final Countdown

My first "A" race of the year - the Athens Half Marathon - is a mere four days away. I think I'm in a state of denial or, maybe, ignorance with all that has gone in the past week that it will actually happen. Either way, I feel so separated from the quality training I've put in that a hard-earned time seems almost out of reach.

And then I ran today.


I had 3 miles, with 2 at race pace, on tap, and I set myself up for success {insert sarcasm font}by deciding last night that I would take advantage of warming weather, sleeping in and taking Miles in the BOB. Stroller running is tough - period. Running a race pace workout is tough - period. Together, well, it was sure to be interesting.

As it turns out, interesting was a surprise run that felt hard but not as hard as it should have for the splits on my GPS: 9:07, 8:37, 8:30, 2:13 for 0.25-mile (8:54 pace).

Admittedly, I was pushing the pace out of fear, fear that I wouldn't nail the range I had in my mind for the race pace miles - 8:45-8:50 - but I didn't feel dead. I didn't feel defeated. I didn't feel like goals were out of reach. I had a bit of "help" with a couple stops, meeting requests for suckers, tying shoes and following traffic laws. But still, I was faster than goal pace and pushing 23 pounds of stroller + 28 pounds of toddler.

Does it mean that I'll smoke the course on Sunday? No. Of course not. It's the work I've done that will give me the edge then - and the work is what gave it to me today.

Training, in summary:

Plan: "Train Like a Mother" Half Marathon: Own It plan

Miles logged (thus far): 271.86

Farthest run: 14.6 miles, at 9:22 pace, on March 23 (three weeks out from race)

Fastest run: 8:34 pace for 5.75 miles (total time 49:16) on March 12. The workout was 2 x (1-2-3-2-1) intervals with 2 minutes recovery and 5-minute recovery between sets.

Most challenging run: Recently, it was my failed intervals on Friday but I think my long run on March 2 takes the cake. There was 4 inches of fresh snow, and I just could not get into it. I would have called it quits after 2 miles if I hadn't been with Joe. We manged 8.1 miles in 1:30:57, an 11:14 pace.

Shoes: I've been rotating between a pair of Brooks Ravenna 4 and Altra Provisioness 1. Both have less than 200 miles on them, and I'll be wearing Brooks on race day.

Fuel used: Rough estimate - 24 Gus (Salted Caramel and Chocolate Outrage) and 3,421 tubes of Nuun (currently using Nuun Energy Wild Berry - so good)

Biggest hurdle: No doubt, it was the weather. While I was able to stick to the weekday runs in my plan, thanks to the treadmill, I did not fulfill the long runs. Indiana was covered in snow and ice for the entirety of three months - no joke - and it made going far very challenging, if not impossible.

Greatest success: Toughing out the quality workouts. This cycle is the first time in a long time when I've put in some hard miles week after week. Even when I felt sluggish or tired, I made myself attempt the workout and only twice did I not make it through.

Goal working toward: A strong half, hopefully beating my post-baby PR of 1:58:56 at Fort4Fitness last year and coming as close to my life PR of 1:54:12 (from F4F 2010) as I can.

Cost analysis

Whoever said running is cheaper than therapy apparently didn't have insurance.

Mark and I had stopped by the running store on Friday night to pick up some salted caramel Gu. As I was paying for the packets of insane deliciousness, I spotted a sign promoting 15 percent off apparel with a shoe purchase. Me being me, I not-so-coyly pointed it out to Mark, who rolled his eyes, surely thinking it was my desire for all things bright and shiny motivating that look in my eyes.

Truth be told, though, I did/do need clothes and shoes.

It seems like just yesterday that I switched to the Brooks Ravenna 4 but yesterday was April and nearly 350 miles ago. It's definitely time to consider new shoes, which retail for $110 (about five times more than a standard co-pay), as I came thisclose to my first 30-mile week of this cycle and many recommending two pairs of shoes for a relay like Hood to Coast.

And speaking of HTC, we are lucky enough to have some amazing sponsors beyond Nuun. Like Team Sparkle, which will be supplying skirts of the same name so that everyone in a 200-mile radius will see me coming. I'm ready to don it save for one thing: booty shorts. I currently have a singular pair of compression-like shorts that are three years old and have the elasticity of my 86-year-old grandma's skin (sorry, Grammy)!

I will run three legs, wearing the skirt for probably two, which means two new pairs of shorts. Or one if I'm being cheap. Sadly, I didn't fit into the teensy-tinsy Asics that were on clearance for $10 at 3RR. My favorites were the 4-inch Moving Comfort shorts, which retail for $30 (x2 = $60, three therapy sessions). They made my thighs look like crap but they felt nice and no one will see them anyway.

Oh, and of course, there are all the other costs of running - socks, bras, race entries, travel, Gu ($4.50 for the three I bought Friday, post-session latte) and the vast amount of food to satisfy the rungries.

Not that I'm complaining or looking for a handout (though, Brooks, if you'd like to send me new shoes, I'd gladly accept). Just merely pointing something out. Well, pointing out something that Mark pointed out. And, given my mental state of late, I'd probably go through four pairs of shoes worth of co-pay in therapy before I wore out one pair on the road. Thank goodness for Mark, I'd much rather run angry than lie on a couch and share my feelings.

Celebrate good times

It's a sad day as a runner when you realize that you only have one pair of usable shoes.

For the better part of six months, I alternated between two pairs - Nike Structure Triax and Nike Lunar Flys - in addition to a few old pair of Triax that I could throw in the mix if I was on the treadmill and forgot to bring my shoes to the basement. Since ditching the Triax in April, I've been rocking the Brooks Ravennas exclusively.

I do have some miles remaining on the Lunar Flys but I have a sinking suspicion that the lighter pair of sneaks are related to some IT tenderness I was experiencing after Run the Bluegrass in March. No bueno.

And though I laced up the Ravennas yesterday for a short 3-miler, I slipped them on again this morning for 5 miles on June 5 in honor of National Running Day.

The run was pleasant. The oppressive humidity that hung in the air for the past two weeks has dissipated and the sun is beginning to rise just a bit earlier, with the light peaking out over the horizon before I finish. It's cool and bright, a rare combination. I took an out-and-back route that keeps me from bailing before 5, and I was able to catch one of the last whiffs of the lilac bushes for the season.

The gratuitous watch shot is not nearly as cute with the Motoactv as it is with a Garmin model. Womp, womp.

My legs were a bit sore from yesterday's double (or triple if you count the a.m. 3-miler) - teaching Piloxing and BODYPUMP last night - but the pace felt nice  and my body thanked me for moving. It was a run that made me glad I do it. Reminded me of why.

According to a Brooks Running survey, runners participate in the sport for exercise, enjoyment, health and mental health (in that order). I'd probably put mental health a little higher, especially after having such a clear head this morning.

The survey also said 57 percent of runners buy two or more pairs of shoes a year and since I'm only at one six months in, I think I have earned a new pair. For alternating sake, at the least.

Happy National Running Day! How did you celebrate?

Ready to Rock? The Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series is offering the biggest discount of the year with $20 off any race in the series domestically today only in celebration of National Running Day. Join the ranks of Will Ferrell, Sheryl Crow, Bachelor Sean Lowe, James Marsden, Jennifer Love Hewitt and others who have participated in the races. I stood next to Guiliana Rancic and totally talked to her when I did RnR Chicago and got to split 13.1 with my BFF in New Orleans.

Babbling Brooks

I don't think I had ever been happier to see a glass of wine.

After spending a half-hour on the verge of a complete meltdown, panicking that I had lost $100 cash intended for a new pair of shoes - when in fact I had spent it on groceries - I needed something to bring me down. Get me in the spirit of things.

And by things I mean Ladies Night at Three Rivers Running Company.

The shop has hosted the event for a few years now - and I have been twice before - but Saturday was my first time attending the event in its year-old location, and I found it to be quite the night. The larger space allowed for tons of socializing, and the store was able to put out a spread of fruit and wine along with samples of chews and various nutrition bars. (The bars were at vendor-type tables with representatives from Shakeology and Advocare.)

There was also representatives from Girls on the Run, on-the-floor bra fittings and a fashion show, which featured this super cute Brooks shirt (color 955) that I just couldn't bring myself to buy. Extra skin + sheer fabric is not a match made in heaven.

As for me and Brooks shoes, that turned out to be another story. I've always considered myself to be a Nike girl, and I had intended to buy the updated Nike Structure Triax while I was there. The always knowledgeable Casey advised me that Nike had made some changes, and some customers weren't happy with the new feel. I had heard some rustling of this online and when the store didn't have the shoe in a 7.5, I took it as a sign to try for something new.

Seriously, if you live in Northeast Indiana, come here to buy shoes. They KNOW them.

I tried a style of Adidas that are similar to the Triax but even with some adjustment on the lacing, I found it to be too wide in the heel. As I jogged in my jeans - keeping it classy, folks, I tell ya - on the treadmill, I felt as if my heel was slipping out. No good. No good at al. There was another shoe, though. One that was a bit lighter. One that could work.

The Brooks Ravenna.

I've always wanted to wear Brooks (for no rational reason) but have never liked a pair that I tried on, resigning myself to the fact that I couldn't #runhappy. So it was with trepidation that I tried them on. But like Cinderella, once the beautiful purple shoe slid on my foot, I felt like a running princess. A princess who could take on a BQ.

Or another glass of wine.

And I did, wandering the store, hanging out with my friend Chris and chatting with the ladies. It was a lot of fun, a welcome surprise for going alone and on the verge of tears. Maybe it was the wine or maybe it was all of the ladies who were so open and friendly, reaffirming my love for the running community.

What did you do this weekend? Any races?

Support, please

I walked into Three Rivers Running Co. with one thing on my mind: Replacing my soon-to-be worn out Mizuno Wave Riders with a gorgeous pair of Brooks Ghost 3. Not only did the neutral Brooks shoe won accolades from Runner's World's fall shoe guide, it came in orange - one of my college's colors. Go BG!

I walked out of Three Rivers Running Co. with a pair of Nike Zoom Structure Triax+ 13 and a new understanding of why I've been having slight knee pain.

I am now a pronator.

Yep, in the eight months since I was first fitted at the Running Co., my gait and form has changed. Casey (I think that's his name) said it's not uncommon for a runner's gait to change as she steps up her mileage. The more the body works, the more inefficient it can become. It sounds weird but from what I could ascertain, in the first year of running - especially with mileage increases - the body adapts and becomes inefficient. The longer you run ... say three years from now ... I will become more efficient.

We might not have ever figured out that I was a pronator had he not noticed how I was walking out to the parking lot to do a lap in the Nike Vomero 5+. (It's a great shoe for you neutral runners. Just sayin'.) I stepped like a neutral runner but the roll-off or kickback was that of a pronator. He tested me out on the treadmill and sure enough, the ankles rolled in slightly.

The Triax+ is a minimal stability shoe, ideal as I'm considered a mild to moderate pronator. It's also not too heavy - 9.6 ounces - but still has some cushion. Just what I wanted! I did try on the Brooks Adrenaline, which Mark bought a couple weeks ago, but I think I'm just a Nike girl. Sorry, Brooks!



Casey did say that I can still wear my neutral Mizunos for shorter runs. I could even have a new neutral for short runs and keep the stability shoe for long runs. Seeing as the Mizunos are getting high in mileage, I'll probably just stick with the Triax+. No need to give Mark a heart attack with a second demand for new shoes.