Running in the New Balance Minimus Hi-Rez...

You are what you consistently do, right? So I seem to be a runner...  maybe I should start blogging more about that instead of just the occasional, not-very-consistent recipe post.

In some ways, I feel a little lost, a bit adrift right now. My next race isn't until September, when I will do the Capital City River Run Half Marathon in Lansing, MI. I'm looking forward to it. It's supposed to be a nice flat course, but I won't be PR-ing because I will be running alongside my friend as she attempts her first ever half marathon. Her current pace is about a minute per mile slower than mine, so I'll be out there encouraging her.

Having no race planned for a while, I feel a bit in limbo. Although, let's be honest, I'm not sure I want to be racing in the heat of the summer. WOW. Give me the 5 degree days of winter back instead of the 90 degree, humid days. I've been trying to get out the door by 6 a.m. for my runs to beat the heat, but my body isn't quite used to going that early yet.

In the meantime, I've been trying to work on my speed and my strength without losing my endurance. My current plan is to repeat a two-week schedule until it's time to ramp back up to double-digit runs.

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
1 mile max speed, strength	Run 4 miles	8 sprint intervals, strength	Run 4 miles	Rest/stretch	Run 6 miles	Rest
1 mile max speed, strength	Run 4 miles	8 sprint intervals, strength	Run 5 miles	Rest	Run 8 miles	Rest

As for gear... first, I owe New Balance an apology. After ranting and raving about the seam on the Minimus Zero, I worked with them and they decided my shoes must've been defective. They took them back, even with a ton of miles and sent me store credit. In the interim, I tried other shoes. I went to New Balance and tried on other models, but found nothing else in a zero drop that fit quite as well. If I went outside of a zero drop, I felt it, and it was immediately odd. Yes, even a 4mm drop felt strange. 

I tried a pair of Brooks from the Pure Project line. The first time I went out, they felt awesome. Every time after that... I could feel the padding, and I felt like I had a dinner plate strapped to my feet. If you're looking to get into minimal shoes, but want some padding still, they are a great shoe, and I would recommend them. They definitely weren't the shoe for me though. 

So with one pair on it's way back to NB, and one pair making me crazy with every step...  Problem. I had another Half rapidly approaching, and had no shoes. So... I went back to the Minimus Zero. Ahhhh.... like sliding into your favorite pair of jeans. I ran the Ann Arbor Half Marathon in a new pair of Minimus Zero, plus compression socks instead of sleeves. I got an EPIC blister from slamming into the front of the toe box as I went down Ann Arbor's lovely hills (can you feel the sarcasm?), but did not have problems with the seam. It is still there, so I may need some padding on my socks for long runs, but they are definitely the shoe for me. 

Now I owned a new pair of Minimus Zero AND had store credit to New Balance. After reading a few reviews, I decided to try the Minimus Hi-Rez. I wore them for my sprint workout yesterday and figured I'd give you all some feedback. 

New Balance Minimus Hi-Rez.

First, look at these. Weird, right? This is NOT the shoe to get if you are just transitioning to minimal shoes. I moved to these from the Minimus Zero. I wouldn't even recommend moving to these from the "minimal" Brooks shoes. These are next to barefoot. Putting them on feels like putting on a sock with laces. 

Bet you can't do this with your running shoe.

These shoes are extremely flexible. The soles look funny, but work to give you much, much more connection with the ground and what your foot is doing. Each individual piece truly lets your foot move freely.   As I said, I used these for my sprint workout. I jogged to the park at the end of our block (roughly two-tenths of a mile) and then did 8 intervals of 30 second sprints with a minute and a half of walking recovery, and jogged back home. 

The Minimus Zero is my go-to.. you know what's going on, you're connected, you're minimal. But wow.. when I jogged off in these... I could feel running. If you've ever questioned your footstrike, you will know it in these. I've gone for runs, sworn up and down that I have a midfoot strike, had the husband video me and yup, heelstriking like a champ. Ok, not that strongly, but you know what I'm saying..   in the Hi-Rez, I could feel every footstrike and adjust on the fly. 

Sprinting in these shoes was a blast! I was up on the balls of my feet and could feel it. It was actually... fun. Even the walking recovery was fun, feeling each foot land and truly feeling connected.  I did run entirely on sidewalk, which was still damp from rain. I stepped on a wet leaf at one point while sprinting, and felt slippage, but was gone too fast for it to effect me. Taking these out on a long run, I'm not sure how they would react to terrain, but I'll test that eventually. 

The one drawback I noticed was that I came home with a blister on the top of my pinky toe, and a teeny blister atop my foot where my big toe connects. It was my first time out though, and I did not wear a sock. It could be materials that need to break in a little, could be that I need a very thin sock. It did not feel like a sizing issue, so I'll play with that a bit. 

Overall, if you're a barefoot runner who wants just a little protection, or a Minimus Zero devotee that wants to try the next step closer to barefoot, try the Hi-Rez. I won't promise they'll replace your every day shoe, but you will feel the fun in running again. 

Note: This post was in no way sponsored or compensated. I purchased this shoe and wanted to share with you my thoughts on the gear I use. 

Race Recap: 500 Festival Mini Marathon

16 weeks ago, I decided to run a half marathon. Saturday, I ran it. I'm happy to report that I accomplished my goal, which was to run without stopping. I finished in a time of 2:21:11, with a pace of 10:47. I placed 14,940 out of 30,096 finishers. Yup, I'm average. And totally OK with it. 

Here's my recap of raceday...

We started bright and early Friday morning, loading packed bags, puppy, puppy supplies, and ourselves into the Jeep for the 5-ish hour drive to Indianapolis. I'd made lists, I had checked them twice (more on that later...), and off we went. 

We stopped off to pick up my mom, who had decided less than a week earlier to fly in and cheer for me! After a stop for lunch, we dropped pup and mom at the hotel and headed off to the packet pickup and race expo.  Pickup was insanely smooth. And by smooth, I mean, no line, no wait, easy!  The expo? Sucked. I've never been to an expo where the only option was to buy stuff. Isn't the whole idea of an expo to wander around and collect kitsch freebies?

13 hours until race time!

We left packet pickup and headed out to dinner (where I consumed at least 3 glasses of water... hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!), and then back to the hotel for an early night's sleep. Or so I thought.

I went to lay out all my gear, and suddenly realized my shorts were nowhere to be found! Dumped the entire content of my suitcase, checked every item (which proved to be a good thing), no shorts. Off to Dick's Sporting Goods I went...

New shorts? Check.

Standing at the register and suddenly realizing I also forgot my sports bra?  Check.

New sports bra? Check.

So...  after that little debacle, I was finally ready. 

Gear ready to go. Shorts and shirt: Nike. Sports bra: Under Armour. Socks: New Balance. Shoes: New Balance Minimus Zero. Compression: CEP Calf Compression Sleeves. And added to my Bib: Isaiah 40:31 and <3 Boston.

Race morning, the alarm went off at 4:30. Let's be honest, I didn't sleep that well anyway. Strange bed, excited energy... I was ready! We stayed at a Residence Inn, which has a full kitchen, so I tried to make scrambled eggs with ham, which I've had fairly often before a long run. We burnt them, so I opted for a banana, some dried fruit, and a Stoneyfield Smoothie. And coffee. Always coffee.  I also drank about 24 oz. of water with a nuun hydration tab dropped in. They are pretty awesome. They come in good flavors, add electrolytes to your water, but don't add sugar. 

Now, normally, I have to pee 800 times before I run. Really. My body just keeps saying, "You have to pee." I tell it 799 times that I don't. It doesn't work.  Race morning, my body said, "You're anxious!!!!" Yes, I actually puked. Just a little. And laughed at myself. Clearly, I was just too full of anxious energy about how competitive I would be... ha. 

We loaded up puppy and puppy supplies (again), and headed downtown. I said bye to the family and headed off to meet my friend Eric, my long-distance training buddy (he lives in Indianapolis).   On the way, I ate two PowerBar Performance Blends. They are delicious, didn't upset my anxious tummy, and gave me energy to go. Highly recommend! The apple, strawberry, mango flavor is great.   I also had two PowerBar Gels in my back pocket. I like the ones with caffeine, but they are available without.

The corral experience was surprisingly easy. I've done a 5k with 10,000 people in it, and the corrals were jammed like sardines with people pressed against each other and shoving along.  The Mini-Marathon has 35,000 participants, and yet I had room to breathe, stretch, tie my shoes, etc.  AND, everyone else understood that we should walk, not run, to the start line!

Fun side story..  we both had to pee, but saw port-a-pots with no line before we'd crossed start, so we jumped out, peed, and jumped back in, no official time lost!

In the corral. I call this our "we're happy because we underestimate what we're in for" face. 

Off we went!!  The Mini Marathon is obviously jam-packed. We told ourselves to start slow for two reasons.. 1. we didn't want to waste our adrenaline and be burnt out at the end, and 2. you have to pass a TON of people.   Like any race, people seed themselves too high, don't pay attention, or see themselves because they thought they would train, don't, and start walking after two miles. Whatever the reason, you spend about 12 miles weaving through the crowd. 

The weather was fantastic! Couldn't have been better. 50s, very light wind, cloudy. The water stations are beautifully laid out. There are 11 water and 5 Gatorade stations on the course. I made a point to stop at each one, and felt perfect. They also have a Clif Energy Shot station, but since I had my PowerBar Gels, which I know work, I avoided that one. Why risk it?

The course heads out past the Indianapolis Zoo (mmmm.... poop smell..) and then off into the town of Speedway. The majority of the course is tree-lined or winds through neighborhoods, and people love to come out and cheer. There are actual groups of cheer squads, bands, volunteers, etc. plus people who just come out of their house to watch. These groups were awesome!! Some would read your name off your bib and yell just for you, "C'mon Stacey, you got this!!" It definitely keeps you moving. 

Right before mile 6, you enter the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Down under the track, up into the infield, and out onto the famed oval you go. As we entered the track, a video screen was showing the live race coverage and I pointed out to Eric, "Hey look, those people are already done!" 

I worried this part would be boring, but they had several cheer squads, and as you approach the famed Yard of Bricks, the music is blaring, the infield screens are showing highlights, and you get a nice adrenaline burst to get you through.

Mile 7.5-ish. Feeling good on that famous oval.

Exiting the Speedway, you definitely feel good that you're done, you've completed 8 miles, you're in the homestretch. The feeling didn't last long..  it took that 9 Mile marker forever to show up. It took the 10 Mile marker forever and a day. I was pretty sure the 11 Mile marker was lost, and we were doomed to run forever.  I've seen a shirt many times that says, "There will come a day when I can't do this. Today is not that day."  I can't lie, "Today is not that day." became my mantra. It worked.   Well that, and telling Eric to "Just keep swimming" while making swim motions with my arms. 

12 Mile. Crossing that one, I knew I was good. I knew I would make it. Heck, I was hyped. For the first part of mile 13, you actually backtrack the early part of the course. People were *still* there to cheer! Then you round a corner and go up over a bridge. 

As I reached the crest of the bridge, I wasn't just relieved, I was amped. You look down, and you can't quite see the finish line, but you know it's there. The final half mile is lined with checkered flags, and people. Other finishers, families, people cheering and yelling. Music blaring. And you can see the Mile 13 marker. The one that says you've got one tenth of a mile to go. I descended into the last leg, feeling new life in my legs.  About two or three tenths of the way to go, we could see the finish arch and both started sprinted.  I was smiling while running! Weird, right?

Crossing the finish line was awesome! Just knowing I finished a half marathon, I made my goal of running without stopping, and I had a friend along for the ride was great. I'm already thinking about which half to do next!

After. We survived!

Apparently, taking a puppy to a half marathon is a fantastic way to ensure she sleeps for the next 12 hours. I heard she had quite the stimulating morning, sniffing people and things. So much so that when my family climbed into the bleachers to watch us cross the finish line, my husband had to actually carry her!

 You'd think SHE just ran 13.1 miles!

 Overall, it was a great experience. I loved my training plan, and most of my gear. Nike shorts are awesome, I'm obsessed with anything Nike Dri-Fit.

I HIGHLY recommend calf compression sleeves for both running and recovery. I had some serious knots in my calf toward the end of training due to my "pawing"form. Those in turn pulled on my shin, and my left leg was miserable the week leading up to the race. The calf sleeves made everything total bearable and are now a staple of my running gear. I used CEP and loved them.

For energy/nutrition, I definitely recommend PowerBar Performance Blends before and Gels during. They are gluten-free, woot! And give you the energy you need. I had a Gel at about Mile 4.5 and Mile 9, and it was perfect. The Green Apple flavor is pretty darn good too.

nom, nom, nom... PowerBar goodies to keep me moving!

My only disappointment was my shoes. I ran in New Balance Minimus Zeros. They are a minimal, zero drop shoe. The minimal part I love. The zero drop I love. The seam that they for some reason decided to place under my foot, right at the ball of my foot? I did not love. Over a shorter distance, it wasn't so bad. Once you crack 10 miles, it was miserable. Awful. Horrendous. I could barely walk to the car. And I could barely walk the rest of the day. I ended up walking on the outsides of my feet just to avoid the pain from that seam, which of course made the rest of my feet hurt! I wanted to love my Minimus. I did love them for about 13 of 16 weeks. But my first post-race goal will be to get new shoes and break them in so I can go find and run another Half.

Finishers medal. Who's joining me in 2014??

Update: I contacted New Balance and received a very polite response telling me that it was most likely my shoes were defective. Despite the heavy use, they offered to replace my shoes. I ordered a new pair of Minimus Zero, and ran the Ann Arbor Half Marathon in them. The seam is still in the same spot, but has not caused any pain or problems. I am still currently running in Minimus Zeroes (as of July 31).