Sunday Runday - Week 9 of Marathon Training

Well after the difficult and tiring week I had last week, I rallied and got back on track this week.  We have had some crazy weather here in Tennessee and I think we saw three different seasons this week, but the running went very well!  Here is my weekly summary: 

Monday - 3 miles running; This was supposed to be a warm up mile, 2.5 hard effort miles, and a half easy mile with a cool down walk.  I loved doing this run!  It was sunny and warm, so how do you not like that?!

Tuesday - 11.5 miles easy hiking; a friend of mine from the Long Trail, South Pole, was in town with her friend Susan doing "map marker" hikes.  She is trying to hike all the trails in the Smokies and needs to do strange combinations of hikes to get all the miles done.  When she contacted me to see if I'd be interested in an easy hike, I jumped right on it!  We hiked Twin Creeks Trail, Old Sugarlands Trail, and the Gatlinburg Trail for 11.5 of the easiest miles in the entire park.  We even got a little bit of blue sky considering they called for rain all day.  I'll thank my umbrella for keeping the rain away :)

LeConte Creek. 

Wednesday - 7 miles running; for this run, I was supposed to run five comfortable miles followed by two very hard effort miles.  The wind was gusting at 30 mph, it would occasionally start raining heavy sheets of rain, and I ran this loop in an area where the sidewalks randomly end on high traffic roads.  People honked their horns at me more than usual on this run, probably because I looked like a crazy person running in the storm!  The final two hard effort miles were making my legs scream, but they were very enjoyable!

Thursday - 3 miles running; an easy recovery run was on the agenda for today. I chose to do them on the Gatlinburg Trail since I was up at the Park Headquarters for a meeting.  It was snowing throughout most of the run and the torrential storms from yesterday knocked over quite a few trees on the trail, so I got to practice my hurdle jumper skills!  Is it just me, or are the easy effort miles harder on your body? I was more sore after this run than I thought I would be!  After I got home I did a Bunny Slope workout on Youtube From Zuzka Light. 

Friday - REST!  I was supposed to be on an AT Shakedown hike with a client, but we had to bump the hike to next week due to bad weather and the roads being closed due to snow in the park. 

Saturday - 16 miles running; I had one of my "you must be a real runner now" moments when I didn't even feel like I hit my stride until well into my fifth mile!  From mile 5-16 I felt strong.  I ate a pack of Honey Stinger Chews and drank Nuun and I didn't feel tired, bonk, or even want to slow down.  I'm glad I finally found something that doesn't make my stomach seize up like the Gu gels do.  I also ran what my Garmin called my fastest half marathon time.  While it's not my PR, it's the fastest I've run 13.1 since December.  I ran this half for my Level Up Virtual Run - I won a free entry from Heather over at What the Heck, Why Not?  So thank you, Heather!  I can't wait to get my adorable BB8 medal in the mail!

Sunday - 10.6 miles hiking; an active rest day today and it was in the high 50s with bluebird skies all day.  We packed up our dog and drove to Frozen Head State Park (yes, where they hold the Barkley Marathons for those of you Ultra Runners out there!) where we hiked the Old Mac Trail loop and then did an out and back at Emory Falls.  It was a beautiful day and the trailheads were full.  One thing I really enjoyed about today was seeing how many people were hiking with very young children.  Lots of young kids and lots of dogs out enjoying the parks today!

Well, that was my week in training!  It seems like I got over my mid training slump earlier this month.  I'm still nervous about the fact that I signed up to run a freakin' marathon only about a month from now, but I'm going to stay positive!  How was your week?  Tell me all about your adventures or training in the comments below or find me over on Facebook or Twitter!

Gear Review Update - Saucony Women’s Xodus 4.0

I recently posted my love for the Saucony Women’s Xodus 4.0 and the issues I was having with the shoe.  The issue of the heel rubbing continued to get worse, the right shoe completely breaking down at the back and eventually tearing the lining of the inside.  Thankfully, Saucony has a defective return policy and I sent my shoes in for inspection.  In less than 6 days I had a brand new pair of Xodus 4.0 waiting for me on my front porch!  Here’s an update of how I feel about the shoe now:

1) The heel rubbing issue is completely gone.  I’m almost wondering now if I had a defective pair of shoes.  This new pair fits me completely differently, which was surprising given the size being the same.  The toe box being so tight is also resolved, even though the shoes are laced the same. 

2) STILL NO BREAK-IN PERIOD! I slapped these shoes on this afternoon to wear around town to break in and it was totally unneeded.  These shoes fit me incredibly well and were comfortable for both walking the dog and taking a bike ride before the sun went down.  

To say I’m extremely pleased with this shoe is an understatement.  The customer service is incredible and the shoe is damn comfortable.  The color replacement was definitely a shock as my old ones were gray and blue, but these look bright and feel great, so I will definitely be ordering more as my shoe of choice for my 2015 thru hikes. 

Gear Review - Saucony Women’s Xodus 4.0

While shopping at EMS a few weeks back these sexy shoes caught my eye. I was really in the market for a Brooks shoe, more specifically the Brooks Cascadia, for my next set of thru hikes starting next summer.  When I saw these shoes on clearance in my size I tried them on and liked what I saw, so I snapped them up at a bargain price, only $58 after tax!  I figured for that price I could justify just using them for running if they didn’t work out.  After doing two 4-mile runs and a 10-mile hike in them yesterday, here’s how I feel they performed. 

The Cons:
-This shoe will NOT stop slipping on my heels when hiking uphill.  I’ve tried a few combinations of lacing and haven’t found a totally slip-free fit. I’m assuming I have narrow heels as most of my casual shoes tend to do this anyway.  I tend to buy children’s shoes if I can for a better fit, so this may not apply to everyone. 
-You can see the crazy grip on the soles of these suckers.  They work on every surface except smooth rock. One step on smooth rock and the soles might as well be made from wet glass because you cannot grip at all and will slide.  This is a major down side since The Long Trail has a lot of rocks!
-The shoe is TIGHT for the average fit.  I think if one were to put a substantially padded insole in here they’d probably lose a few toenails. I have a pretty narrow foot and this shoe fits my foot like a glove, which is hard to get used to. (This is actually a selling feature for the shoe, a “midlock” foot band).

The Pros: This list is ultimately longer than the cons!
-NO BREAK-IN PERIOD!  Saucony shoes are known for having no break-in period required and I definitely found this to be true. These shoes fit like a glove, as I mentioned above.  They didn’t even need a hiking insole added like pretty much all other trail shoes do.  The factory insole is crazy comfy.  
-The insole has a 4 mm offset, which gives your foot a more natural gait.  While the manufacturer states that this in itself can cause some sore muscles, I found that after my first short walk in these I didn’t have the pains in my calves again. 
-The sole on this shoe is amazing!  First and foremost, a Vibram sole is important to me when I hike. I know the thing will hold up to whatever I can throw at it.  Secondly, the grip on these shoes is like monkey feet digging into the turf.  From grass to mud to gravel, this shoe grips hard and therefore makes you work less hard to push your way up a tough hill. 
-Built in “sock liner.” Whatever it is they are using to keep this shoe breathable, yet soft, is top notch. I ran on crushed gravel for a total of 8 miles and never once had a single teeny pebble in my shoe.  There is also a plastic loop on the forefoot to hook on your gaiters if you wear them. 

Overall, this is a seriously kick-ass shoe.  It’s comfortable, breathable, and high performing.  My foot feels stable due to the tightness of the mid foot banding I mentioned in the “cons” section of this review.  Overall, I think I’ll get another pair and wear them for the Benton MacKaye Trail and the Finger Lakes Trail next summer.  For the Northville-Placid Trail and the Long Trail, however, I may look into something else just for more stability on rock.  It’d be a long day hiking over Mt. Mansfield in Vermont if the rock is slick as I really don’t find these shoes perform well on wet rocks, even small ones.  

This post is not sponsored or endorsed by Saucony in any way.  I’m just a huge fan of this shoe and wanted to share my views.