Running Superstitions

"SUPERSTITIONS"

Superstition is the belief in supernatural causality—that one event leads to the cause of another without any natural process linking the two events—such as astrology, religion, omens, witchcraft prophecies, etc., that contradicts natural science.

 

    Many runners have it, some runners even fear it. I am talking about superstitions. I have talked to runners about theirs and I have even read on their blogs about little superstitions. It may be having to do a certain routine, or even something you wear. 

    I have not really been into the whole superstition thing until today.  Sit back and let me tell you my story......  On Sunday I was getting ready to do some running around. I throw on a pair of fleece pants and open the closet door to grab some shoes.  I reach down to the shoe rack and grab my Brooks Pure Flows. They were a little dirty so me being the OCD shoe addict I had to clean them off before I could wear them. Man did they look nice again all clean. I throw them on and headed out the door.  The whole time I was out I kept thinking to myself how comfortable it was to be wearing my Brooks again.   

    I like to think of my Brooks as my go to shoes. They are like that old friend that you can always count on to be there for you.  I mean we have been through the shit together.(No literally I stepped in dog shit once with them on) From the New York Marathon to training for part of the Pittsburgh Marathon, these shoes treated me good.  

   So today at work I was thinking about my run and for some reason my Brooks popped in my head.  As soon as I got home I grabbed them out of the closet again and laced them up.  Once again they felt great.  I started my run and decided I am going to put the Brooks to the test. I was wearing my Garmin and had my headphones in.  I made it a point to not look at the Garmin until my run was done.  Sometimes I felt like I was moving slow and sometimes I felt like I was just chugging along.  There was a strong wing so it made half of the run more difficult.  When I finally finished I looked down at my Garmin and noticed I had ran one of my fastest 5K times during training in a while and also ran father than I anticipated.  

 

Here is the really weird thing, I noticed the tread on my shoes is still in great shape.  Could be because I run on my toes and I seem to take soft steps.( I really have not clue, but did that sound good?)  So now I have a question.  The power of the Pure Flows seems to really help me, so I am thinking I am going to train in my Saucony's and then use my Pure Flows on long runs and short races coming up.  Then I think it will be time to switch back to Brooks.  I tried the other brands but you don't mess with superstitions and all signs point to Brooks for my best runs.

 

Do you have any running superstitions?  If so what are they?

 

 

 



9 Weeks Till Race Day (Hydration Is Key)

     Another week has gone by and we are another week closer to the Pittsburgh Marathon.  So last week I was saying I felt some pain in my legs as I was running, and I thought it may be due to lack of hydration. So my goal for this week besides getting in some good runs was too make sure I was hydrated through out the days. I would wake up every morning and eat my cereal bar and drink a Powerade on the way to work.  Once I finished my drink I made sure to refill the bottle at least twice during work. Once home before I would go running or go to the gym I would drink another glass of water with a mixture of recovery powder.  I figured it has all the amino acids and creatine you would want in your body after running so it cant be to bad before a work out as well.

Monday
   Due to the shitty weather (go figure) I was forced to go to the gym and use the treadmill.  I did 6 miles with intervals every 3 minutes changing my pace from a 9 minute pace to a 7 minute pace.  I felt really good for the whole work out and was pain free.  Once finished running I worked on my abs for about 20 minutes using different machines.

Tuesday
   Once again the weather was not good and I was back at the gym to use the treadmill.  I did 8 miles of a progression run. I started out at a 10 minute pace and every mile I would increase the speed until my last mile was a 6 minute pace. I felt really good again and was pain free again.

Wednesday
   I used this day as my cross training day. I went to the gym and road the bike for a half hour doing 8 miles, followed by a half hour of lifting on the machines. I then spent 20 minutes of doing nothing but abs.  I felt really good and I have noticed the bike has become easier for me and I am starting to be able to lift more.

Thursday
    I used this day as my rest day. It felt good to take the day off and get some running around done that I needed to do.

Friday
    Did a quick 4 miles outside, even though it was cold and snowy and then came inside and used the foam roller.  Still was pain free and I figured the foam roller would help my legs get ready for my long run the next morning.

Saturday
    Time for the long run and time to take some advice and try to go a little harder than normal.  I did 15 miles at a 7:45 pace.  At about the 6th mile I started to have trouble breathing and I had to stop for a quick second to get my wind back.  When I started up I decided it would be a good time to take my GU.  I was feeling really good and I felt like finally all is going good.  Then on mile 12 my left leg started to go numb. 9 years ago I broke my ankle and every once in a while I will get pain from it.   I was told by the surgeon this would happen.  Over all though I felt like I had a good run and even though there is room for improvement I was happy with my progression.  On a side note this was the day I realized I need to retire one of my favorite running shoes.

My Brooks Pureflow 2's and me had some good runs together. We did the New York Marathon as one and we trained a lot for Pittsburgh this year as a team.  The time we stepped in dog shit could of been something we didn't need but it was still an experience.  I will miss running in these shoes. But now it is time to bring out a new pair of shoes and try a new brand.  I decided to go with Saucony this time around.  I am not a person that likes to spend 140 dollars on shoes every other month so what I like to do is wait till they bring out a new model and just buy the last model at a cheaper price.  From running for so many years I have been able to figure out what shoe is good for my foot type and what shoe will work for me.  So let me introduce you to the new part of my team.
I am hoping me and these shoes will have some good runs together and we will even set a PR at the Pittsburgh Marathon this year.


      Today we are expected to get somewhere of 4-8 inches of snow, and the roads are already looking bad so it looks like I will use this day as a stretching and foam rolling day.  Hopefully this weather breaks soon and it will be everyday that we are all running outside.  


    Last night I got to take some time off thinking about running and my wife and I went to watch my friend as he boxed for the golden gloves tournament.  Win or lose I got to say I am proud of him. He went the distance and did unreal for his first fight.  I cant wait till his next fight to go watch him again.  I am a sports fanatic and like all sports.  So when I get the chance to go see a friend do their sport it is always a good thing.  Everyone needs support when they are doing their thing!

How is your training coming along?
What do you do with shoes that you no longer run with?

Footwear

I am sure alot of runners get this question.  What shoe should I buy if I want to start running?
I wish there was just one answer to this question, but unfortunately every person's body is different and every person has a different way of running.  If you really are just starting out I would suggest you go to your local running store and have an employee tell you what type of foot you have.  The type of foot you have depends on the type of shoe you need.  Take me for example I am in the small percent of people that underpronate.  So my shoe selection is always not as good as everyone's but if I try to wear a shoe that is not made for me i get blisters real bad and start to get shin splints.  I am also a huge Brooks shoe fan.  Brooks seems to make the perfect shoe for me.  I know when you are starting something new the tendency is too start cheap and once you see if you like it then start spending money.  I would highly advice for running you not do that.  Wearing the wrong shoe can cause more damage.  Pay the extra money for a good pair and start out running in something that is for you. Hey if you decide that running is not for you put the shoes on ebay. There is always someone looking to buy a cheap pair of shoes.   I would like to hear what shoe works for other people, so please feel free to tell me what brand stand by and why.