Just another way for you to follow me, in case you’d like to.
Running in heat, with PF without having a shower post run? Uhm, yes!
While my running have progressed a bit lately there’s a few things bothering me:
1. Life
We’ve had a lot of problems with the house we’re renting lately. The water pump caused a flooded basement and after that it can’t be trusted. So this means.. No water in the house. No water to do dishes, no water for flushing the toilet, no water to SHOWER. This is obviously my biggest problem, mostly because I’m a runner. And when I’m running I sweat. And by sweat I mean SWEAT. A lot. So running and not having a shower afterwards is not really an option, especially not since I have really sensitive skin and no shower and a lot of sweat gives me rashes. So yeah, life isn’t cooperating fully with my running lately. And honestly, I hate it. I wake up every morning wanting to move back home. Wait, what?! Leave “paradise” for a tiny apartment in Sweden?! I must be nuts!
There is one solution (kind of) to the problem, I figured it out today: start and finish my run at the warm pond. My “pool” you know? I jumped into the water post run and even got myself a fresh cold shower before heading back home. Hurray!
2. My right foot
I have been training smart after I got back from the injury. But I made one huge mistake, I continued to run in my old Asics far too long. I noticed already before I got injured in January that my shoes were getting close to retirement. Small twitches in knees and so on had me thinking that it was time for a new pair of shoes. And then, enter injury and I completely forgot about this until the day I slowly started running again. I spent countless hours trying shoes on at Sports Authority and similar shops in Hilo (no specific running store to be found on this part of the island) and I just couldn’t find a shoe to buy. I knew I wanted to transition into a lower heel-to-toe drop shoe, a more minimal shoe, but I was stuck on the thought of finding one with 4-6mm drop and that turned out to be a hard nut to crack. I tried the Saucony Kinvara 3, the Brooks PureFlow, the Nike Free.. But no, none of them were right.
Finally, my answer turned out to be SKORA. Zero drop. Real running. I’ve transitioned into them pretty slowly but this means I’ve been spending way more time in those old Asics than I should’ve, which leads to the “my right foot” issue – I have Plantar Fasciitis symptoms and have had so for quite a while now. Yay, another injury?! No, not really. It’s really not that bad, but enough to make my running hurt every once in a while. I’ve still been running pretty much as normal, slowly adding miles per week and month but I can assure you I’ve spent a lot of time massaging, stretching icing, rolling and applying icy hot cream on that poor foot. I feel like I might have it under control and still feel hopeful I’ll be able to continue my training and progress as planned.
3. Heat
I know, I shouldn’t be complaining about living in Hawaii. I really do love it! But darn, sometimes that heat and humidity really gets to me. I try to run in early AM (this doesn’t work out great right now because of the above mentioned right foot being extra grumpy in the AM) or just before sunset, but I still struggle. I hydrate well, I really do. And I think the best solution for this problem might actually be to surrender and give in to the need for a hat/visor? Or maybe you have any other solutions for me? Something I’m missing when it comes to running in heat?
Anyways, this thing with getting a hat/visor.. Don’t tell me this is no big deal, because it is. I spent hours in Seattle going from store to store to try to find a hat that would fit my tiny female skull. It didn’t work, I really didn’t find a single hat that wasn’t too loose!
But other than this, life is good. Really, I’m all good, staying positive. Smiling a lot and enjoying lots of cat cuddles and a swim in the ocean every once in a while.
Q: Do you live somewhere where it gets hot, like too hot? How do you manage to cope with the heat while running? Any special tricks?
My Running Lately
I’ve felt so good with my running lately! I’m still far from where I was in December/January (I PR’d in a 5k race December 30th – 25:46, which I’m pretty darn proud of since I had only been running for about 7 months at that time) but things are really moving forward. I know that I was supposed to take it easy coming back from my injury, but I think my fear of getting re-injured was holding me back. Was I taking it too easy? Pretty sure I did.
When coach Mark from Teach To Run contacted me offering a month of help with my running I suddenly got that push I needed to move on. To stop fearing injury and actually push a little bit. I’m still concerned and trying to be smart with my running, but I feel like I’ve found that courage I needed to get back out there for real. That extra motivation and trust in myself, that I will get somewhere and that me getting somewhere, moving forward, with my running isn’t equal to me getting injured again.
I ran 29 miles in April. This is about half of what I did monthly before the injury, and I could definitely be bummed about it, but I’m staying positive and thinking of the fact that I wasn’t able to run at all during January and most of February. As for May.. So far I’ve been running just over 19 miles and I know that the total for the month will be higher than April’s. Yay me! When it comes to pace I went from an average of 9:50 min/mile in December to probably a minute slower for the month of April (can’t seem to find my ANT+ stick for the Garmin hence no proper stats for the time being). It can only get better, and it will. Trust me.
Speaking of my running lately.. I was sent the link to the article “Running On Air: Breathing Technique” posted on Runner’s World and it right away caught my interest. One of my fellow running tweeps heard I had been injured and before he knew what the injury was he wrote “Left side injury, right?” and yes, he was so right. He then sent me the link and I got his point. I’ve been incorporating this breathing technique (3 in, 2 out) and as I struggled a bit in the start the more I get used to it, the better I feel when running. I’m not getting as out of breath as I used to, not even when pushing harder. I know, this might be a total placebo, but since I started running I’ve had somewhat a problem with breathing comfortably and this sure helps.
Q: Are you aware of your breathing when running? Do you use any kind of breathing technique when you’re running?
The Story About Evelin, Her Dad And a Marathon – Part 1
I haven’t been running for a very long time, still I really do feel like I am a runner, which is a pretty amazing feeling! Especially knowing who I was just a few years ago. It’s probably easy to tell that running means a lot to me? It really does. It is my medicine, my joy, my way of finding my own strengths and it is my number one hobby. A hobby which takes up a lot of time and energy – if I’m not running, I’m definitely talking or thinking about running. Googling running related things or just looking at/dreaming about some running gear/apparel..
After a brief interaction with one of my followers I realized that I could actually run a marathon. I mean, I’ve known that I could if I aimed for it and went for it, but he made me realize that all I really need to do is.. Register. It all starts there, right?!
So with this new perspective I’ve started to set up goals for the future. Since I became a runner there is one thing, one dream, I keep coming back to.. And it is that I want to run a marathon with my dad.
My dear dad. The man who inspired and motivated be to play and coach basketball. The man who YEARS later got me into running and with that gave me the greatest gift I’ve ever had – I now run, and through my running I have learned so much about myself, about the physical and mental strength I possess, and I’ve found ways to channel stress, anxiety etc.
This marathon with my dad will happen, I just need to plan it with him. Are we doing it in Sweden? In the US? During winter or summer? The future will tell. But it will happen.
Tasc Performance Review
I’ve been thinking a lot about running clothes and gear in general during the last year and one thing I’ve noticed always gets my attention is material. I have this ongoing thing with natural materials in general, I love natural things (have a look at my toilet shelf and you’ll see nothing but natural stuff – different kinds of oils, baking soda, honey, lemon, sugar..) and tend to get super excited when I see companies going down that road.
So was the case when I first found out about Tasc Performance. Tasc is using Bamboo Performance Technology which is made out of a blend of viscose from bamboo, elastane and organic cotton in their clothes. This makes for a natural alternative to polyester, that still gives you that comfort, moisture wicking and sun protection you want in apparel to stay comfortable and happy when working out. And, not to forget, it is also fast drying and prevents the clothes from getting smelly – I’m sure I’m not the only runner who really appreciates that quality when it comes to running apparel?!
When I got in touch with the company they offered to send me some pieces to review and I gladly accepted.
I received the “Performance Crop“ and the “Motion Fitness LS“ which right away got me excited. When first taking the clothes out of the package I felt the material and was really happy with how soft it was. I put the clothes on and literally did NOT want to take them off even though it wasn’t run o’clock and actually rather the opposite – time to sleep.
Once actually getting to run in the clothes I felt comfortable and happy. Love the details on the pants and the shirt – the color of the shirt with the flattering black FlowMesh inserts on the side, the gray FlowMesh fabric in the back of the knees and the big and actual useable (meaning: it fits more than a key!) pocket on the back of the pants. Not to mention the perfect thumb holes on the shirt! I’d be a very happy girl if ALL my long sleeved shirts had them.
Love the feel/look of the pants and of course the thumb holes!
Reflective details and gray FlowMesh behind the knees.
I really like the cute Tasc Performance logo.
“Singularly stylish. Naturally dynamic. Strong. Flexible. Enduring.”
Due to the moisture wicking and fast drying material I really found the apparel working good although I’m sometimes running in pretty high temperatures. This makes me really happy – natural apparel that will work in both cool and warm temperatures – definitely great qualities for what tasc Performance calls “the sport of life”!
So, after trying these clothes out and really loving how they feel when working out or just lounging around at the house (or in town) I’m very intrigued by the brand and am actually already craving some of their new apparel. I’m especially curious about their Annecy Compression Short, the Vortex Short and the cute X-Cami top.
Go ahead and check tasc Performance out on Facebook, follow them on Twitter or just cruise around on their website.
Are You Running with Music?
Since I started running I’ve had my iphone or ipod with me most of the time. I even ran “Did You Survive the End of The World” 10k with my iphone in my hand/inside my bra/in my shorts because I forgot to bring my armband. I mean, come on! 1. Don’t you write a packing list for your races Evelin? 2. THAT desperate to listen to music when you race you’re spending energy and TIME (probably lost at least 30 sec on that race) struggling with finding a proper way to carry your phone?!
Lately though, I’ve been surprising myself by going out on my runs without phone/ipod and it’s been.. Wonderful! Never thought I’d say this actually, but I really enjoy listening to myself breathing/moving forward and the surrounding while out running. Not to mention that it’s actually a lot safer too – I can hear cars coming, instead of seeing them when they’re right by my side!
The fact that I’m rarely carrying my phone on my runs nowadays though, means that I’m not able to get photos from my runs. You might have seen my posts “My Run in Pictures” I posted last fall. I really enjoyed that and wish I could do more of that here in Hawaii. There really are some sweet spots to share with you all!
Anyways. I still enjoy having music in my ears (ear, I’ve decided to always keep my right ear “naked” to be able to hear cars/people/pigs approach me) from time to time and lately I’ve been kind of tired of my playlist. In fact, I’m in need of new music in general. Not just while running.
Q: What are your favorite songs to run to at the moment? Feel free to share. And happy running to you all!
A Love Story a.k.a My SKORA’s and I
When I first saw SKORA shoes around on Twitter and visited their website I right away knew a love story had been born. At first somewhat a unrequited love story because we had actually never met. But lately, that love story has become REAL. I finally gave in and ordered those shoes I’d been more and more intrigued by and spent HOURS reading about and looking at (literally drooling over) online. I mean, come on! They are beautiful shoes?! I can’t imagine anyone really seeing a photo of them and NOT be impressed..
And the reviews all over the running community, on blogs and twitter, said great things. The shoes are not just good looking but also great running shoes, which can take you further AND treat your body well for more than the normal (for traditional shoes) 300ish miles? I was sold. I knew I needed to get myself a pair. So yeah, I did. And I got two pairs – the Form and the Base. (It might be suitable with a little bit of a warning here.. CAUTION: Tons of pics of SKORA’s/my legs coming up!)
As I started my journey back from my injury I had my golden opportunity to transition into these shoes with no pressure. And boy/girl, do I enjoy the journey I’m on! Since before I had the SKORA’s I’ve been doing short barefoot runs and really feeling the benefits from them and now also from running in these shoes. My feet are loving it and so is my running form! The way I feel after switching to these shoes from my old ones is.. Something else(as in awesome)! The efficiency in my movement and the natural feel is so great. With the SKORA’s I feel like I’m flying. I know, I’m not that fast but that doesn’t stop me from feeling like I am. SKORA is all about “real running” (Maybe you’ve seen the hashtag #RunReal on Twitter? Well, that’s SKORA for you!) and I totally get it. No actually, I FEEL it!
I’ve been using every time I leave the house as an excuse to wear my SKORA shoes. Honestly to the point where the question is no longer “What shoes should I wear today?”, it is “What SKORA shoes should I wear today?“. I’ve been using the Form’s mainly for running but also everyday wear, and the Bases for hiking/everyday wear. If I’m going to the store or into town to run errands I love being able to slip my Bases on my feet, without socks, and just be ready to roll!
I’m a terrible poser. Like in I kind of hate it. That’s why I suddenly start scratching mosquito bites when husband is trying to take a photo of me.. But hey, at least he got my pretty shoes on the pic!
These shoes are zero drop, which means there’s no difference in toe and heel elevation from the ground. However, these two models have a stack height of 13mm with insoles still in, which means the soles of your feet will be separated from the ground by 13 mm. The Form have asymmetrical lacing which I really like. It seem to take a lot of the pressure off the foot where for some people too tight lacing might get painful or numb the feet. The Base have a crossed strap system which closes with velcro and they fit like a sock. And they really feel like a sock! Both models have a heel strap which you can tighten to get the shoes to really hug your heels, I really like this because I have pretty narrow heels and have had some problems with this in the past.
I’ve been transitioning into these shoes from my old traditional running shoes and am very happy with them. If you are curious about the shoes, head on over to SKORA and look around. They have an awesome blog too, with a lot of tips and tricks that can help you with your running – like transitioning into their shoes or just improve your running. I love this blog and am always happy when they update.
As a matter of fact, once I’m at it I’d like to inform you that SKORA is doing a daily giveaway of shoes (until May 10th) to celebrate the Base being mentioned in Men’s Health. Head on over to this blog post and make sure to enter daily. I know I’d take every opportunity to get a pair of SKORA’s on my feet if I didn’t already have two pairs to proudly walk/run around in! Um, to be completely honest I’m already craving more of the SKORA’s and wouldn’t be too surprised if I gave in and ordered more in the near future.. There’s just too many great looking shoes to want more than one (two in my case) pair!
