Hoka, Lime, and Sneaker

(Get it?)

I had been in search of Hoka One One sneakers for months.  The regular price ranges from $130 to $170, a pretty penny indeed.  I was hoping to find a discounted pair online, however they were never available in my size, Delicate Petite.  Instead, the ones that are marked down tend to be Size Clown or Sasquatch (No offense to clowns, sasquatches or anyone with feet larger than a women's 6.  I'm sure your feet have served you well.   Mine just happen to be unusually dainty and attractive.)  (Oh, I'm kidding, they're just as calloused and stinky as yours...).  I finally came to terms with the fact that I will have to pay full price.  I called a local running store that went ahead and ordered a pair in my size.  They come in many styles and colors, I wound up with the Cliftons in coral.  Not my first choice (I preferred lime), but beggars can't be choosers.  I was happy to learn that everything in the store is 15% off, so I paid $120, including tax.

The next day I couldn't wait to try them out.  I laced them up (wrong) and the first thing I noticed was that I was now tall (relatively speaking).  Cool!  It's like wearing high heels without the excruciating discomfort.  I pranced out the front door and began my 6.4 mile test run, not before tripping down the path to the sidewalk.  I worried that I might be falling all over the place due to this new height, but luckily that was my only misstep.  So what was it like?  I told Freighbor it was like running on pillows filled with clouds and rainbows!  The cushion felt great on my bones.  Plus, they are so lightweight, it's literally like running on air.  I have been running in them ever since with no hip pain or stumbles.  You might say, I'm Hoka-ed (Get it?).

left to right: Right & Left 

Friday (5/22/15) - 6.4 miles

Saturday (5/23/15) - 3.5 miles

Monday (5/25/15) - 9 miles - Tough run at 1pm in 80 degree humidity at the Massapequa Preserve.  There were a lot of people enjoying the holiday on the path, I was not one of them.  I wished my running buddies were there with me.  

Tuesday (5/26/15) -3.66 miles, 32:10, 8:47 pace - Around the reservoir in Hempstead Lake Park with Pete.  Hot and humid again (And it's not even summer!)

Thursday (5/28/15) - 6 miles, 49:30ish, 8:15ish pace - Early morning run in 70 degrees.  

Total Mileage - 28.56 miles

Go Army!

At 7:00am I got a message from my friend, Michele, that registration for the Army Ten Miler opened a half hour earlier.  I already had this on my calendar, but was not sure I would sign up mainly because my St. George Marathon is the weekend before the Ten Miler.  This would mean possibly being MIA from the family two weekends in a row - not only during soccer season, but on a tournament weekend.  I asked Pete his thoughts on the matter and he said, "Sign up."  Well, that was easy.  The site was slow as snails, but at least it hadn't shut down yet (which happened a couple of hours later when I tried to check out the course).  After a great display of uncharacteristic patience, I was in.  Michele got in, too.  She was the main reason I had any interest in this particular race.  As a DC area resident and avid runner, she said this was by far her favorite local race, better than the Cherry Blossom Ten Miler and the Marine Corps Marathon.  Ten miles is a great distance and who better to run with than a bunch of soldiers?  There will be 35,000 runners, maybe the largest race at this distance in the country.  I am psyched.  Dare I say, "Ooo-rah!"

Wednesday (5/13/15) - 5 miles

Friday (5/15/15) - 5 miles

Saturday (5/16/15) - 5.61 miles 

Sunday (5/17/15) - 7.3 miles - The Petite Pacer and I ran 3.3 miles together at Bethpage State Park before meeting up with The Emerging Runner  (ER) for another 4.  Traditional Starbucks post-run coffee.

Tuesday (5/19/15) - 4.23 miles

Total Mileage:  27.14 miles

left to right:  ER, CSI: NY, and L&O:SVU

(Only one of us has not been cancelled)

Fire!

I went to a new orthopedist yesterday, Dr. Brian Neri at Pro Health Sport Medicine.  The office is large and bustling, however I never felt like I was getting lost in the shuffle.  First, they x-rayed me in the office which was very convenient.  After, I met with the doctor.  I told him that I thought it was bursitis from running, however, after taking a few days off, my hip actually felt 95% better.  He stretched out my right leg and then put pressure on parts of my upper thigh.  Nada.  He then put pressure right on the outer rounded part of my hip and bingo!  He chuckled a little which I thought was odd.  He then explained that he is actually writing a paper on this particular injury.  It is "tensor fascia lata enthesopathy" which is such a strange  coincidence because that was my nickname in high school.  He said he has only seen this condition in female runners, never male runners and never females who don't run.  It is similar to shin splints, except on the hip.  He said my x-rays looked great (I'm pretty photogenic) and I'm likely on the mend.  If it gets worse, I should go to a physical therapist or consider a deep muscle massage.  He also didn't think I would have any difficulty starting my marathon training in a couple of weeks.  I left the appointment feeling optimistic and couldn't wait to get home for a run.

Tuesday (5/12/15) - 4 miles, 32:47,  8:10 pace.  I went out at 2:30pm.  Although, it was 88 degrees and humid, the breeze never made me feel overheated.  On my second mile as I turned onto Maple Avenue, I could see some smoke in the distance.  As I got closer, I saw that there were some bushes on fire next to an office building.   Within minutes, the fire spread up the entire outer wall, as well as the Lexus SUV parked closest to the building.  The office workers who were inside evacuated.  A policeman strolled casually from the station house which just happens to be across the street.  He didn't seem impressed or alarmed.  I decided to keep running when some people mentioned the car might explode.  At that point, the fire trucks came howling down the street.  Almost a mile away, I could still smell the smoke thanks to the breeze.

Wednesday ( 5/13/15)- 5 miles, 42:08, 8:26 pace.  I ran past the building again today:

Someone didn't drive home yesterday.

Ready Or Not...

The week of April 26th, I ran four miles three times.  Last week, I ran twice, four miles on May 5 and five on the 7th.  Needless to say, I am still experiencing hip pain.  Whenever I felt good enough to run, I bolted out the door...but then like clockwork, my right hip would start acting up again for days afterwards.  It is not a debilitating pain, but enough to cause me concern that if I push it, I might do some serious damage.  I have an appointment with an orthopedist tomorrow.  Fingers crossed he will tell me it is not a big deal and I will be 100% to run 50 miles per week by June 1st because...

...last Thursday I received an email congratulating me on getting into the St. George Marathon!  I am so excited!!!  Apparently, this is the first year that everyone who applied was accepted.  As much as I wanted to run these past few days, I have refrained.  I am doing my best to be good so I can be great in a couple of weeks.  Having strep throat over the weekend helped.

Here are a couple of non-running related pictures from when I was non-running:

Girls' manicure on Mother's Day

Noodles with my Schnoodles at Ichibantei

in the East Village, the perfect place

 when you're in the mood

for Japanese food and Reggae.