Asics, Carb Bomb, Running Shorts, Anonymous Donors, and Power Songs (Runs 20 & 21)

Week 4 of training is officially done. I now have 19 more weeks until my race (October 19, 2008). So, I'm basically 1/6 of the way done, and as of today, I am just over 1/5 of the way to my fundraising goal of $4,000. So, I'm right on track.

I had previously mentioned my acquisition of a new pair of Nikes (in my spastic runner post). After two test runs, I had to take them back. The shoes just felt too big and bulky and awkward as I had Clydesdale's hooves instead of little running feet. So, after a bit of harassment from Cory at Runner's Soul and 6-8 pairs of shoes tried on, I settled on the Asics Gel Kayano 14. They are less bulky than the Nikes and less "motion control" than the Sauconys that I've put close to 200 miles on (I acquired those BEFORE I started training for the Nike Half-Marathon). I tested them on Run 21 (an easy, recovery run), and they felt pretty good. I'll test them again today on Run 22, which is a 40 minute training run. If these don't work, I'm just going to get a second pair of the the Sauconys.

On Saturday I did Run 20, which was a long run of around 5 miles. This was the first run where I tested any kind of nutrition product. I have been pretty leery of sugar pre-run, so at the recommendation of Cory at Runner's Soul, I tried the Apple-Cinnamon Carb Bomb Gel. I had about 1/2 of the packet at the 40-minute mark of my run. It tasted like the filling in an apple donut, so I liked it. I also liked that my stomach didn't feel upset while I finished the run. I'm going to test the Hammer Gel, Clif Power Shot, and Gu gel in the next few weeks to see what I like best and what my stomach tolerates. I ran in the rain on Saturday, which was pretty great actually. People stare at you as if you are a pretty hardcore athlete when you are running in the rain. While that may not be true, I liked the feeling of being hardcore. Fake it 'til you make it, right?

I have also been testing running shorts. As I am barely 5'2" (or, not quite 5'2"), the shortness of running shorts isn't an issue, but rather the length of the rise. To put it bluntly, many of the running shorts that I've tried seem to have an extra-long crotch. While I guess that could be handy for storing nutrition gels, I don't need to look anymore awkward than I already do while running. I have found that the Nike Sister Tempo Shorts have a lower rise and a more flattering fit on my short self. However, pretty much everyone sells the Nike Tempo shorts, but not the Sister Tempo shorts. The regular tempos have a long inseam and look generally ridiculous on me.

In addition, all the running shorts that I've tried have what I like to call the running diaper. This is the built in liner that I assume is comparable to what is inside a pair of men's swim trunks. The only plus to the "diaper" is that it has a key pocket. Other than that, it feels and looks as if it belongs over a pair of depends. I am not so concerned about my race pace that I need to wear adult diapers when I run. So, I am also going to be testing the Patagonia "body line" of workout gear to see if it's a better option. At the least, it looks better (like girl's swim bottoms).

Finally, I received another "anonymous" donation the other week for $100. I have a hunch who it is from, but thank you anonymous donor.

[Also, my current "power song" is "Tick Tick Boom" by The Hives--just what I need when that run gets a little too hard.]