These are the beatiful trail shoes I won from the Run Run Live Podcast. The photo really doesn't do them justice - they're much bluer than they look.
Since I've never had trail shoes before, it's difficult for me to rate these, but their performance on my trial run was excellent, and I have nothing bad to say about them.
The laces are super. Non-slip - won't likely ever come untied. The tongue is integrated into the shoe sock, so there are no seams or bumps cause foot discomfort. They made my feet feel very stable, even when twisting from side to side on rocks. The soles have superior grip power - I felt comfortable going both up and down steep hills. The downhill slopes on my trail felt very slippery to me in regular running shoes - not so in these puppies.
The shoes are Patagonia Release made by Vibram (the Five Finger people.) When these wear out I won't consider looking at other brands.
So - I decided to get really serious this week. I hired a trainer. His name is Dave and he owns the CrossFit gym a couple of blocks from my house. When I first noticed the gym I said it wouldn't last more than a couple of months because of its size, location, and proximity to other chain establishments. I was wrong.
CrossFit is and Elite Fitness Training Center without the Elitist attitude. They focus on training the whole body - not just parts of it. There are no gimmicky gadgets in this gym and the only aerobic equipment is a non-motorized rowing machine. I was very impressed with my first workout, and very sore the day after. It's an insidious thing that sneaks up on you. I'm planning for two sessions per week for now.
Dave told me to not go near my scale for one month. That is going to be very difficult for me, but I'm going to give it a shot. Since my first workout my diet has been clean and sugar-free. The first few days were hard, but I perservered and I'm not going back there.
Oh Lybbe, I can so relate to this episode! I too signed up too for a personal trainer, just to create a commitment. I was SO bad at making myself work out at the great gym at work or with all the kit we have at home. (and my husband would scorn the expense if he knew...)
ReplyDeleteBut three months in going 3 days a week, I really can see changes in my body strength and shape even if the scale has not changed.
And I don't know how to resist the draw of snacking. I can work from home a couple of days a week and recently have reached rock bottom - failing to stick to a clean diet. BETTER to commute 3 hrs a day, that's 3 hrs away from the kitchen!