Saucony Triumph 10: Rotating in.

In a previous post, I revealed what shoe elimination day looked like. And, not surprisingly, my large variety of running shoes (brands and styles) were still ‘in the running’ to be my next top shoe.

However, the dirty-behind-the-scenes truth is – I don’t have a top shoe. I rotate out different shoes to give my feet some variety. It’s like running on a different surface and the variety helps to keep my feet from having recurring ‘trouble spots’. That being said, I do have a new favorite joining the rotation: the Saucony Triumph 10. My pads will be glad when it’s time to Triumph!

Here’s what I mean about shoe rotation. Last Sunday I ran the RNR LA Half in some Brooks. However, I needed to do a full 20 miles so I came home and switched those out for the new Triumphs. Best decision I made all day. I’d only put a couple miles on the Triumphs at that point, so while not yet race-ready, they were perfect for 7 more miles on a treadmill.

All About Saucony Triumph 10 
These kicks are coming out THIS MONTH (Nov 2012) so look for them at your local running store and give them a spin. Word is they are retailing for a $130 or so, which is a premium price. However, from what I’ve learned and experienced, this is a premium shoe.

Line: Triumph is a line of shoes that Saucony has developed for neutral runners. It is a light weight shoe (10 ounces or so) with lots of cushion and a lower heel profile at 8mm.

Style: What can I say? It’s a sexy lookin shoe. I’m no fashionista but I do have my own sense of aesthetics and this is definitely a shoe I would pluck off the wall simply because of looks. But this is just superficial stuff so I’m going to move on. I generally care more about how a shoe performs than how pretty it is and you probably agree.

Design: First thing I noticed was the outer mesh = breathable. ❤ The second thing I noticed, as I put them on, was that the upper part of the shoe is SUPER thin. Maybe I’m getting used to my hardy trail shoes. But of course, this helps make them very light weight.

Looking around the shoe I noticed some more things I thought were interesting. So I checked into them. This part gets a little technical.

• PowerGrid = PowerFoam + Grid Technology: This is what they call the foam they inject into the shoe mold. It’s apparently high-end stuff and trademarked by Saucony. Their unique PowerFoam material is combined with something called Grid Technology, giving you superior cushion when you land and making sure each part of the shoe responds well as you move.
• Sauc-Fit: This is how they design the upper part of the shoe to fit your foot. It is supposed to help keep the middle of your foot and your heel secure and provide extra comfort.
• HydraMAX: This is the material they use to line the “collar” of the shoe. It is moisture-wicking and super, super soft.

Fit & Feel: I wore these shoes for CrossFit, for walking around, and for running. I would describe them as light, a little roomier than average, and really soft and springy (as in the cushioning in the bottom of the shoe). In spite of the Sauc-Fit technology, I felt like my foot wiggled around too much, so I utilized the extra shoelace eyelet to synch the collar around my foot better. Works every time.

The Triumph has more cushion that I’m used too, which is a nice change. However, I don’t think I’ll wear them for CrossFit as we lift and shift our weight a lot. The additional cushion and roominess of the shoe makes me feel less stable.

For running, the Triumph 10s are like a feet treat. Of course running is the main thing, and these felt like a dream. During the half marathon I ran Sunday morning, the pads of my feet were starting to ache. However, during the 7 miles I did later that afternoon, I didn’t notice that discomfort at all because I had switched to the Triumph 10s. I suspect I’ll be using these for all my midweek runs now.

Upgrades: As this IS a new iteration of the same shoe, what improvements did Saucony make? They gave it even MORE cushion and made it MORE responsive to the movement of your foot. There is a cushion pod underneath the heal that they increased. This is what they call the SRC Impact Zone (Super Rebound Compound) and it helps lessen the shock as you land. They also broke up the outsole on the heel a bit to allow each part of the heel to move more independently. This is intended to let your foot move more naturally from the moment it lands to the moment it launches.

Verdict: While the Triumph 10 does come at a high price point, it would be well worth the money for someone who intends to do a lot of road running and is looking for one great plush and premium shoe to train and race in. Saucony delivers a solid product with a lot of thought put into the materials and design. Saucony is all about helping you #FindYourStrong and the Triumph 10 will definitely help you do that.

HONEST HUTCH Disclaimer: Saucony and FitFluential LLC GAVE ME A pair OF Triumph 10′s for review PURPOSES. ALL views and opinions in this review are MINE and mine alone.

Related Info:

• Saucony Triumph 10 at Summer OR Show 2012
• Saucony PowerGrid Triumph 10 Shoe Review - Confessions of a Fitness Instructor
• Saucony Triumph 10 Review – Running with Attitude

NWM 2012 – A PR with Yurbuds.

Disclaimer: While I ran this entire half marathon wearing my Yurbuds in my ears, I saved the actual music playing for the last 5k only – saving the power of tunes for when it was needed most. Thanks to Yurbuds for including me on their team for this race, allowing me to “beat” the awful memory of this course and set a new PR!

What happened in 2010? The weather was bad and I ran the NWM half on an aggravated IT band. It isn’t a fond memory. I walked the hills, which led to my shivering misery at the finish. I also ended up limping an additional 3 miles, soaking wet in the rain, trying to find a taxi or city bus that wasn’t packed. The course was difficult, the circumstances were poor, and I was defeated. I cherished the necklace because it was the only thing I had to show for a miserable run. I said I’d never do it again.

Team Yurbuds:

Meg, also with Team Yurbuds, ready to run!

But…then I signed up to do it again with Yurbuds this year. Why? Because Yurbuds are awesome and because I wanted revenge on that course. I’m a stronger, healthier runner now and I wanted to show that be-otch whose boss! So I threw my hat into the ring and am SO thankful that Yurbuds found me worthy.

During the race this year, I discovered an additional benefit to Yurbuds. They keep my ears warm by not allowing cold air into the ear canal. My other earbuds would’ve done that too… if they would’ve stayed in my ear for more than 2 minutes.

Around mile 2 a woman asked if I was wearing the new Yurbuds and how I liked them. I gave her my review (which is mainly written here) and then we parted ways. I like to think Yurbuds got their money’s worth with me. [o:

The main thing I was curious about was whether or not the Yurbuds would begin to feel sore in my ears after 2+ hours of running around. I was pleased to find they did not. They never got uncomfortable. SWEET! Turning on the tunes for the last 3 miles really helped me keep plugging away toward the finish and not once did I have to worry about slipping or loose headphones.

At the start. Yurbuds applied. Let’s do this.

Tight Hammies:
In the first 3 miles I was worried that running in Tilden Park the day before was a bad idea. My hammies were tight and my legs felt tired. “Oh brother,” I thought “this is going to be a long race”. Then I remembered the hills mountain I ran with Matt the week before and that I had been under fueled. I wasn’t going to have those mountains today. These hills were smaller and I WOULD be properly fueled. I pressed on and embraced the tired legs.

Owning Those Hills:
I have bad memories of stopping to walk up the hills at NWM 2 years ago. As I approached the hill at mile 3 again, I wanted to beat it. In spite of my legs, I was determined to shuffle as fast as I could for as long as I could up that hill. “I think I can, I think I can”. Then something AMAZING happened. My hamstrings loosened and my legs warmed up and I felt like I could keep plugging away at that hill forever. It didn’t feel hard at all. I reached the top and was elated! I knew the biggest climbs were still ahead at mile 6 but I’d worry about that later.

NUUN Walks!
Pretty much the only time I stopped to walk was through the aid stations as I chugged cups of heavenly Nuun nectar. I don’t know if the mixture was stronger or if my taste buds are more sensitive during the run, but the Nuun was strong and I LOVED it. My friend Matt says that if something tastes out-of-this-world amazing when you’re running it’s probably because it has something your body really needs. I think he’s right. Each and every time I left an aid station, I felt recharged and ready to tackle the next few miles. I knew I’d gotten the electrolytes I needed and perhaps just the taste of Nuun brings back such great Hood To Coast memories that it gave me a mental energy boost!

CrossFit Confidence:
When I approached the largest hills of the course, I was confident that I could run them. I settled into my hill shuffle and just plugged away until I got to the top and then savored the steep and steady downhills with quick feet. I even spread my arms at one point like a total spaz as I ‘flew’ down the hills.

I attribute my race day confidence to CrossFit. As an adult-onset runner I often struggle with self doubt. I don’t know what I’m capable of or  how hard I can push myself. Am I in good enough shape? Can I do this? If I can then why does it feel so uncomfortable or hard? After 3 months of CrossFit, I have a much better sense of what I’m capable of. I know that I’m in the best shape I’ve EVER been in. I know that I can push harder than I have before. I know that I am stronger.

2 for 2: When I talk with Marjorie before a run, it goes really well. She is magical.

Prior to the race, Marjorie had talked with me a bit about my weakness – which is mainly mentally giving into the discomfort and pain. I remembered what she said about just accepting it and chipping away it (in my head), and learning that I can handle it. Several times during the last 5 miles I thought about stopping.

My inner dialogue was something like this: “I can stop if I want too. Why? Because I’m uncomfortable. Well yeah. But how uncomfortable? Well my legs are sore. Okay. But they’re not injured. I’m just uncomfortable because I’ve been running for 1.5 hours. Yes, and I should be uncomfortable. Embrace it. This is how I get stronger and faster.“ And with that I kept going until, voila, I was rounding the corner to the finish line!

Finished! Suspecting a PR & prematurely tweeting.

A New PR – even if only by 10 seconds:
I was pretty sure I’d hit a PR when I crossed the finish. Unfortunately, I was pretty off about how much of a PR. Having AT&T means my phone is useless in San Francisco. I didn’t bring a watch and I forgot to look at the time when I crossed the start line. I was trying to estimate my pace as I went but have never been good with that whole math-on-the-run thing. I finished in 2:17:23 – a 10 second overall PR. WHAT?! I really didn’t expect to get a new PR, even if only by 10 seconds. And on a difficult course. I’m pretty stoked about that. My second half marathon PR this year!

What’s even MORE delicious: I was 26 minutes faster this year than 2010. That’s 2 minutes per mile! I crushed my previous time on this course and I could not be more proud of myself.

He was the cutest of them all.

I made it a point to get a picture with a fireman. Why? Because in 2010 I was so cranky and annoyed with the crowds of women that I squeezed by and nabbed my necklace on the sly. This time, I was determined to savor the moment. It’s a nice perk of the race.

Nike No More:
I had a great weekend and a great race, but my opinion of this event is still unchanged from 2010. Some may be motivated to run because they want to be Sexy or Fierce (this word is tired, no?). Some by “skinny jeans” or jewelry – as the signs lining the course would have you believe. These are good gateway motivations but ultimately, they are shallow and won’t help women be healthy and happy for life. So, the vibe of this event is not for me. The one thing that I love about this event is that it supports the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society!

I came this year to battle my demons on this course and I did that. I won’t look back. There are other races calling my name, now. Besides, I’m much more excited about Nike’s younger sister anyway. [o:

It IS a pretty good shiny prize.

A Note on “Gateway” Motivations: I shouldn’t be too critical. I also had a gateway motivation to run, hence the name of my blog. It worked for me. I collected shiny medals and finished event after event, often poorly trained and ill prepared, but I slugged it out and learned a lot in the process. One of the best things I learned was to enjoy running for running’s sake and that I didn’t need a medal to know that I accomplished something. Now, I’m motivated to run because I enjoy it, because I want to be healthy, because it brings me amazing experiences and because I want to push my limits. I still like shiny prizes, but I don’t need to be pandered to. I don’t need dangling carrots in the form of chocolate or sex appeal or necklaces. I’ve outgrown those things as race participant (perhaps it’s time for a change of the blog name). However, I know others need or want another motivation to make them run. So, I leave Nike Women’s Marathon for them. I hope they learn that to run or walk for health and happiness is just as good as, if not better than, to do so for a necklace. 

Holiday Sparkle Giveaway

GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED. Winner is announced here. 

Alright, friends. It’s time for another GIVEAWAY! I’ve got some fun run flair and fuel for you, which can really help give you a boost of energy for your winter races.

Holiday runs are coming up FAST. In order to help you get in the Turkey Trot/Jingle Bell Run/New Year Dash spirit, I’m pleased to bring you a Team Sparkle running skirt giveaway – in the color of your choosing.

These sparkly skirts with an elastic band easily slip over your favorite run capris/shorts/or even another running skirt. Even if you’re running at night, the sparkly fabric will catch any shimmers of light and keep you glowing. However, sparkle skirts are not meant to replace reflective vests and tail lights. [o:

I ran all three of my Hood to Coast legs in my sparkle skirt and I even brought it out again to cheer as Hula Girl at the Leona Valley Trail Marathon. I really appreciate that the skirt is light and you don’t even notice it’s there.

But there is more. In addition to winning your color choice of sparkle skirt, I will send you 10 Island Boost packs! If you haven’t tried this before, this is a good way to learn about and try out a stellar new product.

Great for gluten free runners, or anyone needing a mid-run IV shot to get your engine firing on all cylinders, Island Boost is an energizing liquid concentrate that is easier to take on the run than thick gels or chews and gives you energy, fast. Island Boost is made with fructose and glucose, which your body will like better than the synthetic sugars found in the most popular running fuels.

So this giveaway is worth about $42 but…there is still more! I have some fun swag items from some of my sponsors that I will throw in as well. I want this giveaway prize to feel like early Christmas for one lucky reader!

IMPORTANT NOTES: Read before you enter.

• This is only open to US residents.
• Giveaway ENDS Monday, October 22nd at 1:00 PM Pacific.
• Winner is chosen via a randomizer. I play fair.
• Winner will be announced on my blog and must contact me to claim their prize by the end of the day on Thursday, October 25th, or I will select a new winner.
• Giveaways build awareness for things I like and want to stay around, so please show these guys some love by liking/following their social media channels:
  • Team Sparkle on Facebook - Twitter - Pinterest
  • Island Boost on Facebook - Twitter

How to Enter The Giveaway:

1. Visit the Team Sparkle website and then comment below on which color is your favorite. This is the only requirement. (1 entry)
2. For an additional entry, leave a second comment describing how you would incorporate a Team Sparkle skirt into your holiday running costume/outfit. (+1 entry)
3. Click to tweet about this giveaway! You don’t have to and it won’t get you an extra entry but I’d really love it if you did.

Good luck!

Yurbuds – Love at first run.

Ya know, I wasn’t sure if I was going to run tonight but when I got home from work there was a little box begging me to lace up and hit the road. I’m so glad I did. It was a great evening for a run – the sky was so beautiful I couldn’t help but smile!

I haven’t said so yet officially but, the reason I’m able to run Nike Women’s (half) Marathon this year is because of a partnership with an official race sponsor, Yurbuds. I’ve seen these around for awhile and so I jumped at this opportunity. I LOVE products made FOR WOMEN BY WOMEN (like Bia and RunningSkirts.com). So when these babies showed up on my doorstep tonight I had to take them for a spin.

Here’s my right-after-running reaction to using them for the first time:

So, in order to insert your Yurbuds you have to twist – which I am used to because I would do that to try to get my old earbuds to ‘stick’ by twisting them around. The odd looking shape of the “enhancers” (the silicone piece that covers the earphone) is a little offputting but trust me when I say I felt they were completely comfortable. Now, I’ve not logged hours in them yet so I’m curious to see how they compare for a long run. My old earphones would somehow cause my ears to feel numb or sore with pressure. So stay tuned for that.

One thing I did notice was that I could still hear the cars and wind around me while my music played. That’s because they’ve designed these to allow more ambient noise. For a lady running solo, that is smart design right there.

It’s good to know that Yurbuds does have different sized enhancers if you need them. I find the ones that came standard out of the box to be good for me. They are snug and I was THRILLED that I didn’t have to fidget or fuss with them at all during my run. If only I had video of the last time I ran with my old earphones. It was always so embarrassing to be running and swinging my arms around as I fished for a loose flying earphone behind my back. NO MORE!

I’m not going to lie – I will probably take these to work and wear them at my desk, ya know for the times when I need to block out my co-workers water-cooler gossip I legitimately need to watch a video online for “work reasons” I really need to focus.

If you are interested in taking a look at Inspire Yurbuds, you can probably find them at an REI, Best Buy, or running store near you. Check out the Yurbuds website for more information.

THANK YOU YURBUDS, SWEATY BANDS, AND LUNA BAR FOR A GREAT PACKAGE! (That Sweaty Band worked amazing, by the way. I’m going to have to look more into these).

I highly encourage you to follow Yurbuds on Twitter and Facebook. Search Twitter for #inspireforwoman for more info on this product. Also, this weekend, keep an eye on #runnwm for tweet deets from Nike Women’s Marathon!

Disclosure: I received this product for free to use and review. All opinions are my own.

We Will Run (A shout out to our sponsors).

Gathering a large group of active women who like to talk/write/blog/tweet and generally have a lot of opinions, is brave. To Nuun Hydration, for making this all possible AND providing us with all-we-could-guzzle hydration in every flavor, I thank you.

Providing supplies to this same group of women is a great gesture and so to all the companies that donated or discounted your goods, I thank you.

This Thank You video is in no way going to properly convey my gratitude. It is, like my application video, oh-so-homemade. I am proud, however, that I finally got my audio interface to work with garage band, even if it took 5 precious hours of my Saturday doing the input-output tango.

We Will Run by Fun. Nuun. Running Hutch

All these wonderful bloggers contributed to this video with photos and allowing me to video them here and there.

Here is a list of things we got to use or try for Hood to Coast. Some of these products will reappear on my blog for giveaways or further review. 

Aspaeris Pivot Shorts - These are really working well for CrossFit too!

BENGAY

Chobani

Endorphin Warrior

GNC – Total Lean Breakfast Bars were pretty darn good. I will say I didn’t care for the Strawberries and Cream flavor but the Iced Cinnamon was awesome.

GoSport ID

Jamba Juice

Kind Snacks

Knuckle Lights

Magnets on the Cheap

Maui Jim Sunglasses

Oiselle – They gave us awesome shirts pre-relay.

Picky Bars

RoadNoise Sports

Shower Pill

Sparkly Soul Headbands

Swiftwick

Team Sparkle

Tiger Tail

Thorlos

Tough Chik

THANK YOU!