Ripped in 30 Review.

For the last 5 weeks, I have been working my way through the Jillian Michael’s Ripped in 30 DVD (it’s only $8 on Amazon?!?).  It’s been challenging to fit in all the workouts + trying to get my running game back but I think, overall, it was a good addition to my week.  If for no other reason than that I didn’t have to make a daily decision on what of the millions of workout options I would choose.  Here’s my mini review on the DVD:

(* I bought this DVD on my own and have had zero contact with the company so these are just my thoughts on a new workout routine I tried these past few weeks!)

Week 1: The first week, doing this workout felt really challenging but after re-doing it following the completion of week 4, it felt slightly LESS challenging but still pretty much a butt kicker.  The first week focuses a lot of the workout on moves that more people would be familiar with compared to all the super complex/new to me moves that came in the subsequent weeks.  (i.e. basic plank vs plank walk, etc.)  I feel like you really can’t be completely new to exercise when you begin this program or you will probably hurt yourself.  Week 1 jumps right in with pretty dynamic moves and without many options for modifications (“because 400 and 500 lb people do these moves so why can’t you?”) I really got annoyed every time she said this because I choose to modify moves to make them less impact to save my legs for running, not because I’m a lazy good for nothing sloth…

Week 2:  I think this week might be the most challenging of all!  The cardio seems more intense and that makes everything seem more difficult I think?  The moves start to get a little more complex this week and your balance is tested a lot more.  I really could do with out Jillian “wanting to bounce a quarter of my ass” and “wanting to bite the one girls butt.”  I just don’t see how that’s necessary…

Week 3: Legs, legs, legs, legs!  I feel like this week was all about the legs.  And with running too I recall being just plain tired and sore those few days.  If you are not familiar with the “duck walk” you will hate this tremendously by the end of week 3… I really liked the small upper body circuit at the end this week and I will try to remember that for doing in hotel room or quickly when I need some arm exercises that don’t require any weights (downdog pushups, side one arm pushups, and tricep dips).  Really good combo!  Still could do without the stupid “bouncing quarter” references…

Week 4: Ready to be done with this.  Jillian’s personality was starting to get on my nerves by this week.  I appreciate her ability + want to push people, I really do but the “my way or no way” attitude is just plain annoying somemost of the time… Also, the 2+ minute empowerment speech at the end was kind of not necessary.  If you listen to it once, it’s awesome but 3-4 times, not so much.  For some reason though, I really started to feel these moves in my knees – and not in a good way.  I’m just weak apparently since I shouldn’t have to modify by this point in my exercise career but…whatever, Jill.  I’ll just do what I gotta do to not hurt myself!  I can’t really complain when a 30 minute workout kills me!

Overall Pros and Cons:

Pros:

• All the workouts are just about 30 (+/-) minutes.
• You will get a dose of strength, cardio, abs x3 rounds throughout the entire 30 days.
• Most moves offer a modification to make them a little more doable for those new to exercise (still not something I would send to a person completely new to exercise, maybe new to strength training through!)
• Very wide variety of moves; some of which I had never heard of before.
• I felt more toned after 4 weeks (no formal measurements or anything + now it’s my birthday/thanksgiving week so that will end )
• You don’t need many props (only small hand weights + maybe a yoga mat – a sweatshirt on the ground works just as well)
• You work all muscle groups in every workout.
• Easy to bring with you on vacation/weekend away from home

Cons:

• Very repetitive if you do each workout 5-6x per week!
• Not very conducive to someone new to working out
• Lots of high impact moves
• Sometimes Jillian’s “motivation talks” just pissed me off… and then to have to hear them for X number of workouts per week?  Annoying.
• No guys as part of her entourage.  I thought this was weird and almost made it seem less legit because it appeared to be a “woman’s workout” or something.  But the moves still were tough, just seemed to be alienating to any guys who would want to try it.
• Not enough cool down.  It was the same, very basic sequence in all the weeks.
• Lots of dynamic moves right from the get go…(could be a positive in some lights too, I suppose!)
• Did I already say it was very repetitive?!?
• Ended up being not very good cross training for running because the focus was more overall fitness vs weight training which was my main hope.
• Not what I would call strength training per se.  No muscle fatigue for most of the moves.  Maybe it’s just me being lazy but I never had DOMS after.

All said and done, I think this is an awesome options for someone to have to do in the comfort of their own home, especially if you have limited time and exercise know how.  It was easy to follow what was going on and knowing I only had to do 30 minutes of working out helped me push play instead of pushing snooze at least a few times.  I’m glad I got this DVD for the occasional workout but I don’t know if I will ever attempt this 5-6x per week for 30 days to ever really test the body changing abilities of it because it was too boring for me (although I am a huge never do the same workout twice freak lately )  For $8-12 bucks this DVD will clearly earn its keep in your collection though!

Question for you: Does anyone know any good, at home, more focused weight/strength training DVDs?  I know about P90x but I am looking for something with 30-40 minute weights routines…

Marathon Monday: 10/29

Another week of training is complete which means only about 11 weeks until Sister and I will be running a marathon!  Here’s how I spent the last week:

Monday: Ripped in 30 + 2 mile run
Tuesday Ripped in 30 Week 2
Wednesday: 4 mile run
Thursday: Ripped in 30
Friday: 6 mile run
Saturday: Monster Dash 5k!
Sunday: Bob Harper’s Pure Burn Strength DVD

No real rest day last week but I’d planned to take one Sunday but then had way too much energy this weekend so I needed to get rid of some

Total miles ran: 15.1 miles
Total times doing Ripped in 30: 3

Which means I met my goals this past week – whoop!  Ripped in 30 has been just the kick in the butt I needed to get back to doing weights routinely.  I’m kind of scared to see what weeks 3 and 4 hold though!

For the week ahead, my goals are to up the weekly mileage to about 16 or 17 and do week 3 of Ripped in 30 about 3 times!

How about you, any goals for the week ahead?

Marathon Monday: 10/22

Monday again.  Yeeks.  I’m not excited about it!  But on to other things… like a Marathon Monday recap post!

Here’s how I have spent my last 7 days:

Monday: Ripped in 30 – Week 1
Tuesday: 2 mile run + Ripped in 30 – Week 1
Wednesday: 3 mile run
Thursday: Ripped in 30 – Week 1
Friday – Rest
Saturday – 8 mile run + upper body circuit
Sunday – 4 mile walk

Total weekly miles run = 13!
Times doing Ripped in 30 – 3!  (Would have been 4 if I wouldn’t have forgotten it when I went to my parents this past weekend…)

I finally feel like last week was more back on track with some sort of routine.  As much as I like having a varied workout routine, it’s hard to really focus on something and make improvements in certain areas when I’m doing a little of this or that.  So for the next few weeks, I’m going to mainly focus on running and working through Ripped in 30.

So, for the next week I am going to aim to run 15-16 miles and do Week 2 of Ripped in 30 3-4 times.  Hopefully all goes well!  I also hope to sneak in some yoga or extra stretching this week to help ease my legs back into running!

I’m really not looking forward to another crazy week at work but I do have something fun to look forward to this Saturday, the Monster Dash 5k with by blog buddy Allison!

Workout Recap.

I had every intention of doing a weekly workout log entry blog post but somehow it’s been two weeks and I have not yet caught myself up to date.  Luckily I have at least been sort of jotting it down on some paper somewhere!  I think it will be important for me to at least track what I do manage to get in running-wise especially since I am not following any training plan to at least be able to track week-to-week.  Plus, then when everything totally bombs for me, I will be able to look back and remind myself why

So to catch myself up to date, here are my entries from the past 2+ weeks:

8/13: Physique 57 + upper body weight DVD
8/14: 2 mi run + 15 min total body weights
8/15: 2 mi run + Physique 57
8/16: 2 mi run + Ripped in 30
8/17: Rest
8/18: 4.5 miles + quick upper body circuit (pushups, bicep curls, tricep dips 12reps X 3 circuits)
8/19: 12 mile bike ride + 300-400m swim + Yoga DVD
8/20: 3 mi run + 15 min upper body DVD
8/21: 2 mi run? + Ripped in 30 ( I either walked or ran this morning… for the life of me can’t recall for sure which!)
8/22: 3 mi run
8/23: Walks + Yoga
8/24: 2 mi run
8/25: 10 mi bike ride + 40 min weights
8/26: 30 day shred + 30 min Thigh and Seat Physique 57

Overall, I have not been hitting anything super hard lately.  I’ve been trying to get back to feeling normal and exercising less has been feeling better for me and my leg issue so I’ve been sticking with that for the time being.  Also, I’ve had too many after work events lately, it’s been messing with my routine

One quick note on swimming, man, it made my shoulders/body so tired and sore for DAYS!  Crazy how something new on the exercise front really manages to send your muscles for a loop!  I’m hoping to get a swim in 1x ever 2 weeks or so once I decide which gym to join!

Hopefully these next few weeks I can up the ante on running and biking.  I have my 36 mile bike ride in 2 weeks and then a half marathon walk/run in 4!  Time is sure flying and I would like to at least attempt to finish these things, even if I come in last place

#FitStreak: Week 2

Wow!  One week of FitStreak is over already!  This 30 days is going to go fast, I am pretty sure…. I got to try out quite a few of my new DVDs this week so that made it a pretty fun week of workouts.  It’s hard to just pick one a day though  Also, riding the new bike was fun sometimes

Here is how my week went down:

Monday: 35 minute bike ride + 15 min upper body weight DVD
Tuesday: Pilates “Dance” Netflix + 1st Level 30 Day Shred
Wednesday: 35 minute bike ride + 15 minute Core DVD
Thursday: 20 minute Bob Harper Pure Burn DVD + 30 minutes Pilates
Friday: 20 minute walk
Saturday: 65 minute bike ride + 30 minutes Jillian Michael’s Ripped in 30
Sunday: 60 minute Pure Burn DVD + 30 minutes Pilates + walk with Sister

This week went pretty well in the exercise department.  I rarely struggled with finding something I want to do each day!  All my new DVD’s really help though.  I’ll do a more complete review in a few weeks after I have had time to try them longer but so far I am loving the Bob Harper DVD and the Ripped in 30 DVD.  Bob really knows how to kick your butt and make your muscles scream for mercy and Jillian’s are nice because they go really fast because you move through the circuit nice and quick.

 

 

It’s not hard to imagine how the Biggest Loser contestants get in good shape… at least when they were trainers!

Another newly rediscovered exercise to me is Pilates!  I only have 1 semi-tolerable DVD on Netflix that I am doing currently but I would really like to find another good at home option for this.  And recommendations??  I used to love Pilates at a gym I belonged to years ago… man, I miss that gym!

I’m planning to continue one more week of no-running and then next weekend Sister and I are going to go to a running store and be fitted for shoes again just to see what another place recommends.  I’m hoping to find something cushiony but lightweight at the same time!  Then with new shoes, I will slowly start easing back into running to try to get up to half marathon shape in like ummm… 5-6ish weeks.  Oops.  I’m really hoping some of my endurance ability to run is still leftover from the marathon…

I ran 26 miles just about a month ago… seems really hard to believe currently…

So that was my week!  Busy with workouts but lots of fun too.  Here’s to another week of #FitStreaking!

What have you been up to?  Best workout of the week?

New DVDs.

Nothing makes me more excited than getting new workout goodies.  Nothing!  And this past week after coming to terms with the fact that hard core lifting/exercise are out for me at the moment, I decided to see what DVDs I could find to try to fill this void.  My theory was that I could easily modify a DVD without feeling self conscience about not following along to class + it’s cheaper than a gym membership!

I’ll do a full review on my favorites at some point but I am excited to give these a try this week and hopefully feel a little DOMS now and then!  I just got the order last night but I already had to give one upper body workout a try – I couldn’t resist!

Bob Harper’s Pure Burn Super Strength.  I love that his DVDs are only $5 on his website. (I got mine through amazon for $2 more because of shipping though). Makes them so accessible to anyone!  I love, love, love his yoga DVD so I have high hopes for this one.  Hopefully it’s not too much for this old lady!

Jillian Michaels’ Ripped in 30.  I also like her Yoga DVD that I have so again, high hopes!  Seems like I will likely have to modify certain moves but I am sure I can make it work!

Jillian Michaels’ 30 Day Shred.  This is an oldie but from the reviews, seems like a goodie

Personal Training with Jackie: Power Circuit Training.  I’ve never gotten a DVD from her before but I liked that this has 5 workouts that you can mix and match or add to other activities.  I think this will come in handy!  I tried the 15 minute upper body circuit last night and man…. I am not sure how a few quick moves can hurt so much but I am sore today!

The best part of this whole thing?  I got them all for FREE because I had enough rewards $$ on my amazon.com credit card!  This has to be a better credit card to have than one with airline miles.  You can pay using your credit so there is no charge and no waiting for any certificates to ship or anything like that! (This totally sounds like a sales pitch but really, I just love amazon!)  I wonder how much of my money amazon.com has gotten these past few years… Likely way more than I would like

So anyways, in lieu of killing myself with Insanity these coming months, I’ll be checking in with these folks!  If I really, really love any of these, you can be sure I will pass that information on.

Do you have any favorite workout DVDs or DVDs you have on your wishlist?  I know Sister (and I) really, really want Physique 57!

Until then, Happy #FitStreak-ing!

Double Digits.

This morning I made my return to double digits.  But, um… not running.  I decided it was about time to get over my fear of riding a bike and just go for it.  I set out on my bike but within a mile could tell the tire was rapidly flattening and I could not change gears.  Oops!  I ended up turning around the block and stopping back home to switch over to my sister’s twin bike that actually had air in it’s tires.  After I finally got on my way, I covered 10 miles in about 48 minutes.  I have no idea what “good” versus “bad” paces are for bike riding so I’m not really going to think too much about this currently!  While on my ride this morning, I realized a few things about biking…

1) If I want to give myself a chance to actually LIKE biking, I am going to need to bike bite the bullet and actually buy a cheap end, but decent bike.  There is no possible way I will ever really like biking on my $99 special from Wal-mart and the year 2000.  Not to mention the leaky tire, lack of gear shifting abilities and very uncomfortable seat.  So I think tomorrow I am going to do some shopping around for a reasonably priced riding bike.  Not sure if I should go road bike or hybrid but I guess I’ll see what draws me in tomorrow.

Probably this one.  It’s very much in my price range, your know about $500,000.

2) I LOVE that I can bike twice as fast as I can run.  The sad thing is, people can still run faster than I can bike.  Enough said.

3) Getting hit by bugs when you are biking actually hurts compared to having them “hit” you when you are running.

4) Biking is really hard.  I was trying to get my heart rate up since you know, I have not been able to get it up running any time in the recent past and it was surprisingly hard to push and not just give up.  I feel like this is very similar to how I felt when I started running.  Fighting the urge to quite is the hardest battle at first.

5) I don’t really know much about the rules of the road in relation to biking.  Must research this.  Luckily, there is a relatively decent bike path near my house that I can use for the majority of my rides but some road riding is required to get there.

6) I think this is something I could really end up liking.  It also would be a really good cross-train option for running.  Or so I imagine anyways!

When I got back from my bike ride, I also did a 40 minute weight circuit that I made up and between the two, I feel wiped!  And very, very hungry!  I have not really been as hungry lately but man, add a little exercise and I’m STARVING!

I am excited to see where my interest in biking leads me.  Maybe I will get bored in a week or maybe it will become a tied love with running?  Who knows!

Fitness Goals.

On Monday I posted about my status on my yearly goals and that got me thinking that I need to think about my fitness goals now that my main goal from the first half of this year is over!

There is no denying marathon training gets you in relatively good cardio shape but to be honest, the rest of my fitness is completely gone right now.  I used to feel a lot little bit more toned/fit better in my clothes than I do now and I also used to not have so many aches and pains in my legs so I know the two main points of my current fitness goals are going to be:

1. easy on the legs
2. get toned

I also have a half marathon in September that I am planning to do a little bit of training for so I need to fit this in somehow.  I was initially thinking of targeting sub-2 at the September half but I think my body needs a little more recovery time right now so it’s probably going to turn into another half for “fun”  There is always next year and the year after than to target sub-2!

Adding all those things together and I am thinking I will take another 2-3 weeks completely off running and with minimal impact for the cardio I do attempt and then slowly start adding in a few shorter runs a week for another 1-2 weeks and then add in an abbreviated version of some sort of half marathon training plan in the weeks leading up to the Fox Cities race in September.  Hopefully I can at least cross the finish line in September  Even if I have to power walk the whole thing!

For cross training, I am planning to rediscover my kickboxing DVDs and also do a small amount of Insanity.  Insanity is an awesome workout but I am pretty sure it is far from low-impact so that is the reason I am planning to just do a little.  One a week, max.

Weight training will also be a much larger focus of the weeks to come.  I need to lift some serious weights… I can feel how much weaker I have gotten in the last 2 months or so I cut down on this.  I am not sure if I will keep up with the gym and Body Pump classes but I will be sure to lift 3+ days per week, focus at least 2 days a week on some serious core strengthening and try to really focus on my upper body strength as well.

I am planning my weekly routine to look like this for the next few weeks:

Sunday: Insanity or Tae Bo DVD + core
Monday: Walk + Tae Bo
Tuesday:  Body Pump or Weights
Wednesday: Insanity or Tae Bo
Thursday: Body Pump or Weights + core
Friday: Rest/Short Walk
Saturday: Long Walk + weights

I’m sure each week I will make certain little changes to this but I work best if I have some sort of plan to focus on.  Hopefully if I can follow this plan and actually make some fitness progress, I will be in a better, stronger state to run my September and October half marathons.  Then marathon training starts again…. eek!  Hence the extreme importance on recovering fully right now!!  I have an angryish IT Band and a whole left leg that is not too happy with me…

PS, a monthly goal I have is to get in 10,000 steps a day… Sister and I have a bit of a competition going on this one  We both started off the month by hitting that number and then some on days 1&2 of July!  Whoop!

What do you do to recover but also not completely stop exercising?  I know swimming is a good option but I am such a horrible swimmer it’s kind of embarrassing…

Taper Eight.

My last longish run is now over… everything is quickly coming to an end for this marathon training.  It was a very nice morning for a run and I can only hope it’s as nice in 8 days but only time will tell for that one.

I ended up messing with my running routine by sleeping in a little this morning and then just having rice cakes before running.  I realized that having an actual breakfast before running is really a way better idea for me.  I felt pretty lethargic and out of energy for the beginning part of this run and I think it would have gone much better with a little more breakfast in my belly.  But oh well, it just gave me a little more training on running when you have no gas left… aka miles 20-26.2 next week most likely!

The first 1.5 miles this morning were exceptionally hard to push through but once those miles were over, it started to get the regular level of roughness  I also ended up taking a Clif shot at mile 4 because I was hungry and really running out of steam.  I realized that sadly chocolate Clif shots that I used to love so much don’t quite taste as good as they once did… bad timing on that!  Hopefully I can at least manage to stomach some form of shots next weekend or I am going to be screwed!  But even though the shot didn’t taste as good as it used to, it ended up kicking in and helping me power through miles 4-8.

My splits ended up decent and despite how this looks, I did really run a full 8 miles.  My Garmin just decided to die at mile 7.8.  That’s bad timing!  Next week I will have the battery FULLY charged!  Oops!

I was a little back and forth this morning with pace but I think that has more to do with stopping for traffic than anything else.  I managed to hit just about every red light possible on my route this morning!

After getting back from my run and getting showered up, Sister and I ventured out to try to find a marathon outfit for Sunday!  We first stopped at REI and didn’t have much luck but did hit the total payload on flavors for Clif shots, Clif blocks and Gus!  I ended up stocking up quite a bit so I have plenty of variety next weekend.  The price on these was also pretty good so if you are looking for running fuel, check out REI!  I also found a pair of blister proof socks that I am hoping to wear next weekend if everything tests out as planned during my run this week.

In the expo bags from the Country Music Rock n Roll, we got samples of the new flavor of Gu!  I tried mine last weekend and am totally in love!  I bought a couple more to have on standby.  I felt like they may have given me a little more energy than my Clif shots but might also have made my stomach a little more sensitive.  More testing must be done!  But they tasted exactly like peanut butter cookie dough… yum!  I also scored a few packs of the elusive Margarita Clif Shot blocks I have been looking for for months!!!

Next stop was Sports Authority and this is where I scored on my outfit!   I ended up with an Under Armour get up.  I got a longer version of my favorite UA shorts and found a obnoxiously bright tank to wear.  I would say this would help sister spot me better next weekend but with my luck, this will be the color of EVERYones outfits next weekend

Hopefully I am easy to spot in this and it’s comfy enough! We shall see on Tuesday/Wednesday!

I need to spend some time today stretching out my legs… of course I cut back my weights at Body Pump on Thursday (like by 1/2 on my legs) and I feel so much soreness now!  I have not felt sore from BP in months…so it makes total sense that less weight = more sore… Excellent timing once again… so hopefully they relax by Sunday?!?

I’m starting to feel a little nervous but hopefully I can manage to not be too distracted in the coming days!  I’ve said this so many times but I can’t believe it’s almost here!

Happy Saturday!

I <3 New Shoes.

But not just any shoes.  Running Shoes!  Buying new shoes for any other occasion makes me miserable but picking out new running shoes, now that’s my kind of shoe shopping!!  I have never been nor will I ever be a person who has a closet full of shoes (unless they are old running shoes that I have not yet gotten rid of…) and I will re-wear the same few pairs of shoes to work way past the point of them being acceptable because I really HATE it that much!  Too bad I cannot just wear socks to work, I am really happiest with no shoes on at all!  I also quite enjoy my TOMS but unfortunately, I can really only pull off wearing those to work on Fridays ONEMOREDAY!

Why this shoe speak you ask?  Well, yesterday when I got home from work, I was very excited to find two pairs of new running/workout shoes waiting for me on the front porch, courtesy of Zappos.com!

Disclaimer: I am not a professional shoe salesperson or shoe shopper, please consult your own salesperson/shopper before making a shoe purchase that is right for you.  I am just someone telling you what I think of the kinds I use!

Here’s what I got!

First up, I needed new shoes for weight lifting class.  I have been wearing the same old worn out and ripped pair of lightweight Nike’s since I joined the gym almost two years ago… I bought these shoes even longer ago than that and I think for a Kickboxing class I used to take at another gym I belonged to back in 2003/4 maybe?  Yikes!  So either way, I actually NEEDED these shoes!  I decided on a pair of Minimus shoes from New Balance.  I’ve never been the world’s largest New Balance fan (mainly because I always found them very heavy) but when I saw they had developed a new line that included soles from Vibrams,  I was sold!  I have worn my Five Fingers to the gym a few times but they always draw way too much attention there and if you knew me, you’d know I am not really interested in explaining “yes, they are comfortable” for the bazillionth time after work on a week day… during vacation or the weekend, my patience level is slightly higher but by 5pm on a Tuesday or Thursday, I pretty much would be happiest not discussing this topic again, thankyouverymuch!  So that is why I picked these out of the lineup at Zappos:

I can give more of a review of these in the future but so far, I have only worn them once but really, really liked them!  I wore them last night to do Insanity and they felt very comfortable but still allowed me to grip the floor better, which seems to be better for you when you are doing cross-training activities (or so I’ve heard!).  But I do really notice a difference and feel a lot more stable wearing ground gripping shoes versus larger tennis shoes/fitness shoes.

My second pair of shoes waiting for me on the porch yesterday was a new pair of my current favorite running shoes, the Saucony Kinvara 2!  I don’t know why I love these shoes so much, but I really do!  I swear they make me run faster and I have yet to get a pair that causes any kind of blisters!  I bought my first pair a little too small and ended up hurting a toenail when I swelled up at Summerfest because of dehydration but since buying a half size larger, I have never had anything happen with them!

This time I went for the white/black/purple combo and let me tell you, they look even better in person!! I am excited to wear these for Saturday’s long run provided we don’t have super sloppy roads… if so, I might stick with the old pair another week as to not ruin the newbies!

Since I have had these shoes for awhile (in other colors), I can list what I have found to be the pros and cons of these shoes.  I’ll start with the cons because that list is pretty short  and it’s always good to hear the bad news first, right?

CONS: 1) They rip easily on the top, in the toe region.  This has yet to actually affect my wearability of them but I still find it weird that this happens so quickly and I am not sure why it does?  The mesh covering over the shoes tears and you can see the bottom layer peaking through.  2) They don’t keep my feet dry at all!  But really, what shoes do a good job at this besides rain boots?  But it does seem my feet get a lot wetter and colder wearing this kind of shoe than past shoes I have worn but that might have something to do with the minimalistic modeling? 3) I have not found they last very long.  I seem to burn through them pretty quickly to the point I start getting shin splints (my cue to buy new shoes!).  I guess I have made it 4 months on my current pair (but pushed it a little to get closer to Spring) and maybe that is actually a decent amount of time but it seems I used to get 6 months out of shoes.  Although to be honest, I probably do run more now?  So maybe this really is not a con after all…

PROS: 1) These shoes encourage you to strike with your forefoot instead of your heel.  I really wish that I would have learned about proper form 5+ years ago when I first started running because let me tell you, muscle memory lasts a REALLY long time and when fatigued, I still revert back to heel striking which never fails to leave me sore the next day and cause damage to my body… these shoes really do help your foot to naturally land a bit safer so I try to keep practicing that to clear out the bad memories 2) They are super lightweight.  When I switched from my professional running store running shoe to these shoes, it seriously felt like I was not even wearing anything, they are that comfortable!  It’s amazing how much less fatigued my feet/ankles/legs get when they are not picking up heavy shoes! I also really think this lightweightedness (yes, that is a word) makes you run faster in them… 3) They are reasonable priced.  I have normally paid between $70-$100 for a pair and to me, that is a pretty decent price for good shoes.  It seems a lot of the better running shoes are above $100 and my limit is $100 or below but these shoes make that cut!

So that is probably enough rambling on about shoes but I was just so excited for them, I had to share!  If you are in need of new shoes, definitely hop over to Zappos.com!  Free shipping BOTH ways and you have a 365 days to return them if you have not worn them.  Plus, they shipped really quickly (although stinky Sister got hers a day before mine when she ordered a day after!).  I got both of these pairs on sale so with the free shipping, they only came to about $70 a pair!  That to me is well worth it!

Happy Shoe Shopping!