Race Recap

                On July 13, 2013 I ran the Belmar 5miler.  A few months ago my sister texted me saying she will be home and I should do the run with her.  I instantly said yes, and responded to her asking if she knew it was a 5 mile run and not a 5k.  Even so it wasn’t a problem and we decided run it anyway.  We probably had one of the biggest groups there between my sister’s friends and our cousins who came down from Connecticut.  All of us were seriously excited and could not wait to get going.

                On race day things were looking a little bleak.  The Friday before it was raining all day, and the clouds still weren’t pushed out by the morning.  With my mud run background a little water wasn’t going to stop me.  Game time finally came around and the race began.  The group was already split up and didn’t matter cause we were all running for our set times anyway.   Two of my cousins and I started about mid pack.  I was begging to feel a little claustrophobic and I needed to get out of the pack to get on my pace.  Once I got out I was only about 12-15 seconds off my pace time so I was happy by mile one.

                Almost nothing felt better than making the final turn and I started sprinting for the finish line.  As I crossed the line I checked the timer and it said 39.24.  When I first signed up I set a goal of running it in 40 minutes or less.  I was happy with the time.  It was very humid that day but thankfully the clouds kept the sun away.  I was feeling good, and then I checked my official time that they posted as the runners came in.  So my net time was 38:46, I was so excited when I saw that.

(photo courtesy of my pops)

                All in all it was a great day.  The run was fun, weather was kind to us for the most part, and the group was such a blast to be with.

Till next time

Yurbuds review

            I don’t know about you guys but I have a hard time finding earbuds that fit me.  They are always falling out when I am running or even when I am just sitting.  In the past I have tried everything from straight headphone, behind ear buds, or just plain old buds.  For a while I was using Skullcandy’s which I was very happy with for the sound and for the comfort but they never wanted to stay in place.  I have tried everything even using apple earbuds and flipping them so they hung upside down but again they never stayed.  I was really tired of trying different things and decided to do some research before I tried my next pair.

            So I came across a company called Yuruds and they seemed to be a sport orientated company.  I decided to go with their Inspire Duro earbuds.  A few weeks ago my pair came in and I have been trying them out.  When you first look at these headphones you will notice how weird they look but that’s why they work so well.  The shape helps the buds sit in your ear better allowing them to stay in place during times of a lot of movement.  The first time I tried them on a run I was so relieved to find how well they work.  I was able to move my head all over the place and the buds didn't budge at all.  So finally I found a pair of buds that I completely love.

            Now let’s get to some pros and cons.  First let’s get the cons out of the way, however these are few and very very far between.  Yurbud says that the cord is supposed to be tangle free but because the cord is cloth instead of rubber I find it getting tangled more then ever.  I also am a person that wears my headphones under the back of my shirt.  But the cloth cord gets pulled by my shirt tugging on the earbud.  So now I wear the cord under the front part of my shirt, such a major problem right.  That’s it for the cons, like I said few and far in between.  Now for the pros.  As I said the shape helps lock the buds into your ear and they don’t move.  I still have a habit of checking and repositioning my headphones, just because I always had to.  What is also great about these buds is that they are not noise canceling.  If noise canceling is what you are looking for then look somewhere else.  But these headphones allow ambient noise in which makes running in the road much safer.  And this all happens with out risking the sound quality.

            I have been so happy with these earbuds and I highly recommend them to everyone but especially those that have a problem with buds falling out all of the time.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Ups and Downs to Training for Belmar 5ml Run

                So a few months ago I decided to run the Belmar 5 mile on July 13^th.  Not only did I decide I would run but I set a time for myself to try and beat.  I wanted to run it in 40 minutes or quicker.  Now before I continue going on with the now let me give you a little history.  I have run 5k’s, mud runs, and color runs in the past.  Running in a race like this is nothing new to me and I know what I'm getting myself into.  However the difficult part is a history of injuries.

                Early February of 2012 I seriously sprained my ankle while playing indoor soccer.  Looking back now this was something that I should have gone to a doctor to get checked and to allow it to heal properly.  But stubborn me and thinking I know everything I didn't go to one.  The icing and time I took off from all activities wasn’t enough.  So needless to say I had a reoccurring injury that lasted for so long and really got me down.  So ever running a competitive time last year was never going to happen.

                Because I knew my injury was from being out of shape and working in an office I was determined to not have the same issues a second year in a row.  I started working out again and have been steadily going to the gym.  I feel great and more importantly my ankle feels stronger and better.  So this past Saturday (6/29) I had a paintball tournament, and during our second match I well thankfully didn’t sprain my ankle again but I pulled my groin.  When it happened I first focused on finishing out the tournament but once done I sat down and I thought oh crap there goes my goal for the run.

                After relaxing and icing on Sunday I decided Monday I would try to see how things went.  I ran 2 miles and I am happy to report that it wasn’t as bad as I was expecting and after being able to run 5 miles today a little off the pace I was shooting for and feeling fine I think I can say that the goal is close if not completely back.  And I will gladly keep you all posted on how the race goes.

Hope the rest of your week goes well.