Yesterday morning I did something I haven’t done in over 5 weeks.
Speed work at the track!
Katie and I took a hiatus from track workouts about two weeks out from Kiawah’s Half Marathon. With my foot recovering and with the holidays neither of us were able to make track training happen.
And boy could you tell! Watching us and listening to us complain, you would have thought we had never ran before. It was pretty comical really, but very humbling at the same time.
Back in November, we were rocking out 800s, 1200s, and even mile repeats. Today?
400s. Whomp whomp.
That’s all we had in our tanks. After each lap we put our hands on our thighs, take some crazy deep breaths and then ask each other what the heck were we doing out there. I think at one point there was even talk of changing to 200s. But luckily we managed to pull through and by the end of our run, we had covered just over 4 miles (that’s with the warm-up and cool-down runs).
Yup… humbling. I told Katie it’s the hard runs that make us stronger.
This was our first training session back after a long break so of course we shouldn’t have expected to just step out on that red track and feel at ease. In fact, we wanted to die.
Oh running…
The Shoe That Never Stops
Now that my running is picking up again (though still pretty light coming off an injury), I am finally able to share with you my newest running treat!
A pair of SKORAs!
A few months back, I hopped on Twitter and asked for trail running shoe recommendations. I loved all the feedback and was just about to put an order in for a pair when SKORA reached out to me and asked if I would be interested in trying a pair of their shoes out.
I had never heard of SKORA before, so of couse I checked out their website…
And read some reviews before agreeing. I read several reviews from people saying that their shoes lasted for over 1000 miles… with trail running!
There are several picts of long living shoes at their Facebook page, here’s just one (that has 1100 miles):
I had to try out these shoes that apparently are the Energy Bunny of the running world!
Okay, so I will admit when I received my SKORA’s and pulled them out of the package I kind of felt like I was looking at a pair of futuristic shoes. Not quite what I was used to and I was a bit on edge. After all, I am a shoe lover and I believe that a person’s shoes make a statement.
What statement were these making?
Pushing my hesitation aside, I slipped into them and immediately went “Wo, these are comfortable!”
The SKORA Test
Lightweight, minimal, yet supportive. The SKORA is considered a barefoot shoe brand, yet they are far more supportive than my New Balance Minimus. They have cushion for comfort which I have yet to really find in a barefoot shoe (which is why I continue to not use my others).
Now, I haven’t logged 1000 miles in them (hello recovery period) but I have had the chance to run short distances on a treadmill and outside.
Because of the 0-drop, training smart is essential. Small runs to build-up millage is key to teach my body how to run barefoot.
On the trails, the support is enough to handle jumping, rock running and quick turns perfectly! The 13 mm stack height is the blessing for the comfort. Because of it, the cushioning is enough so that I don’t feel all those rocks, limbs, and branches as I pound my way over the tops. I love trails, but they can be pretty brutal on the feet and ankles.
So far, I am digging them! And I have learned what statement they make…
I am confident as a runner. I am a beast.
I am in love with this pair from their site:
I am seriously contemplating these for my next pair of shoes. At $110, they’re just as much as any other running shoe on the market but so much more goal targeted with the runner in mind.
The Trail Run 12K
Next weekend is our first trail run of the year. I haven’t decided yet if I am ready for that distance in barefoot shoes since I am just getting back into training. But I really want to test these out in the competitive field.
What’s your favorite new running shoe/gear/tool?